Craig Levein may have been given the bullet by St Johnstone – but is gracious enough to wish replacement Simo Valakari well.
The experienced Scottish boss was sacked by the Perth Saints last month after one win and four defeats in the opening five games left them sitting tenth, a 2-0 loss away to Hibs proving to be his final game.
Previously admitting to being ‘surprised’ by his exit, he has now told Not The Old Firm the timing of it also disappointed him. Levein had brought in a number of young players in the summer transfer window and felt they could help him go on to have a successful season.
As we all know, the nature of football now is that managers don’t tend to get time. But he still felt five games in was early to be given his jotters and that was the main regrettable element of the decision by the club’s board and new American owner Adam Webb.
- READ MORE: Jack Ross lands new role at English Premier League giants over a year on from Newcastle move
Levein disappointed at St Johnstone sack timing
The former Scotland and Hearts manager told Not The Old Firm: “The disappointing thing for me was, and I understand the nature of the business and if you don’t win games and pick up points you’re leaving yourself open to getting the bullet, but I was awfully disappointed that it happened when it did.
“I felt that our signings had been fairly good, we still had Uche Ikpeazu to bring into the group because he had been injured. We had a crazy situation with five sendings off early on, so we shot ourselves in the foot a wee bit. We probably were one light in the centre-back area, that was another difficult thing. But I think there is a good group of players there.”
On Ikpeazu’s injury, he added: “It was sod’s law. It was nothing to do with football, he slipped and twisted his knee when he was getting out of bed. So he missed the first two or three months of the season.”
Levein gives take on St Johnstone Valakari appointment
Levein has since been replaced by Finnish biss Simo Valakari, who was plucked from Latvian side Riga and does have Scottish football experience as a player with Motherwell.
It represents a big change for the McDiarmid Park side, who have a history of British managers.
Asked for his take on his replacement, the 59-year-old said: “It’s a shift for St Johnstone because most of the managers I can recall are Scottish, Irish, or maybe the occasional English one thrown in. Not in my memory, I don’t think they’ve had a foreign manager before. That’s probably the influence of the new owners.
“Geoff (Brown) was pretty much somebody who went down the same route regularly with managers. So it’s just a different approach I think.
“I don’t know the guy, obviously I remember he played for Motherwell for a while. I wish him all the best. I think there’s a decent group of players there and hopefully he can get them moving in the right direction.”
When moving from his consultancy role at Brechin to the Premiership side, he took the Highland League club’s manager Andy Kirk with him as assistant, and the Northern Irishman had a very hands on role.
Levein is glad to see Kirk, who he sees as a manager of the future, being kept on.
He added: “I was hoping Andy, if he didn’t get it (the manager’s job), would be kept on. He has been, which is good. He’s got a lot to offer.
“It’s quite unusual for the guy to come in without an entourage, as far as I’m aware he’s just working with Alec (Cleland) and Andy, so normally a new manager brings in one or two people. Simo has not done that.
“I believe he’s (Kirk) capable of doing the job and being a manager in the Premiership. Whether or not that will happen, there’s lot of twists and turns.”
Of the players he took to Perth, Levein reckons there are four that could go on to play at a higher level – Andre Raymond, Aaron Essel, Adama Sidibeh and Benji Kimpioka.
The latter two have already been linked with moves but he feels they all have another step in them.
“I think so, I think they’re both (Raymond and Essel) more than capable of doing that,” he insisted. “I think Sidibeh is capable of doing that as well, Benji as well. I think there is a good group of players there.”