Brown won’t be pressured into appointment

ST JOHNSTONE manager Geoff Brown is refusing to be pressured into a decision on the club’s next manager, but has assured supporters he will announce the successor to Derek McInnes “sooner rather than later”. After seeing the McDiarmid Park side lose at home to St Mirren at the weekend, Brown is keen to replace McInnes, who left to join Championship strugglers Bristol City and started his reign with a 2-1 win at Barnsley.

Former West Ham and Manchester City midfielder Steve Lomas has staked his claim to take over from McInnes and remains favourite with the bookies, but Brown said: “We are not quite ready yet but we are keen to get things moving. It’s important we appoint the man we believe will be the best for St Johnstone. So I’m not putting any deadline on it. I don’t want us to find ourselves under pressure to make an appointment but I accept it’s not ideal for any club to be without a manager.”

Meanwhile, caretaker manager Alec Cleland discussed his bid for the vacancy with vice-chairman Steve Brown. “I got a chance to speak about my own ideas. So now it’s a case of wait and see.”