Stephen Robinson is demanding St Mirren’s wantaway players repay the club by ensuring they stay in the Premiership before bolting from Paisley.
The Buddies boss has made it clear there are members of his squad who have already decided their future lies away from the SMISA Stadium next season.
But with six crucial games still left to go until the end of the campaign, Robinson is urging those players to remain focused on the club currently paying their wages as Saints look to avoid being dragged into a late relegation scrap with St Johnstone and Dundee.
Robinson told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “We’ve got players that are good enough but unfortunately some players’ heads are turned.
“Players are maybe elsewhere already and it’s up to me to find a way to get results to make sure we’re set for next season.
“Then I can put my own stamp on it and bring in the players I need to upgrade the squad.
“There are players whose minds are already out of the club.
“It’s up to me to make sure I get a team on the pitch that’s one hundred per cent committed to staying in the division.
“The club has been very good to them. I haven’t, because I’ve not been here long enough, but the club has looked after the players.
“We owe it to the football club and the fans to perform better and defend better than that.”
The departure of former boss Jim Goodwin has clearly unsettled the Buddies, who have picked up all three points just once since he left to replace Stephen Glass at Aberdeen in February.
After a dismal winless run of 11 league games between mid-October and the winter shutdown under Goodwin, the Saints did recover and managed a streak of six wins in seven games that included two Scottish Cup victories against lower league opponents.
Robinson believes it’s now down to him to get a best out of the current squad as they head into a difficult last clash before the split against Rangers this Sunday.
Robinson said: “It’s up to me to try and get the best out of them, which we haven’t managed so far.
“There was a spell after Christmas where the club and Jim got the best out of them, and it’s up to me now to do that again in this run-in.
“The form before Christmas suggested the club would be in a relegation scrap.
“We had a four or five week period after that where we got results, two against Kelty Hearts and Ayr which, being respectful, we should win.
“We’ve gone back to that poor form again with the same squad.
“We’ve got injuries and a lot of boys out on loan, so there’s not much we can do.
“Firstly we need to defend better. The four goals (against Motherwell) were pathetic, that’s the only way I can describe them.
“Going forward we were OK at times. Our front three caused them lots of problems, we hit the post and created chances.
“We passed the ball OK at times but defensively we were really poor. That has to improve — and quickly.”
