Test of character for Saints: Wright

ST JOHNSTONE: Perth boss left disappointed by lack of leadership

Tommy Wright has admitted that his team face a character test, the like of which they haven’t had before in his time as St Johnstone manager.

Winless in their last six league games, with the sides below them in the Premiership starting to appear on their shoulder, the Perth side’s form graph is a worrying one.

On-pitch leadership was lacking in the latest defeat to Motherwell on Tuesday night as far as Wright is concerned, which isn’t something he will have said too many times as Perth boss.

“We need to do better when we are asked questions in games. That is why our league form has struggled,” said Wright.

“Defensively as a team we need to do a lot better.”

As the war of words between Craig Levein and Scott Brown intensified, the Hearts boss hit back after the Celtic captain claimed he had got him booked.

Speaking after picking up a yellow card at Rugby Park, which rules him out of this month’s visit of St Johnstone to Celtic Park, the Scotland captain said: “He has done his job, hasn’t he?

“I was booked with my first foul and I think that is exactly what Craig was looking to do.”

But Levein ratcheted up the war of words with his response, suggesting Brown got himself booked against Killie to ensure he would be free to face Rangers at Ibrox on March 11.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Hearts’ William Hill Scottish Cup clash with Saints tomorrow, he said: “I’m not trying to irritate anybody. I’m just pointing stuff out.

“On that front actually, Scott Brown mentioned last week that he got booked because of me bringing attention to his proclivity to foul people.

“I disagree with that completely. If Scott didn’t get booked against Kilmarnock last week and got booked against St Johnstone (on February 18) then he would have missed the Rangers game.

“I’ll leave that to you to deduce. “I’m just pointing out things that are obvious. I’m just pointing out as a retort to his statement last week that it was me who got him booked (against Killie).

“I think you’ll find that his intentions were always to get himself booked in that game so he didn’t miss the Rangers game.”