“Americans are dreamers, we are known for doing exceptional things. “
The words of St Johnstone’s new owner, Adam Webb, when he lays out his vision for the Scottish Premiership club, insisting that he will be there for the long haul.
The U. S. Attorney finalized its acquisition this week, ending the Brown family’s majority ownership of the club after about 4 decades.
Webb, who owns a 10 per cent stake in Cambridge United, insisted he was realistic about what it took to own a football club, although he promised the Perth team after finishing 10th last season.
“We’re not out to lose money but that’s the old norm every year at UK football clubs,” the 53-year-old said.
“Do I think that in the end we will leave the club as a much more valuable entity and operation?Absolutely.
“We are ready to invest annually and I really hope that we can continue with the sustainable strategy that Geoff [Brown] has followed at the club so that we don’t have to dip into ownership funds, because this can sometimes end very badly. An owner is Fed up, he gives up and the club goes into administration.
“This will not happen. We are in a position to invest money. “
Although Webb insists he probably wouldn’t spend too much, he set out his vision for the club and the innovations he has planned on and off the pitch.
“This network deserves the club, the business network deserves the club and we deserve to put such an intelligent product on the field so that there are other people in the stands,” he added.
“We need to increase our budget for players, our facilities, our women’s team, our educational teams. That’s the goal, a slow improvement in revenue.
“On the other hand, just to reiterate, we are not going to invest a lot of money if we can because it is not the right way to go and it has been proven to work.
“Our aim is to finish in the top six, be constantly competitive, clearly move on to Europe every few years, have wonderful cup runs and excitement and be at a competitive club in the Premiership.
“That’s the central goal, but also everything else. There are some fantastic concepts and you’ll see wonderful things, but we don’t make big promises because we don’t need to disappoint people. “
“It will take time and we will have to move forward and we will achieve it. I am sure that in five years, if we look back, we will say that we have achieved a lot. “
The rebuild for next season is already underway at St Johnstone with six new signings this summer.
The player budget is now set and Webb believes it is a figure that manager Craig Levein is happy with.
“We all know coaches would like to spend more, that’s the nature of the job, it’s smart to have some other tool in the toolbox,” he said.
“It is a give and take rule in each and every club, but we have established a budget and we intend to meet it.
“There’s obviously flexibility if a wonderful opportunity presents itself, so it’s an ongoing discussion. “
“The budget is increasing, this is the general trajectory we need to follow: increase it to a sustainable but modest year.
“If we can do that, if we can raise the budget essentially to the level of inflation or more every year, I think we’re doing our job. “
McDiarmid Park is 22 acres and includes enough parking, an all-weather field, and a piece of land.
The land is worth more than what Webb paid for his 75 percent stake, but he insists that’s not a reason to move.
“I wouldn’t say we’re committed to staying here, we’re committed to doing what’s most productive for the club,” said Webb, who has already bought a space in Perth.
“I think it’s an amazing facility and it’s a rare opportunity to have so much ground together. It would possibly be the only club in the United Kingdom to have this.
“If the city said we’d like this to evolve for the city, then we’d approve of that development.
“From my non-public point of view, what a distracting and tedious task it would be [to move the stadium]. The only explanation as to why St Johnstone is moving to a new stadium is if the overall package, the set provides advantages for the club, only one I can’t deny.
“To me, this probably won’t happen for a while, so what we want to do is focus on making this facility as smart as possible. That’s my intention. “
The deal St Johnstone is the fourth top-flight club owned by the United States.
Hibernian is owned by the Gordon family, with the vanquished Ron Gordon getting a majority stake in 2019. Another American, Bill Foley, owns 25% of the club after his investment was approved in March.
Dundee is owned by American businessman Tim Keyes, while rival Dundee United is owned by Mark Ogren.
Motherwell is also in talks with US investors, but the deal is still complete.
And Webb believes that the Scottish Football Association will continue this trend.
“Americans are dreamers, we are known for trying to do exceptional things. I think it makes sense that if they have a passion, they try to act on that passion, even if some would say, ‘What are you doing?’crazy” and I’ve heard a lot of comments like that,” he added.
“I think it makes sense and will probably continue because there’s a groundswell of interest in the United States for the British leagues and there’s a lot of resources in the United States that could be brought here.
“There are resources in the league because the league has to compete more than ever around the world. “We want Scottish teams to do very well overseas and that will be boosted and improved by having more resources in the league.
“It’s a slow process, but I hope that other investors, just from the United States but from anywhere in the world, will be welcome in the league, and the SFA has been very kind and very exciting to work with.
“They have made it clear that they would like to invest more in Scottish football, so I think they are making the right decision and that is a smart thing for football. “
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