steviemay17

I'd rather get relegated than have a total scumbag like Lafferty

One of the bigger problems we had this season was that there was simply not overlap threat on the left hand side at all, so if they could shut down the diagonal to Rooney/MOH then we really did look clueless. If Gallacher can at least offer a threat that needs to be dealt with then other teams have to defend the whole pitch - It opens up space through the middle, hopefully counters the 2 in midfield being dominated with absolute ease every time and it means it opens up the switch to either side too, I'm quite hopeful on this one.

Efe to Dundee would be some piece of business

He'd stick by the smashed up one that's he's just slammed through a wall, but would be utterly insistent that it's the police's fault and nothing at all to do with his driving

Tell me the McCann and Kerr money wasn't actually invested in the "football department" without telling me it wasn't

When it came to saving the season, I was hoping for a little more than trying to sign Championship level strikers with some very average scoring records, especially as we're a team that doesn't create chances easily.

I did speak to a player earlier in the year who played against Rudden and apparently they were scared of his pace..... but Partick spent the whole game pumping long balls at him and it meant he was easy to manage through the game as a result So I'm guessing we've got a great chance of wasting him with that tactic if he does come

Let's get them all back, Hasselbaink, Tade, Drey Wright, Matty Kennedy, and watch as CD flips the script completely and tries to come out with some kind of 3-1-3-3 formation and we play everyone off the park

In some ways I do understand it, I guess he has to maintain some kind of peace to keep getting access and it won't be a good look if a local paper is just doom central. But he does seem to be far too fixed on the past rather than the very immediate future. I saw his report card thing saying it's not all bad because we drew with LASK and Galatasaray - both great performances and occasions for the fans, but what does that really mean if we go down, while also just sucking all of the enthusiasm from the club, probably spending the McCann and Kerr money on covering losses caused by relegation rather than building and not having a squad that's going to do well in the Championship either? We've been utterly awful to watch, In some ways my head goes to a place where I just want to enjoy watching Saints again, so I'm almost willing to accept relegation and a reset rather than having this "style" every year

Interesting to see Nicholson getting called on out Twitter and responding with claims that he thinks he's being critical in his recent articles

I get this a weird thing to judge CD on, but a big part of me is looking at what happens with Ali Crawford to see just how much he's willing to back up his words with actions when it comes to players "having to take a look at themselves" etc. In a way I can understand that he sees him as a player he likes because he'll carry out instructions and do what he's asked in a tactical sense, but he's been given every chance to prove himself in recent weeks but it's generous to suggest he's even made a minimal impact. If that supposed loan extension/permanent deal disappears then it shows CD is willing to change his mind, make decisions that will benefit the team and stop rewarding bad performances with contracts that hurt us going forward. If he is signed then it shows the entire squad that performance level doesn't matter, if you're a favourite with the manager then you'll play and it's not a good sign.

Ah see Crawford is filed under "shite but I know he'll carry out my defensive instructions without question" and that's probably worth a two-year deal in CD's book

I'm sure I saw a second, separate set of comments from CD earlier where again he is keen to stress that this is not a tactical problem, but not sure if he's specifically being asked about his tactics or if he's fully aware but is stubbornly trying to prove himself right.

I would like to know what's being said behind the scenes. The fact that he's brought up the tactics first and says it's fine does make me wonder if Cleland/Macca and even the players have been on at him to change it up, but his dedication to this system means he won't and it's now just a case of trying to convince himself that he's still right about it. Because there's no way he can break down recent performances and think he's happy with the positions he's got his players in, it's just not a recipe for success

Well there's Davidson's version of "taking it on the chin" as he said "Tactically no problems" Just f*ck off

Offt Tommy's been sacked by Killie, bring him home

Eight times we've conceded first this season, eight times we've failed to score in reply That's why Davidson has to go, his plan A isn't right for the team and restricts them, and he's got nothing beyond that either

If anything sums us up this season, it's the Twitter account being reduced to reporting strikers pressing the ball as some kind of chance, pure Davidsonball

I can only offer my experiences on this, but it's something I feared might be far more prevalent in football than I first thought. I covered Scotland for I think about 18 months as a scout for an English 4th tier team with a big budget, I would report into their HOR who was full time and I'm pretty sure his role would be identical to Grieve. He had scouts all over the UK working for him and reporting in, and I believe their experience is identical to mine. I'm not trying to tout myself as some kind of gem-finder, they could pay 3-4k a week so any good player in Scotland was within their reach and it was easy to recommend some very good players. We held talks to the points of making offers on a goalkeeper who since got a move to a bigger club up the leagues, someone who is now a Scotland international, plus two more who have since made the move down south and appear to be doing well as far as I can tell. The keeper they went for instead was such a success that I think he might now be 4th choice, while the striker they took over the option up here (would've been 200k and that now looks like it would've been a bargain) has also been binned after one season and single digit goals. The response I got after each time one of the moves went in a different direction? The manager (or the assistant) has worked with them before, likes their work-rate and trusts them to carry out his three-at-the-back formation more. The HOR got frustrated to the point that he was considering a move down the ladder where his input would actually be listened to, that manager hasn't worked at a senior level since being sacked as far as I can see and the club is still stuck after 2/3 windows of that recruitment and trying to offload players who work hard but aren't good enough. Obviously I have zero insider info at Saints so couldn't tell you how things are going down, but this is my main fear for us and it's why I think we are in a lot of trouble. I can absolutely see a situation where CD only wants players that either he trusts or that Gary Rowatt has worked with and trusts, especially now where he's in a situation where his job may or may not be in the line, but you can be sure any offers from down south are disappearing with our relegation. The Eetu signing was so left-field that I'm sure the HOR was involved in his identification. It's probably fair to say Eetu still has the "halo" affect with fans because we need him to be good, but CD made a big point of not playing him for weeks (or even months?) and also hooks him at every opportunity. We've now got a situation where he's the only player being singled out for public criticism. Could it be that CD is trying to make a big point that he doesn't trust the HOR with signings and all of this is to show the board that he has to be given the full control in January? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but that is what I'm scared of. CD has the air of an utterly stubborn/arrogant man who believes he's right at all costs - the formation and sticking with Crawford (Who I presume was his signing) proves he's unwilling to adapt and change, and I can see him being the same with recruitment too.

I'm also starting to get the fear that we'll get another covid-curtailed season so there's a chance (even if it's fairly small) that we don't actually have as much time as we think to sort this out

Not sure if Kano is injured or just confirmed as utterly sh*te, I also fear that Devine getting a deserved shot and some of the favourites dropping to the bench or out altogether is a sign of CD just writing this game off rather than giving some of them a boot up the a*se, but it's something

I believe there is some kind of middle ground between "all out attack" and "scoring 1 goal from open play in 9 games" The refusal to attack also ends up putting more and more pressure on the defence, they don't have an out-ball so they have to defend more and more in each game, but they are also getting zero margin for error because we're beat as soon as we go one down. I might be forgetting some very obvious examples but have we come back from a goal down this season to get anything in the league yet?

That's the problem though, we're playing with a cup mentality. Not conceding goals might be the best way to avoid defeat, but if we want to avoid relegation we simply must win games, and Davidson isn't able to set up his team to win games

That Crawford role today was perfect for Middleton, but instead he was left to play as a number 9 with no service and just constant long balls to either fight for or chase down, it's just not his game at all. I really like Middleton as a player, but if we're not going to use him in his position then let him go, our biggest problem just now is trying to have players play roles which they simply aren't suited to. Kane is the perfect example, I watched him a lot of the first half and he was subdued, but I do wonder if that's part of the coaching plan - to try and keep him more central, to not charge around and to try and get on the ball? The problem is that there are League 2 strikers who have more technical ability than him, so if he has to play then you just have to let him run around and use his physicality, and he did do that to begin the second half and at least he looked comfortable in the role and he seemed more confident, could also have had a goal with that header - couldn't tell if it was saved or hit the post from my seat. Currently too many players are being asked to be something they're not and it's killing us

Davidson has to go, the only thing he has going for him right now is that he got lucky with set pieces in the cups last year, there is nothing about this team just now that gives me any hope. He's refusing to move away from three at the back, he can't sign players to fit his system, he's demonstrated zero ability to identify players to build around so we're stuck with loans and extended deals for players who are Championship level at best (Booth, Kane, May, O Halloran, Craig) We've scored one goal from open in play in 9 games I think now. Yes today featured some crosses in the box, but we were consistently left with 3/4 players in a line with the penalty spot (Literally the first thing I was taught as a kid, one goes near post, one hangs back and the other attacks the far post, but nah, we just stand and watch) I would find the Crawford situation fascinating if it wasn't killing my soul every single week. He's such a Davidson player, he just sticks to his position on the pitch and presses the nearest man, doesn't moan and he's reliable(y shit). Davidson is quickly turning into why Mourinho is now irrelevant, he'll always favour players who are predictable and who can control defensively rather than anyone who can open a team up. The reaction after the goal showed a beaten team, just moaning, throwing hands up and poor us. It took us 2 full minutes to even get the ball out of the net, it was a heads gone moment, we created nothing afterwards. The attacking subs only come once the game is gone, he's an absolute chicken of a manager and it looks like certain players are beyond frustrated and that's also killing us. Craig was awful today and should've been sent off for a second yellow when he shoved that Aberdeen player over in front of the ref. We only play for set pieces but also don't have anyone who can take them. Crawfords corner were either not beating the first man or just spooned up for Lewis to take. his treatment of Middleton is a disgrace, he's a player who causes danger with the ball at his feet and driving at players - he should've had Crawford's role today and should've been moved there when Eetu came on, but no he's the first hooked. Won't be surprised if Rangers take him back in January, we're just humping long balls at him and his development is being hampered. His comments after the game sum him up - complaining that we need the ref to make some mistakes in our favour to help us win games? How about we just try to play football and win them ourselves rather than relying on refs? Zero responsibility for setting us up in the this style, refusing to make subs or win our way out of this. Now we get to waste the McCann and Kerr money on journeymen from down south who won't give a f*ck about us, they just want to keep themselves fit to get another contract in England next season. An absolute masterclass in how to suck every single element of joy out of a football club in less than 6 months