ON THE ROAD gets on board the Valakari Express at St Johnstone, where manager with the common touch even has his players travelling to and from games on public transport

St Johnstone 1 Hamilton Academical 0
  

The bus trundles out from the town centre, depositing the good citizens of Perth at various points. It pulls up at McDiarmid Park and a Swede and a Latvian alight.

They are, respectively, Jonathan Svedberg and Daniels Balonis. They have arrived to play their first match for St Johnstone. This mingling with the public is no accident.

Their Finnish coach, Simo Valakari, drops into pubs, referees charity matches, and welcomes chats in supermarkets.

In a corner of the stadium after his official press conference, Valakari takes time to explain the reasoning behind these unusual modes of transportation for his players and his extra-curricular activities.

‘Four or five players would come by bus,’ he says, indicating that he believes it is no big deal for professional players to sit beside the pilgrims to Tesco.

‘We are a family club, we know what we are. It is our job to bring the joy back to the community.’

Simo Valakari has proven popular with St Johnstone fans since arriving at the club last October

The St Johnstone players celebrate Adama Sidibeh’s winner against Hamilton in Scottish Cup

Valakari has made significant progress in that aim. Saturday’s defeat of Hamilton Academical was the fourth consecutive victory – two in the Premiership, two in the Scottish Cup. Saints have moved from a hopeless position in the league to one where fans have started to whistle the theme tune to the Great Escape. They are now in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Their mood has obviously been improved by victories, but first impressions of the pair who travelled in by bus were also positive. Balodis, a Latvian international, was highly competent, a defender who will prove important in battles to come. Svedberg, at 25 a veteran of the top tier in Swedish football, was simply excellent. He lasted just more than a hour but his assured passing and ability to pick the best option were obvious.

They both could walk to the bus stop for their trip back to their digs with a sense of satisfaction. This was shared by Valakari in his press conference but, in the corridor outside the media room, he emphasises the significance of forming a bond with the fans.

‘It is most important because we are here for the people,’ he says, as the shouts of delighted fans come from a bar in the stadium.

‘What is more important for the club than the community? If we are not all together, then we are not as strong as we can be. We are not different from the community, we are part of it.’

Valakari joined last October and has had to work with an inherited squad. Incomers from Latvia, Sweden and England have given the team his signature. He points out, though, that the fans have always been supportive. He accepts the ‘frustration’ but is determined to bring joy.

He has succeeded, at least in the present.

The past has produced that joy for at least one St Johnstone supporter. Alastair Blair, club historian, has written several books on the club with fellow fan Brian Doyle. Blair has also lived the history. Highlights include a phone call in his car from Sir Alex Ferguson, taking his 84-year-old father to watch the Scottish Cup final victory in 2014, and commentating in the Covid season of 2021 when Saints won the two domestic cups.

Supporters clearly feel that Valakari has been a unifying force at the Perth  club

Fans gather outside McDiarmid Park before their game with Hamilton Academical

He has a memento of his first match. ‘It was in the sixties, against Dunfermline. I remember buying a programme for three pence. Fred Aitken hit the ball on to the terrace behind the goal and that programme was covered in mud. I still may have it somewhere.’

Blair admits to reading all the club minutes from 1910. It has given him a knowledge that is both profound and quirky.

He insists, for example, that the 1884 start date for the club is wrong. ‘That is based on one sentence in one book that says a ball was kicked around then,’ he says. ‘But the club started in February 1885. There is just no debate.’

Blair has suggested to new owner Adam Webb that a rebrand would raise money. ‘The stuff with the 1884 branding would be sold to fans who would love a memento of the past and the new stuff would then be sold, too,’ he says.

He is a fan of the Wilie Ormond years as manager, from 1967 to 1973. ‘It might be the best football team we have had, though Tommy Muirhead’s side in the thirties was very impressive.’

Obviously, the cup-winning teams of Tommy Wright and Callum Davidson are at the centre of his affections. ‘I took my 84-year-old father to the final at Celtic Park,’ he says. ‘I took him up the stairs and he was not too happy when he found out there was a lift.‘

His father, John, a surgeon, lived to witness the double triumph in 2021, though the Covid regulations restricted his view to television. He passed away in 2023.

‘We could not even dream that sort of thing could happen,’ says Blair of the Scottish Cup and League Cup triumphs. ‘Commentating on games in the quiet of the Covid years was surreal enough.’

History also spoke to him one day in his car. ‘I was writing a book on the history of the club and a “no id” number called. It was Sir Alex Ferguson who, of course, played for the club in the early sixties. His memory of that time was remarkable and he also gave me the quote for the front of the book.’

The St Johnstone players thanks fans for their support after the 1-0 win over Accies

St Johnstone fans are hoping brighter skies lie ahead at McDiarmid Park under Valakari

The great man said: ‘History is the most important thing. Without history the club is nothing.’

The future, though, holds a significance. ‘I believe Geoff Brown (former owner) has got it exactly right in passing on the club. He has picked someone who is different. Adam Webb is a guy who wants to break in new stuff. The manager seems to be getting in his players and you can see a team taking shape. We are still favourites to go down but we have hope. Time will tell.’

Times past are still vivid for Stuart Cosgrove. The journalist, broadcaster and TV executive has been a Saints fan all of his life. ‘St Johnstone have a magnetic pull for me,’ he says. ‘They always remind me of growing up in Letham. I could see the old Muirton from my bedroom window. They have been an ever present in my life and in lots of ways I feel emotionally tied to them.’

The most wondrous occasions were the winning of the three cups. ‘This was extraordinary, unprecedented in provincial Scottish football,’ he says. ‘We were no longer seen as a dud team but one that could perform. The Willie Ormond era was a wonderful period, too.’

His choice for best Saints player is Sergei Baltacha, who played for the club in the early 1990s. ‘I guess I measure this choice by romance,’ he says. ‘I loved Sergei. He had won the league for Dynamo Kiev in the immediate aftermath of Chernobyl and then he comes to St Johnstone. He had bags of class. You got the feeling that he had experienced every predicament on the park and had found a way out.’

One of Blair’s books lists Baltacha at No2 in the greatest list. John Connolly, who went to Everton in 1972, is No1. Cosgrove hails both Connolly and Henry Hall as heroes of his youth.

While remembering the past with warmth, he is also hopeful for the future.

‘You start off with the same idea every season: survival. To get through the season and still be in the top division is the aim. Obviously, that would be true this season. With Valakari, I get the feeling he understands leagues we can afford to shop in.

‘One of the things that is very clear is that there is a real buzz about the town, real hope of survival. Valakari has done all the right things, he goes to various shops and boozers, engaging with people. Adam Webb is doing that, too. He seems a real force. There is a feeling he is committed to the project. I am very hopeful.’

The Valakari bus is on the move. The route is uphill but it will be fascinating to see how far it can go.