The Saints hierarchy acted swiftly in the wake of Saturday’s 4-0 defeat by St Mirren that leaves the rooted to the bottom of the league. St Johnstone have yet to win in the Premiership this season, taking four points and scoring just three goals. Alex Cleland will take temporary charge of the first team, while MacLean’s assistant Liam Craig has also been dismissed.

Previously a Scottish Cup-winning striker and a first-team coach at McDiarmid Park, MacLean was given the St Johnstone job on an interim basis in April after Callum Davidson left and landed the post on a permanent basis in the summer after warding off the threat of relegation. Handed a contract until June 2026, the 41-year-old suffered a disastrous start to the season when failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the Viaplay Cup, suffering embarrassing defeats by Stirling Albion, Stenhousemuir and Ayr United in the group phase. Fortunes have not changed in the league and the board have decided to wield the axe, with the team trailing 11th-placed Ross County by five points.

A brief statement on the St Johnstone website released on Sunday afternoon read: “St Johnstone Football Club can announce that it has parted company with Steven MacLean and Liam Craig. In the interim, Alex Cleland will assume responsibilities for first-team matters.”

St Johnstone are back in Premiership action on Wednesday when they welcome fourth-placed Kilmarnock, fresh from beating Aberdeen 2-0 on Sunday, to McDiarmid Park.

St Johnstone sack Steven MacLean after disastrous start to season as club reveals temporary management team