REBUILD CHALLENGE ONCE DUST SETTLES

St Johnstone’s season had no shortage of “nobody would have predicted that” sub-plots.

Among those was the most successful manager in the club’s history speaking about keeping his job a few months after signing a new contract.

The first half of the campaign was a case of everything that could go wrong going wrong.

As well as the summer transfer window debacle, the injuries and the refereeing howlers, there was the alarming loss of form of cup heroes like McCart, Rooney, Kane, Middleton and O’Halloran.

Eetu Vertainen was following Guy Melamed’s long acclimatisation lead, loan players were getting worse rather than better and free agent signings Efe Ambrose, Jacob Butterfield and Viv Solomon-Otabor were all flattering to deceive to differing extents.

If there was going to be a time to change formation, it was during the January break.

Although Davidson tweaked things in midfield and up front, three at the back remained virtually a constant, with hopes of a revival based on the traditional St Johnstone quality of being hard to break down.

History is written by winners and, in view of the second half of the season form table and, more importantly, in getting the survival job done, it’s now hard to argue against that approach.

The coaching challenge up next for Davidson can be viewed as part daunting, part exciting.

It’s not quite blank canvas territory.

But, with Rooney gone, Hendry’s future uncertain and central midfield needing a significant upgrade, the task is to create a St Johnstone team that can pass its way through the middle of the pitch, stretch defences out wide and carry an element of X factor surprise they have all too often lacked.

Davidson talking up a potential relegation escape as bigger than the cup wins didn’t go down well with many Saints supporters.

When he and the players involved in both the campaigns reflect on their contrasting experiences in a few years – maybe even a few weeks – they’ll know that nothing in their career will get close to 2021.