Cleland throws his hat into ring for St Johnstone vacancy

Friday 28 October 2011

Caretaker manager Alec Cleland is to hold talks with the St Johnstone board over the permanent position after a deal to bring in Paul Cook collapsed.

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The Sligo Rovers manager could not agree personal terms with the Perth club’s chairman Geoff Brown after the clubs had agreed compensation earlier this week.

Cleland, who is in temporary charge along with captain Jody Morris, admitted his interest in succeeding Derek McInnes on a permanent basis following Saturday’s goalless draw at Dundee United and the club’s under-19 coach hopes to hold talks with Brown and his son, Steven, a director at McDiarmid Park, to put forward his plans.

Cleland said: “I’m very interested in the job. I know the players, I’ve got good relationship with the staff. I’d be silly to rule myself out.“I’d like to speak to the chairman and Steve about the position so they can hear my views on it, where I would like to take the team.”Cleland and Morris look certain to be in charge when St Mirren visit McDiarmid Park tomorrow in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and the former Rangers full-back hopes another good result could help his case.“That’s something they could look at. They could give us a couple of games and see how things goes, although Jody has obviously ruled himself out,” he said. “See what kind of reaction we get from the crowd, if they are happy with the way the team are performing, and look at it like that.“Or, after speaking to me, they may feel it’s not for me. You never know how Geoff and the board are thinking but their track record has been good in appointing managers and I’m sure whoever is appointed, it will be the right decision.”The interest in Cook quickly emerged publicly after the Liverpudlian, a former Stockport team-mate of new Bristol City manager McInnes, became odds-on favourite with bookmakers following a string of bets in Ireland but Cleland is keen to play down speculation among the players.“We try and shield it from them,” the former Everton and Dundee United player said. “Players talk in the dressing room and there will be a lot of managers linked because it’s such an attractive position.“I think the longer it goes on the more difficult it gets but you don’t want it to go on too long. Callum Davidson spoke about it earlier in the week and he was right, the uncertainty does creep in, players do talk. They maybe don’t say it affect them but you can read the players, and it does affect them.”St Johnstone have Cillian Sheridan back in their squad after he recovered from a hamstring problem but Murray Davidson is struggling with a minor knee injury.

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Cleland throws his hat into ring for St Johnstone vacancy

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