The revelation that St Johnstone had racked up £1.5 million worth of losses over the last financial year came as a shock to plenty of people in Scottish football.
But Steven MacLean had his eyes opened to the changing McDiarmid Park landscape before he accepted the manager’s job.
The Perth boss has been operating with one of the smallest, if not the smallest, transfer kitties in the top flight over the last few months.
It meant he missed out on several Premiership-ready targets in the early weeks of the summer window.
However, he’s confident that “shopping in a different market” will produce good results when his new-look squad gels.
Steven MacLean on St Johnstone budget
“I was aware of what was going on and there was no surprise,” MacLean said in the wake of the accounts being released to shareholders.
“My budget has been cut – everyone knows that.
“I knew what was happening.
“You need to shop in different markets.
“It isn’t like we didn’t try and get players who went elsewhere.
BREAKING: St Johnstone post £1.5m loss in annual accounts, with Steven MacLean operating under big budget cuts https://t.co/13FM4hMcXU pic.twitter.com/BsBel1sFeF
— The Courier Sport (@thecouriersport) September 14, 2023
“When people offer a lot more money, that is just what happens.
“I’m comfortable with the squad I’ve got now.
“We have a squad that is going to get better and better.
“We just need to get that first win now and get a bit of momentum.
“We are a work in progress. I think you can still see that the players will improve.”
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