Robinson: Lasley appointment is one of many positives at St Mirren

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson has welcomed the appointment of his former colleague Keith Lasley and says the club has made a fantastic decision to bring him to Paisley.

Motherwell stalwart Lasley was Robinson’s assistant at Fir Park but has now been named as St Mirren’s new chief operating officer, with his work starting at the end of the season.

“It’s an absolutely fantastic appointment,” the St Mirren manager said. “Contrary to popular belief, I had absolutely nothing to do with it.

“The wheels were in motion long before I came to the club, it was a thorough process with some very good candidates that I had nothing to do with.

“But I think it’s a tremendous appointment, to have a football man, who has been in Scottish football for so long. To have someone of that ilk responsible for all things football shows the club is moving in the right direction.

“Keith decided a few years ago that that’s the path he wanted to go on. He is doing his sporting director course. He is a Motherwell legend, it’s St Mirren’s gain and Motherwell’s loss.”

Robinson believes the announcement is one of many good things happening at the club, with other moves behind the scenes spelling out a bright future.

“It’s a fantastic appointment from the board and one of many things that are going on in the background,” he said.

“It’s difficult, because we have an immediate job right now to finish as high up the table as we can, but Keith is one of many good appointments.

“We are bringing in a head of recruitment that we have agreed with, the link with the academy is excellent, the training ground is back up and running, and we have three players agreed on pre-contracts. There are a lot of good things happening in the background.”

However, with the club having missed out on the top six after a run of poor results before the split, St Mirren still have work to do in order to see off the worry of relegation.

The manager wants that fear dispelled at the earliest opportunity and is aiming for three points in the first post-split fixture, against Hibs on Saturday.

“I have to deal with the immediate issues we have ahead of us,” Robinson said. “We need points on the board. We are in a rush to get those points.

“Seventh is the aim, 100 per cent, but if you are in the bottom six you have to look over your shoulder.

“We have to aim up, we have a squad that’s good enough to aim up, and get as many points as we can, and that avoids any relegation woes.”