If you rewind back just six months there were St Mirren fans seriously considering whether Stephen Robinson was the right man for the job.
On Saturday, April 23, a 1-0 home defeat to Hibs in Paisley marked the manager’s eighth loss in his opening nine fixtures as boss.
The only respite in that tough opening spell since replacing Jim Goodwin was a 1-0 injury-time win against a dreadful Dundee side at Dens Park.
Even at the beginning of this season there were still question marks remaining.
After crashing out of the Premier Sports Cup to lower-league opponents, the Paisley side’s Premiership campaign got off to a wobbly start.
A home defeat at the hands of his former club Motherwell was followed by a 4-1 drubbing at Pittodrie by ex-Saints boss Goodwin’s slick new Dons team.
Since that painful defeat the club has hardly looked back.
With summer imports Keanu Baccus and Ryan Strain both excelling, and Robinson’s former players Trevor Carson, Declan Gallagher and Mark O’Hara all bedding in nicely, the Buddies have looked as strong an outfit as the supporters have seen in many years.
They’ve also managed one of their best top-flight starts in decades, winning six of their opening 11 matches to sit joint-third in the table alongside Goodwin’s Aberdeen.
While the Saints fans that wanted him gone have largely been converted, there’s now a bigger threat looming.
Robinson might actually be tempted away from Paisley shortly if his country come calling.
For many managers, leading your country is a bucket list ambition.
To be the man responsible for taking a smaller nation, like Northern Ireland, to a major tournament elevates you to hero status.
Just ask former Buddies defender Steve Clarke what it’s done for his career.
It remains to be seen if the Irish FA decide to put an offer to Robinson. There are plenty of other high-calibre candidates, including ex-Celtic boss Neil Lennon and former NI manager Michael O’Neill who are both reported to be high on the wishlist.
It remains to be seen if they want the gig themselves – but it’s more than likely Robinson will be in the mix of the IFA’s preferred candidates.
The cost of success often means losing your best players or, in this case, potentially your manager.
When St Mirren convincingly beat Celtic 2-0 last month his stock rose considerably.
And the consistency he’s managing to get from his side currently, particularly at home, would be desirable for any national association.
For now, the Buddies just have to wait and hope either the IFA decide to focus on other targets, or Robinson himself decides he isn’t finished with his St Mirren project just yet.
The Saints boss has often spoken of his desire to take the Paisley club to the holy land of the top six; a spot that’s eluded them for many years.
With the World Cup break fast approaching, the club are currently sitting in a brilliant spot and look well set to continue in that vein, particularly at home.
If they can persuade Robinson to stay put, or indeed if the IFA decide to turn elsewhere, the future still remains extremely bright.
And in another six months’ time the Buddies may well be celebrating finally securing that elusive top-half finish, with Robinson the man behind it all.
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