The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
From Armenia to row Z,
An A to Z of the legendary manager’s memorable – and not so memorable – moments at Mcdiarmid...
When Wright was number two to Steve Lomas, St Johnstone competed in the Europa League qualifiers, going out totheturkishsideeskiehirsporafterone round.
Four more European campaigns were to follow, with outstanding results against Rosenborg and Luzern frustratingly followed up by defeats to less talented teams like Minsk and Spartak Trnava.
A 16-hour round trip to Armenia, a country more likely to see itself as Asian rather than European, summed up the type of wonderful adventure the fans were treated to in this era. Losing to the part-timers in heat the team would never have encountered before or since summed up the frustration of having to play European football before the domestic season was even close to getting started.
It was in his home town that Wright the sportsman was shaped, first as a promising cross-country runner and then as a goalkeeper.
Life experiences that followed, including the heart-breaking loss of his son Andrew at five years old, continued to shape the man.
The combination of being an elite footballer at clubs like Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle, playing for his country and then managing in the shadows of Northern Irish football, shaped the manager. Being at ease with stars and journeymen alike is a potent mix.
With Lomas, you always got the impression that he was passing through. Nothing wrong with that, but club legends are not made in short stays.
Wright was reluctant to head to London when Lomas accepted a Millwall job offer and it proved to be the best decision he ever made. The Saints post became his and the rest is history.
It was the ultimate sliding-doors moment for man and club. Yes, Wright would have loved a bigger budget to spend in subsequent years, and bigger crowds to watch his teams, but he understood the parameters of both and also understood the community he was part of.
His words “there might be clubs with more money, bigger resources and a bigger support than St Johnstone but none with a bigger heart” will endure and it is fitting that Wright’s last task as manager was blethering with elderly season ticket holders during the coronavirus lockdown.
Saints lost to Aberdeen on 11 occasions in Wright’s time as manager. But eight wins and nine draws is a fantastic record against the third best – sometimes second best – team in the country. There were two stand-outs – the Scottish Cup semifinal and the 1-0 at Pittodrie on the last day of the 2014/15 season to qualify for Europe. Aberdeen fans won’t be sorry to see Wright go.
Wright had far more successes than failures in the transfer market but no manager hits the bullseye every time, Wright included. He may well put Adam Morgan top (or should that be bottom) of that particular list.
It’s ironic that the last player Wright signed was the only one the club paid a transfer fee for during his tenure. Getting Jamie Mccart out of Inverness a few months early proved to be a shrewd bit of business. Selling Stevie May and Michael O’halloran for big money and then bringing them back for nothing would also keep his chairman happy.
The first time there was a merest whiff that this might happen was in 2017/18 but even then, Saints never felt like genuine relegation contenders. Things got a bit more serious in the first few months of this season but Wright not only steered the club comfortably clear of the dropzone, he had them within touching distance of the top six by the end
Wright did look to have lost a bit of his trademark touchline passion for a short period this term but the bottom of the table clash at Tynecastle in December brought it back. The pitchside to and fro between Wright and Daniel Stendel (it was his first game in Scottish football) was an entertaining spectacle from the press box and the celebrations at fulltime were the Tommy Wright of old. The fire was burning bright again and never threatened to go out.
IIt’s wrong that no St Johnstone player was capped for Scotland – or even called up to a squad – in Wright’s period in charge. Stevie May, Murray Davidson, Dave Mackay, Zander Clark and Richard Foster have all had claims at one point, some stronger than others.
Wright was never shy in going public when he felt a player had been unfairly overlooked either for the full or under-21 squad.
It’s one of the great footballing mysteries of modern times that the likes of Alex Neil, Steve Lomas, Owen Coyle, Derek Mcinnes, David Hopkin and others were head-hunted for jobs in England but Wright was not.
Dundee United were the only club to