To still be in a job after 300 games gives me as much satisfaction as any of our successes
JUST 24 hours before delivering a stinging and carefully targeted broadside at his St Johnstone paymasters, Tommy Wright was happily dealing in nostalgia.
Although palpably frustrated at a lack of new signings, the Northern Irishman set his grievances to one side as he sat down with Sportsmail to reflect on the milestone of his 300th match in management.
The club’s Scottish Cup win, European adventures and the one lingering regret of his six-and-a-half years in the job were all up for discussion, along with his enduring dream that he might one day be given the honour of managing the Northern Ireland national team.
There was also the admission that he is unlikely to rack up another 300 games in his current position.
‘I don’t see myself as one of those managers standing on the touchline until I’m 70,’ says Wright. ‘If I can get five or six more years, that would take me into my early 60s. That would probably do me.’
Fulfilling his media duties ahead of yesterday’s Premiership match against Kilmarnock, Wright was on the front foot and made the jarring assertion that his job title ought to be downgraded from manager to head coach — a sure sign of dysfunction in his relationship with the club’s hierarchy.
Chairman Steve Brown’s decision
to hand over the day-to-day running of the club to former Kilmarnock chief executive Kirsten Robertson has changed the dynamic at McDiarmid Park and Wright’s accompanying remark that he will refuse to take responsibility for a barren transfer window was ominous.
Although occasionally strained, Wright’s relationship with Brown has been durable and he has loyally resisted the temptation to agitate for a move, most notably when Dundee United came calling.
The 56-year-old expresses no regret over that episode but the job of managing his country remains an unfulfilled ambition.
Michael O’Neill will lead Northern Ireland into the Euro 2020 play-offs in March and, if successful, will continue his job-share arrangement with Stoke City into the tournament.
After that, and assuming O’Neill continues to pursue his career in club management, the position will become vacant.
Wright will be in the frame but faces competition from Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson and former Fir Park chief Ian Baraclough, who currently serves as Under-21 boss.
‘That’s something I would like to do,’ he admits. ‘I played for my country and was fortunate enough to be part of the coaching set-up with Michael for a while and it is something that would interest me.
‘Nobody really knows what the situation is. In the short term, if they get to the Euros, Michael will do it and then they will make a decision. But I’m not one for regrets. If I don’t get the Northern Ireland job, I’m not the type to let it eat away at me.’
As he looks back on his tenure, there is only one thing he would change.
In 2014, just a few weeks after leading St Johnstone to the Scottish Cup, he suffered a deep personal loss, one he admits affected his professional judgment.
‘My mum died, we buried her on the Wednesday and I came and took the (Spartak) Trnava game the next day,’ he reflects. ‘I regret that. I shouldn’t have done it. I should have taken a few days after the funeral.
‘I knew in the dressing room that even the players were probably a wee bit uncomfortable with me being there.’
St Johnstone lost to the Slovaks that night and ultimately exited the Europa League qualifiers on a 3-2 aggregate scoreline.
It is impossible to know if his absence would have made any difference to the result but certainly there were no recriminations — how could there have been so soon after a trophy win that stands as the club’s sole major honour in 136 years?
Saints’ victory over a gifted Dundee United team featuring the likes of Stuart Armstrong and Andy Robertson came just a year after Wright had stepped into the top job following a stint assisting Steve Lomas. It still guarantees him a warm reception whenever he steps on to the streets of Perth.
And yet he values his longevity as much as his winners’ medal.
Wednesday’s 1-0 loss at Livingston was an entirely forgettable affair but time has furnished him with the perspective to appreciate the bigger picture.
‘I do take pride in that,’ he admits. ‘In this modern era, when it’s all too easy to get rid of a manager, to still be in a job after 300 games gives me a lot of satisfaction and pride.
‘We have done a helluva lot in that time too, which is probably why I’ve stayed in a job.’
Wright hit the ground running with a landmark 1-0 away win over Rosenborg that commenced an impressive sequence of European football.
In his first five seasons, Wright led the club in four continental campaigns but, in truth, his stock was never higher than after that cup win.
Certainly, his achievement won him admirers in the Tannadice boardroom. After the sacking of Jackie McNamara in 2015, Stephen Thompson sought permission to speak to Wright but was denied by Brown, who drew a line under the episode by awarding his manager a new contract.
Wright would again be linked with United, while he has also been mentioned in dispatches as a natural successor for Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes.
‘There have been a few chances,’ reflects Wright.
‘The Dundee United one is the one people mention.
‘I once heard somebody say that I always seem frustrated, maybe because I didn’t get the big move.
‘It’s not that. I don’t lie awake at night and think I should have made an issue and told the chairman I wanted to go to Dundee United when they made that enquiry. ‘I think loyalty is an important trait — both to your players and the club. People say I’ve been too loyal at times but I think, over time, that works in your favour.
‘So I only have that one regret. I don’t regret any other decision that I’ve made in terms of players or not getting a job.’ While Wright has thrived for most of his six-and-a-half years in situ, this season has proved to be among the most testing. Committed to lowering the age of a traditionally battlehardened team, results have taken a dip. On Friday, Aberdeen reached an agreement with the Perth club to sign winger Matty Kennedy and, with the loan transfer of midfielder Ross Callachan to Dundee already signed off, Wright knows that without an injection
People say I have been too loyal but, over time, that works in your favour
of a couple of older heads, his inexperienced team could be sucked into a relegation battle in the weeks ahead.
A pre-contract deal has been struck with Inverness Caley Thistle defender Jamie McCart and, as a minimum, Wright will want to bring forward that signing to bolster his team’s shaky defence.
Before yesterday’s home 2-1 Premiership win over Kilmarnock, Saints had only managed league victories over Hamilton and Hearts — the two clubs that sit below them in the top flight.
The immediate priority is not trophies or Europe but avoiding the play-off place. And yet 10th or higher has always been the starting point for a club that has cash in the bank but refuses to commit to a spending policy that would threaten its existence.
‘I have never paid a penny for a player. Not one transfer fee have we paid. That’s a fact,’ says Wright. ‘In the last 18 months, we have tried to bring younger players through, so that’s a different direction.
‘There is a perception and a lot of fake stuff out there that Tommy Wright doesn’t play young players. Goodness knows how many young players I have given a debut to.
‘Look at our squad now — Zander Clark, Jason Kerr, Ali McCann, Liam Gordon and Callum Hendry all came through the academy or Under-20 system. I take a lot of satisfaction from that.’
Although still prone to the odd touchline eruption, Wright insists time has mellowed him.
‘Over the years, I have got slightly more patient,’ he observes. ‘Any time I asked the chairman for something, his first word would be no and I would pester him daily. Now, if it’s no I’ll leave it.
‘That relationship has become slightly different because he has taken a real backward step and I have also had to be more patient with the younger players.
‘I still have that fire and anybody who sees me on the touchline will know that. But, as time goes on, you take a calmer approach to your job.
‘A football manager’s life is constant and I’ve tried to become better at switching off. I golf when the weather is good. I do a bit of reading.
‘Netflix is brilliant, too. My wife lives between here and Northern Ireland, so when I’m on my own it would be more sport-orientated programmes that I watch, particularly American football, which fascinates me.’
Wright goes on to express his desire of one day embarking on a visit to shadow an NFL side. Before realising that Stateside dream, he must continue firefighting on Tayside, where he can still draw on plenty of goodwill.
‘People still come up to me, in the street or if I’m in a restaurant, they will say: “You gave me the best day of my life”,’ he adds.
‘That is pleasing and the Scottish Cup is the stand-alone highlight. To also have three fourth-placed finishes and some great European nights, I’ve had a tremendous time at this club.
‘But the biggest thing for me is still being in a job and still doing it well.’
St Johnstone fans should cherish him while they can.
‘THE NORTHERN IRELAND JOB IS SOMETHING I’D LIKE TO DO. BUT
IF I DON’T GET IT I’M NOT THE TYPE TO LET IT EAT AWAY AT ME’
Saints boss pauses for reflection despite a turbulent week in Perth