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Considering they retained a core of their Premiership-quality squads after relegation, St Johnstone and Ross County entered the season as strong favourites for the title and an immediate return to the top flight.
However, County's experience this season has proven it was going to be no foregone conclusion.
Whereas Saints have marched relentlessly towards the title, their Dingwall rivals have been languishing at the other end and remain a point behind Airdrieonians at the foot of the table with only two games remaining.
Despite having ditched two managers - Don Cowie and Tony Docherty - and bringing back the previously successful Stuart Kettlewell, County are in danger of following Hamilton Academical's example of the previous season by suffering successive relegations.
St Johnstone, in contrast, look to have been rewarded for their loyalty to Valakari.
The former Motherwell, Derby County and Finland midfielder had himself been brought in as a potential saviour from relegation after Craig Levein was sacked with his side sitting 10th of the 12 clubs just five games into last season.
However, despite having vowed to "create something special", Valakari's St Johnstone were to finish bottom, five points behind County and a further four adrift of Dundee.
While pleasing to the eye, their manager's desire to "engage the fans" by insisting on "exciting football" played out from the back looked to have been counterproductive in terms of results.
Despite that, American owner Adam Webb stood by the Finn, just as he had done in January 2025 when announcing his own recovery from the cancer diagnosis made just two weeks after he completed his purchase the previous July.
Webb was looking to the long term, vowing not to "break the bank" to avoid relegation as he looked to keep the club "sustainable".
By November, now in the Championship, he was able to suggest they had been able to "weather the storm" of relegation without the need for a cash injection.
Saints fans seemed happy to put their faith in Valakari and, by January, Webb was proclaiming the meditation-loving Finn the "UK's most beloved coach" as the club honoured him with his own beer.
