St Mirren Captain O’Hara Downplays Impact of Off-Field Issues

Mark O’Hara, captain of St Mirren, downplayed the significance of the club’s off-field challenges throughout the current season, attributing the team’s ability to manage this period to the “experience” within the squad. Within a single month, three players departed the Buddies after facing police charges. Jaden Brown’s exit was by mutual consent after he confessed to three driving offences. Kevin van Veen, the Dutch striker, saw his loan period conclude following a court appearance on domestic abuse charges. Shaun Rooney also left after being charged with assault stemming from an incident at a Glasgow takeaway. Stephen Robinson’s team secured only one victory across 12 games, yet they have accumulated 10 points from their most recent four fixtures. When questioned about the off-field matters, O’Hara stated, “I think from looking from the outside, you’d be surprised at how little is affected.” He added, “We’ve got a strong, experienced squad and everyone is there for each other on and off the pitch.” O’Hara further commented, “People from the outside would expect it to cause more disruption than it has. We’re a very grounded group and as I say, we remain humble throughout it.” “Obviously there were questions at times from boys and things like that, but I didn’t need to take any more leadership,” O’Hara explained. “The changing room manages itself and the manager was speaking to everyone throughout it as well.” He emphasized, “Nobody was panicking, nobody was shocked, we were all together and not much had to change.” O’Hara reflected, “I think when you look from the outside and results haven’t gone our way, there’s been a few distractions, people would have thought we were in a worse way. But we were confident and experience is a big part of that.” He concluded, “We trust each other and trust the staff and I think that’s why we’ve got to where we are now.”