St Johnstone

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Callum McGregor believes it is only a matter of time before his former Celtic captain Scott Brown is managing in the Scottish Premiership.

Ex-Scotland midfielder Brown kicked off his managerial career with Fleetwood in 2022 and is now thriving in charge of Ayr United, who are top of the Championship after seven games.

The 39-year-old, who spent 14 years as a Celtic player, is reportedly one of the leading contenders for the current vacancy at top-flight strugglers St Johnstone, who host Brendan Rodgers' league leaders on Saturday evening.

Whether with the Perth club or not, McGregor is confident his predecessor as skipper at Parkhead will soon be a Premiership boss.

"I know Scott really, really well from my time here," the 31-year-old said.

"We played in midfield together for a number of years, and when you do that you understand what makes people tick, how good they really are and how much they understand the game.

"It's no surprise that he's gone into management and he's started really, really well. And I see him having a Premiership job before too long."

McGregor is now forging a strong midfield relationship with new recruit Arne Engels, who has started his Celtic career in fine form following his move from Augsburg last month.

The former Scotland midfielder added: "I saw him on the first day and thought: 'He's a player'. He's a real powerhouse and good on the ball, but you still have to go and deliver when the game kicks off."

St Johnstone will seek permission from Ayr United to talk to Scott Brown about their managerial vacancy and the 39-year-old is keen to hold discussions with the Scottish Premiership club, who have also considered Larne boss Tiernan Lynch and Aberdeen coach Peter Leven. (Daily Mail), external

Ayr United manager Scott Brown, Aberdeen assistant Peter Leven and Larne boss Tiernan Lynch are all on St Johnstone's shortlist and official approaches are likely to be made to speak to several candidates over the next 24 hours as they seek a new team boss. (The Courier), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Sam Miller
Fan writer

It never rains but it pours.

It's been a turbulent week with the departure of Craig Levein and the announcement new owner Adam Webb is being treated for cancer and taking an immediate step back.

One constant remains, however. A solid inability to defend set-pieces.

To lose two goals and two points in the dying minutes in Dingwall was tough to take, but the post-match views of interim boss Andy Kirk and free-kick hero Nicky Clark suggests the problems are glaringly obvious and they aren't happy to accept it.

This is a mentality that needs to breed through the team, and quickly.

Tiernan Lynch, who has guided Larne to back-to-back Premiership titles in Northern Ireland, is a potential candidate for the St Johnstone job along with Scott Brown and Peter Leven. (The Courier)

Falkirk's Finn Yeats says he is "not surprised there is interest" in John McGlynn, with the Bairns boss linked with vacancies at St Johnstone and Heart of Midlothian. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

Watch the best of the action from Dingwall as Ross County and St Johnstone share six goals in a Premiership thriller.

(Available to UK users only)

We asked for your views on managerless St Johnstone's 3-3 draw against Ross County.

Here's what some of you said:

Gus: How to turn a game won into two dropped points in three easy stages - nonsensical substitutions, retreating en masse into our own half after the third goal, suicidal defending at routine set-pieces. We need a new coaching team pronto please.

Steven: We're a real mess and in desperate need of leadership. The sooner the manager situation gets sorted out the better.

Willie: If you play against our team just put high balls into our box and you find our Achilles heel, inexperienced goalkeepers and poor defending. No experience at the back costs you and unless this is addressed it's relegation for this team.

Daniel: Kyle Cameron going to go down as one of our worst captains ever, sums this whole team up. Soft when it matters, can't organise themselves, then blame everyone but themselves. New manager, that can't be Andy Kirk, and huge task sorting the defence out.

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Andy Kirk says he "can't fault" the St Johnstone players but lamented the late lapses that cost him a winning a start as interim boss.

The Perth side were 3-1 up after 86 minutes away to Ross County, but had to settle for a draw after conceding twice late on.

"Their second goal comes from our possession," Kirk said.

"We have it in the corner, and we don't keep it there. It's a long diagonal, and then a free header at the back post.

"Teams will always concede goals, and you will always find mistakes in there, but at this moment in time we can't afford to make the mistakes we have for those last two goals.

"I've told the players that until we fix this, it's going to be a problem, because the teams we play against will put good balls into the box.

"I actually thought we defended balls into our box pretty well, but at a key moment when we have to go man for man it has cost us.

"I can't fault the players for the work they've put in, but it's that lapse of concentration that cost us.

"On another day we might get away with it, but we still have to deal with the situation."

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• St Johnstone have conceded four goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, no team has conceded more in the Premiership this season.

• Ryan Leak attempted 60 passes in this game, the highest total for a Ross County player in the Premiership this season.

• Nicholas Clark has scored two goals in the Premiership this season (two in this game), no St Johnstone player has more.

• Ross County have won two points from losing positions in the Premiership this season, only Dundee (three) have recovered more.

Former St Johnstone stalwart Frazer Wright hopes a new manager can recreate a proud identity that made Saints one of the grittiest clubs in the game. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

St Johnstone interim manager Andy Kirk says St Johnstone's 3-3 draw with Ross County "feels like a defeat".

Akil Wright's 97th-minute goal earned a dramatic draw for Ross County in a six-goal Scottish Premiership thriller with managerless St Johnstone.

Ronan Hale opened the scoring for the hosts when he latched on to Josh Nisbet's pass and sent a low effort beyond Ross Sinclair in the St Johnstone goal.

However, the visitors' response was emphatic. Drey Wright equalised just before half-time with a powerful strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

And Nicky Clark netted twice from free-kicks - including a stunning second - to put the Perth side in control in their first outing since Craig Levein's sacking.

But Alex Samuel made it a nervy finish in Dingwall when he headed in from close range and Wright completed the comeback with a spectacular header from Jack Greives' free-kick.

County rise to eighth in the table while St Johnstone stay 10th.

Have your say on St Johnstone's performance here, external.

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St Johnstone interim manager Andy Kirk:

"I was extremely disappointed with the way the game finished, being 3-1 up, this feels like a defeat.

"It's something that's plagued us over the last few games and it's a set play at the end that cost us.

"It's hard, the players have put a lot of effort to get back into the game but we need to learn to see the game out.

"There's always positives we can take, it's a point on the road at a really tough venue but at the minute it's hard because we were 3-1 up and should be going away with three points."

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Squandering a two-goal lead so late on will sting for St Johnstone, who now have just one win in six and are without a manager.

There were positive signs for the Perth club. The pace of Makenzie Kirk - son of interim boss Andy - on his first start caused the County backline all sorts of problems while Clark's incredible free-kicks were a fine way for the striker to open his account for the season.

But St Johnstone have now shipped four goals in the last 15 minutes of games - no team has conceded more in the Premiership this season.

Where the manager job goes next will be crucial, as will seeing out games and getting points on the board.

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Thrown in for his first start for St Johnstone, Makenzie Kirk, 20, looked dangerous in attack and won the free-kick Nicky Clark ultimately converted to send St Johnstone in front.

Managerless St Johnstone make two alterations from the defeat to Hibs - Jack Sanders and Makenzie Kirk, son of interim boss Andy, who makes his first start for the club are into the starting line-up.

The pair replace Aaron Essel and Benjamin Kimpioka.

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Ross County: Laidlaw, Brown, Leak, Wright, Randall, Hale, Chilvers, Campbell, Lopata, Nisbet, White.

Substitutes: Hamilton, Loturi, Grieves, Denholm, Telder, Efete, Samuel, Brophy, Smith.

St Johnstone: Sinclair, Raymond, Cameron, Sanders, Neilson, Holt, Clark, Wright, Smith, Sprangler, Kirk.

Substitutes: Rae, Keltjens, Carey, MacPherson, McPake, Bright, Dair, Essel, Kucheriavyi.

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Ross County have doubts over George Harmon and Josh Reid but Max Sheaf and Will Nightingale have returned to training. Ricki Lamie (Achilles) remains out.

St Johnstone pair Benjamin Kimpioka and Adama Sidibeh are suspended while Jack Sanders is back from a ban.

Graham Carey returns from a short-term injury, while Uche Ikpeazu (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) are still absent.

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Falkirk boss John McGlynn says "it's a compliment" to be linked to the vacant managerial position at St Johnstone but insists he is not looking for a move.

The 62-year-old would relish the opportunity to return to the Premiership but wants to do it with the Bairns, who currently top the Championship and visit Celtic in the League Cup last eight on Sunday.

"It's a compliment for all the good work that's been getting done," said McGlynn.

"It's not only here at Falkirk, I think myself and (assistant) Paul Smith did a really good job at Raith Rovers to get them out of League One and then finish third in our first season in the Championship, in a league that contained Hearts and Dundee, and then fifth in our last season.

"We've come in here and within two and a bit seasons, we are where we are now, which everyone can see. It's nice to be linked with it but I'm very comfortable and very happy where I am.

"The best way would be to do it with Falkirk, if we can, I think that would be more rewarding. That would be an awesome achievement."

Ian Murray tells BBC Scotland he would be interested in taking the St Johnstone manager's job following the exit of Craig Levein earlier this week.

Murray is seeking a return to management after being surprisingly sacked by Raith Rovers last month.

Rovers sacking 'doesn't make sense' - Murray

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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St Johnstone captain Kyle Cameron says he apologised on behalf of the players to sacked manager Craig Levein following his departure earlier this week.

Defender Cameron was appointed skipper by Levein after arriving on loan from Notts County in the summer.

"I spoke to him on Wednesday, I just apologised on behalf of me and the players for what had happened and thanked him for the opportunity coming up here," said the 27-year-old.

"We just had a general chat about the football and talked about how performances were okay but not where we wanted them to be. The results didn’t come with the good play we had within the games.

"So I think he knew that the pressure was on and the inevitable happened."

Cameron says Levein's dismissal came as "a bit of a surprise" and that the squad must share blame for the poor start to the season.

He added: "The results we were getting weren't good enough and maybe we knew with that there could be pressure on, but not just him, as a group of players we have to take responsibility with that as well.

"He has brought a lot of us in, it is down to us not getting the results to back him up.

"Ultimately we haven't picked up enough points and he has unfortunately taken the brunt of it."

Dundee, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Ross County, St Johnstone and St Mirren will each take in £1.6m in solidarity payments due to Celtic's Champions League qualification, with Aberdeen and Dundee United receiving £1m and £650,000 going to Hearts and Livingston. (Mail), external

Interim boss Andy Kirk aims to get Nicky Clark, 33, scoring again at St Johnstone. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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• Ross County have lost two of their last three Scottish Premiership games against St Johnstone (D1), as many as their previous 15 beforehand (W5 D8 L2).

• St Johnstone won their last away league game at Ross County 1-0 in February last season, last winning successive such trips in February 2017 (4 in a row).

• After beating Dundee 2-0 last time out, Ross County are looking to win back-to-back league games for only the second time since the start of last season, having last done so in November/December 2023.

• St Johnstone have lost their last two away league games (both 2-0) against Dundee United and Hibernian. They last lost three in a row on the road in January 2023, while they last did so without scoring in January 2022 (run of four).

• No side has had more shots following high turnovers in the Scottish Premiership this season than Ross County (8, level with Celtic).