Saints praised for helping to ease players’ fears over futures

Liam Craig has hailed St Johnstone for easing the fears of out-of-contract stars, writes Sean Hamilton.

Hundreds of SPFL players are grappling with uncertain futures, with the coronavirus crisis preventing club chairmen from handing out new deals.

Saints star Craig is amongst them. But he revealed constant contact from the Perth club has afforded him a level of relief players at other clubs have not received.

PFA Scotland chairman Craig said: “A lot of players are out of contract and this season is like no other.

“Until we get a bit of clarity when next season starts, I don’t think clubs are going to be in a mad rush to get players to sign contracts.

“It is a worry and you could have a massive volume of players out of contract.

“We have made players aware of how severe the situation is.

“Personally, I’m 33 so clubs are not going to be chasing me any time soon to sign.

“Ordinarily I would have four weeks off in the summer.

“It’s now been seven weeks and to be fair, each day that passes I’m closer to retiring.

“But you just have to stay positive. The PFA stuff has kept me busy and I’ve not really focused on anything else.

“Me and the (Saints) captain Jason Kerr have regular conversations with the head of operations there and me and the manager speak a couple of times a week.

“The club has been brilliant in terms of dealing with the players, so that’s given me a bit of breathing space moving forward.

“I’ve got a great relationship with St Johnstone and I want to stay there as long as I can.

“But I realise the severity of the situation and things that were on the table one or two months ago might not be now.

“You’re hoping that will still be on the table but until that’s signed, players are genuinely worried moving forward.”

Craig reckons those concerns may see players – who this week gave comprehensive backing to permanent league reconstruction in a union poll – beginning to consider their options careerwise, particularly if the shutdown stretches beyond the summer.

“You may see more and more players looking for jobs outside of football,” said the Saints midfielder.

“Over the last couple of months Chris Higgins, our education officer at the PFA, has been brilliant in terms of the number of players he’s spoken to letting them know there are other careers there for them, so think about whether you sign a contract.

“You should always be looking to do something outwith football, so you’ve got something to fall back on.

“We’ve kept players in the loop and made them aware how severe the situation is.

“Chris has been brilliant in letting them know what other options are out there.”

Liam Craig: Alerting fellow players to severity of contract situation.