PAUL STURROCK is nothing, if not decisive.

Whether it comes to choosing fine wine or selecting a winning football team, 'Luggy' is not a man to argue with.

"Wine makes meals," he affirms as he skims through the drinks menu before settling on his preferred choice.

For the record, we (sorry he) settled on a Sauvignon Blanc and a Brouilly for our table.

The expertise was well appreciated.

But if Sturrock's knowledge of wine (and films for that matter) seems pretty exhaustive, his knowledge of football is positively encyclopaedic.

Paul Telfer? Played right-back 26 times last season.

Agustin Delgado? Two goals in six starts.

Away form? No wins since December (this was obviously before the weekend!). The list went on and on.

It might be a clean slate, but if the Saints players think their new manager knows little about them, they had better think again.

As former Dundee United team-mate Ray Stewart says: "He can talk about football until he's blue in the face, you couldn't pick an argument with him on football.

"He knows the answer to every question and the question to every answer."

Unusually perhaps for a manager, strict attention to his own performance is also of similar importance.

He gladly confesses to having made plenty of mistakes throughout his career - and is willingly predicting many more.

But if what really matters is your ability to learn from those errors, then Saints have clearly found the right man.

Sturrock keeps a list of some of the mistakes he has made during his career and looks at it every so often to guard against repeats.

"It's something now I live by, it's like a wee bible," he says.

Indeed, while the pure passion and enthusiasm for the game of football is what carries many former players, Sturrock's fascination for the science of good management is striking.

"Football is a great sport, but I've enjoyed coaching and management just a touch better," he says. "From a young age, I managed kids and took kids.

"I was a licensed coach at 25, I was let loose by Jim McLean at Dundee United to take the kids teams when I was still playing."

Technically or tactically, he is certain he will have no problems adapting to football in the Premiership.

For more see the two page article in tonight's Daily Echo