Flashback Now’s the time to balance the books
Hard times. It is easy to think you are hard up until you gain a little bit of perspective.
St Mirren might not be splashing the cash these days but they aren’t exactly pleading with the bank not to call in an overdraft.
But following the club’s relegation to the First Division in 2000, hard-up Buddies were struggling to even pay the bills.
Things were getting so bad that they were eventually having to push players out the door just to help bring the wage bill down.
Saints were struggling to make any form of impact in the second tier in January 2002 and with no promotion or relegation in sight, the decision was made to try and cut the cloth accordingly to make ends meet.
Fans favourite Steven McGarry and striker Christopher Wreh – who never ever made the desired impact that a former Arsenal striker should – were the ones shown the exit door Tough decisions
St Mirren FC is a club with a proud tradition — and a history to match.
They have been at the centre of the Scottish game since their formation in 1877.
Today, we look back at the financial crisis that hit Saints at the turn of the Millennium which led to a player exodus.
as Saints looked for an upturn in fortunes.
Wreh, a one-time Gunner and exMonaco striker, had failed to settle in Paisley and it came as no surprise that he was one of the players on the way out.
Having only signed the previous September, Wreh was shipped out to Darlington, who were at the wrong end of the old English Division Three.
No goals from his few appearances confirmed just how poorly Wreh had fared. McGarry, meanwhile, was loaned to Vauxhall Conference side Boston United with a view to a permanent deal.
Boston sat top of the Vauxhall Conference League but the favourite’s exit wasn’t greeted with fanfare.
With St Mirren struggling for goals at the time, gaffer Tom Hendrie conceded that he couldn’t do much else as he battled the books.
“The cash-flow situation at the club is alarming at the moment,” said Hendrie.
“I know we have found goals hard to come by and letting strikers go seems like football suicide but we simply have to cut the wage bill.
“Unfortunately, it’s always strikers clubs are looking for in loan deals and my hands were tied.”
St Mirren had already sent striker Mark Yardley out on loan to Forfar as had Chris Kerr and Stephen Donnachie to Alloa.