Source: FOOTYMAD
Still Lots To Play For
Derek McInnes wants as much money as possible to wheel and deal in the transfer window. St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes still thinks his players have plenty to play for in their remaining league games. Saints travel to Easter Road on Saturday in ninth place, hoping to end a poor run and take a step closer to at least matching last season's eighth-place finish. McInnes has already drawn up his wish-list for players over the summer and knows the cash that comes from securing as high a place in the final SPL table could make all the difference when rebuilding for the new season. The Saints boss said: "It goes without saying that any money we can earn for the club is vital. We know the higher the placing we get, the more important it is. Any money we can earn for the club is important and the players are aware of that. We've also got bonuses to play for so there is plenty for us to play for, there is still a lot of value in picking up points and winning games between now and the end of the season. We've been targeting players since the turn of the year and that has been accelerated in the last couple of weeks with a view to next season. You are always looking to prepare and improve your team for next year. It's ongoing. There is no time for rest on that, it's a 24-hours-around-the clock job to try and identify the right ones. Then it's another thing trying to get them in the door. We will try to bring that freshness that I think we need for next season and hopefully we will go into the next campaign full of optimism and excitement." McInnes says he has no fears about motivation being a problem for his players ahead of the Easter Road game. He said: "We train and prepare to win games and that's what we try to do. It won't be difficult for the players to get up for it and they will be up for it. We demand that from them, it's the very least we expect. From the turn of the year, we never felt we were going to be involved in the relegation issue and that's credit to them. Now, all we can play for is professional pride and to finish as high as we can up the league. We finished eighth last year and we don't want to finish below that. That's the incentive now. We have four games left against four teams we have beaten this season so we know, if we play the way we can, there are games to win there. As long as our approach is right and we treat the game properly, I'll be happy. But we are looking to get a result if we can because we are on a poor run at the moment and we want to finish the season on a more positive note."
