St Mirren appoint Stephen Robinson as their new manager on two-and-a-half-year deal following Jim Goodwin’s departure

St Mirren have appointed Stephen Robinson as their new manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The former Motherwell boss replaces Jim Goodwin who quit the Buddies last week for Premiership rivals Aberdeen.

Goodwin’s departure for the North East landed Saints £250,000 in compensation and GlasgowWorld understands the Paisley club have splashed out the six-figure sum to secure Robinson’s signature.

The Northern Irishman will become Saints highest paid manager in the club’s history and ex-Celtic youth striker Diarmuid O’Carroll has joined as assistant manager.

On his appointment, Robinson told the St Mirren website: “It’s an absolute honour that St Mirren have come in and were willing to pay the compensation.

“It came out of the blue and when I spoke to the guys at the club it really impressed me what they are trying to do.

“We spoke in-depth about where we can take the club and there’s real exciting times ahead.

“With the foundations that have already been built by Jim (Goodwin) it’s up to me to take them on and build on what’s already been done.”

Robinson emerged as a shock contender for the job on Monday afternoon as St Mirren requested permission from Morecambe which the English League One side “reluctantly” accepted.

Former Celtic captain Scott Brown, currently a player/coach at Aberdeen, and ex-Hearts striker Steven Naismith, currently coaching Hearts under-18s, were both heavily linked with the post over the weekend, while ex-Hibs boss Jack Ross rejected a return to the Renfrewshire outfit.

St Mirren chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick added: “We are all delighted to welcome Stephen as the new manager of St Mirren.

“Stephen fits the profile of what we are looking for in a manager.

“He has great experience of the Scottish game and had good success on the park with Motherwell which saw him reach the finals of both the League and Scottish Cups as well as a third-place finish and qualification for the Europa League.

“Stephen also did a tremendous job of developing young players at Motherwell which was an important consideration for us with the St Mirren Youth Academy one of the main pillars of our football club.

“We would like to thank Morecambe FC for their co-operation in getting this deal completed.”

Robinson joined the Shrimps last June following his decision to quit Fir Park in December 2020.

However, just two wins in their last 14 games has left them just above the relegation zone in League One.

Contrastingly, Robinson joins a St Mirren side in excellent form; unbeaten in their last eight matches, chasing down a top-six place and in the Scottish Cup quarter finals.

St Mirren Chairman John Needham commented: “We are excited to name Stephen as our new manager.

“At such a vital stage of the season it was crucial that we moved quickly to get the best candidate in place, and we are thrilled to welcome Stephen to the club.

“The board of directors must give great credit to Tony Fitzpatrick who ensured there were a number of great options for us to consider following Jim Goodwin’s departure.”