STEVEN MacLean has designs on becoming a first-team manager one day in the future. But if there is one lesson he has learned off his current boss, it’s that good things come to those who wait.
The St Johnstone fans’ favourite never thought he’d live to see the day when the class of 2014’s achievements were surpassed so emphatically, and he certainly didn’t think he’d have anything to do with it.
Yet there MacLean stood in the technical area at Hampden last month as Saints sealed an unlikely cup double, watching on from the sidelines as the current crop from Perth became legends of the club – and wider Scottish football.
Having won the Scottish Cup as both a player and a coach, MacLean is in the privileged position where he can weigh up the two historic successes and decide which he prefers – even if he can’t quite believe it.
“It was different,” MacLean said of his most recent success. “I was probably more delighted for everybody. When the team is lifting the trophy you are just so happy for everyone.
“The players put in the hard work and then you see the gaffer, the chairman and the board. As a player you are in the thick of it and probably don’t think about it too much. As a coach you take a step back and are happy for everyone else.
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“I still keep shaking my head some days thinking: ‘We’ve just won the double’. It’s mad. It has sunk in but I don’t think it will ever be repeated. It is such a great achievement and the whole club needs to be proud of it.
“The manager has to take most of the credit because he’s put the team together. The players have been fantastic as well.”
With one eye on a future in men’s coaching, MacLean admits he is happy to bide his time and learn from Callum Davidson. It would seem a prudent approach to take, given the Saints boss’ remarkable debut campaign in senior management after spending years working on various backroom teams.
“In his first season he has won a double,” MacLean reasoned. “He did his apprenticeship under Tommy and then went down the road to work at Stoke. They’re a massive club and some of the players he worked with were just out of the Premier League.
“He went to Millwall, had his spell at Dunfermline and worked with Gordon Strachan at Scotland. He’s had a lot of coaching experience.
“Callum probably thought the time was right for him. He has gained a lot of experience and that will have helped him. He worked under Tommy Wright, Gary Rowett and Gordon Strachan. Three big characters and good managers.”
MacLean continued: “I saw a big difference in him since the first time when I worked under him as a player. He was always a top coach but now I see different attributes in him now and I see how he thinks about things differently.
“I am probably working closer hand with him as well. He will say himself you probably need negative things to happen to make you better.
“He has probably learned from the negative time at Stoke and dealing with players that can be difficult. It is not always rosy. Players aren’t always good guys. Some are not as nice as the ones at St Johnstone.”
When it comes to dealing with problematic players, it’s imperative that managers develop something of a ruthless streak. MacLean says he sees that in his boss – as well as another few sizeable strings to Davidson’s bow.
He added: “I think you are probably more ruthless when you are the gaffer. You have to be.
“Working with him you see that he has a bit of everything. He is a top coach.
“He isn’t just a top coach though. He thinks about the game tactically, he is astute, and you see the way he works with and treats his players. He is a top, top manager and he has proved it this season.”
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