The former goalkeeper left St Mirren to begin a new career at Sunderland on Tuesday.
Craig Samson offered to stay at St Mirren until January before taking over as Sunderland’s goalkeeper coach.
Samson took the shock step to retire from playing on Tuesday in order to reunite with his former manager, Jack Ross, at Sunderland.
But it is Ross’s St Mirren successor that Sunderland must thank for securing Samson’s services so quickly.
Discussing his departure – which he labelled ‘the hardest decision of my career’ – the 34-year-old told the Scottish Sun: “The gaffer (Oran Kearney) handled it brilliantly and I can’t thank him enough.
“He obviously wasn’t expecting me to chap his door and tell him I was finished. We had a great chat and I said I would be prepared to play until January if that helped him out.
“He took some time to think about it and came back and said it would probably be best for everyone if I left now. St Mirren have Danny Rogers there and Dean Lyness too, who are top goalkeepers.”
Some St Mirren fans have reacted angrily to Samson’s exit, with the former goalkeeper having started all 13 of the Buddies’ Premiership fixtures this season.
But Samson explained: “I know there will be some people who maybe aren’t happy with the timing of this. But when I thought about it I just came to the conclusion that this is too big an opportunity for me to turn down.
“In football you have to grab chances when they come your way and I feel this is my chance to step into coaching.
“That’s always something I’ve wanted to do and it just feels like this is right for me and for my family.
“The way I’m thinking about it, opportunities like these to join a massive football club don’t come around every day.
“Like I say, I had a lot to weigh up. When I first spoke to Jack about the position he said he knew it was a lot for me to consider.
“I’m 34 and as a goalkeeper could continue playing for the next three or four years. But equally I could get injured tomorrow and my career would be over.
“I’ve seen that happen to a number of players down the years — in football things can change very quickly.
“But the fact is, this just feels right.”
Samson replaces Jimmy Walker at Sunderland, after the 45-year-old quit last week just months after he joined Ross’s coaching team.
Like Samson, Walker did so to reunite with one of his old bosses, the new Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert.
Are St Mirren fans right to be cross with Samson?
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