Award winner Tommy Wright in no rush to leave St Johnstone

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright is awarded the Ladbrokes Manager of the Season trophy (Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

LITTLE in life can match football management for thrills and chills.

One minute you’re heading for the stars, the next, you’re plummeting back to earth.

Just ask Tommy Wright.

The St Johnstone gaffer may have ended his campaign on a high after being named Premiership Manager of the Season by SPFL sponsors Ladbrokes.

But to get there, he had to endure a crashing low.

It came in the midst of a hellish mid-winter run, when Saints went nine games without a win.

Amidst growing fan unrest, a call was made for Wright to be sacked.

It landed like a hammer blow.

But after leading his side back to form – then to a second consecutive fourth-placed finish – the Northern Irishman insists his critics got it badly wrong.

“It always gets back to you what people say on social media and stuff like that,” said Wright.

“People were questioning us earlier in the season.

“I remember coming back from a game during the bad run we had, listening to the radio, and someone wanted me sacked.

“They are entitled to their opinion, of course they are. But I’m also entitled to have an opinion of their opinion.

“And it would have been wrong because, although we were having a bad time, we have managed to achieve a few things here in the last few seasons.

“It’s a 38-game season – I keep reminding people of that, and that’s what you should be judged on.

“But that’s modern football. You have a bad run and people want you out the door.”

Wright’s achievements in Perth make that mid-season call for his head all the more bizarre.

There can be no question – the Northern Irishman is the most-successful manager in St Johnstone’s history.

As the accolades stack up, it becomes more difficult to see how Wright can continue to work miracles.

But even after being linked with Rotherham and Nottingham Forest, he claims he is not desperate for a big move away from McDiarmid Park.

“For me to go, it would have to be the right fit,” he said.

“We are talking hypothetically but if something did happen I’m not just going to jump in the car and head to England for the first thing that comes along.

“On my situation, I’m happy here.

“The chairman and I both know there might come a day when, hopefully, a move will come for me. But it would have to be exactly what I felt was right.”

Being recognised for his endeavours will boost Wright’s chances of that day coming soon.

But he insists his staff and squad deserve just as much credit as he does for

St Johnstone’s seemingly ongoing golden era.

“It was a surprise, to be honest, but it’s fantastic for

St Johnstone because it shows how well the club has done,” he said.

“It’s not just for me, it’s for Callum Davidson, Alec Cleland, Paul Mathers and the rest of the staff.

“It’s for the club and, ultimately, for the players because we can only do so much as managers and coaches.”