St Johnstone manager, Steven MacLean, will resist the temptation to panic buy as his injury crisis deepens.
And despite the fact he might have less players available to him against big spenders Ross County than when his team faced Hearts the previous weekend, MacLean believes his transfer strategy will bear fruit in the long-run.
“I’ve got a clear picture of what I need,” he said. “I could panic this week. I could bring in two or three.
“Listen, every signing is a gamble and you’re probably going to have to take a chance at some stage.
“But I don’t want to just sign someone for this weekend, get them in the building then go: ‘What have I done?’
“I want to make sure it’s right.
“I think everyone can see the route we are trying to go down.
“We are trying to bring that younger type, hungry, decent age. Probably we have enough older ones, over 30s, in the group already.
Squad is coming together now. A winger in then you maybe start thinking about who you can get out and who else can come in.
Very much a squad that could shock a few if they get going, suspect some opposition fans expect an ageing one paced side this season. pic.twitter.com/ZtIguj1eKV
— St Johnstone Analysis (@StAnalysis) August 5, 2023
“It’s important to balance your squad right.
“Ideally you’d bring in 25, 26, 27-year-olds at their peak but it’s hard to find them and hard to get them.
“We are trying to bring in good players and we will need to use the loan market as well. We’re weighing up the best option for us.
“You’re getting a lot of players thrown at you and it’s trying to get the right types in.
“You do your checks and speak to people you know, watch them as much as you can.”
Ross County spending big
County owner Roy McGregor warned of spending cuts after the Highlanders left it very late to preserve their Premiership status last season.
But that hasn’t stopped him authorising some big summer transfer fees.
“Ross County have certainly gone for it,” said MacLean. “They’ve made some good signings.
“They’ve certainly splashed the cash.
“They’re playing a little bit different as well, going 4-4-2 quite a bit this pre-season.
“I watched their game against Celtic. They were very good. Very brave.
3️⃣ days to go until we travel to face Ross County!
Last time we visited Dingwall this 95th minute @rmcgowan89 goal earned us a point in a 3-3 draw.
Adults- £28
Over 65s- £12
18-21 – £12
Under 18s- £5Buy a ticket here 👇#SJFC | @SPFL | @RossCounty
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) August 9, 2023
“So fair play to Malky (Mackay). He’s a very good manager. I like him a lot. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.
“He was very good when I went up there last season.
“I’ve got a lot of time for him. There’s Don Cowie as well – I’ve got a good relationship with him.
“It’s a game we’re looking forward to and one we think we can go and win.”
Krasniqi thoughts
Meanwhile, MacLean explained his reasons for not signing trialist, Ernaldo Krasniqi.
“Ernaldo did very well in training,” he said. “And he played the bounce game on Monday.
“We’re just looking for a different type, more a box-to-box one.
“I think he will do someone a good turn, though.
“I thanked him for coming up and hopefully he gets something sorted soon.”
Matt Smith will be in contention to start after playing 65 minutes of the bounce game.
“You can see he’s got quality,” said MacLean. “I didn’t want to give him 90. I wanted to make sure he trained on Wednesday.
“He’s trained a lot at MK and played minutes. He’s a young, lean boy so he’ll be fine.”
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