St Mirren's Craig McLeish Sets Ambitious Goals for the Season

St Mirren boss Craig McLeish has laid down a blunt message for his players before a ball is kicked in the league: if the Buddies want to look up the table rather than over their shoulders, everything starts with the back line.

From survival scrap to top-six talk

McLeish arrived in Paisley last season in firefighting mode, inheriting a side that had slipped from the heights Stephen Robinson had built — three consecutive top-half finishes and a League Cup triumph — into the danger zone. He steadied them, but only just, keeping St Mirren up via the play-offs.

That escape has not dulled his ambition. It has sharpened it.

"If you just aim at surviving in this league and you fall short of that, you're in trouble," he said, refusing to dress up the reality. For him, the target is clear: "We have to aim as high as we possibly can and top six and European qualification is what we're going to strive to achieve."

No talk of consolidation. No gentle reset. Straight back to the standards Robinson’s era made feel normal in Paisley.

Goals flowing, but foundations first

There are signs of a more adventurous St Mirren already. Twelve goals in the Premier Sports Cup group stage hint at a side willing to throw more bodies forward, and McLeish knows that cutting edge has been missing too often.

"The way we're playing with an extra attacker, with some of the bodies we've brought in, hopefully that's the bit that we can solve this season as well," he said.

But every time he leans into the attacking narrative, he drags it back to what, in his eyes, defines the club.

"We also can't get away from what's made St Mirren successful over the years," he added. "We have to be hard to play against. We have to enjoy keeping clean sheets. We have to love defending and being aggressive in everything we do. It's keeping those core bits and then adding the attacking side to it as well."

The message is unmistakable: the front line might win applause, but the identity starts with tackles, blocks and a back four that relishes the grind.

High energy, no hiding place

McLeish wants his team to be more than just stubborn. He wants them to be worth watching.

"We want it to be exciting. We want it to be good to watch, fun for the players to play in. I want it to be enjoyable for the supporters," he said.

The caveat comes instantly.

"We will be hard working, we'll be high energy and we have to be tough to beat first and foremost."

That balance — entertainment wrapped in intensity — will define whether St Mirren can genuinely gatecrash the top six again or drift back into the familiar scrap at the bottom.

Nsio arrives, Sulemana deal collapses

To hit those targets, McLeish knows his squad still needs more. One piece is already in the building.

St Mirren have brought in 20-year-old Rangers midfielder Paul Nsio on loan, a move the manager believes adds a dimension his squad previously lacked.

"Paul brings us a kind of level of physicality and athleticism that we can't source," McLeish said. "He can cover a number of different positions."

That versatility will matter in a long campaign, especially for a club that must squeeze every ounce from its resources.

Not every pursuit has paid off. A move for Ghanaian midfielder Abdul Hakim Sulemana has fallen through, a reminder of the realities St Mirren face in a crowded market.

The intent, though, is unmistakable. A manager who scraped survival now talks openly of Europe. If his players embrace the defensive edge he demands and match it with the attacking verve glimpsed in the cup, Paisley might not be looking down at the play-offs this time — but up at the rest of the league.