Big things were expected from his replacement, Steve Paterson, who was regarded as a promising up-and-coming manager, and he led the club to a decent seventh-place finish that season. However, Paterson's first (and only) full season in charge, 2003–04, proved an absolute disaster as the club were threatened with relegation, only managing to escape due to Partick Thistle being even worse, and Paterson was sacked after a five-game losing streak at the end of the season. Jimmy Calderwood took over as manager in 2004, having been identified as the right man for the job by the newly appointed Director of Football, former player and manager Willie Miller.