Saints boost as McInnes stays at Dons

St Johnstone fans breathed a sigh of relief last night that the prospect of losing their manager has receded.

Derek McInnes looked certain to be heading to Sunderland but the Aberdeen boss made a shock decision to turn down a lucrative offer from Wearside.

That, of course, means there will be no vacancy at Pittodrie – a vacancy that Tommy Wright was going to be favourite to fill.

McInnes is understood to have been offered a £1 million a year contract but he has pledged to stay with the Dons.

He said: “While there was interest from elsewhere, and I did talk to Sunderland, I feel there is so much still to be done here at Aberdeen.”

“While we have lost players from last season, they will be replaced by signings of similar quality and our first challenge is to reach the group stages of the Europa League after coming so close in each of the last three seasons,” said McInnes.

“Since the first day I arrived at Pittodrie, my biggest gripe has been the lack of training facilities and, with progress at last on that front, it’s something I am keen to see through to its conclusion.

“The delivery of these training and community facilities are vital, for helping retain our top players, attracting new players to the club, the development of our young players, and equally impor- tantly enable us to play a far greater role in the wider community.

“The recent investment in the club from Dave Cormack, who has rejoined the board, now puts us in an even healthier situation financially and that will allow us to be in a position to take the club to the next stage.

“We have improved season on season and that is not something I’m planning on changing.”

Former Saint Danny Swanson expected Aberdeen to come calling at McDiarmid Park if McInnes had made the choice to go to England.

He said: “Tommy has done a job that is beyond ridiculous and the recognition he gets for that is non-existent.

“Why has he been overlooked? It’s maybe a lack of glamour or something like that, a bit of snobbery. An attitude of ‘it’s St Johnstone – who cares about St Johnstone?’

“But that shouldn’t detract from the fact he has done an unbelievable job and is a brilliant manager.”

Swanson, who moved to Easter Road at the end of the season, “People can talk about his age, people can talk about him being a goalkeeper – whatever it is that stops him getting those jobs – but the bottom line is he knows how to win games, he knows how to take teams up the league and punch above their weight.

“He deserves something now – he has been loyal to St Johnstone and they have been loyal to him but he deserves a big chance.”

Tommy Wright was a Dons target when it looked as if Derek McInnes would leave.