St Mirren chairman John Needham is urging SMiSA members to stick with the club and continue to shape change from within.
And the Buddies boss is calling on the majority shareholder supporters’ association to adapt and look at new ways of backing the Saints financially as the club continues to battle on after a £1.6 million hit.
SMiSA has seen several prominent board members leave the organisation over the last year, with chairman Eddie Devine stepping down earlier this week having only taken the reins in December.
With interim chairman Alex Dillon stepping in until SMiSA’s AGM in May, some Saints supporters have posted on social media they would be withdrawing their monthly pledges amid calls for better clarity and communication.
Needham hopes members continue to back the Buddies and hopes the club and SMiSA can work together to get St Mirren back on an even keel before pushing on to the next level.
Speaking exclusively to the Paisley Daily Express, Needham explained: “We had a very constructive meeting with SMiSA recently.
“We’re keen for a constructive and collaborative approach and I want SMiSA to be as strong as it can be as a member myself.
“I think we should be looking to the Foundation of Hearts model. I feel SMiSA could contribute more financially and now it’s about the next step for them going forward.
“Initially SMiSA’s mission was to become the majority shareholder of the club, which it has now achieved. Now it’s about how SMiSA can contribute to making the club stronger, now it’s in safe hands.
“At the AGM earlier this season we were very open about the financial difficulties we faced. As a board and a staff we’ve worked extremely hard across the club to work on that and we’re now ahead of plans in terms of reducing costs.
“We were looking to get back to a break even basis next season but now something similar is on the cards this year, which is better than anticipated and we’re delighted those efforts have paid off.
“SMiSA support the club by contributing to the academy and the women's team and we greatly appreciate that. But they’re still raising more money every month and they need to decide what they do with that next.
“We’ve got ideas and plans going forward and will look to work with SMiSA, and the local council in some cases, as we look to develop more income streams and get more projects off the ground.
“I’ve seen some people talk about stepping back from SMiSA now and I feel that’s short-sighted to withdraw pledges. I believe you should always try and effect change from within and we’ve seen how important it is to be a member in recent key decisions.
“The decision to retain all three stands against the Old Firm was led by SMiSA members and the more members there are, the stronger the voice will be.”
Needham also addressed a video released on Wednesday morning by Richard Dickson, an entrepreneur who expressed an interest in buying St Mirren.
The Buddies boss revealed he’d be happy to have a conversation with the potential investor, but emphasised the Paisley club was not for sale.
Needham said: “Richard has never contacted me in the past, the video was the first I’d seen of his interest.
“Naturally there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have a conversation and see what could be done going forward.
“But ultimately SMiSA own 51 per cent of the club, Kibble own 27 per cent and the club isn’t for sale.
“I’m not a shareholder so whether any business could be done going forward is a question for SMiSA and Kibble.
“It’s an interesting development and elsewhere in the league, you see James Anderson contributes a lot to Hearts. That could be a potential avenue.”
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