John Sutton blasts “pathetic” form of St Mirren players that cost Alex Rae his job

The Saints striker offers no excuses for the disappointing start to the campaign, but hopes that the change in the dugout won’t be in vein.

“I think the manager leaving was a reflection of how we’ve done really,” Sutton said. “Results have been poor and to be honest I don’t think we can have any complaints with the performances we have put in.

“When I signed everything looked rosy, I thought the manager was good when I spoke to him and I still think he’s a good manager.

“It hasn’t been good from any of us, and the manager has paid the price for that.

“I think you always feel culpable when a manager goes because at the end of the day we haven’t been performing.

“Sometimes a change, for whatever reason, works. But I think it’s been pretty pathetic the way we have played and I don’t think there are too many excuses for anyone.

“I don’t think we can look back at many games this season and say we have been unlucky, in all honesty we deserve to be where we are at the moment and it hasn’t been good at all.

“In terms of a Scottish club, the training facilities are fantastic, the ground is fantastic, we get a really good support and we just haven’t produced.”

Despite the low ebb that the Buddies are now at, Sutton believes that there is enough talent within the dressing room to pull them out of their current predicament.

He says that the players are fully behind interim manager Allan McManus going into Saturday’s crucial fixture at Dunfermline, and that they will be doing everything they can to make the club’s next permanent appointment a successful one.

He said: “I thought Alex was a good manager but he’s gone now, so it’s time to move on.

“Allan hasn’t changed anything too dramatically, Alex Rae’s training was good. He’s brought a few tweaks here and there, and Allan is a good manager, so the boys are going to play their hearts out for him on Saturday.

“It’s up to us to make the board’s decision work and make the next manager as successful as possible as a group of players.

“There is some talent here, it’s not as if it’s a hopeless scenario, and hopefully we can get it together.

“There is young talent coming through and there’s experience and good players.

“The quality in training is really good, but the fact is that when we’ve gone out on a Saturday it hasn’t been anywhere near good enough.”

In the short term, Sutton simply wants to repay the club’s supporters with a win after a dreadful opening to the campaign.

“The support is unbelievable,” he said.

“We haven’t had the best start to the season obviously but they keep turning up. All of the players are desperate to give the fans something to shout about.

“They turn up at St Mirren Park on a Saturday and they follow us away from home, and they’ve tried their very best to get behind us.

“They do care, so some of them do get frustrated, but it would be lovely to give them three points and a reason to go home with a smile on their faces.”

Meanwhile, HeraldSport understands that the St Mirren board will discuss candidates for the vacant managerial post on Friday, before the interviewing process begins next week.