Tony Fitzpatrick, the St Mirren legend, insists the club will move to their new ground in the New Year still owing Sir Alex Ferguson a debt of gratitude stretching back to the mid-1970s.
In January, the club will leave their Love Street stadium - St Mirren Park - which has been their home since 1894, for their new ground less than a mile away.
Although Fitzpatrick singles out Ferguson for special praise, he also gives current manager Gus MacPherson credit in light of picking up the Clydesdale Bank Premier League manager- of-the-month award for October yesterday.
Fitzpatrick, who made a record 536 appearances for a club that he also managed, was launching the official DVD celebrating over a century of football at Love Street and he recalled the impact made by Ferguson more than 30 years ago.
Ferguson's first big job in management was when he moved from East Stirlingshire to Paisley in 1974, where he took his young side from the old second division up two tiers to the Premier League before leaving for Aberdeen.
Fitzpatrick said Ferguson's managerial blueprint left a long legacy at Love Street.
"St Mirren owe Alex Ferguson an incredible debt," he said. "Without a doubt, it was Fergie's charisma that brought and kept players at St Mirren.
"I know Gus MacPherson is doing a magnificent job at the moment and managers before him have done well but Fergie actually set everything off and running. He put St Mirren back on the map again and built a youth policy that was second to none in Scotland.
"We were up near the top of the table and qualified for Europe. He was just a special person and he did the same at Manchester United as he did at Aberdeen and St Mirren.
"Although Manchester United is a massive club, everyone feels part of it, from the cleaning lady to the top executive, and it was the same at St Mirren. Plus in football terms, he was a genius.
"It wasn't Fergie that signed me but he came in as a very young manager and developed me as a professional.
"I have come across a lot of people in my life but I knew from day one that there was something about him. He was a leader of men and I was very impressed with him. He took me aside and said he was making me captain and was going to build the team around me so I couldn't thank him enough and all the other players felt the same. He could instil a great belief in you, which is a special talent."
Fitzpatrick admits that the move to the new stadium will represent the end of an era. "It is very sad, to be honest, but I know it's the best move."
Meanwhile, MacPherson dedicated his managerial award to his players who spend their mornings looking for training facilities.
"It's something that you are delighted to accept on behalf of so many other people," he said. "I'm just the figurehead and it's behind the scenes that all the work is done. We have staff who sit in a minibus on the morning with portable goals tied to the roof, trying to find an area to train.
"We suffer more than most and so it's credit to the players for working under difficult circumstances on a daily basis."
