Home-spun is the Wright way for Tommy
Tommy Wright watched Premiership rivals bring in players from abroad during the January window.
But the St Johnstone manager preferred to operate closer to home in his push for another top-six finish.
New arrivals Sean Goss, Cammy Bell and Niall Keown will all figure in the Perth squad to face Celtic at Mcdiarmid, along with earlier recruit, Michael O’halloran.
And they all have plenty of experience of Scottish football.
QPR midfielder Goss featured for Rangers last term, while Partick Thistle defender Keown and veteran keeper Bell have also been over the Premiership course before.
“We have always tended to recruit Scottish- based players, or people from England,” said Wright.
“That’s the market we look in because I feel the best value for a club like ours is in the domestic market.
“If you can get the right ones, and people who have played in the league before, it’s less of a risk.
“You get that reliability if you have already seen them in the league.
“You look for ability, experience, where they have been before – and then if they fit into the budget.
“I get sent players all the time, who are 23 years old, but have had eight clubs.
“Those CVS don’t last long. They find their way into the shredder pretty quickly because that’s a red flag for me.
“You want the best players you can get, but I think it’s important to minimise the risk when you are on a budget.
“Nobody will get everything right. But by focusing on players you have been able to see, and assess at the level you’re playing that, it makes it far easier.”
Wright will ring the changes to face the Hoops after losing 2-0 at Parkhead in midweek.
While he was satisfied with the defensive set- up in midweek, the Perth boss wants to pose more of a threat going forward.
“On Wednesday, our shape was very good for most of the game,” he said.
“But it was the same old story – you have to be good on the ball against them.
“That has been a bit of a problem for us since we came back after the break. That fluidity has been missing a little bit.
“We will need to rectify that for this game against Celtic.”