LIAM CRAIG believes David Martindale’s high-flying Livingston are showing all the hallmarks that St Johnstone exhibited during Tommy Wright’s tenure at the Perth club.
Saints continually punched above their weight during Wright’s seven-year stint in charge, with a Scottish Cup win in 2014, countless top six finishes and numerous European excursions just three of the many memorable highlights.
The big Northern Irishman goes down in history as the best St Johnstone manager in their 136-year existence, but a flag hanging from the McDiarmid Park East Stand epitomises how the club are viewed outwith their inner circle – ‘Underestimated Since 1884’.
Craig will forever be grateful to Wright who offered him a route back into Scotland’s top flight after being released by Hibernian in 2015 and he knows first-hand what an impressive job his former manager conducted.
“What he has done in Scottish football, what he did at St Johnstone, is up there with what anyone’s done in terms of consistency. European football, Scottish Cup, top-six finishes … he has done it all,” said Craig on his old gaffer.
“He’s just a manager that players love playing for. He was honest with you. People didn’t see the other side of him. Believe it or not, he was funny through the week. Between three and five on a Saturday, he was maybe different.
“But he was just a great manager that the players loved playing for. And I’ll be forever grateful to him for giving me that opportunity to come back here and keep playing at the highest level in Scotland. His record is second to none over that period. Any club that gets him would be very fortunate.”
Saints take on Livi tomorrow in the Scottish Premiership in a dress rehearsal for the Betfred Cup final later this month, and ahead of the match Craig has drawn comparisons with Martidale’s outfit and St Johnstone of old.
“When I hear people speak about Livingston, it does bring back memories of how people used to speak about us,” Craig told Herald and Times Sport. “It’s disappointing because there are a lot of good players in that Livingston squad, just like there were a lot of good players in our St Johnstone teams over the years.
“You don’t finish third in the Premier League and win Scottish Cups and qualify for Europe year in year out if you’ve not got a lot of quality within that squad. You have to defend in games. You have to stand up to challenges.
“You have to give Livingston huge credit for what they are doing. To not lose in 14 games in the Premier League and the cup is incredible. You can’t do that without quality players that know what their jobs are and how to play the game effectively.
“They have loads of ability going forward as well. That is sometimes missed when people talk about Livingston. We know how tough it is going to be but we have a lot of good players in this squad so we feel we can go there and win.”
On the criticism St Johnstone received for their style of football under Wright, Craig added: “We laughed at it. Big Frazer Wright and Ando [Steven Anderson] loved it. I suppose when you had me in left midfield and Chris Millar in right midfield, you weren’t blessed with blistering pace, stepovers and dragbacks.
“But there was a lot of ability in the squad. It created a togetherness and a belief that people hated coming to McDiarmid Park. The amount of players I have spoken to, when I was at Hibs or players who have retired now, who say they used to hate going to McDiarmid Park.
“You loved that because it meant that, before you even started the game, teams knew they were going to be in a tough game. And we loved playing out there. I know the pitch wasn’t great at times and the conditions could be horrible but it created a spirit and a togetherness among the players. And that showed in results.”
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