Roddy Grant
When a stonemason made millionaire’s row
St Johnstone’s European trip to Istanbul this week has rekindled memories of the most-glamourous encounter in the club’s history.
In 1999, off the back of a storming domestic run the previous season in which they reached the League Cup Final and finished third in the Premier League, the Saints went marching into Monaco.
One of the continent’s best valuefor-money teams against football’s super-rich?
The corner shop against Harrods? Any similar comparison would hold true.
For Saints fans who had spent the winter munching pies at Tannadice and Pittodrie, it meant a chance to soak up the sun in outdoor cafés on the French Riviera, against a backdrop of Ferraris and superyachts.
Club directors, officials and media, meanwhile, counted their blessings at hospitality events thrown by Prince Rainier’s club.
Guests arriving at the gilded door were served oysters on ice and chilled Champagne as they made their way to tables overlooking the Med.
The difference in cultures was just as evident on the pitch.
In the red corner, there were World Cup winners, Fabian Barthez and David Trezeguet.
In the blue, the former Scottish
If you missed it on Teletext, you had to wait through about another 18 pages till it came up again
stonemason, Roddy Grant.
“It feels like a lifetime ago but is a great memory,” said Grant, now an associate director of St Johnstone with ambassadorial and commercial roles at the Perth club.
“We got there off finishing third in 1998-99, which was a terrific achievement when you consider the money Rangers and Celtic were spending in those days.
“The team was similar to the current one, in that we had some really good individuals and a great collective spirit.
“St Johnstone have always had good changing rooms and good players. There is always a real camaraderie at the club, and that was certainly the case back then.
“Our keeper, Alan Main, was in great form, Paul Kane was an important part of the side, and I always thought John O’neil was underrated because he was a terrific midfielder.
“Then there were the others, like myself, who were a bit more on the periphery, but who knew what job they had to do.
“Monaco was a fantastic draw for us. I remember we were all downstairs at Mcdiarmid Park, watching the news come through.
“That was in the days of Teletext, for those who can remember it.
“You got wee writing that scrolled round, and if you missed it, you had to wait through about another 18 pages until your team got repeated.
“Someone was on the ball, though, because they shouted: ‘We’ve got Monaco!’.
“And I thought: ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph!’ because they had some side.
“You had Fabian Barthez and David Trezeguet who had won the World Cup with France just the year before.
“Dado Prso, a striker who Rangers fans will remember well, was with Monaco back then, as was Rafael Marquez, a tremendous player who went on to be a key part of Barcelona’s back-line for years.
“Then there was John Arne Riise, who moved on to Liverpool, the wee Argentinian midfielder, Marcello Gallardo, and Marco Simone, the Italian who was one of the top strikers in Europe at the time.
“To be honest, when we got there, it was all a bit surreal.
“Monaco’s stadium (the Stade Louis) was amazing. It had a car park and a shopping centre underneath the pitch.
“You got a lift up to the pitch, which was an unusual experience to sa the least!
“The pitch actually wasn’t great fo all that because they held athletic there, and there were shot putt an javelin marks all over the place.
“And, of course, the city itse was a playground for the rich, wit supercars and superyacht everywhere.
“The club were really hospitable They rolled out the red carpet for u with no expense spared.
“But it was the directors an supporters who got to make the mos of the trip, not the players.
“We could see the supporter really enjoying themselves from ou hotel windows and were a bit jealou of them. But we knew we were ove there to try to do a job.”
Which, despite a one-sided fina
score, the 54-year-old Scot argues they did.
“For a long chunk of the game, 60 minutes I think, we held our own. But they were a quality side, and once they got the breakthrough, they made it count,” Grant continued.
“They hit three quick goals, which kind of put paid to the tie, really.
“In fairness, we did get to enjoy a great night in the return leg in Perth.
“It was an early kick-off and Mcdiarmid Park was full. I have always said that when that is the case, it is a magnificent ground to play at.
“Although we had a good go at them, we could do no better than 3-3 on the night, to go out 6-3 on aggregate.
“Hopefully, we can get a full house when Galatasaray come over because it creates a brilliant atmosphere.”
A tenacious competitor when he was playing as an up and at them striker, Grant is bullish about the prospects of the 2021 Saints.
“The boys last year did better than we did in 1998/99,” he said.
“In fact, if we are honest, winning the cup double the way they did probably surpassed anything any of our previous sides have done.
“It was just unbelievable. “Callum Davidson came into the club, and quickly got them all organised. He set them out to be strong, hard to beat but to play with a bit of flair as well.
Roddy Grant in action for St Johnstone in his heyday “We had a run where we were playing well through the bulk of the games, but kept getting done by last-minute goals.
“Fair play to Callum and the coaches, though, because they stuck to their guns and left the system as it was. “I think the key thing was that he got all the players in the group to buy into the route to success he laid out for them.
“So it wasn’t just the 11 first picks, it was the whole squad.
“A manager is only as good as the performances his players give him, and they were with Callum all the way.
“The only pity was that there were no fans there to see it.
“The players qualified for Europe off the back of it, and these ties against Galatasaray are the reward for their success.
“They are a big, big, club and it is great the government have allowed fans back into the grounds for the European games.
“The fans have been magnificent in the way they have been backing the club, and it is a good reward for them as well.
“Because Callum came in last summer a few months into the pandemic, there will be a lot of St Johnstone fans who have not seen this team play other than on television.
“They deserve this and, for sure, the manager and the players do too.”