They set out to identify the “60 Greatest Saints.”
And St Johnstone historians Alastair Blair and Brian Doyle have unearthed some colourful tales.
Even die-hard Perth fans might struggle to identify which one of their heroes was among the police unit which arrested Rudolf Hess when the Nazi deputy leader landed on Eaglesham Moor during the Second World War – or the Saint who survived a pit disaster.
Alastair and Brian stepped-up the pace of their research after the pandemic lockdown.
And the book is planned for a pre-Christmas launch, with pre-orders being taken now.
“The title is still under wraps along with the ranking of the 50 players who will feature,” explained Alastair.
“I’m sure that will have fans arguing, especially as we will unveil our own all-time best ever Saints player.
“We’ve also ranked the top seven managers in order of merit and, to complete the 60, have chosen the two most important chairmen in the club’s history, as well as one individual to represent the hundreds of backroom staff who have kept St Johnstone going behind the scenes for the last 135 years.”
To add fuel to the fire, the pair will be listing their all-time Saints line-up.
“We could quite safely put up a free book for anyone who matches our choice of an all-time 11 and be confident that the chances of that happening are close to zero,” laughed Alastair.
“We are confident it’s going to make fascinating reading and will be a major addition to the history of the club.
“Any profits are being donated to ‘Saints in the Community’ to help the development of the next generation of Great Saints.”
To match demand to production, the authors are seeking pre-orders for the book before the end of October. Contact Brian at briandoyle77@hotmail.com
The final price has yet to be settled (it will depend on how many copies are ordered) but is likely to be around £20-£25.
LONG READ: St Johnstone 5-0 Aberdeen – historic scoreline that created Perth legends
