Perthshire Advertiser

McCann will be hurting –Wright

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St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright is fully aware of the ups and downs in management.

While the Perth club are on an unbeaten high, this weekend’s opponents Dundee continue to search for a first win of the season.

Wright knows how determined Dens Park boss Neil McCann will be to bag three points – but the Northern Irishman hopes it will come after Saturday.

He said:“Neil will be finding it tough but he will have expected management to be tough. He will certainly know now how difficult it is.

“But I have no doubt he will be working extremely hard to turn things around.

“Dundee certainly have ability in their squad, they have good players, and he will need them to perform to a consistent level because that’s what you need to pick up points in this league.

“I spoke to Neil quite a few times when he was with Sky because he used to come in for a chat and Graham Gartland was still at St Johnstone when I joined, so I know them both.

“Neil has had to bring in a lot of new players over the summer. After the season Dundee had last year, he obviously thought what they had wasn’t good enough so has tried to change that. It takes time when you are bringing in new players in numbers.

“They will be looking to get back to winning as soon as possible because they don’t want too big a gap opening up.

“You saw last season with Inverness how difficult it is to play catch-up so Neil will be desperate to avoid getting into

Murray Davidson was subbed that situation. When you are chasing teams in front of you it makes for a very difficult season.

“We all go through bad spells as managers.

“I have had five and six-game losing or winless runs, Alan Archibald has had them, Jim McIntyre has had them.

“It happens in this league because the margins are so tight between so many clubs.”

Wright is hopeful Murray Davidson, still off ill yesterday, will return to training later in the week.

The midfielder was forced to exit the action at half-time in Saturday’s game with Hibs due to feeling unwell.

And Wright said:“Murray is still sick so he is off today. I was disappoint­ed at him for saying he was fit then having to come off but I suppose you can look at it both ways.

“It’s good to see players desperate to play when they are not 100 per cent but ultimately it was the wrong decision.

“Hopefully he will come back in in a few days’time and be ready to go again.

“Nobody was blasting him, he made a decision to play and got it wrong because his performanc­e wasn’t what it should have been.”

Wright added:“Blair Alston still hasn’t returned to full training so we will just have to see how he is as the week goes on.”

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