You Lose Some And You Lose Some

Like most managers, St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson is looking towards the January transfer window opening. However, he is more worried about which players he may lose rather than him being in a position to bolster his squad. This was made clear at the club's AGM last weekend when chairman Stewart Gilmour told shareholders that the current financial climate meant signing new players in the transfer window would be unlikely. That does not mean that MacPherson has given up hope of adding one or two new faces next month but knows he will most probably have to cope with his current squad for the remainder of the season. He said: "The chairman explained to all the shareholders who were at the AGM how difficult it is at the moment, not just within St Mirren but Scottish football in general. He explained it will be difficult to bring in fresh faces but you never know, it could change from week to week. We just have to wait and see. It's just the way Scottish football is at the moment. There are very few clubs - if any - who can go and out and buy players. We are all working within the same market and that makes it just as difficult as well. Contracts and wages are at a premium and people have got to understand that."

MacPherson is more worried that some familiar faces will be leaving with the news that Andy Dorman and Stephen McGinn have both failed to negotiate new deals to keep them in Paisley beyond the end of the season. But, with an SPL clash at Dundee United looming this weekend, the Buddies boss was adamant that any uncertainty surrounding players off the field will not be allowed to affect performances on it. He said: "It doesn't affect the football side of it at the moment. Everything is geared towards the games. We've known this for some time. The chairman made a statement at the AGM and suddenly everybody thinks it's just happened but it happened over a month ago. It's not an issue for us at the moment. The main thing for everybody - the players, coaches, manager - is the games coming up. It's not something we've even thought about. That side of it will be dealt with by the chairman and the general manager. We just focus on the games."

There have already been sides, including Coca-Cola Championship side Watford,  watching the situation with Dorman and McGinn but MacPherson went on: "That's inevitable when you're in the SPL. There are people attending your games all the time, whether it be scouts or coaches, and they are monitoring players' situations. It's just part of the game nowadays. For a modern day player, it's their prerogative if they want to see out their contract and see what's available. Keeping their options open seems to be the phrase that everybody uses but that's just part of the game now."

Turning his attention to more tangible problems MacPherson's biggest worry regarding Dorman is the hamstring tear he suffered against Celtic last week which could keep him out of action for up to six weeks. He said: "With the size of squad we've got, it's always a blow to lose any player. We want everybody to be fit and available for selection, especially at crucial periods. When you miss anybody it's going to be felt within the squad."