Millar: Points prove we aren’t just huff and puff
Chr i s Mi l la r re ckons St Johnstone are due more respect for their ability as well as their stability.
The midfielder will finish up his ninth season at Saints today with another record points haul in a near-decade of relentless progress.
And as he prepares to come back after only two weeks’ break for another crack at Europe, he said: “I’m proud that since I came here there has been such a steady progression. We won the Championship in my first season then eight years in the top division, we seem to have built and built.
“It gets harder each year, not easier. We’ve had Hearts and Rangers coming back up, next year it’ll be Hibs.
“But we have a core of players who have been here for three, four, five seasons who all understand the club and the challenge. It’s that continuity and consistency we have in abundance.
“And yes, we have players who work hard but we also have ability – and it gets overlooked. It’s always ‘ St Johnstone? Oh, they’re organised, hard to beat…’
“We have good players here. Organisation gets you so far but you need ability to execute it and a good manager and coaching staff to get the best out of individuals and the team.
“We’ve lost good players. Danny Swanson’s been a big part of what we’ve done this year and we’ll miss him. We lost Michael O’Halloran, Stevie May and recovered.”
Despite today’s Gers clash being meaningless in terms of the league, Millar insists Saints will be motivated.
He said: “There’s bonus money but it’s more than that – it’s pride. If we finish strongly, the turnaround is so quick you take that into the Europa League games.”