THE good news for Gary Teale and David Longwell as they take their first tentative steps as the new interim St Mirren management team is that history suggests they will have a decent chance of remaining in post for the longer term.
This is the fifth time in 12 years that the club's board of directors have had to start the search for a new manager and on each of the previous four occasions their first reaction was to look internally. And so Tom Hendrie was replaced by John Coughlin, who in turn gave way to Gus MacPherson. When the latter left his post in 2010, his assistant Andy Millen was sounded out but chose not to take on the role. That led the St Mirren board to appoint Danny Lennon who in turn was replaced by Tommy Craig until his dismissal on Tuesday. And now Teale, St Mirren player-coach, and Longwell, the club's head of youth, will be given the chance to carry on the baton, at least until after Sunday's SPFL Premiership match away to Celtic. Others like Billy Stark and Barry Smith could also come into contention but for now it seems those in temporary charge will be given a chance to prove they deserve to remain there for the long haul.
Teale is an interesting selection. Appointed player-coach in the summer, the 36 year-old former Scotland international is approaching the end of his playing career, injuries having severely curtailed his appearances over the past two seasons. He has been given the chance to take temporary charge ahead of both Jim Goodwin and Steven Thompson. Goodwin, also given the title of player-coach at the start of the season, seems to have paid the price for his on-field indiscipline and will now continue only in a playing capacity. Thompson, surprisingly overlooked in the summer despite his popularity among supporters and team-mates alike, is again being left to wait in the wings for now.
Teale is still wet behind the ears as a coach but has a wealth of playing experience he can call upon. After making a name for himself at Clydebank and then Ayr United, he would go on to spend the next decade down in England at Wigan Athletic, Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday, as well as loan spells with Plymouth Argyle and Barnsley.
It is during that time down south that he first came into contact with Paul Jewell. It was the Liverpudlian who took Teale from Ayr to Wigan in 2001, the pair remaining together for the next six years during one of the most illustrious periods in the Lancashire club's history as they won promotion twice, played in the English top tier for the first time, and reached the League Cup final. When Teale moved on to Derby in 2007, it wasn't long before he was reunited with Jewell once the latter had succeeded Billy Davies as manager.
Jewell remains an influential figure in Teale's career. When the Scot was named as player-coach he called his old manager to pick his brains on how best to make the transition, and name-checked him again this week after being selected as Craig's successor.
Jewell, latterly of Ipswich Town and now a regular pundit on Sky Sports, is flattered that Teale still holds him in such high regard, but believes the characteristics the winger showed as a player means he will have little need for outside help as he begins his own managerial career.
"Gary was always a very good professional, someone who always did the right things on and off the pitch," Jewell told Herald Sport. "And you can tell he had a genuine love of the game. Some players become professionals just because it's something they happen to be good at, but you could tell Gary was always genuinely keen to learn and was aware of what was happening in other leagues and other countries.
"I hope he does really well with this opportunity. He called me in the summer after being named player-coach by St Mirren to ask one or two things and it was nice to hear from him again. But I'm sure his professionalism and dedication to succeed will stand him in good stead without needing to hear from me or anyone else."
Jewell's phoneline remains open to Teale in case he needs a further pep talk before taking his side to Celtic Park on Sunday but his biggest advice is not to overcomplicate things.
"It's a great opportunity for him to put himself in the frame for the job in the long term," he added. "As long as he gets his team organised and makes sure they go about the game the right way, then he can feel comfortable going into this match, even if it is against the best team in the league.
"Everything we see in football has been done before. A lot of coaches seem to think they are reinventing the wheel. These buzz phrases they use are just the same ideas that Bill Shankly was saying 50 years ago. So Gary has just got to keep it simple. Things become habitual whether you are winning or losing, so if he can make a slight difference that might bring about an improvement then that's what he needs to start with.
"I was in temporary charge at Bradford when we played Stockport in my first game in charge and they absolutely battered us. But our goalie played well and we won 2-1. Suddenly I went from not being in the frame for the job on a permanent basis, to being seen as someone who knew what he was doing! So you sometimes need a bit of luck. Hopefully Gary gets some of his own on Sunday."
ends
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