2018’19 Game 17:St Johnstone (A) Saturday 15th December 2018

[mfc88]

What a result. Did not see that coming. A few very good performances in awful conditions there. And, in spite of the weather, it was not a bad game.  We probably rode our luck at bit at the end of the first half but, equally, so did they at times in the second. Deserved 3 points. Hopefully we kick on from here.

[ropy]

4 hours ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

Howling cold wind and torrential sleat.

At least I don't have shorts on.

Aye, what is that all about 

[ropy]

Got a free ticket handed to me by a spiv in the shadows at the entrance, was this a luxury afforded to many?

[Kmac]

Good result, no doubt!

 It's glaringly obvious that we are still missing quality middle to front to convert chances and put games to bed. I understand that Robinson will be looking to off-load bodies and bring some in, in January however it really is going to be crucial. Results panning out with the ugly sisters winning tomorrow, we're in a limbo state in the league. 5 points ahead of the team in-front and the same as accies behind us. We're obviously capable of stepping up when called upon (as today shows) but in order to close the gap on the group above, we really need a quality 4 players or so come January who bring a composure and quality level that we don't have at the moment. 

Cadden coming back into the fold in Jan will be a big boost to get some energy middle to front back however Campbell badly needs a rest. 

Interesting times ahead however a 9 point cushion on the bottom two is a bonus!

[The African]

Great result for us and much credit to those of you who made the effort to go and support the team on what seemed an awful day.

I would throw in a word of caution though. I think that both St Mirren and Dundee have shown signs of improvement and, as such, we will have to do the same. It is probably premature to be talking about " safety" at this stage. Let's see where we are after we next play the teams below us. I would also suggest that the January window is not the time for anything more than tinkering with our squad. Major surgery, whilst the thought may appeal, is both a gamble and something a club on our budget can scarcely afford.

[Kmcalpin]

3 hours ago, Dezz said:

Christ. This is going to be a long 5 minutes...

Where did the 4 added on minutes come from? Mr Wright's watch?

[Ya Bezzer!]

7 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

Where did the 4 added on minutes come from? Mr Wright's watch?

Assuming St. Johnstone used all three subs that's at least 3 minutes right there. And while there weren't any major injuries there were a few instances of players going down plus, lets be honest about it, some time wasting by us.

4 minutes doesn't seem unreasonable.

[Kmcalpin]

Just now, Ya Bezzer! said:

Assuming St. Johnstone used all three subs that's at least 3 minutes right there. And while there weren't any major injuries there were a few instances of players going down plus, lets be honest about it, some time wasting by us.

4 minutes doesn't seem unreasonable.

Time wasting is very rarely taken into account. All I look for is consistency. Still, more important issues to focus on today.

[Kmcalpin]

First things first an unexpected but thoroughly deserved win in baltic conditions for both players and fans.  In our current situation the 3 points are what matters as they help to propel us a little bit away from the relegation dogfight.  

It was a strange game in many ways and a mixture of the good and poor.  Overall our performance was improved compared to early season form but weaknesses were still evident.  We tried to play a bit more football and that was encouraging in itself.  We got off to a dream start scoring 2 fairly easy goals in the first 17 minutes.  Gillespie's penalty save was also crucial and despite what many are saying he saved and Saints didn't miss it.  Lucky?  Certainly but also good goalkeeping. It was a clear penalty.  Not surprisingly these events influenced the whole course of the game and gave us a vital cushion.  I thought we defended reasonably well for most of the remaining first 45.  Most unlike us, we sat fairly high and the midfield chased and harried well off the ball.  Very very encouraging!  However a bit before half time we lapsed into long standing bad habits and sat off Saints and showed them a glass jaw.  I felt a bit sorry for Grimshaw (for the entire 94 minutes) as he had no protection in front of him and at times had to fend off 2 or 3 attackers.  

In the second half we resorted mainly to a narrow deep 5-3-2 formation as we decided to see the game out and Saints began to bulldozer our midfield.  Worryingly they began to rain in cross after cross and we conceded avoidable corners.   Fortunately Gillespie proved his worth in goals and stood up well to aerial threats.  It wasn't all Saints in the second 45 though and we did create a good few chances but our final ball and poor decision making nullifed that.  We should have had a penalty when Johnson was pulled in the box but the referee did not give it.  Fortunately, for all their endeavours Saints were pretty toothless up front, despite being given generous freedom in and around our box.  It was only a matter of time before they scored though albeit it was very late on and the last few minutes were a bit uncomfortable for us freezing souls.   

Alan Muir was the model of inconsistentcy and brought out his card a good number of times although it wasn't a dirty game.  Despite that, I don't know why the Saints defender wasn't carded for hauling  down Main or Johnson (not sure which) on the halfway line when he was beaten all ends up and they had a clear route to goal.   Danny Swanson also resorted to type and was fortunate not be carded for blatant simulation.

In conclusion, a decent performance albeit still with weaknesses.  A platform on which to build though.  Happy days.     

[Yoshi-1991]

13 hours ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

Assuming St. Johnstone used all three subs that's at least 3 minutes right there. And while there weren't any major injuries there were a few instances of players going down plus, lets be honest about it, some time wasting by us.

4 minutes doesn't seem unreasonable.

I'm honestly convinced they just pick a random number of mins to add on and don't bother actually working it out. 

[Kmcalpin]

13 hours ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

Assuming St. Johnstone used all three subs that's at least 3 minutes right there. And while there weren't any major injuries there were a few instances of players going down plus, lets be honest about it, some time wasting by us.

4 minutes doesn't seem unreasonable.

Taken in isolation I would just about agree. 4 subs plus a goal gives us 2 minutes 30 seconds.  Some time wasting and injuries (mostly simulation).  However frequently in the past we've seen similar games with say 1 minute added on.   I can recall one game against Accies with really blatant and excessive time wasting, way way worse than yesterday, and it appeared that no time was added for it.

The SFA should issue clear guidelines for fans and clubs.   One qualified referee told me that he normally added on 10 seconds per sub and 30 seconds for a goal. 

[yosemite sam]

17 hours ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

Depends. Didn't play amazing football or anything, we were actually defending a lot of the time, but we came to a tough away ground, took our chances and defended well enough to just about get over the line.

If St. Johnstone had scored 10 minutes earlier I suspect we might not have got 3 points. We kinda fell apart in the last 10. McHugh, who overall had a good game, lost the plot, gave the ball away to a St Johnstone forward in front of goal, got booked and gave a couple of fouls away in dangerous areas. St. Johnstone also had a penalty claim. Gives you a flavour of the closing stages!

We had a decent wee spell of pressure earlier in the second half and might have scored a third, I thought St. Johnstone were very ropey at the back today, overall it wasn't a classic but in the weather conditions that's not much of a surprise.

Overall, we probably created more chances and deserved the 3 points.

Sorry Ya Bezzer

But you said something that really annoys me. It's commentator speak " defended well enough to just about get over the line". We didn't defend well enough to just get over the line, we got over the line. It bugs me every time I here that rubbish spouted on TV, now were getting it on our forum.

[Yorkyred]

Looking at the highlights we had quite a few chances in that second half. 

[weeyin]

30 minutes ago, Yorkyred said:

Looking at the highlights we had quite a few chances in that second half. 

Good to see Dunne back in the team, although his concession of the penalty was the act of a guy that hasn't played first team football for a while. Along with Mbulu, he brings the added pace we have been lacking in recent weeks.

[Spiderpig]

Bad result today in our chase for the top 6 with Hibs beating Celtic, good to see that mob getting beat but it might just make them try a bit harder midweek.

[Welldaft Mk1]

26 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

Bad result today in our chase for the top 6 with Hibs beating Celtic, good to see that mob getting beat but it might just make them try a bit harder midweek.

That occurred to me too. Especially if as I suspect Rangers go top of the table this afternoon. 

In years gone by Celtic would be comfortably ahead and you could always hope they take the foot off the gas a little. But as much as they will probably still win the league comfortably it is quite good to see half a dozen sides within a couple of wins from the top of the league. 

It would be great to get something but hopeful we don’t get a tanking and any injuries. 

[weeyin]

Aye, they turned over Killie after we took a point off them. Think they'll be firing on all cylinders against us.

Time to play our fringe players and just park the bus?

[Clackscat]

Aye, they turned over Killie after we took a point off them. Think they'll be firing on all cylinders against us.
Time to play our fringe players and just park the bus?

Nope, time to get right in about them.

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[Hope Springs]

Celtic are not experienced in dealing with pressure and that is why they are poor in Europe so I would agree - don’t give them  an inch, press hard and get an early goal (or two!)

[ropy]

It was cold, we completely dominated the first 20 minutes before St Johnston started to come into it.  Second half we had a number of breaks but the interchange between the forward going players was poor, too often it was Campbell who was furthest forward and he struggled for any creativity.  I was watching the clock tick over from about 60 minutes but on the whole we were strong at the back and held on for a very welcome victory.

[MelvinBragg]

Robinson frustrates the life out of me and there have been many occasions where I've thought 'this is only getting worse, time's up for him' but slowly but surely, he might be turning it around. 

If in December of last year you had said to me that we'd go to Perth without Carson, Cadden, Rose, Tanner, Hartley, Kipré and Moult (all key players then) and come back with three points, I'd have laughed at you. 

Maybe strengthening 12-18 wasn't so ridiculous now. Three of his summer signings were key on Saturday with goals and a penalty save. Turnbull has been introduced and is contributing. Grimshaw suddenly showing why he was worth a  contract and Mbulu maybe looking like a useful signing.

There's obviously room for vast improvement but the points picked up on Saturday and against Aberdeen and Celtic certainly suggest that I and others were maybe getting ahead of ourselves in saying that he had to go...

[ScottW1886]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 2:32 PM, DEWELL said:

3-5-2. Tait left back and McHugh midfield again. Feck off Robinson.

Does this maybe show why Robinson is employed by a football club to make decisions, while you just criticise his every decision with no real consequences?

Also, a 3-5-2 doesn't use a left back.

[Clackscat]

Indeed but to be fair to DEWELL he did come back on post match to hold his hands up.

It is interesting that the much criticised summer transfer strategy, looks far less questionable now with Aldred, Mbulu and Gillespie and DJ playing so well on Saturday, while the timing of Turnbull's introduction looks spot on.

Hastie will be back in January a much improved player after his loan spell at Alloa, and we have seen why the clamour for Livingstone's introduction was premature at this stage.

Fishing in the pond we do, every signing has an element of risk (look at some of wee Tommy's duds in the late 80s), but it looks like the strategy was not as bad as it may have looked 6 weeks ago.

Does this maybe show why Robinson is employed by a football club to make decisions, while you just criticise his every decision with no real consequences?
Also, a 3-5-2 doesn't use a left back.

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[stuwell]

Interestingly Livingstone didn’t play today for the reserved. Anyone know if he’s injured or being rested to be on the bench for Wednesday night?

[Yorkyred]

5 hours ago, Clackscat said:

Indeed but to be fair to DEWELL he did come back on post match to hold his hands up.

It is interesting that the much criticised summer transfer strategy, looks far less questionable now with Aldred, Mbulu and Gillespie and DJ playing so well on Saturday, while the timing of Turnbull's introduction looks spot on.

Hastie will be back in January a much improved player after his loan spell at Alloa, and we have seen why the clamour for Livingstone's introduction was premature at this stage.

Fishing in the pond we do, every signing has an element of risk (look at some of wee Tommy's duds in the late 80s), but it looks like the strategy was not as bad as it may have looked 6 weeks ago.

 

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Without the strengthening of the squad as a whole we would have been in deep trouble  this season given the amount of injuries to key players. In my view new players take time to bed in at a new club and perhaps expectations were too high too early. We are certainly now beginning to see the benefit with I believe more to come from the likes of Gorin and who knows, maybe even dare I say Donnelly who is still only 22. There will always be dud signings but as the season progresses I would suggest maybe not as many as had been suggested a while ago.