Double Winning St Johnstone FC Thread

[SJFCtheTeamForMe]

3 minutes ago, Jamie_Beatson said:

Our attacking issues are so blindingly obvious and have been for a long, long time. Bair doesn’t look up to it and the system doesn’t create chances in any event.

Bair is miles off being up to it. 

He's got absolutely no idea how to use his physique to his advantage.

[Broughty]

57 minutes ago, saint in exile said:

We do,unfortunately CD doesnt.

How management have not done something about the striker situation is just unbelievable. It should have been top of the list but we just sign defenders. If the other team score we are beat cause we don't.

Sad.

[saint in exile]

1 hour ago, Broughty said:

How management have not done something about the striker situation is just unbelievable. It should have been top of the list but we just sign defenders. If the other team score we are beat cause we don't.

Sad.

It's utterly beyond belief when the inability to score goals very nearly relegated us.It should have been priority.We don't have one decent proven striker.UFB!!

[Valentino Bolognese]

I'm old enough to admit when I'm wrong. 

For the last few years I've been convinced that our return to the lower leagues would be caused by penny-pinching, and that we'd simply under-invest our way to relegation because of  fear of spending money and over-extending. 

If our owner wasn't a guy that inherited a secure family business we might have rolled the dice, backed ourselves and pushed ahead when,  against all the odds, we did the unthinkable a couple of seasons ago and gave ourselves the perfect springboard. But risk aversion kicked in and we shat the bed, when if we were just a bit more entrepreneurial we could have seized the opportunity and forged ahead (or failed - we'll never know).

Now it turns out that spending money isn't really the issue. We'll spunk cash all over the place desperately trying to hang on with our fingernails to the top division, drowning and grasping at new signings like so many straws, and hanging on to a floundering manager in the hope he can find the magic formula again, against all the evidence that it's just not going to happen. 

Can't help but feel that we missed our once in a lifetime chance and for all the blame that rightly falls on the manager's shoulders, to me this is about board decision-making. I hope they make a better one soon. 

[Meesterrodriguez]

The level of backing in the last 2 seasons has been outstanding from the board. It makes me wonder what Sturrock, Macinnes or Tommy could have achieved with this kind of finance. We will never know unfortunately 

[Meesterrodriguez]

I often wonder if Alex Totten burned Geoff with taking risks. He was great for saints but he spent money like water

[mizfit]

Anyone figured out who the boy was that was training with us was? 
 

Also heard we’ve made a few enquiries over strikers but we’re being priced out with wages….

[Kyle]

11 minutes ago, mizfit said:

Anyone figured out who the boy was that was training with us was? 
 

Also heard we’ve made a few enquiries over strikers but we’re being priced out with wages….

Almost like we shouldn’t wait until it’s clear we’re desperate before trying to sign a striker. 

I’ve heard one name who would’ve been good about 5 years ago, but has gone off the boil in more recent times. 
 

Not sure how much more of Davidson ball I can take quite honestly. The slow moving car crash is so clear for all to see and the club now need to act. 
 

 

 

[FrankChickens1]

Just think how much we could spend on a striker if we didn't have so much dross on long contracts. 

[Jamie_B]

16 minutes ago, Kyle said:

Almost like we shouldn’t wait until it’s clear we’re desperate before trying to sign a striker. 

I’ve heard one name who would’ve been good about 5 years ago, but has gone off the boil in more recent times. 
 

Not sure how much more of Davidson ball I can take quite honestly. The slow moving car crash is so clear for all to see and the club now need to act. 
 

 

 

A relegation will cost more than a worthwhile striker.

That issue has been abundantly clear for a long time and yet here we are, starting the season pinning our hopes on Chris Kane being fit soon.

Hibs were the better team yesterday without any doubt, but didn’t pose a huge threat. They had Bushiri and Porteous at centre back. That’s a combination crying out to be tested. We absolutely failed to do anything - anything - in the hour it was 11v11.

Motherwell next week is huge. It is not beyond possibility that we go into the game against St Mirren on September 3 with zero points given the run of fixtures after that.

[mizfit]

The longer Griffiths is without a club, the more fearful I get.

[Valentino Bolognese]

1 hour ago, mizfit said:

The longer Griffiths is without a club, the more fearful I get.

Why? Do you have a teenage daughter?

 

[mizfit]

24 minutes ago, Valentino Bolognese said:

Why? Do you have a teenage daughter?

 

If I’ve a child then someone’s been keeping secrets from me.

[The Saintee]

What a season we're in for with Davidsonball in full swing. 

Huffing and puffing about the park hoping that Murphy, Carey or Wotherspoon can pull off something special.

Glorious.

[steviemay17]

Have to say I think I'm done until Davidson goes. There's always an interesting debate about how loyal fans should be alongside whether clubs like Saints should be prioritizing entertainment or success, but under this regime we're not going to get either. I thought I was maybe being too harsh on the manager and maybe the players were the issue, so I sat right behind the dugout to see if there was anything worth getting excited about, but just watching CD for most of the game has made it clear why we have the issues that we do.

I'll include Macca in this as well as the pair stand and shout at the players all game long, there was not a single act of trying to encourage any kind of attacking play. CD stands and yells at Bair or Murphy over who they should be tracking back every time we don't have the ball (which is 80% of the time) while Macca was just bawling "shape" anytime a player tried to venture forward to press. The common complaint is a lack of energy from the players, but It's clear that they just have no freedom to do anything proactive and are continually on the receiving end of reinforcement about the shape being the priority, so of course they don't break from it.

I can also see CD's talk of "flexibility" involves shifting the shape from a back five with a 3 and a 2 in front to a back five with a 2 and then a three in front, that back five will never change. He spent most of the first half trying to move Carey and Murphy into different positions, but they have no pace and we can't string two passes together.

The reaction to conceding the goal was telling, there was nothing from the bench, no move to chuck a defender up front to act as a focal point, just total acceptance of the defeat. It's dangerous to get into looking at Tommy Wright's time through rose-tinted glasses, but from memory - he and his side wouldn't let a red card or a setback define the game, they would adapt and give everything to overcome it. Under CD, it's like he's just looking for the easy way out of finding his scapegoat for the day and that's that.

Personally I found the Muzz red card embarrassing, especially with the fans singing his name for making such a bone-headed decision and tackle that gives the ref the decision to make. Sure we can blame the ref, but if you give them a decision to make then the blame is with you, not with them for making it. Muzz spent the entire first half complaining to CD and Macca that they were getting overrun, clearly his frustration and lack of discipline led to that red card. Sadly that's far from an isolated incident within the entire squad and points to a complete lack of cohesiveness and responsibility with the "senior" players in the squad who also need to take a proper look at themselves.

As for any kind of attacking plan, I can't really see what it was. Macca spent the entire game bollocking Bair for not being strong enough, it's potentially true, but all he really had were high aimless clearances to try and bring under control so not really sure what they wanted from him. He does clearly have some physicality, he reminds me of Matty Willock when he first arrived in that he has a lot of tools but just no idea how to apply them effectively against the opposition. I know we need him to be good, I would say both of these things are true - He's not quite ready or good enough to be our main striker this year, but he's also completely hamstrung by the system he's played in too.

I realised after the red card just how disillusioned I am as a fan just now. Once Muzz was sent off we all knew that was it. There were no efforts to win the game, it was just to play for a point - I paid £25 to watch my team essentially set up where the best case scenario was that they would time waste enough that nothing would happen and it would end 0-0. Where is the excitement in this? Who can actually look at this and be proud? I left McD yesterday yet again asking why I come and watch it. I'm 30 now, Saints have been something huge in my life, something to focus on when times are hard and something that I'm proud to be a part of. I love my team, but we have a manager who's sucked every single ounce of joy from what is supposed to be the beautiful game. 

Saints aren't what we used to be. We rarely played teams off the park, but we made it hard, we fought and we still tried to win games despite a mismatch in resources and often quality. Under CD all we do now is exist, we make up the numbers and just allow other teams to have their way with us, there is no joy or excitement.  

[tree house tam]

It's time for this trial to end. Get fucking rid Saints, bring in ANYONE and i include the usual suspects in that. I'd bite your hand off for Yogi slavering over the interviewers mic right now, that says it all on how disillusioned I am with Saints at the moment. 

[The Saintee]

We are so predictable. You know what the shape will be. You know what will happen at kick off. You know what the substitutions will be and what the "style" of play will be. 

Tommy used to get some slagging for his solid approach but Davidsonball makes him look like Bielsa. 

And you know that any interview will be a moan about refs and shifting the blame.

The fact he was furious at Rooney going for a 4th goal against ICT says it all. 

He has to be binned as soon as possible.

 

[perthsaint1977]

Scunnered. Absolutely dreadful again yesterday.

How he can keep thinking this formation is the answer.

What Is that now, 12 games from 77 where we have scored more than one goal.

Everyone sees it bar the one who is paid to see it. Can see no points and no goals for a few weeks yet. 

[Broughty]

Have to say I think I'm done until Davidson goes. There's always an interesting debate about how loyal fans should be alongside whether clubs like Saints should be prioritizing entertainment or success, but under this regime we're not going to get either. I thought I was maybe being too harsh on the manager and maybe the players were the issue, so I sat right behind the dugout to see if there was anything worth getting excited about, but just watching CD for most of the game has made it clear why we have the issues that we do.
I'll include Macca in this as well as the pair stand and shout at the players all game long, there was not a single act of trying to encourage any kind of attacking play. CD stands and yells at Bair or Murphy over who they should be tracking back every time we don't have the ball (which is 80% of the time) while Macca was just bawling "shape" anytime a player tried to venture forward to press. The common complaint is a lack of energy from the players, but It's clear that they just have no freedom to do anything proactive and are continually on the receiving end of reinforcement about the shape being the priority, so of course they don't break from it.
I can also see CD's talk of "flexibility" involves shifting the shape from a back five with a 3 and a 2 in front to a back five with a 2 and then a three in front, that back five will never change. He spent most of the first half trying to move Carey and Murphy into different positions, but they have no pace and we can't string two passes together.
The reaction to conceding the goal was telling, there was nothing from the bench, no move to chuck a defender up front to act as a focal point, just total acceptance of the defeat. It's dangerous to get into looking at Tommy Wright's time through rose-tinted glasses, but from memory - he and his side wouldn't let a red card or a setback define the game, they would adapt and give everything to overcome it. Under CD, it's like he's just looking for the easy way out of finding his scapegoat for the day and that's that.
Personally I found the Muzz red card embarrassing, especially with the fans singing his name for making such a bone-headed decision and tackle that gives the ref the decision to make. Sure we can blame the ref, but if you give them a decision to make then the blame is with you, not with them for making it. Muzz spent the entire first half complaining to CD and Macca that they were getting overrun, clearly his frustration and lack of discipline led to that red card. Sadly that's far from an isolated incident within the entire squad and points to a complete lack of cohesiveness and responsibility with the "senior" players in the squad who also need to take a proper look at themselves.
As for any kind of attacking plan, I can't really see what it was. Macca spent the entire game bollocking Bair for not being strong enough, it's potentially true, but all he really had were high aimless clearances to try and bring under control so not really sure what they wanted from him. He does clearly have some physicality, he reminds me of Matty Willock when he first arrived in that he has a lot of tools but just no idea how to apply them effectively against the opposition. I know we need him to be good, I would say both of these things are true - He's not quite ready or good enough to be our main striker this year, but he's also completely hamstrung by the system he's played in too.
I realised after the red card just how disillusioned I am as a fan just now. Once Muzz was sent off we all knew that was it. There were no efforts to win the game, it was just to play for a point - I paid £25 to watch my team essentially set up where the best case scenario was that they would time waste enough that nothing would happen and it would end 0-0. Where is the excitement in this? Who can actually look at this and be proud? I left McD yesterday yet again asking why I come and watch it. I'm 30 now, Saints have been something huge in my life, something to focus on when times are hard and something that I'm proud to be a part of. I love my team, but we have a manager who's sucked every single ounce of joy from what is supposed to be the beautiful game. 
Saints aren't what we used to be. We rarely played teams off the park, but we made it hard, we fought and we still tried to win games despite a mismatch in resources and often quality. Under CD all we do now is exist, we make up the numbers and just allow other teams to have their way with us, there is no joy or excitement.  

What you write here echo’s my feelings also. The way we play has taken all the enjoyment out of going knowing when we lose a goal we are beat.
A question the management need to answer is how can Livi find a striker like Nouble?

[The Saintee]

17 minutes ago, Broughty said:

What you write here echo’s my feelings also. The way we play has taken all the enjoyment out of going knowing when we lose a goal we are beat.
A question the management need to answer is how can Livi find a striker like Nouble?

Because they probably use more than just Martindale's mates to get players in.

Or method seems to be waiting for an agent to offer us a player. Gary fucking Rowett or agents that used to play for Saints.