St Johnstone: Alex Cleland predicts 'huge interest' in manager job but coy over own future
- Published
Alex Cleland (centre) was part of the management team with Liam Craig and Steven McLean
Interim St Johnstone manager Alex Cleland is coy about whether he wants the job permanently and thinks there will be "huge interest" in being Steven McLean's successor.
McLean and assistant Liam Craig exited after Saturday's 4-0 defeat by St Mirren left Saints five points adrift at the foot of the Scottish top flight.
Cleland's "only thinking about" Wednesday's match with Kilmarnock.
"I've just been told I'm interim for this game," the 52-year-old said.
"I'll not be part of the process. The club have been pretty good at picking managers over the years and I'm sure they will again."
Cleland, who had been first-team coach under McLean, has spent more than 13 years at McDiarmid Park and says it was "an easy decision" to accept the role as caretaker again having performed the task when Derek McInnes left in 2011 and after the departure of Tommy Wright in 2020.
"I'll just have to take them for this game and see what happens after that," he said when asked if a win on Wednesday might put him in the frame for the job permanently.
McLean and previous incumbents Callum Davidson and Tommy Wright had been promoted from within, but Cleland pointed out that "there's plenty of good managers out there and plenty of managers who will want this job".
"It's a good club to come and work for," the former Dundee United, Rangers and Everton defender said. "We've been in that top league for many years, the cups we've won, we've been in Europe and players have gone to bigger clubs who have come through the youths.
"The position we are in, there are plenty of games before the end of the season."
Long-serving Livingston manager David Martindale is one of those being touted for the job by some in the media and the 49-year-old admitted "it's nice to have your name linked with other jobs".
"But I'm not really wanting to sit here and talk about St Johnstone Football Club," he added as he prepares his side for their own midweek fixture.
"I've got a game on Wednesday night coming off the back of two poor results, so my focus is on Hearts at Tynecastle, not St Johnstone."
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