Tommy Wright joked that he got accustomed to his role of piggy-in-the-middle when it came to budget differences of opinion between manager and chairman at St Johnstone last season.
The new Perth boss has pledged he fully accepts the parameters he’ll be working under at McDiarmid Park, but also insisted he’ll be no soft touch when it comes to getting down to the business of building his squad for the new campaign.
Wright, who would like to make four more signings this summer, said: “What I like about St Johnstone is that it’s a stable club run in the right way.
“You know we won’t overspend. That has its difficulties when you’re looking at players, but it’s something I’ll work with the chairman over. I was in the middle of all that (with Steve Lomas and Steve Brown) so I’ve a fair idea.
“Every manager wants more money and I’ll be no different. I’ve built a relationship with the chairman and I understand where he’s coming from.
“He’ll give me the support he can within a budget and I think that’s only right. He knows I won’t be an easy touch for him. I’ll push him for players but it will be within the guidelines of what we can spend.
“We’re in a better position than we were last year. We’ve got 16 signed and we’ll look to add to that before Europe. I’d echo what Jackie McNamara said though we won’t be forced into panic buying.
“When your budget is tight you have to make sure you’re getting the right player. There will be signings, just maybe not as quickly as fans might want. I’d be more than happy to get the squad up to 20.”
Saints have managed to keep hold of on-fire striker Stevie May, and Wright is expecting the frontman and fellow youth product Liam Caddis to make an impact in the SPL.
He said: “I’m expecting big things of Stevie and Liam. That’s the line the club is going down and I’m comfortable with that.
“I watched him personally about five times at Hamilton and he got better as the season went on. A lot of the time he played as a lone striker and scored a lot of goals.
“He trained with us for about a week to 10 days after Hamilton’s season finished and he was excellent. You could see an improvement in his body strength.
He was always a good finisher and he’ll get opportunities, as will Liam, who was disappointed to not get more games last season.
“Alastair Stevenson was brought in to improve the youth side of things and our young players should be coming back for pre-season thinking the squad is going to be one or two light, and I’m going to be the one to take that position.”
The Saints job is Wright’s first as a number one, but he feels he’s served his management apprenticeship.
“I look at my experience in the game,” he said.
“I’ve worked at all levels, which might be important for this club.
“I’ve been a youth development officer, I’ve managed part-time clubs, I’ve worked at Championship level in England at Norwich, I’ve worked at international level, I’ve had 18 months in the SPL and I’ve worked under strict financial budgets.
“I’ve improved the contacts I have up here over the last 18 months and improved my knowledge of the game, so I think I’m well prepared for the job ahead.”
Wright isn’t among those who will run down the Scottish game.
The former Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United goalkeeper added: “When I came to St Johnstone a friend of mine who was kit man at Norwich said ‘welcome to the mad world of Scottish football, there will never be a dull day’.
“I don’t think he’s been proved wrong, because there’s always something going on. There always seems to be a manger getting into trouble and something with referees.
“It’s easy to knock Scottish football, but I try to be positive. I know there’s financial problems but we’ve got a decent product here. People make you very welcome and it’s not in as bad a state as people think. Let’s hope for a settled period now. Nobody wants to see what’s happened to Hearts and Rangers.
“It would be nice to have a season when it’s all about the football. I think people don’t look at Scottish football as negatively as people do on the inside.”