That Went ‘Well

That Went ‘Well

I’m thinking of becoming a big “Trust the Process” guy. 

What do you reckon?

As Richard Tait’s 78th-minute own goal condemned St Mirren to a 4-2 loss away to Stephen Robinson’s former employer Motherwell, ensuring our almost certain bottom-six fate, with eleventh placed St Johnstone now just six points behind us I thought to myself “Wow. What a noble thing that would be for me to do.”

While Robinson didn’t get round to thanking me personally for this in his post-match interview, he certainly had a lot of other things to say. Talks of “players’ heads being turned” amid a relegation battle the Northern Irishman “saw coming weeks ago” have set the St Mirren Heid-Loss machine into overdrive. 

With both teams equal on points and goal difference going into the game, Saturday was a huge opportunity for the victor to plant one foot in the top six with one fixture to go before the split.

It was a dance we’ve seen before, however. In the 433 we moved the ball around well in spells – a nice move down the left leading to an Eamonn Brophy tap-in to put us 1-0 up. However, it was defensively we were found seriously wanting, with four defensive collapses leading to four goals and rounding off a torrid day for Robinson’s men.

Amid speculation of a “six-figure bid” from Aberdeen for Charles Dunne, Conor McCarthy returned to partner Joe Shaughnessy in the centre of defence. With Shaughnessy moving left to accommodate McCarthy (who did manage to bundle home Saints’ second goal), the backline seemed to lose that bit of balance provided by left-footer Dunne, and without the protection of Alex Gogić in front of them (the Cypriot only returned to training on Friday after international duties), the defensive unit felt all at sea.   

Let’s take Motherwell’s third goal – indicative of issues we had all game on Saturday.

As Joe Efford picks up the ball inside the half, Ethan Erhahon (playing left of the midfield three) makes an unsuccessful attempt to dispossess him allowing a one-two with Stephen O’Donnell which releases the American winger down the left (Saints’ right back Marcus Fraser was targeted by the ‘Well attack throughout). A lack of tracking back on Erhahon’s part (you’re not even IN the second picture Ethan man, c’mon) and some poor positional judgement from RB Marcus Fraser causes LCB Shaughnessy and LB Richard Tait to commit out of position, giving Dean Cornelius the freedom of ML1 to ready himself and pick his spot past an outstretched Dean Lyness (the backup goalkeeper another player who will be desperate to forget his performance on Saturday).

If we’re being totally honest, these aren’t new issues. It is true that we have lost a bit of defensive discipline since Goodwin’s departure, but let’s not pretend these sorts of issues weren’t there during the Irishman’s tenure as well. From the start of the season until Goodwin’s departure we averaged 14.9 shots against per90. In Robinson’s first six league games in charge, we have averaged 13, so virtually identical numbers – albeit in a smaller sample size for Robinson. That we are now conceding from more of these shots could be down to many factors, from goalkeeper form (it is no exaggeration that Jak Alnwick won us points on his own on multiple occasions in the first half of the season) to simple lack of confidence across the squad in the wake of Goodwin’s exit.

A run of six unbeaten league games (including four wins) perhaps papered over issues within our squad that are now coming to a head.

A light bench on Saturday (Robinson was able to name only five subs) meant that once we went behind we never really looked like finding our way back into the game. With young prospects like Lewis Jamieson and Keiron Offord out on loan (much-fancied youngster Dylan Reid also spent a spell away), questions must be asked about Goodwin’s squad management and forward planning.

Since Robinson’s arrival, there has been a lot of monologising about former managers and past regimes and, frankly, a refusal from many fans to take off the rose-tinted glasses makes a litany of past red flags look just like flags. While I am by no means absolving Robinson from his share of the blame in recent weeks’ performances, in assessing why we will fail to make top six, the entire season must be considered – not just the past six weeks.

We now prepare for the visit of second-placed Rangers to Paisley on Sunday. The game comes at what could be considered a good time to face Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men, coming a week after a disappointing Old Firm showing and falling between the two legs of the Scottish champions’ Europa League Quarter-Final against SC Braga, and could represent an opportunity pull off a shock and potentially bolster our points total as we prepare for our upcoming bottom-six scrap.

Of course, there is still a sequence of (albeit incredibly convoluted) events that could see us land a top-six place.

That’s an awful lot of Process to have to trust, though.

Humble Peh

The scenes in the away end as Marc McNulty’s bundled a 96th minute winner into the back of the net gave St Mirren fans an agonising taste of what might have been, rounding off a pretty torrid week for the Paisley side.

The onlooking home support (including Tony Fitzpatrick in his last game as CEO before retirement) were left ruing yet another performance devoid of any of the characteristics we have previously prided ourselves on. While the 2-1 defeat to Dundee Utd hasn’t mathematically killed off St Mirren’s top six ambitions, it was the latest missed opportunity in a season that has felt full of them.
The defeat is the low point of what has been a tricky transitional period for St Mirren; the story of which goes back to 2017 in North Lanarkshire.

In his first two seasons at Motherwell, Stephen Robinson set about changing the side’s style of play from “long balls at a target man” to a more possession-based game. After an initial first season built on hard work and organisation (typically in variations of a 5-3-2), Robinson took his opportunity to begin forming the team in his own image – some effective recruitment bolstered by an emerging crop of young talent including David Turnbull, Allan Campbell and Jake Hastie.

Under Robinson’s 4-3-3 system, Motherwell moved away from long balls to a more fluid, flexible (and easier on the eye) attacking game. Without compromising on the core principles of previous seasons, possession, goals and – most crucially – results improved. The Steelmen saw themselves transformed from bottom six makeweights to European contenders, finishing the curtailed 2019/20 season in third place behind Celtic and Rangers.

At St Mirren, Robinson seems caught in the middle of wanting his St Mirren side to play “his way”, and not having the squad to do so. Recognising this, the manager has tried to implement a “Robbo Lite” version of his game that, in theory, plays to the current squad’s strengths. On Saturday, those strengths let us down. Big time.

After going ahead on 3 minutes via Jay Henderson’s (now customary against Dundee Utd) screamer, Saints managed to hold the opposition at a relative arm’s length. This forced Utd boss Tam Courts into a half time rethink, bringing on Nicky Clark and Ross Graham for the second period.

The double switch changed the game, with wave after wave of Utd attack exposing a litany of Saints’ defensive frailties. On 57 minutes Manchester Utd loanee Dylan Levitt took advantage of some slack defensive play by Alan Power to launch a lovely long-range equaliser into the back of Jak Alnwick’s net.

Even when Robinson introduced Conor McCarthy and moved to a back five (we’ll get back to the substitutions later. Oh, will we get back to them) we struggled to deal with the movement and endeavour of Utd’s front three of McNulty, Clark and Tony Watt. Home fans were left venting their frustrations at a defence pressed to breaking point, devoid of organisation, application and communication.

This would ultimately be our downfall when on 89 minutes a lofted Levitt through ball brought on a case of terminal indecision between McCarthy, Charles Dunne, Joe Shaughnessy and their keeper which resulted in Alnwick charging out and catching Watt with a knee to the chest, being shown a red card for his troubles.

With Alnwick now suspended until after the split, and his future almost certainly lying in Aberdeen with Jim Goodwin, the red card feels like a disappointing end to his time in Paisley.

With ten men on the pitch (Dean Lyness replacing Alex Greive following the dismissal), there was a sense of inevitability to McNulty’s late winner; the three points seeing Dundee Utd move up to fourth place in the league while St Mirren sit in ninth.
While it is natural for fans’ ire to be directed at a current manager in times of poor form, there is also a case to be made that what St Mirren are experiencing now can be attributed to a hangover from Goodwin’s time in charge. Issues that a good January/February perhaps masked are now costing us, the defensive solidity we previously built ourselves on has waned and we offer little going forward.

Without the wide players to make it work up top, Robinson’s 4-3-3 feels somewhat stunted. Case in point was the decision to play Greg Kiltie on the left of the front three. The ex-Killie man has impressed in spells in 2022, but out wide on Saturday he was unable to affect the game anywhere near the levels he’d like, managing just 11 touches in the 67 minutes he was on the pitch. With the return of Jordan Jones from injury, we will likely see Kiltie move to the right where he can hopefully have more of an impact on proceedings (Henderson impressed on Saturday but may lend himself more to coming off the bench).

The past few days have also seen criticism of Robinson’s mid-game decision to switch to a back five at 1-1.

With the score level, Robinson took of Kiltie and Henderson, replacing them with McCarthy and Greive, moving to a compact 5-3-2. It was a sound call in principle – Saints’ back four were being rag-dolled by the Utd attack – but ultimately it was one that played right into the visitors’ hands.

For all his managerial strengths, one criticism that could be levelled at Jim Goodwin is his lack of a plan B (think our eleven-game winless run in 2021 under his much-maligned 3-5-2), with his sides often feeling one note and bordering on predictable. The level of flexibility of system that Robinson (rightly or wrongly) asked for on Saturday saw us looking disjointed and disorientated, with the 82nd minute additions of Ethan Erhahon and Curtis Main too little too late as we slumped to defeat.
The nature of a club of our stature means we will likely see several first team players depart in the summer. This will give Robinson the opportunity to rebuild the squad in his image (a reported pre-contract agreement with Motherwell’s Mark O’Hara pointing to this already being underway).

In the meantime, however, there is still the pretty-much-deid-but-not-definitely-deid matter of a top six finish. We head to Robinson’s old stomping ground in two weeks to meet an eight placed Motherwell side in a remarkably similar state of misfortune to ourselves (we share the same points total, goal difference). Only four points separate Dundee Utd (39) in fourth and Aberdeen (34) in tenth. With two rounds of fixtures to go before the split, there could very much still be a place in the top half up for grabs for the winner of the contest at Fir Park, as long as we can stop getting in our own way long enough to realise it.

Connor Roll

A massive week for St Mirren’s season kicked off – as great tales so rarely do – in Dundee last Wednesday evening. Stephen Robinson took his Saints side to Dens buoyed by the return of creative fulcrum Connor Ronan to the squad following his suspension.

It was the 24-year-old who would prove to be the difference, his dramatic 93rd minute winner – a fine diving header from an inch-perfect Jay Henderson cross – sending the travelling fans wild and keeping Saints’ top six dream alive.

While the 1-0 win was far from a classic, the performance was slightly closer to how Robinson has talked of wanting his side to play. Despite the game being somewhat light on incident, St Mirren kept the ball well and always looked the more likely to claim the points on the night. The midfield pairing of Alan Power and Alex Gogić did well to circulate possession and tire the hosts, offering passes through pressure to the more creative elements of the squad. The two managed a combined 13 duels won, 3 interceptions (2 in the opposition half), 11 ball recoveries, 5 clearances as well as 3 successful dribbles and 69 completed passes (9 of those accurate long balls). If the likes of Eamonn Brophy and Jordan Jones (who had a couple of huge chances each) had been that bit more on it on the night, we could have been out of sight long before Ronan’s late goal.

The win sees St Mirren sit in ninth place in the Premiership on 36 points, just a solitary point behind Hibs in fourth, with the middle section of the league starting to resemble Mr Burns’ immune system.
Putting the ridiculousness of the league to the side for one weekend, Saturday saw the Scottish Cup Quarter Finals take priority, with a trip to the capital to face off against Robbie Neilson’s Hearts in front of the BBC Scotland cameras.

The game was a thrilling contest, with the phrase “ding dong cup tie” being thrown around as liberally as the home fans’ attitude to the bad song book (what can we say, BBC goes out in Govan and The Gorgie Boys were in the mood to impress) as Hearts ran out 4-2 winners.

A more even contest than the scoreline may have suggested (50/50 possession, hiya symmetry fans), neutrals were treated to two teams absolutely going for it in search of their spot in the semi-final.

As they did against Dundee midweek, Power and Gogić controlled the midfield, dominating central duels and covering gaps, with Hearts’ Peter Haring and Beni Baningime struggling to affect the game for large spells.

Where Hearts had us beaten, however, was in our full back areas, with all four Hearts goals coming from crosses into the St Mirren box. Key to this was the movement of Liam Boyce, who was able to attach himself to Richard Tait or Scott Tanser to create 2v1s in the wide areas for Barrie McKay and Ben Woodburn to take advantage of.

With Hearts playing like this, far too much was asked defensively of Saints wingers Jordan Jones and Greg Kiltie and the home side were able to carve us open on the break, with Tait repeatedly targeted. Athletic and robust, Tait clearly has the attributes that manager Robinson values in a full back, but this was a game that got away from him defensively.

Despite finding ourselves 2-0 down after 29 minutes, Saints battled back gallantly with Eamonn Brophy superbly turning home a Tait cross to half the arrears going into the half time break.

The moment of the match, however, came on 62 minutes when Connor Ronan picked up a loose ball 25-yards from goal and fizzed a sensational strike into Craig Gordon’s top corner. The latest in a long line of moments of magic from a player who is truly testing the “don’t fall in love with loan players” adage.

With an ever-impressive number of travelling fans willing them on, Saints looked to push forward in search of a winner. However, the addition of Aaron McEneff and some slack defending led to Hearts taking the lead on 67 minutes (McEneff) before doubling it on 85 – Ellis Simms booking Hearts’ place at Hampden a close-range finish.

A disappointing end to Saints’ Scottish Cup dream, but one that allows us to focus our full attention on the season’s primary aim: a top-six finish.

Looking at the throng of teams between fourth and tenth in the league, some can be seen to be overperforming (Ross County) and some underperforming (Aberdeen); however, our opponents on Saturday – Dundee Utd – are an example of a team that has very quietly gone about its business, and in boss Tam Courts they have a manager who knows what he wants from his squad and exactly how to get it.

Typically lining up in a 352, Courts has instilled in his side the ability to grind out results (only two of their nine wins this season have come from a winning margin of more than a goal) and, while our record against Utd this season has been good (a 0-0 draw in Paisley and a 2-1 away win), they will be coming to the SMISA Stadium in search of a top-six spot that they feel is theirs for the taking.

Despite not winning in the league since February 9th, Courts will be galvanised by what he has seen on the park from his side of late. Dogged draws against Hearts, Aberdeen and Rangers in recent weeks have highlighted their ability to shut an opponent down, while playing some attractive football of their own in the process. Chief to this has been Courts’ decision to move full back and ex-Saint Liam Smith to central midfield, where his awareness and ability to pick a pass (as well as a couple of goals) have allowed him to drive Dundee Utd’s play both on and off the ball.
Our midfield of Power and Gogić, with Ronan dropping deep, will look to nullify Utd’s midfield threat, taking control of the central areas to allow our wingers (most likely Jones and Kiltie) to do their thing. Jordan Jones in particular will look to the joy Celtic’s Daizen Maeda found himself getting on Monday night in the space between Liam Smith, Keiran Freeman and Calum Butcher on Dundee Utd’s right wing. We will need to see a great deal more discipline from our full backs than we saw against Hearts, in order to tread the tricky line between opening up and attacking an opponent without leaving yourself exposed at the back.

Saturday will not be an easy game by any means and with the margins being so fine we will look to any small advantage we can get. A noisy home crowd, an almost full-strength squad and the promise of getting one foot in the top half of the table will be huge.

While the making of Stephen Robinson’s time at St Mirren will not be defined by what happens between now and the end of the season (how he rebuilds the squad in the summer will be much more telling), he inherited a St Mirren side with more than enough gas in the tank to get over that line. Saturday’s visit of Dundee Utd is a huge opportunity to begin delivering on that potential

Waiting for Robbo

Boy oh boy, remember how long we spent in the first half of the season sweating with a back three against teams we’d expect to be comfortably putting away on our road to a top six? That was rough.

Now to sit back, relax and take in a lovely bit of Ross County vs St Mirren.

Oh…
Typically, when a new manager joins a club like St Mirren, they are replacing a binned predecessor; let go as a result of poor form, league position or simply for the unforgivable act of being Alex Rae.

Following Aberdeen’s pursuit and subsequent hiring of Jim Goodwin, Stephen Robinson inherited a St Mirren side on a run of eight games unbeaten. On one hand, an enviable position to be in, on the other, however, a tricky balancing act between wanting to drip feed your style and authority on your new squad without changing a winning formula.

With Robinson’s first two games (70+ minutes vs Hearts with ten men and a trip to Parkhead) going down as a false start, all eyes were on Saints’ trip to Dingwall as the new boss looked to properly announce himself to the travelling fans.

Unfortunately for us, this was an announcement Robinson chose to make with five at the back.

While this was the same setup that we saw against Celtic, trips to Parkhead tend to be tactical anomalies for managers, where setting up too defensively can often be as ill-advised as going gung-ho. However, the 4-2-3-1 saw us unbeaten in eight games, and – while a trip to Dingwall is never one to be sniffed at – the feeling going into Saturday’s game was that it was a formation very much to stick with.

In Robinson’s 5-4-1 we toiled and struggled, failing to offer any real attacking threat; the resulting 1-0 defeat ultimately going down as thoroughly deserved.

It was a poor game overall, decided by a 49th minute Joseph Hungbo penalty after the striker was brought down by a clumsy Alex Gogić challenge. There was not much quality on show from either team, but the three points now see Ross County move into the top half of the table, and in a healthy position to solidify their place there before the split.

Conversely, St Mirren have been left rueing what feels like a tactical miscalculation at a time of the season when we can ill afford it.
Looking at it objectively, you can see the thinking behind Saints’ formation; in Hungbo and Regan Charles-Cook, County have two of the league’s in-form attacking wingers and can pose a real danger going forward. A back five, supported by central midfielders Gogić and Alan Power did effectively nullify the host’s attacking threat, however, it also offered very little in the way of forward impetus for us. The system did not allow for anywhere near enough support to be given to lone striker Alex Greive, who managed just six touches in the 45 minutes he was given, with only one of those coming in the opposition’s box.

Robinson’s half time additions of Ethan Erhahon (for Greg Kiltie) and Curtis Main (for Greive) did little to change the side’s attacking woes.

Main in particular was one that had many in the stands scratching their heads, having seen the big forward struggle in that role on a couple of different occasions so far this season. Main’s attributes simply don’t lend themselves to the lone striker as we can see from the following touch map from Saturday.

The above paints a picture of a player not fully comfortable with his role, having to drop far too deep to make up for a lack of midfield support. Main completed just six passes in the opposition half and failed to complete a single dribble. While the striker’s physical capabilities typically lend themselves well to the role target man, Main won only 3/9 of his aerial duels attempted and lost possession three times. While there may yet be a place for Main in Robinson’s squad, this isn’t it.

One thing this game showed was how much we need a player like Connor Ronan in our ranks. Since the midfielder’s red card against Hearts, we have all but lost the ability to link midfield to attack, sorely missing Ronan’s ability to drop deep and provide that bit of creative spark going forward.
When the game in Dingwall on Saturday opened up slightly in its closing stages with St Mirren looking to attack, but with three defensive midfielders on the pitch, all of the attacking onus fell to a

frustrated Jordan Jones on the left-wing and an exhausted Richard Tait on the right. With Ronan returning from suspension on Wednesday night against Dundee, the hope among many fans is a return to the 4-2-3-1, where the Irishman’s ability to drive attacks is a real asset.

Of course, it should be noted that we currently sit three points from the top six with a game in hand (against the league’s bottom side) and have a Scottish Cup Quarter Final with Hearts to look forward to at the weekend. By Sunday morning everything could look entirely different. However, if anyone is questioning our fanbase’s commitment to doom and gloom, I’ll leave you with the best thing I came across while reading a St Mirren forum this week:

“(Alan) Stubbs had four league games in charge, won one of them (against Dundee funnily enough) and got binned. Robbo needs to win on Wednesday to match the start made by Stubbs.”

So, yeah…

Ronan in the Deep

There was an air of excitement around the SMISA Stadium on Saturday as Stephen Robinson took to the dugout for the first time as St Mirren boss, facing off against Robbie Neilson’s Hearts.

It was the first of two meetings in three weeks between the two sides, with the Scottish Cup Quarter Final at Tynecastle lying in wait on March 12th. As dress rehearsals go, however, Saturday could not have got off to a worse start when Connor Ronan was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Beni Baningime with just 22 minutes on the clock. High, reckless and with studs firmly planted into the Hearts midfielder’s knee – there could be no real complaints (mute the highlights when you watch them to believe this lie) as Greg Aitken sent the admittedly very not that type of player Ronan to the dressing room.

Truth be told, we could even count it as a bit of a lucky escape to have suffered just the one dismissal considering Marcus Fraser’s equally risky challenge on Gary Mackay-Steven mere seconds before Ronan’s.

Credit must go to St Mirren for the reaction they showed following the red card. At 11 v 11 we struggled to get a hold of the game, and but for some better finishing by Liam Boyce (the striker having another pretty desperate day in front of goal), we could have seen ourselves at least a goal down in the opening stages. Ronan’s dismissal seemed to shake Robinson’s men into life slightly and the game subsequently opened up.
Saints could in fact have been handed an opportunity to go ahead on the half-hour mark, had referee Aitken not waved away what looked like a very strong claim for a penalty following a clumsy tackle by Ben Woodburn on striker Alex Greive.

Without Ronan, however, the Saints front line frequently found themselves isolated. With Jordan Jones and Greg Kiltie unable to link the midfield and attack (the only successful dribble from a player in black and white in the game coming from Kiltie deep inside his own half) and Hearts’ back three of John Souttar, Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley were allowed to go about much of their afternoon frustratingly unchallenged.

While Hearts did look the most likely to create in the first half (Barrie McKay in particular was a wicked creative outlet for the JTs on the day), St Mirren stood up to them impressively. Our back four dealt well Hearts on the break and mopped up the aerial bombardment aimed at Boyce. Once again, Joe Shaughnessy shone at the heart of the barricade, recording 3/3 successful aerial duels, 4 interceptions, 1 block and 5 clearances. Overall, the Saints were good for their 0-0 at the half time interval.

Disappointed with his side’s inability to capitalise on the situation, Hearts boss Robbie Neilson looked to his bench and made a bold but ultimately game-changing decision as Woodburn, Mackay-Steven and Nathanial Atkinson (who on another day could have also found himself seeing red for a couple of challenges on jones) were replaced by Ellis Simms, Josh Ginnelly and Alex Cochrane with 55 minutes on the clock.

From this point onwards, the extra man began to tell, and proved the difference on 64 and 67 minutes with goals from Simms and Cammy Devlin sending the travelling Union Jack emoji enthusiasts wild in the away end.

The goals would prove to be the beating of St Mirren as Stephen Robinson was forced to watch his new side’s eight-game unbeaten run come to a disappointing end.

However, given the circumstances of the 2-0 defeat, it is very much one to forget and move on, as the upcoming seven days provides us three quick opportunities to set things right with trips to Celtic, Ross County and Dundee.

Saints will also draw confidence from the fact that, although Celtic’s last domestic home defeat took place over a year ago in January 2021, it did come against us. Although a far different prospect from the Neil Lennon clown car that we bested thirteen months ago, the current league leaders are not without their weaknesses themselves. Recent European losses to FK Bodø/Glimt and a turgid 0-0 draw with Hibs on Sunday may have Stephen Robinson buoyed by the timing of his trip to Parkhead – ready to cash in the “1 new manager bounce, please” voucher that we were denied use of on Saturday.

Saints will take confidence from Celtic’s trip to Easter Road as Postecoglou’s men were stifled and suffocated by Hibs. By using Jake Doyle-Hayes and Josh Campbell to man-mark Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor and doubling up on Liel Abada and Jota on either wing, Celtic were unable to create the attacking overloads their system thrives on, leaving them stifled and suffocated by an impressive defensive performance from Shaun Maloney’s men.

As Connor Ronan begins his suspension, his place in the starting XI will likely be filled by young Jay Henderson. With him on the right and Jordan Jones on the left Robinson will look to them to perform as an effective out ball – as teams often need in order to compete at Parkhead. Despite blowing hot and cold since joining St Mirren, Jones has the undeniable ability to turn games his ability to run with the ball will be an asset Saints should look to utilise on Wednesday.

Striker Alex Greive’s strength with his back to goal will also be key. Celtic currently hold the joint second-worst record at defending set-pieces in the league (9 of their 17 goals conceded have come this way), and the New Zealand international’s ability to move the ball up the park and draw fouls will be something Saints will be looking at in the days leading up to the game.
While a trip to Celtic Park is admittedly difficult ask for Stephen Robinson to bounce back, trips to Dingwall and Dens the following week are fantastic opportunities for the new boss to put his stamp on the job. Saturday’s defeat to Hearts will rightfully go down as a disappointing defeat, however, it is not one that will make or break the season by any means. What it will have done, however, is make Stephen Robinson even more hungry to get his first points on the board as he looks to consolidate St Mirren’s position in the top half of the table.

Winds of Change

As I write this, I should be on my way to Dundee – A half bottle in one hand and a handwritten “Alex Gogic can I have ur shirt?” sign in the other. With the weather once again putting pay to the tie at Dens, we were handed an extra night to reflect on what has been an extremely eventful week in the Paisley Saints’ season.

Here are the main talking points of the last seven days.

Don Go Breaking My Heart

On Saturday morning, after days of rumour and deliberation, Jim Goodwin was officially named as Aberdeen manager.

While the timing admittedly stung, Goodwin and his assistant Lee Sharp headed North with his spell in Paisley ultimately going down as a success. The Irishman leaves St Mirren with the side making a real case for a top-six finish (whisper it maybe even with a push for a European spot) as well a Scottish Cup Quarter Final to come in just over two weeks’ time.

Goodwin himself has acknowledged the size of the job he now has on his hands with Aberdeen – and it will be very interesting to see where the two teams sit come the end of the season.

A Little from Collum A

Following the manager’s departure, Jamie Langfield’s Black and White Army™ travelled to West Lothian hoping to drown out the noise of the previous few days with a performance against ninth-placed Livingston.

Organised and resolute as ever, David Martindale’s side gave Saints a stern test, controlling large periods of play and playing some nice football in the process, and will feel aggrieved not to come away with more than the eventual 1-1 draw.

Saints rode their luck slightly in the first half, with the home team creating the lion’s (he’s done it, yass) share of chances, with both sides lacking that bit of quality to convert.

Overall, the game struggled to find its flow with referee Willie Collum’s whistle and his somewhat jazz-style approach to the implementation of the rules of football contributing to a bit of a stop-start affair.

Livi’s dogged perseverance paid off in the 55th minute when some neat interplay between Joel Nouble and Nicky Devlin down the right-hand side (an area the pair repeatedly looked to exploit) resulted in Bruce Anderson bundling home to claim a 1-0 lead for the home side.

With Saints staring down the barrel of a first defeat since Boxing Day, Jamie Langfield added Jay Henderson, Curtis Main and Scott Tanser to preceedings. Credit must go to Langfield, as the changes opened the game up, eventually finding a response on 78 minutes courtesy of a fine 18-yard finish from Greg Kiltie.

The day was nearly taken away from us seven minutes from time via referee Collum’s bizarre decision to send off Charles Dunne for a perceived elbow on Livi forward Sebastian Soto, despite minimal (if any) contact. The Saints defender could have arguably seen red earlier in the tie, catching Bruce Anderson with a forearm – something that perhaps informed Collum’s thinking as Soto theatrically fell to the floor (NOTE: The club have since successfully appealed this, with Dunne’s sending off being downgraded to a booking). In the end, ten-man Saints did well to dig in and close out the tie, and overall, the afternoon has to go down as one the visitors will be happier with than the hosts, given the circumstances.

Here’s To You…

When it started to become clear that Jim Goodwin’s ambitions lay outside PA3 (as if such a place need even exist), the rumour mill was awash with names ranging from the “aye, I suppose they’d do” to the “aw naw I genuinely think he’s serious”.

After a Jack Ross return was ruled out by both parties, the week started with the two favourites for the job being Scott Brown and Steven Naismith. While both candidates’ footballing credentials suggest that a career in management is indeed in the pipeline, many Saints fans were left bemoaning a lack of ambition from the board, calling for experience over a potential gamble.

Then, just as we were coming to terms with a coaching team consisting of Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance, something strange happened.

Fabrizio Romano – you know… off of Twitter – broke the news that ex-Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson was in advanced talks to swap Morecambe for Paisley, with Saints paying The Shrimps a bumper six-figure compensation fee to bring Robinson and his assistant Diarmuid O’Carroll to the club.

Robinson’s pedigree speaks for itself, having led Motherwell to two domestic cup finals and a top-six finish, and a European jaunt during his three seasons at the club. His time at Fir Park also saw the emergence of youngsters such as Jake Hastie, Allan Campbell and David Turnbull, all of whom have since been part of big-money moves. From a St Mirren perspective, there are few boxes Robinson doesn’t tick.

Robinson’s announcement was met with near-unanimous cheer from Saints fans, with the only downside being the palpable sense of disappointment at having nothing to really moan about.

You know us though, we’ll figure something out.

Pump Up the Jam(bos)

The first of two upcoming meetings with Robbie Neilson’s Maroon Menace (the second being the Scottish Cup Quarter Final) comes on Saturday as we welcome the league’s third-placed side to the SMISA Stadium. Despite a recent poor run of form (currently winless in five), the Jambos will be buoyed by the expected return of Craig Gordon, Craig Halkett and Liam Boyce to the starting lineup, and we can expect a very different prospect to the team that slumped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat against bottom-placed St Johnstone last week.

The game is one that throws up a number of interesting battles, chief among in the middle of the park. On his day, Hearts’ Beni Baningime is one of the most composed central midfielders in the league, but has toiled since returning from injury, and has found himself struggling next to Cammy Devlin on a couple of recent occasions – the pair often exposing one another’s shortcomings and appearing quite disjointed. Whether Baningime will line up next to Devlin or Peter Haring, Saints’ midfield partnership of Alan Power and Alex Gogic should look to exploit any weakness in that area and release a front four more than capable of causing Hearts problems.

We have struggled against Robbie Neilson’s men this season, with zero points from a possible six in the two meetings so far. However, Stephen Robinson will be desperate to start his St Mirren tenure with a win. With a vocal home crowd behind him in Paisley, there is every chance of him doing just that.

It’s Business Time

It has been another very fun week to be a St Mirren fan, with back-to-back league and cup wins turning the 2021/22 campaign dial from “I’ll take that” to “Yass, actually”.

Here are five talking points from the past seven days.

Top Six on Track
While last Wednesday’s 2-1 home win over St Johnstone may not have been the most convincing of performances, it was a satisfying victory in the type of game we typically struggled with in the first half of the season. In the horrendous Paisley conditions, Saints battled hard to keep St Johnstone at arm’s length for the majority of the game.

St Mirren now sit in sixth place in the Premiership, a point behind Dundee Utd and Motherwell in fifth and fourth respectively, with a game in hand against Dundee next Wednesday. Should we claim three points at Dens, we would be sitting in fourth place, with eight points between us and Hearts in third place.

The remaining February fixtures see us face off against Livingston (A), Dundee (A) and Hearts (H). With form on our side (we are second only to Celtic across the past six league games), and the squad finally feeling on the cusp of clicking tactically, an assault on the top half of the table is far from an unrealistic expectation. Outwith Glasgow, the league is the most open it has been for seasons, and this is something we should look to take full advantage of.

The Road to Hampden
Despite many identifying St Mirren’s Scottish Cup tie with Kelty Hearts as a potential upset, the 4-0 win was as routine as it was satisfying to watch. Without ever really having to get out of first gear in the SMISA Stadium, goals from Alex Greive, Jordan Jones and Greg Kiltie (x2) saw us dispatch Kevin Thomson’s men and progress to the Quarter Final, where we will meet Hearts at Tynecastle in March.

With the Quarter Finals being made up of the top seven teams in the current league table (and Dundee. Lol, hiya wee man), the cup is as competitive as we have seen.

We have faced Hearts in the Scottish Cup 12 times in the past, winning six games to the Gorgie side’s five. While our record at Tynecastle may leave a little to be desired (and obviously current form can change between now and March) there is not much currently in the country I wouldn’t back us to compete with.

Last season saw two trips to Hampden for Jim Goodwin’s men, and ultimately disappointment on both fronts. With stadia now open, St Mirren will be desperate to return with a full fanbase in tow.

Could we mark the 35th anniversary of our last Scottish Cup triumph with a similar achievement?

Saint and Greivesy
While Jim Goodwin’s St Mirren have been able to hang their hats on defensive stability and organisation, attacking flair and creativity is something that has continued to allude us.

Since returning from the winter break and switching to a 4231 we have looked levels above where we have been in the attacking third.

A big part of this has been the additions of Jordan Jones and Alex Greive.

The New Zealand international has slotted in seamlessly since an injury to Eamonn Brophy saw him thrown in at the deep end. Leading the line, the 22-year-old has displayed intelligence, movement and endeavour, running the channels and occupying opposition defenders well, with his physical strength and ability to draw a foul huge in getting Saints up the park. – all with the caveat that he has played just 300 minutes of professional football (a number considerably smaller than the amount of Flight of the Conchords references I’ve made on Twitter since he joined).

He is the perfect striker in the current formation, he knows exactly where a striker should be to get on the end of balls (as his two goals in two games have shown) or create space for others around him (it was Greive’s movement that led to the defensive mix up for Kiltie’s second goal vs Kelty Hearts)

There are still parts of his game that need smoothing out, as you would expect from a young man with just 300 minutes of professional football under his belt, but the potential is undoubtedly there, and Greive could prove huge in St Mirren’s push towards the end of the season.

Another key part of this push will be the influence of Jordan Jones on the left wing. With every kick of the ball in black and white, Jones looks closer to the player we recognise from Kilmarnock – his goal against Kelty (a sublime curling effort into the top corner) showing exactly what he is capable of.

In his three league games he has attempted, on average, 4 dribbles per 90, showing a desire we have often missed out wide. Whether backed up by Scott Tanser or Richard Tait behind him, it is a formidable left wing for Saints, and an important creative avenue going forward.

“The Rug that Ties the Room Together”

One issue with Goodwin’s 352 formation in the first half of the season was the defensive expectation placed on, well… every Saints midfielder not named Alan Power. While players like Jamie McGrath, Connor Ronan and Ethan Erhahon were more than capable of driving forward possession with a dribble or pass, we saw ourselves give away far too many cheap goals – particularly on the counter and particularly through the middle of the park.

Enter Alexandros Gogić.

The 27-year-old Cypriot international’s game may not be one for many YouTube packages – his work instead best appreciated through what it allows those around him to do – but in just three appearances in Saints’ new 4231 formation, Gogić’s combativeness and astute tactical intelligence have seen him shine.

While no stranger to mixing it up physically, Gogić’s reputation as a mere midfield destroyer perhaps undersells his value, with the Hibs loanee preferring to use his tactical intelligence and reading of the game to break up attacks rather than brute force – as his 6 clearances, 2 interceptions, 1 block and 4 recoveries vs St Johnstone last week shows.

With Gogić and Power its base, the attacking midfield three of Jordan Jones, Connor Ronan and Greg Kiltie are afforded the freedom to express themselves fully with ample cover behind them.

Whether dropping back to protect the centre backs or supporting the attack, Gogić is the player we have been crying out for. He is The Dude’s rug – really tying the squad together, leaving us with the most balanced starting xi’s we have seen in a long time.

Goodwin (A)?
One potentially concerning piece of news was Aberdeen’s announcement at the weekend of the departure of manager Stephen Glass.

The Dons have been in freefall in recent months, with Saturday’s Scottish Cup exit proving the death knell for the former Atlanta Utd 2 manager’s 11-month tenure in the North East.

With one of the league’s most high-profile jobs sitting vacant, the past few days have seen the usual list of candidates banded about. Chief amongst them, worryingly, is our very own Jim Goodwin – with Dons legend Willie Miller taking a break from living out his best Old Man Yells At Cloud life to give the Irishman his personal endorsement in the national press.

Was Jim Goodwin to be approached by Aberdeen, it would be a very difficult opportunity for him to turn down, with the job representing a massive upgrade in personal wage, club budget and resources (not to mention the chance to work with JET).

Looking at the situation objectively, the job may be one that has come too soon for Goodwin. While it is obvious the Irishman has a massive future ahead of him, his full-time management career is in its relative infancy, with just under three years (and three part-time with Alloa) of experience under his belt.

He strikes me as the type of manager who would want a level of control over recruitment that Dave Cormack and Aberdeen would not afford him, and with a notoriously expectant fanbase behind it, it is a club where things can go wrong very quickly.

At the same time, however, Goodwin is an ambitious young manager, and there is every chance he may back himself to be the one to divert Dave Cormack’s rodeo clown car of a football club back to its desired roadway rather than its current path of hurtling towards the North Sea.

St Mirren are currently well in contention for a Top Six league finish and have a cup quarter final to look forward to next month, giving Goodwin a real chance to raise his profile on the national stage. Should his ambitions lie outside of Paisey I don’t think it is a stretch to say that a job in England could be waiting for him in the summer.

With a bit of luck, Dave Cormack’s hubris will see him appoint some dud from the US rather than what would appear to be a raft of sensible options, and the entire situation will pass Saints by without unsettling any parties involved.

Forget It, Shaun. It’s Cinchtown.

Since returning from the Winter break, we have seen a very pleasing upturn in both performance and results at St Mirren. The (Tell Me Something) Good times continued on Saturday with an impressive 1-0 win away to Hibs at Easter Road.

Now, it is pertinent to note that all of the following comes despite Shaun Maloney’s assertion that his side should have won “3, 4 or 5 nil”. And – while I believe the Hibs boss has the attributes to eventually come good – the manager we saw in the home dugout on Saturday looked every inch a man realising the breadth of the task he has on his hands in the capital.

That is not to say that St Mirren were gifted a win by any means. Saints’ fourth win in five in 2022 was a well-fought and much deserved victory from a squad actively finding its feet in front of our eyes.

We are St Mirren though, and we’ve still managed to muster smatterings of doom and gloom this week. Injury to Eamonn Brophy in the 1-1 home draw with Motherwell has left us looking somewhat light up top.

With opinion still divided on Curtis Main and Lee Erwin’s efficacy as the striker in a 4231 (and the less said about the genuinely troubling links to a Leigh Griffiths transfer the better), January signing Alex Greive was tasked with leading the line at Easter Road. In his first professional start, the 22-year-old performed well; his awareness, movement and positional sense proving a real asset for Saints on the day.

While still acclimatising to Scottish football, Greive was a constant nuisance to the Hibs’ defence as the first point of contact of what has, in recent weeks, become an intense and effective press.

The presence of Alan Power in midfield allowed Connor Ronan to push forward (looking at St Mirren’s average positions, Ronan occupied a similar position to Kiltie in the number 10 role), and join a front four of Greive, Kiltie, Jordan Jones and Jay Henderson. The hosts were

barely afforded a second to breathe at the back by our imperious pressing and would lose possession 13 times in their own half, with 10 leading to a turnover of possession.

Ronan, in particular, was brilliant, putting in a Man of the Match performance that included:

– 11 recoveries
– 7 duels won
– 2 interceptions
– 2 tackles

In addition to:

– 33 accurate passes in Hibs’ half
– 3 key passes
– 3 dribbles attempted (with a success rate of 100%)
– 3 shots

And a goal that came from snatching possession from former saint Jake Doyle-Hayes at the edge of Hibs’ box and rifling a composed, driven finish past the out of position Kevin Dąbrowski on 62 minutes.

Despite Maloney’s post-match assertions otherwise, once Saints went ahead the result was never truly in doubt – despite a second half light on attacking intent from the Paisley side.

Hibs would go on to have brighter spells in the second period, due in part to the addition of Euan Henderson at the break, but Saints – well-drilled and organised in defence – showed a doggedness and defiance that would have had the onlooking Jim Goodwin beaming.

Maloney is a man with an ideology, and getting a team to take to his style will require time and resources rarely afforded to managers in this league. There was a feeling on Saturday that Goodwin and his St Mirren side had Hibs’ number – with the hosts coming up short in almost every area of the park.

Without the personnel to play Maloney’s patient, possession-based game, Hibs would find themselves resorting to aimless crosses (attempting 38 over the course of the 90 to no avail) with the likes of Joe Shaughnessy, Charles Dunne and (the immense) Richard Tait more than happy to mop up what came their way.

On the occasions Saints’ defence was breached, goalkeeper Jak Alnwick was a brick wall, making three big second-half saves to keep the score at 1-0 come full-time.

To put it simply, Shaun Maloney might have might have wandered in with his briefcase full of “progressive actions” that he learned in “Belgium”, but this is the cinch, Shauny. Sometimes football is big Richard Tait throwing his Vitruvian body in the mud to stop an opponent.

The game was the third time in four league games we have comfortably bested teams above us in the league. Undefeated in 2022 and just one defeat in eight (which was at Ibrox), St Mirren now sit in ninth place in the league with a game in hand, eleven points off the bottom of the table and just four points off Motherwell in fourth.

On Wednesday night we host Callum Davidson’s faltering St Johnstone. With this comes a different challenge, and one we have struggled with at times this season: facing a low block. With Jordan Jones looking more his old self with every kick of the ball, and St Mirren finally on the cusp of clicking tactically, Wednesday could allow us to put to bed the procession of turgid games between ourselves and the Perth outfit and make some real moves towards a top six we more than deserve to be a part of.

It’s a “Yass” from me

All Too ‘Well

Fresh from an eventful deadline day that included the signings of Jordan Jones, Alex Gogić and the departure of Jamie McGrath, St Mirren welcomed fourth-placed Motherwell to the SMISA Stadium on Tuesday night.

Since losing talismanic striker Tony Watt to Dundee United, Graham Alexander’s side have felt like a team struggling with their own footballing identity, picking up only a single point from three disappointing, tactically disjointed displays this side of the winter break. Upon seeing Saints’ new boy Jones start in an attacking 4231 – fan’s confidence of a fourth win on the bounce for the Paisley side was high.

Ultimately the contest was one that felt every inch a side with two home wins all season hosting a side with two away victories in that same time period– the 1-1 draw a fair reflection on what was a frustrating night for both managers. More so, undoubtedly, for Jim Goodwin, having had some extra preparation time afforded to him by Storm Malik cancelling Saturday’s tie at Dundee. In the end, Ross Tierney’s 91st-minute equaliser was another in the increasing portfolio of St Mirren failing to see out a game.

A Game Short on Quality

Broadly, Graham Alexander set his visiting side up to stifle St Mirren – soaking up periods of pressure in a 541 system while looking to release long balls for Kevin van Veen to feed off. Saints started the sharper of the two, however, and but for a bit of (understandable) rustiness in Jones’ game, we might have found ourselves with more to show from the opening stages of the contest.

The turning point of the half came 23 minutes in when number 9 Eamonn Brophy limped off with an ankle injury.

Losing our attacking focal point was a blow we never really recovered from. A lack of attacking options on the bench (Kristian Dennis having departed for Carlisle the night previously and Curtis Main not in the squad) meant a system shuffle and debutant Alex Gogić coming on to allow Conor Ronan to move higher up the park; Jones and Kiltie playing just off him.

Without the movement of Brophy, we were unable to put together any real cogent attacking play – the game plodding along rather unremarkably until midway through the second half and the introduction of striker Lee Erwin. While questions remain about his ability at this level – his presence (a 59th-minute substitute for Jay Henderson) allowed St Mirren to revert to their more natural 4231 shape and saw us open up a bit and create some chances, with Richard Tait and Ryan Flynn both denied brilliantly by Motherwell keeper Liam Kelly.

Gogić Debut
The high point of the game for me was the debut performance of Alec Gogić. In the 67 minutes the on-loan Hibs defensive midfielder played, he recorded 5 duels won, 2 clearances, 3 aerials, 2 accurate long balls and 8 ball recoveries.

The Cypriot international chipped in well in attack too, managing 2 shots, 3 passes in the final third, 1 key pass, and 1 headed goal off the most beautiful baldy midfield napper since the one sported by our very own manager in his playing days.

An impressive debut from a player who has the potential to become a cult hero in Paisley.

Familiar Frustrations

Despite the feeling of two points lost as Ross Tierney’s shot hit the net in added time, a draw was probably a fair representation of the piece overall.

The worrying aspect of the game, for me, was how reminiscent it was to the types of games we failed to see out around this time last season – games that would eventually cost us a top-six place. Watching Richard Tait fail to clear his lines for the equaliser (how angry can you get at a man whose cats you follow on Instagram though? Probably “not very” and “I’m 32, why do you ask?”) had a frustrating familiarity.

We have already lost 11 points from winning positions this season and – while the addition of Gogić to the midfield should help give us that bit more steel – must work on our game management to avoid a repeat of last season’s disappointments.

Striking Dilemma

The injury to Eamonn Brophy is one that could prove decisive to St Mirren’s season. While (at the time of writing) the club waits for results of an ankle scan, early indications from Goodwin suggest it could be a lengthy layoff for the striker – and plans for his absence put in place.

To push Jordan Jones or Greg Kiltie up front, as we saw for a spell on Tuesday, is too much of a loss to the midfield, doubts remain over Curtis Main and Lee Erwin and new signing Alex Grieve – although a promising talent – is unproven at this level.

If Goodwin had been able to get one or two more players out the door before Monday night’s deadline, we may have seen another striker come in. With his hand now played, we may see Jim Goodwin take to the Bartertown of the free-agent market to add some striking reinforcements.

Ultimately Tuesday was a disappointing night, but with a trip to Easter Road to face Shaun Maloney’s Hibs awaiting us on Saturday, we will not have to wait long for the opportunity to make amends and put a real marker down in our hunt for that top-half finish.

Walking on Broken Glass

Following last week’s away win over Dundee Utd and a comfortable (and proper proper fun) 2-0 cup win in Ayr, feelings were high going into Tuesday night’s SPFL Premiership game with Aberdeen. St Mirren have looked much stronger since returning from the winter break and seem set to leave early season woes behind them.

The new year high continued as a floodlit SMISA Stadium played host to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Stephen Glass’ men; a brilliant second half strike from Connor Ronan sending Saints ten points clear of the foot of the table and, more pertinently, three points from sixth place.

Picking up where they left off at Tannadice last week, Saints pressed Aberdeen with an intensity and desire that would have impressed the onlooking Jim Goodwin on the sideline. The manager had put himself somewhat in the spotlight pre-game, with his decision to bring Jamie McGrath back into the starting lineup. McGrath sat out Saints’ first two games of the year amid increasing uncertainty regarding his future at the club.

The decision was one that – in my eternal quest to prove I know nothing about the football – I was critical of at the time, but you have to say the Irishman impressed. His application, work rate and desire was far from that of someone who has downed tools.

In order to facilitate McGrath’s return, Connor Ronan would move into a deeper midfield role (Ethan Erhahon dropping to the bench) with McGrath occupying a wider left attacking midfield position, similar to that which he has played for the Republic or Ireland national team.

The worry many had upon seeing the starting eleven was that the inclusion of McGrath would negate the efficacy of in-form Greg Kiltie (as we saw when the two played together at the start of the season), but the decision to play McGrath proved to be a sound one.

Knowing that Aberdeen would look to control possession (Stephen Glass’ Real Quiz Army had 68% of the ball on the night) Goodwin identified his front line as being key in winning the tactical battle on the night.

As it was at Tanandice, Saints’ press was a joy to watch, with the front line of Kiltie, McGrath and Eamonn Brophy working tirelessly to stifle and pressure Aberdeen at every opportunity. The three recorded a combined 10 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 blocks and 18 recoveries. With Connor Ronan and Jay Henderson also featuring in midfield, it was a very attack-minded lineup – yet St Mirren retained their defensive shape well throughout. Organised and hard-working – Saints kept Aberdeen at arm’s length, with Joe Shaughnessy, Charles Dunne and goalkeeper Jak Alnwick having one of the most comfortable 90 minutes they’ve had in the black and white.

While Saints were found slightly lacking in clear cut chances (as was the entire game, tbqh) the signs were there. One such “It’s Probably Going to Be Fine, Lads” sign was Connor Ronan’s 61st minute wonder goal.

It was a thing of beauty.

Chasing a Greg Kiltie cutback (Kiltie’s assist his 4th goal involvement in 3 games), Ronan curls a stunning edge-of-the-box shot past a helpless Joe Lewis – sending the onlooking Paisley crowd wild.
The Irish U21 international’s 4th goal of the season (3 of which have come against Aberdeen) ultimately proved the difference on the night, with Dons boss Glass left lamenting his side’s inability to lay a glove on the hosts.

While there are still improvements to come under the new formation (with the attacking options we had on the pitch – Saints 27 successful long balls from 82 attempts continues to be a bugbear for many), overall Tuesday was a consummate performance from a side desperate to leave their early season troubles behind them.

Continuously hard to beat (only the top three of Rangers, Celtic and Hearts have lost fewer games) and with 8 points from ties against Hibs, Celtic, Rangers, Dundee Utd and Aberdeen, a more ruthless attacking game could see us become a real force in this league.

This Saturday sees us head to Dundee to take on James McPake’s travelling circus of Bad Vibes, themselves eager to turn in perform after a 0-0 draw with bottom placed St Johnstone in Perth.

The foundations are there for a very fun second half of the season.