ST JOHNSTONE manager Derek McInnes claims "grand slam" hopefuls Rangers could be even stronger next season as he prepares to send his team into battle with his former club.
Walter Smith's side are looking to finish the campaign with four trophies with Saints blocking their route to the Scottish Cup final.
Ahead of Sunday's semi-final at Hampden Park, McInnes pointed to Smith's return to the helm in January 2007 as th
e key factor in the resurgence of the Ibrox side this season.
McInnes believes the strong team which Smith has built in the last 15 months could become even more impressive if Rangers buy well in the summer.
"Walter has done a fantastic job," the Saints manager told Rangers News. "He identified what the side was lacking and added a bit of strength and presence to it.
"He is probably a year ahead of schedule in terms of how successful he has been and has already managed to start bringing trophies back to the club.
"That helps the club tick along and buys him a bit of time with the fans, who in turn will become a bit more patient.
"He would probably admit his team still isn't quite the way he wants it and I'm sure he'll try to improve it further over the summer."
Rangers have come in for criticism over their style of play this season, with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi describing their defensive system as "anti-football" after a goalless draw at Ibrox in the Champions League.
Celtic striker Georgios Samaras made a similar claim this week, saying Rangers "don't try to play football".
But McInnes is wary of the threat they pose to his team's hopes of making it an all-First Division final of the Scottish Cup, as Saints and Rangers prepare to compete for the right to face Queen of the South in the 24 May showpiece at Hampden.
St Johnstone fell away from the First Division title race and all their hopes for a successful end to their campaign are pinned on the cup.
Celtic eliminated them at the semi-final stage last season, but McInnes, who took over as Saints manager when Owen Coyle joined Burnley in November, is hoping to get the better of the team he played for between 1995 and 2000.
He said: "We know that if we get through to the final, it could still turn out to be a very good season for us and that is how we have to approach it."
Meanwhile, managers from Scotland's senior clubs and holders of Uefa Pro-Licenses have been invited to a professional coaches seminar at Hampden on Sunday.
The event is organised by the Scottish Football Association and will take place prior to the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Led by the SFA director of football development, Jim Fleeting, the seminar will include presentations by Scotland manager George Burley and national youth teams coach Billy Stark.
Fleeting said: "Scottish coaches have an enviable reputation as being among the best in the world. Over the years, so many Scots have led some of the world's biggest clubs – and achieved extraordinary success in doing so.
"This seminar is all about making sure that our coaches of the present and of the future have the chance to share in that success.
"This is a great time for Scottish football and we must make sure that we build on this. So, if we want our players to thrive, our clubs to succeed and our national teams to prosper, we must make sure that we look after our coaches and managers."
The full article contains 610 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
