New St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari is no stranger to Scottish football.
His playing knowledge of the game north of the border from a three-and-a-half season spell with Motherwell before he moved to Derby County should help him as he takes over from Craig Levein.
Valakari has also played against Saints several times.
Courier Sport looks back on his involvement with Motherwell in fixtures with the club the 51-year-old is now taking charge of.
A dozen encounters
Valakari, a classy midfielder who was a Fir Park fans’ favourite, faced Saints 12 times in total.
All but one of those (a Scottish Cup tie won by Saints) was in the top flight – the 1997/98, 1998/99 and 199/2000 seasons.
His overall record was four wins, five defeats and three draws.
Perth drought
Valakari never won at McDiarmid Park.
There were two wins and two draws for Saints when he was in the Motherwell side.
Magic moment
There is one match (and one goal) that will probably stand-out when Valakari recalls his trips to Perth.
Saints fans who were there certainly haven’t forgotten it.
On October 12, 1998, Billy Davies managed Motherwell for the first time.
Saints won 5-0, with Miguel Simao tormenting the visitors’ defence.
The Portugese forward scored once, as did Alan Kernaghan and Darren Dods, with George O’Boyle claiming a double.
The undoubted highlight was the Northern Irishman lobbing Motherwell goalkeeper, Stevie Woods from just outside the centre-circle.
The footage of the goal isn’t sharp enough to identify a culprit – but hopefully it wasn’t Valakari guilty of the misplaced pass in the build-up!
It was (still is) one of the best goals ever scored at McDiarmid.
Three days earlier Valakari had been part of a Finland team that beat Turkey 3-1 in Istanbul.
Familiar face
Valakari will recognise at least one person at McDiarmid.
Roddy Grant, a Saints director who was involved in the recruitment process to find Levein’s replacement, was an opponent in the Finn’s first game against the Perth side on August 17, 1997.
No doubt it won’t take Grant long to mention it, as he scored the winning goal in a 1-0 St Johnstone victory at Fir Park!
Conversation