Double Winning St Johnstone FC Thread

[RandomGuy.]

12 minutes ago, Ludo*1 said:

Ricky Foster absolutely rips the piss out of St Johnstone. Time and time again he's embarrassed your club.

What have you heard?

All I've heard is he was unfortunate enough to be in a car that got caught in traffic, someone on WAP claiming they left just minutes after a group who made it on time.

[steviemay17]

14 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

What have you heard?

All I've heard is he was unfortunate enough to be in a car that got caught in traffic, someone on WAP claiming they left just minutes after a group who made it on time.

I wouldnt really blame them, I left Stirling at 1 o clock for the game and only managed to get to the ground at 15:05, there were 2 accidents and then a bus broke down on a roundabout in dunblane where the diversions were sending the traffic that brought everything to a standstill for half an hour, 

[The Real Saints]

It seems highly improbable that so many traffic issues and accidents could occur in such a short period of time. They took place shortly before the Meh Derby, resulting in a number of high-profile St. Johnstone absentees.

Do I need to say anything else? This reeks of foul play. Kilmarnock FC must be investigated.

[Kyle]

On 12/2/2017 at 22:29, The Saintee said:

He can't be any worse than Cummins I suppose.

Cummins isn't even close to being the worst striker at the club either - and he hasn't scored in 7 months.

 

I'm looking at you, Denny Johnstone.

[tree house tam]

Lets not mention his name again please. Makes me fucking angry.

[The Saintee]

34 minutes ago, Kyle said:

Cummins isn't even close to being the worst striker at the club either - and he hasn't scored in 7 months.

 

I'm looking at you, Denny Johnstone.

Should've signed Habran. 

There's a lot riding on McMillan now.

[Kyle]

Just now, The Saintee said:

Should've signed Habran. 

There's a lot riding on McMillan now.

Think I've said this before, but if Johnstone is genuinely the standard Wright deemed acceptable, we would've been as well.  I doubt Johnstone was even on the initial list of targets drawn up by Wright at the beginning of the summer, just like Habran, and at least the supporters had seen a bit of a spark from Habran to be excited about.

I'm starting to wonder if McMillan has a better offer elsewhere or if he's going to end up staying with Dundalk. He's been back from his holidays a week now and we;ve heard nothing about him since Tommy's bizarre interview talking about his attributes.

[7-2]

Instead of Tommy being fed up I wonder if he's just utterly pissed off, especially if the stories of a real striker being on the point of signing in the summer and Steve Brown changing the terms at the last minute so it didn't happen are true. He maybe realises the work to be done and is getting more and more frustrated by not being allowed to do it because the restrictions from above. A 'it's Johnstone or nobody' option wouldn't surprise me and would be enough to discourage anyone.

Edited December 4, 2017 by 7-2

[Mr Heliums]

I'm indifferent about McMillan simply because history tells us we shouldn't expect anything decent.

Tommy has lots of good attributes as a manager, but as  go back as far as far as you like in his managerial career – to  Fallon and Sutton and Iwelumo – and you still won't find a striker he's signed who's proved much good. That's incredible given our success: our unbroken top-six record and regular European football. He's even mismanaged the current crop: Cummins awarded a new contract two years ago – he's responded by scoring  six times since.  Kane handed a big contract extension before being punted to Palmerston Park, where he's still to score a league goal. Denny Johnstone, signed 'to improve the team', has been even worse in his sporadic appearances as fans expected him to be. Callum Hendry, who we were assured would 'move quickly into the first team', has hardly featured. Our main striker remains a 35-year-old signed by the previous manager, who's not the same player he was three years ago.

EDIT: Thanks to Radford below, I'd completely forgotten about Gormley. And Brian Graham wasn't a disaster, though he only seemed to be picked when MacLean was injured.

Edited December 4, 2017 by Mr Heliums

[Radford]

50 minutes ago, 7-2 said:

Instead of Tommy being fed up I wonder if he's just utterly pissed off, especially if the stories of a real striker being on the point of signing in the summer and Steve Brown changing the terms at the last minute so it didn't happen are true.

Who is this player meant to have been?

As touched on, I doubt Johnstone would have been high up the list of players the manager was looking at and there have been other instances of that but equally, Sutton and Gormley would have been guys he was presumably delighted to get. I'm going to remain optimistic about what McMillan might bring if he does sign, the feedback on him from Ireland seems to be decent.

[7-2]

42 minutes ago, Radford said:

Who is this player meant to have been?

As touched on, I doubt Johnstone would have been high up the list of players the manager was looking at and there have been other instances of that but equally, Sutton and Gormley would have been guys he was presumably delighted to get. I'm going to remain optimistic about what McMillan might bring if he does sign, the feedback on him from Ireland seems to be decent.

I don't know who it was supposed to be. I've seen it mentioned a couple of times but of course so there is so much crap talked you never know what's true and what isn't.

[Kyle]

Thought I'd run through the painful process of striker signings made by Tommy Wright since 2013/14

Rory Fallon (1 goal - utter pish)

Michael O'Halloran (arguably, but has spent more time either behind the striker or on the wing)

Chris Iwelumo (no goals- probably worse than Fallon)

Adam Morgan (  )

Brian Graham (half decent - scored 8 goals I think)

James McFadden (managed 2 or 3 goals but was finished if we're being honest)

Graham Cummins (13 goals - scored 3 in his first 3 appearances but has gone downhill after a hamstring injury two years ago. Has only scored 7 or 8 goals since)

John Sutton (1 goal - pish)

Greg Hurst (only managed 2 or 3 top team appearances)

Joe Gormley (retired from full time football rather than sit on our bench - looked like a complete huddy)

Denny Johnstone (up there with Adam Morgan - no goals, naturally)

 

Edited December 4, 2017 by Kyle

[Mr Heliums]

Thanks for that Kyle. I thought my earlier list was fairly devastating, but Adam Morgan! It really does take a special streak of bad luck to sign that many bad players. Graham is the only striker who could be said to have been reasonable, but even that's stretching it a bit. He never looked great and as far as I remember was never picked ahead of MacLean.

I wouldn't class O'Halloran as a striker, despite his threat. He's always seemed a winger to me - an area where our signings have been slightly better.

[Kyle]

I'm trying to order them and Graham is probably at the top after MOH (who I agree is debatable) with Cummins third. Given Cummins is averaging about 4 goals a season and that doesn't look like improving, that sums up our problem.

 

For funsies, order of merit for me;

1) MOH

1) Brian Graham

2) Graham Cummins

3)James McFadden

4) Callum Hendry (who I forgot about - has only played 30 minutes or so of top team football and hasn't scored, naturally)

5) Greg Hurst (because he's not definitely pish)

6) John Sutton

7) Rory Fallon

8 ) Chris Iwelumo

(this is where it gets tough - 3 absolute stinkers to come)

9) Denny Johnstone 

10) Joe Gormley

11) Adam Morgan

 

We've had 4 strikers worse than Rory Fallon since the last 4 years.  

Edited December 4, 2017 by Kyle

[RandomGuy.]

In fairness to TW, I was happy enough with the logic of signing John Sutton, and can sort of see why hes gambled of Gormley and Johnstone, as our budget requires gambles every so often. Obviously thats with me rarely seeing them, although I'd seen Johnstone in games down South and he looked dreadful, but on paper it seemed logical.

Edited December 4, 2017 by RandomGuy.

[Fife Saint]

That's a truly dispiriting list of talent right there.

[RandomGuy.]

Heres something to cheer you up, apparently theres still people who believe St Mirren are a more attractive club than us..

[PauloPerth]

That list doesn't make great reading.

On a (slightly) related topic, I wonder how much our poor form the past couple of months is partly attributable to not being able to get our main goal threat, O'Halloran, a consistent run of games.

Since his 5 goals in the first 5 games, he hasn't scored; and his run of appearances has been:

- went off injured v Dundee

- didn't play v Accies

- didn't play v Aberdeen

- didn't play v Rangers

- played v Hearts

- started v Ross County, got injured early, limped around for 20 then subbed before HT

- didn't start v Thistle but came on after 20 mins

- didn't start v Celtic but came on as a sub later on

- played v Hibs

- didn't play v Killie

 

If fit, he'll hopefully play next week at Hamilton, but it's Rangers after that so once more he'll miss out.

 

 

[RandomGuy.]

Dundalk manager will clarify McMillans future this weekend, TW in the papers today praising Calum Hendry.

We all know what's happening here.

[tree house tam]

1 hour ago, RandomGuy. said:

Dundalk manager will clarify McMillans future this weekend, TW in the papers today praising Calum Hendry.

We all know what's happening here.

McMillan and Hendry up front in January?