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EspañolST. MIRREN F.C.
(Redirected from St. Mirren)
'Saint Mirren Football Club' (commonly known by the shortnening 'St. Mirren' or by nicknames ''The Buddies'' or ''The Saints'') is a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire. St. Mirren play in the Scottish Premier League, having gained promotion from the First Division in 2005-06. They are managed by former player Gus McPherson, who is one of the longest serving managers in the SPL and have won the Scottish Cup three times in 1926, 1959 and 1987.
The football club was founded in 1877, when members of Craigielea Rugby Club, founded 1874, also of Paisley, decided to leave to form a football club. Since 1894, St Mirren have played their home games at St Mirren Park. St Mirren Park is the official name for the ground and it is more commonly known throughout football as Love Street. St. Mirren have had several local rivals, of which the best known is the long-standing and fierce rivalry with the senior club Greenock Morton, with whom they have contested many local derbies with since their first meeting in 1885.
The Buddies supporters are very well known for playing along with derogetary remarks and chants by fans of other clubs, the most common being the singing of "We're no' very good", and chanting "Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio" if some choose to leave early (a ploy on the fact that opposing fans often sing the same song to people who walk out of matches).
St. Mirren were formed as a gentlemen's club which included amongst other sports, cricket and rugby in the late 19th century. The increasing popularity of football ensured that by 1877 the members had decided to switch codes and play association football. They are named after Saint Mirin the founder of Paisley Abbey and Patron Saint of Paisley.
St. Mirren played their first match on 6 October 1877, defeating Johnstone Britannia 1-0 at Shortroods. Two years later, the club moved to another ground; Thistle Park, Greenhills. St. Mirren's first Scottish Cup match came on 4 September 1880, a 3-0 victory over Johnstone Athletic. The following year, the Buddies reached their first cup final but were beaten 3-1 by Thornliebank in the Renfrewshire Cup. In 1883 however the scores were reversed with St. Mirren winning the Renfrewshire Cup, 3-1 against Thornliebank. It is in 1883 that St. Mirren move to their third home, that of Westmarch, defeating Queens Park in the first game. In 1885, St. Mirren played their first match against Morton, resulting in a defeat.
The 1890 season was an historic season for St. Mirren, as they became founder members of the Scottish League along with fellow Paisley club Abercorn F.C. Of the 10 founder clubs, currently only 5 survive today in the current league system. It was during the match against Morton at Cappielow in this year, that St. Mirren played one of the first night games under light from oil lamps.
St. Mirren moved to Love Street in 1894 and reached their first Scottish Cup final in the 1907-1908 season but were defeated 5-1 by Glasgow Celtic. The Buddies went on to lift the trophy in 1926, 1959 and 1987. In the 1979/1980 season, St. Mirren achieved finished third behind Aberdeen F.C. and Celtic in the Premier League; their equal-highest ever finish in the top-flight. That season Saints also became the first and last Scottish club to win the Anglo-Scottish Cup, defeating Bristol City F.C. in a two-legged final. The following season, St. Mirren competed in European competition for the first time and won their initial game 2-1 vs. Elfsborg F.C. in Sweden.
The club have been relegated from the Premier League twice (1991/1992 & 2000/2001), and escaped relegation in 1991 after league re-construction. In 2001, St. Mirren finished bottom of the Premier League despite losing only one of their final seven matches. The Saints however managed promotion after clinching the First Division title in2005-2006, a season which also say St. Mirren win the Scottish Challenge Cup, defeating Hamilton Academical 2-1 in the final at Airdrie with goals from Simon Lappin & John Sutton.
The club originally wore scarlet and blue strips, however after one reason changed to the current black and white striped shirts, which have been worn all bar one season in the 1900's where cream tops were used. The reasoning behind the use of black and white tops is unclear.
In 1922, St. Mirren were invited to play in the Barcelona Cup invitational tournament to celebrate the inauguration of the ''Les Corts'', the then home of FC Barcelona. They won the tournament by beating Notts County in the final.
:Main articles: St Mirren Park
St Mirren played at three different venues, before moving to their ground of St Mirren Park, or Love Street, in 1894. The record attendance is 47,438 versus Celtic F.C in 1949. St Mirren Park, has seen extensive redevelopment in recent years to comply with both Hillsbourgh and SPL regulations and the ground is now a 10,800 all seater venue. The ground has 4 stands, of which the newest, the East or Reid Kerr Family Stand was built in 2000. The main stand is the oldest stand, with a basic wooden construction. The north bank is popular with the hardcore St. Mirren fans, whilst the largest stand, the steeply raked West Stand, has a sport facility underneath. It is rarely use to its full capacity.
On 16 August 2005 the Scottish Executive and Renfrewshire Council granted permission for the club to sell their old ground for supermarket development and allow the club to build a new stadium in Greenhill Road, Ferguslie Park, Paisley. The sale of their old ground will finance the new stadium as well as clear the current debts of the club. In April 2007 it was announced that a deal had been struck with supermarket giants Tesco. Under this deal, worth £15 million, St Mirren will move to a new 8,000 seat stadium for the 2008/09 season making way for a new Tesco supermarket on the Love Street site.
The traditional home colours of St. Mirren are black and white strips, however for the first season the colours were Scarlet and Blue. It is unknown as to how exactly the colours black and white were chosen, however popular theories include, that north of Paisley the Black Cart and White Cart Rivers meet, and that Monk of Paisley Abbey wore Black and White robes. The strips have varied very little, however the thickness of the strips has often varied, with pinstripes being popular, and indeed some years have seen horizontal stripes.
Away tops are traditionally red or all black, however in some cases strips have varied from orange to light blue, as seen on the 2007-2008 strip. This year, the Danish firm, Hummel International, have replaced Xara as kit-manufacturers.
St Mirren has had a number of main sponsors, mainly in the transportation industry, with several local bus companies and car dealerships sponsoring in the club. St. Mirren have been sponsored since 2005 by Braehead Shopping Centre a local shopping centre in the North of Renfrewshire.
Players in 'bold' have international caps.
:''For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers 2007-08.''
★ 'Highest home attendance:' 47,438: .v. Celtic on 20 August 1949 The Roar of the Crowd: Following Scottish football down the years, , David, Ross, Argyll publishing, 2005, ISBN 9-8781902-831831
★ 'Highest average home attendance:' 17,333, 1949-50 (15 games)
★ 'Biggest victory:' 15-0: .v. Glasgow University on 30 January 1960
★ 'Most capped player:' Ian Munro and Billy Thomson: 7 Scotland.
★ 'Most capped international player:' Mixu Paatelainen 70 appearances for the Finnish national team.[1]
★ 'Youngest Player:' Scott Gemmill 16 years & 60 days - vs. Raith Rovers (Starks Park) 8th August 2003.
★ 'Most League appearances:' Tony Fitzpatrick, 351 (1973-1979, 1981-1989)
★ 'Most European appearances:' Campbell Money, 8 (1985-1988)
★ 'Most League goals:' David McCrae, 221 (1923-1924)
★ 'Most League goals in a season:' Dunky Walker, 45 (1921-22)
★ 'Record transfer fee paid:' £400,000 to Bayer Uerdingen for Thomas Stickroth (March 1990)
★ 'Record transfer fee received:' £850,000 from Glasgow Rangers for Ian Ferguson (February 1988)
★ 'Most League wins in a season:' 27, Division Two (1967-1968)
★ 'Most League defeats in a season:' 31, Division One (1920-21)
★ 'Most League draws in a season:' 15, Premier League (1987-88)
★ 'Most consecutive league victories:' 16, Division Two (18/11/1967 - 30/3/1968)
★ 'Longest unbeaten league run:' 34, 18/11/1967 (Division Two) - 16/11/1968 (Division One)
★ 'Most Goals Scored in a season:' 114, Division Two (1935-36 in Scottish football|1935-36)
★ 'Most Goals Conceded in a season:' 92, Division One (1920-21)
★ 'Scottish First Division:' 1976/77, 1999/2000, 2005/06
★ 'Scottish Cup:' 1926, 1959, 1987
★ 'Scottish Challenge Cup:' 2005
★ 'Renfrewshire Cup:' 1882/1883, 1883/1884, 1887/1888, 1890/1891, 1893/1894, 1896/1897, 1897/1898, 1903/1904, 1909/1910, 1910/1911, 1923/1924, 1924/1925, 1925/1926, 1927/1928, 1928/1929, 1929/1930, 1931/1932, 1932/1933, 1933/1934, 1935/1936, 1937/1938, 1940/1941, 1943/1944, 1945/1946, 1946/1947, 1947/1948, 1949/1950, 1958/1959, 1959/1960, 1960/1961, 1962/1963, 1966/1967, 1973/1974, 1976/1977, 1978/1979, 1979/1980, 1982/1983, 1983/1984, 1984/1985, 1985/1986, 1987/1988, 1989/1990, 1997/1998, 1998/1999, 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2001/2002, 2006/2007, 2007/2008
★ 'Victory Cup:' 1919
★ 'Anglo-Scottish Cup Winners:' 1979/80
★ 'Barcelona Cup' 1922
★ 'Summer Cup:' 1943
★ 'Epson Invitational Tournament:' 1986/87
1. Paatelainen was not capped while with St Mirren
★ Official St. Mirren F.C. website
★ 'Historical Database' of St. Mirren F.C.
★ Unofficial St. Mirren Website
'Saint Mirren Football Club' (commonly known by the shortnening 'St. Mirren' or by nicknames ''The Buddies'' or ''The Saints'') is a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire. St. Mirren play in the Scottish Premier League, having gained promotion from the First Division in 2005-06. They are managed by former player Gus McPherson, who is one of the longest serving managers in the SPL and have won the Scottish Cup three times in 1926, 1959 and 1987.
The football club was founded in 1877, when members of Craigielea Rugby Club, founded 1874, also of Paisley, decided to leave to form a football club. Since 1894, St Mirren have played their home games at St Mirren Park. St Mirren Park is the official name for the ground and it is more commonly known throughout football as Love Street. St. Mirren have had several local rivals, of which the best known is the long-standing and fierce rivalry with the senior club Greenock Morton, with whom they have contested many local derbies with since their first meeting in 1885.
The Buddies supporters are very well known for playing along with derogetary remarks and chants by fans of other clubs, the most common being the singing of "We're no' very good", and chanting "Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio" if some choose to leave early (a ploy on the fact that opposing fans often sing the same song to people who walk out of matches).
| Contents |
| History |
| Stadium |
| Colours and sponsors |
| Current squad (2007-2008) |
| Club records |
| Honours |
| Managers |
| Notable former players |
| References |
| External links |
History
St. Mirren were formed as a gentlemen's club which included amongst other sports, cricket and rugby in the late 19th century. The increasing popularity of football ensured that by 1877 the members had decided to switch codes and play association football. They are named after Saint Mirin the founder of Paisley Abbey and Patron Saint of Paisley.
St. Mirren played their first match on 6 October 1877, defeating Johnstone Britannia 1-0 at Shortroods. Two years later, the club moved to another ground; Thistle Park, Greenhills. St. Mirren's first Scottish Cup match came on 4 September 1880, a 3-0 victory over Johnstone Athletic. The following year, the Buddies reached their first cup final but were beaten 3-1 by Thornliebank in the Renfrewshire Cup. In 1883 however the scores were reversed with St. Mirren winning the Renfrewshire Cup, 3-1 against Thornliebank. It is in 1883 that St. Mirren move to their third home, that of Westmarch, defeating Queens Park in the first game. In 1885, St. Mirren played their first match against Morton, resulting in a defeat.
The 1890 season was an historic season for St. Mirren, as they became founder members of the Scottish League along with fellow Paisley club Abercorn F.C. Of the 10 founder clubs, currently only 5 survive today in the current league system. It was during the match against Morton at Cappielow in this year, that St. Mirren played one of the first night games under light from oil lamps.
St. Mirren moved to Love Street in 1894 and reached their first Scottish Cup final in the 1907-1908 season but were defeated 5-1 by Glasgow Celtic. The Buddies went on to lift the trophy in 1926, 1959 and 1987. In the 1979/1980 season, St. Mirren achieved finished third behind Aberdeen F.C. and Celtic in the Premier League; their equal-highest ever finish in the top-flight. That season Saints also became the first and last Scottish club to win the Anglo-Scottish Cup, defeating Bristol City F.C. in a two-legged final. The following season, St. Mirren competed in European competition for the first time and won their initial game 2-1 vs. Elfsborg F.C. in Sweden.
The club have been relegated from the Premier League twice (1991/1992 & 2000/2001), and escaped relegation in 1991 after league re-construction. In 2001, St. Mirren finished bottom of the Premier League despite losing only one of their final seven matches. The Saints however managed promotion after clinching the First Division title in2005-2006, a season which also say St. Mirren win the Scottish Challenge Cup, defeating Hamilton Academical 2-1 in the final at Airdrie with goals from Simon Lappin & John Sutton.
The club originally wore scarlet and blue strips, however after one reason changed to the current black and white striped shirts, which have been worn all bar one season in the 1900's where cream tops were used. The reasoning behind the use of black and white tops is unclear.
In 1922, St. Mirren were invited to play in the Barcelona Cup invitational tournament to celebrate the inauguration of the ''Les Corts'', the then home of FC Barcelona. They won the tournament by beating Notts County in the final.
Stadium
:Main articles: St Mirren Park
St Mirren played at three different venues, before moving to their ground of St Mirren Park, or Love Street, in 1894. The record attendance is 47,438 versus Celtic F.C in 1949. St Mirren Park, has seen extensive redevelopment in recent years to comply with both Hillsbourgh and SPL regulations and the ground is now a 10,800 all seater venue. The ground has 4 stands, of which the newest, the East or Reid Kerr Family Stand was built in 2000. The main stand is the oldest stand, with a basic wooden construction. The north bank is popular with the hardcore St. Mirren fans, whilst the largest stand, the steeply raked West Stand, has a sport facility underneath. It is rarely use to its full capacity.
On 16 August 2005 the Scottish Executive and Renfrewshire Council granted permission for the club to sell their old ground for supermarket development and allow the club to build a new stadium in Greenhill Road, Ferguslie Park, Paisley. The sale of their old ground will finance the new stadium as well as clear the current debts of the club. In April 2007 it was announced that a deal had been struck with supermarket giants Tesco. Under this deal, worth £15 million, St Mirren will move to a new 8,000 seat stadium for the 2008/09 season making way for a new Tesco supermarket on the Love Street site.
Colours and sponsors
The traditional home colours of St. Mirren are black and white strips, however for the first season the colours were Scarlet and Blue. It is unknown as to how exactly the colours black and white were chosen, however popular theories include, that north of Paisley the Black Cart and White Cart Rivers meet, and that Monk of Paisley Abbey wore Black and White robes. The strips have varied very little, however the thickness of the strips has often varied, with pinstripes being popular, and indeed some years have seen horizontal stripes.
Away tops are traditionally red or all black, however in some cases strips have varied from orange to light blue, as seen on the 2007-2008 strip. This year, the Danish firm, Hummel International, have replaced Xara as kit-manufacturers.
St Mirren has had a number of main sponsors, mainly in the transportation industry, with several local bus companies and car dealerships sponsoring in the club. St. Mirren have been sponsored since 2005 by Braehead Shopping Centre a local shopping centre in the North of Renfrewshire.
Current squad (2007-2008)
Players in 'bold' have international caps.
:''For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers 2007-08.''
Club records
★ 'Highest home attendance:' 47,438: .v. Celtic on 20 August 1949 The Roar of the Crowd: Following Scottish football down the years, , David, Ross, Argyll publishing, 2005, ISBN 9-8781902-831831
★ 'Highest average home attendance:' 17,333, 1949-50 (15 games)
★ 'Biggest victory:' 15-0: .v. Glasgow University on 30 January 1960
★ 'Most capped player:' Ian Munro and Billy Thomson: 7 Scotland.
★ 'Most capped international player:' Mixu Paatelainen 70 appearances for the Finnish national team.[1]
★ 'Youngest Player:' Scott Gemmill 16 years & 60 days - vs. Raith Rovers (Starks Park) 8th August 2003.
★ 'Most League appearances:' Tony Fitzpatrick, 351 (1973-1979, 1981-1989)
★ 'Most European appearances:' Campbell Money, 8 (1985-1988)
★ 'Most League goals:' David McCrae, 221 (1923-1924)
★ 'Most League goals in a season:' Dunky Walker, 45 (1921-22)
★ 'Record transfer fee paid:' £400,000 to Bayer Uerdingen for Thomas Stickroth (March 1990)
★ 'Record transfer fee received:' £850,000 from Glasgow Rangers for Ian Ferguson (February 1988)
★ 'Most League wins in a season:' 27, Division Two (1967-1968)
★ 'Most League defeats in a season:' 31, Division One (1920-21)
★ 'Most League draws in a season:' 15, Premier League (1987-88)
★ 'Most consecutive league victories:' 16, Division Two (18/11/1967 - 30/3/1968)
★ 'Longest unbeaten league run:' 34, 18/11/1967 (Division Two) - 16/11/1968 (Division One)
★ 'Most Goals Scored in a season:' 114, Division Two (1935-36 in Scottish football|1935-36)
★ 'Most Goals Conceded in a season:' 92, Division One (1920-21)
Honours
★ 'Scottish First Division:' 1976/77, 1999/2000, 2005/06
★ 'Scottish Cup:' 1926, 1959, 1987
★ 'Scottish Challenge Cup:' 2005
★ 'Renfrewshire Cup:' 1882/1883, 1883/1884, 1887/1888, 1890/1891, 1893/1894, 1896/1897, 1897/1898, 1903/1904, 1909/1910, 1910/1911, 1923/1924, 1924/1925, 1925/1926, 1927/1928, 1928/1929, 1929/1930, 1931/1932, 1932/1933, 1933/1934, 1935/1936, 1937/1938, 1940/1941, 1943/1944, 1945/1946, 1946/1947, 1947/1948, 1949/1950, 1958/1959, 1959/1960, 1960/1961, 1962/1963, 1966/1967, 1973/1974, 1976/1977, 1978/1979, 1979/1980, 1982/1983, 1983/1984, 1984/1985, 1985/1986, 1987/1988, 1989/1990, 1997/1998, 1998/1999, 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2001/2002, 2006/2007, 2007/2008
★ 'Victory Cup:' 1919
★ 'Anglo-Scottish Cup Winners:' 1979/80
★ 'Barcelona Cup' 1922
★ 'Summer Cup:' 1943
★ 'Epson Invitational Tournament:' 1986/87
Managers
★ John McCartney 1904-10 ★ Barry Grieve 1910 ★ Hugh Law 1910-16 ★ John Cochran 1916-28 ★ Donald Turner 1928-29 ★ Daniel Graham 1929 ★ John Morrison 1929-36 ★ Sam Blythe 1936-41 ★ Donald Menzies 1941-42 ★ Willie Fotheringham 1942-45 ★ Bobby Rankin 1945-54 ★ Willie Reid 1954-61 ★ Bobby Flavell 1961-62 ★ Jackie Cox 1962-65 ★ Doug Millward 1965-66 ★ Alex Wright 1966-70 | ★ Wilson Humphries 1970-72 ★ Tommy Bryceland 1972-73 ★ Willie Cunningham 1973-74 ★ Alex Ferguson 1974-78 ★ Jim Clunie 1978-80 ★ Rikki McFarlane 1980-83 ★ Alex Miller 1983-86 ★ Alex Smith 1986-88 ★ Tony Fitzpatrick 1988-91 ★ David Hay 1991-92 ★ Jimmy Bone 1992-96 ★ Tony Fitzpatrick 1996-98 ★ Tom Hendrie 1998-2002 ★ John Coughlin 2002-03 ★ Gus McPherson 2003- |
Notable former players
References
1. Paatelainen was not capped while with St Mirren
External links
★ Official St. Mirren F.C. website
★ 'Historical Database' of St. Mirren F.C.
★ Unofficial St. Mirren Website
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