JIM GOODWIN HOPES his progress in management can eventually lead him to taking charge of the Republic of Ireland.
However, as his St Mirren side aim to record another victory over Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, the 39-year-old is in no hurry to achieve his long-term ambitions.
Goodwin has been enhancing his reputation this season, with former Scotland boss Craig Levein describing him as “the best young manager in Scotland by far” yesterday.
The Waterford native began his managerial career with Alloa Athletic. He guided them to promotion to the Scottish Championship and then secured their second-tier status, which prompted St Mirren to appoint him in 2019.
Having succeeded in keeping the Buddies in the Premiership last season, Goodwin’s side have kicked on for the 2020-21 campaign and currently occupy the top half of the table.
In December, they ended Rangers’ 26-match unbeaten run to reach the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup. They also achieved the club’s first away victory against Celtic in over 30 years by winning 2-1 at Parkhead last month.
“Look, I’m a young manager,” Goodwin said, as reported by the Scottish Herald, ahead of the visit of Neil Lennon’s side to Paisley tomorrow night.
“I’m still only 39 years old and, of course, I have ambitions of my own. I want to manage at the highest level with the biggest clubs and I’d love to manage my country one day as well.
“All those dreams are there for me as well as our young players. I’m loving my time at St Mirren and I’m not in a rush to leave here. I signed a three-year contract and I intend to honour it. I never asked to leave a club as a player and always stayed until my deal was up. I hope to see this one out too.”
Goodwin has assembled a sizeable Irish contingent in his squad, which includes former League of Ireland trio Jamie McGrath, Dylan Connolly and Conor McCarthy.
They’re also captained by Galway centre-back Joe Shaughnessy, while former Ireland U21 international Jake Doyle-Hayes has impressed since his arrival in November after being released by Aston Villa. The Cavan native has already been offered a new contract.
Goodwin, who began his professional career at Celtic, captained St Mirren to one of the biggest achievements in their history – the 2013 Scottish League Cup final win over Hearts – during a five-year spell at the club as a player. He earned an Ireland senior cap in a 2002 friendly against Finland.
“My aim when I came here was to leave the club in a better place than when I picked up the reins and, if we can finish in the top six, that will be a great step in the right direction,” he added.
“Hopefully we’ll build on that next season and try to progress and take things further but I’m not going to patronise the St Mirren fans or try to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.
“I’m as ambitious as the next person out there so if the right opportunity comes up and it’s a big club and it matches my ambitions then I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
“Right now, though, my sole focus is on St Mirren and making them better, trying to have an influence over the academy and whole running of the club on a day-to-day basis to ensure we have a really good first team on the park.”
