NEW St Mirren No. 2 Alex Miller has revealed he felt “slightly obliged” to help out his former club after agreeing to become Ian Murray’s new assistant. Miller replaces Mark Spalding who left Saints by mutual consent on Monday, the former Dumbarton man paying the price for the team’s poor start to the Championship season.

In has come Miller who returns to the club having managed Saints in the Premier League for three seasons in the early 1980s. The one-time Hibs manager and Liverpool coach, part of Rafa Benitez’s Champions League-winning backroom team in 2005, has agreed to return to St Mirren on a contractless basis and hopes to help guide them up the table and away from relegation.

He told Times Sport: “I’m looking forward to working with Ian. He’s a young manager with some good ideas. He’s maybe just not getting a wee break of the ball at present. So I was keen to help a young manager. The other thing was St Mirren’s situation. I felt slightly obliged to help them as they gave me my first chance in the Premier League as a young manager.

“I haven’t seen St Mirren live this season, only on TV against Rangers, but I’m surprised where they are in the table. The players, though, have to realise it’s not a given you’ll stay up the top of the league just because you’ve come down a league. You have to understand the mechanics of what is needed in this division and play to your strengths. That’s all I said to the players. Be the best you can be every day. I like to think as well as experience I bring tactical knowledge, why we should train in a certain way, the recovery of players and such like. I’ve worked at the top level and all these things are important.”

Miller actually offered his services to Saints last year after Tommy Craig was sacked. The club, though, didn’t take him up on it. He added: “When Tommy left they were in a perilous situation. I didn’t want them to go down. It was a difficult time for them but I wanted to help them. It didn’t go any further but that was okay. I just felt I could help a club that once helped me.”

Miller met the players yesterday and admitted it was strange being back out on the training pitch after a three-year absence. But he felt there was potential there in the St Mirren squad.

He added: “Training again every day will definitely be a culture shock at the start but I enjoy football so much. I love football.

“I like to think as well as experience I bring tactical knowledge to the training of players, why we train a way, and the recovery of players and such like. I’ve worked at the top level and all these things are important.

“I enjoy being out on the training field. I won’t be doing it all the time as Ian’s the manager and he’ll be doing it too. It’s good for the players to hear different voices as long as they’re singing off the same hymn sheet. I was really pleased with the players’ commitment, work-rate and intelligence. When I was teaching them something they seemed to pick it up quickly.”