St Johnstone are the innocent football victims of Aberdeen’s coronavirus crisis, according to former Perth defender Frazer Wright.
Saints’ weekend clash with the Dons was postponed after two Pittodrie players tested positive for Covid-19 and another six were forced to self-isolate.
All eight of them were out for a meal together in a restaurant the previous Saturday and went into one of the bars at the centre of the outbreak in the Granite City.
With the Dons’ next two games against Hamilton and Celtic set to go ahead as scheduled, it means Andrew Considine will be free from suspension by the time they visit McDiarmid Park on August 20, with the man who first tested positive back in training and a further six – the injured Sam Cosgrove aside – also available.
Saints, who face Rangers tomorrow night and Kilmarnock on Saturday before the rearranged fixture, have already been disadvantaged by the abandonment of a pre-season friendly against St Mirren.
And Scottish Cup winner Wright feels for his old club and their rookie boss, Callum Davidson.
“Saints have been really unfortunate in having the Aberdeen game cancelled at the last minute and before that a friendly planned with St Mirren,” he said.
“I don’t really think it’s fair what happened with the Dons game. I can see why Saints fans wanted the points.
“I know Aberdeen were ready to play and the decision was probably taken by the politicians rather than football people. But St Johnstone did nothing wrong and it was taken out of their hands.
“Now, they could face a far stronger Dons side when the game is played on August 20, while Hamilton and Celtic get a weakened Aberdeen.”
No blame for the saga can be put at the door of Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes in Wright’s opinion.
“Knowing Derek, he will have been absolutely furious with those players,” said the ex-Killie man.
“He needs his squad as strong as possible and he was put in an impossible position. They forced his hand.
“Look, mistakes happen and they obviously regret what happened.
“I know a couple of them and they wouldn’t have deliberately stepped out of line.
“Del and Doc (Tony Docherty) are clever and will try to work it to their advantage going forward, using it to bring the squad closer together.
“There might have been players elsewhere who have gone out and got away with it.
“But you can be sure that won’t be happening now.”
He added: “Saints chairman Steve Brown said it was time footballers woke up and smelled the coffee. He is right.
“You make sacrifices in your social life when you are a footballer. You accept that.
“And to get through this pandemic, players have to make a few more over the next six or 12 months.”
A big game-time gulf has opened up between Saints, who have played three matches since they returned post-lockdown, and tomorrow night’s opponents Rangers, who have got four pre-season friendlies in their legs, a Europa League tie and two Premiership fixtures.
“It’s going to be hard, no question,” said Wright. “Rangers have started the season very well.
“There will be no fans at Ibrox and that can work both ways.
“I always got an adrenaline rush coming out the tunnel into that atmosphere, with 50,000 behind them.
“At times during games it feels like the fans are blowing it back into play and you never get a breather.
“The Rangers players will miss that backing when they have teams under the cosh.
“But once games start you really only hear the supporters during breaks in play.
“Where Rangers will have a real edge is in terms of match fitness.
“They have two league games under their belt, the European tie against Bayer Leverkusen and a few friendlies, including games in France.
“That gives them a huge advantage and they have a bigger squad to change things if they need to.
“But you can be sure Callum will have his players organised. He has come in with a plan for the way he wants to play.”
Whether that plan will mean another 5-2-3 set-up, as was the case on day one against Dundee United, remains to be seen. Wright knows from experience that formational alterations take a few weeks to become habit.
He explained: “Callum went three at the back against Dundee United and I’m sure he would have wanted a couple more games to bed in a change in the system.
“I remember when Mixu Paatelainen came into Kilmarnock, he wanted us playing from the back and everyone getting a touch. It took a month or two before it clicked.
“Obviously Callum hasn’t had time so he will have been working hard on the training pitch with the players, drilling them to get ready for Ibrox.
“They got a brilliant point at Tannadice after going down to 10 men. That will have given them enormous encouragement.
“They worked really hard for that point and they’ll have to put in a shift against Rangers.”
To help their positive mindset going to Ibrox, the Saints players should follow the lead of Kilmarnock against Celtic on Sunday, rather than St Mirren against Rangers.
“I see Rangers had 29 attempts on goal and 74% possession,” said Wright.
“But Kilmarnock showed what can be done in their draw with Celtic. They gave up possession but still managed to cause problems and look a threat when they did get forward.
“Saints might have to adopt a similar approach against Rangers, who are all about keeping possession under Steven Gerrard.
“But they have won before at Ibrox when it wasn’t expected.
“Everyone will have to concentrate, keep the ball and make something happen when they do have it.
“Saints have the players to stay organised and look to make an impact when they counter.”
