Gus MacPherson to take Palmerston post

GUS MacPHERSON will end his 13-month hiatus from football management today by taking the reins at Queen of the South.

Out of work since being dismissed by St Mirren in May last year, MacPherson has verbally agreed a one-year contract with Queen of the South chairman David Rae.

He succeeds Kenny Brannigan who was sacked by the Dumfries club last month despite leading them to a fourth-place finish in the First Division.

MacPherson will be assisted at Palmerston by Andy Millen, the man who was by his side during his six-and-a-half years in charge of St Mirren. Since his unexpected departure from the Paisley club, MacPherson has been frustrated in his attempts to find a new job.

The 42-year-old missed out on the vacancy at Kilmarnock, one of the clubs he served as a player, last year and was also unsuccessful in his applications for positions at English outfits Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers.

MacPherson returns to the level of football where he cut his managerial teeth, having led St Mirren to the First Division title in 2006 before subsequently retaining their SPL status for four consecutive seasons.

He joins Queen of the South during a financially troubled time for the club who reached the Scottish Cup final just three years ago and qualified for European competition for the first time in their history.

They reported a loss of 1.2 million in their most recent accounts, leading to the launch of a Save Our South fund-raising campaign by the club's supporters. MacPherson will therefore have limited resources for the season ahead.