Kmcalpin

It was a very poor performance yesterday Andy but the result was definitely acceptable against a team who are difficult to play against. The BBC stats of 11-0 corners and possession 64-36 are a reasonable reflection of the game. There were many reasons for our poor display in my view and I'll summarise them. There are underlying deficiencies in our squad eg the lack of left sided midfielder following Marvin Johnson's late departure and our poor central midfield (I'll come on to McHugh later). We must have the weakest central midfield in the league. Injuries - a lengthy list including MacLean, McHugh, Kennedy, Chalmers, Hammell and Blyth. Although Saints also had a few injuries they have a slightly larger more experienced squad than us. So we did go into the game with our team selection constrained by absentees. We also had a stamina sapping trip to Aberdeen in midweek which Saints did not have. Add to that a few of our players were not fully fit. So with the exception of the underlying squad deficiences Mark McGhee's hands were tied to some extent. Where I take issue with is playing players out of position or trying to fit the players into a system that doesn't suit them. MacDonald for example cannot play deep - he needs to play alongside Moult. If he cannot be play there then bench him. Out of 11 starters yesterday I reckon 8 were deep lying or defensive types, the exceptions being Moult, MacDonald and Cadden. Now that immediately limits any attacking desires we might have. Substitutions? As others have said we didn't adapt well to our own changes. We were also unfortunate with the injury to MacMillan although that was late on. We were also limited for choice on the bench with the untried Turnbull and Maguire and goalie sub. I think 3 of the back 4/5 places picked themselves with the exception of left back where it should have been MacMillan V Ferguson. Midfield I would have started Ainsworth or Thomas wide on the left (not my ideal choice it has to be said.) That would have given us more of an outball. As to the game itself, Saints are not overly blessed with talent but they are very fit, organised, physical and competitive. So it was always going to be a struggle for us. In order for us to create we had to win the ball and thats where we just didn't compete. Central midfield is a critical area of the team and we just didn't show up there. On a few occasions Cadden manged a run but became a tad frustrated with the lack of support from behind and beside him. I think McHugh will make a difference when he returns but thats speculation on my part. We lost too many 50/50 challenges and did not work nearly hard enough to close Saints down - look at all the unhindered crosses they managed to throw into our box. Anyhow it was a point gained and we did not lose ground on the pack. We have 3 more games before the break and if we can hobble to the end of the month with adequate results I'll be happy. We can then concentrate on getting players fit and perhaps bringing a couple of midfielders in.

It wouldn't. The 8 elite clubs would continue to sign and hoard the best players to the disbenefit of the other lesser academies. Lads who might have progressed quicker or further with lesser academies will warm benches or worse with the 8 elite outfits.

I've no idea how much cash is involved but its substantial. The proposals, if implemented would not improve the set ups at Rangers or Celtic. As for young players being routinely denied game time it was stated at the club AGM that if the proposals are implemented then fewer youngsters would receive game time, presumably as clubs outside of the elite 8 cut back their youth schemes.

A valuable point today although its questionable if we deserved it, although as Tom Wright alluded to we could easily have won a penalty in the second half. We played poorly in the first half and even worse in the second. Fortunately for all their dominance and possession, Saints were pretty toothless up front. A measure of their dominance from start to finish was the corner count 11-0. I can't recall a game for quite some time in which we were under the cosh pretty much from start to finish. Credit to Saints though - they ran, harried, chased and tackled for 90 minutes. I think Mark McGhee got the line up wrong. It seemed to be a 4-5-1 with Moult on his own up front and MacDonald playing deep and out wide. At times it was more like a 4-6-0. As has happened in the past with MacDonald playing deeper he didn't link up well with Moult. Saints targeted our left flank from start to finish and in the second half slung over free cross after free cross to such an extent it became boring. Our midfield simply didn't compete and was overrun. Cadden produced a few runs which sadly were not supported by his midfield colleagues. I thought Lasley and Clay were pretty anonymous. Even from the early stages we defended far too deeply and retreated into our box and not surprisingly we lost a scrappy goal through it. Even when Lucas appeared he was pretty anonymous too but you can't expect one man to change a game like that. As others have said we didn't adapt too well to our own changes and thats when we lost the goal. Our own goal was bit odd and resulted from a goalkeeping error but credit to Tait he put in a great low cross that Davie Cooper would have been proud of. Maybe a few of our lads simply weren't fit given that they required late fitness tests? The last 49 minutes were nail biting and its the kind of game we've lost before but not today. It wasn't all bad though - I though our central defenders did pretty well with little or no support from those around them. They were bombarded from all angles with crosses and players running at them but they stood firm. Yes, they made the odd error but I reckon they won us a point. Great to see the likes of Ferguson and MacMillan get more game time and Davie Turnbull getting a seat on the bench. Over the weekend we made modest gains in the league after a game in which few gave us much chance. Onwards and upwards.

Don't forget that Accies lost last night too.

A close run thing between Heneghan and McManus for me. Neither had a brilliant game but they played like British survivors from Rorkes Drift and refused to buckle when faced with overwhelming odds. Heneghan just shades it for me.

I can see the logic in a geographical spread so we can then assume there will be one academy for the Glasgow clubs and one for the Edinburgh clubs? IF this proposal goes forward I can see it ending up in the law courts as quite a few clubs are extremely unhappy. Another question - how can a club in the second tier of academies progress to the top 8? Presumably vested interests would then change the criteria goalposts?

If we go out tomorrow and work damned hard off the ball for 90 + minutes (not 45), compete and don't make mistakes we'll take a point at the very least. A tall order?.....time will tell.

A very tough game is in prospect tomorrow and those who go shouldn't expect a classic. As Louis Moult acknowledged St Johnstone are a very physical team and we'll need to conjure up something a bit different if we are to return with any points. They remind me very much of John Lambie's Partick Thistle side of a good few years ago. They'll be well organised, extremely hardworking and very streetwise. They'll bite, scratch and claw their way to a result and Tom Wright won't be overly fussed how they do it so long as they aren't caught. At the very worst, it'll be a great learning experience for the likes of MacMillan, Ferguson and perhaps Hastie. Willie Collum's appointment isn't the best of news for us but we'll just need to get on with it. Our long injury and perhaps illness list will determine who plays and who doesn't ansd also our tactics but it would be very satisfying to return home with 3 points or at least a draw. We are long overdue a decent result in Perth so why shouldn't we start tomorrow?

Thanks, much appreciated - its ok though I'll download the form myself. It was just that the Society site stated that voting had already opened and I thought it strange that I and perhaps others hadn't received any prior warning.

Has anyone been emailed yet regarding the voting? It seems to have started but the only mention I can find of it is on the website.

I agree 100% but it depends on what kind of player Lucas is. Is a defensive sort or an offensive type or indeed an all rounder. I haven't seen enough of him to judge but MM will know. That will determine who he replaces. As to our tactics on the day a lot will depend on who is fit.

He should be but its the SFA were talking about here and they don't often do consistency.

Hope to goodness that its not a 4 5 1 formation with MacDonald playing deep and Moult or Bowman playing wide left midfield.

Whats the team?

John Hunter for service to football in North Lanarkshire. .

Wow you're certainly the master of understatement. Hammell, Chalmers, MacMillan, Kennedy, McHugh, Blyth and Cadden all out. I thought a share of the spoils was about right. Both sides mustered one effort on target each in a turgid draw. Certainly we had 3 good chances but spurned every one. Its a game we might have won but equally we've lost this type of game in the past. Not many passmarks for me with MacLean, Heneghan and McManus being the pick of the bunch. Again I thought MacDonald was wasted deeper in midfield (will we never learn) and Moult received poor support for long spells. On the plus side more youngsters got game time and we kept a clean sheet. MacLean is certainly settling into the first team. I thought our Caddenless midfield was woeful, MacLean apart, and not even Lucas, who appeared just after the break, did anything of note. He has a valid excuse of course. I thought Thomas had a funny game - mediocre going forward, poor at corners, but impressive when defending off the ball. He annoyed his opponents by harrying, chasing and closing them down. Ainsworth was a huge and frustrating letdown and for me his time has come and gone. Again I hope we can crawl into January in touch with the pack so that we can completely revamp the central midfield.

A toss up between Heneghan and McManus for me but I'll plump for the latter.

Who is on the bench?

Craig Hughes.

Absolutely. Trying to replace players in the January window is notoriously difficult and I'd hold off until the summer to sell unless the bid was phenomenal.

I take your general point but its the manager/head coach who decides how the playing budget is spent.

Yes, it was mentioned and you're right. The club does not have to let him go unless a very large offer comes in. Given the importance of us staying in the top flight for the next 2 seasons and the increased revenue that will bring, the Directors would need to balance the benefits of a transfer fee against the potential loss of income his departure could cause if we were to finish in 11th or 12th place.

Well you'd expect that the clubs potentially involved in the top 8 category (and there could be more than 8 if you count joint academies) will vote for it. Then there are the smaller clubs who wouldn't be involved anyway - the big boys might offer them some kind of sweetener. So, in short, its very hard to tell how the numbers would stack up. I'm sure I read somewhere that there 6 clubs, including ours, who were dead set against the proposal. Time will tell.

I took from last night's discussions that the idea has been diluted somewhat or some cold water poured on it. The 8 initial elite academies would do all they can to retain their status and try to ensure that those in the next tier couldn't progress. Reading between the lines Rangers, Celtic and Hamilton would be 3 of those top tier academies. Add in say Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen and that doesn't leave much scope for others. I believe that Dundee United, Kilmarnock (who seem to be expanding into Lanarkshire) and a few other clubs are not at all happy. If this change goes through the effect on our club could be very serious indeed.