St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari will prioritise the Scottish market as he seeks to build a squad tailor-made to win the Championship.
Valakari has been assiduously studying the players who have been successful in the lower leagues and believes focusing on domestic talent in his recruitment is the best way of ensuring Saints quickly acclimatise to their new surroundings after being relegated from the top-flight.
Having cleared the decks by releasing 16 members of last season’s McDiarmid Park group, the Finn will embark on a summer signing spree that will push, or even reach, double figures.
He will keep an open mind on the possibility of bringing in players from abroad, but course and distance performers are initially in his sights.
“We will look domestically first,” said Valakari. “For the reason that they know this league.
“I have never watched so many videos of teams and players than I have done now.
“Because, basically, we have been following three leagues – Premiership, Championship, League One almost.
“We have a good overview of what is there and what the expectations are.
“But we are open to everything.”
Consistency
Valakari believes that you don’t get a strong foundation for a title charge with players who will go from an eight out of 10 display one week to a four out of 10 a few days later.
“We need our basic level to be high enough that we can win games in a row,” he said.
“Promotion won’t be decided by how we play against the top teams.
“It will be decided by how we play against the teams at the bottom of the league.
“You saw that with Falkirk, who didn’t have a good record against Livingston.
“Dundee United were very good in that respect as well the season before.
“The big matches will take care of themselves.
“Being a team that wins a league is all about consistently high standards.”
Experience
The age balance in his squad also needs to be right.
“How I want our team to be is with a mix of these young, hungry players who want to go forward with their career,” said Valakari.
“I want also these players who have experienced this league, who knows what it means through the season and exactly what you need to do.
“Because the pressure was always negative on us. We couldn’t find freedom to flow and to play.
“Now there is a different pressure, but we need to enjoy that pressure.
“It’s a better pressure that you are expected to win the games.
“Having this right mindset and the right characters in the team will be more important than ever.”
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