New Saints boss Stephen Robinson revealed he’s delighted to be back on Scottish soil again.
The Buddies manager replaced Jim Goodwin on Tuesday morning, making a whirlwind return north of the border after a short spell with English League One side Morecambe.
Having spent an eventful and often successful three-year spell with Motherwell, the Northern Irishman is glad to be involved in the “madness” of Scottish Premiership action once again, even though his first clash with Dundee fell foul of the Scottish weather last night.
Robinson is now looking forward to his first taste of action this weekend when St Mirren welcome Hearts to Paisley on Saturday.
Robinson told Express Sport: “It’s a great opportunity to build on the already good work done and experience the madness of Scottish football again.
“When you’re successful somewhere you always have fond memories.
“I have so much respect for Scottish football. It doesn’t get the kudos it should do.
“The stadiums, the fans, the atmosphere, the passion, is all incredible.
“I’ve already had some things shouted out of car windows at me. Maybe it was ‘Welcome to Paisley’. But I don’t think it was the kind of thing you can print!
“It’s good to be back involved, to be playing against teams like Rangers and Celtic, Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen. It’s a big attraction.
“I’m a big Scottish football fan. I like seeing the Scottish national team doing well. The missus has even taught me Flower of Scotland so I’ve no choice.
“It’s something I’m entrenched in.
“I love to see the Scottish game progress and it has done. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck back into it again.”
While Robinson took the Steelmen to two national cup finals and an impressive third place finish, he believes the Buddies are getting their hands on a better manager this time around.
He’s learned to avoid the noise off the pitch and focus fully on what he can control, which he feels will give the club as a whole a much better chance of success on the pitch.
Robinson said: “When I took the Motherwell job I was a young, inexperienced manager and you make emotional decisions when that’s the case.
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“You can get caught up in the day and the occasion but I don’t do that any more. I think I’ve learned to stick to my principles and to what I believe in.
“There’s such a fine line between success and failure and you need to remember not to get too high when you’re doing well.
“When you’re not doing too well then the hardest thing in football is not to get too low. Fans and everyone else have their own opinions on social media, which I pay zero attention to because you learn to stick to what you believe in.
“That’s made me a better manager and it bodes well for us moving forward.”
Robinson admits his time at Motherwell was slightly tainted by the coronavirus pandemic, with Fir Park nowhere near as exciting as when it was packed with fans.
He’s looking forward to seeing Scottish football back at its best with fans back in the stands, starting at the SMISA Stadium this weekend.
Robinson added: “I put a lot into it. I’m very hands on. I do the coaching along with my assistant and it got to the stage with covid you were managing different problems as well as football problems.
“I didn’t enjoy the fact there were no fans in the stadium. I’d been at Motherwell a long time and sometimes you do need to recharge your batteries.
“I’ve got the hunger and desire back to keep doing what I have done.”
