Danny Lennon trusted Jim Goodwin with every thread of the captain’s armband he bestowed upon him at St Mirren.
Every strand other than the part that demands no reckless bookings, anyway.
But it’s that insatiable appetite and desire to be a winner, which on occasion took Goodwin over the top as Buddies skipper, that Lennon insists is now driving him to success as Paisley boss.
Not that there aren’t other strings that have placed the 40-year-old top of the list as Aberdeen zone in on their preferred candidates to replace axed Stephen Glass.
Lennon, now in charge at Clyde, knows his old dressing room commander and League Cup winning captain ticks the boxes when it comes to a modern day manager.
Man management, recruitment, dealing with the media, getting results. It’s all there according to his old mentor.
Lennon, who will always have a place in his heart for St Mirren, only hopes those characteristics remain in Paisley for the time being - even if he’s convinced Goodwin is destined for the top.
He said: “Jim was a fantastic captain for me. A very good professional and a great leader.
“It’s no surprise that over his short period as a manager he is doing very well.
“Resources wise Aberdeen are perhaps a bigger club. Jim will want to go as high as he can in his career.
“I personally think he has unfinished business at St Mirren and that’s a reflection of how well he is doing there.
“But he is an up and coming manager and if he decided to move on then I’m sure he’d be a success.
“Jim was always good in the dressing room. He knew the responsibilities of a good leader. And many of those cross over to management.
“I could trust Jim in every single area of what a club captain should be.
“The only problem I had at one stage was that I couldn’t fully trust him on the pitch because of his commitment and desire to go and win.
“He’d pick up stupid yellow cards and it actually got to a stage when he picked up a daft early booking, he would come over and say he’d be fine, but I’d take him off because the penny had to drop somehow.
“This is not a negative though. It was a learning curve and maybe he will understand that more as a manager now that you need your best players.
“It’s like anything as a manager - you take bits from everyone you have worked for. Some good, some bad and other bits you wouldn’t touch.
“It’s about learning your own identity and style. Jim has certainly done that and the hunger to succeed is clearly still there.”
There’s perhaps no better example of Goodwin taking his own learning experiences on the park into management than current Buddies midfielder Alan Power.
His fellow Irishman admitted earlier this season that Goodwin had taken him aside to warn him to clean up his act and that staying on his feet on the pitch is the best way to keep him off his backside in the stands. The result? Last season’s 17 bookings have reduced to six so far this year - plus the Parkhead red which provoked Goodwin’s summons.
It’s an example of the man management Lennon reckons plays a big part in the Goodwin squeezing the maximum out of his players.
But he’s also been impressed by his recruitment.
He said: “Jim played at a time when there were still a few old school managers who called a spade a spade but he’s also buffered that with an understanding of the modern player.
“You can see the players at St Mirren are playing for him and that’s down to man management.
“He handles the media part of the job really well. You can’t beat a soft southern Irish accent to be fair!
“But he is a man who will work his socks off, graft to make himself and his club better.
“Results haven’t always gone his way. There was a time before Christmas when they were going through a sticky spell.
“The club backed him, they believe in him. And it paid off. Jim made a few adjustments to his team and the way they play. And they’ve come through that spell really well.
“He is performing well in the recruitment department and attracting good quality players that will allow St Mirren to compete at the right end of the table and in cup competitions.
“When I was there I felt we dined at the top table every year with a diminishing budget.
“It’s the opposite for Jim. He is getting the backing.
“But that brings it’s own pressure. He has to get the recruitment right with the finances at his disposal.
“He seems to have that balance bang on.
“Jim is so enthusiastic. I speak to him regularly and he is full of great ideas and vision. And they are his own ideas.
“I’d personally love to see him stay at St Mirren. But it won’t be forever.”
