No shame in failing to hit crazy expectations

STEPHEN ROBINSON insists any displeasure that might arise if St Mirren fail to snatch a third successive top-six berth shows how much they’ve progressed.

- By Andy Newport

Under their Northern Irish manager, the Buddies finished sixth in 2023 and fifth in 2024, the latter securing a return to Europe with Conference League football earlier this season.

Saints could yet be among the big boys for the Premiership run-in, but they’re in a four-way battle with Hearts, Motherwell and Ross County to claim the last slot up for grabs with just two games left before the split.

Robinson feels his team punch above their weight against top-flight counterparts with much larger budgets, but he knows that won’t stop some supporters being disappointed if Saints finish the season in the bottom half of the table.

He said: “I see some high expectation levels of us in this club, that missing out on the top six is maybe seen as a slight negative.

“Only a couple of years ago it was seen as the only thing, which is crazy because our budget is still down in the bottom two (of Premiership clubs).

“But we have to increase the budget to keep parity with everybody else. Everybody else is spending lots more money.