St Johnstone vs Hibernian 30/07/22 - battle of the banter clubs

[Zamora Fan]

Would snap your hand off for Doidge. We actually have players who can put a good ball into the box this season, but don’t have anyone yet who can make anything out them.

[GreenGray]

17 minutes ago, PauloPerth said:

I’ve seen Doidge score as many goals in one game at McDiarmid Park as any of our current strikers did in a season, so probably would at the minute.

 

4 minutes ago, SJFCtheTeamForMe said:

Davidson would love to do so. 

Let's not lie. He's miles better than who we've currently got. 

 

 

Its a tough one for me, barring his three goals against Clyde his scoring record has been terrible recently. Hasn't looked the same since returning from his injury and covid. Might still be a player there but yet to see it.

[Theyellowbox]

9 minutes ago, Zamora Fan said:

Would snap your hand off for Doidge. We actually have players who can put a good ball into the box this season, but don’t have anyone yet who can make anything out them.

When, not if, Theo clicks with that, we might actually already have that striker.

Someone need to tell him to just hang around the box and the others will get the ball into him.

The annoyance is that someone like Doidge or to a certain extent Tony Watt are built for the way Saints play. 

[Valentino Bolognese]

47 minutes ago, Theyellowbox said:

When, not if, Theo clicks with that, we might actually already have that striker.

Someone need to tell him to just hang around the box and the others will get the ball into him.

The annoyance is that someone like Doidge or to a certain extent Tony Watt are built for the way Saints play. 

Tony Watt is many things, but one thing he is not is a penalty box striker. 

Much as I love the optimism, I think that young Thelonius is still very much an 'if'' for me. His touch seems very inconsistent and he only sometimes gets into the right positions. He also seems weirdly terrible in the air for such a big chap. There's only so long we can be told by all and sundry that he has 'all the attributes' and that he tears it up in training. He needs to start delivering pretty soon or we'll be out of touch by the time the Christmas trees are going up. 

[mizfit]

3 minutes ago, Valentino Bolognese said:

Tony Watt is many things, but one thing he is not is a penalty box striker. 

Much as I love the optimism, I think that young Thelonius is still very much an 'if'' for me. His touch seems very inconsistent and he only sometimes gets into the right positions. He also seems weirdly terrible in the air for such a big chap. There's only so long we can be told by all and sundry that he has 'all the attributes' and that he tears it up in training. He needs to start delivering pretty soon or we'll be out of touch by the time the Christmas trees are going up. 

Someone once told me every American & Canadian athlete are basically trained in everything so they can chop and change sports if it’s not working out. I think Theo was the first player I’ve seen that. As you say he’s shown glimmers of his ability - I think he’s just someone who needs to hit the net once in competitive fixtures and the confidence will come. 

[Valentino Bolognese]

9 minutes ago, mizfit said:

Someone once told me every American & Canadian athlete are basically trained in everything so they can chop and change sports if it’s not working out. I think Theo was the first player I’ve seen that. As you say he’s shown glimmers of his ability - I think he’s just someone who needs to hit the net once in competitive fixtures and the confidence will come. 

I've never really thought of it that way before but I think you're on to something. He looks more like an 'athlete' than a 'footballer'

He reminds me of Uche Ikpeazu, although that might be a bit unkind at this early stage. 

[SJFCtheTeamForMe]

1 hour ago, GreenGray said:

 

Its a tough one for me, barring his three goals against Clyde his scoring record has been terrible recently. Hasn't looked the same since returning from his injury and covid. Might still be a player there but yet to see it.

Our issue is May has scored something like 10 in 70ish league games. 

Theo Bair hasn't had much chance so won't judge to harshly but has shown glimpses in pre season games but the min the competitive games came around he looked miles off it again. He was signed last January and the manager failed to give him a single competitive start from January until the League Cup this season. Jumping to conclusions here but I'm presuming the manager has a reason for that and top of the list in my head is that he's not very good!

Time will tell, I know Doidge isn't a world beater but we've started putting some good delivery into the box recently and its wasted with May hoping around getting nowhere near on the end of anything. Doidge would give me more faith in being a threat. 

I've put an awful lot of explanation into this considering its all a completely hypothetical point about Mr Doidge it certainly does explain why Saints fans would bite your hand of for someone like him. 

[mizfit]

44 minutes ago, Valentino Bolognese said:

I've never really thought of it that way before but I think you're on to something. He looks more like an 'athlete' than a 'footballer'

He reminds me of Uche Ikpeazu, although that might be a bit unkind at this early stage. 

I think there’s potential there, and I was clocking him working closely with Maclean before the cove friendly. I just hope he kicks on sooner rather than later.

[The Saintee]

We could certainly do with Bair actually being a striker but the early signs are not promising IMO.

[Theyellowbox]

1 hour ago, Valentino Bolognese said:

Tony Watt is many things, but one thing he is not is a penalty box striker. 

Much as I love the optimism, I think that young Thelonius is still very much an 'if'' for me. His touch seems very inconsistent and he only sometimes gets into the right positions. He also seems weirdly terrible in the air for such a big chap. There's only so long we can be told by all and sundry that he has 'all the attributes' and that he tears it up in training. He needs to start delivering pretty soon or we'll be out of touch by the time the Christmas trees are going up. 

Watt isn't a poacher, but he does have a knack of knowing where he needs to be to get on the end if things. In our forward line as it is, he would deffinately enhance it. We wasted him in the way we played when he was here before.

As for Saints being poor this season, if you believed fans, Saints, Hibs, St Mirren and Mothewell are all doomed to varying degrees. Can't all go down. Clearly we are most likely mind you! but depending on our start vs others you never know. 

[Valentino Bolognese]

35 minutes ago, Theyellowbox said:

Watt isn't a poacher, but he does have a knack of knowing where he needs to be to get on the end if things. In our forward line as it is, he would deffinately enhance it. We wasted him in the way we played when he was here before.

As for Saints being poor this season, if you believed fans, Saints, Hibs, St Mirren and Mothewell are all doomed to varying degrees. Can't all go down. Clearly we are most likely mind you! but depending on our start vs others you never know. 

I'm not sure that we wasted Watt, I just think it took him a while to get his head together. Last season's Watt would certainly be welcome in the Saints team. 

On the second point I've been thinking the same. One of the popular opinions has been that there's no Dundee to save us this year. But there's 5 potential Dundee's by the looks of it. Of them,  I expect both Hibs and to a lesser extent Motherwell will be quick to dump the manager and spend in January to claw their way out of any relegation battle. St Mirren might be in bigger trouble. 

I still think we're in the worst shape in the league but there's hope to be taken in some others not being as strong as first feared. 

[kingjoey]

Lee Johnson in his pre match interview. “Me personally, I’m just willing and wanting the lads to ping the lids and put on a really good performance at St Johnstone.”

[Radford]

For so long the back three was the easiest part of the Saints team to pick or guess. Admittedly not helped by question marks over fitness of Liam Gordon but we have six options and you wouldn't be massively confident about saying any are definite to start. 

Other than that, I know what I'd like to see but you are never sure what Callum Davidson will do. Bring Bair in and go with same front seven as last Saturday, for me. 

[mizfit]

24 minutes ago, Radford said:

For so long the back three was the easiest part of the Saints team to pick or guess. Admittedly not helped by question marks over fitness of Liam Gordon but we have six options and you wouldn't be massively confident about saying any are definite to start. 

Other than that, I know what I'd like to see but you are never sure what Callum Davidson will do. Bring Bair in and go with same front seven as last Saturday, for me. 

my guess below. I’m guessing we won’t risk Gordon if he didn’t train Wednesday. Id rather not have Macpherson but it’s a given he’ll start most weeks. 

[Saint Huck]

5 hours ago, SJFCtheTeamForMe said:

Theo Bair hasn't had much chance so won't judge to harshly but has shown glimpses in pre season games but the min the competitive games came around he looked miles off it again. He was signed last January and the manager failed to give him a single competitive start from January until the League Cup this season. Jumping to conclusions here but I'm presuming the manager has a reason for that and top of the list in my head is that he's not very good!

 

We all know how ultra cautious Davidson is about bringing in 'new' or young players.  That's probably the main reason more than anything else (hopefully).

[PSJ.84]

3 hours ago, mizfit said:

my guess below. I’m guessing we won’t risk Gordon if he didn’t train Wednesday. Id rather not have Macpherson but it’s a given he’ll start most weeks. 

Think that’s about right, though I wouldn’t be shocked to see McGowan over Mitchell - sigh. 

[mizfit]

39 minutes ago, PSJ.84 said:

Think that’s about right, though I wouldn’t be shocked to see McGowan over Mitchell - sigh. 

As predictable as he is at times - I don’t think he signs Mitchell as quickly as he did unless he’s confident he can step in.

[Valentino Bolognese]

1 hour ago, PSJ.84 said:

Think that’s about right, though I wouldn’t be shocked to see McGowan over Mitchell - sigh. 

I think we're more likely to see Considine on the left and McGowan instead of Mahon. 

Other than that I think @mizfithas the team that CD will pick. Can't see it being 2 up front though, Expect Carey, Bair and Murphy will be expected to be a narrow front three. 

On paper it's actually quite an attacking line-up. Plenty of players that can beat players and set up chances. Free kicks and balls into the box, looks good,. 

Theo Bair: It's your time to shine. 

Defence gives me that absolute fear though and it doesn't matter who we play. 

If nothing else I reckon we'll see goals. 

[HK Hibee]

13 hours ago, kingjoey said:

Lee Johnson in his pre match interview. “Me personally, I’m just willing and wanting the lads to ping the lids and put on a really good performance at St Johnstone.”

What does “ping the lids” mean

[PSJ.84]

8 hours ago, mizfit said:

As predictable as he is at times - I don’t think he signs Mitchell as quickly as he did unless he’s confident he can step in.

Hopefully you’re right