STEVEN MACLEAN and his St Johnstone teammates are held in legendary status for lifting the Scottish Cup in 2014.
But the former striker, who is now assistant manager to Callum Davidson, believes he and his former colleagues would be overlooked if the current crop at McDiarmid Park were to do the cup double this season.
Saints have already won the League Cup this campaign and they are now on the verge of a Scottish Cup final with a last four tie against St Mirren to come later today.
The victory over Dundee United in 2014 will always hold special memories for MacLean but the 38-year-old admits it would be equally as special to conquer the cup as a coach.
Speaking on Zoom with his cup final top and medal on show, MacLean said: "Trust me, winning as a coach is just as good as winning as a player. The only thing is as a player when you won, you didn't think about the next game.
“As a coach, as soon as you win instantly you're thinking about the next game. As a player you didn't give a monkeys about the next game, you were just buzzing that you were winning. You started thinking about the next game maybe on a Tuesday.
"Everybody is talking about a double and if it happens we'll speak about it then, but we've got to take care of this game on Sunday. It's a massive game, so let's not jump the gun.
“Let's try and win on Sunday and then we can maybe talk about doing the double. It's a 50-50 game, whoever plays well on the day. Jim's got his team going well and it will be tough.”
Asked if the cup winners of 2014 would be forgotten if Saints were to go all the way this time round, MacLean joked: "I hope so. I'd be buzzing with that. If the team was to do that, it would certainly eclipse 2014.
“They have a chance to make history but they need to make sure their minds are focused on Sunday. I know it's boring but they need to concentrate on Sunday and everything else will take care of itself.”
As a former striker himself, MacLean has been mightily impressed with the form of St Johnstone’s strikers. Stevie May, Chris Kane and Guy Melamed have not only been finding the back of the net more regularly, but they have been defending from the front.
MacLean explained: “The manager doesn’t care about what the back three or the back five are doing defensively, it is a collective thing. If you want to play in his team you have got to work hard.
“The boys at the front have to work hard because defending starts from the front, be it a two or a three. If you are not going to do that then you are probably not going to play.
“I think the whole team works really hard. The back three will be the first to tell you they are really well protected by those in front of them. They are good players themselves but certainly the boys in front take care of them as well.
“At the start of the season we probably never scored goals as we wanted and expected but we were always trying to improve. I think it is not just about the strikers, it is about asking when we get into good areas can we get our final ball better.
“Can the midfielders make better chances for the strikers, can they and the defenders contribute by scoring goals as well. You defend as a team and you score as a team as well.”
On his first stint as a coach, MacLean added: “Listen I am loving it, I just keep learning. I am always learning from Callum, and Alec Cleland.
“I am just enjoying the journey, how could you not enjoy the run that we have been on and how well we have done this season. I just always want to keep learning and trying to progress just as much as I can. As a player I was always looking to improve and as a coach I am no different.”
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