Simo Valakari delighted to have St Johnstone backing to lead Championship charge

Simo Valakari expressed his gratitude at being given the green light to lead St Johnstone’s rebuild as they look to bounce back from relegation.

Saints’ demotion to the William Hill Championship, ending their 16-year stay in Scotland’s top flight, was officially confirmed on Wednesday night after their 2-1 defeat at Hearts.

Owner Adam Webb provided some clarity on Thursday when he released a statement confirming that Saints will back Valakari and that the Finn – appointed manager last October – was “just getting started on the project to return St Johnstone to its glory days”.

“It meant everything to me,” Valakari said of receiving such emphatic backing. “The first day he signed me, he put faith in me and I feel it most that I could not do it (keep St Johnstone up).

“We’re all disappointed about the results, all disappointed about the outcomes. Of course, we need to understand that nothing is guaranteed in football. That’s why, yes, it was good from our club, from Adam, to make it clear again that this is what we are, that’s where we go and now we start working on it.”

Valakari explained that Saints are intent on committing to a long-term plan to revive the club after four consecutive seasons struggling in the bottom six of the Premiership since their stunning cup double in 2021.

“When I first came here, we already started to work on two sides,” said Valakari. “We had this short term that we wanted to stay in the Premiership. I need to be very, very clear, we wanted really badly to stay in the Premiership and do the rebuilding in the Premiership.

“We could not do it, so now we are in the Championship and the rebuilding continues. On the football side, all the aspects of the club have been together, but now because we know where we are, we can open it. We only have one plan and we start working towards it.”

Saints looked like they might be about to take their fight to the last day of the season until rivals Ross County scored a stoppage-time equaliser away to Dundee following a hotly debated penalty. Valakari was of no mind to make an issue of the goal that ultimately sealed his side’s fate, saying “no excuses, we were not good enough”.

“Believe it or not, I have not watched the penalty (at Dens Park),” he said. “I have not seen it because, as I always said, I look first in the mirror and I look at myself. I had enough games to do it right, so I have not even looked at what happened there.”