Valakari's Solid Start: St Johnstone's Premiership Ambitions
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari is telling his players to be 'solid and streetwise' if they want to make an impact in the Scottish Premiership. The Finnish boss took charge of the Perth side in October 2025 but was unable to stop them being relegated to the Scottish Championship.
What happened?
St Johnstone lost just three league games during their title push, but the manager accepts they will need to adapt to enjoy success this season. 'We know what we are, but we cannot be this naive, beautiful, nice team coming out of the Championship playing nice football,' he told Sky Sports News.
Why it matters for St Johnstone
Valakari has been able to keep the core of his Championship-winning side for their Premiership return while adding eight new signings. Josh McPake has moved to Hearts after agreeing a pre-contract in January.
What comes next?
The team returns to the top-flight on Sunday against Kilmarnock, live on Sky Sports, after winning promotion at the first attempt. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 1st in Championship, 77 pts, 22W-11D-3L from 36 games, recent form WWWWW. Goals this season: 67 scored, 25 conceded (+42 goal difference). Lead at the top: 11 points clear of Partick. Next fixture: vs Dundee Utd (at home, 2026-10-17).
