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December

December 30th - Latest on the weather front is that although a pitch inspection is planned for Scumdee, the Saints game is said to be "in little danger".
Nick Dasovic(right) is set to return to the side. The Canadian said "The manager told me before the Rangers match that he wanted to freshen things up and if I look at myself in the mirror I know I've not played well in the last month. Whether it’s down to fatigue I don’t know, but maybe being involved all summer and then going straight into the season here is catching up with me. I have to say that I am looking forward to the break so I can regenerate the body and get a bit of sun and be ready for the last three months of the season. With Paul Kane being injured I’ll be back in the team this weekend, though, and looking to do well. Relegation isn’t really a worry, sixth is our aim at the moment and these games are massive ones"
7.00pm - An entertaining 2-2 draw with Hearts still left many of us disappointed with an almost total lack of attacking football on show from Saints in the 2nd half after an good comeback in the first to go 2-1 up with goals from Le Mo and Paddy Connolly. Even better for Saints fans was the appearance off the subs bench of Nathan Lowndes looking as fit as ever. Post match the manager was disappointed with St. Sandy saying "I'm disappointed we didn't win it. We lost a bad goal at the start but made some good chances to take the lead but then failed to kill them off". The only other SPL match to go ahead saw HIVBees get a 95th minute penalty to beat the Arabs 1-0.

December 29th - Sean Evers has returned South after Saints decided to cut his loan period short. With Michael O'Neill signing a short-term deal it was unlikely that another midfielder would be brought on board.
Meanwhile, Stewart Duff isn't too chuffed with the SFA being pessimistic about the weekend fixtures. He said the pitch is in "perfect condition" and the car park has been gritted already (something of a problem in recent years) and the game should go ahead.
5.30pm - Just to prove you shouldn't believe everything in the papers it now turns out that Sean Evers is still at the club and a certain manager is rather pissed off at the rumours. Elsewhere TFOE v Well, Sheep v St Midden and Killie v TFOD have all fallen foul of the weather - means there's only 3 SPL games currently going ahead this weekend.

December 28th - Saints are set to lose two first team players through injury for the Hearts game at the weekend with Paul Kane suffering from an ankle knock and Stuart McCluskey a groin injury. Whether or not the game will go ahead remains to be seen with snow all over Scotland just now and the weather forecast not looking too hot.
The TFOE match in Jan has been moved again to Wed Jan 31st with a 8pm kick-off. It's a piece of history for Scottish football with the game to be the first of 4 SPL matches to feature in Sky's pay-per-view package. Cost is £7.95 for all 4 games with SPL exec Roger Mitchell saying the fans will be "offered a lot more choice in the games to see". The real question though is what the effect will be on the crowds at the games. For all the delights of TV it's still not as good as being there in person is it?

December 26th - Right, the season of goodwill is over and it's back to league business with the trip to the Evil Empire today. St. Sandy will be happy with a repeat performance, if not scoreline from the weekend. "If we create as many chances as that I would be delighted. I am not criticising anybody because the way we played and the chances created were exceptional. I can't believe it happened that way. I thought we were the better team for the whole game."
Paul Kane(right) believes we can get something if the crowd turn on the home side "It is never an easy game, but we can take heart from our latest performance. For the first 20 minutes we played as well as we have for a while, but we came up against a quality keeper. If we can create the same chances against Rangers I am sure that one of them would be a goal. We did well against Rangers when they came here but it is a different ball game when you go to Ibrox. They will have 50,000 fans there and that can sway decisions. We went there for the first game of the season and played OK. If we can take something positive out of the performance and fightback against Motherwell, we will give it our best shot."
Latest on the police incident from the Well match is that referee David Somers has also been interviewed and a report is going to the Procurator Fiscal.
7.30pm - A gutless performance at Castle Greyskull saw Saints back to their old ways with a 3-0 defeat sending us to 9th in the league. Post-match St. Sandy praised TFOD's closing down of our players saying "...we were not allowed to create any chances". Paul Kane went off at half-time with an ankle knock which is apparently set to keep him out "for a while".
Results elsewhere saw HIVBees and Jambos draw 1-1, TFOE win 4-0 at Tannadice, Pars get a 3-2 home win over the sheep, Well lose 3-0 at home to Scumdee and Killie win 3-1 at Love St. Not a good night to be a Saints fan.

December 24th - Apart from the depressing reading of the match stats from yesterday (I mean 14 corners !!!) the only real piece of news is that it's Motherwell's Stephen Hammel who has been reported to police for racist language after his clash with Le Mo towards the end of the match.
St. Sandy is isn't expecting too much from the trip to the Evil Empire on Tuesday saying "The Rangers game does not bother me in the slightest. Anything you get at Rangers and Celtic is a bonus. We will go there and I'm pretty certain that we will do all right. We have been there that many times in the past, it certainly doesn't hold any fears for us. If we lose the game, it is expected, and if we get something, it is a bonus. That is no hassle for us."
Elsewhere ex-Saintee Miguel Simao is back from Japan and apparently interesting 1st Division side Livingston although God knows where they're getting the money to pay his wages from.
Finally Merry Xmas from the Temple !!!!!

December 23rd - Saints' home match with Killie in Feb has been moved to Sunday February 11th at 6.05pm - yup the boys from are back in town !!!!!
For the immediate future though, St. Sandy is looking to head into the break with a decent points haul. "Of our next four games, three of them are against teams in our area of the league, challenging to finish in the top half of the table. So they're all very important. Motherwell are one of those teams and if we're to make it then this is the type of game we’ve got to look to win."
7.00pm - Saints took the season of goodwill a bit too far although from being 3-0 down at half-time they recovered to only lose 3-2 to Motherwell with goals from Kiegan Parker and Le Mo. Post match St. Sandy said "I honestly can't believe that we have not got at least a point or all three points. It was a fantastic game and, at half-time, we were 3-0 down and I just cannot believe what happened. I thought we were the better team through the whole game but Motherwell were dangerous attacking. I would rather have won 1-0 and played rubbish though." . As expected David Somers was a shite ref although there is more controversy with police apparently investigating an on-field incident believed to be a remark made by an unnamed player. A police statement said "As a result of an on-pitch incident at McDiarmid Park during the St Johnstone-Motherwell match, a complaint was made to the police. Police inquiries have been made and a report will be made to the Procurator Fiscal." .
Elsewhere in the SPL a 3-1 win for the Jambos over the Arabs, a 1-0 win for TFOD over HIVBees, a 2-0 win by TFOE at Love St, a 1-0 win for the Pars over Killie and a 2-2 draw between Scumdee and the Sheep mean we've slipped to 7th in the table.

December 22nd - Good news first with Darren Dods(right) signing a new 3 1/2 year deal to keep him at the club until the summer of 2004. St. Sandy said "Darren deserves his deal for he is a whole-hearted type of player who always gives it everything he has got. Since coming to Perth, he has been a good servant to the club and I am sure he will continue in the same vein in the future. From a manager's perspective, the fact he has agreed to commit himself to St Johnstone is good news because you want as much continuity of team selection as possible. We recently re-signed Keigan Parker, who is a very exciting young talent, for a similar length of time and will continue to look at renewing other players' deals in the weeks and months ahead. This is an important part of the game nowadays and one which this club take very seriously." Darren Dods himself said, "Clubs will be chopping their squads to reduce losses. A lot of players will be worried about their futures but now I have security for the next few years. I could have waited and cashed in on Bosman but I didn't want to take that gamble. We've got a few players out of contract this summer but hopefully we can hold on to most of them. The future looks bright for the club and I'm happy to play a part in it. I feel I've improved year by year as a player here. There have been massive changes at Hibs but signing for Saints was definitely a good move for me and at no stage have I had any regrets."
Looking ahead to the match both Michael O'Neill and Craig Russell are available - their red cards don't count for the senior games. The former has been trialist recently but it looks like he'll be signing a short-term deal in time for the weekend. St. Sandy is out for revenge tomorrow after the 4-0 drubbing earlier in the season. "The players let both themselves and our supporters down that afternoon. This is the opportunity to make amends. After losing a little ground last week with our loss to Hibs, it is also important we pick up the three points to continue our push for a place in the top six when the league splits in March." Teamwise one certainty is that Le Mo will return to the starting line-up.

December 20th - It looks like Kiegan could be in line for a call-up to the Scotland U-21 squad at last. Coach Alex Smith said "If Keigan carries on the way he has been going he will have come into my thoughts. We seem to almost be spoiled for choice at the moment when it comes to strikers, which is good news for Scotland but not so great for the guys trying to get into the team. Opportunities do present themselves though, so it is important for the likes of Keigan to keep working hard at their games and trying to improve where they can."
Last night's U-21 match was controversial to say the least. A 1-0 win to Aberdeen with Nathan back playing also saw Craig Russell and Michael O'Neill sent off the in the first half - O'Neillfor an alleged deliberate handball and "Jack" for dissent. Even worse in the second-half goalie Kevin Cuthbert also went down the tunnel for a last man challenge on one of the lambs.

December 19th - Latest on the Gary Bollan saga is that the player is now interesting both Hearts and Killie. However Saints are still keen to keep him with Geoff Brown saying that "..his agent had accepted our offer of a new contract but it was the player himself who rejected it" something the player denies. It does make you wonder if we'd be better off accepting a bid now rather than hold onto a player who has no intention of staying beyond the summer. St. Sandy himself has denied any bid for the player saying "It’s disappointing to have players involved in speculation but it’s inevitable nowadays. We are working hard to keep Gary here because he is a very good player. A club like ours has to look and plan for the future, and budget accordingly. We are at the stage when we will be looking at the position of all our players who go out of contract next summer. Most clubs are in a similar situation."... which sounds like a wait-and-see philosophy from the club until at least the league split.
One player keen to stay is Michael O'Neill(right). The midfielder hopes to play a full 90 minutes for the U-21s tonight against Aberdeen but said "Nick Summersgill has got me back to fitness. Now I’m hoping to rebuild my career in Perth. I’m the perfect example of how Bosman can work against a player. But I'm grateful to Saints for giving me another chance. The agreement we've reached suits both parties, although any player would prefer the security of a contract. I want to repay the club for their support and between now and the winter break I hope to get a chance. As a trialist I have total freedom and could walk out and sign for someone else. On the other hand, the club doesn't have to pay me if I don’t play. But I'm not using St Johnstone just to get fit and move on. I want to prove to the management and the directors I’m worth a long-term deal here.". Nathan Lowndes is also set to play.

December 18th - Not much in the papers - some token praise for us from the weekend. The Sun is running the same story about Gary Bollan(right) being a target for the Gorgie Gits saying that Levein has had one bid rejected by Saints already. Bollan is still confident of Saints still being in the top half by the winter break. "That's our first defeat in six games and after a slow start we've begun, over the past few weeks, to find some consistency. The teams immediately below us are that bit closer now but they still have to catch us. We've got the points in the bag. They've got to pull us back and looking at the matches we have left before the winter shutdown I think we'll continue to pick up our share ahead of the break."
Meanwhile the SFA are to write to St. Sandy to query remarks "attributed to him in a newspaper report". This probably related to the home match against Celtic.
Finally we've got the joy of the refs announced for the festive season. The men "in charge" will be David Somers for the Motherwell game (so expect some crap there), Mike McCurry for Ibrox on Boxing Day (you can see what'll happen already), John Fleming for the visit of Hearts and Willie Young for the Pars match on Jan 2nd.

December 17th - Amidst the plethora of Media Falsehoods today there is some news. Reports in the Sunday Mail today say that Gary Bollan is set to sign a pre-contract agreement on January 1st with Hearts with a move to the Gits lined up for next summer under Bosman.
Meanwhile tonight's SPL match saw TFOD blow it again and only manage a 1-1 draw with the Arabs at Tannadice.

December 16th - Despite a decent first-half performance Saints still managed to lose 2-0 at Easter Rd. Elsewhere the SPL results saw TFOE 6 Sheep 0, Pars 2 St Midden 0, Killie 2 Scumdee 3 and Well 2 Hearts 0.

December 15th - Returning from suspension, Blaster is set to go straight into the Saints side in place of the suspended Le Mo. Nathan and Michael O'Neill could return to the bench but according to St. Sandy "neither are ready for a full 90 minutes". The manager said, "It won't be an easy game by any means but we will go there with confidence. The team have been getting the results and the guys all have a lot of faith in one another's ability to get the job done. Kiegan Parker has, rightly, been getting a lot of praise for the goals he has been getting but there have been plenty of other good performances too. The winter break is coming up soon and we want to head into it with as strong a finish as possible."
Jim Weir(right) is looking for revenge tomorrow as well. "I still feel guilty at leaving the lads short-handed. I was sent off for denying Mixu Paatelainen a goalscoring opportunity. It was a surprise to me because I knew I wasn't the last defender. And I was in the tunnel when I heard the roar from Hibs fans which greeted their opening goal from the free-kick I'd conceded. It was a real low point for me. So this game is a chance to exact some revenge."
Tickets go on sale today for the Boxing Day trip to the Evil Empire - season ticket holders first with the rest getting them from Tuesday onwards.

December 13th - Well the silly season has started with TFOE the latest to be linked in a speculative tabloid report with a 7-figure bid for Kiegan Parker. Geoff Brown said "He is contracted to St Johnstone until 2004. We want him to stay and score more goals but accept that eventually he will have to move - but not at 18 years of age. Any player who scores goals will attract attention and, as each game passes by, you can see Keigan improving. He still has more to learn, but he'll be learning here."
Meanwhile the latest incoming rumour is that Aberdeen's Andy Dow has been targeted for a Bosman move to Saints next summer to replace Blaster who has still not signed a new contract.

December 12th - Stuart Dougal will be the ref for the Easter Rd game this weekend. Oh joy.

December 11th - After scoring on Saturday, Pope's next target is a run in the team. "I think it was nearly a year ago that I got my last goal and now it's about playing well and staying in the team. I'm certainly not going to put my head up in the clouds after just one goal. It has been a case of ups and downs and being in and out of the team this season. Playing in the team every week is the most important thing for me. If I can get a steady run in the team-which I've not had and I'm partly to blame for that - then I feel that I can get a few more goals as well. "

December 9th - Goals from John Paul McBride(right) and Kiegan Parker in each half saw Saints get a comfortable 2-0 win over St. Mirren a result which cements our top 6 position. After the game St. Sandy said he was "delighted to get the three points. We started poorly but were in control after that. I thought McBride took his goal well - he has the ability but he needs to give that little bit more."
Elsewhere there were 3-0 wins for Hibs at home to the Pars and Hearts away to Killie. Highlights of the Saints game are on Sportscene tonight (Christ that's 3 weeks in a row!!!!)

December 8th - After another couple of quiet Saints days (although we all got a laugh at TFOD getting knocked out), it's SPL time again with St. Sandy(right) not expecting a walkover against the 2nd bottom team. "I was in Paisley the other night and it was certainly a good game for the neutrals, with St Mirren clawing back a point after going down to ten me. If we want all three points on Saturday then we will have to earn them, we certainly won't get them without working really hard."
The squad remains unchanged from last week with the exception of 2 welcome additions in the form of Michael O'Neill and Nathan Lowndes. St. Sandy believes the team can continue their unbeaten run saying "The lads showed last week that they won't stop fighting and I think we'll soon see the best from the team"

December 5th - The SFA have announced that Eric Martindale will referee Saturday's visit of the Paisley Junkies. We've not had him yet this season so let's hope we get some fairness for a change.
Meanwhile Le Mo has picked up a 1-match suspension after Saturday's booking - he'll now sit out the trip to Easter Rd. Asst manager Billy Kirkwood said "Momo had done well for us since he made the move to Scotland in the summer. He has been a very good signing. He picked up another booking at Dens and now he is facing a one-match suspension. He has come from a different culture as far as football is concerned and he’ll have to learn the Scottish way. "
Speaking of the travelling fans at Dens he also said "We were delighted with the backing of the big travelling support. Support like that every week would be very welcome. They were right behind the team from start to finish and the players were glad they got their reward. You could see there was a real feeling of togetherness at the end of the game and the fans played their part in the result."

December 4th - Not too much in the way of real news. Alan Main is currently suffering from an index finger broken in 3 places. The injury occured in training last Thursday but was hushed up so he could play at Dens. He plans to keep on playing until the mid-season break when an op is scheduled.
On the leaving front plenty of unsubstantiated rumours on the go. Craig Russell(right) is apparently heading for Notts County for £75,000 - the original rumour started from the English side but as yet there is nothing in it at all.
Slightly more realistic but just as crap is the Retardgoing on about Walter Smith watching Kiegan Parker at Dens with a view to buying him to replace Jeffers at Everton. Apart from the fact that the manager himself denied being on a scouting trip in the Sunday papers there is no truth in this whatsoever.
Finally the Hearts Youth Cup tie at McD will be played on Tuesday Dec 12th at 7pm

December 2nd - A last-minute own goal saw Saints get a well-deserved point in a 1-1 draw at Dens, with the match the main game on BBC Sportscene tonight. Both Le Mo(right) and Nick Dasovic were claiming the goal but St. Sandy said after the match "We made more than enough chances to earn the goal. We're now unbeaten in 4 games and that's a good run in this league". And credit too for the large Saints travelling support - hopefully the half-time singalong has ensured that the Scumdee CD is ruined.
Elsewhere the SPL results saw a 2-1 win for Killie at Pittodrie and a 3-1 win for TFOE over the Pars. The Arabs and St Midden game was postponed.

December 1st - St. Sandy isn't sure what to expect tomorrow but knows it'll be a tough game. "Dundee have invested heavily this season and it has made them one of the most interesting teams in the division. They have some top quality players and collectively they are capable of producing some excellent passing football of the type everyone likes to watch. That said, their results have not been consistent, which is something you might expect in a situation where you have a lot of foreign players settling into a different environment. To beat St Mirren 5-0 and then go and lose 3-1 to Hearts is unusual form, and for that reason I reckon the outcome of this weekend’s game will be especially hard to predict. We have done well in our last couple of game ourselves, plus it is also fair to say that we have been concentrating well away from home and displaying good discipline in defence. If Dundee play as well as they can we are certainly going to need those qualities at Dens, though I am not going to be making any special plans to combat any of their flair players"
Team news wise there's little new - Ross Forsyth has been added to the squad whilst Gary Bollan starts his 2-match suspension leaving room for some tactical changes on the left.
St. Sandy is also set to join the Internet revolution at last. On Monday Dec 4th at 4.30pm the manager will join in a chat forum on the Official Saints Site .
Meanwhile, the latest news on Graeme Jones(right) is that he'll be out until after the break. "The club haven't messed about. When it became clear my injured knee had not responded to electric shock therapy, they sent me to the best in the business. I've been out for eight weeks already and now I'm facing a three-month lay-off. That's really frustrating but at least we've got to the root of a problem that had been a bit of a mystery. The bonus is that the surgeon tidied up the cartilage while he was at it. I've got to be patient and not push myself too soon. It will be after the January break before I can step up training and think about a return to the first team. The important thing is there's light at the end of the tunnel. I've had a frustrating time because this injury has kept me out even longer than a torn cruciate."
Finally, Craig Levein has been announced as the latest scapegoat for the Jambos financial troubles.

Top Of News

November

November 30th - Bad news for reserve keeper Stephen Robertson today with confirmation that the player's knee injury will keep him out until the start of next season. Meanwhile, Darren Dods is relishing in his current role at wing-back. The defender said "The manager asked me to move to try out the new formation. I'm enjoying getting forward more but with my contract up at the end of the season I'm just happy to be playing anywhere".

November 29th - Saturday's match against Scumdee will see Saints play to a worldwide audience as sports network ESPN are set to carry the game to America, Australia and most of the world. So we can all watch Hugh Dallas f*ck up.
Tonights SPL scores saw Well beat the Buddies 2-0, Pars beat the Jambos 1-0 and no doubt it was an exciting 0-0 draw between HIVBees and TFOE (bound to have been exciting since it involved one of the Wegie bigots).
Little else in the papers apart from the usual Retard slagging of the game. As an aside to that it appears that both Kiegan Parker and Stuart McCluskey were made available to the press at Rugby Park but that the Killie staff never called them through - not that we'll get an apology from the media for their reporting of it all. And they wonder why Saints and St. Sandy don't like them much? For the latest rubbish being spouted in the media check out the Falsehoods page.

November 28th- An entertaining 0-0 draw sees Saints stay 6th in the league. After the game St. Sandy said "It was a decent game and very open from both teams. We were expected to win but we don't have a divine right to win any game". Elsewhere the Arabs are back to normal with a 1-0 home defeat to Killie.
Ref for the Dundee game has been confirmed as Hugh Dallas - let's hope the games not on the telly then.

November 27th- Team news for tomorrow's visit of Aberdeen sees Cap'n Jim and Le Mo(right) both set to play despite picking up minor knocks at the weeknd. Not so good news for Cartman though with his back problem set to keep him out once more.
Today's Courier hopefully lays to rest any reports that Hearts want St. Sandy for the managers job at Tynecastle. He was apparently "sounded out" but "Sandy has made it clear to the Hearts directors he is happy to remain at McDiarmid Park".
Finally, let's hear it for the Retard who are having a whinge about the post-match press conference on Saturday (alongside the usual "tiny away support" crap). Apparently Saints breached SPL guidelines by not providing a manager and player to speak to the media after the game with only St. Sandy attending. In addition they didn't talk too much about Kiegan. Strange then how both the Sun and Metro managed an interview post-match with Paul Kane then isn't it? Still I suppose a night of pre-OF bigotry Buckfast-quenching in Wegieland is more important than waiting for the press conference.

November 26th- Good news on the managerial front with chief executive Stewart Duff apparently stating that St. Sandy will "categorically not becoming the next Hearts manager".
Today's SPL saw Darkness beat Evil 5-1 in the bigot match. And the ref for Tuesday night has been confirmed as Dougie McDonald.

November 25th-Jim Weir is looking for consistency from the team now. "Our win against Dundee United has got us back on the rails after two defeats and it has kept us in touch with the top six. Kilmarnock have probably been the better side against us twice this season but there's always only one goal in it either way when we play and hopefully it will be in our favour.". One player looking to make the side to day is Paul Hartley(right). He said "The manager has changed his system and after playing me as a wing-back in recent reserve games I get the impression he's trying to tell me something. I've done quite well and scored a few goals. It's a different role for me because I'm used to bombing forward as much as possible. Now, I'm having to think more about defensive duties. But I know I can adapt and I'm confident in my own ability. I'm desperate to start a game again. It's been disappointing to sit on the bench in recent weeks. It was a bit like that at Easter Road and I left because I wanted to be playing on a Saturday. But I haven't been hammering on the manager's door. Instead, I'm prepared to be patient. I've just had to work hard in training and make sure I'll be ready if and when my chance comes along."
Meanwhile there's no mention of St. Sandy in connection with the Tynecastle job in the papers today.
7.00pm -A Kiegan Parker double saw Saints win 2-0 at Rugby Park. The first came from the spot as John Rowbotham made a decent decision for a change whilst the 2nd was sheer class. And you can see the highlights on BBC1 tonight. Post-match St. Sandy (who is still being mentioned in connection with Tynecastle despite denials in some papers) said "I thought we fully deserved the points. I told the lads at half-time to show a bit more conviction and belief and the 2nd half goals proved that.". The result puts Saints up to 6th. Elsewhere in the SPL the Sheep and Well drew 3-3, whilst it was 1-1 at Love St between St Midden and HIVBees. Jambos beat Scumdee 3-1 and the shock of the day was an arab 3-2 win over the Pars.

November 24th- Team news for tomorrow is that Cartman will miss out with his back injury. Paul Kane is aiming for a top 6 place now relegation looks unlikely. "It's time to stop looking over the shoulder. We should be using the games coming up to stake a real claim for the top six. We have to take points off teams in our area of the league, getting wins that really count for places. Killie have done well to get into third spot and they've done it by steering clear of the draws which hurt them last season. Their form has been impressive."
On the trialist front Michael O'Neill has signed up until Jan 2nd when a proper contract might be offered. Tommi Kautonen and the mystery French midfielder have returned home but Sandy Clarksaid "They both did very well and we know where we stand with them so there could be business done in the future."
The main news though is that Sandy Clark is rumoured to have been interviewed by the Jambos for the vacant managerial position. Whilst nothing has been confirmed yet it appears the Saints boss is on the short list along with Eric Black and Stuart Baxter. Pieman has said that a decision might not be known by tomorrow which confirms that the candidates include managers at other clubs. It would be nice to see a statement from Saints or the manager regarding this - as it stands there could be a lot of bad feeling towards the management team if he's seen to be jumping ship to return to Tynecastle. I'd hope that if he was considering leaving he'd have the decency to resign before even being interviewed. It calls into question the loyalty of the manager to the club and his players and more importantly the role of the chairman in this. Remember what happened the last time we lost a manager - it took a lot of hard work to win the fans back.
7.15pm Finally some official comment in the E-Tele with managing director Stewart Duff saying "We’ve had no approach from Hearts and, as far as we’re concerned, Sandy Clark is manager of St Johnstone FC. But it’s really up to Hearts to comment on such matters.". Meanwhile BBC Scotland have reported that Eric Black has pulled out making Sandy Clark more likely to move. The reaction of the team tomorrow might say a lot.

November 23rd- Little happening on the park with the only news being that St. Sandy plans to use Marc McCulloch in place of Bollan during his suspension.
Meanwhile Geoff Brown(right) has warned of possible cuts in the squad size over the summer to reduce costs. He commented, "With the French system, a club has 19 full-time players with as many Under-21s as they want on top of that and I believe this to be adequate for a club such as mine. But to get a change to implement this into the SPL rules needs 11 supporters, and there's no way we'd get that. Rangers and Celtic would be likely to disagree as their European commitments require them to have larger squads of experienced players. Due to the high wages being paid out, clubs such as St Johnstone just can't afford to carry large staffs. A lot of clubs are trading at a deficit, and that must be put right."

November 22nd- Saints look set to offer Tommi Kautonen a contract - with Gary Bollan due to start a suspension soon St. Sandy believes we need cover in defence. "Gary Bollan can play for the next two games, Kilmarnock away on Saturday and Aberdeen at home next Tuesday, then is suspended for three matches, so we'll have a wee look at what we can do about Tommi. He did well again last night. We also have a French midfield man on trial and will have to decide within the next few days what's going to happen with him."

November 21st- Saints U-21s drew 1-1 with their Arab counterparts last night with the Saints goal coming from Sean Evers. Whilst Tommi Kautonen got another run out the good news was the return to action of Michael O'Neill and theThe Ginger Bomber(right) for 45 minutes each. The latter said "This game has come earlier than expected. I'm a bit ahead of schedule. It's definitely a landmark for me, a real bonus. I've only been kicking a ball for a few weeks now and last week was the first time I'd joined in training with the first team squad. The lads have been taking it easy with me but I put myself in positions knowing I would take a knock. The surgeon says everything has healed nicely and the screws in my back won't pose a problem for playing football, where there's always a bit of rough and tumble. I'm not expecting miracles in the way of a rapid return to the top team after being out for so long. But it would be great if I could get myself on the fringes before the winter shutdown."
Elsewhere on the injury front, Graeme Jones' knee injury will be checked over by a specialist at the end of the week and we'll know then whether or not an operation is required.
Finally the ref has been announced for Rugby Park - it's our old friend John Rowbotham so expect a sending-off.

November 18th - A Kiegan Parker goal towards the end of the game got Saints a well-deserved 3 points in a 1-0 win over the Arabs. Elsewhere in the SPL TFOE gubbed the Jambos 6-1, Scumdee won 5-0 at home to St. Midden, the Pars and TFOD fought out a goalless draw, HIVBees lost 2-0 at home to the Sheep and Well lost 2-1 at home to Killie.
Post-match, "We knew it was going to be a hard game because United were struggling at the bottom and they showed great spirit but it was a brilliant result for us and thanks to Parker we got there in the end. It was a late goal but the game last 90 minutes. We pushed Sylla forward, we brought Paddy Connolly on and we had Parker up front."When you have these type of players on the park you are always going to get a chance. In fact, after we scored, we had a few chances to score more."

November 17th -Jim Weir(right)has been passed fit for tomorrow after making a quick recovery from his exploratory knee op.Alan Kernaghan, though is a "big doubt" according to St. Sandy thanks to his back injury. "That pretty much sums up our season so far really - as soon as one of our key players returns to fitness we lose another. It would be frustrating were it not for the fact we are so used to it." Nick Dasovic may also miss out - the midfielder only got back from international duty in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Craig Russell is pressing for a regular starting place. "I missed a few weeks with a knee problem but I'm fine now. It was a great boost getting off the mark last week. It's just a pity the goal didn't count for much because we were 4-0 down. It was a shock being involved against Celtic. I hadn't expected a place on the bench. But it was a great experience and with another U21 game under my belt this week my fitness has improved. I've had my injury problems here but I know I'm fortunate when I look at guys like George O'Boyle and Nathan Lowndes. I'm prepared to be patient for my chance because Paddy Connolly and Keigan Parker have been doing well. I know we have to score more goals, especially in front of our own fans, but we have to work as a team to give the strikers more to work with. We're well aware United's record is dreadful away from home and it's not much better at Tannadice. But they have some decent players and they've been strengthening the squad. We have to be tough and resilient this weekend and it would be great to get the first goal. That would bring United out and the fans might see us at our best.No one here wants to see United improve on their away record at McDiarmid Park. "
Strange mention in theP.A. Sport today - ex-Saintee Miguel Simao is set to leave Hiroshima next month and is looking to return to a club in Scotland. Not sure why it's mentioned under Saints news though.
Remember that issue 4 of the Saints fanzine from Blue Heaven goes on sale tomorrow at the ground.
Finally the home match against Aberdeen has been brought forward to Tuesday Nov 28th with a 7.45pm kick-off.

November 16th - The good news first of all is that The Ginger Bomber is back in training although his build-up to a possible Xmas return will be a cautious one. Elsewhere the trialist quota is down to two with the club making no further moves towards signing Mark Watson.

November 15th - Gary Bollan(right) and MoMo have made up after Sunday's fracas with the ex-Arab saying "Things like that happen on the park from time to time and you just put it behind you. I think it was a misunderstanding because MoMo doesn't speak much English. It was one wee misunderstanding and everything is hunky-dory now. It's also a sign that we're fighting for each other - and I would say it's a good sign". Time will tell there no doubt.
Elsewhere and St. Sandy won't be rushed into any decisions about this week's trialists. "We are looking carefully at two trialists. We have them all week so we'll be keeping a close eye on them, however they're certainly doing okay at the moment." Finally latest on Cartman is that he's "still struggling". to make the Arabs match

November 14th - Cartman could be missing on Saturday - he's suffering from a persistent back injury picked up in a car accident a few weeks ago and his back seized up on Sunday. St. Sandy isn't too bothered though with both Stuart McCluskey and Jim Weir available. The manager also took time out to praise Craig Russell who's goal marked his return from injury. He said, "A fit Craig is a boost to us because he will get goals and it is up to him to keep his fitness and place in the team."
Last night's U-21 match against Sellik saw a 2-0 defeat for Saints who fielded a Finnish trialist in defence - believed to be Vaasa star Tommi Kautonen(right).. Also playing were Tommy Løvenkrands, JR and Stephen Frail Also on trial this week is an unnamed French midfielder (who is currently under contract to his club so unable to play in the U21 match). whilst Mark Watson is off to Mexico on international duty with Nick Dasovic.
Saints youths have been drawn at home against either Hearts or Airdrie in the 4th round of the Youth Cup.

November 13th - Ref for the Arabs game on Saturday will be Garry Mitchell - one we've not had yet this season.
Elsewhere there's not much in the papers as expected although there's a fair bit of criticism of MoMo's attitude yesterday post-punchup with Gary Bollan. Personally I reckon both players were to blame but there is a share of responsibility which should be aimed at Alan Main- as captain he should have dealt with the problem instead of leaving it to Larsson, Cartman and the ref.

November 12th - Alan Main is looking for a win today. The Saints keeper said "I'm sure the priority for Celtic this season would have been to win the league and they're doing well on that front. They beat us last month and although we felt it was an injustice they are organised and give everything. We must match that to have a chance. We have have had so many important players out injured such as Alan Kernaghan, Darren Dods and Jim Weir. But no matter who plays against Celts we can't afford silly mistakes. We'll have a go and who knows what might happen. Hopefully,we can win a place in the top six. I don't think too many of us would complain if we achieved that target."
7.00pm - Despite an improved performance over last week, Saints were still gubbed 4-1 by Sellik with sub Craig Russell scoring the consolation goal. Not a bad performance overall with some poor defending at the goals and a nightmare in midfield costing us the game. Post-match St. Sandy(right) said "We've played worse and won games but we gave the ball away too often and that cost us the game". Speaking of the flare-up between Gary Bollan and MoMo the manager said "I think arguments are healthy. Every good team has them". Hmm well.
Elsewhere tonight the Sheep lost 2-1 at home to TFOD with the usual accusations of referee bias doing the rounds.

November 11th - Saturday's SPL scores have seen us slip to 8th thanks to the wins for Well and the Gorgie Gits. Full scores were : Arabs 0 Scumdee 2, St Midden 1 Gorgie Gits 2, HIVBees 1 Killie 1 and Pars 1 Well 2.

November 10th -Congratulations to the Sun for ensuring that the build up to a match against one of the OF keeps the media tradition going of stirring up a crisis in the opposition. Today it's a piece of total speculation that St. Sandy is heading to Tynie to replace Mumblin' Jim. I don't suppose it's too much to ask for Saints to come out and deny this?
Elsewhere the trialist has been named as 30-yr old Canadian Mark Watson.
Also today, Saints have announced some of the testimonial acitivities for Il Biscotti (right). A dinner at the Station Hotel on Feb 3rd, a sponsored golf match and a testimonial in the NewYear will go towards raising funds for the player - and paying towards the £15,000 needed for his nine-day stay in hospital whilst he undergoes hip resurfacing surgery. "St Johnstone could have washed their hands of me but the club have been very supportive since I was forced to quit and I'm grateful for their help." said the player, just turned 31, "The supporters have also been good to me. The surgeon won't get me playing football again. That part of my life is over and I've come to accept it. But my hip has deteriorated quite rapidly and he says this will improve my quality of life. I haven't rushed into this but I've decided it's for the best."
Looking ahead to Sunday and Nick Dasovic is out to make it up to the fans. "The Dunfermline result and performance was a big let down after displays in the previous three games, including the game against Celtic at Perth. It ruined my week and it must have been hard for our supporters as well. We had a talk about it on Monday and maybe we didn't work hard enough as a team. But Sandy Clark is a positive guy and we're still in the top six, which is what really matters. We've done well in the last four years but maybe there are still people out there who don't think we deserve our success. They're gunning for us and we have to maintain the standards we've set for ourselves. Year after year we have to prove them wrong. Our players' pride was hurt last weekend and now we have a tough task on our hands, probably the toughest of the season. But the gaffer is never scared going to Glasgow to face the Old Firm and he'll have us up for it. We put in a good show against Rangers at Ibrox and something similar will be needed on Sunday."
Finally on the injury front, Stephen Robertson will need another op on his knee after seeing a specialist this week.

November 8th -Alan Main(right) has been given his usual call-up to the Scotland squad for the Australia match - not that he'll get a game though.
Meanwhile Craig Russell has been added to the squad for Sunday. He's suffered no adverse reaction to his run out on Monday night. Also from Monday, the trialist defender has been revealed to be an unnamed Canadian. St. Sandy said "He's been with us for the last couple of days and he'll be staying on until the end of the week so we can see more of what he can do."
Finally commiserations to the Gorgie Gits who saw Mumblin' Jim leave tonight.

November 7th - Craig Russell(right) started his comeback from his knee injury by playing and scoring in last night's 2-0 U-21 win over Dunfermline.
Not so good news for some others on the injury front with Stuart Malcolm set to be out of action for "months" due to a hernia problem which requires surgery. Also being operated on is Jim Weir who will have a minor knee op with the aim of "tidying up some niggling problems". The club took advantage of the player's suspension to get this sorted out and he's expected to be back in the side for the visit of the Arabs on November 18th.
Meanwhile Michael O'Neill, whose short-term deal expires at the end of next week will be given the change to earn himself a deal. "The manager will be speaking to Michael, but hopefully we can come to an agreement which ensures that once he has regained his fitness we will have a further period in which we can assess him." said Stewart Duff
Finally congraulations to the U-18s who did what the first team couldn't and scored at home on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Huntly in the SFA Youth Cup.

November 6th - Not much in the papers today with the attention on the Pars. However I am majorly pissed off with the shite written by Ewing Grahame in the Retard. One of his quotes on the first half refers to concerns Alan Kernaghan as a "big blouse" because he wore gloves. Never mind the fact that a basic piece of research would have revealed that the player suffers from diabetes and wearing gloves (which he does most games) helps his circulation. Still probably be a bit much to expect an apology eh?
Elsewhere the ref for Sunday has been announced as Kevin Toner.

November 4th - A poor gutless Saints performance saw us lose 2-0 to the Pars with the players that took a lot of credit for the last fortnight today failing abysmally to show any form whatsoever. Booed off the park again and all the good work of the last week seems to have been undone.
"We just didn't play today and it disappointed me that we didn't really compete until they scored," said St. Sandy after the game. "It's all the more frustrating that we only had to make one change today with Jim Weir absent but I thought Stuart McCluskey was our best player. It's the nature of the SPL at the moment that this lead shows you every team is capable of beating each other and we simply can't afford to lose any more game like today."
For the masochists out there, the game is on BBC Sportscene tonight. And if you're really sad tickets are on sale for the trip to Parkhead next Sunday priced £19.

November 3rd- No real team news yet for tomorrow so we don't know whether or not to expect 3-5-2 or 4-4-2. There were the usual quoted from St. Sandy, saying "Our recent performances and results have been very good, and that now puts pressure on us and people expect us just to turn up and win. But Dunfermline will be determined to do well after their CIS Insurance Cup defeat at St Mirren in midweek. We are on a high, and it is a home game, so we are hoping to win. But Dunfermline have had a good start on their return to the Premier League and they have proved they are very hard to win against. There are no easy games any more in the league, but if we show the same commitment and play the way we have been playing I expect us to rise to the challenge and pick up the points."
Saints players will be warming up in "Save the PRI" T-Shirts though as the club gets behind the town for once.
Elsewhere the good news is that Kiegan Parker(rigjt) has signed a new extension to keep him at Saints until 2004. The player has been inundated with offers from agents but decided to take Paul Kane's advice instead when signing the deal. Geoff Brown said, "Keigan, at 18, is still a very young lad with a lot to learn about professional football but if he carries on progressing the way he has been doing then I think all he will be able to achieve all his ambitions. As everyone knows this club have managed to produce a lot of really good players over the years, Keigan is at least as promising as any I have seen here. You could tell with the likes of Callum that he was going to go on to big things and watching Parker you get exactly the same feeling. In fact there is more excitement about him than there was with any of the rest. This is because he is a guy who does exactly what everyone wants to see on a football pitch - stick the ball in the back of the net. People still remember how Ally McCoist's career began with this club and if Keigan carries on making the right progress over the years, if he carries on doing his job by sticking the goals away, then I am sure he will become a big name player too. His performances against Celtic and Rangers only underlined to us what a talent he is and when the time comes for him to go higher in the game, as I believe it will some day, we will not stand in his way. Physically, he is still quite slight but then so was Michael Owen when he broke through and that didn't stop him scoring goals against some of the biggest clubs in the country."
The player himself said, "I'm delighted to get this contract for it is a great boost to my confidence and it means I can carry on learning my trade secure in the knowledge that my future has been taken care of. I am happy to do that here and leave any thoughts of me one day moving to a bigger club to others."

Top Of News

October

October 31st - Latest team news is that Stuart Malcolm is out of the Pars game with a groin strain. Stuart McCluskey(right) could come into the side in place of the suspended Cap'n Jim if the manager decides to stick to the 3-5-2 formation. Elsewhere, Michael O'Neill is due to start training next week.
The U-21s drew 2-2 with Hearts last night with JR scoring both goals.
On the much-debated crowds front everyone that attends the Dunfermline game will receive a gamecard. Turn up at the next 4 home matches and get your gamecard stamped and then you can enter a draw for a new Vauxhall Corsa. The idea to boost the crowds is costing the club £10,000 but Geoff Brown says "It's also a way of rewarding our regular attenders and our season ticket holders (they can also enter the draw) and obviously we're hoping that it will help to add to our support. It's quite an innovative promotion and the fact that the team is doing well just now will also help bring our support up. We've tried all sorts of things to boost our crowds, including cutting prices, but the beauty of this scheme is that our season ticket holders benefit as well."

October 30th - Little in the papers with the crisis at the Jambos dominating most of the match reports. Cap'n Jim has been waxing lyrical on the Parker Pen saying that Saints "won't be able to hold on to him. We're a selling club and will get a lot of money for Kiegan. He's one of the best young players I've seen. He has plenty of pace and skill and any weaknesses he does have are being worked on by the manager".
The referee for the Dunfermline game will be Kenny Clark

October 28th - Gary Bollan says that Saints need to be in the top half of the league at the winter break. "The most important aim of our season is getting into that top six to ensure we make the mid-season cut. So we've got to stay there or thereabouts up until the winter break and obviously the further up the table we can get, the better. A win against Hearts would get us into the top six just now so obviously thats what we're looking to do. Coming off the heavy defeat at Motherwell it was important that we put a couple of good performances together. We did that against Celtic and Rangers and getting the three points on Sunday was vital. We're now looking to build on the Rangers result but obviously Hearts will be looking to bounce back from their bad derby result at Hibs. It's got the makings of a good match.". Still no word about the injuries but if they get the all-clear expect an unchanged line-up and the 3-5-2 formation again.
7.00pm - We wanted consistency and by God we got it today. A great 3-0 win was enough to put Saints up to 5th and keep the smiles on our faces. A penalty from Kiegan Parker and a couple of crackers from Paddy the Punisher (right) were enough to see of the whingers from Gorgie. Post-match, Billy "K" praised the lads saying "The team fought well and I think we've turned the corner after a poor start to the season. The defence is looking solid and even the keeper is playing his part. ".
Highlights of the game are on BBC Sportscene tonight.

October 27th - Saints have injury doubts over 2 mystery players who will face late fitness tests ahead of tomorrow's trip to Gorgie Gitland. The good news though that both Stephen Frail and Stuart McCluskey are available for selection after coming through Monday night's U-21 game without any after-effects.
Also on the injury front, Marc McCulloch resumed training this week and Craig Russell will be back on Monday. Not so good news for Graeme Jones - a visit to a London specialist has confirmed the striker will be out for another 4-5 weeks.

October 25th - Cap'n Jim is looking forward to finally breaking a jinx at the weekend and playing in a winning side against his previous employers the Gorgie Gits. "After all these years I haven't been in a winning Saints team against Hearts and I'd love to see that change on Saturday".
Not much other news as the tabloids continue to milk the TFOD crisis headlines.

October 24th - Good news first of all for Cap'n Jim who is eligible to play in this weekend's SPL match. His suspension will then kick in ruling him out of the home game against the Pars and the trip to TFOE-land on Nov 12th.
Meanwhile the U-21s drew 1-1 with Rangers last night with Stephen Frail, Stuart McCluskey and Emmanuel Panther all managing 90 minutes. Saints goal came from JR.
Speaking of the injuries, St. Sandy said, "They're getting there. The problem they've now got is that they've lost their match fitness after being out for so long. It would certainly help to get them back to fitness soon and have them available. Hopefully we're on the right road now to getting a few players back. We've only really had one bad game this season, against Motherwell, and the reaction the players gave to that and the commitment they put in against both Rangers and Celtic was excellent. With a bit of luck we could actually have got more than just three points from the two games because we didn't get the breaks against Celtic that we maybe did against Rangers. It just goes to show how thin the line is between winning and losing in the Premier League."
Sean Evers(right) is feeling optimistic about his form as well. "There should be more to come as my match fitness builds. The great thing is that I've settled in here right away and that's down to the lads in the dressing room, Sandy Clark and Billy Kirkwood. That's helped me enormously.". St. Sandy said, "Sean has added a bit of freshness and he has the running power which suits the system we've been using. I did worry about his fitness because he hadn't played much football recently but he's got energy to burn. First team football has also given him a lift.".

October 23rd - The gloating continues big style today with Saintees everywhere indulging in a bit of major slagging of TFOD scum. St. Sandy said "I'm delighted with my players. Against Celtic we were a bit more like ourselves and today we continued with that and deserved to win the match. They deserve a lot of credit because they came back from the blow of Rangers' equaliser, weathered the storm really well and went on to win." It was revealed in the papers today that McCann's fury post-match was apparently aimed at Craporuso instead of any Saints player. Just makes you smile all the more.
On the injury front Stephen Frail is set to play in the U-21s tonight. Not so good news for Graeme Jones though with the striker set to see a London specialist about his knee injury.
Jim Weir(right) is suspended for Saturday's trip to Tynecastle. G Clyde has been appointed referee of the clash.

October 22nd - The morning before an OF game wouldn't be completed without some anti-Saints story in the papers. Today it's Gary Bollan(right) who says he's leaving at the end of his current contract in the summer if he doesn't get an improved offer (God where have we heard all this before?). "If we reached a point where things worked out, I'd be happy enough to stay, but I'll be 28 when my contract's up so it's a big time for me. I've got to make sure things are right, because I'm at a stage where I'm looking for a bit of stability".
6.30pm - A wonderful 2-1 gubbing of TFOD this afternoon saw Saints move up to 7th with a penalty from Kiegan Parker and a 2nd half MoMo Missile enough to see off the bigots and their excuses. Post-match a rather overjoyed St. Sandy praised the lads for "showing plenty of character and fight". Goalscorer Kiegan Parker said "Hopefully this will kick-start our season and we can get back to the form of a couple of years ago". Tonight's other game saw next weeks opponents Hearts shafted 6-2 by Hibs.
Finally a warning for anyone planning a trip to Tynecastle next weekend - I got my tickets today and it looks like the away fans are being punted into the old stand. Dont'cha just love 21st century football stadiums ?

October 21st - Latest from the treatment room is that MoMo's hamstring is getting better and the player is able to jog without any reaction. If he's passed fit expect a 3-5-2 formation otherwise Saints will go to the traditional 4-4-2.

October 20th - Nothing but injury news it seems. St. Sandy has revealed that MoMo has a hamstring strain and is "rated only 50-50 to make the game on Sunday, but we'll give him every chance to prove his fitness". Ross Forsyth will come into the squad as cover although it looks like the 3-5-2 formation from last Tuesday will be used again.
It's worse news for long-term injury victim George O'Boyle though. A hernia problem has put his comeback on hold until the start of 2001. He's recovered from his cruciate injury which has kept him out of the team for two years but now needs a hernia op. St. Sandy said "This is a real nightmare for George and everyone at the club feels for him. I know how much work he has put into his rehab from the cruciate op but the setback is a real sickener. The surgeon says he'll be out for another two months."
Elsewhere Saints had a mystery French-Algerian midfielder playing in a closed-doors game yesterday.
Off the park the club have tickets available for next weeks visit to Tynecastle with £1 off the marked price if you buy them on Sunday - at least it's less money for the Pieman. Also the club have announced that the SFA Youth Cup tie against Huntly will be played on Sunday November 5th at McD with a 2pm kick-off.

October 19th - Cartman has been praisingStuart Malcolm's debut performance and reckons the player will bounce back from his undeserved red card. "Stuart was very upset but you can't afford to retaliate. Considering what went on beforehand, when Petrov lifted his hands to Bollan, he came off worst which is the most annoying thing. It was a big night for Stuart and he handled himself very well until that incident and showed that he has a bright future at the club."

October 18th- St. Sandy looks set to have to appear before the mandarins of Park Gardens next week after his "official" criticism of the referee last night at the post-match press conference. "This is a matter which will be dealt with by the General Purposes Committee," said an SFA spokesman. "Press comments are reviewed by that committee and, if the committee view that some comments are potentially in breach of the SFA's articles, the matter will be taken further."

October 17th- Don't expect too much in the way of changes to the line-up for tonight's visit of The Forces of Evil. At the last count St. Sandy only had 17 first-team players to pick from - one up on the weekend count thanks to the return from suspension of Jim Weir. New boy Sean Evers looks set to make a home debut as well. Hopefully we'll go for at least a 4-4-2 attacking formation, but don't count on it.
A 2-0 defeat but at least the spirit and fight was back in the side as yet again we lose out to some farcical refereeing in an OF match. With substitute Stuart Malcolm(right) sent off towards the end for being the one spotted in a handbags-at-dawn tangle with Mjallby the Cheat, 8 (count 'em) bookings and a dodgy penalty for TFOE it was no wonder St. Sandy was rather miffed in his post-match comments. "Our commitment was great and I thought the ordering off was unfair. Stuart just lost out to the more experienced Mjallby who made sure he got his kick in first. Petrov had a similar tangle with Bollan in the first half but was only booked. It's disappointing but these are the sort of incidents that turn games".

October 16thAlan Kernaghan has admitted that we need to improve for tomorrow night. "We've certainly got a lot of work to do. I think this is probably the first sticky patch we've had in all the time I've been here-31/2 seasons. We lost 3-0 to Hibs in our last match, so we've been gubbed two games in a row and that doesn't bode well if you're a defender. We need to get it right sooner rather than later. All areas of the team need work and we just have to get it done. We certainly don't have to pick ourselves up for Celtic and Rangers but it's a really big challenge."
Meanwhile St. Sandy hasn't been holding back either "It was a terrible result. To lose four goals in the way we did was horrific. In the couple of years I've been at Perth the base we've built from has been quite good-a solid defensive unit that's been hard to beat. Today, everything we work on went against us. I'm actually quite glad we've got a game on Tuesday night (against Celtic) so we can sort things out."

October 15th - Well apart from the bout of depression one mystery has been cleared up from yesterday. Apparently, Graeme Jones is out for 4 weeks with a ligament injury. It doesn't get any better does it.

October 14th - Sean Evers has already said he wants to extend his deal and make his stay at McD permanent. "Im an attacking midfielder who likes to get beyond the front two and score some goals. My best in a season is ten and the way I play, if I get 30 or 35 games a season I’d expect to score 10 goals. I've been a little bit frozen out at Reading to be honest. It was Tommy Burns who signed me, and since he left, the new manager has brought in his own personnel. I think Sandy spoke to Tommy because he was looking for an attacking midfield player and Tommy mentioned my name. I haven’t played first team football for about eight weeks but if I get the chance tomorrow I’ll be raring to go. Whether I last the 90 minutes or not is another matter, but I'm going to give it my best shot and hopefully I can earn myself a permanent contract here. I've only been here since Monday and I feel at home already. In the space of less than a week here I like it so much that I’d definitely be prepared to stay. Obviously Sandy hasn't seen enough of me yet to make a decision so hopefully I can prove myself. At the moment my career’s on hold and I think I’ve a good chance of kick-starting it here."
6.30pmA4-0 gubbing by Motherwell and Saints are now a club looking more and more lost. A total lack of tactics, leadership and professionalism both on and off the park means that we're going into a double-header against the OF this week with St. Sandy's job now well and truly on the line. If anyone wants to draw a comparison with today's game it was reminiscient of McLelland's last game in charge against Partick. And we know what happened after that. The manager said that the result "horrified and disappointed me. All four goals we lost were due to basic defensive errors and it won't do."
Meanwhile a club in as bad straits as us, Dundee Utd tonight saw chairman and chief exec Jim McLean resign after allegedly assaulting BBC Reporter John Barnes. Christ even that's a resignation offence now.

October 13th - Saints won't be taking their interest in the Scandanavian defender who played in a trial match this week any further. Meanwhile though, Sean Evers has signed for Saints in a 3-month loan deal and is in the squad for tomorrow's match with Motherwell. Jim Weir is suspended for the trip to Fir Park. There are no injuries from the players on international duty and St. Sandy wants to get points on the board before the OF visit Perth twice next week. "It was disappointing the way the Hibs game worked out and Motherwell were in a similar situation against Hearts when they had a man sent off and had to play most of the game with 10 men. We are certainly capable of taking something from this game but, as with any SPL match, we'll have to work hard and produce some decent football to do it."
As for Stephen Frail(right), St. Sandy said "Steve is back training with us now and we are hoping that he might make the under- 21 match a week on Monday."

October 12th- Latest moves see St. Sandy hopeful of signing Sean Evers on loan until the end of the season. The 23-yr old played in a bounce game on Tuesday and the manager said "He has come here highly recommended and hopefully something can be sorted out".. The club are hopeful of having the player in place prior to Saturday's trip to Fir Park.
No word on the other trialist who has been revealed to be a Scandanavian defender.
More good news on the injury front as well with Stephen Frail set to resume full training soon.
Finally, MoMo has returned from playing 90 minutes in Guineas 1-0 win over Senegal in the African Nations Cup. With the temperature on the pitch pushing 40 degrees, the player said, "I'm glad to be back to this nice, fresh, Scottish weather because it was really hot over there. None of our team were really used to the heat because we all play our football in Europe, mostly in France. It was pleasing to get the win because the match against Senegal was much like a Scotland v England match for us. The crowd are always noisy and it was a proud moment for me because this was the first time my father came to see me play; before he has only ever seen me play on TV."

October 11th- St. Sandy has spoken out about the return of Paddy Thingy from his loan period. "We're more than happy to have Paddy back because there's no question he's a quality player. He did very well at Ayr and scored a very good goal against Raith. I think the move benefited both clubs. But St Johnstone paid a lot of money for him and I feel he's still got a big part to play here in the future. He'll be in the squad for Saturday's game at Motherwell." .

October 10th- Newspaper reports say that Saints have taken Reading midfielder Sean Evers(right) on loan / trial. The player cost £500,000 in his move from Luton to Reading but is out of favour at the English club. He's a 23-yr old attacking midfielder signed by Tommy Burns in March 99. According to the official Reading site (http://www.readingfc.co.uk) he describes him strengths and weaknesses as "The best parts of my game are joining in with the front players, creating things from midfield and hopefully joining in the attacks to score some goals. And my weaknesses are definitely defending and heading!"
St. Sandy has arranged a bounce game for today featuring 2 trialists, one of whom a Continental and the other is believed to be Sean Evers.
Meanwhile, Paddy Connolly has been included in the squad for Saturday's trip to Fir Park.

October 9th- Little news to report - Kiegan Parker scored a penalty in the Scotland Youth team's 2-2 draw with Yugoslavia at the weekend.
Paddy Connolly's loan period is up at Ayr and after the player scored what was apparently one of the goals of the season at the weekend the West Coast club are keen to sign him although Saints injury problems up front and the rumoured £250,000 fee may stop any move in the near future.

October 6th- Kevin Thomas' (right) knee injury means that the player is set to face another cruciate operation and is out for the rest of the season. "It's a real sickener but I'm trying to be positive. This has really hacked me off but I'm not a negative person by nature. There's not much point in wallowing in self-pity. That would just depress me even more. I'm aware people will say this is a career threatening injury but having come back from a similar operation five years ago I'm confident I'll do the same again. I know what's in store and now my job is to concentrate on getting fit again. It's all happened pretty quickly and maybe it hasn't sunk in yet. But I had a good luck call from Allan Preston, who had to give up the game earlier this year, and that put things in perspective. I'm only 25 and it's not going to end here. I was a quick healer last time and back playing first team football within eight months. It might take a wee bit longer because I'm older. But I will be back."
"I had a cartilage operation in February and when I started getting niggling pain from the knee I thought that might need tidied up. But a scan revealed the true extent of the damage. There was no cruciate ligament there! The surgeon reckons I'd built up so much muscle around the knee during my previous rehab that I'd been able to play on without it and not experience too much pain. It seems I had been getting away with it for months. But recently it had been getting a bit sore after training and I thought the cartilage might need cleaned up. We had it checked out and it transpired that I needed the full works."
Meanwhile St. Sandy has denied moves for Burton O'Brien and it's believed he was watching a Middlesboro player instead.
Today's P.A. also carries some of the "Ask the Chairman" answers from Saints fans. Surprisingly there's little in the way of new replies from Geoff Brown

October 5th- St. Sandy is heading south at the weekend to scout out players in the Nationwide League. Whilst he won't even admit to the positions needing strengthening the manager said "I'll be taking advantage of the week off by having a look at a few people. We'll be seeing if we can find someone a bit different and a bit better than what we've got to bolster our pool." ......If he's looking for a midfielder that won't be difficult..
Meanwhile the Sun reports that both St. Sandy and Billy Kirkwood have watched ex-St. Mirren midfielder Burton O'Brien(right) in action for Blackburn reserves where the player is currently out of favour following his big-money move last season. Reports seem to hint that the club are trying to get the player up for a trial.

October 4th- The trialist from Monday night has been revealed to be a Frenchman (until we know better he's Monsieur X). He's gone back to France due to the lack of forthcoming matches that the club can look at him further in but St. Sandy is willing to talk to his agent to see if he can come back at a later date.
Meanwhile it's more fixture moves with the Parkhead match set for Sat Nov 11th put back to the Sunday thanks to the OF's involvement in Europe (yeah I know it's a strange concept for November).

October 3rd- Ross ForsythSome good news and Jim Weir will only be suspended for one game. The 5 disciplinary points he picked up for his red card on Satuday mean he's still 3 points short of an extended suspension. Injury-wise he's ok as well playing in last night's U-21match with Hibs alongside Paul Hartley and John Paul McBride.
Also in the side was an unnamed trialist. The right back from the continent is over for a trial period and St. Sandy will decide today as to whether or not this is extended. The final score was 0-0 although as usual Saints were down to 10 men following Ross Forsyth's sending off for a 2nd bookable offence.

October 2nd- Nick Dasovichas admitted that Saints were outclassed on Saturday (understatement of the year there then). "We've got to regroup in the two-week break we've got now, work on a few things on the training ground and learn from how well Hibs passed the ball against us. Obviously, it was always going to be very difficult for us after losing a man that early and a goal at the same time. They would have been very hard to play against if we had a full team. But they used their extra man very well, and even if we’d had the extra man I don't know if we could have utilised the ball as well as they did. We just couldn’t get near the ball for most of the match and there always seemed to be three or four Hibs players around you. When we were playing with 11 men they actually had an extra man on us in midfield, and then when they had two extra men it really did feel like a lost cause. By the end I was legless, absolutely knackered. We were running around like chickens with their heads cut off" - couldn't have put it better myself.

October 1st- Well after last night's totally unbiased media coverage of the game it's good to see the papers have followed up with their usual quota of Media Falsehoods. Today's SPL scores have seen Saints drop to 8th thanks to Aberdeen's 1-1 draw with Sellik and the Jambos 3-0 home win over Motherwell. Meanwhile TFOE beat the Arabs 3-0.
In a vague attempt at generating some good news about Saints this weekend, stories have been circulating from Rangers fans that made the trip to Monaco a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, along with their tickets they were issued leaflets on the city. The leaflets said the police were allowing Rangers fans> into the city during the day of the game due to the good behaviour of Saints supporters last year. Now I know it'll be a bit much for the negative media angles on Saints just now to be altered by someone publishing this but it's nice to see some people still appreciate Saints supporters.

Top Of News

September

September 30th- First up and it's congratulations to Alan Main who has been recalled to the Scotland squad at last. "It is fantastic news-a real boost. I had been forcing myself not to think about it, just to concentrate on doing as well as I could for St Johnstone, as it is one of these situations which was entirely out of my control. There appeared to have been a move to select three keepers rather than four and there didn't seem to be any sign that they would change that. The other lads are all very talented individuals and I didn't think there was any way that one of them would lose their place. Clearly, though, they have decided to go back to four to accommodate me, which is something I really appreciate. I am as proud of my country as the next man and it is fantastic to be a part of the national football team. Whilst I knew that the reason I was losing out was because I had been out injured for so long, it did not stop me missing the involvement."
6.30pm - Well the next 2 weeks until the Motherwell game see Saints facing a major uphill battle as a 3-0 defeat saw some of the worst performances of the season and to cap it all off Weir(right) was stretchered off (and red-carded) in the first half although he's not badly hurt. On the plus side Ross Forsyth made his debut as a 2nd half sub and at least shows that in the depths of the U-21s there are some players at McD who can show some fight. Masochists can watch the highlights on BBC1 tonight.
Post-match, St. Sandy said "Hibernian started well. The sending off certainly had a massive effect on the game." Apart from that it was the usual cliches.

September 29th- Kiegan Parker has been called up to the Scotland U-18 squad for 2 games against Sweden and Yugoslavia.
Darren Dods has been given the all-clear to play against Hibs. Despite this St. Sandy has added U-21 left-sided central defender Ross Forsyth(right) to the squad after the 17-yr olds impressive performance on Monday night. "Ross is still a very young lad with a lot to learn about the game but he is getting this call up on merit. He did very well against St Mirren but that did not surprise me for he has been consistently good all season. Everyone knows that we have a great youth system at this club and Russell is another product of that."
Paul Hartley, who faces his old team tomorrow has been joining in the praise of the other teenage star Kiegan. "Keigan is doing a great job. He's a superb talent and he's going to be a really good player if he keeps his feet on the ground and continues to learn his trade. If he listens to guys like the gaffer he can go right to the top. Obviously we want to keep Keigan for as long as possible but finishers are in great demand. Hopefully he can find the nett again this weekend against my old club." Looking forward to tomorrow's match he said, "This is my first game against Hibs since the move and it's one I'd love to win. They've got off to a great start and they're up there with the Old Firm on merit. The fact they're a former club gives it an extra edge for me. It's one I'm looking forward to. We're looking to get that first home win under our belt. We've had a decent start to the season and people forget we've only lost once and that was at Ibrox on opening day. It was good to get another three points against St Mirren. That was an important win. Hibs have built up a lead on us but they certainly aren't out of sight and we can peg them back further this weekend."
St. Sandy seems set to play the same 11 as last week but the pressure is on the players in the current team with both Tommy Løvenkrands and John Paul McBride scoring for the U-21s."They are putting pressure on the guys who started last week. Hibs have had a magnificent start to the season and they deserve to be up there. But I know that we have the quality to beat them if we play to anything like our potential."
John O'Neil is set to return to Perth tomorrow as well and he admitted "I don't know what sort of reception I'll get from Saints fans. After my first year at McDiarmid I always had a good relationship with the supporters and I won a few player of the year awards. I'm looking forward to the return. I think they appreciated what I did for the club in my years in Perth so I'm hoping there's not too much abuse coming my way! St Johnstone was a closer knit club, where everyone knew each other. I was surprised when I first came here and discovered that first team regulars didn't know the names of all the kids. That's the way is is at Perth. "
Mention PA Stuff re Fans Forum.

September 28th- Cult hero of the season so far, MoMo Sylla has been called up to the Guinea national squad for their African Nations Cup clash with Senegal. Oor MoMo said "It's an important match otherwise I wouldn't make such a trip. I only have four caps because I've put clubs before country in the past. Hopefully I'll add to my collection next week".
St. Sandy said "MoMo deserves this recognition. He's got off to a great start in Scottish football".

September 27th- Marc McCulloch is out of Saturday's squad after picking up a knee knock. St. Sandy praised the young team who beat St. Midden 3-2 saying, "Because of injuries we had a lot of boys playing and I'm really pleased with how they got on against a team with a fair bit of experience."
Also out for 4 weeks with a blood clot on the knee is Brendan Crozier
Off the park, Saints are rumoured to be on the verge of selling the Dunkeld Rd Supporters club to a garage and purchasing Jeanfield Swifts' ground in the Crieff Rd. This would then be turned into training facitliies and a supporters club. With a full size grass pitch and changing facilities already there this looks like an ideal move for the club.
Finally Saturday's ref has been confirmed - it's Hugh Dallas for the first time this season.

September 26th- Cartman has joined in the push for Alan Main(right) to get into the Scotland squad. He said, "Alan is very competent in all areas and I don't see any better than him. Sullivan and Gould have made it known they are number ones but Alan would certainly give Gould a run for his money." As for the Love St. win he merely echoed the feelings of most of us when he said "We were left hanging on at the end. As we've done in other games, we stopped playing for some reason. We began to overcomplicate things and they battled back. We've played better and drawn this season".
Darren Dods is still slightly doubtful for the Hibs game. Although he was on the bench on Saturday St. Sandy said that he still wasn't 100% fit after injuring his knee in training last week. He missed out on last night's U-21 win as well with the club hoping that the bit of rest will improve his chances for this weekend.
No place in the Scotland U-21 squad for Kiegan Parker - his time will come though. And he's happy with his current place in the team saying "When you look at the players the manager has brought through, like Gary Naysmith and Paul Ritchie at Hearts, it's obvious he knows what he's doing. I'm happy to trust his judgement."

September 25th- Saints U-21s won 3-2 at home to their Paisely counterparts tonight. Goals from Tommy Løvenkrands, Pope and David Noble.

September 24th- Well it looks like Nosey is in the limelight at last with the first set of comparisons with ex-Saintss Ally McCoist starting to surface. St. Sandy praised him saying "He took the goal well, but he's more than just a scorer. He also closes down opponents to help us defend from the front. But he's still learning and we'll bring him along gradually." . The Saints boss was also full of praise for Alan Main who made a couple of good saves to help clinch the points. "That's when Alan Main showed his class. For me, he's the best goalkeeper in Scotland. Some of his saves were top drawer."
Tonight's SPL match saw Hearts lose 2-0 at home to Killie.

September 23rd- JR(right) is looking to get amongst the goals today. The player has a good record against the Junkies and said "I've played against them quite a few times. They’re quite a young team who, like us, haven’t had many victories but hopefully we can go out and show them what we can do. I've scored nearly every time I've played at Love Street and, touch wood, hopefully I can do so again but the main thing is we get a victory and get back into the top six because that’s what we're aiming for. We've been playing quite well and just getting too many draws but at the same time we’ve only lost once-against Rangers at Ibrox-so we can go into this one quite confidently.".
Nick Dasovic echoed that saying, "We all know how important it is to get wins and three points. We don't want to end up going the same way as Dunfermline two seasons ago. We need to be more positive and try to score some more goals and hopefully we can start against St Mirren. Our last three games have been draws but in the five seasons I've been here we've never scored a lot of goals. Two years ago we got into Europe and that has to be the aim for us again this term. There is an extra UEFA Cup slot so that is a big incentive. Our first aim, however, is to make the top six before the league splits in half. It's imperative we stay in the top half because once you slip just below then it becomes a real dogfight."
7.00pm- Kiegan Parker(right) scored the only goal after 10 minutes as Saints won 1-0 at St. Mirren although the second-half performance by the midfield and defence was pretty dire with the home side missing a sitter at the end. Elsewhere in the SPL TFOE won 1-0 at home to Scumdee the Arabs lost 5-3 (!) at home to the Sheep, Well lost 1-0 to TFOD and the Pars and HIVBees shared the points in a 1-1 draw.

September 22nd- Darren Dods has picked up a knee knock in training so it could be a Weir and Cartman partnership tomorrow at Love St. St. Sandy watched the junkies at Tynecastle on Wednesday night and reckons Jose "Diving Git" Quitongo is their main threat since he offers "something a little bit different" (like a belly flop perchance?). The manager realises that the pressure is starting to build though. "It's shaping up as an important match for us. We have to start winning instead of drawing games"
Meanwhile Craig Russell(right) is looking for a decent run in the team. "I'm disappointed not to have been getting a start but you look at the stand and there's a few guys sitting there each week who'd love to be in your position. You have to accept it's a squad game nowadays. The lads have done well, losing only to Rangers, so I don't have much to complain about. I'm sure my time will come. I started against Killie but didn't do myself any favours. I was coming back from an injury when the gaffer asked if I was up for it. I'd hardly trained but enthusiasm got the better of me. In hindsight, maybe playing that day was a mistake. I know I've still to make a real impact at Perth but if I can get a run of three or four games in the side I know the fans will see the real Craig Russell. I've done the right thing by moving to Saints. I had another 12 months on my contract at City but I was going to be down the pecking order. I had a chat with Joe Royle, told him I'd been impressed with the St Johnstone set-up and I was delighted when the manager invited me back here to prove my fitness and sign a contract."
Good news on the injury front with Georgio's physiotherapy continuing. The player has even managed to take part in the occasional training session with the first team so hopefully he'll be back soon.
Finally, Saints U-21s play the young junkies on Monday night at McD - kick-off 7.30.

September 20th- Kiegan Parker has shown that he hasn't lost the goalscoring touch - he scored the solitary strike for the Scotland U-18s in their 2-1 defeat by their N. Ireland counterparts.
Tonight's SPL results saw a 3-0 win for Dundee over the Arabs and Hearts beat St. Mirren 2-0.

September 19th- Last night's SPL score saw TFOE beat the Pars 2-1.
St. Sandy(right) appears pretty unworried though since Saints are in the top half and nobody outside of the OF and Hibs are winning lots of games. "It would be better if we could turn the one point into three but if you look at the league you see how tight it is. We're sitting sixth at the moment which, if we're still there at the split, we would have to be very happy with. You just have to look at Kilmarnock. The last two games they have sneaked 1-0 wins without playing particularly well and that has lifted them up the league from seventh to fourth-it just takes a couple of games to see a dramatic improvement. We have only lost once - at Ibrox - and the tightness the rest of the time has been incredible. The teams know each other really well and that can lead to them cancelling each other out."
One good thing from the weekend match is that for a change there are no new injuries to concern the manager.
Elsewhere, Saints U-21s suffered their first defeat of the season as Scumdee won 4-0 at Dens last night.
Finally ex-Saintee Gerry McMahon has signed a long-term contract with Irish side Glenavon.

September 18th- Ref for next Saturday's trip to Love St is the wonderful Alan Freeland - the worst ref of last season. And with Jose Quitongo in the opposition ranks it fills you with so much confidence doesn't it?

September 17th- With another post-mortem Sunday there is still no response from the club on the Official Saints Site forums as to what action is going to be taken to boost the crowds at McD. Yesterday's game was watched by less than 6000 fans and with 2300 of these coming from Scumdee it's plain that something is drastically required. In addition there are more and more rumours starting to circulate of dissension in the dressing-room, previously one of Saints strong points, and whilst St. Sandy has been relatively free of blame so far and we have only lost one league game, the patience of a lot of fans is starting to wear thin. Personally I can't see how replacing him will help the club but the fact that sections of the support are now openly debating the possibility should be a major cause for concern in the club.
In more mundane matters today's SPL match saw TFOD get a 1-0 win over the Gorgie Gits.

September 16th- Saints managed a 0-0 draw in the derby with Scumdee but yet again a lack of finishing means dropped points with Kiegan Parker missing a sitter towards the end. Yet again the crowd was less than brilliant and Saints MUST start to take some action to rectify this.
St. Sandy said he was "pleased with the performance. I thought we deserved to take more from the game". So more of the usual there then.
Elsewhere Hibs won 2-0 at home to Motherwell, Killie beat Aberdeen 1-0 and the Arabs and Buddies fought a no-score draw.

September 15th- Some good news to start off with and Darren Dods(right) has said that he wants to remain at McD beyond the end of his current contract. The deal's up at the end of the season and the 25-yr old can leave under Bosman but strangely for a Saints player doesn't want to. "I want to stay with this club and am determined to do everything I can to win myself the offer of a new contract It's a great place for football for there is a real close-knit atmosphere about the place, a feeling of everyone being in it together. I am as happy here as I have been at any point in my career and see no reason why I should want to go and sign for anybody else. It won’t be easy, I know, for there is an awful lot of competition for places in the centre of defence here—what with guys like Jim Weir, Alan Kernaghan and Stuart McCluskey all looking for a regular game. All you can do is try to impress whenever you get the chance and, thanks to Jim’s bad luck, mine is going to come this weekend. The thought of coming up against Fabian Caballero and co is a prospect that really appeals to me as I have been impressed by what I have seen of Dundee on the television and I always enjoy facing quality players."
Chief executive Stewart Duff is being an accountant as usual. "Darren is someone we want to keep at McDiarmid Park