Stephen Robinson is urging St Mirren’s supporters to stick with the club and be patient as he looks to find the winning formula in Paisley.
The Buddies boss has endured a difficult start to his tenure, winning just one of his seven games in charge since taking over from Jim Goodwin.
That run has seen relegation-threatened St Johnstone move to within striking distance, with the Perthshire club now sitting just six points behind in the Premiership table.
A top-six spot is still achievable for St Mirren though should results go their way on Saturday, before they face title-chasing Rangers on Sunday in a clash they’d have to win.
Whatever happens this weekend, Robinson is urging the Buddies fans to stick with him and the club as they face a crucial rebuilding period after Goodwin upped sticks to move to Aberdeen.
Robinson told stmirren.com: “I’m very, very confident in the boys we’ve got. I’m confident in taking the club forward.
“I just ask the fans to stick behind us. I understand the frustrations, no-one understands it more than me.
“I don’t speak to anyone for three days (after a loss). The missus has to put up with me and the dog too, picking different systems and moaning.
“I get everyone’s emotions and I get the criticism as well and I take it. You have to take it. The fans here have been great with me since I came in.
“We ask them to stick with the football club and if we don’t make top six, which we’re still hoping to, then we will try and finish as high as we possibly can in this league.
“Everyone’s 100 per cent committed to finishing as high as we can, there’s no question about that.
“With the right people we’ve got at this football club, I can add to that. It’s been frustrating, I’ve only been in for a matter of weeks so I’m just asking the fans to be patient and give us time.
“We certainly will take the football club forward, I’m very confident about that, but you can’t do that without the fans.
“We’ve got a very good, hard core base of fans that follow the club everywhere and we just ask that continues in the numbers they have so far.”
Robinson has drawn criticism in some quarters of the St Mirren support for openly questioning the quality of the squad and the commitment of certain players in recent weeks.
The Buddies boss insists the current crop of players are “very positive” and are still in the right mindset to battle to the end of the current campaign.
Robinson said: “We’ve got a brilliant group of boys. They’re very honest with themselves.
“We’ve got some very good pros that run the dressing room and they’re the first to hold their hands up when they make mistakes.
“We all make mistakes, I make mistakes, make the wrong subs or the wrong systems.
“Players do the same and I think they’re big enough and brave enough to say ‘look, we made mistakes’ (against Motherwell).
“A lot of our general play was good, but we know as a group and a staff we have to defend better and ultimately that’s why we lost the game. After the game it’s difficult to take. There’s nobody more emotional than me.
“We work tirelessly to try and be as good as we can be. Sometimes it works and sometimes it hasn’t.
“But there’s no need for the players to be picked up. The boys are very, very positive.
“You see around the training ground the atmosphere the positivity around the place.
“There’s a really good core of players here, we’ve got a good base and we’ve still got a great opportunity.”
The Saints finished seventh in the table last season, and Robinson is adamant the players and he will still work tirelessly to ensure the club finishes as high as they possibly can this time around – even if that top-six spot narrowly evades them once again.
Robinson added: “If that opportunity passes us by in terms of results, then we’ll be aiming to finish as high as we possibly can.
“The players still have that drive in them to do that.
“I’m well aware results have to be better and hopefully that will start on Sunday.”
