Millar: St Johnstone boss is made of the Wright stuff!

Chris Millar says the St Johnstone players take great confidence from their manager Tommy Wright.

The story of Chris Millar’s time at St Johnstone is a story of progress.

From the old First Division to the Premiership, from bottom-six battlers to European stalwarts, from trophy virgins to Scottish Cup winners, everything Saints have set their sights on in recent years, they have achieved.

That, says Miller, is why FC Luzern ought to be worried ahead of Thursday’s Europa League qualifying clash between the sides because this year, Saints have targeted a place in the group stages.

He explained: “Every year here we try to progress and take steps forward. We’ve broken into the top six for a few years, we’ve won the Cup we targeted and we’re in Europe again.

“So the next target is to get into the group stages. It’s going to be difficult but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t aim for that. We’ve shown in the past we can nick results in Europe so you’ve got to aim high.

“It would be unbelievable for the club, financially as well, and would be great for our CVs. We’ve got a strong squad and as a group you have to aim to do these things.

“We took massive confidence from last year’s results in Europe. It’s the same squad of players, we got two good results against Rosenborg and Minsk away last season so with that experience we’re upbeat about Europe this time round as well.”

Much of Saints’ confidence comes from the faith the Perth players have in manager Tommy Wright.

And after watching the way Wright masterminded his side’s victory over Rosenborg last season, Miller expects the same again ahead of Thursday’s first-leg clash in Switzerland.

“I don’t know too much about Luzern right now but they are one of the best- supported clubs in Switzerland and the gaffer says they’re a good side from what he’s seen,” he said.

“He went to watch them and says they’ll press higher and quicker than Rosenborg. The gaffer is very thorough, he spots things in teams and is good at pinpointing things.

“He did it in the Final against Dundee United and against Rosenborg last season he told us exactly how we could get at them, where they were weak.

“That suits us because we always work hard and if you’re also well-informed you’ve got a real chance and I’m sure the gaffer will have a plan to work on this week.”