St Johnstone vs Dundee United - 5 February 2022

[ArabianKnight]

1 hour ago, mishtergrolsch said:

Smith is pish. Especially going forward. But our forwards (bar Watt) are also pish going forward.

But when the manager sets up the way we did (which was what, exactly?) then no wonder its eye bleeding to watch.

Toothless, aimless and ultimately, totally shite.

Smith is pish going forward, he's a competent RB between our byeline and about 10yds in to the opponent's half. 

He then shits his pants and turns to pass inside or backwards rather than even trying to get past the opposition. 

I do think United has improved last few games but there's a long long road to go to playing the attacking fluid football we've been promised. 

Courts has them sitting deeper and pressing far less than the start of the season. 

The urgency and short snappy passing needs to come back and more chances will be created. 

I can see us finishing 5th but it won't be pretty and there will be a lot of moaning between now and the end of the season. 

[mishtergrolsch]

I have no idea where we'll finish. The league is garbage and the fact we're 6th is hilarious considering we've hardly scored a goal recently.

Similar to last year when we didn't win but stayed 6th for weeks.

But we can just as easily finish 5th or 6th as we can 9th or 10th.

Our form would suggest the latter. And thats where we'll end up closer to imo. 

I do think if we change manager soon we may have a chance scraping top 6 if we make the right appointment,  something i have zero confidence in though.

But saying all that, whoever it would be will still have Clark, Pawlett, Harkes, Smith to fit into the starting 11 week in week out where possible as I assume that's part of the contract.

[johnoswald2712]

58 minutes ago, Radford said:

The problem is whatever I/we think, Colin Steven obviously feels the first foul merited a booking, so he doesn't feel the need to show the sort of discretion I/we believe he should for the shirt pull. 

It's frustrating as Saints are penalised more than anyone in the league for fouls and it is hard to feel we aren't getting a rough deal this season. 

Really liked Hallberg again before the red and he'll be a huge miss on Wednesday. Disagree with what a couple of others have said recently as I've taken to Butterfield a bit more in the past couple of games.

On the flip side, I worry with Cammy MacPherson that he doesn't really know what is being asked of him at times. 

Obviously take the point but we a teetering here. If we don't pick up anything at St Mirren, I think we'll need 3 wins from 8 games before the split just to keep in touch and that includes two Old Firm games, Hearts and away at Aberdeen and Hibs.

McPherson is pretty much a liability in a defensive setting. Team was set up in 2 solid lines after the red card but he chases the ball like a collie dug making it easy to play round him.  If he doesn’t learn defensive discipline then he’ll never be a midfield player at any level.

Agree with Radford that we are getting a raw deal from refs this season and handball decisions have directly cost us 4 points this season. Even the 4 sendings off are dubious. Bryson was the only one I initially agreed with and even then tv pictures showed that cheating tosser Porteous had feigned contact and injury. If Hallberg was deserving of 2 yellow cards today then we’d be as well putting the lights off and locking the doors because the game’s f….d

[Loemba90]

Two shite teams.  I think Saints are a stick on for 11th and be amazed if Utd don’t finish 10th.

 

Courts is out his depth and we should stop delaying the inevitable and get him to f**k.

[Granny Danger]

55 minutes ago, Loemba90 said:

Two shite teams.  I think Saints are a stick on for 11th and be amazed if Utd don’t finish 10th.

 

Courts is out his depth and we should stop delaying the inevitable and get him to f**k.

I’m struggling to reconcile the team’s performances under Courts at the start of the season compared to more recently.  Was it just a streak of good luck?

[PauloPerth]

An intriguing end to end game which was ruined by the red card.  Haven’t seen it back yet so don’t know if it was merited or not.

After a good first half, I felt Hallberg had dithered in possession a couple of times and utd’s midfield were all over him and dispossessing him, then he eventually got done again for the red card incident.

I thought Butterfield had a really good game, and despite not scoring when he should have, I thought that was one of Crawford’s better performances. 

Davidson’s reluctance to take the initiative in matches is frustrating. I thought if we’d changed Brown for Sang we’d maybe have far more threat, whereas Utd were getting on top after the break.  Brown is a steady reliable decent defensive player, but he’s one of the worst on the ball in our squad, yet we give him one of the most important creative positions in our set up?!  In the end it worked out okay as we needed a back 5 to hold out and he played his part well.

May was decent, worked really hard, and Callum Hendry continues to look the all round centre forward he did 2 years ago. 

Glad we took something, despite losing ground, as I feel mentally thats a positive for the players that we can battle to a point when up against it.

The whole defence did well, but I hope folk coming out with all the McCart doesn’t want to be here, isn’t interested pish are eating their words a bit, some of his last ditch challenges and headers are not from a player who doesn’t care.

[Center half]

Middielton walking off the pitch in "Huffy Strut" maybe the "Kelty getting telt" has got to him! However if he thinks he is a "Billy Big Baws" he can get to f**k for me !

[PauloPerth]

1 minute ago, Center half said:

Middielton walking off the pitch in "Huffy Strut" maybe the "Kelty getting telt" has got to him! However if he thinks he is a "Billy Big Baws" he can get to f**k for me !

I noticed that he just turned and left, wondered if he was upset about not getting long er on the park. However, I’ve rarely seen the rest of the players react all the same way like that, wish I’d taken a photo.

About 6 Saints players (all except Brown who looked completely spent as well) around our box were in an identical bent over with hands on knees looking absolutely fucked position.

[Center half]

6 minutes ago, PauloPerth said:

I noticed that he just turned and left, wondered if he was upset about not getting long er on the park. However, I’ve rarely seen the rest of the players react all the same way like that, wish I’d taken a photo.

About 6 Saints players (all except Brown who looked completely spent as well) around our box were in an identical bent over with hands on knees looking absolutely fucked position.

Cleland said something to him and he got that "get to f**k wave of the hands"  Steve may tried a handshake as well that did not go as planned!      

[The Saintee]

2 hours ago, Granny Danger said:

I’m struggling to reconcile the team’s performances under Courts at the start of the season compared to more recently.  Was it just a streak of good luck?

I think we've seen first hand just what a streak of good luck can achieve.

[FrankChickens1]

Watched the "highlights" back. 

Given how much of a pathetic wee man the referee was (typified by punishing utd by forgetting advantage to book Cleary) I think Hallberg's taunting the ref after the first yellow really helped seal the deal for the second. Probably not a wise move looking back. 

Quite like the look of Hallberg still but he does maybe play a bit like he thinks he's too good for us / the league, despite the fact he really isn't. 

[Valentino Bolognese]

4 hours ago, FrankChickens1 said:

Watched the "highlights" back. 

Given how much of a pathetic wee man the referee was (typified by punishing utd by forgetting advantage to book Cleary) I think Hallberg's taunting the ref after the first yellow really helped seal the deal for the second. Probably not a wise move looking back. 

Quite like the look of Hallberg still but he does maybe play a bit like he thinks he's too good for us / the league, despite the fact he really isn't. 

I didn't think he was taunting him, he was annoyed and (rightly) pointing out that it was his first foul. I think the second yellow was his second foul. The sending off was an absolute farce top to bottom and agree that we could, arguably would, have gone on to win that with 11 men. Even with cautious Callum at the helm , Middleton and Gallacher would have been on earlier and you'd expect Sang would have been on  too, but the red card gave him the excuse for full 'protect the point' mode.

CD was right in his interview that bad decisions have almost certainly cost us more than other teams this year, but the refereeing decisions haven't been responsible for the poor football, negative set-up, lack of conviction, late subs and some unfathomable contract work. That's on him and the players. 

All that said, and despite needing a win yesterday, there does seem to be something that looks a bit more promising and players coming back / coming in gives the slightest glimmer of hope that we just might avoid rock bottom. 

[Tap in 94]

Why were all the kids in the corner wearing sailor outfits yesterday?

[Widge]

Held off commenting until this morning to have a think about the match. Firstly, for me, it’s not a sending off, for all the reasons Beatson has laid out. If the referee was going to book him for it, then he should have done it immediately after play was stopped and not after a minute long chat with Nicky Clark. It’s a shame the referee spoilt what was actually up until that point an entertaining game of football, with both teams posing issues and threatening. I’d say saints probably edged the first half just, Crawford should score, but equally how United didn’t from one of the corners I’m not sure. 
 

Whilst I don’t agree with Tam Courts statement about us going down to 10 stopped United winning, I can get where he’s coming from. I like others is of the belief we win that game if we keep 10 outfield players. But the moment we lose a man, it was shut up shop and kill the game, which we did very effectively. However, again as others have said, United were still there for the taking on the counter. If we’d changed shape quickly and put some pace on, McMann and Smith were getting caught high up the pitch and neither centrebacks are particularly quick. Dare I say, it’s a shame O’Halloran is injured as ironically that’s the one thing he can do, as there were times when Brown got a lot of the ball in the second half with space. 
 

As for the saints team, aside from hitting the bar, Crawford was poor once again. Butterfield was much better today and brought plenty of composure on the ball. Defence were all fine defensively, Brown tried but totally ineffective. May and Hendry worked hard and Hendry is clearly playing with some confidence, keepy ups in your own half with 5 mins left is ballsy. MacPherson looked totally lost being asked to play further forward, that’s on Davidson, he shows glimpses, but then at times is so poor. 
 

As for United, I know it was his first game, but the lad Akinola looked totally lost out there. You could tell from moment 1 he wanted 4/5 touches every time and it was a shame Courts spotted that and took him off. All in all, with the way the game panned out, take the point, lament another poor referee and use it as yet more motivation. The signs are there were fighting and improving, it’s too late now to catch those above us, but it gives us a chance in 11th. 

[PauloPerth]

43 minutes ago, Tap in 94 said:

Why were all the kids in the corner wearing sailor outfits yesterday?

The lads singing and getting behind their team you mean? 

You boys should try it sometime!

[The Saintee]

Yeah, the damage is done now so it's all about holding onto 11th and getting some kind of form for the playoff.

[Tap in 94]

3 hours ago, PauloPerth said:

The lads singing and getting behind their team you mean? 

You boys should try it sometime!

That's fine mate but no in fancy dress surely