The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
St Johnstone still motoring despite budget
St Johnstone boss hoping Neil Lennon’s Hibs fail to hang on to Scottish Cup
St Johnstone’s weekend opponents Aberdeen have got to second in the Premiership by splashing out on Mercedes cars, according to Perth boss Tommy Wright.
And the McDiarmid Park side have got to fourth with shrewd second-hand deals.
Wright, who praised chairman Steve Brown for helping him build a squad that would be the envy of many a manager in the division, believes the budget he has had at his disposal doesn’t come close to the three teams above them – and the one below in fifth.
And next season he is hoping to have a bit more money to play with as the battle to get into the top six and higher gets tougher every year.
“A lot is made of budgets and Celtic can go out and buy a Ferrari,” said Wright. “Rangers, Aberdeen and Hearts can go and get a top of the range Merc. But we are shopping in the used car market.
“But to be fair you can get bargains and good value in there. You can still get quality and we have managed that consistently here.”
St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright will be trying to beat Aberdeen tomorrow, then wishing the Dons well in their Scottish Cup semi-final the following week.
Fourth-placed Saints are in pole position to claim the last spot in the Europa League qualifiers.
If they stay there, only Hibs retaining the cup will keep the Perth club out of European football.
Easter Road manager Neil Lennon is a friend of Wright’s but he knows that his fellow Northern Irishman will appreciate why he’s hoping he fails at Hampden next weekend.
“In an ideal world we would beat Aberdeen to strengthen our position in fourth then look for them to win the semi-final with Hibs,” he said.
“Then everyone knows fourth place is going to get into Europe. But if Hibs reach the final we all have to wait right to the 27th.
“We have had to wait before but this time everything is squeezed more tightly. It is at least a week or 10 days earlier for Europe. The first qualifier is at the end of June so it would be better for clarity and planning for us and Hearts if it was Rangers or Celtic versus Aberdeen in the final.
“Lenny is my mate but I don’t want him to win the Scottish Cup,” he said.
“But I don’t think our friendship will change. I’m sure he will understand my thinking. He would be exactly the same in my position.”
Tomorrow’s fixture will be a clash of two sides who have had “another great season”, according to Wright.
He said: “We have a decent track record against Aberdeen over the last couple of years. But you can look too much into what has happened in the past, and what you have is two teams who have had another great season.
“There is a difference in terms of the stature of the clubs and investment in the teams, but ultimately you have two clubs which have performed well again.
“They are on track to finish second. They have already been to a final and are on the verge of reaching another one.
“They will be hurting from the Rangers defeat but I don’t read too much into it.
“I look at what they have done over the course of the season, and they were actually the better team despite losing 3-0. You get games like that.
“But Derek will rightly be delighted with what his team has done this season.
“For me, Aberdeen will finish second. Nine points to make up at this stage of the season would be very difficult for Rangers with the top teams playing each other.
“I am just looking to win the next game. Every point and win we can get makes it difficult for Hearts to get past us.
“We are in a good position but we can’t relax. If we pick up points it means Rangers have to get results to maintain the gap. It is a great position for us to be in. We have achieved a lot this season. There is no pressure on us but we want to succeed.”
This is the stage of the season that Saints have often shown their best form.
“How we have managed the season has been excellent and we tend to finish strongly,” said Wright. “The players are fresh mentally and physically, winning four of their last five matches.
“It is going to be tough because we are playing teams who have been at the top end most of the season.
“But we have been over the course before and last year we won four and drew one of the post-split games. That was remarkable. I don’t think anyone has won all five.”
Steven Anderson is improving but “still has a bit of a niggle”. Murray Davidson has returned to training. Danny Swanson and Richard Foster are available after suspension but Graham Cummins is serving a one-match ban.
If we pick up points it means Rangers have to get results to maintain the gap. It is a great position for us to be in. TOMMY WRIGHT