ALAN Stubbs has identified players who need to impress him if they want to stay and the changes required at the training ground in less than a week as St Mirren manager.
The squad, in his eyes, is not good enough to compete in the Premiership and there are some who will be on trial from Monday when pre-season begins.
St Mirren do at least have a training ground but Stubbs is not the first in the manager’s chair to find fault with the facilities at Ralston.
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Stubbs is going to be a busy man. He has walked into a good club with a winning squad, thanks to Jack Ross, but the step up from Championship to the Premiership is bigger than perhaps some of those about to make the jump realise.
“When I look at our squad, I’ve got to admit that there are a number of areas I need to improve and that’s not saying anything against the players who are here but, when it comes to strength in depth, I need to raise the level, raise the bar,” said Stubbs.
“That’s something that I’m actively doing already. I’m looking to bring players here and some of them will take a little longer than others because teams down south report back later.
“I’m trying to explore bringing in players from the under-23 teams of Premier League clubs. It’ll be great to watch the World Cup in the coming weeks but, in terms of our planning, it’s not great. As a result, I may need to be patient in order to get a couple of the targets I have in mind over the line.
“Some of them will be loan deals but I don’t want to do too many because I want to try and build a team here. However, if loan signings can significantly improve the squad then I’d be prepared to go for them.
“There’s no denying it’s a big step up. I've spoken to Jack and we bounced ideas off each other. He can help me here and I can pass on my knowledge of League One. It won’t be the last time I speak to him.”
Stubbs will speak to each of his players on an individual basis next week before they head to La Manga in Spain for some warm weather training. They will be left in no doubt that a raise in standards from last season is what the new man is looking for.
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The manager is still getting used to his surrounding but he has a feel for the place already.
“I’ve spoken to a few people about the club itself and I think that (feeling) will get bigger as the days and weeks go by,” said Stubbs.
“It’s a community club. They are very proud of the team and it’s something which is important. I understand that. I want to give them a team to be proud of. I want them to turn up at three on a Saturday and be proud to watch the team.
“At Hibs it was different. That was a club on its knees from relegation and this one is on the back of promotion and I want to build on that. There’s a nucleus of the team that will be good to work with. There are some players who will need to step up if they want to stay here.
“Everyone will have an opportunity to be a part of it, but there might be some that won’t be here when the season starts.
And it’s not just the players that need to sharpen up.
Speaking about the training ground, Stubbs said: “I had a look on Monday and there’s definitely room for improvement there, things that can be worked on.
“The facilities are there to allow us what we need to do and, importantly, the pitches are excellent because we’ll be spending most of our time on the grass. It’ll be good to get a week’s training in before we go to La Manga.
"The players will enjoy the sunshine but it’s going to be tough for them out there.”
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