The Real Saints

We've finally got a football manager at the helm, so it's no surprise to see the team playing at a level we always knew they were capable of.

You’re correct! I do recall seeing him in that position earlier this year, but didn’t consider that he’d get thrown in there for his first start. Would be fantastic if he could make an impression as a RWB at the moment.

I assume it’s a back four, otherwise it would probably mean that Phillips is at RWB again and I don’t want to consider that possibility.

Is this similar to how we played on Wednesday evening? What has happened to the champagne football? I’m a bit concerned about the squad’s fitness levels during this busy period. I think MacLean went far too easy on them.

Personally, with Considine out, I would have much preferred Gallacher as LWB with Robinson on the left of the central three. This would have at least eliminated the possibility of Brown AND Costelloe in the same defence… Terrifying.

Celtic aren’t at their best, St Johnstone improving defensively but hopeless in front of goal… Everything points towards a low-scoring match. Likely scenario is probably a 1-0 or 2-0 Celtic win, but a 0-0 is certainly feasible as well. Or we might get pumped or we might beat Celtic. Those are my betting tips for the day. Use them as you wish.

The home match against Hearts, at the start of the season, was the last game I attended. Was great to see the obvious improvements since then, although it was a frustrating afternoon nonetheless. We seemed a bit overwhelmed at the start, but Craig Levein’s champagne football gradually started to flow. I was impressed with Robinson, Smith and Phillips in particular. The front two were powderpuff. Having read Costelloe’s recent quotes, I’m unsure why he considers St Johnstone to be a ‘stepping stone’. A stepping stone to what exactly? He will never play at a higher level than this. A lot of nice play and chances created, but no end product and ultimately a sloppy goal to lose. A lot of this season’s matches seem to have followed that pattern, but I saw a lot to be positive about today.

Oh, my ticket has just arrived. Bit embarrassed. No need to worry. Let’s forget all about it.

Assuming you’re a season-ticket holder? I purchased mine at 4ish on Friday, but it’s never too premature for me to irrationally panic.

Any people who requested delivery for their Hearts tickets, pls let me know when you’ve received them.

When you see awful goalkeeping displays like this one, it makes you even more frustrated as a St Johnstone fan. Why was the indomitable Zander Clark never selected whilst at Saints? Now we’ve got the dreadful Zander Clark starting international matches whilst at Heart of Midlothian.

Sold oot.

Thankfully I've managed to secure a brief. They are selling like hotcakes.

I’m a loser who is just looking for a single ticket, so this might be of great benefit to me.

As we gradually approach the 4pm rat race, how are the ticket sales looking? What are the bookie's odds for me to secure a brief?

Yeah, Craig Fowler is the main culprit. I’m a very petty guy though, so all of his cohorts are guilty by association and I’m boycotting them.

I was planning to come up for the Hearts match, but I’m assuming my chances of securing a brief are slim and I should travel up the following week to see us getting pumped by Celtic?

I’d been a fairly regular viewer of A View from the Terrace up until recently. They’ve obviously done very well and therefore this won’t bother them at all, but I listened to a couple of their podcasts earlier in the season and it has completely changed my viewpoint. I’d always assumed they were anoraks with an all-round knowledge of Scottish football, but their takes on St Johnstone have been so off the mark that I pay absolutely no attention to their content now. It’s a shame really.

Refreshing to see an improved second-half performance today after we huffed and puffed a bit in the first half. Glorious feeling to be off the bottom of the league.

Brown to RWB and Sprangler dropped to the bench. Tough one. That’s the issue with this shape in relation to our squad, with Smith/Sprangler/Phillips essentially fighting it out for two places alongside the more creative Carey.

I’m baffled by Ange Postecoglou at the moment. He seems to be playing the role of a good-natured father figure. He’s responding to inane questions with absolutely no grumpiness/rudeness. He’s showing no sign of bitterness when on the end of a 4-1 defeat. This man is an actor and a liar.

Really poor second half until the last ten minutes or so. Some positives to take from the rest of the match, but it feels more like a loss at this point. Generally we looked a bit disjointed and a bit like we were trying to fit some players into a shape which didn’t suit them. Sounds slightly familiar. But hopefully Levein has learned a fair amount this evening.

We’re off the bottom of the league. It was only ever going to be a matter of time.

A good, realistic interview. The desire and belief is clearly there and he isn't overcompensating or giving us any false promises. This man will let his team do the talking on the pitch, and that's a refreshing change.

Kinda bemused by the level of negativity from many Saints fans. I understand feeling a bit wary about the appointment, but there seems to be real animosity towards Levein. He’s never struck me as the kind of manager/person who would incite feelings of such rage. It’s like everyone has some sort of personal agenda against him. Bizarre. For what it’s worth, I think it’s a decent enough appointment.