Tommy Wright has played 83 different players across his 309 games in charge of St. Johnstone. Picking some positions was a lot easier than others, some were almost coins flips. Do you think you could name all 83 players? Try our Sporcle quiz to test your knowledge.
GOALKEEPER
5 keepers have played under Wright's management. Only two are really in consideration for this spot though. Alan Mannus and Zander Clark. Both spent numerous years as the number 1 with a competition between them for two seasons. Whilst Clark has had memorable performances where he put the team on his back willing the to victories, there was times when he was very disappointing making bad mistakes. Which is why I have to go for Mannus, the highs might not have been as high but the lows were no where near as low.
RIGHT BACK
This is one of the easier spots. Dave MacKay was the captain of the Scottish Cup winning side and continued to be up until his retirement in 2016. His consistency and reliability made him a staple of every managers side and a player that they loved to coach. Arriving at Saints from Livingston in 2009 MacKay racked up 266 appearances in blue, with 108 coming under Wright. The former Stirling boss scored 5 times in those 108 games, scoring in some crucial situations including an injury time free-kick to get a win in Dingwall, and a last gasp volley at home to Spartak Trvana to give Saints hope in the away leg. And as always 'We all dream of a team of Dave MacKays'.
CENTRE BACKS
Steven Anderson is an easy call for the first centre back position, he is the all-time appeareances leader for Saints with 440 and was the cup final hero scoring the first goal that would end up being the winner. Ando might not have blessed with pace but his ability to time a challenge and know where to be is brilliant. His back-post runs from set pieces would net him 18 goals during almost 16 years in Perth. However, the spot next to him is heavily contested. There is three candidates are Frazer Wright, Joe Shaughnessy and Jason Kerr. Wright was past his best by the time his namesake arrived but was still a key part of 2014/15 side that conceded less than a goal per game in the league. Kerr has came on leaps and bounds since becoming a first team regular garnering international attention, but when paired with Wallace Duffy at the start of this season his formed dropped off. His play is more suited to the three-back that Wright transitioned to towards the end of the season as it allowed him to step out of defence and travel with the ball. However, Shaughnessy would be my pick. The versatility he has to play right back and centre back along with the leadership skills he possess is the reason he is my pick. The Irishman has also proved that he had the consistency doing for longer than either of the other candidates.
LEFT BACK
Brian Easton stands head and shoulders above the other players. Easton would probably still be starting in Perth if he didn't face the injury problems that he did, struggling to get fit over his last two seasons, saw him get replaced with other players. This doesn't cloud the memories of just how good he was when healthy, the power and strength to shrug off opposition player during his bombing runs down the wing. He wasn't known for his goalscoring ability scoring only once during his tenure but could be a great attacking weapon due to his accurate crossing.
RIGHT WINGER
David Wotherspoon was Tommy Wright's first signing as Saints manager and it has to be one of his best. The Canadian is the only player who has been at the club for Wright's full tenure. He started out his career for his boyhood club by playing the first 64 games having 20 goal contributions in this run. His 2015/16 would be his best goalscoring return finding the net 9 goals that campaign. He wouldn't be able to maintain that form but was always be a staple in the side, much to some peoples annoyance. He helped Saints to their first win this campaign scoring a brace over Hamilton on his 250th appearance for the club.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS
Murray Davidson and Chris Millar is the perfect midfield pairing. One attacking minded and one defensively minded. Davidson makes Lampard style late runs into the box surprising defenders and has the finishing ability to tuck the chances away. He can also effectively play in the box-to-box role being a wrecking ball knocking people off the ball and dominating the middle of park. Millar is excellent at patrolling in front of the back four, making Saints hard to break down side, with a clear and obvious difference when he was in the side and when he wasn't.
LEFT WINGER
This could be debatable for some people, however not for me. Danny Swanson stands out from the rest. His three spells at the club have produced magic. His tendency for the spectacular had fans on the edge of their seats, his winning goal at Celtic Park was one for the record books. Swanson's playmaking touch hasn't diminished as his age has climbed, he can still find a defence splitting pass and use his pace to skill to skip away from would-be tacklers.
STRIKERS
This seems obvious and it is. Stevie May and Steven MacLean were a formidable partnership in their one season together. MacLean played as a hold up striker allowing May to make runs and get into shooting positions. May took full advantage scoring 27 goals that season and earning an £800k move to Sheffield Wednesday. Without his partner MacLean was still deadly and managed to bring others into the game, helping Danny Swanson and Michael O'Halloran hit double digit goals in seasons. The former Plymouth player would still be good for 10+ goals a season, which was a large help to Wright who seemed to lose his top scorer every season. MacLean left for Hearts in 2018, with May returning to Perthshire the next season, after poor spells at Wednesday, Preston and Aberdeen, he returned home to try and rekindle his goalscoring form that had evaded him for half-a-decade. It took him time but just before the season was postponed he looking to be finding his confidence again, showing flashes of his previous form.
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