Robbie Neilson feels St Mirren have good momentum

Robbie Neilson believes St Mirren are a club that are 'going places'. Picture: SNS

Neilson, who spoke warmly yesterday of St Mirren as a side with “lots of positives” and “good momentum”, features on the club’s possibles list but the board is prepared to take its time in picking a successor to Ross, who steered Saints back to the top flight.

Out of work coaches Alan Stubbs and Jim McIntyre are also being considered, along with Alloa Athletic manager Jim Goodwin. But reports that Celtic coach John Kennedy and Paul Lambert could be in the frame are believed to be wide of the mark. Neilson is available after leaving MK Dons in January.

“There’s a lot of positives in St Mirren at the moment, the training ground’s great, they’ve got good momentum,” Neilson told Radio Scotland. “But there are also a lot of things that have to be looked at. What are the expectations of the fans? What are the expectations of the board? What is the budget? Do they match each other? Does it give someone coming in the opportunity to really drive the place forward, or are you going to be scrapping at the bottom of the league again?

“If it’s a club that are really going places, then they have to make sure they finance it and to get someone who is coming in to give them that opportunity to build a squad. They’ve lost quite a few players over the last 18-20 months. Lewis Morgan’s away, [Stevie] Mallan and [Kyle] McAllister before. Three young players you would probably have looked to build your team roundabout when you get into the Premiership.”