Alec Cleland in running to replace Tommy Wright as St Johnstone manager

Former Rangers defender put in charge of Saints’ first team and could land role permanently

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright clutches the Scottish Cup after the club's 2014 success. Picture: Craig Williamson/SNS

Alec Cleland has emerged as a frontrunner to replace Tommy Wright as St Johnstone manager after the popular Northern Irishman decided to call it quits on his time in Perth.

The club have announced that Cleland, who has been serving as assistant manager since 2018 and has been on the McDiarmid Park coaching staff for the past decade, has been placed in charge of first-team matters on an interim basis.

But it is understood that chairman Steve Brown and the board are looking at making the appointment permanent as they attempt to move on without Wright, who initially joined the club as assistant to Steve Lomas in 2011 before stepping up two years later.

Alec Cleland has been put in charge of St Johnstone on an interim basis. Picture: SNS

Wright went on to deliver 
St Johnstone’s one and only Scottish Cup triumph, in 2014, and has been hailed for his ability to defy budgets and secure top-six places and even European football throughout his seven-year tenure.

Those credentials have seen him heavily linked with the vacant Northern Ireland job but, while freeing himself of the remaining two years of his deal would make him a more attractive option for prospective employers, that is not believed to have played any major part in his decision to end his productive association with the Perth club.

News of Wright’s departure did see bookies’ odds shorten on the former Northern Ireland goalkeeper replacing Michael O’Neill but those close to the appointment process claim current national Under-21 boss Ian Baraclough remains favourite.

Speaking to Saints TV, Wright explained the decision to quit the Scottish Premiership side was one he had been mulling over for some time.

“It was extremely difficult, obviously being at the club so long I’ve got a lot of feelings for the club, lots and lots of happy memories and worked with a lot of good people both on the pitch and off the pitch,” said the 56-year-old.

“It was something that was being considered for a while, even as far back as at the end of the season when we finished eighth [in 2017-18].

“We sort of made a decision to see if over the next couple of years we could bring the age of the squad down and then it might be time for me to move on. Fortunately, we have done that. There have been two good seasons.”

But he added that every job in football has a natural expiration date.

“When you are at a club for a long period of time, sometimes there comes a point where you need a break and I do need a break,” explained Wright.

“It’s a tough job. People don’t give you sympathy being in football management, but it’s 365 days and 24 hours a day and I just felt that 
this season, if we did well, it would have been the perfect time for me to leave the club in a really strong position.

“The future is really bright on the pitch. I won’t be the one that will take the team forward but I think that could be good, not only for me but for the club and team as well.

“Hopefully, it can be a top-six side and in a really good position. It hasn’t been an easy decision but I think it is the right time.”

But, it is no secret that Wright has had a contentious relationship with chairman Brown in recent times, with cracks becoming more obvious this season as the experienced manager battled to get the backing he needed to strengthen his squad.

A tough start to the season prompted a few unguarded comments, and frustrations boiled over during the January transfer window but, although it is understood there have been ongoing issues behind the scenes, Wright insisted that the pair parted on good terms.

“There hasn’t been that many downsides. It’s been a great job. I’ve had great support. It’s not a normal manager-chairman relationship. He has supported me immensely. During a period earlier this season, which was the worst run, particularly with the timing of it, he never once put me under any pressure.

“And that shows that I had trust in the players and he had the ultimate trust in me as a manager.

“The relationship is fine. We spoke this week, we spoke over a period of time and it is something that I actually feel that the timing of it is right, right for the club.

“Seven years is a long time to have the same manager. People have to realise that sometimes things come to a natural end.”

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