Paul Smith - A Tribute

When Steve Lomas was appointed as manager of St Johnstone; so Steve Brown became Chairman.

With both men new to their roles, one man has had his hands full in recent times, out-going Commercial Manager, Paul Smith. Paul is one the old school; efficient, intelligent, witty and free of political correctness which blights much of society.  He is generous to a fault and, in conjunction with Stan Harris, has worked hard to drag the club into the 20^th century!

I have been privileged to enjoy dealings with Paul over the last 6 years and I am still hurting at his departure from Saints. Here is a little story of the great void his departure will leave.

When Paul and I first became acquainted, I was running a local chip shop and figured that by using Saints, I could advertise my business. We ran several promotions intended to improve my business whilst promoting the club at the same time. During this period, I was amazed by Paul’s effort to help and also by the times he replied to emails. It was an early glimpse to the hours he was putting in.

Ultimately, I failed in the chip shop and found myself in a call centre. Paul never once treated me any differently, despite no longer paying for an advertising hoarding. He wouldn’t do that, he’s not that type.

In more recent times I got to know Paul in a different capacity. Information was exchanged via email; often unpolished ideas aimed at revenue generation, occasionally focussing on our dwindling attendances. These were usually high-level, missing detail or structure. Paul never failed to reply to each and every email. I once sent him ideas from some external research I had carried out. I prefaced the email with a line saying something like, “If this is rubbish, tell me to beat it.” Within a few hours, I had an amusing and detailed reply in which Paul explained that all ideas were always welcome. In my reply I told him not to waste time giving me detailed explanations, if they took the idea on board I’d be happy, if they didn’t I know they’d have good reason to decide against it. A few minutes later Paul explained that it would be discourteous not to reply. This email really was a measure of the man. He has been raised with a firm and correct set of values and they apply to all aspects of his life. Again, this email exchange took place outside of Paul’s “office hours”.

During the last few years, special people in my life have celebrated big birthdays. Paul went to great trouble to ensure that they felt special. What many people may not realise is that all of these things are essentially above and beyond his remit.

Paul’s role became one of the biggest at the club, not bad for a bloke who started as a casual volunteer! He had a key role to play in transfer activity, player registration, event management, advertising activities, organising the soccer skills programme, ensuring the corporate side ran smoothly, writing and maintaining the official website and other social media platforms.

He responded to almost every email the club received over the last years. He never once used external agencies for such responses and that speaks volumes for him. When the season ticket packs dropped through the door, I couldn’t help but wonder how many man-hours went into their design and production, Paul was involved in almost every word. I hope the number of Season Tickets sold, eclipses the number from three years ago because the Ormond thing was driven by Paul.

New strips are available to pre-order from Campus Sports and Paul had to deal with the interesting characters at TTL as well as liaising with Campus Sports in Perth’s High Street to ensure a high profile launch. He’d deal with pre-season fixtures, work with other clubs to negotiate ticket allocations/sales and ensure that our website had a full build up to away games including travel announcements.

When the national press wanted to pile misery on all at Saints following the stupid cancellation of the Rangers match, it was Paul who delivered the press release to baying journalists and it was his stiff upper lip which kept the lid on the subsequent hullaballoo. Our club is often criticised for not getting enough press coverage, but we’ve kept plenty of bad news stories out of the press and that, for any business, is far more important.

It’s impossible for me to do justice to Paul Smith in this format. Whether it was arranging “Cards 4 Hards” for Martin Hardie during his career threatening injury, discussing a possible CIC initiative, sharing U19 match reports, tweaking the website or debating the merits of other clubs marketing ideas  he was personable, professional and practical.

I know he’s moving to something he’s wanted to do for a long time, but I really wish he had changed his mind. Our club is losing a star player. His loss is bigger than Fran, Encks and Jody combined. He worked tirelessly for a club he loved and employers he respected.

My fervent hope is that his replacement is given time and space to learn and grow. Paul was richly enshrined in the Saints way long before becoming an employee of St Johnstone Football Club Limited. The new man won’t have such a luxury. One thing Paul did have, was the guidance of Stewart Duff.  Whatever his public perception, Mr Duff will be in great demand this summer and will surely play a key role in training and equipping Paul’s replacement. I know that the club are working with Paul to ensure that he can remain involved with Saints.

In closing, I have one last story. The last time I went to Tynecastle was for the Scottish Cup Game. I had left it late to buy my ticket and noticed they were on sale on the morning of the match. I went along and found Paul selling tickets from his office. He shouldn’t have had to give up time to do such a menial task yet he did so without complaint. Whilst doing so, he was involved in a discussion about locking the park after the team bus’ departure and was paying attention to the club’s Twitter page at the same time. All on his “day off”.

Paul, if you read this, I’ll miss you and I’m gutted you’re leaving our club. Thank you for excellent customer service, stellar communication, unparalleled commitment and for being a thoroughly decent bloke. It’s unlikely that anyone will replace you in the fullest sense of the word. My best wishes are with you in your new role. Look after yourself and enjoy yourself. You’re a club legend; you might not have had a squad number but if you did, it would be retired as a gesture of respect for loyal service above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you, boss.