Wright shrugs aside Rangers link
Last updated 16th Feb 2017
Boss Tommy Wright's focus remains solely on St Johnstone as he finds himself among the leading contenders for the Rangers job.
Former Gers manager Alex McLeish appears to be the front runner for the post which became vacant on Friday night when the Ibrox club announced they had accepted the resignation of Mark Warburton and his management team, although the Englishman has denied standing down.
Wright - along with others such as Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes, former Rangers skipper Barry Ferguson and ex-Nottingham Forest and Derby manager Billy Davies - are high up in the bookmakers' lists.
The Northern Irishman believes his success at the Perth club has led to the "pure speculation'' but is concentrating on keeping the McDiarmid Park club in the top half of the Ladbrokes Premiership again.
"It is always sad to see a manager go,'' said Wright.
"Mark had done a good job and obviously something has happened there.
"But it is all speculation. Pure speculation.
"From my point of view, for people to link me to a club that size and a club with that much history and success, and to be linked in amongst people like McLeish and other good managers, shows that I am doing a good job and the press are recognising that and linking me.
"In my four years as manager, we have consistently got top six so it is nice that people recognise that by linking you with the job but it is pure speculation, that's all it is and there is nothing I can do about speculation
"My focus is really on doing the job that I am employed to do at St Johnstone.
"My job is to keep the level of success up in recent years.
"It gets more and more difficult every year because I do believe the league is stronger. Look how tight it is among the teams below us.
"That is my focus, to maximise what I have got at St Johnstone. That's what I try to do every day, every week, every month and every year.''