Anderson hopeful of bright future as Saint goes marching out
‘Gerrard must solve Hagi puzzle’
ST JOHNSTONE’s record appearance holder Steven Anderson will leave the club when his contract expires later this month.
The 34-year-old has spent the last 16 years in Perth, totalling up 441 appearances, and netted Saints’ opening goal on their most famous day when they lifted the Scottish Cup back in May 2014.
With Anderson departing, just Stevie May, David Wotherspoon and Michael O’Halloran remain on the
Perth team’s books from the side that etched their names into the McDiarmid Park history books when they defeated Dundee United at Celtic Park.
On his departure from the club, Anderson said: “It is great to be record appearance holder but at the end of the day it is just a number.
“You have Liam Craig close by and Murray Davidson will be racking up the appearances as well, they still have years left. It’s there to be broken and it is a great achievement to be there at the top of it at the moment.
“I always remember Alan Main when he got it. I was actually playing in that game, and I never thought I would get anywhere near that.
“The club have stuck by me as well, there were times I wasn’t playing to the best of my ability, and I like to think I repaid the club back.
“I couldn’t have done it without the players I have played with over the years, the managers and staff, too.
“But the fans they make the club in terms of matchdays and I hope they have enjoyed my 16 years at the club.”
Manager Tommy Wright also left earlier this month, but ahead of his exit the Northern Irishman made sure the club was on a good footing looking ahead to the future.
Anderson was used to playing alongside the likes of Dave Mackay, Frazer Wright and Brian Easton in the Perth backline, but for the best part of last season St Johnstone’s back four averaged an age of 22.
And despite his obvious disappointment of leaving the club that means so much to him, Anderson admits the Saints are in a good place ahead of a new era.
He said: “From a defensive point of view you look at some of the defenders we have now, they are of great calibre.
“Jason Kerr has been excellent, you have big Liam Gordon, you have Jamie McCart, Scott Tanser, Callum Booth and Anthony Ralston who was on loan from Celtic.
“It looks very strong. Yes, it is a younger squad but there is still experience so there is a good blend.
“Time will tell, but I think they have a good core there that can kick on and do special things.”
On his former manager Wright, Anderson added: “First and foremost, he trusted us when we were on the pitch. I think when that trust is there you know you can kick on and do your thing.
“I always remember the first team talk he had with us at Rosenborg, we came out of that thinking we could beat Barcelona here. That is how good it was.
“He just kept saying we had nothing to lose and we could go out and cause an upset and that’s what we did. You just came out of it on top of the world and that just shows you that he knew how to press buttons.
“He has left the club, but I have no doubts he will be in a job soon. I am surprised he was at St Johnstone for that length of period.”
ANDY MURDOCH knew his time was up at Ibrox when Mark Warburton brought in a raft of loan signings.
The young midfielder had established himself as a first-team regular under Stuart McCall in the
Scottish Championship before Warburton was eventually appointed.
He hoped that McCall was kept on in Govan – but concluded that the decision to leave Rangers has worked out well for him.
“I thought I had a good season, personally, although I know things didn’t quite work out for the team,” he said. “I played well under McCall and was hoping he might get the job permanently.
“He came into the job in a difficult situation but I always thought he dealt with it well, so I was all for him getting it at the time.
The club obviously went a different direction.
“I didn’t really know too much about Warburton beforehand but his ideas were really good and so was the way he wanted to play football.
“The manager brought quite a lot of players to Rangers from England, but a new manager coming in was always going to have their own ideas and want their own players. He brought a few in on loan and if they were being brought in on loan, you’re always going to imagine that they’ll probably play some part.
“I’d have liked to have played more often, even a competitive game under Warburton but it just didn’t happen. You have to carry on, go elsewhere and do your thing. It has worked out well, I’ve played under good managers in Jim Duffy, Ian McCall and now Mark Kerr.”
BARRY FERGUSON reckons Steven Gerrard must solve the conundrum over Ianis Hagi’s best position if Rangers finalise the youngster’s capture.
The 21-year-old, inset, is said to be close to a permanent switch to Ibrox after spending the latter half of last season on loan from Belgian side Genk.
A £5 million deal has been mooted but former Rangers skipper Ferguson believes his old club should only be willing to pay less than half of that for a player who still has to prove himself.
Ferguson said: “I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere near £5 million, I would probably be looking nearer £2 million or just below that. But he’s certainly got potential, he showed flashes when he was here. He’s still not got that consistency level, because he’s only just 21.” Ferguson added to PLZ Soccer: “Another thing is, I’m not sure where his best position is, whether it’s on the right or the left or just behind the forward.
“He’ll need to make a decision or the manager will need to make a decision on what position suits him best.”