[Livingston - all the threads merged]

There is a common factor with St Johnstone and St Mirren called Tesco. Both clubs were fortunate to be the beneficiaries of the accident of geography that saw their traditional grounds in a location attractive to a supermarket. In the case of St Johnstone, they also benefited from the ground upon which McDermid Park stands being donated to them.

Tesco must have been right p*ssed off when Asda went and built their supermarket on the Dunkeld Road then.

Its the footballing equivalent of winning the lottery but in that context though, I agree that both clubs have been well managed and have used their respective windfalls wisely.

Falkirk and Hamilton have had similar windfalls and so to did Stirling but in the latter case, the size of their core support was not enough to make it count long term.

With respect, I disagree with your theory. The crowds at McDiarmid are not exactly packing the stands out either and we're still here 20 years after the move with a decent looking balance sheet.

I would argue that it was not a windfall whatsoever (which denotes having money to burn), but rather an opportunity to become solvent and debt free. Since it happened the club (St Johnstone) has generated other income streams that prove profitable other than gate reciepts. Crucially, THIS is where others have fallen IMO.

Edit - Typo