Queen’s Park manager Gus MacPherson has had no contact from St Mirren about a return to the club, and he says that rumours linking him with the vacant managerial post are “pure speculation”.

MacPherson has been installed as the favourite to take over at the Paisley 2021 Stadium after Alex Rae was sacked on Sunday evening.

The Spiders boss says he can understand why his name has been mentioned in connection with the role, but he insists that he is focused on continuing the good work he is doing with his current club – for the time-being at least.

“All I can say is that it is pure speculation at the moment,” MacPherson said. “I’ve had no contact at all from the club.

“I was on the phone to someone on Sunday afternoon and my phone started going mental, and that was the first I was made aware of it.

“I’ve had opportunities in the past to come out of Queen’s Park and it wasn’t right, so my head won’t be turned.

“I enjoy Queen’s Park, they’ve been very, very good to me and they’re very good to the players, and you have to be respectful of that.

“I’ll just remain focused on my job and if things change so be it, but that’s not the way I’m thinking. We’ll just get on with it as we’ve been doing.

“St Mirren are a fantastic club and one of the older, traditional football clubs. They are in difficult times and it’s just one of those situations that comes around now and again at every single football club.

“It will be a fantastic opportunity for somebody to put a mark on it, and to go in and improve their current position.

“They’ve got a freshness now there in terms of the new board and the supporters running the club. They’ve got a good youth system in place, but every club gets judged on the first-team results.

“I can understand why I’m being linked because Queen’s Park are doing reasonably well and I’ve got that connection to the club, but then people jump to conclusions.

“You always get speculation and you can’t control that.”

A lot has changed at St Mirren since MacPherson was relieved of his duties there in May 2010, with new owners and a new chief executive in place in club legend Tony Fitzpatrick.

“I’ve obviously met Tony before but I don’t know him,” MacPherson added. “There aren’t many people there now from when I was there.

“I’ve got to be respectful to Queen’s Park. It genuinely is speculation at the moment. I’ve spoken to no one at Queen’s Park, and haven’t had any communication from any other club.

“You get texts and you hear about bookies making you the favourite, but it’s bizarre how they come to that when the individuals know nothing about it.”

One man who definitely won’t be taking over is former Buddies striker Steven Thompson, who ruled himself out of the running yesterday.

Thompson, now a media pundit, says that the club needs stability after going through five managers in just three years.

He told the BBC: "I certainly won't throw my hat in the ring, no.

"It's disappointing for Alex [Rae] and Davie [Farrell]. They did well when they came in initially last season but this season has not been acceptable - St Mirren are bottom of the Championship.

"St Mirren have had five managers in the last three years. They need to find stability, they need to get a manager they are going to keep, because it's not been good enough."

Alloa manager Jack Ross has also played down speculation linking him with the role, but TimesSport understands that the former manager of Kenyan side Gor Mahia FC Frank Nuttall, who was also assistant manager to Alex McLeish at Zamalek in Egypt, is in the frame.