Source: FOOTYMAD
McInnes For Manager Of The Year?
Suvival is always the first target for a promoted cluib but challenging for a top-six place in season one is an outstanding success. Derek McInnes considers St Johnstone managing to secure survival in the SPL before the split as equal to the feat of winning the Irn-Bru First Division title. As ever with the promoted side, the Perth Saints were among the favourites for relegation when they kicked off their first SPL season for seven years last summer but they capped a dream return to the top flight on Sunday with a 3-1 win at Aberdeen. That result ensured a second successive season among the elite with all five post-split game still to play. St Johnstone manager McInnes said: "The players deserve great credit for what they've achieved this year. There's no trophy at the end of it, as there was last season for winning the league. But I put the achievement of staying up this season on a par with getting up." McInnes has been experiencing his first season managing in the top flight, always had confidence Saints would avoid the drop. But not even he could imagine they would have been challenging for a place in the top six right up until the final weekend before the split. He said: "We always felt we were capable of staying in the league; I always felt we had the players had do well in the SPL. If truth be told, I didn't think we'd be where we are. In the last few weeks, we tried to get sixth and we never, ever thought we'd have a chance of that. That fact that we took it to the last game before the split is of huge credit. I thought we'd finish somewhere between relegation and where are now." The best Saints can do now is end the season in seventh place but McInnes has ordered his players to maintain their form for the rest of the season, starting with today's game against struggling St Mirren. Player performances in the final five games could help determine whether they have a future at McDiarmid Park as McInnes looks to make further improvements to his squad. But it appears some of them may have already done enough to earn new deals. McInnes said: "Hopefully, in the next week we'll have something to report. We'll try to get moving on a few things." Saints' success is also likely to see some of their brightest stars appear on the radar of bigger clubs this summer. McInnes has no interest in losing his best players and warned it would take big money to convince the club to sell. He said: "Good players are always going to attract interest. We're in very strong position in that we don't have to sell. The chairman regards the players as I do and I think it would take the right amount of money to for anything to happen. That's something to deal with as it comes along." Editor Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)This is Scottish-Fitba Net
