'I take the blame' - Stephen Robinson says St Mirren's slide down table is on him but backs his team to finish as the best of the bottom six

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson has accepted full responsibility for the Paisley club’s slide towards the relegation zone but insists they are still good enough to emulate last season’s seventh place finish in the Premiership.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson issues intructions to his players during their Premiership match against Rangers on Sunday. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Saints have only won one of their eight games since Robinson replaced Jim Goodwin in February and are just six points clear of St Johnstone who currently occupy the relegation play-off place.

A bottom six post-split place was already assured for Robinson’s squad even before they lost 4-0 at home to Rangers on Sunday but the Northern Irishman doesn’t want his players to start looking over their shoulders.

“100 per cent, it’s not been good enough since I came in,” said Robinson. “I don’t look to blame anyone else, it hasn’t been good enough.

“A lot of teams are going into this post-split with a lack of confidence. So it’s up to me to get the boys going again, find a system which stops us conceding as many goals as we have.

“We don’t need to be pretty between now and the end of the season. We just have to try and get as many points as we can.

“I know people say we are six points off second-bottom but we are two points off seventh place as well.

“I ultimately take the blame, we have won one in eight since I came in. No excuses, we have to be better.

“We will go away and reset and aim for seventh place going forward. We are more than good enough to finish seventh which, I would add, would equal the club’s best finish for 22 years."

St Mirren fell behind inside two minutes and conceded the second goal in first half stoppage time as Kemar Roofe went on his way to claiming a hat-trick for Rangers.

“We made a poor start and then I thought we defended really well,” said Robinson. “Rangers were getting frustrated.

“But then the team talk changes completely on the eve of half-time. Two crosses into the box, they didn’t cut us open. It is a theme that we are getting done by crosses into the box and with our personnel, we shouldn’t be.

“Then we have to chase the game a little bit and Rangers are a very good side who can pick you off.”

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