ST MIRREN fans may look at the various paths their club could take at this juncture and feel like it is being asked whether you would prefer to be shot or strangled.
Two possible scenarios could emerge from this point and neither must seem particularly appealing.
The ongoing sale of the club is in danger of emulating the saga just down the road at Ibrox in both its longevity and uncertainty. It has been five and a half years now since a phalanx of directors came together to put their 52% shareholding up for sale. In an ironic twist, they have subsequently bought out the two former directors left out of the original pact so they can offer potential buyers a 75% stake, a figure that means the holder can force through any resolution at a shareholders meeting, including altering a company's constitution.
Potential suitors have turned up at St Mirren's door in their dozens and then walked away again. Deals have been said to have been on the brink of completion, or at least in the final stages, only to fall through at the crucial stage. It has proved a source of great frustration to the selling consortium who have laid bare their desire to move on and let someone else take on the challenge of running the club, but have failed to find an appropriate buyer. Their waning enthusiasm has been reflected in the team's on-field performances, with St Mirren languishing at the foot of the SPFL Premiership table and in real danger of exiting the top division for the first time in nine years.
This feeling of inertia has crippled the club. When the board finally took decisive action to remove Tommy Craig as manager when it became apparent his tenure was not working out, the hope was it would lead to a more hands-on approach. That was on December 9. More than a month later and there is still no sign of a permanent manager being appointed, no mention of how long caretaker Gary Teale can expect to remain in charge, no players have been signed and four have now left the club. The team has won just once in that time and the sensation lingers among many supporters that, the longer things are left just to drift along, it will only get worse. Whoever is relegated into the Championship this summer could find themselves down there for quite some time.
It is why many supporters have, with blind optimism rather than any great enthusiasm, greeted news that a takeover could finally be about to be concluded. Two separate bidders emerged. One was English-based, spoke grandly of developing the land around St Mirren Park, of bringing in high-calibre coaches and expanding things behind the scenes. Details were sketchy but it sounded promising, if a little raw around the edges. It fell down in contentious fashion, a source close to the club saying they could not work with a convicted fraudster despite apparently being aware of his felony early in the discussions. Regardless, their bid is off the table.
It has left the way clear for a South American group to conclude a deal. It is difficult to recall too many examples of foreign owners coming into Scottish football and making a huge success of things but, according to well-placed sources, the deal could be concluded as early as this week. There is even less information available about this group's motives, although the general indication is it will involve importing South American players with European passports then look to sell them on for profit. It is not the sort of business plan that will sit easy with some St Mirren supporters although, given the likely outcome of the status quo, there are some willing to give it a chance on the premise that it is always better to be seen to be doing something than doing nothing.
In an ideal world, the club would have been delivered into the hands of its supporters but a previous bid by the 10,000 Hours group fell short, while the supporters trust has neither the resources nor the desire to launch a takeover attempt at this point. Their role, then, during an uncertain period will be to be to seek supporter representation in any new regime and to probe away at any new owners' motives.
"I've got one simple question to these guys: why?" said John White, chairman of SMISA, the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association. "I'd ask the same question no matter where they come from. If you do not have a St Mirren background, then why are you here?
"We've heard they are going to buy a 75 per cent stake but that gives you a lot of power. Just look what happened at Hearts with Vladimir Romanov when he got total control. You can do what you want and no-one can do a thing about it. Maybe these guys have got good intentions but we just don't know. Right now we will just have to hope they will do what is best for the club. But I would urge them to open up a dialogue with the fans if they want to keep us onside."
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