The last decade is already being regarded as the most successful in St Johnstone’s history.
And it has also been the most successful in the career of the man who has had the biggest part to play in it for the Perth club.
But for Tommy Wright, Scottish Cup glory, European nights and top six finishes in the Scottish Premiership couldn’t have been further from his thoughts at the start of 2010.
Keeping a part-time side in Northern Ireland afloat was his only goal.
“I was back in Northern Ireland as manager of Distillery,” Wright reflected.
“I got the job in October 2009. They were bottom of the table and had lost 10 out of 11 games.
“On Christmas Eve our wages hadn’t been paid and I got a phone call to say that the chairman had resigned and the club was going into a CVA.
“The whole of that Christmas and the start of the New Year was about trying to save the club and keep hold of the players.
“I convinced them all that they were better off staying and they all agreed new contracts.
“That was my start to the decade.
“We then went on to win something like eight out of our last 11 games and it’s still referred to as the Great Escape.
“The next year we won the League Cup and finished top six while we were still in the CVA.
“I had no plans to get back into football full-time at that stage.
“You think you might get a move to a bigger club in Northern Ireland or get back to England as a goalie coach again, but not a number one.”
He added: “It wasn’t until 2013 when I was here that I got squared off – I think I got 70p in the pound which was better than at other clubs.
“So I’ve certainly had more challenging times than this season at St Johnstone.
“I loved my time there (at Distillery) and I look back on it very fondly. There were experiences that still help me to this day.”
As a goalkeeper Wright played for his country and big English clubs like Manchester City, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
But it has been with Saints that his career has hit its high-points.
“I have to look back on the decade as the most satisfying of my career in football,” Wright reflected.
“To have done what I did with Distillery and basically help save a club and help them win their first senior trophy in goodness knows how many years and then come here as assistant and get sixth and third and then get the manager’s job, you couldn’t argue with the fact that the majority of my highlights were in the last decade.
“It’s without doubt.
“It’s not just winning the cup and getting into Europe all those times. It’s the fact I’m still in a job, after nearly 300 games and at a club – I’m not meaning to be disrespectful – where you’re constantly swimming against the current.
“I take a lot of satisfaction from that.
“I’ve had a lot of support from my staff, players and my wife Anne to help me achieve that.
“Looking back on the decade on New Year’s Eve I was able to take a wee whisky and say: ‘Yeah, it has been a good decade’.”
The best decade of Saints’ history has altered the perception of the club as far as Wright is concerned.
“Still people try to refer to St Johnstone as a yo-yo club but the last decade has changed that,” he said.
“There might have been one-off seasons that could match some of those in the last decade but what myself, Steve (Lomas) and Derek (McInnes) have achieved over the whole decade has been unparalleled.
“The level of criticism of our current situation is magnified by how well we’ve done, which shows how far we’ve come as a club.”
A recent online supporters’ poll for player of the decade provided a reminder of how special the last 10 years have been, and of how many club legends played in blue and white over that period.
Cup final-winning captain Dave Mackay and inspirational midfielder Murray Davidson finishing as the top two didn’t surprise Wright.
He said: “If you’re going to look at a player of the decade you have to take into consideration longevity. Have they been part of successes? How big a part did they play?
“There are a fair few who tick those boxes. There’s Mannus, Wright, Anderson, Davidson, Mackay, Millar. That’s six right away. Some had helped get the club promoted.
“I’ve been delighted to work with them all but it’s no surprise that Cuptie has won it.
“He was the captain and he goes into that category of people who should have been capped for Scotland.
“He was a model of consistency. He was a good pro (even though it took him a while to get going in the morning and sometimes I wondered if he’d ever get moving!)
“He was a true leader and deserves to win a poll like that.”
