Brechin Cup Game Replay at Home 22 March 2011

The Night Everything Changed

Victory over Jim Weir’s Brechin side saw St Johnstone qualify for their fifth, major cup semi-final since 2007. For a club with only 2100 season ticket holders, one which flirted with relegation to the second division just a few years ago, it’s a remarkable feat. Those old enough to remember the pre-Geoff era could not have dreamed of such success. The man who made me a St Johnstone fan, would have shed a tear of pride. Thing is, the overall reaction was one of express disappointment.

Readers will recall my fury and contempt for the dick heads that booed my team from Glebe Park at the end of each half. My mood has further darkened since and I now wonder aloud if St Johnstone should become the first fanless club. After all, the majority of the audience clearly don’t have the best interests of the club as their priority or reason of attendance. It seems folk think that the club exists merely for the enjoyment of a couple of hundred grumpy faced twats that turn up whenever takes their fancy.

Those that bothered to attend the match at Glebe Park saw a wonderful contest, played on a ghastly surface. The game was end to end, packed with errors and truly riveting for both fan and neutral alike. The same could not be said of Tuesday’s encounter – well perhaps the part about the playing surface...

St Johnstone played a typical McInnes 4-4-2. The shape of the team was better than we endured at Hamilton but still looked a bit messy at times. Enckleman, who on occasion looks unbeatable, had a very quiet night – despite the clamour from Saints fans who want us to sign Rory McAlister. Mind you, Saints fans wanted us to sign Richard Offiong, probably would have signed Tom Elliot after his goal for us and even defended the signing of Nick McKoy despite the East Fife debacle....

Those at Hamilton would have witnessed an unsavoury incident at Hamilton between the management duo and our goalkeeper. For the rest of the game, despite the involvement of Gordon Marshall, his head seemed down, his mojo lost. His only save on Tuesday, hopefully restored his confidence. I am certain that McInnes’ unprompted and overt praise, was issued as a peace offering to our complex shot stopper. Let’s hope it works. Del makes very hard work of signing a worthwhile goalkeeper. Please note that I’m far from convinced by Enckleman, I just don’t fancy our chances of signing anyone better in the near future.

In front of him, Dave Mackay again partnered Steven Anderson in centre defence. The paring worked well all game long. Gerry McLaughlin, who looked half decent at Glebe Park, was properly shown up at McDiarmid, particularly when he twice allowed Sammy to score that goal. I’ll stick to Ando and Dave thanks very much. With Levein stupidly calling up Murray Davidson into the Scotland squad, it’s a travesty that Anderson remains on the sidelines. Gartland and Duberry have played Champions League, yet neither Anderson nor Mackay have ever been at a club to allow them such an honour. Mackay’s lack of pace has arguably prevented him from hitting greater heights. There is no reason for Levein over-looking Anderson. The McInnes fuelled fallacy that Duberry made Anderson look good has been proven wrong and he ought to dominate the Player of the Year Awards. More on that later....

Surrounding the centre-backs, Alan Maybury worked away well on the right flank. In the first half he linked up well with Danny Invincible, but in the second Invincible turned Houdini and Maybury had a tougher shift. I suspect that he’ll he be lucky to get two more games before Duberry is pressed back into service and that’s a shame for a man who, Fir Park aside has done little wrong. I hope he gets another SPL club and is afforded the chance to prove his worth.

His opposite number may also be concerned at where his future lies. One of our biggest earners and a man who’s capture was vocally championed by your author, Danny is likely to be offered a contract on reduced money. He seems to enjoy life in Tayside, but I wonder if Del’s imminent departure might sway him into looking elsewhere. Personally, I hope he stays. When he links with Liam, they are a brilliant double act. His corners and throw-ins are great and, as ever with Saints fans, we won’t fully appreciate how good he is until he’s gone. If you trawl through SPL left backs, you’ll struggle to find many better than Granny Danger. He’s defended my judgement of players most admirably!!

The afore mentioned Liam Craig had a less influential game than at Glebe Park, but still seems to be hitting form at what Del termed the “business end” of the season. A winning goal at Hampden is a dream for many young lads, it is within Liam’s grasp. Perhaps such a scenario will be a double edged sword for Saints. On the one hand, a Craig classic will make him ever more attractive to other clubs, on t’other, it might draw the Borders laddie even closer to his current club and prove to be the catalyst for extending his deal by another 3 years.

One who won’t be here in three years time is Murray Davidson. Irrespective of his love of the Glasgow Rangers, he will surely move to England in summertime. Any money received for him should cancel out the loss anticipated by the club. Of course, there is a distinct possibility that the deal will wait until mid July or early August meaning that the money won’t be accounted for in the Annual Accounts for 2010/11. I suspect it would suit the club if that were the case.

His fee is likely to be around £350,000 plus add-ons. That makes his signing a pretty good bit of business, despite many average performances for us. I remember thinking that he would really come good this season, yet for all but 15 minutes of the season, he’s been as average as last season. Tuesday was much of the same, though it was interesting that the Brechin hard men targeted him for the heavy hits and off the ball niggles. If only Jamie had been fit....

Murray’s partner in crime was Chrissy “badge kisser” Millar. They might be left and right footed in their religious upbringings, but they do have a reasonable understanding on the pitch. I always insist that when Midgie plays well, the team also plays well. Last Tuesday was far from his greatest performance but he was professional and determined throughout the 90. His energy levels are something truly special and I am very grateful to Del for bringing him to the club. For a man who is primarily a central midfielder, I really can’t wait to see him back on the right of midfield.

Up until Hamilton, Danny Invincible has looked a decent player – very much sticking the fingers up to his critics. Hamilton saw him put in a woeful performance, meandering all over the pitch like Paddington in the train station and against Brechin he went from fine to poor to “whaur’s he been for the last 25 minutes?” Admittedly, much of the play came down our left, but he must have went 20-25 minutes with no real involvement in the game.

Stevie Reynolds played wide right for a spell on Thursday and really showed how it should be done. Always looking to take his man on, get on the box or provide a telling cross. His performance further cemented my claim that he should have been given the chance to prove his worth. Pre-season friendlies will be too little and too late.

It will be interesting to see how Invincible, and Del, responds to these last two showings. I suspect that the current injuries will see him continue to play against Killie and Rangers, after that Mooner might well be back in contention for a start.

Up top it was Sammy and Peaso yet again. Peaso had a poor game and Sammy was in true cameo performance. Uncommitted, half asleep yet still able to score and look good on TV! The wee magician is easily the most frustrating player at the club. His fans promised us that a good run of game would see him become a prolific starter, I simply can’t see it. He’s got talent in abundance but he’s simply not reliable enough to play for a club like Saints. He spends too much time on his bum or his heels.

As for Peaso, I continue to rate him highly. I wish he’d get a run with Mayzo because the boys look good together and link well. We know he has goals in him, he’s demonstrated a knack of scoring and you don’t forget how to score. I cannot recall him looking fitter and he remains hungry and willing to succeed. Don’t bet against a Hampden goal for Peaso Mac.

We brought on one of the young lads near the end. Don’t know much about him, heard that his old man wisnae a bad player. I like to make bold predictions so I’ll put my wonderful reputation on the line and state that he’s our best player and the best Scottish midfielder in the SPL. Let’s hope he doesn’t have reason to visit Frank Kenny’s room.

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Two key issues deserve mention here.

Firstly the Player of The Year Awards at The Lovat. The club have faced incessant bitching and moaning about this event for no good reason. If folk can’t afford £50 for a good night out that’s a shame, but it doesn’t make the event poor value for money and doesn’t make the club elitist. The last few player of the year functions have been embarrassingly amateur affairs and players and fans deserve a decent event. The night itself sounds grand is very well priced. I know it’ll be a far cry from a recent event in the Dunkeld Road club where ignorant punters held telephone calls during our manager’s talk when he was already competing against a TV left on by either ineptitude or ignorance.

Amazing how some groups think that a table of 8 is too many whilst others think it’s too small. I guess that means the club have got it spot, on as usual. The lunch with Jody and Del went down very well and with a guy like Paul Smith at the heart of the club, it’s no real surprise.

As for the last home game of the year, I’m sure that certain players will be around long after the game.

The second issue concerns whether or not a Season Ticket is value for money.

I can’t be bothered to find the post, but I remember issuing a stark warning when we were promoted to the SPL. The horrendous decision of SPL member clubs, including St Johnstone, to permit TV coverage of our league games has destroyed the integrity of the Scottish game. When Setanta when flushing down the lavvy pan, we should have seized the day and told the broadcasters where to go. Unfortunately, the whores of clubs will do anything for a shilling and we duly dropped our drawers and invited all and sundry to rape and pillage our game and our dignity.

We are now faced with the grotesque prospect of 1800 kick offs for games against the Old Scum. They should be able to attend, most of their fans are out of bed by 1500 and Tuesday is often GIRO day. But our own fans, many of whom travel from afar, will struggle to be in place for the game. Many others simply won’t make it. As mentioned in the match report, these folks are selfish enough that they are considering giving up their season tickets as a result of this decision.

Now, putting to one side the stupidity of the clubs to allow TV, Saints have no input in this decision. They are seething at this decision.  This decision, which affects the biggest travelling support of the year to date, is going to hurt our club in worst place – the pocket. We’ll lose out on gate receipts, we’ll lose massively on corporate hospitality and intangibly we’ll lose on the goodwill of loyal season ticket holders. We lost 300 last year for no reason at all and this season, again for no reason that St Johnstone can control we look set to drop even lower.

We’re living in golden times, we should be encouraging folks to turn out in great numbers and support our local team. Instead, it seems were hellbent on driving them away in droves. Time to get real, enjoy the good times and support our club. It starts with thee and me; its starts when the renewal forms hit our door mats in May. Remember though, an operating loss of £350K plus a new pitch all need paid for irrespective of the sale of Muzz and Del.

Hamilton Away 19 March

Nothing to Write Home About

An overwhelming sense of mediocrity lingers over New Douglas Park at the best of times; on Saturday, it appeared to filter into the players and fans.

I’ve never attended a “competitive match” played in such silence. You could not only hear the crap shouted by McInnes, you could hear big Pete’s under the breath mutterings too!

The optimists tell me we had some shots on goal, the highlights tell me that we simply over-hit a couple of passes.

There really is very little to say about the game. We started is hugely cavalier fashion, devoid of shape but full of intent. This lasted for a good ten minutes before the full backs, pulled back and all forward momentum was lost.

Every attack seemed to break down due to the lack of forward options. Not one of the front men ever looked like troubling the experienced back line of Hamilton Accies. Unfortunately, they opened us up with ease.

I no longer try to work out what McInnes thinks, but to re-jig a successful defence is clear the work of a mad-man. Listing only 6 fit subs, one of whom was that Cleveland Taylor, was also an odd choice. Suffice to say that Danny Invincible, operating without Cup Tie behind him, had his worst game for us since signing.

Many folks have (deliberately) mis-interpreted my comments on Danny and the bear clarification here. He isn’t the worst player at the club, Cleveland Taylor scoops that accolade with both left hands, he’s simply not a player capable of enhancing our squad. Reynolds was stupidly banished from the squad so that he could play against Rangers U19s; he’d have played better than Invincible and he carries a goal threat. Of course to take the place of Invincible, he’d first have to find out where Danny was supposed to be playing. In the first half it was either right of a midfield four or right of a front three....

Let’s also clarify that he wasn’t the only one who wandered around the park like a jakey in stilettos. I’d challenge anyone to confirm that Liam was meant to be playing left midfield’ sometimes it looked like Danny G was playing there....

There were simply no plus points for Saints. Most players were poor, the team was wrong, the subbies were wrong, the management duo lost face following a hissy-fit towards Peter Enckleman and we even made Tom Elliot look like a football player.

Mensing’s red card probably summed up the game. Never a red card, yet that’s the sort of officials we have in the game. As I said; mediocre all round.

Ponder anew; McInnes claims that he is pushing for the top six, at 0-0 he withdrew Craig and put on Gartland.... He’s obsessively negative and has cost us thousands in prize money  - how I’d love to send him to Coventry.

Hamilton Away 19 March

Nothing to Write Home About

An overwhelming sense of mediocrity lingers over New Douglas Park at the best of times; on Saturday, it appeared to filter into the players and fans.

I’ve never attended a “competitive match” played in such silence. You could not only hear the crap shouted by McInnes, you could hear big Pete’s under the breath mutterings too!

The optimists tell me we had some shots on goal, the highlights tell me that we simply over-hit a couple of passes.

There really is very little to say about the game. We started is hugely cavalier fashion, devoid of shape but full of intent. This lasted for a good ten minutes before the full backs, pulled back and all forward momentum was lost.

Every attack seemed to break down due to the lack of forward options. Not one of the front men ever looked like troubling the experienced back line of Hamilton Accies. Unfortunately, they opened us up with ease.

I no longer try to work out what McInnes thinks, but to re-jig a successful defence is clear the work of a mad-man. Listing only 6 fit subs, one of whom was that Cleveland Taylor, was also an odd choice. Suffice to say that Danny Invincible, operating without Cup Tie behind him, had his worst game for us since signing.

Many folks have (deliberately) mis-interpreted my comments on Danny and the bear clarification here. He isn’t the worst player at the club, Cleveland Taylor scoops that accolade with both left hands, he’s simply not a player capable of enhancing our squad. Reynolds was stupidly banished from the squad so that he could play against Rangers U19s; he’d have played better than Invincible and he carries a goal threat. Of course to take the place of Invincible, he’d first have to find out where Danny was supposed to be playing. In the first half it was either right of a midfield four or right of a front three....

Let’s also clarify that he wasn’t the only one who wandered around the park like a jakey in stilettos. I’d challenge anyone to confirm that Liam was meant to be playing left midfield’ sometimes it looked like Danny G was playing there....

There were simply no plus points for Saints. Most players were poor, the team was wrong, the subbies were wrong, the management duo lost face following a hissy-fit towards Peter Enckleman and we even made Tom Elliot look like a football player.

Mensing’s red card probably summed up the game. Never a red card, yet that’s the sort of officials we have in the game. As I said; mediocre all round.

Ponder anew; McInnes claims that he is pushing for the top six, at 0-0 he withdrew Craig and put on Gartland.... He’s obsessively negative and has cost us thousands in prize money  - how I’d love to send him to Coventry.

Brechin Away 12/03/2011

Nostalgia Ain’t What it Used to be!

A crowd of 3,472 witnessed arguably the most exciting football game since we gained promotion to the SPL. On a pitch which had three separate inspections prior to Steve “card-happy” Conroy declaring the game on; slick, passing football was never gonna be on offer. Rather, the fans were treated to a battle, on a pitch which something which resembled a location from the film, ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Front’. The home fans and board might argue the rights and wrongs of allowing the game to proceed to the detriment of the pitch. What’s beyond argument is that mistakes, not money, make for entertainment. Perhaps the SPL Chairmen would do well to take note.

Both keepers conceded twice, and had plenty of other scary moments, yet both Nelson and Big Pete were pivotal to ensuring both names go into Monday’s draw. The defenders must have wished they were anywhere else when the pitch turned each bounce and pass into a pinball adventure. Every single St Johnstone defender had a moment when the pitch made them look stupid. In reality, the only stupid folk were the moaners in the stand.

Moaning has its place; it can be helpful in the bedroom and it can be entertaining in an office environment. It can even be an understandable reaction at the football, but it was utterly uncalled for at Glebe Park. Even the unflappable, Dave Mackay, looked flat footed on a pitch which was as inconsistent as Wullie Collum’s decision making. Perhaps the boys packed two left boots again....

Whatever, there was no excuse for the boo boys. The players gave their all and to leave the field, at both half and full time, to a chorus of boos was simply wrong. Our fans behaviour has been thoroughly disgraceful since we gained SPL status; key staff being wrongly pilloried by Neanderthals for too long. Too many times, hot-headed people armed with partial facts spout and rant against the good name of our club and this cup tie was crystal clear proof that our support has a majority element of twats.

From the first whistle, we quickly established that passes along the surface were to be avoided at all costs yet the pinnacle of fan based stupidity, WeArePerth’s Mainstand, described our football as Route One. Such is the battle on our hands. What we actually did was play cute little chip passes; brilliantly mixing up the trajectory, length and weight of the passes. This method worked very well, but it did mean that “feel” players came to the fore whilst guys like Muzz and Adams were poor.

Of course Adams wasn’t helped by another idiotic refereeing decision. Yes it was a badly timed tackle, but that’s all it was. The referee should have used it as a line in the sand (geddit?) but instead he booked the midfield enforcer whilst allowing the wee Brechin ned, Rory McAlister, carte blanche to foul our centre backs.  Again, I must clarify that he is not corrupt, merely incompetent. I’ll let him off with the penalty. I thought he called it right but having viewed the TV pictures, Scrabble dived and the contact occurred during his “Peaso”. In fairness, someone obviously talked some sense into him at half time because he did let the game flow a wee bit better. Still, that’s no good for Adams who’s withdrawal was catalysed by Conroy’s faux pas.

On the subject of errors, big Graham Gartland almost cost us a goal when he let a ball go under his foot. Thankfully, a rush of blood meant that an early Brechin goal didn’t materialise. For the rest of the game, Garts took great care to get his whole body behind every ball and put in a very effective shift alongside Ando. 3 goals shipped in two games is proof that statistics never show the full story, Garts and Ando have worked very well since Duberry’s enforced absence from the squad. Neither player got to grips with McAlister, but overall they restricted him to very few shots. His second came about, more through perspiration rather than determination.

Grainger was the player scrapping with the tradesman, when he got his second goal of the game. The full back was on the wrong side of McAlister and knew he had the linesman at his side. He worked and jockeyed as hard as he dared, narrowing the angle brilliantly, yet despite his efforts and Gartland’s positioning, the burly forward hit a sweet shot onto Enckleman’s right hand post and into the net. The keeper, as with the penalty, could have done no more. The images of the aftermath show a mixture of anger, frustration and hurt on the St Johnstone faces, but overall it was the right result in a brilliant game.

For all he was blameless in the goals, Peter Enckleman proved why I don’t rate him with several moments of indecision, directly caused by his reluctance to effectively communicate. Twice in the opening few minutes, our defenders were running towards him, shepherding a ball, yet he failed to take command. Ando, who again led the troops magnificently, let him know the error of his way. When he was asked to deal with crosses, his command was top drawer. The constant sleet/rain and brisk breeze made for tricky catching, yet the youngest keeper in the match made his cross taking look like a training drill on a summer’s day. The man is an enigma, no doubt about it.

One man who delivers every time he crosses the line is wee Chrissy Millar. Restored to the squad, Del inexplicably left him on the bench at kick off meaning Danny Invincible remained in the team. His introduction, at half time, turned the game in our favour. His first touch was a left footed shot which drew us level; almost every other touch was instrumental in creating an attack. The fans that remain to be convinced leave me bewildered. The coaching of Del and Tony has worked wonders for the perma-tanned bundle of energy and we should be thankful for his presence. Easily man of the match.

Sadly, nobody else in centre midfield had a good game. Adams looked uncomfortable with ball at his feet and simply didn’t get going. We’ve seen what he brings to the team though, and he is a must start for Hamilton. Alex Neill will wish he was still on the recovery table. Muzz, who shone so brightly last week was back to his usual form today. Like all the players, he gave 100% effort but the conditions didn’t help him.

Turning to the wide players, one was good and one was bad! Liam Craig, who has mis-fired his way through the season, showing only occasional glimpses of the talent we know he has, really showed what a great footballing brain he has. His shot off the bar typifies his aware and confidence, his decision to cross the ball which led to Millar’s goal showed the benefits of ignoring old men in the crowd and also highlighted his decision making! Whenever he had a decent bit of turf in front of him, he played football, when he didn’t he hoisted the ball and let it travel unhindered.

His vision was superb, he knew when the surface would allow him to pass his man and when that wasn’t an option he showed a wide range of passing, from short and easy balls to curving, stabbed efforts. He is a vital cog in our midfield and must be retained. I don’t condone flashy wages, and I remain perplexed as to why he wasn’t signed up in July, but we must have him at McDiarmid next season.

His fellow flanker, Danny Invincible, scored one of the greatest headers we’ve seen in recent times. Perhaps a touch fortuitous that he got on the end of a ball from Danny Grainger (because the we are perthers tell me he is hopeless at corners!) but his mazy run left the defence speechless and veteran, Nelson, was powerless to stop the ball from bulging the net.

Sadly, that was his sole contribution. Far too many times he was slow to hoist the ball into the box and that meant players having to check their run on a traction-less mud bath. At 31 years of age, he can’t be taught such basic footballing knowledge. He also twice dithered when at the edge of the box with a sight at goal. Again, with the wind and sleet in his favour, he should have been giving old Nelson a workout. Unlike Liam, he didn’t seem to understand that certain parts of the pitch were unplayable and, for a man of his experience, that beggars belief.

Up top was another curious situation. Del, yet again got the frontline wrong, he also got the subby spectacularly wrong. Does anyone seriously believe that Mayzo would have wasted the chance squandered by Reynolds? To quote one of our coaches, “If you’re gonna act like Jack the Lad off the field, you need to be Jack the Lad on the field.” Experience may yet bring humility and tranquillity to the life of Stevie Reynolds, if it does he will surely relax and go onto bigger and better things with Saints and beyond. If it doesn’t, he might forever snatch at chances...

Peaso was excellent at link-up and made the correct runs into the channels. Sammy was brave and strong throughout. There’s a great story about how Sammy and Devon first came to the attention of Tony Docherty when he was doing a homer in the Caribbean. The pitch they played on that day, must have been in better nick than Glebe Park. Story is here: http://ttffonline.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1085&Itemid=27

Sammy ultimately had to come off with a knock. He refused the ice and headed for the dressing room. I wonder if he’ll be fit for Saturday. If not, it should force McInnes to start with correct front two of Peaso and Mayzo. Once they get up to speed again, they’ll be unstoppable. I don’t think they’ve played as a front two since Murray Park in the Martin Hardie comeback game. They were on top form that day, despite Peaso’s long absence. Great times are just around the corner.

Ultimately, Peaso ran out of steam after 70 minutes and should have been replaced with Mayzo. Perhaps Del will explain why he didn’t recognise the change needed to be made, perhaps he was fearful that we’d get an injury and have no subs left. Trouble is, we were effectively playing with 10 men for the last 20 minutes.

In summary, it was an excellent game of football. A game that will live long in our memories, especially if we reach the semi-finals. Brechin played well and it was terrific to hear, read and see the cup fever that gripped the town. If only Perth businesses, schools and media outlets would support our club we might have less sash singers in our towns and squad; more importantly, we might have bigger numbers at McDiarmid Park on Saturdays.

We are all in this together, it’s time for the people of Perth to support the club. The board will shortly announce prices for the replay. I have no qualms in saying that their generosity will not be rewarded. The ship of depression needs to be steered onto a path of optimism. It’s our job to help....

Brechin Away 12/03/2011

Nostalgia Ain’t What it Used to be!

A crowd of 3,472 witnessed arguably the most exciting football game since we gained promotion to the SPL. On a pitch which had three separate inspections prior to Steve “card-happy” Conroy declaring the game on; slick, passing football was never gonna be on offer. Rather, the fans were treated to a battle, on a pitch which something which resembled a location from the film, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’. The home fans and board might argue the rights and wrongs of allowing the game to proceed to the detriment of the pitch. What’s beyond argument is that mistakes, not money, make for entertainment. Perhaps the SPL Chairmen would do well to take note.

Both keepers conceded twice, and had plenty of other scary moments, yet both Nelson and Big Pete were pivotal to ensuring both names go into Monday’s draw. The defenders must have wished they were anywhere else when the pitch turned each bounce and pass into a pinball adventure. Every single St Johnstone defender had a moment when the pitch made them look stupid. In reality, the only stupid folk were the moaners in the stand.

Moaning has its place; it can be helpful in the bedroom and it can be entertaining in an office environment. It can even be an understandable reaction at the football, but it was utterly uncalled for at Glebe Park. Even the unflappable, Dave Mackay, looked flat footed on a pitch which was as inconsistent as Wullie Collum’s decision making. Perhaps the boys packed two left boots again....

Whatever, there was no excuse for the boo boys. The players gave their all and to leave the field, at both half and full time, to a chorus of boos was simply wrong. Our fans behaviour has been thoroughly disgraceful since we gained SPL status; key staff being wrongly pilloried by Neanderthals for too long. Too many times, hot-headed people armed with partial facts spout and rant against the good name of our club and this cup tie was crystal clear proof that our support has a majority element of twats.

From the first whistle, we quickly established that passes along the surface were to be avoided at all costs yet the pinnacle of fan based stupidity, WeArePerth’s Mainstand, described our football as Route One. Such is the battle on our hands. What we actually did was play cute little chip passes; brilliantly mixing up the trajectory, length and weight of the passes. This method worked very well, but it did mean that “feel” players came to the fore whilst guys like Muzz and Adams were poor.

Of course Adams wasn’t helped by another idiotic refereeing decision. Yes it was a badly timed tackle, but that’s all it was. The referee should have used it as a line in the sand (geddit?) but instead he booked the midfield enforcer whilst allowing the wee Brechin ned, Rory McAlister, carte blanche to foul our centre backs.  Again, I must clarify that he is not corrupt, merely incompetent. I’ll let him off with the penalty. I thought he called it right but having viewed the TV pictures, Scrabble dived and the contact occurred during his “Peaso”. In fairness, someone obviously talked some sense into him at half time because he did let the game flow a wee bit better. Still, that’s no good for Adams who’s withdrawal was catalysed by Conroy’s faux pas.

On the subject of errors, big Graham Gartland almost cost us a goal when he let a ball go under his foot. Thankfully, a rush of blood meant that an early Brechin goal didn’t materialise. For the rest of the game, Garts took great care to get his whole body behind every ball and put in a very effective shift alongside Ando. 3 goals shipped in two games is proof that statistics never show the full story, Garts and Ando have worked very well since Duberry’s enforced absence from the squad. Neither player got to grips with McAlister, but overall they restricted him to very few shots. His second came about, more through perspiration rather than determination.

Grainger was the player scrapping with the tradesman, when he got his second goal of the game. The full back was on the wrong side of McAlister and knew he had the linesman at his side. He worked and jockeyed as hard as he dared, narrowing the angle brilliantly, yet despite his efforts and Gartland’s positioning, the burly forward hit a sweet shot onto Enckleman’s right hand post and into the net. The keeper, as with the penalty, could have done no more. The images of the aftermath show a mixture of anger, frustration and hurt on the St Johnstone faces, but overall it was the right result in a brilliant game.

For all he was blameless in the goals, Peter Enckleman proved why I don’t rate him with several moments of indecision, directly caused by his reluctance to effectively communicate. Twice in the opening few minutes, our defenders were running towards him, shepherding a ball, yet he failed to take command. Ando, who again led the troops magnificently, let him know the error of his way. When he was asked to deal with crosses, his command was top drawer. The constant sleet/rain and brisk breeze made for tricky catching, yet the youngest keeper in the match made his cross taking look like a training drill on a summer’s day. The man is an enigma, no doubt about it.

One man who delivers every time he crosses the line is wee Chrissy Millar. Restored to the squad, Del inexplicably left him on the bench at kick off meaning Danny Invincible remained in the team. His introduction, at half time, turned the game in our favour. His first touch was a left footed shot which drew us level; almost every other touch was instrumental in creating an attack. The fans that remain to be convinced leave me bewildered. The coaching of Del and Tony has worked wonders for the perma-tanned bundle of energy and we should be thankful for his presence. Easily man of the match.

Sadly, nobody else in centre midfield had a good game. Adams looked uncomfortable with ball at his feet and simply didn’t get going. We’ve seen what he brings to the team though, and he is a must start for Hamilton. Alex Neill will wish he was still on the recovery table. Muzz, who shone so brightly last week was back to his usual form today. Like all the players, he gave 100% effort but the conditions didn’t help him.

Turning to the wide players, one was good and one was bad! Liam Craig, who has mis-fired his way through the season, showing only occasional glimpses of the talent we know he has, really showed what a great footballing brain he has. His shot off the bar typifies his aware and confidence, his decision to cross the ball which led to Millar’s goal showed the benefits of ignoring old men in the crowd and also highlighted his decision making! Whenever he had a decent bit of turf in front of him, he played football, when he didn’t he hoisted the ball and let it travel unhindered.

His vision was superb, he knew when the surface would allow him to pass his man and when that wasn’t an option he showed a wide range of passing, from short and easy balls to curving, stabbed efforts. He is a vital cog in our midfield and must be retained. I don’t condone flashy wages, and I remain perplexed as to why he wasn’t signed up in July, but we must have him at McDiarmid next season.

His fellow flanker, Danny Invincible, scored one of the greatest headers we’ve seen in recent times. Perhaps a touch fortuitous that he got on the end of a ball from Danny Grainger (because the we are perthers tell me he is hopeless at corners!) but his mazy run left the defence speechless and veteran, Nelson, was powerless to stop the ball from bulging the net.

Sadly, that was his sole contribution. Far too many times he was slow to hoist the ball into the box and that meant players having to check their run on a traction-less mud bath. At 31 years of age, he can’t be taught such basic footballing knowledge. He also twice dithered when at the edge of the box with a sight at goal. Again, with the wind and sleet in his favour, he should have been giving old Nelson a workout. Unlike Liam, he didn’t seem to understand that certain parts of the pitch were unplayable and, for a man of his experience, that beggars belief.

Up top was another curious situation. Del, yet again got the frontline wrong, he also got the subby spectacularly wrong. Does anyone seriously believe that Mayzo would have wasted the chance squandered by Reynolds? To quote one of our coaches, “If you’re gonna act like Jack the Lad off the field, you need to be Jack the Lad on the field.” Experience may yet bring humility and tranquillity to the life of Stevie Reynolds, if it does he will surely relax and go onto bigger and better things with Saints and beyond. If it doesn’t, he might forever snatch at chances...

Peaso was excellent at link-up and made the correct runs into the channels. Sammy was brave and strong throughout. There’s a great story about how Sammy and Devon first came to the attention of Tony Docherty when he was doing a homer in the Caribbean. The pitch they played on that day, must have been in better nick than Glebe Park. Story is here: http://ttffonline.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1085&Itemid=27

Sammy ultimately had to come off with a knock. He refused the ice and headed for the dressing room. I wonder if he’ll be fit for Saturday. If not, it should force McInnes to start with correct front two of Peaso and Mayzo. Once they get up to speed again, they’ll be unstoppable. I don’t think they’ve played as a front two since Murray Park in the Martin Hardie comeback game. They were on top form that day, despite Peaso’s long absence. Great times are just around the corner.

Ultimately, Peaso ran out of steam after 70 minutes and should have been replaced with Mayzo. Perhaps Del will explain why he didn’t recognise the change needed to be made, perhaps he was fearful that we’d get an injury and have no subs left. Trouble is, we were effectively playing with 10 men for the last 20 minutes.

In summary, it was an excellent game of football. A game that will live long in our memories, especially if we reach the semi-finals. Brechin played well and it was terrific to hear, read and see the cup fever that gripped the town. If only Perth businesses, schools and media outlets would support our club we might have less sash singers in our towns and squad; more importantly, we might have bigger numbers at McDiarmid Park on Saturdays.

We are all in this together, it’s time for the people of Perth to support the club. The board will shortly announce prices for the replay. I have no qualms in saying that their generosity will not be rewarded. The ship of depression needs to be steered onto a path of optimism. It’s our job to help....

Hibs at Home 5 March 2011

Undeniable Injustice

Regular followers may well recall my sense of resigned frustration at the end of our title winning season when, unshackled from the fear of failure, we rampaged our last five opponents in a stunning display of fearless conviction.

The recent game against Aberdeen, where we successfully went toe-to-toe with one the best teams in the league gave an indication of the change in mentality which has come over our gaffer. Subsequent whispers on various social networking sites and third hand text messages have confirmed that Del has removed his normally oppressive methodology; boy, are we in for a treat.

Of the two games played since the sea-change, we have gained just two points but that does not tell the full story. To offer a polite paraphrase of our newest director, we humped the sheep 0-0! A similar analogy, with a different scoreline, could easily sum up Saturdays efforts.

Anyone who witnessed our last two games and still doesn’t accept that we are a top six side is simply delusional. Of course we won’t finish top six, and one man must carry the can for that failure, but we are a top six side in terms of the way we play as a team and the possibilities we have to improve. I was scorned last year for saying we’d get top six with a good manager but I was right. This season has been little different. Yes, we have a few less players, yes (thanks to our blouse wearing support) Del has had to operate with a much reduced budget but when teams like Killie are in the top six, we must smell the coffee. Del has crippled this club for too long with his negative and cowardly approach.

The pitch at McDiarmid has been the focus of much hot air from ill-educated fans and much rain from creator God. It has been an awful playing surface and continues to look like a battlefield. The players remain unhappy with the situation, though to my mind it has improved massively with the recent good weather. The forecast for next week probably doesn’t look too good, but the lengthy respite from 22 sets of studs should see the once great turf, improve even more.

Another in need of rest is Mr Jamie Adams. A few of you received a text message from me when I first saw him compete in battle at Glenalmond College in a derby game against Gordon Chisholm’s bunch of crooks. He impressed greatly, despite my grave concerns that he’d struggle to step up and I became a fully paid up member of his fan club following his home SPL debut. He’s subsequently been devoid of action for reasons best known to McInnes but how he has stamped his mark on our team in recent games. We need to ensure that he gets the number 8 shirt next year; it’s the only appropriate shirt for such a brave hearted player.

His on-field behaviour is simply impeccable and if Crawford Allan apologised for missing the handball, he should hang his head in shame at booking Jamie for challenging fiercely for a 50:50 ball. Duberry has been the victim of inappropriate refereeing and it appears that Adams is gonna follow suit. It’s truly awful that referees are not able to understand simply physics. Momentum is related to both weight and speed, the possession of momentum is not against the laws of the game. They would do well to become familiar with such basic facts.

It must be made clear, given a Celtic-minded thread on www.weareperth.co.uk questioning the referees’ integrity, that Crawford Allan, Mike Tumility and Wullie Collum are not corrupt – they are merely incompetent. Other than the goal, I’m not sure that Allan was guilty of favouring the outcome; he cocked up for both teams in fairly equal measure. His linesmen (yes, plural) were guilty of failing to spot numerous offside infringement by Hibs players, but that is true of all linesmen in all stadia.

Jamie’s midfield partner, Murray Davidson, is a man who angers me intensely. I’ve long had high hopes for the Border terrier but just last week wrote him off as a lost cause. He’s had an awful season; frequently playing far below his potential, yet on Saturday he suddenly found form and for the opening 15 minutes showed the world that he can play football.  Unfortunately, he picked up two knocks, though I suspect the second merely aggravated the first and he faded throughout the half.

When the action kicked off after the interval; his struggles were plain for all too see. The gaffer singled the youngster out for praise, a silly move given that Adams outplayed him over the piece, and anyone who saw those opening 15 minutes would understand why. Whether he’ll ever manage to sustain that form is anyone’s guess, but if he does he’ll not be at Saints for long. Take a bow son, you were immense.

 There is little doubt that Jody Morris’ absence went unnoticed. The Captain’s armband may well have been worn by Dave Mackay, but we all saw that Steven Anderson was the man who actually captained the team. Those of us who have attended fringe games down through the years will be aware that Ando is a great leader of men. Indeed, it may well have been one of current management duo who installed him as skipper of United’s youth team.

He marshalled, cajoled shouted and urged for 90 minutes and made very few slips despite the increased burden of responsibility. His reaction to costing us the goal was both typical and dignified. The team’s response to the set back spoke volumes for Del’s signings and Ando’s leadership. In any case, there was a deliberate hand ball in the build up to D’s sclaffed effort. Without that, Ando’s recovery would have been complete.

His partner in crime is a lad I’m well known to have a soft spot for. Graham Gartland arrived at Saints amidst a storm of media interest. The former Drogheda stopper was a man much sought-after and McInnes made no secret of expressing his concern that Garts didn’t commit his future to the length Del has asked. Thankfully, we got him (and Ando) on a two year deal last spring. He’s had o be far more patient that I had hoped, partly thanks to an injury sustained prior to the Forfarshire Cup game against Dundee United and partly thanks to the necessity of putting Dinky in the shop window.

A few trips up the A9 to Dingwall saw Garts regain both strength and confidence whilst on a loan stint with Ross County. He returned uncertain as to his future at Saints, but Duberry’s attempts to falsely win a free kick at Ibrox gave him a convoluted chance in the first team. He’s surely given Del a dilemma, competing against Mr Duberry, we can ask for no more. To those that have supported him throughout, I offer my thanks – to those that freely and publicly castigated him, feel free to apologise.

His contribution to St Johnstone, particularly the young players can never been over-spoken. His captaining of the bounce games is brilliant and his treatment of the under 19s has seen him command an enormous respect from the entire squad. When questioned about his attitude he confesses that he witnessed some young players get a hard time and deliberately ensures that our boys are treated in the right way. I salute him; you should do likewise.

On the flanks, we had the normal left side of Danny Grainger and Liam Craig, both men playing well again following Grainger’s blip against the Sheep. The criticism of Danny’s deliveries has been nothing short of scandalous in recent weeks. His corners on Saturday were terrific efforts and his throw-ins, whilst not leading to goals, will be sorely missed when he leaves McDiarmid Park. Shame that so many folk choose to focus on the negatives in a player. Danny is reportedly amongst the highest earners at the club and it is safe to assume that he’ll struggle for a contract offer which matches his current salary. Whether he’ll take the drop in wages to remain at Saints remains to be seen.

Also out of contract, despite summer rumours that he had signed an extension is Liam Craig. The wee ginger has a new hairdo and is once again playing to his full potential. He was denied a fabulous goal on Wednesday whilst Saturday saw him scrap and battle for everything in the Hibs box. He was Del’s first signing, he was arguably our most important player last year and it’s a disaster that we’ve let his contract get to this stage. Quality lefties are few and far between.

On the other side of the field, Cup Tie was wasteful with balls into the box and far too quiet given that he had the armband. There’s undoubtedly a band of supporter that can see no wrong in Dave, but I’m certainly not part of that number. He was fine in the tackle and strong in the air, but as against Dundee United, he was guilty of moving into centre midfield when Danny Invincible needed his help. It sometimes looks as though he trusts the wingers too much. Perhaps he still thinks it’s Swanks ahead of him....

Turning to the Aussie arrival, Danny Invincible again put in a good shift on the right flank. He doesn’t create much and doesn’t win much when he back tracks but he puts in plenty effort and got lucky with a few heavy touches, especially in the second half – better lucky than good as they say! Some of crosses are decent and as predicted, he is certainly a better player than Cleve! I’d still prefer to see one of our young lads play wide right; he’s an expensive stop gap.

The two up top linked well against Aberdeen (unlike Pittodrie!) but against Hibs, Sammy was poor again. Why Stevie May got dropped is known only to Del, but it’s blindingly obvious to most that Peaso and Mayzo must be the first choice strike pairing. Jacko got another few minutes on Saturday but it really is maddening to think what a great player he used to be. I can offer no explanation for his transformation from clinical finisher to scatter gun striker.

Of course, now that we are creating more chances, specifically from wide areas of the pitch – it is even more maddening that Parkin isn’t available to work with Mayzo. The big lad is out for the season following an ankle break and will be missed at Brechin next week when we face our experienced former goalie, big Craig Nelson.

Del simply has to drop Sammy. He’s a sublimely talented footballer, but there appears no way to harness that talent and he is very much the black man’s Eoin Jess. MacDonald’s blatant cheating is cringe worthy, but he knows where the goal is. Partner him with Mayzo and you’ll have great link-up, quick movement and bags of confidence. We could open the floodgates at Brechin – if the game beats the weather and goes ahead on Saturday.

Overall, a brilliant game and hopefully we’ve seen our last defensive performance. We should be in maximum attack mode until Hampden in May. Come on, Del – you’ve seen the difference, show some balls!

Hibs at Home 5 March 2011

Undeniable Injustice

Regular followers may well recall my sense of resigned frustration at the end of our title winning season when, unshackled from the fear of failure, we rampaged our last five opponents in a stunning display of fearless conviction.

The recent game against Aberdeen, where we successfully went toe-to-toe with one the best teams in the league gave an indication of the change in mentality which has come over our gaffer. Subsequent whispers on various social networking sites and third hand text messages have confirmed that Del has removed his normally oppressive methodology; boy, are we in for a treat.

Of the two games played since the sea-change, we have gained just two points but that does not tell the full story. To offer a polite paraphrase of our newest director, we humped the sheep 0-0! A similar analogy, with a different scoreline, could easily sum up Saturdays efforts.

Anyone who witnessed our last two games and still doesn’t accept that we are a top six side is simply delusional. Of course we won’t finish top six, and one man must carry the can for that failure, but we are a top six side in terms of the way we play as a team and the possibilities we have to improve. I was scorned last year for saying we’d get top six with a good manager but I was right. This season has been little different. Yes, we have a few less players, yes (thanks to our blouse wearing support) Del has had to operate with a much reduced budget but when teams like Killie are in the top six, we must smell the coffee. Del has crippled this club for too long with his negative and cowardly approach.

The pitch at McDiarmid has been the focus of much hot air from ill-educated fans and much rain from creator God. It has been an awful playing surface and continues to look like a battlefield. The players remain unhappy with the situation, though to my mind it has improved massively with the recent good weather. The forecast for next week probably doesn’t look too good, but the lengthy respite from 22 sets of studs should see the once great turf, improve even more.

Another in need of rest is Mr Jamie Adams. A few of you received a text message from me when I first saw him compete in battle at Glenalmond College in a derby game against Gordon Chisholm’s bunch of crooks. He impressed greatly, despite my grave concerns that he’d struggle to step up and I became a fully paid up member of his fan club following his home SPL debut. He’s subsequently been devoid of action for reasons best known to McInnes but how he has stamped his mark on our team in recent games. We need to ensure that he gets the number 8 shirt next year; it’s the only appropriate shirt for such a brave hearted player.

His on-field behaviour is simply impeccable and if Crawford Allan apologised for missing the handball, he should hang his head in shame at booking Jamie for challenging fiercely for a 50:50 ball. Duberry has been the victim of inappropriate refereeing and it appears that Adams is gonna follow suit. It’s truly awful that referees are not able to understand simply physics. Momentum is related to both weight and speed, the possession of momentum is not against the laws of the game. They would do well to become familiar with such basic facts.

It must be made clear, given a Celtic-minded thread on www.weareperth.co.uk questioning the referees’ integrity, that Crawford Allan, Mike Tumility and Wullie Collum are not corrupt – they are merely incompetent. Other than the goal, I’m not sure that Allan was guilty of favouring the outcome; he cocked up for both teams in fairly equal measure. His linesmen (yes, plural) were guilty of failing to spot numerous offside infringement by Hibs players, but that is true of all linesmen in all stadia.

Jamie’s midfield partner, Murray Davidson, is a man who angers me intensely. I’ve long had high hopes for the Border terrier but just last week wrote him off as a lost cause. He’s had an awful season; frequently playing far below his potential, yet on Saturday he suddenly found form and for the opening 15 minutes showed the world that he can play football.  Unfortunately, he picked up two knocks, though I suspect the second merely aggravated the first and he faded throughout the half.

When the action kicked off after the interval; his struggles were plain for all too see. The gaffer singled the youngster out for praise, a silly move given that Adams outplayed him over the piece, and anyone who saw those opening 15 minutes would understand why. Whether he’ll ever manage to sustain that form is anyone’s guess, but if he does he’ll not be at Saints for long. Take a bow son, you were immense.

 There is little doubt that Jody Morris’ absence went unnoticed. The Captain’s armband may well have been worn by Dave Mackay, but we all saw that Steven Anderson was the man who actually captained the team. Those of us who have attended fringe games down through the years will be aware that Ando is a great leader of men. Indeed, it may well have been one of current management duo who installed him as skipper of United’s youth team.

He marshalled, cajoled shouted and urged for 90 minutes and made very few slips despite the increased burden of responsibility. His reaction to costing us the goal was both typical and dignified. The team’s response to the set back spoke volumes for Del’s signings and Ando’s leadership. In any case, there was a deliberate hand ball in the build up to D’s sclaffed effort. Without that, Ando’s recovery would have been complete.

His partner in crime is a lad I’m well known to have a soft spot for. Graham Gartland arrived at Saints amidst a storm of media interest. The former Drogheda stopper was a man much sought-after and McInnes made no secret of expressing his concern that Garts didn’t commit his future to the length Del has asked. Thankfully, we got him (and Ando) on a two year deal last spring. He’s had o be far more patient that I had hoped, partly thanks to an injury sustained prior to the Forfarshire Cup game against Dundee United and partly thanks to the necessity of putting Dinky in the shop window.

A few trips up the A9 to Dingwall saw Garts regain both strength and confidence whilst on a loan stint with Ross County. He returned uncertain as to his future at Saints, but Duberry’s attempts to falsely win a free kick at Ibrox gave him a convoluted chance in the first team. He’s surely given Del a dilemma, competing against Mr Duberry, we can ask for no more. To those that have supported him throughout, I offer my thanks – to those that freely and publicly castigated him, feel free to apologise.

His contribution to St Johnstone, particularly the young players can never been over-spoken. His captaining of the bounce games is brilliant and his treatment of the under 19s has seen him command an enormous respect from the entire squad. When questioned about his attitude he confesses that he witnessed some young players get a hard time and deliberately ensures that our boys are treated in the right way. I salute him; you should do likewise.

On the flanks, we had the normal left side of Danny Grainger and Liam Craig, both men playing well again following Grainger’s blip against the Sheep. The criticism of Danny’s deliveries has been nothing short of scandalous in recent weeks. His corners on Saturday were terrific efforts and his throw-ins, whilst not leading to goals, will be sorely missed when he leaves McDiarmid Park. Shame that so many folk choose to focus on the negatives in a player. Danny is reportedly amongst the highest earners at the club and it is safe to assume that he’ll struggle for a contract offer which matches his current salary. Whether he’ll take the drop in wages to remain at Saints remains to be seen.

Also out of contract, despite summer rumours that he had signed an extension is Liam Craig. The wee ginger has a new hairdo and is once again playing to his full potential. He was denied a fabulous goal on Wednesday whilst Saturday saw him scrap and battle for everything in the Hibs box. He was Del’s first signing, he was arguably our most important player last year and it’s a disaster that we’ve let his contract get to this stage. Quality lefties are few and far between.

On the other side of the field, Cup Tie was wasteful with balls into the box and far too quiet given that he had the armband. There’s undoubtedly a band of supporter that can see no wrong in Dave, but I’m certainly not part of that number. He was fine in the tackle and strong in the air, but as against Dundee United, he was guilty of moving into centre midfield when Danny Invincible needed his help. It sometimes looks as though he trusts the wingers too much. Perhaps he still thinks it’s Swanks ahead of him....

Turning to the Aussie arrival, Danny Invincible again put in a good shift on the right flank. He doesn’t create much and doesn’t win much when he back tracks but he puts in plenty effort and got lucky with a few heavy touches, especially in the second half – better lucky than good as they say! Some of crosses are decent and as predicted, he is certainly a better player than Cleve! I’d still prefer to see one of our young lads play wide right; he’s an expensive stop gap.

The two up top linked well against Aberdeen (unlike Pittodrie!) but against Hibs, Sammy was poor again. Why Stevie May got dropped is known only to Del, but it’s blindingly obvious to most that Peaso and Mayzo must be the first choice strike pairing. Jacko got another few minutes on Saturday but it really is maddening to think what a great player he used to be. I can offer no explanation for his transformation from clinical finisher to scatter gun striker.

Of course, now that we are creating more chances, specifically from wide areas of the pitch – it is even more maddening that Parkin isn’t available to work with Mayzo. The big lad is out for the season following an ankle break and will be missed at Brechin next week when we face our experienced former goalie, big Craig Nelson.

Del simply has to drop Sammy. He’s a sublimely talented footballer, but there appears no way to harness that talent and he is very much the black man’s Eoin Jess. MacDonald’s blatant cheating is cringe worthy, but he knows where the goal is. Partner him with Mayzo and you’ll have great link-up, quick movement and bags of confidence. We could open the floodgates at Brechin – if the game beats the weather and goes ahead on Saturday.

Overall, a brilliant game and hopefully we’ve seen our last defensive performance. We should be in maximum attack mode until Hampden in May. Come on, Del – you’ve seen the difference, show some balls!