Saints v Saintees, Scottish Cup Semi-final Sunday 09/05/2021 14:15

[sergie's no1 fan]

Famous last words but the news coming out of both camps has left me feeling optimistic...[emoji1696].

Pretty sure this was a ploy by our Perth cousins to sway the tie in our favour. They perform better as the under dog and we can't handle the favourites tag [emoji2957].

If it's the 4 players rumoured on here it doesn't trouble them too much, well their starting 11 anyway , if it was Clark, Kerr, Gordon and McCart it would have made us heavy heavy favourites.

[Valentino Bolognese]

12 minutes ago, sergie's no1 fan said:

Pretty sure this was a ploy by our Perth cousins to sway the tie in our favour. They perform better as the under dog and we can't handle the favourites tag .

If it's the 4 players rumoured on here it doesn't trouble them too much, well their starting 11 anyway , if it was Clark, Kerr, Gordon and McCart it would have made us heavy heavy favourites.
 

If the 4 are right (and the emergency keeper loan suggests at least one is) Liam Craig is a big miss for us. He's been excellent since the turn of the year and a big influence.  Muzz was just coming back from injury and I'm not sure he would have started, and Parish wouldn't. May would possibly have started, but even so he's a totemic player in cup games. If we're one up with 20 minutes to play he's absolutely a player you want to be able to bring off the bench. 

Would you expect Brophy to play much of a part? Seems that he's been out for quite a while.

[Coventry Saint]

28 minutes ago, Valentino Bolognese said:

If the 4 are right (and the emergency keeper loan suggests at least one is) Liam Craig is a big miss for us. He's been excellent since the turn of the year and a big influence.  Muzz was just coming back from injury and I'm not sure he would have started, and Parish wouldn't. May would possibly have started, but even so he's a totemic player in cup games. If we're one up with 20 minutes to play he's absolutely a player you want to be able to bring off the bench. 

Would you expect Brophy to play much of a part? Seems that he's been out for quite a while.

Can't imagine Brophy getting more than a token appearance towards the end, tbh. Possibly if we're chasing the game. He really has hardly kicked a ball for us this season.

Obika, Dennis and Brophy all lacking fitness/sharpness, means the Shaughnessy/Erwin dream combo is about to become a reality.

[RandomGuy.]

Yeah Craig being out is massive, we don't have anyone who can play his role at all. Plus with Davidson also out we only have 3 natural CMs now, McCann, Bryson, and then Gilmour.

Could be an issue if it goes to extra time etc.

[Dirty Sanchez]

On 07/05/2021 at 08:48, Coventry Saint said:

The last time we reached a Scottish Cup Final. Skills from McDowall at the start there. 

Funny how less 'wild' fans actually used to get, even 34 years ago. Limbs definitely wasn't a thing there.

To be fair, it was bedlam further back.

You'd never guess how packed the terracing really was if you'd only seen that TV footage of the section at the front politely applauding. I remember having this exact same conversation in school, in the days after the game, about the sedate TV celebration footage bearing no resemblance to what we'd experienced further back on the terracing.

[NorthBank]

Our best performances of the season have been when we went for the jugular straight from kickoff. Attack down both wings and close down quickly. Sit back like the Livi semi and we have no chance.

We'll know in the first 5 mins how we will perform. Hope Jim learnt his lesson from the other semi.

[jamamafegan]

Are any other St Johnstone fans firmly in the couldn't give a f**k camp? I think not being allowed to go plus us already winning a cup and sitting fifth is taking a bit of shine from what should be an exciting semi final to look forward to. Or is it just me?

Absolutely not Tam. I want this double.

[shibbydoo]

32 minutes ago, Dirty Sanchez said:

To be fair, it was bedlam further back.

You'd never guess how packed the terracing really was if you'd only seen that TV footage of the section at the front politely applauding. I remember having this exact same conversation in school, in the days after the game, about the sedate TV celebration footage bearing no resemblance to what we'd experienced further back on the terracing.

So long ago it was in Black and White

[sergie's no1 fan]

If the 4 are right (and the emergency keeper loan suggests at least one is) Liam Craig is a big miss for us. He's been excellent since the turn of the year and a big influence.  Muzz was just coming back from injury and I'm not sure he would have started, and Parish wouldn't. May would possibly have started, but even so he's a totemic player in cup games. If we're one up with 20 minutes to play he's absolutely a player you want to be able to bring off the bench. 
Would you expect Brophy to play much of a part? Seems that he's been out for quite a while.

Yeah Craig being out is massive, we don't have anyone who can play his role at all. Plus with Davidson also out we only have 3 natural CMs now, McCann, Bryson, and then Gilmour.
Could be an issue if it goes to extra time etc.

Good points, Liam Craig was incredible at Ibrox, and most other games I have seen yous play this season.

Won't expect Brophy to make much of an appearance, unless as CS says, we are chasing it with 10 minutes to go and get desperate.

[Coventry Saint]

I think we're going to see Obika from the start tomorrow. 

Or, I could be reading too much into which coloured bibs certain players were wearing in the training pics...

 

[Lex]

You wait eight years for a semi and then two come along at once. Last time we had two in one year was 1982, and back then we never went all the way either time... hmm. Sure there’s a joke in there somewhere.
The Saintees are on a truly superb run of form, just one defeat in their last eleven in a run that includes deservedly winning a cup final at Hampden. In their last three games they have drawn with Rangers at McDiarmid, drawn with Rangers at Ibrox - and won the penalty shoot out - then beaten Hibs at Easter Road. That’s three unbeaten against the the best and third best teams in the country, and now they’re playing us. Reminds me of the form Livi were in leading up to our last semi.
Obviously a Covid outbreak changes things, but Saintees are still the favourites for me here. It would be a surprise to absolutely no one if they were to dump us out and go on to win the cup. A truly historic double is within touching distance, and I think they are going to do it.
If we are to get through we will need a big performance and a bit of luck, but I think we’re probably due both so we certainly have a chance.
Personally (and I know I’m in the minority here) I’d like to see us revert to one up front for this. 3-5-2 seems to have been causing us problems defensively recently and 4-4-2 just leaves us too vulnerable in the middle of the park, as we seen in the quarter final and in the previous round against Inverness. We were wide open in both games and conceded far too many chances. Thankfully in both ties we were able to convert at the other end and get through. We play as open as that here I think we lose, there’s next to no chance of us conceding three and getting through again. This isn’t Kilmarnock we are playing, sadly. At Rugby Park we certainly improved when we made the subs and got Ethan in midfield and Quaner as the lone striker.
We haven’t kept many clean sheets recently - none in the last five. If we keep one here I think we get to the final. We are the Germany of Scottish football when it comes to penalty shoot outs after all. Much easier said than done of course, but I would go for something like:
Fraser-Shaughnessy-McCarthy-Tait
Henderson-JDH-McGrath-Erhahon-Durmus
Obika
Key will be McGrath getting close to whoever is playing as the nine and need big performances in the middle from the JDH and Ethan. The extra body in midfield will also allow our wide players to get further up the pitch. Ilkay Durmus is a lot of things, but a wing back who can defend isn’t one of them. We would obviously have plenty of attacking options on the bench if needed.
Sadly, I feel that the momentum is with the Saintees here and they will get through and go on to the title. 2-1 (AET)

[Coventry Saint]

Biggest issue for me will be the advantage the athletic Saintees side will have on that massive Hampden Park pitch.

[Munoz]

Looks like a St Mirren v Hibs final. Probably the final most neutrals would want to see.

[tree house tam]

If we win this tomorrow we have won the double. Hibs are absolutely easy to play against, they think they can play and leave gaps all over the place for teams like Saints to exploit. 

[Munoz]

8 minutes ago, tree house tam said:

If we win this tomorrow we have won the double. Hibs are absolutely easy to play against, they think they can play and leave gaps all over the place for teams like Saints to exploit. 

If you lose tomorrow, you won't be in the final.

[RandomGuy.]

Only decision for us will be up front.

Clark, Kerr, Gordon, McCart, Rooney, Bryson, McCann, Booth, Wotherspoon all cast iron starters barring anymore injuries.

We've then got Kane, Melamed, MOH, Middleton and Conway fighting for the final two spots. Depends how he wants to set up, with 2 central strikers, or Kane central and Wotherspoon+1 out wide. Not sure what's best, tbh, but think Conway is now maybe bottom of the queue. Pace of Middleton/MOH could be vital.

[Coventry Saint]

1 hour ago, tree house tam said:

Hibs are absolutely easy to play against, they think they can play and leave gaps all over the place for teams like Saints to exploit. 

And what about your team?

[Munoz]

[tree house tam]

17 minutes ago, Coventry Saint said:

And what about your team?

You're better than that, leave that shite to munoz and the hebridean twat.

[Munoz]

4 minutes ago, tree house tam said:

You're better than that, leave that shite to munoz and the hebridean twat.

Obsessed twat.