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!

Rangers and Hibs and Brechin

I’m not going into the detail of the Ibrox disaster. Del picked his best team of the year and the players (again) let him down.

Unfortunately, I no longer have a source of quotes from the dressing room, so I don’t know how the pre-match chat was focussed but the players played the game in a way that was never gonna work in the shape picked by Del. Shame, because he arguably picked a team that could have snuck a point.

The score-line was perfectly fair, but please don’t fooled into thinking that Rangers played – they didn’t, nor did they have too. The first goal was blatantly handled though I’m sure the referee had no idea who it had come off so couldn’t really award us the free kick. In any event, they were hungrier than us, so got to the ball first. Initially I questioned Enckleman, but having watched the replay he was never gonna make the stop.

 Wylde is a player well known to St Johnstone and following his corner; the referee should have blown the final whistle. Player of the year, Steven Anderson, stood and gaped as the under-rated and overly maligned Kyle Lafferty nodded home from close range....

Between the goals, Duberry tried to cheat to win a free kick having made a hash of shepherding a ball out for a goal kick. He mis-judged the pace of the ball and when it looked like he was gonna concede a corner he took his regular dive, grabbing the ball with both hands. As he dived, he dinged his groin and probably put an end to his involvement in games held in March.

His fellow boxing fan, Mr Graham Gartland, got himself stripped and ready for action when great leader McInnes elected to park him up in favour of Alan Maybury. I’ve ranted about this before but any substitution which sees three positions occupied by new bodies is a gross error. Danny had a new partner, Cup Tie had two strangers on either side, as did Ando himself. Stoooppppid Derek!

Anyway, against the Gers we needed a rugged presence at the back to rattle a lightweight front line. Ando and Cup Tie are cute and effective but none of them are bruisers.

Anyway, a game which started with a wimper simply dragged to the death with little entertainment worth the mentioning. A snapshot (fired more by temper than tendons and ligaments) from Jody looked to be wide of Shagger’s sticks whilst Cleve had a decent effort which also went wide; albeit rubbing the metal work on it’s way past.

The Papac goal gets better every time you see it whilst the fourth is one of these things. Some of the boys are slating Ando’s clearance but at 3-0 down there’s no point risking the keepers health by swinging a right peg at full pelt.

Speaking of keepers and risk, Enckleman’s judgement was seriously flawed when he brought down the wee nyaff. It was a penalty and he should have been off. A ban for him and we’re really in trouble. It’s well known that I don’t rate him, but credit where it’s due; some of his saves were really top drawer on Sunday.

Despite his idiotic subbies, which saw Invincible come on for Cleve and Novikovas replace the best forward at the club, I have some sympathy for Del. If the players had went for the jugular, his team selection and shape wasn’t that bad. Of course I can niggle that Cads or Reynolds should have started right wing, but that team wouldn’t have achieved a result either. The players didn’t believe and didn’t play to win. The finger of blame falls primarily on them.

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The Under 19s had a classic game against Hibs today at Tulloch Park. The first league game was a 4-0 victory for the Edinburgh Road club, though Saints regained some pride in a closed doors game at Newburgh in Autumn. Our team that day had three trialists, but today’s team was along familiar lines....sort of.

With the Stevies now on permanent first team duties, Liam Caddis was the only star in the team so Alec took the crazy decision to play him upfront with Kano who had another brilliant game. Scotty Gray was given run on the right with Jack on the left. Ricky “Rocket” McIntosh was partnered with Hutch in the centre. The backline saw Sully at right back, Vinnie and Johnny Lindsay (back from Dumbarton) in the middle and Aiden at left back. Zander was in excellent form in goal.

Hibs edged the first half, particularly a 15 minute spell where Vinnie did a Dinky - got in a muddle and blamed everyone around him! Saint were the better team in the second half and were denied a stonewall penalty when Kano (who’d went down far too easily all day) was properly bundled to the deck in front of Roddy Grant, Colin Calderwood, Derek McInnes, Tony Docherty, Alistair Stevenson and plethora of other fine football folk. It was an awful decision by a  team of officials who’d had a good game until that point.

Kano grew in confidence throughout the second half and can feel aggrieved not to get my MOM. Thing is, Zander has to get the award. Brilliant handling, great decision making and super kicking all day long.

A draw was possible the right result but we should have had that penalty......

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Saints fans have again surpassed themselves. With the fairly obvious news that we’ve sold our allocation for Brechin, our less intelligent forumers are getting hot under the collar. On 21 February, the official website quite clearly stated: “Season Ticket holders unable to get to the stadium can apply by post, submitting a cheque for the appropriate amount made payable to St Johnstone FC, a stamped address envelope and voucher 24 and these applications must be with the club by Saturday 26th February.” I know that very few folk took up the offer. Indeed so few took up the offer that all these applications were processed before the ticket office opened for business on Monday!

Most reasonable folk accept that Season Ticket holders have every right to two tickets given:

a)     The financial commitment given to the club

b)    The inconvenience suffered by Season Ticket holders this year

In the circumstances, there was never gonna be enough tickets and fans without Season Tickets will simply have to swallow the pill of disappointment in the certain knowledge that we never sell out at Hampden!

Season Ticket holders that didn’t get tickets have no excuse. All they had to do was post a voucher and a cheque to the club.

Rangers and Hibs and Brechin

I’m not going into the detail of the Ibrox disaster. Del picked his best team of the year and the players (again) let him down.

Unfortunately, I no longer have a source of quotes from the dressing room, so I don’t know how the pre-match chat was focussed but the players played the game in a way that was never gonna work in the shape picked by Del. Shame, because he arguably picked a team that could have snuck a point.

The score-line was perfectly fair, but please don’t fooled into thinking that Rangers played – they didn’t, nor did they have too. The first goal was blatantly handled though I’m sure the referee had no idea who it had come off so couldn’t really award us the free kick. In any event, they were hungrier than us, so got to the ball first. Initially I questioned Enckleman, but having watched the replay he was never gonna make the stop.

 Wylde is a player well known to St Johnstone and following his corner; the referee should have blown the final whistle. Player of the year, Steven Anderson, stood and gaped as the under-rated and overly maligned Kyle Lafferty nodded home from close range....

Between the goals, Duberry tried to cheat to win a free kick having made a hash of shepherding a ball out for a goal kick. He mis-judged the pace of the ball and when it looked like he was gonna concede a corner he took his regular dive, grabbing the ball with both hands. As he dived, he dinged his groin and probably put an end to his involvement in games held in March.

His fellow boxing fan, Mr Graham Gartland, got himself stripped and ready for action when great leader McInnes elected to park him up in favour of Alan Maybury. I’ve ranted about this before but any substitution which sees three positions occupied by new bodies is a gross error. Danny had a new partner, Cup Tie had two strangers on either side, as did Ando himself. Stoooppppid Derek!

Anyway, against the Gers we needed a rugged presence at the back to rattle a lightweight front line. Ando and Cup Tie are cute and effective but none of them are bruisers.

Anyway, a game which started with a wimper simply dragged to the death with little entertainment worth the mentioning. A snapshot (fired more by temper than tendons and ligaments) from Jody looked to be wide of Shagger’s sticks whilst Cleve had a decent effort which also went wide; albeit rubbing the metal work on it’s way past.

The Papac goal gets better every time you see it whilst the fourth is one of these things. Some of the boys are slating Ando’s clearance but at 3-0 down there’s no point risking the keepers health by swinging a right peg at full pelt.

Speaking of keepers and risk, Enckleman’s judgement was seriously flawed when he brought down the wee nyaff. It was a penalty and he should have been off. A ban for him and we’re really in trouble. It’s well known that I don’t rate him, but credit where it’s due; some of his saves were really top drawer on Sunday.

Despite his idiotic subbies, which saw Invincible come on for Cleve and Novikovas replace the best forward at the club, I have some sympathy for Del. If the players had went for the jugular, his team selection and shape wasn’t that bad. Of course I can niggle that Cads or Reynolds should have started right wing, but that team wouldn’t have achieved a result either. The players didn’t believe and didn’t play to win. The finger of blame falls primarily on them.

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The Under 19s had a classic game against Hibs today at Tulloch Park. The first league game was a 4-0 victory for the Edinburgh Road club, though Saints regained some pride in a closed doors game at Newburgh in Autumn. Our team that day had three trialists, but today’s team was along familiar lines....sort of.

With the Stevies now on permanent first team duties, Liam Caddis was the only star in the team so Alec took the crazy decision to play him upfront with Kano who had another brilliant game. Scotty Gray was given run on the right with Jack on the left. Ricky “Rocket” McIntosh was partnered with Hutch in the centre. The backline saw Sully at right back, Vinnie and Johnny Lindsay (back from Dumbarton) in the middle and Aiden at left back. Zander was in excellent form in goal.

Hibs edged the first half, particularly a 15 minute spell where Vinnie did a Dinky - got in a muddle and blamed everyone around him! Saint were the better team in the second half and were denied a stonewall penalty when Kano (who’d went down far too easily all day) was properly bundled to the deck in front of Roddy Grant, Colin Calderwood, Derek McInnes, Tony Docherty, Alistair Stevenson and plethora of other fine football folk. It was an awful decision by a  team of officials who’d had a good game until that point.

Kano grew in confidence throughout the second half and can feel aggrieved not to get my MOM. Thing is, Zander has to get the award. Brilliant handling, great decision making and super kicking all day long.

A draw was possible the right result but we should have had that penalty......

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Saints fans have again surpassed themselves. With the fairly obvious news that we’ve sold our allocation for Brechin, our less intelligent forumers are getting hot under the collar. On 21 February, the official website quite clearly stated: “Season Ticket holders unable to get to the stadium can apply by post, submitting a cheque for the appropriate amount made payable to St Johnstone FC, a stamped address envelope and voucher 24 and these applications must be with the club by Saturday 26th February.” I know that very few folk took up the offer. Indeed so few took up the offer that all these applications were processed before the ticket office opened for business on Monday!

Most reasonable folk accept that Season Ticket holders have every right to two tickets given:

a)     The financial commitment given to the club

b)    The inconvenience suffered by Season Ticket holders this year

In the circumstances, there was never gonna be enough tickets and fans without Season Tickets will simply have to swallow the pill of disappointment in the certain knowledge that we never sell out at Hampden!

Season Ticket holders that didn’t get tickets have no excuse. All they had to do was post a voucher and a cheque to the club.

A Point Duly Noted

A Point Duly Noted

The talk on Monday had been about Peter Houston’s on field selection dilemmas, but by Tuesday morning it was Derek McInnes’ troubles being debated amongst Saints fans. Sammy Parkin, innocently clattered in Monday’s training, was ruled out for the year, Sammy was not supposed to start and Midgie is out for a few more games. With Mooner still to play a bounce game and Cad inexplicably sent to play for the U19s, options were tight; so tight that McInnes selected Jamie Adams. The big man, as expected, put in his usual sparkling shift and left most of us scratching our heads at his recent exclusion. Cleve also left us scratching our heads, this time in disbelief that he wasn’t hooked at half time. Mr McInnes needs to accept that I’m right and he’s wrong. Cleve is a diddy and doesn’t belong in the SPL, never mind at McDiarmid.

With Danny’s ankle showing no ill-effects from Inverness, it was standard issue at the back; Enckleman in goals and a back four of Mackay, Duberry, Anderson and Danny. In front of them Morris and Davidson were charged with midfield duties and Adams was given (or took up) the role of supporting midfielder, though he still showed his usual hunger and battling qualities – a number of United players will have knocks and sore bits this morning. The flanks saw Liam left and Cleve right with Sammy isolated up top.

Saints started the game in the best way possible. Never in the Derek McInnes era have we come out the traps with such energy and desire. Adams and Muzz were charging into tackles like men possessed whilst both full backs were fully committed to bringing play forward. Doobs and Ando kept the pressure on with strong balls into the box whenever possible. The well-supported visitors were on the ropes and never fully regained their composure in scrappy first half.

It’s fair to say that neither side created in the first half. Indeed the most likely winner was always gonna be the pitch. Enckleman in particular, gave the pitch no respect and again got himself in a muddle by refusing to take a touch. He needs to recognise which full back is on, take a touch and play a short pass to one of his defenders. I know it’s not always possible but he’s made the same errors in three consecutive home games. He surely knows the pitch is crap...

Dave Mackay had a frustrating game at right back. I think everyone has now come to realise that my statements about Cleve are true and he certainly hampers Cup Tie’s game. Nevertheless, there were a good few times when Dave should have made himself available, on the line, to allow Taylor the option of passing the ball back, but he simply wasn’t there. Of course, it’s not easy for Dave; most times Cleve will ignore him and simply gift possession to the opposition, but occasionally he will use help. Sometimes, Dave needs to assert himself more on the pitch. He’ll make a good manager in due course, but he needs to do the shouty stuff more often.

His opposite number was more concerned with defending than attacking, especially in the second half. David Goodwillie, who pulled the strings of the East Stand puppets to absolute perfection, moved to Danny’s area when he realised that Ando was gonna give him no chance. Happily for us, Danny Grainger also had the wee boy in his back pocket and those lovely green boots never got a sight at Enckleman’s similarly coloured outfit. Our awful shape, especially when pinned back in the second half, gave Danny very few options to play the ball out of defence and often he passed in hope, to the loud disgust of the ill-educated. Perhaps if the understood the game, they’d recognise that Del’s misguided line-up left us with a group of players standing together in the centre of the park.

Our centre halves continue to look solid. Ever since his lacklustre showing at Killie, Duberry has really come onto a game. Of course, he remains casual with the ball at his feet, but his strapping physique and Nando’s belly ensure that few folks face up to him when he’s in full flow. David Goodwillie actually bloused a shoulder charge on him midway through the first half. If he’s scared of a big heterosexual....

His partner in crime, seems apt given the opposition’s extra-curricular activities, is our player of the year. Steven Anderson, who so many fans would have released, is finally getting a chance to show what a great player he is. A victim of his own versatility, Ando has benefited from regular games and is surely in Craig Levein’s thoughts for the Brazil friendly. I can think of no better Scottish centre-half.

The midfield simply didn’t work against United. Yes they worked hard and yes they broke down United attacks, but their shape and positioning was poor all night long, indeed it deteriorated throughout the 90 minutes. It’s interesting that folk are telling me that he was right to start 4-5-1 but should have changed to 4-4-2?! Why’s that? What changed in the second half?

We should have started 4-4-2. It was the intention on Monday, so I don’t know why he deviated from the plan. Adams is too committed to a battle to support the front man, Murray simply doesn’t have the ability to link-up or score and Jody is hell-bent on becoming a defensive player in his old age.

As such, we had three players playing the same role albeit Adams did try to get into the box. This meant that the wide players, who were both very poor, had little in the way of support. I struggle to recall a one-two and the central guys must take some responsibility for the poor decisions made by Messrs Craig and Taylor.

That aside, the absolute blame rests with Del and having defended his performance against ICT, he got it both barrels last night. It’s simply not good enough to make such basic tactical errors. He spoke of trying to use our height at set plays, but few teams out-fight United and that plan seemed curious at best.

All the central midfielders played well, but Adams swash-buckling style will always make him my favourite. His timing of runs is impeccable, and his tenacity in the tackle is a joy to behold. His yellow card was a disgrace and Duberry’s Twitter comment was very subtle.

Jody, like Moon last year, needs to learn that the pitch won’t allow him to do the fancy stuff. Too many times he tried to turn a man of play a cute pass, when retaining possession would have been the better option. Perhaps, we should train on the Perth High School blaes to get him used to crappy bounces!

Murray, who had been deplorable all year, really stepped up a gear at Inverness and continued that form into the United game. He must be dropped when Mooner’s ready to return because two decent games in season are simply not enough, but last night he certainly did us proud. His tackle in the second half which preceded a “mazy dribble” was a pleasure to witness.

Liam Craig continues to infuriate me. Big changes in his personal circumstances during the off-season should have seen him kick on this season and win a lucrative contract away from McDiarmid Park, yet the former Falkirk man has flattered to deceive for most of the year. He could, indeed should, have scored the winner deep into the second half when he shot low from the left side of the penalty box. Had that gone in, we’d have won the game as Liam’s goals are almost always match-winners.

There’s not much to say about Cleve that hasn’t been said before. Although he did lack support at times, his effort, timing, ability, speed and brain are not suited to the SPL. He should have been encouraged to find a new club in January. JMW would have offered more last night, Swankie would have created chances.

Sammy should not have started. Del needs to stop gambling with players’ fitness levels. He struggled to shine and again disproved this nonsense about him being effective on his own. No man is an island.

May did not deserve to be dropped and, with Parkin’s injury, Peaso or Reynolds deserved a chance to partner the hairy, wee Newburghite. Two up front, with Jamie and Jody in midfield would have forced a better shape into us. Players are brought up in the classic 4-4-2 and instinctively know where to move and run.

When Del changed it for a 4-3-3, it was clear that our performance remained static despite introducing two great and fresh players. Peaso simply didn’t know where to play and that caused some confusion for the midfield.

Overall, a draw with a clean sheet is a respectable result. Trouble is, I have a fiver riding on us finishing ahead of the Arabs and had we played 4-4-2 from the start we just might have won that game and made my money a wee bit more secure. Perhaps Derek will take some comfort from that ;-)

Ibrox will be a battle and a defeat would see us with just one point from 9 going into a game against a newly resilient Hibernian. It’s an interesting time, leading up to Glebe Park.

Other points that need to be addressed:

Sam Parkin’s broken ankle is not to be confused with his recently documented ankle injuries. Players often play with niggles and many players receive regular medication using a variety of methods. We have three physio’s working with our players, all familiar faces. There are no concerns about the treatment received by our players.

The Under 19s, who were robbed by silly referee on Tuesday, play Kilmarnock on Friday at Tulloch. A victory will see us go top six. This is a huge achievement given that such as Vinnie, Lindsay and Reynolds have been, or are on loan. Additionally, Stevie May and Liam Caddis have missed several matches due to first team involvement. Hats off to all the boys.

On a similar vein, the club have appealed for a volunteer to cover the U19s. A combination of my stupid job and my pathetic attempts to win motor races preclude me from taking in many games. Hopefully, someone can step up to the mark. It would be good to recognise the achievements of these lads and reinforce the need for a reserve or U21 league. It’s tragic that so many good Scottish players are heading for the USA or the scrap heap. We need to start a movement.