Temple Of Saints - 2004 Archive News From The Oracle
December
December 31st - Expect the
Samson deal to go through in time for tomorrow with the player available
for Monday. The squad was given the day off yesterday to try and kill off
the flu bug still doing the rounds at McDiarmid.
John Connolly said, "We’ve
cleared the place today so hopefully that will improve things. Obviously,
Kieran couldn’t make the match, but there were two or three others
who were not 100% and missed training on Tuesday. There was certainly a
lot of coughing and spluttering in the dressing room after the match."
2.15pm - Confirmation that Craig
Samson has signed on loan until the end of the season. The keeper
told the Official Saints Site,
"I’m delighted to be here and am looking forward to this
fresh challenge. Since ending my loan spell at Queen of the South I’ve
been training with the first team at Rugby Park but just playing reserve
football although I’ve been on the bench the last couple of games
because Alan Combe has been injured but I’m relishing the chance of
trying to get into the first team with Saints.". There's no
decision on who starts at Dingwall with the manager saying, "I’m
delighted to have sealed the deal to bring Craig here and his addition to
the squad now gives us two quality keepers on the books. I’ll have a
look at things in the training sessions before making a decision for the
Ross County match."
December
30th - The loan deal for Samson is almost complete.
John Connolly told the
Official Saints Site, "We've
to get the paperwork completed but everything is in place for the move to
be made on 1st January. The fact of life is that we need two good
goalkeepers on the books and with Allan
McGregor going back to Rangers and Craig
Nelson having moved on, we need someone to compete with
Kevin Cuthbert. I had Craig at Queen
of the South and he has Scotland Under 21 experience and the potential to
be a top class keeper. If we can get him here then we will have two
excellent keepers on the books.".....still no word on who will
play on Monday though.
As for last night's game, the manager said, "I'm delighted with
the result. I was concerned before the game with
McAnespie and
Moore calling off,
Ryan McCann and
Jordan Tait having missed training
recently and two or three others not feeling 100%. With the sort of cold,
wet night it was I was genuinely concerned we could lose others. But they
came through well and showed tremendous commitment and effort. The lads
who came in (Ross Forsyth and
Chris Hay(right)) did very well but I
don't want to single anyone out, it was just a good team
performance.Hamilton have not been losing goals recently and to put three
past them was excellent - that's twice we have done that to them without
reply and we are now scoring goals in good quantities - 3 against Clyde, 4
against Thistle - that's no mean feat in this league." It's also
been confirmed that Michael Moore missed
out last night due to a calf strain.
And to add to the fun and games the cup-tie at Dingwall has been confirmed
as all-ticket. The "official" reason for this is that
Caley Thistle are part of the SPL elite now and therefore their games have
to be played in all-seated grounds only, so no away terracing (and yeah we
all know that the Scottish Cup is an SFA tournament so keep all the
conspiracy theories to yersel). Saints fans will get the main stand and
have been allocated 500 tickets at £18 / £12 each. Tickets are
on sale at the club on the 5th, 6th and 7th of January and unfortunately
as part of this massive cock-up it means that there's no priority for
season ticket holders or the federation. Still it wouldn't be a season for
Saints without some sort of FUBAR situation.
December
29th - With RobRoy playing his
last game tonight Saints look set to sign U-21 bad-boy keeper Craig
Samson(right) on loan from Killie until the end of the season - at
least according to the Rugby Park club. Meanwhile looking ahead to
tonight, Keyring admitted that Saints
saved his career. He told the Retard, "I was on suicide watch
before I came back north - they were taking the laces out of my boots. I
was ready to pack it in if things didn't change this season. Now it feels
as if I've never been away from Saints.We're moving up the table and
working hard."
Meanwhile the departing loan star said in today's Courier, "I
have absolutely loved it here, the whole point was to play first team
football and I have done exactly that, playing 20 odd games. The boys have
been brilliant and we have gone on a really good run which has shot us up
the table. It would have been good to see the season through. It has been
tremendous to get five clean sheets in a row and hopefully I can add
another against Hamilton, it would be nice to leave on a high. When I
first arrived here it was a bit tough, we were not playing particularly
well but over the last wee while everyone has been on top of their game
and working hard for the team. Anyone who is looking for first team
football should consider coming to play for a team like this. St Johnstone
is a great club with a very good set up. All the boys here have a laugh
together and nobody is left out."
The mutual admiration society bit kicked in as well with
John Connolly saying, "Allan
has been excellent for us. We have given him the experience he was after
and it also benefited both ourselves and Rangers. He will be hard to
replace but that is something we are working on as we speak. Somebody will
come in and it will be a battle between whoever comes in and
Kevin Cuthbert to see who will get the
jersey."
Looking ahead to tonight's trip to Accies though, and there's no sign of
Ryan McCann and
Jordan Tait recovering from flu so expect
a change in the starting line-up.
11pm - In the end despite the conditions we had an easy
3-0 win at Accies to mark
RobRoy's final game. Goals came from
Chris Hay, Paul
Sheerin and Ryan McCann as we
moved up to 3rd thanks to Clyde's match with the Paisley Junkies being
called off.
December 28th -
Ryan McCann and
Jordan Tait have both come down with the
flu and are doubtful for tomorrow's trip to Accies in a game which matches
RobRoy's final game for Saints.
December 27th -
John Connolly was a happy man again
last night after the win over Raith. Speaking to the Courier he said, "Confidence
comes from winning games and you can definitely see we’re a far
better team than we were a couple of months ago. The players’
commitment and effort is being added to by better play. We keep giving
them mini challenges and they keep achieving them. Once we got the second
goal I thought the game was over and, but for their keeper, we could have
had four or five."
December 26th - So much for
Paul Bernard's return - he's suffered
a reaction to his comeback with a foot knock and will definitely miss out
this week. Apart from that it looks like it will be an unchanged side
again with Michael Moore and
Ryan McCann both recovering from their
minor knocks.
5.45pm - In the end it was an easy 2-0
win over Raith with Ian Maxwell
and Peter MacDonald scoring in the
first half to give us a comfortable, if understated win.
December 24th -
John Connolly is looking for revenge
on Sunday for the defeat at Stark's Park in October. The Saints' manager
told the Courier today, "We got Raith Rovers at the wrong time
because it was their second game with a new manager. Having said that,
anybody who was at the game would tell you that we were the better side in
the second half. We had words after that game with the players and, if
anything, that match was a turning point for us. The following week we
beat Hamilton 3-0 at home, and we’ve only had one defeat in our last
seven games. It’s only two defeats in 10, and that is championship
form, or not a kick in the shirt off it. It’s not a case of me being
glad to see the back of 2004— I want it to continue. The challenge
for us is to keep our good form going into 2005. If we win on Sunday and
the other results go for us, we could be third in the table. That’s
the incentive for us. We just have to make sure we’re not complacent
against Raith. They may be bottom of the table but nobody is hammering
them and we know the game will be a battle. Hopefully, with it being a
holiday, there will be a good crowd and we’ll get a good result for
them.”
Paul Bernard could be in line for a
return. He said, “I’ve been out for about 18 weeks now, so I’m
itching to get back. The knee is feeling stronger after a few weeks of
training and I’ve got a couple of games under my belt. Initially I
didn’t think I would be out for this long when I twisted the knee,
and it’s been a frustrating wait. To get back involved in some form
against Raith, be it on the bench, would be the best thing that could
happen for me just now and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve had
two major injuries in my career and unfortunately these tags have stuck.
It’s not something that overly concerns me though. I got through most
of last season without any problems and hopefully I’ll get a clear
run for the rest of this season. Obviously our start to the season was
indifferent, but over the last few weeks the boys have churned out a few
good results, and you can see the confidence rise. The ability has always
been there but it is good to see the results start to show that.”
December
23rd - Paul Bernard(right)
could be set for a comeback soon after getting another 90 minutes match
sharpness on Tuesday. Out since August with knee ligament damage,
John Connolly said of the midfielder
in the Courier, "Paul has a game and three-quarters under his
belt now and is very close to coming back into things. We’ll weigh
everything up at the end of the week after seeing how he trains for the
next few days but a subs spot this weekend would, all going well, be a
possibility."
Mark Baxter and
Kevin Fotheringham are set to
resume training next week.
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
December 21st - It's been
confirmed that Michael Moore picked up a
shoulder injury on Saturday but he's expected to be fit for this Sunday's
clash against Raith.
Meanwhile Saints have denied any interest in QoS right-back Eric Paton
who's been the subject of some media speculation recently.
And finally, it looks like the Caley cup-tie will move to Dingwall which
means a possible date change to the Sunday.
8pm- Confirmation that the Caley tie has been moved to Dingwall
(meaning 2 trips in a week for Saints fans) with a 3pm kick-off. Elsewhere
Saints played a closed-doors game against Scumdee this afternoon with
Paul Bernard getting another 90
minutes under his belt.
December 20th -
Keyring reckons the form we're
currently showing means that 2nd place is perfectly achievable by the end
of the season. In today's Courier he said, "Realistically Falkirk
aren’t going to blow it. I really can’t see that happening. But
if we carry on like we’re doing just now then there shouldn’t be
a problem in us finishing second in the table, which would be a big
achievement in the circumstances. I just want to play in as many games as
I can, win as many as a team as we can and see if we can keep this run
going. Beating St Mirren was a massive result because they’ve been
sitting second top of the league for most of the season. After beating
them and Clyde in recent weeks we’ve shown our credentials to be one
of the top teams in this league. That’s four games with no goals
conceded, and three of those matches have been wins. I’m also told
that we’ve now had five out of seven clean sheets, so that’s
impressive form. The work-rate in every game has been tremendous."
Lee Hardy meanwhile is being linked with
a January move to Clyde - which is ironic given that we've just added
competition to the left midfield and now we could be set to lose that. Oh
well.
December
18th - Sean Webb is looking
forward to trying for another clean sheet today - preferrably without
picking up a card. The Saints stopper told the Courier this morning. "The
aim today has to be no goals and no cards. We haven’t let in any in
the last three games so hopefully we can carry that on. Our aim now is to
win as many games as possible and to pick up as many points as possible."
Michael Moore is looking for payback for
the Paisley game though. He said, "'We want to get revenge for
the defeat that day - but that's where it ends. That's the only payback we
have in mind. I know some of the lads were angry about what happened but
their boss Gus MacPherson came out and apologised and Kirk later said he
regretted it. So that's an end to it.". As for his own part in
the affair he went on, "There was no point sitting in the stand
and maybe I was a bit over-zealous trying to impress. I was trying too
hard.But I feel I've settled in and there's a real confidence about the
place now. There was a gap earlier but if we beat St Mirren it will close
it to just three points. That's a big incentive."
John Connolly meanwhile is hoping
that there's no over-zealous refereeing to cost us the game today. "Anyone
who was there will tell you we were hard done by when we played them at
Paisley. There is no doubt that we can compete with them and if we win
today we will cut the gap to just three points. No one would have bet on
that a few weeks ago. That is why we must still hold out hope of catching
Falkirk at the top."
Elsewhere and ICT have confirmed that due to ground reconstruction, the
cup tie scheduled for Jan 8th will be moved away from Inverness, possibly
to Dingwall or Elgin - with the match date also possibly changing
depending on fixture clashes.
7.30pm - In the end the 1-0 win
over St Midden was a lot more comfortable than the scoreline
suggested with several chances going a-begging. The winner came in the
first half from a Ryan McCann finish.
Of course it wouldn't be a game against the tinks without some sort of
controversy and it seems that Jim Weir was
called into action at full-time to separate
John Connolly from Andy "Elbows"
Millen with the pair having a heated discussion.
Elsewhere and it looks like curtains for Partick with another defeat
likely to spell the end of the managerial career of Whyte and Britton.
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
December 17th- Don't expect too
many changes to the Saints line-up tomorrow.
Paul Bernard and
Ross Forsyth are both lacking in match
fitness to be considered for the visit of the Paisley junkies this
weekend. John Connolly said, "They
will have to try to get their fitness up in training sessions because it
is even difficult to arrange friendlies now as managers are unwilling to
risk players in the bad weather."
Meanwhile there was the real shock yesterday of Saints in some decent PR
as Jim Weir and some of the players
distributed selection boxes to local schools and hospitals (cue media
headlines about how nasty Saints are ruining kids' teeth!), with their
cost paid for out of the fines accumulated from the players disciplinary
code over the season so far. Ravey Davey
Hannah said in the Retard, "We've gathered in around 100 to
hand out to youngsters in schools and hospitals. It's good to know
footballers can bring a smile to the faces of kids."
December 15th - The reserves
beat their Forfar counterparts 2-0 last night.
Stephen McConalogue and
Andy Jackson got the goals.
Paul Bernard played 70 minutes and
Saints also had a foreign midfield trialist.
Meanwhile with a new keeper and a midfielder being targeted,
John Connolly has said in today's
Courier that the former may be another loan player rather than the
preferred option of a permanent signing. "We have people—some
we’d like to sign, others we could only get on loan—in mind, and
we’ll have to move on this as two weeks down the line Allan will be
away. I want to make a long-term signing if I can, but we’ll go for
the best player available and it may be that is through the loan option. "
7.30pm - John Connolly has
confirmed that Saints won't be signing the trialist from last night's
game. Speaking on the Official
Saints Site of the Portuguese midfielder, the gaffer said, "The
conditions made it difficult for the lad and to be fair he did okay but I
didn't see anything there to suggest he could add to the options we have
at the moment. He's headed down to England and if he manages to get a club
there then we can keep tabs on him." As for
Paul Bernard and
Ross Forsyth return from injury he
said, "Bernie was going to get an hour but in the event played
seventy minutes and took part in some full blooded challenges without any
obvious ill-effect. As always, the key now is to see what reaction - if
any - there is."
December 14th -
John Connolly has spoken in the
Courier about Jamie McQuilken's
departure. The Saints manager said, "The player had made it known
that he was happy down there and that he was keen to stay, so we didn’t
want to be hard to deal with. I had decided in the summer that I wanted to
play with a back four and Jamie would admit himself that he favours a back
five. If he had come back it wouldn’t have been a problem, but this
is probably for the best and frees up more space for me to maybe bring
somebody else in."
Meanwhile Paul Bernard is set to
start tonight's reserve match at McD against Forfar.
JC said, "We’ll see how
long Paul is able to last, but if he plays for an hour he’ll be doing
really wel.l"
Finally the manager spoke of the cup draw at Caley Thistle saying, "It’s
a tough draw away to an SPL club. If we had been drawn at Celtic or
Rangers we would have been delighted, but this match won’t make us
much money. It’s certainly a winnable match, though, because they
haven’t made a lot of changes from last season, and we’ll give
it a real go."
December 12th - It's been
confirmed that Jamie McQuilken has
become the latest player to exit the club with the ex-Bairn making his
move to Gretna, where he's been on loan since August, a permanent one. No
word on any fee so I think this will fall into the "nominal"
category.
December 11th - First up the
transfer moves seem to have started and defender
Stephen Fraser has been farmed out on
loan to Arbroath for a month, although it's a safe bet to say this is
likely to be extended until the end of the season.
John Connolly said, "After
Tuesday night we don’t have any reserve games for a month. He’ll
get hardened up a wee bit at Arbroath and get some tough games. I think he’s
got a chance of making it in the future so that’s why we’re
doing it."
Looking ahead to today's game though Allan
McGregor is in the Courier lamenting his imminent departure from
Saints. The on-loan keeper said, "It would be a big win for us.
Airdrie are on the same points as us and three points would see us pull
clear of the pack below. With Falkirk playing St Mirren it’s also an
opportunity to make ground on the league leaders. If we were to go on to
get four wins in my last four games that would get the club right back
into contention. Even though we were 4-0 up last weekend I was still
shouting at the lads to keep concentrating. I hate losing goals."
As for the midweek Scotland game he said, "I felt I had to go
out on loan this season and getting called up for that game shows I made
the right decision. I didn’t expect it, though, because I didn’t
even know there was a game or that I was being considered. I really
enjoyed the experience. It was 2-0 at half-time when I came on and I
thought we did OK after that. It was great experience to play against guys
who play in the Bundesliga. I haven’t got a clue where I’ll be
going but I want to keep playing. I would have loved to have stayed here
because I’ve settled in and we’ve been doing well recently. It
will be hard to go somewhere else and get started all over again."
John Connolly knows how tough today's
game will be and said, "They have been two very tough games and
there hasn’t been much between the teams. We’ve lost late goals
both times. They’ve got a lot of movement up front and you always
need to keep an eye on Owen Coyle, who is always liable to hurt you if he
gets a chance. But we’re going down to Airdrie full of confidence
after a 3-0 and a 4-0 win.".
As for the defence, it looks like Kevin
Rutkiewicz will be settling for a place on the bench according to
the manager. "Webby’s done
fantastically well since he has come in. He’s the man with the jersey
just now and the challenge is on for Kevin to get back in. We’ve won
the last two games convincingly, scored a lot of goals and kept two clean
sheets, so you don’t have a lot of thinking to do about team
selection."...so no real clues there then.....
7:30pm- In the end it was a dour0-0
draw at Broomfield with little in the way of attractive football.
And to round things off nicely the 3rd round of the Scottish Cup was drawn
tonight and sees Saints make the trek up the A9 to take on SPL new boys
Inverness Caley Thistle. That's set for January 8th at 3pm.
December
10th -Paul Bernard could be set
to make a comeback for the reserves next week after being out for most of
the season. Closer to home and Ross
Forsyth and Mark Baxter are both
set to miss out against Airdrie this weekend but
Kevin Rutkiewicz is available again after
his suspension.
Speaking in today's PA though skipper Ravey
Davey Hannah(right) reckons that Saints are just getting into their
stride with the recent run of good form. He said, "I feel I’ve
played really well in the last five matches and the team is starting to
compete. We are now going out to win the battles in the first 20-25
minutes of games. It’s a more of a settled team now and I think you
can see that on the pitch - the players know what they are doing now."
And just to prove he's not getting too carried away, he still thinks we
can catch Falkirk!. "It was disappointing not to win against Ross
County - that would have been 12 points out of 15. But if we keep our run
going and win our next two games, then we will be near the top. and that’s
good considering the bad start we had. Obviously Falkirk are the team to
catch but all we can do is to win our games and, if Falkirk slip up, then
that will be great. The majority of teams we have played are not going to
get any better, but I think we can improve. If we can get into the top
three by the beginning of January that will be an achievement, considering
where we were two months ago." Tomorrow is going to be tough
though with Saints up against the other form side in the league and one
that we've not beaten yet this season. "Airdire will be extremely
difficult as they are a very physical team. But we are capable of taking
goals off them, it’s a game we can certainly win.". As for
the fans he said, "I understand their frustration, we were just
as disappointed on the park. But I think they would be surprised at how
many players we have had to use due to injuries and suspensions. The
manager was trying to find the right balance then, but he is more
comfortable now and hopefully we can keep this run going."
was just as enthusiastic in his praise (definite mutual admiration
society developing here). He said of the skipper, "He has been
fantastic. Since he has come back his form has been excellent. He is one
of the catalysts - he drives everyone on and has won over the fans. David
is a winner and a leader and that’s the type of player we want at
this club, players follow his example. Airdrie are the form team at the
moment. To win four games on the trot in this league is excellent. In both
our previous games with them we lost two goals in the last three minutes
and that cost us dearly. The pleasing thing for us is that we have scored
seven goals in the last two games without reply. So we are confident going
into this game. The matches are coming thick and fast and the games at
Christmas and New Year are vital. If we can win at Airdrie then we have
two home games coming up. We have been working on scoring goals and
getting more people forward. There’s more movement, more runs and we
are creating more chances. This good run breeds confidence. I told the
players before the Partick game that we were a better side than the last
time the two teams met, and that showed."
Indicating that Kevin Rutkiewicz might not
just walk back into the side, the manager said, "They have a lot
of movement and in Owen Coyle they have a real danger. But
Sean Webb has done really well for us
since coming in and he’s played against Coyle before, he knows you
can’t afford to go to sleep against him. We have to remain focused
and keep on winning. We must to keep our momentum going and get as many
points as we can."
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
December
8th - Congratulations to Allan
McGregor who came off the bench to gain a cap for the Scotland
Futures squad last night - pity we still lost 3-0. Meanwhile on-loan
keeper Craig Nelson has made his move
to Brechin permanent signing a 2 1/2 year deal with City. Whilst he never
really put in a bad performance here, the chances of a return from his
loan spell always looked slim - all the best to him for the future.
So we'll be looking for a new keeper in the transfer window then?
December 7th - After getting the
first target of back-to-back wins, John
Connolly is looking to the next one of 5 wins from the 2nd quarter.
With 4 in the bag already, the Saints manager told the Courier today, "That’s
what we’re looking at next, as well as moving up the league table.
The Airdrie game will be one between two form teams and we know that in
this league you’re only a couple of results away from being in
trouble. Everything has improved for us over the last four or five weeks
and the benefit of having a more settled team has definitely been shown.
On top of that, a lot of hard work has been put in over the last few
weeks. There is definitely more to come. I actually didn’t think we
passed the ball as well as we can against Partick Thistle. We can
definitely do better in that regard. The plusses were our work-rate and
commitment. I thought we pressed the ball really well when they were in
possession. The goals scored and the clean-sheets in the last two games
were both as pleasing as each other."
The kick-off time for the Boxing Day clash with Raith on Sunday 26th has
been brought forward an hour to 2pm. Apparently this means we'll have
loads of time to enjoy "family festivities" after the game.
Whoop-de-bloody-do.
December 6th - Despite the media
attention after Saturday's game concentrating on the fate of the Partick
management side, John Connolly is
quoted in today's papers. Speaking in the Scotsman about the slaughter at
Firhill he said, "It is a brilliant result for us. I always felt
we had players in the squad who could score goals and now we are seeing
that. We have scored seven goals in our last two games and we are back to
where we want to be."
December
4th - Sean "Spiderman"
Webb(right) is out to win a more permanent starting place today.
He's set to start again in place of the suspended
Kevin Rutkiewicz and said in the Courier,
"I was sent off in the game against St Mirren in August and then
I was injured for a wee spell. Now, I’ve got myself fit and got my
chance in the first team. Saturday was my fourth start but I’ve still
to get two games in a row and hopefully if I’m selected for the
Partick Thistle match I can do well and build on that. I’ve settled
in well at McDiarmid Park since my move. I’ve had my share of
injuries, but hopefully I’m over them now and I can get a run in the
team. I don’t know if it was our best performance of the season
against Clyde, but it was certainly a great three points. Obviously, we’re
trying to catch Clyde so the win was very important. A 3-0 win is always
good for confidence and from a defender’s point of view so is a clean
sheet. We’re looking to build on that win at Partick but we know it
will be a tough match because every team in this league can beat any of
the others on any given day. "
The defender received some praise from John
Connolly as well who said, "Webby’s a good pro who
works hard every day in training. He’s done well each time he’s
got into the team and maybe he’ll get a wee run now. He’s the
one in possession of the jersey at this moment and other people will have
to try to get it off him to get back into the team. ". As for
today's game, he went on, "If we win it will be massive. I think
it would make a big statement. We know that Thistle will be difficult to
beat. They’ll be like a caged animal, if you like, and they’ll
come out fighting. We’re going into the match with confidence,
though, which is important.".
7.30pm - It was a massacre at Firhill this afternoon as another
convincing win saw Saints romp home 4-0
winners over the Partick Luvvies with goals from
Ryan McCann,
Steven Anderson,
Peter MacDonald and sub
Chris Hay, leaving Britton and Whyte
looking at crisis headlines tonight - so expect the papers to ignore us
tomorrow.
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
December 3rd - Don't expect
major changes for tomorrow's trip to Firhill. With no new injury worries
it looks like the same squad will be available and
John Connolly said in today's
Courier, "If we change things it certainly won’t be in big
numbers, and it will be tactical rather than because of poor form. There’s
no doubt that we’re starting to see the benefit of a consistency in
team selection."
7pm - Kevin Fotheringham
has had the results of his scan and apparently has an inflamed muscle so
no surgery will be required, with a New Year return still on the cards.
December 2nd -
Paul Bernard has resumed training
according to John Connolly who said,
"He’s been taking part in sessions and has done most of what’s
been asked of him. Because he’s been out for so long, Paul still has
a bit to go, and having him back playing will be like signing a new
player."
Elsewhere and Kevin Fotheringham
has been down in Leeds having a scan on his injury and the club hopes to
get the results of that by the end of the week.
Top Of News
November
November 30th - After the fun
and games of the weekend, it was time for some bad news yesterday and it's
been revealed that Kevin Fotheringham
has suffered a relapse in his comeback from a groin injury.
John Connolly said, "Kevin
was coming on really well but he’s now gone back the way and there is
no foreseeable date being set on his return. This is really disappointing
as when he first came to the club he shored things up for us and did
really well. We thought we’d have him back for the Christmas period
but that’s not going to be the case.". Meanwhile
Ryan Stevenson and
Ross Forsyth missed training yesterday
with a virus and knee injury respectively.
5.30pm
- One interesting piece of potential transfer business was reported in the
Sun today with Saints having apparently written to Stranraer to ask
permission to speak to striker David
Graham(right). The 21-yr old is out of contract in the summer and a
potential Bosman move is on the cards. Scoring 31 goals in 42 games for
Stranraer, he's also attracting the interest of the Sheep and big-spending
Gretna. With regard to the transfer, all John
Connolly would say was that the striker was "one of the
players we're looking at". Elsewhere the club have denied rumours
that Alan Kernaghan is coming back to
McDiarmid as coach.
Meanwhile Paul Sheerin was more than
happy to break his duck at the weekend. In today's PA he said, "I
wasn’t worrying too much at first, but I tend to average seven to 10
goals a season. There’s still time to reach that total and it’s
important midfielders weigh in the goals. My deliveries from free-kicks
and corners have become a bit of a joke in the dressing room. The quality
has been poor but now that we’ve set up home in Perth I’ll have
more time to work on that.". As for the manager's target of
back-to-back wins he went on, "It’s incredible to think we
haven’t managed it this season so that has to be our first target. It
was a relief scoring against Clyde and I didn’t have to think about
the shot. It was a good team performance. We have to follow up the win
with another good result at Firhill."
Finally congratulations to RobRoy
who's been picked for the Scotland Futures squad for next week.
November 29th -
Michael Moore, who despite what the
Clyde whinger of a manager says, scored a couple of cracking goals at the
weekend is looking to build on the result over Clyde. In today's Courier,
the Saints striker said, "Things have been getting better. We’d
been playing well in a lot of games and even in the Falkirk match last
week, when we lost, we played really well for the first 25 minutes. We’ll
take it game by game, starting with Partick Thistle next week, but we need
to go on a run now, it’s as simple as that. We’ve been very
inconsistent, but if we do that then we’ll move up the table .".
As for his own performance, he said, "It was an absolute sitter I
missed in the first half. I tried to not let it affect me, whereas maybe
in the past it would have. If you’re not going to forget about it
then you’re as well being subbed there and then. I kept going and
other chances came. I’ve got six goals now for the club and that’s
not too bad. Paul Sheerin had an
excellent game and all the lads were really pleased for him to get that
goal. He’s a really good player and I’ve learned a lot from him
since I’ve come to Perth. It was a great finish, even if I didn’t
see much because I was on the deck after I tried to shoot!"
November 28th -
John Connolly was Mr Happy after the
game yesterday. Speaking on the Official
Saints Site the manager praised both goalscorers and had a wee dig
at the media. He said, "I thought we thoroughly deserved that
today and it will be interesting to see if we get the credit we deserve in
the press. Clyde are a difficult side to beat but I thought we created
loads of chances, won comfortably and could have had more –
Michael Moore could have had three or
four goals today. I said to the players at half-time that this might be a
one goal game but thankfully we got that early goal and went on from
there. I thought there was some great movement in the second half,
particularly for the third goal and that all comes from confidence. I’ve
told Paul I’m pleased for him. He
is a great professional whose effort and commitment have been excellent.
He has never hidden when things haven’t been going our way. Today was
a massive result for us. Most of the other results went out way we need
just need to try and build on this."
November
27th - Not much in the way of team news.
Sean Webb as expected will come in for
the suspended Kevin Rutkiewicz.
John Connolly said in the Courier,
"Webby is the obvious choice for that position because he has
done well for us when he has come in. He was unfortunate to get sent off
against St Mirren and he has had his injuries after that, but I’ve
got no fears about him playing. All credit to Clyde. They have done
remarkably well, and the reality is that their performances have been
based on good defending.". No word on
Allan McGregor though.
6.30pm - An easy win in the end as Saints
beat Clyde 3-0 with goals from
Paul Sheerin and a brace from
Michael Moore(right) seeing Saints coast
to an excellent all-round performance.
November 26th -
John Connolly has confirmed that
Keyring goes into the squad for
tomorrow's visit of Clyde. Speaking to the Courier he said, "We’ve
brought Kieran here first and foremost for the wide left position. But he’s
played left-back, in central midfield, and he actually started his career
up front, so he can always be used in other positions. When squads are so
tight these days it’s good to have players who can do a number of
jobs. He will definitely be in the squad for the weekend.".
Saints have plenty of worries though with Allan
McGregor sent home yesterday with flu and a doubt for the weekend.
And with the keeper set to return to the Death Star after the festive
period, Saints have been linked with Craig Sansom, the Scotland
U-21 keeper, although there's no official comment as yet.
November 25th - Confirmation
that Kieran McAnespie is set to sign a
deal until the end of the season today. It's been revealed that
John Connolly tried to sign him
before the end of the August transfer deadline as well. As for the player,
he said in the Courier, "It would have been easy for me to stay
at Falkirk and keep picking up a good wage but that’s not the type of
person I am. I want to be playing regular football and I haven’t been
getting that at Falkirk since last season. This season I’ve been on
the bench mostly, and playing for the reserves. When I made my decision to
go to Fulham from Saints it was a chance I didn’t think I could turn
down. It’s great that I’ve got a chance to come back now and get
my career back on track. John Connolly knows he will get 100% effort from
me and I can play at either full-back, in midfield or even up front. The
deal is initially until the end of the season but hopefully things will
work out longer term."
3.15pm - No official confirmation of the signing yet but some
other ex-Saints in the news are Livi management duo
Allan Preston and
Alan Kernaghan who have been punted by the
Shell-suited OF-wannabes.
6pm - It was finally confirmed late this afternoon that
Keyring has signed until the end of the
season. On the Official Saints
Site, the 25-yr old said of his return, "It’s not for
me to say if I’m a better player but I do feel I’m a more
composed player, I’m not as frantic as I was when I was younger. I’ve
learned a great deal from my time at Fulham where we constantly worked on
technique and passing and the whole experience really benefited me. I
still like to get goals – I’ve scored 8 times in 10 starts for
Falkirk’s reserve side – and I just want to play my part in
getting Saints up the table.". And as expected
Alan Mahood has moved onto Morton.
November
24th - The fun and games for Saints continued last night with a
strong reserve side going down 2-0 to Montrose in the Forfarshire Cup.
Meanwhile John Connolly is still on
the hunt for a striker, despite Andy Reid heading back to
Blackburn. The Saints manager said in the Courier today, "There’s
another lad we’ve been told about at Blackburn and when there’s
a chance to see him and Andy in their reserves then we’ll definitely
take it. The problem we had over Andy is that the rules prevented us from
playing him in a real game. All we had to go on was the evidence of one
bounce match and training and that wasn’t enough. There are a lot of
players who look outstanding in training—but put them into a game and
it’s a different story. And you have to be aware that even seeing
someone playing in the reserves doesn’t always provide a true guide
to what you’d get if they were in your first-team. There’s no
pressure attached to reserve football. You only find out whether someone
can handle the pressure of being caught up in a relegation fight or
pushing for a top three or four place when you put them in that situation.
Only then do you discover whether, when the chips are down, they can cope
with making mistakes or are prepared to get on the ball regardless of how
a match is going.".....although some folk may think that last
sentence might be more of a dig at the attitude of some of the current
first team after the meek surrender on Saturday.
6.30pm - Well it wasn't that quiet on the rumour front though.
Alan Mahood looks set to move on with
Saints giving the midfielder, who's out of contract in January anyway,
permission to talk to Morton. One familiar face has returned to McDiarmid
though. Kieran McAnespie(right) has
been released by Falkirk "by mutual consent" and is
reported to have returned to his spiritual home.
November
23rd - Despite a lack of video evidence, the alleged stamping
offence by Kevin Rutkiewicz(right) will
see the player heavily punished according to
John Connolly. The Saints manager
told the Courier"I’ve got to go with my own judgment on this
and when it happened both myself and Jim Weir
thought Kevin would be sent off. He knows he let himself and his
team-mates down and he will be disciplined internally.". And just
to make things worse, as well as his automatic one-match ban this weekend,
the defender is also banned for the Partick trip a week on Saturday.
Ross Forsyth has picked up a groin
injury in training and is already doubtful for the Clyde game this
weekend.
Saints take on Montrose in the Forfarshire Cup semi-final tonight with a
7.30 kick-off at McDiarmid.
The manager has also promised to clamp down on discipline in the side
which has seen us pick 6 red cards already this season, as well as setting
a target of two wins on the trot. Speaking on the
Official Saints Site, he
said, "We haven't managed two successive wins in the league so
far this term and that's poor for mid-November. Back to back wins is a
modest target but one which we must, as a minimum, achieve if we are to
climb the table. The other target is to improve discipline. We have had
too many sent off this season and while I would argue that around 50% of
them were harsh decisions, there have still been too many silly ones. We
are not a good enough team to be able to play a man short for any length
of time. The cameras missed it and it was obviously a late foul from
McBreen which escaped punishment. My immediate reaction was that it was a
sending off. I like to think I’m honest in these matters. A few weeks
ago I didn’t think Steven Anderson
should have walked against Raith but this time I see where Hugh Dallas was
coming from.Kevin will be disciplined for reacting like that. He let
himself down and more importantly, he let his team mates down."
He also admitted that the players were gagged after the game,"It
was an emotive issue and sometimes it's best to let the dust settle.
Anyone from Queen of the South down is scrapping to stay in this division
right now. Only Falkirk, St Mirren and Clyde can breathe easily. Everyone
else is in the scrap.We need the fans to be turning out to back us. We
need them there for us. It's easy to support a side which is flying high
but now it is more vital then ever."Photo copyright PPA
(www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
November
22nd - Another cheery Monday morning in Sainteeland and
John Connolly(right) has admitted
it's going to be a season of transition with the promotion hopes dead
before December thanks to the weekend defeat (mind you the transition part
hasn't affected Clyde that much). Speaking to the Courier he said, "There
were a lot of people coming and going in the summer and it takes time. You
take heart if you look at St Mirren last season who were third bottom, and
Falkirk who finished mid-table. Now they’re at the top of the league.
Falkirk are 15 clear with a game in hand and you can’t see them
losing that sort of advantage. What is it they say? Until it’s
mathematically impossible we’re still in it, but we have to be
realistic. We’ve got a hard enough battle to get ourselves climbing
up the table, and that has to start next week."
And despite the denials from Kevin Rutkiewicz,
Connolly doesnt' have many complaints
about the red card. "The sucker punch was obviously the sending
off. You can’t play 45 minutes with 10 men against a team which can
pass the ball as well as they can. From where I was it looked like a
sending off. Kevin insists he didn’t touch him but we’ll see on
the video. If he has done something deliberate then we’ll discipline
him. We scored the goal and were pressing them hard. Things looked good at
that time. For some reason we took our foot off the peddle. I’m not
sure why. Maybe it’s a confidence thing."
Trialist striker Andrew Reid has been recalled by Blackburn.
Apparently Saints are still keeping an eye on the player with a view to a
possible signing in the transfer window.
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
November 21st - Going by the
Sunday paper reports it looks like Kevin
Rutkiewicz was sent off for stamping on a Falkirk player - suffice
to say that if true then the club should fine the player heavily not just
for arguably costing us a point yesterday but for the problems he's caused
for next week's team selection.
November 20th -
David Hannah is relishing going up
against his old teammate and ex-Saintee John O'Neil (or cheating wee shite
that got Darren Dods red-carded as we
like to remember him). The Saints skipper spoke to the Courier ahead of
this afternoon's game and said, "I know him from my days at
Tannadice. He’s very comfortable on the ball and he’s done very
well. He’s a big asset for them. I was left out of the team for a few
weeks but I worked really hard in training and in reserve games so it was
pleasing to get back into the side again. Obviously, with the team playing
well it gives you a better chance of playing well yourself. It’ll be
a hard game, no doubt about it, but it’s one we know we can win.
We're going there with a bit of confidence behind us. Our last two
performances have been quite promising. We have a game plan and if we
stick to that we’ll hopefully come away with three points "
Mark Baxter will have a late fitness
test. For the Weans, it looks like they'll be at near enough
full-strength.
6.30pm - David Hannah got the
early penalty but in the end Saints were out of ideas and
Falkirk won 3-1 with
Kevin Rutkiewicz given a straight red-card
in the first half for what looked like retaliation into the bargain.
November
19th - It's the big game tomorrow and after a relatively quiet
week, John Connolly is fairly upbeat.
Speaking to the Courier, he said of the Bairns, "They’ve
probably got two or three players with a wee bit of quality that we are
looking for, but we are more than capable of doing well against them.
Falkirk have scored a lot against some teams in the division but I can
only go on the two matches we have played, and both were one-goal defeats.
I think we can give them a good game and we’ll be going to Falkirk
looking to win."
The bad news is that Mark Baxter's
hamstring injury looks like ruling him out - the right-back hasn't trained
all week.
4.30 - John Connolly reckons
that Latapy and O'Neil are the main worries tomorrow (the former is a
pretty obvious one given the room he was allowed during the last
encounter). The Saints manager said, "They have players we have
to be wary of and we must be totally focused. Our level of concentration
must be spot on. Latapy tends to be the catalyst because he can be quiet
and out of the game before sparking to life. I'm certainly toying with the
idea of man marking him. We were really disappointed not to take all three
points against Ross County but the team is settling down. It's unusual to
get a chance to field the same team but we have to wait and see how Mark
measures up. It's not a game we have to lift the players for. There will
be a great atmosphere and after just one defeat in our last five games we
are confident enough. Falkirk are top of the table and favourites for the
league. It's obvious this is a difficult one. But in this division I keep
saying no games are easy. We are determined to make inroads on their lead
and we know we can't afford to lose any more ground. It's a big ask but if
we can win there it would certainly open the door for us."
Ryan Stevenson is still out but
Steven Anderson is back in light
training - it's too soon for him meaning a likely call-up for
Jordan Tait(right) if Beaky fails to make
the game. Kevin Rutkiewicz, meanwhile,
says that the players are concentrating on one game at a time. "We
have to concentrate on each one as it comes along. It has to be that way
because of our start to the season. We've left ourselves with a lot to do
but if we can piece together wins teams will come back to us. The fans
were anticipating a new era with the gaffer coming in and now players like
myself have to prove we deserve to be here longer. We certainly haven't
given up the ghost but realistically we have to concentrate on getting
points on board week by week. We have to face Falkirk three times and that
adds up to nine potential points. But we also have to be more ruthless
against less fancied teams. This is a massive game for us and one we're
looking forward to. Things look like they’re starting to come
together for us. It's been slower than everyone wanted but we feel we're
getting there. We won't be putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves but
the gap can be closed if we put wins together."
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
November 18th - The remaining
Austrailian trialist has left McDiarmid. The unnamed midfielder was
possibly going to be offered a short-term deal in January but has decided
against hanging round. Blackburn striker Andrew Reid is still at
the club though.
November 17th - The reserves won
2-0 against Arbroath last night with Chris Hay
and Stephen McConalogue getting
the goals. Elsewhere and Mark Baxter
has a hamstring strain but should be fit for the trip to Westfield. And
good news for Paul Bernard who is
finally back in light training.
November
15th - Peaso(right) reckons
Saturday's draw with Ross County (which, shock, horror, actually got some
praise from the media) was a fair result but not good enough for us.
Speaking to the Courier he said, "I think you have to be happy
with a point because both teams had plenty of chances in the match. I
thought it was a great game. Having said that, it is obviously
disappointing to lose a goal so soon after half-time because we had talked
about the importance of the first few minutes after the restart during the
break."
The manager felt just as bad and said, "For the first hour of
the game I thought we played really well, and we had numerous chances. We’re
very disappointed to only draw and I feel that it’s one that got away
from us. “In this league the second goal is all important and we
should have finished them off when we had them on the rack."
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
November 13th - The big question
being asked today is whether or not it's another false dawn ahead of the
lunchtime visit by Ross County. John
Connolly is at least being realistic about the Jekyll and Hyde
performances and said, "We’ve been here before two or three
times already. At Ross County we had a great win, but didn’t back it
up. It was the same story with Queen of the South a few weeks ago. Now we
have to do it. A win would set us up for four very tough games which are
coming up. I’ve not had the chance to play the same team this season
for five or six games, like Falkirk have been able to for example. ",
so as you can guess it's the same squad today as last weekend.
4.30pm - In the end the excellent start didn't last and the points
were shared in a 1-1 draw with Ross County
with Peaso getting the Saints goal.
November 12th - One of the
Aussie trialists has left the club but the other and Blackburn striker
Andy Reid are set to hang about for another week.
John Connolly said after the closed
doors win over Livi, "Andy did well in the game and will keep
training with us. We wouldn’t be able to do anything until the
transfer window anyway, and he is happy with that. One of the Australians,
a wide midfielder, is a player we’re looking into the possibility of
keeping. The other one is probably going south for a trial in England."
Saints have also been linked, courtesy of the Daily Retard in a rare
display of Perth-based coverage, with a loan move in the transfer window
for Scumdee midfielder Neil Jablonski who had a spell at Brechin
last season but has been unable to establish himself in the Dens Park
first team.
For tomorrow's lunchtime spectacular, Steven
Anderson and Ryan Stevenson
have been ruled out through injury.
David Hannah reckons confidence is the
most important thing ahead of tomorrow's game against Ross County.
Speaking to the PA the skipper said, "Obviously you would prefer
to play at 3pm, but with the rugby game going on afterwards you just have
to grin and bear it and get on with it. I’m looking forward to
playing Ross County, but it will be a really difficult game. They pass the
ball about well and by all accounts were unlucky to lose in the Bell's Cup
Final here last Sunday. It will be a stiff test for us but we are going
into a period over the next four fixtures where we either dramatically
climb the table or it will have the opposite effect. As a team we still
have to find that togetherness and gel. But if we go on a winning run the
manager will not change the team so we will get continuity. We need to
string a few results together and propel us up the league. After the
second goal went in last week everyone could see the confidence in the
team, but we need to be doing this when it’s 0-0. We have one of the
strongest squads in this league but it's maintaining a standard that's
going to get us wins. If we can beat Ross County and results go our way
then we can maybe climb into fourth position and close the gap. I was
pleased that our three strikers scored last week and that we created a
number of chances throughout the game, but we should be looking to win our
home games anyway." As for his own form he said, "If you
are not playing well the manager has a right to change the team. You have
to play in the reserves and show a good attitude. I did that and was
pleased with my performance against Hamilton and hopefully I can continue
in that vein." He was also praised by
John Connolly who said, "I
don't like picking out individual players, but I thought David played well
last week and put in a sound performance. We have been encouraging him to
get forward in training so it was pleasing that he was involved in all
three goals against Hamilton. David had one of his best games up at County
and playing against your old club always gives you that added spark. When
he was out his attitude was first-class. A lot of senior professionals
tend to go through the motions when they are in his position, but his work
ethic in training and reserve games was good and that's why he’s back
in. Everyone wants to play but they can't. So the only way they will get
in is either through loss of form or injury. When I watch a reserve game
I'm looking to see that the effort and commitment is there. So if somebody
is coming back in they are ready for it."
Elsewhere Kevin Rutkiewicz apparently has
a calf problem but should be fit. And the manager appealed for the fans to
back the team (bit of a mantra these days) saying, "We need a
good support so I would appeal to the fans to get behind us. This is
another tough game and there will not be a lot in it. We had a good result
up there earlier and the strange thing is that they are now having
problems scoring, which is surprising considering the signings they made.
But we’re not sure how County will react after losing the cup final.
When we are not getting the results we need to work harder and that's why
we had the double stints. We got off to a flyer against Hamilton and
ideally we are looking to win two to three games on the run. But that
won't be easy when you see our fixture list. However, I don't rate these
games any more difficult than our last two games. Although the teams we
are playing are above us at this moment, it's every bit as hard playing a
side that is struggling at the bottom of the table. I am hoping our three
strikers can carry their form into this game and the mood in our camp is
good, so we're looking for a positive result."
November 10th - The Falkirk game
on the 20th is set to be an all-ticket affair (bet you can't wait). Priced
at £15 and a tenner the briefs are on sale to season ticket
holders at 2 per person from now until Saturday (with the ticket office
open after the Ross County game this weekend). After that the Federation
get their allocation from Monday followed by a general sale on Wednesday
17th.
Meanwhile we humped Livi 1-0 at Almondvale today with the goal scored by
one of the mystery Aussie trialists.
November 9th - Looks like the
double training sessions are set to continue.
John Connolly said in the Courier,
"It’s only one match we’ve won and we have to make sure
we continue like that. We’ve got a tough schedule coming up, with
games against Ross County, Falkirk, Clyde and Partick Thistle." And
he's just as happy for all the strikers getting on the scoresheet saying,
"I’m delighted that they all scored, and I felt that all
three goals were really well taken. The goals came because we had better
tempo and movement in our play, and that was something which we were
working on again this afternoon."
5pm - Michael Moore reckons that
he has to keep banging in the goals if Saints are to get a run of wins
going. Speaking of the end of his drought in the PA, the striker said,
"I needed a goal. Every striker does. We knew beforehand that we
had to win so there was pressure on us. I thought we played well in the
second-half and we are now hoping to go on and do better. Although I was
part-time at Stranraer everyone took it seriously, but coming here you
realise it's a bigger club and there’s more pressure. But when you’re
out on the park you don't think 'Oh no, I am playing for St Johnstone and
I'm going to crack under the pressure!' It has taken me time after
starting the season in good form but when the team was not playing well it
affected everyone. You have to think positively - if we win our next four
games we will be right in there. We must win our home matches and then you
never know what will happen. I don't think the teams at the top are going
to win all their games so it's up to us to capitalise on that. We've had
so many new faces in here and a lot of changes, plus quite a few injuries.
So we've not had a settled 11 on the park, but it takes time and we have a
good squad here. There are good players on the bench and in the stand, so
if you’re not doing the business you know you will be out of the
team."
John Connolly also praised
Moore saying, "Michael found it
a bit difficult coming from a part-time club and he had gone flat after he
was sent off against St Mirren. I think he lost a bit of confidence with
that, but this goal will help him, and his overall performance and
workrate was excellent. There wasn’t a lot in it until we scored the
first goal, but then we ran out comfortable winners. In the last 10
minutes we saw a bit of the way we can play, and we could have scored
another two goals quite easily. But we have been here before when we beat
Queen of the South and then had poor results against Airdrie and Raith
Rovers, so we must build on this win. The coming games are not easy, but
that’s the nature of this league.". The manager is looking
for the fans to turn out as well after only 1800 turned up on Saturday.
"The crowd is reflected by the travelling support and Accies only
brought about 100 fans. But we need our support. If the club is to
progress and survive we need them to get behind us. Obviously they will be
disappointed with our start to this season but hopefully this result will
bring a few more to the next game. We're not looking at the 11-point gap
between us and Clyde, we want to get a run going. But this will not be
easy against Ross County who I thought played well in the final (Bell’s
Cup). Our target has to be to beat Ross County and Falkirk and get four or
five wins on the bounce"
November 8th -
Lee Hardy reckons his form is finally
improving and better things are still to come. In today's Courier he said
of his performance at the weekend, "My better performances have
all been away from home which is a bit frustrating when you come to play
in front of the home fans and you don’t play so well because you want
to show them what a good player you can be. I played OK and hopefully the
more I play the more consistent I can be and show why Saints bought me
from Ayr. There’s definitely more to come from me and hopefully I can
produce this type of performance if I get a run in the team. And the only
way I can get that is by playing well so it’s down to me at the end
of the day. If you play well you stay in the team, if not, there are other
people to come in."
6.45pm - Saints have announced a closed-doors game for Wednesday
at Livi to allow John Connolly to
further assess the three trialists who are still loitering about
McDiarmid.
November
7th - Speaking on the Official
Saints Site, John Connolly
seems a bit happier after yesterday's performance. The Saints manager
said, "That was more like it. I asked questions of all of them
before the game, specifically in relation to what they could do in front
of the home support. As is so often the case in this league, getting the
first goal was vital – that was a great finish from
Peaso – and in the end I
thought we won convincingly against a side who are not easy to beat. I
thought our hard work this week showed towards the end. I’ve stressed
this week about the need for movement and accurate passing and I thought
we did that better today, particularly towards the end of the game. I was
pleased that the strikers got the goals today and particularly pleased for
Michael (right). That was a great turn
and shot for the goal and that will do him the world of good." As
for next week he went on, "We’ve been here before haven’t
we? A great result against Queen of the South followed by disappointments.
But we must go forward now and build on that win today and try and put a
run of three or four successive wins together. I was just delighted with
the whole thing today and particularly pleased for the fans who were
there."....that last part might be more worrying as well with
less than 2000 fans in the ground yesterday.
November
6th - Mark Baxter(right) is
looking for the goal situation to improve after Saints scored only one
goal themselves in the last 4 games. Speaking in the Courier he said, "Every
team has dry spells and the goals will come for us. We have got the
strikers. All we need to do is create the chances for them. And if we can
just find a little more confidence I am sure that will happen. It is our
job to give the fans cause to cheer but at the same time it becomes a lot
easier to do that if they are really backing us. We are all disappointed
at the start we’ve made but we are only a couple of points off fourth
place and if we can put a run together we can still get right back in
there." As for the switch to right-back today he said, "Although
I have been playing in the middle of the park, right-back is my position
and I would like to think I will get my chance their now."
John Connolly wants Saints to put on
a show today. He said, "I feel we must have self-belief and
display that at McDiarmid Park. We have not really performed at home, with
the exception of the Challenge Cup win over Queen of the South. I think
you can visibly see the heads go down if we go a goal behind and the
confidence tends to drain away. But that does not make us different from
anyone else as more teams in this division seem to do better away than at
home. The fans can help us and it would be nice if everyone got behind the
team. Of course, the players need to take responsibility and show what
they are capable of. I certainly believe we are capable of more than we
have shown so far."
6.30pm The strikers finally came good today with
Peaso, Moorie
and Chris Hay all on target as Saints
romped home 3-0 winners over Accies a
result that moves us up to 5th.
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
November
5th - Friday again so time for another morale-boosting rallying
call from the manager. Ahead of tomorrow's "6-pointer" against
Accies, John Connolly told today's
Courier, "We have still to prove to ourselves and the fans that
we can do the business at McDiarmid Park. And we have to start showing
character and self belief here because any team that is going to be
successful must have a good home record. We also need the supporters to
play their part and get behind the players. When a team is up the top of
the league it is fairly easy to support them. When a team is struggling
that’s when they need their fans behind them more than ever! We’ve
lost five games only by one goal this season so it’s been a fine
margin between success and failure. Now we have to turn that around and
move the season on. Defensively we are third best in the league and
scoring-wise we are joint worst. “The problem we have is there for
all to see. But I wouldn’t point the finger at the strikers. For me
the biggest failing about us is our lack of creativity. We have to hold
our hands up and admit that, creatively, we are not a great side at this
moment in time. The flair we need just isn’t there. But that’s
something, along with a bit of pace, that we’ll try and add when the
transfer window opens. " - which means more of the same for the
next 2 months.
As for the trialists, a bounce game has been fixed up for Tuesday for a
final decision on the two Aussies and Blackburn's Andrew Reid. Canadian
Gordon Chin won't be joining though and he's headed to Halifax for a trial
there.
For tomorrow, Mark Baxter will be at
right-back in place of the suspended Steven
Anderson. Ryan McCann is back in
training but won't be considered along with Martyn
Fotheringham whose in the same boat. Expect some changes to the
line-up that embarrassed the jerseys last week.
6.15pm - As well as the changes at right-back the latest seems to
be that David Hannah(right) might get a
recall to the starting line-up tomorrow. John
Connolly is looking for the players to demonstrate that they've
learnt their lesson after last week. He said in today's PA, "I
know the players are capable of producing far better results but we have
to go out and start proving we have what it takes. They have been working
hard in double sessions this week, but now they have to stand up and be
counted and do their talking on the park. I believe in them but they have
to justify that belief. That’s the challenge."
And he again appealed to the fans to make the difference saying, "The
fans have a big part to play in it as well. We need them behind us and
like most of our games this one is a six-pointer. Accies are well drilled
and play to their strengths. We need everyone onside to give us a lift. We
know there's a fine margin between success and failure in this division.
The stats show we have one of the best defensive records but the worst
equal goals for column. We certainly can't afford to give any team 45
minutes of a start as we did at Raith. It's been shown time and time again
in this league that the first goal makes a team hard to beat. We’re
not alone in finding goals hard to come by. The players accept last week
wasn't good enough and this is a chance to compensate. We've put more
pressure on ourselves because we didn't win in Fife. And we have a point
to prove at home and produce better for the supporters.”
November
3rd - It was apparently another double training session yesterday
with the Saints coaching staff emphasising hard work. But
Ross Forsyth(right) missed out thanks
ot a knee injury picked up at the weekend. Ryan
McCann is due back in training tomorrow.
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
November 2nd -
John Connolly's in the papers today
promising a "long hard season ahead" which will no doubt
come as great comfort to us all. Speaking to the Courier he said, "We
know now that it is going to be a long hard season and the main lesson
from Saturday’s game was that we have to compete for the full 90
minutes. The players were warned that Raith would be motivated but I don’t
think we matched their effort in the first half. We couldn't fault their
second half but we should have started better. The positive side is that
we are just two points from fourth top. Everybody from Ross County down is
fighting a battle not to be involved at the bottom. I think you’re
seeing the effect of losing players like Keigan
Parker and Simon Donnelly in
the summer. In the meantime we have to work with the players we have here
and the players’have had a double session today, which we don’t
usually do on a Monday, and it will be another double session tomorrow.
The facts of life are that if we’re not scoring from open play as
much as we’d like we’ll have to work harder on other areas, such
as set-pieces. All the games we have lost have been close, and we'll keep
working hard to turn our results on their head."
And apparently a decision on the 4 trailists still at McDiarmid will be
made this week.
November 1st- It was another
case of deja-vu with John Connolly's
post-match comments at the weekend. Speaking to the Courier, the Saints
manager said, "The goal we gave away was like the ones we were
losing at the start of the season. We did not start playing until the
second half and we knew Raith Rovers would fight for everything. In that
second period we totally dominated but you can’t give teams 45
minutes of a start. I suppose we are struggling to get back into things
and we have another six-pointer next weekend against Hamilton."....no
shit Sherlock.
7.30pm - Well the manager's latest is that a lack of cash is
preventing the squad from being strengthened. With the goals for tally
looking sparser than ever (and largely down to the contribution of the
defenders) and Saints having the lowest scoring record in the division, he
said, "We're missing two or three quality players - but you need
a lot of money to bring that type in." The players we do have at
the club though were in today for double training - hopefully something
that will continue until things change. Connolly
also apparently tore another strip off those responsible for the shocker
on Saturday.
Top Of News
October
October 30th- Looks like
Ryan Stevenson has joined
Maxie in the miraculous recovery dept
and both are in the squad for the trip to Stark's Park. Other than that
John Connolly's main pre-match
comment was summed up with "Goalscoring has been our problem and
we’ll have to create more opportunities than we did against Airdrie
last weekend." - just watch out for the banana skins boys.
7.30pm - Where do I begin? An absolutely disgraceful performance
with no redeeming factors whatsoever saw Saints
lose 1-0 at Raith with
Steven Anderson red-carded into the
bargain. We were simply abysmal and going by the reaction of the fans
around me the manager has his work cut out to win back some of the faith
that was lost today. Disorganised, lacking in hunger or effort and just
inept are some of the phrases you can expect to see in the next few days.
Tonight is a night to forget about football.
October
29th - Tomorrow's trip to Raith has all the makings of a banana
skin with a new man in charge at Stark's Park and the Fifers looking for
their first win of the season - something of which
John Connolly(right) is fully aware.
Speaking in today's PA he said, "They will get their first win
somewhere down the line, but, hopefully, it's not against us. With Gordon
coming in teams can expect to face a side which will be working harder
then before. We have to match them for effort and take it from there. We
are expecting a tough game because Gordon knows this division and he's a
bit of a hero in that part of the world. His arrival will have pepped-up
their fans but we are out to win this one, just like any other match we
play. This will be a different Raith Rovers than we've seen earlier in the
season. The manager has already shown the direction he will be going, with
less emphasis on the foreign players. But my players have already been
told they need to win at least five games in the second quarter to get
back in there. They will be fighting for their lives because right now
they're stranded at the bottom. But no one is writing them off. We will
have to compete for every challenge. They must be matched in terms of
commitment."
Don't expect much in the way of changes tomorrow as the manager gives the
players a chance to make up for last week's defeat-in-all-but-name.
Maxie for Webby
looks like being the only change. "We'll have a look at everyone
in training. Maxie will have to show
he's comfortable heading the ball and there are no problems with his neck.
Sean Webb did a good job but Maxie has
been more or less a regular."
Peaso is looking at getting back on
form as well. He said, "We certainly don’t want to go down
as the first team to lose to Raith. With a new manager coming in at
Stark's Park we have to be up for this one. Right now they might be bottom
but we will give them all the respect in the world. The Airdrie game was a
real disappointment and the lads know the gaffer and Jim Weir were right
to have a go at us after the game. Raith players are trying to impress
their manager but remember it's the same with some of us at McDiarmid. I'm
just getting back to full fitness after a long time out and John Connolly
is the third manager I’ve had here. I'm confident the goals will come
but we know we have to create more chances as a team. We have to do a few
things better. But I'm always confident and as a striker you know that
you're there to be slaughtered if you miss them. That's never bothered me.
After being out for so long I'm just happy to be back playing football and
building up my fitness. It was an opportunity missed last week but we have
to come up with the necessary results over the second quarter."
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
October 28th -
Ian Maxwell has recovered from his
neck injury and will be fit for the trip to Kirkcaldy this weekend. He'll
be the only injured player returning to action though - the two Ryannies (Stevenson
and McCann) are some way off a return
apparently.
October 27th - Raith made it 2
wins out of 2 last night for the reserves with an extra-time 3-1 win at
McDiarmid which doesn't make us superstitious about the weekend in the
slightest. Stef got the Saints
goal. Meanwhile the lack of a bounce game this week means the four
trialists are set to stay yet another week as Saints try to fix up a game
for next Tuesday.
October 26th - The reserves are
in action at McDiarmid tonight looking for revenge against Raith in the
League Cup - kick-off is at 7.15pm. Elsewhere and Stagecoach have
announced that they're extending the sponsorship of the Saints youth
development scheme.
Finally the trialists from last week (Gordon Chin and his 2 Aussie pals)
are being kept on for another week so John
Connolly can get a closer look at them. They've been joined by
Blackburn striker Andy Reid who is also expected to be at the club
till at least the end of the week.
Ian Maxwell who injured his neck in
the shower last Friday is expected to resume training in the next 2-3
days. John Connolly meanwhile is
still not happy after the weekend. He said, "If you had asked me
before the Queen of the South game whether I would have taken four points
from our next two matches, I would have taken them. But after getting
three points in Dumfries it’s disappointing not to have got three in
a home game. It was a poor game and we didn’t play well but when you
get so close to full time in the lead you expect to win the match. That’s
twice this season that Airdrie have scored late on against us."
6.45pm - The latest trialist is a 19-yr old Irvine-born player. We
can t sign him until January anyway but the manager said, "Blackburn
have agreed to let us have a look at him. He s a young Scot and we re
following up a chat with his agent, Gordon Smith" (that'll be
the alarm bells going then). "We can sign two jokers, but
only within the same association. The fact that Andrew is registered in
England would rule out an immediate signing. The idea is to have a close
look at him because Rovers might be amenable to releasing him."
As for last week's trio, he went on, "All three of last week s
trialists, who played in a bounce game against Hibs, have been invited
back. Ideally I'd like to fix up another match, but we have a few injuries
and we'll have to see how that pans out. They showed me enough to warrant
another look.". However with all the talk of new signings,
departures haven't been ruled out.
As for Ian Maxwell, he spoke of his
freak neck injury saying, "I was coming out of the shower at the
park on Friday and stumbled. I felt a shooting pain in my neck and when I
woke up on Saturday, I could hardly lift my head off the pillow. I knew
right away I was in trouble. The physio Nick Summersgill got to work on
me, but I still couldn t have headed a ball, which is a problem for a
central defender. It's still sore, but I should be okay for the Raith
match. It was a disappointing game and it felt like a defeat when Owen
Coyle scored so late. But we've got to pick ourselves up for the trip to
face Raith. They're improving, but no one wants to be the first team to
lose to them. Other results helped our cause, but we have to take
advantage when the leading sides play each other. We lost two points on
Saturday that would have got us closer to the top. "And there's
no guarantee he'll go back into the line-up after Webby put in a good
shift. "Ideally we'd have won 4-3 and Webby
had a stinker. But he came in and did fine and now it s up to the boss to
decide on the team for the weekend. "
The two Ryannies (Stevenson and
McCann) face late fitness tests on
their ankle injuries tonight ahead of the reserve match.
October
25th - Stef McConalogue(right)
is claiming Saturday's goal despite the deflection. The Saints sub told
today's Courier "I’m definitely claiming it. It was my first
touch and, luckily, I got a rub of the green and it went in." .
As for his recent form, he said, "As a striker, more so than in
any other position, you’re in and out of the team if you’re not
scoring goals. Postie and Peaso did well against QoS and it’s up to
the gaffer. I’ll just have to work hard in training and see what
happens. It feels like a defeat when you lose a goal so late in the game.
But if you go on a run of six or seven games you can get right back in it.
"
Meanwhile, Sean Webb was happy with his
start coming in for the injured Ian
Maxwell. He said, "I’ve been out for the last month
with an injury to my left knee. It was good to get 90 minutes and also
good to get a start after being on the bench last week. At 1-0 I felt we
were going to hold out—I felt we were defending comfortably enough,
but you have to watch Owen Coyle all the time."
John Connolly wasn't too happy
though. He said, "It was very disappointing after last week
because then we were excellent. To come off the back of that and into this
we’ll all hold our hands up and say that was a poor performance. At
the end of the day, although we didn’t perform very well, we actually
got ourselves into a winning position and we didn’t manage to see it
through. We know our performances have got to be better than that."
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
October 23rd -
Ian Maxwell has told today's Courier
that consistency has to be the target today with another 3 points at the
end of the Airdrie match. "It was great to get a win at Queen of
the South and we know consistency is absolutely vital. The gaffer told us
we needed to win at least five games from the second quarter of the season
and obviously we got off to a good start last week. Three of our next four
games are at home, so hopefully it is something we can achieve, starting
with three points against Airdrie. All the boys are looking forward to
playing at home again as it seems like ages since we have played here. A
few wins can really catapult you up the league but we are well aware it is
going to be tough. Airdrie have already beaten us once this season,
although we felt we were a bit unlucky on that occasion. The league is
very tight and it has been proved time and again that anybody can beat
anybody, so we will have to be at our best. We played really well last
week and clean sheets help to give the whole team confidence. It helps to
take pressure off the strikers as they know that if they take even one
chance we will get all three points."
For the team Kevin Rutkiewicz missed some
training due to a stomach bug but was at McD yesterday and is expected to
play.
6.30pm - Well today's "entertainment" finished in a
1-1 draw with Airdrie. A poor scrappy
game saw Saints take the lead in the 70th minute through a Christie o.g.
before that bastard Coyle equalised in the 90th. Absolutely nothing to get
excited about.
October
22nd - Good and bad news for Saints - Kevin
Rutkiewicz has overcome his leg knock and will play against Airdrie
tomorrow. But Kevin Fotheringham
is set to be out for 3-4 weeks after his leg injury. The three trialists
played in a bounce game yesterday but no word on whether or not they'll be
kept on.
The Canadian is 21-yr old left-sided midfielder Gordon Chin. The
manager said of the 5'5" tall Scots-Chinese player, "Gordon
was the skipper of the U20 team that finished in the world's top eight
last season. He is on the short side but he has great feet and can run all
day. The Aussies are a left sided player and a striker. We're hunting for
tried and trusted players, but if the right trialist turns up we will take
a chance.". He's currently without a club after a spell at
Vancouver Whitecaps and Edmonton with the latter apparently going bust.
Nick Dasovic, currently assistant coach
for the U-20s said, "Gordon is keen to land a club in Scotland
because the playing season in Canada is so short. I hope the kid does well
because he is really keen to make the grade."
As for tomorrow, midfielder Alan
Mahood(right) is looking to keep the run going as we square up to
the Airdrie thugs with ex-trialist Martin "Leg-Breaker"
Hardie lucky to be in their line-up after being the cause of most of
the aggro at Firhill last week. Mahood said of the coming weeks, "We
have three home games in our next four matches and we have to take
advantage. It was important to get the win in Dumfries, but now we have to
build on it. We battled away last week and there's no reason why we can't
get right back into the thick of things. If other teams' form takes a dip
we have to take full advantage. There are quality players waiting to get
in and that keeps you focused. It's tough being out of the squad, but I
knew when I came here it would take time to get fully fit and up to speed.
I've had to prove myself to a different manager and different players.
It's good to be back, but I'm taking nothing for granted."
John Connolly is looking for a
settled team as well. He said, "This is a vital quarter for us
and we need to pick up five wins if we're to get back into the chase. Last
week doesn't count unless we can build on it with three points against
Airdrie. There has been some tinkering, but it hasn't been possible to
field a settled side because of injuries to players in key positions. I'm
trying to keep changes to a minimum. This league is so tight Airdrie could
go above us if they win. But we are intent on three home points to build
momentum. No one here is counting ourselves out of the championship,
that's for sure. Alan has a decent pedigree and keeps the tempo up. He
plays it simply but effectively." As for
David Hannah, who has been replaced by
Paul Sheerin as skipper, the manager
went on, "He knows it's all about competition for places and
being captain doesn't make any difference on that score. He has to keep
working and take advantage as and when his chance comes along.".
And if Martin Hardie plays, the manager said, "He will have a
point to prove, but I needed a player who was fit and ready. I rate Martin
but couldn't give him the time needed earlier in the season."
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
October 20th - The reserves went
down 2-0 at Raith last night with Ryan
Stevenson picking up a knock into the bargain. None of the trialists
played although there are only three left - the Irishman has gone home
after picking up a knock.
October 19th -
John Connolly believes that Saints
are overdue a big win after the performance at the weekend when we created
plenty of chances. The Saints manager said, "On another day, two
or three of them will go in and it will be much more comfortable. It was a
cracking result for us because they went five games without defeat and it’s
never easy to get a result down there. It was a real team effort and I can’t
single any player out because everyone did so well but
Chris coming in and doing well shows the
massive competition for places we have. But we can’t relax after a
win because while you’re always one or two results from climbing the
table, it works the other way as well. Three of our next four games are at
home and the focus is now on winning them. Saturday counts for nothing if
we can’t do that "
October 18th -
John Connolly was a bit happier today
after the weekend win. He said on the Official Saints Site, "I
thought we played pretty well against a side who, don't forget, had gone
five games without defeat. We created a lot of chances - perhaps seven or
eight clear cut ones - and that's good going away from home. Ironically, I
feel we got the goal from the most difficult chance of the afternoon.
Peaso did well to set it up and Chris took the chance very well indeed. We
must keep it going now. Three out of our next four matches are at
McDiarmid Park and we must use that to our advantage. I don't want us to
do the hard work of winning away from Perth just to undo it by failing at
home. We are entering a vital stage of the season which will go a long way
to dictating what sort of season we are going to have."
The reserves are at Raith tomorrow night for a 7.30pm kick-off. Meanwhile
the 4 trialists are at the club and the Canadian is apparently over on the
recommendation of Nick Dasovic. He's
been joined by an Irishman and two Australians.
Injury-wise and Kevin Rutkiewicz is
already doubtful for the Airdrie game after his shin knock at the weekend.
Better news for Martyn Fotheringham
though who's set to resume full training this week.
October
16th - Ian Maxwell(right)
reckons they owe John Connolly a win
over his old team. The defender said, "I suppose we feel we owe
the manager a good result. He would love us to turn it around from the
last league game and get a win. It’s the same as a player going back
to an old club. You don’t want to lose or make it seem that you’re
worse off than where you were before. The match will certainly have a bit
extra because it’s the gaffer’s first time back there since
leaving. In the league game we lost at McDiarmid we were very poor and
lost bad goals, but in the Bell’s Cup match against them we were a
lot better and played really well. It will be harder going down to
Dumfries though because they’re a good side at home with a decent
support. This will be a tough one. We’re playing teams in the next
few weeks who you wouldn’t expect to be challenging for the league,”
he observed. “These are the games that we have to go and win."
John Connolly meanwhile, has set a
target of at least five wins from this quarter. He said, "Queen
of the South have had a good start and they are where I would want to be
in the table. If we were even four points better off than where we are I’d
be quite happy with that. We’re looking to catch up four or five
points in the next quarter and we need at least five wins if we want to be
involved in the top three or four. Obviously we want to start with a
decent result tomorrow of at least a draw."
The manager also revealed that FOUR trialists are coming to the club next
week - a Canadian, an Irishman and two Aussies.
7.30pm - In the end a much improved performance from Saints saw us
run out 1-0 winners at Palmerston with
Chris Hay getting the winner in
spectacular style in the 2nd half, although we should have had a late
penalty and Peter MacDonald saw an
effort unfairly chalked off for offside.
October 15th - Good and bad news
for the weekend. Kevin Rutkiewicz is fit
for the weekend but Kevin
Fotheringham has suffered a reaction in training and is rated
doubtful.
October 13th - It was a slightly
comfortable win for the reserves last night with the boys running out 7-0
winners over East Fife at McD. Ryan
Stevenson banged in a couple. Meanwhile
John Connolly admitted he's tried to
get a couple of SPL players on loan. The Saints manager said, "It
is not easy because there is not a lot out there at the moment. I have
spoken to various managers and the reality, especially in the
Premierleague, is that nearly all are operating with such small squads.
But I will keep going. The players we already have here are more than
capable but it would make a difference if we could boost the squad with
one or two loan signings."
Finally some of the Saints players will be at the St. John's Centre in
Perth tomorrow from 1.30pm - 2.30pm to support Perth YMCA. You can get
autographs, photos of the players and take part in various challenges.
October 12th- Apologies for the
lack of updates but, well, there seems to be bugger all happening McD-way
just now. The reserves take on East Fife today. Other than that the only
news is that both Kevin Rutkiewicz and
Kevin Fotheringham are hoping to
recover from leg knocks in time for Saturday's trip to Dumfries.
October 9th - Saints have
dropped their interest in Bobby Linn with the player not being
offered a deal. John Connolly has
admitted he might return for the striker in January once the window opens
and we're not using our jokers. He said, "Bobby is only 18 and
with only two jokers at my disposal signing him at the moment is not the
way we want to go. If the transfer window was about to open we might have
looked at the situation differently but for now we need to add experience
to the squad. However, I’ve told Bobby that if he gets himself
playing again, even at a lower level, we will keep an eye on him and
perhaps come the window might do something then. ". Creativity is
apparently the main area of the side the manager believes needs improving
as he went on, "We have scored only eight goals in the first
quarter and, while we are far from being alone in having difficulty
finding the net, that’s something we have to address. In Peter
MacDonald, Michael Moore, Chris Hay and Stephen McConalogue we have guys
who, granted the right supply, will put the ball in the net for us. What
we must do is ensure we improve the supply to them."
October
6th - Well there was a bit better news last night for Saints with a
strong reserve side running out comfortable 5-0 winners at
Montrose. Ryan Stevenson(right)
banged in four of them whilst Stephen
Fraser got the other.
Photo copyright PPA (www.ppapix.co.uk). Used with permission.
October 5th - Latest word on
Bobby Linn is that John Connolly
has confirmed that the player is on trial and "we'll have a look
at him this week". That might include an appearance against
Montrose for the reserves tonight, with Ryan
Stevenson also likely to play.
Meanwhile just for a laugh, the Saints manager target for the next
quarter is six wins out of a possible 9 to get us back into contention.
6pm - Bobby Linn has spoken of his departure from Scumdee
and his attempt to win a deal with Saints. The 18-yr old said, "I
didn't feel I was getting a chance there. I'm on trial for a week or so
and it's a chance to kick-start my career. If I can convince Saints to
offer me a contract it would be ideal. I got a phone call from my agent to
go along to the game. I had been training with St Mirren, but there were
problems on the money side and a deal didn't work out there. It was a
surprise to find myself playing against Clyde, but I enjoyed the
opportunity. The boys made me feel very welcome. I was delighted to be
involved again and it was a real bonus to get on near the end. That gave
me a real buzz."
John Connolly said in today's PA,
"We took Bobby on because he was available to us at the moment.
He was on the bench against Clyde then came on for 25 minutes and did
well. But it was difficult for him as there was a swirling gale at
Broadwood so we didn't see a lot of him. We'll have a better look at him
this week in training." As for the team's form and prospects he went
on, "It's patently obvious to everybody that we are not scoring. If
you multiply our present amount by four that’s only 30-odd goals in a
season, and that's not nearly enough. Our two strikers should be giving us
that, but if we don't supply them with chances then they won't score - we
need better delivery in the box".
The hunt is already on for new faces and he continued, "I've been
trawling everywhere for players, but the criteria is if we bring someone
in they must be better then what we have here. We definitely need a flair
player, but if a 25-goal striker suddenly appears then we will take him.
We've been looking all season but for one reason or another the players we
were after wanted to stay at their respective clubs. We obviously would
have wanted to be higher up the league, but I feel we are not that far
away. This next quarter of the season will tell us where we are going to
be. But I don't think the teams we have played are a great deal ahead of
us, with the exception of Falkirk who showed class and Partick Thistle,
who are a strong side. The rest are much the same but we now have a
fortnight's break and know there will be a lot of hard graft to be done in
the next quarter of the season. Our target is to double the points tally.
Clyde have taken 20 points from the first quarter and that is our goal. If
we were being beaten three our four nil every week there would be a major
problem, but if we turn these results around we will right back in it. We
had two games against Falkirk and Clyde to get back amongst the leaders
and we did not take them. I was disappointed to come away from Broadwood
with nothing as I felt over the 90 minutes we were the better team and
created the better chances. We defended poorly at the goal and it was a
bad one to lose. Then we had chances ourselves and they were blocked, and
that is the difference. The strange thing was that was probably the best
we have played - better than the Partick game and we won that one. We got
round the back of the Clyde defence, but we should do better when we are
in that area and that is something we will work on in the next two weeks.
Once you do that you are half way there."
October
2nd - Apparently John Connolly
has set the defence a target of 5 goals apiece for the season (well the
strikers aren't exactly wading in to help the "For" tally).
Kevin Rutkiewicz(right) is leading with 2
goals and said ahead of today's Clyde game, "The gaffer gave
myself and Maxie a target of five for
this season. I’m not keen on targets but I’m happy with the way
things have gone so far. There’s friendly competition between us so
it was probably a good idea of the gaffer’s. My main priority is my
defensive duties but I’m sure there will be opportunities for me to
add to my tally as the season goes on ". As for Clyde he said,
"They’ve had a reasonable start to the season and have
surpassed people’s expectations. They have had a large turnover of
players so they’ve surprised me. Billy Reid, the manager, has
obviously got the best out of the players he’s got there. In football
you’ll probably have more lows than highs and it’s how you react
that’s important. We’ll be looking for a positive reaction
against Clyde. We had Wednesday off to have a wee look at ourselves and
get away from the place for the day, but everyon