Using .GIF images to illustrate our points, we break down key aspects of play from games in the Scottish Premiership. This time we congratulate Stevie May on his much deserved Player of the Month award for October and examine the aspects of his game which have allowed him to seamlessly transition to life playing regularly in the top flight. Craig Fowler writes.
It has already been forgotten, but going into this season with Stevie May as one of the club’s first choice strikers was a major gamble by new St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright. There really seemed to be a glaring lack of viable attacking options if the long-haired opportunist didn’t at least go some way to repeating his prolificacy in the lower leagues over the past two seasons.
As a 19-year old at Alloa he launched the previously stagnating side from hopeful title contenders to run away champions with 19 goals in 22 games. Last season he did something similar, helping to haul Hamilton from possible relegation to mid-table security thanks to an incredible tally of 13 goals in the final nine matches. So there was certainly enough evidence there for Wright to believe he was the right choice. But as we’ve seen so many times in the past, it is a huge leap for a striker going from tier two to the elite division. For every Adam Rooney and Jason Scotland there have been the likes of Colin McMenamin, Mark Stewart, Richard Offiong and Bryan Prunty; all of whom finished as the First Divisions top goalscorer but bombed – or in Prunty’s case, never even got the chance to show his talents – at the SPL level.
Why don’t the goals flow so freely? It’s always an interesting question and there is no set answer as to why some succeed and others don’t. Of course the opponents are much faster and stronger at the highest level, so the same avenues to goal that used to be merry jaunts have suddenly turned into confidence shaking gauntlets. But in terms of a player’s character or his skill set, there is no magic formula that managers look for.
One thing is for certain. The player can’t just be a goalscorer. There has to be another part of his game. The era in which the guy with the number nine on his back just stands around the penalty area and shoots on sight died a long time ago. All strikers now have to be facilitators, game-stretching pace merchants, tough battlers who hold off defenders, or selfless disciplinarians. The great thing about May and his rise into the top tier is that, already, he ticks three of those boxes as well as continuing his goalscoring form.
We start with an example of what he does best, which is also a perfect illustration of how he is able to do it at the highest level.
Sprinting speed, or pace, is essentially an overrated attribute. It’s great to have and can make even the most mundane of footballers completely terrifying (see Ivan Sproule), but it is perhaps the most simple strategy to defend (see Ivan Sproule) and you will never see a team in football be crowned world champions built mainly around pace. As a striker, especially one in May’s boots playing without a target man to win flick-ons and in a team that likes to control the tempo, a much more valuable quality to have is acceleration. Most strikers in the division should be able to beat defenders for speed, but in small spaces, like the one in the clip, that little burst (the gear change) which he demonstrates to get himself in front of Gary Warren after making the pass can give that inch of advantage which turns a cleared cross that doesn’t even make the highlight reel into a goal.
While it’s not a great necessity he does also possess the ability to sprint past beleaguered opponents; shown in this clip going up against Paul Hanlon.
May’s curved route mean he has a longer run onto the ball than Hanlon, but he still beats him to it and the defender only stays with him because of an unsubtle pull back that impends May’s movement somewhat. The Hibs defender, who has a lot of experience playing at full-backs, has above average speed for a Scottish Premiership centre back and even he can’t keep up with May without resorting to fouling.
Unlike Steve Lomas’s side, this St Johnstone is built around possession and it’s why a guy like Gary McDonald, who is a technically good midfielder but not renowned as a midfield scrapper, has outperformed Murray Davidson so far this year. When teams want to play possession football it is always good to have an attacker that stretch the opposition, otherwise the opposing defence can just push up, squeeze the game and narrow those passing lanes. This goes hand in hand with St Johnstone’s ability to push their defensive line high up the field themselves since the injuries to Fraser Wright and Steven Anderson made their defence quicker overall and able to deal better with any ball in behind.
Another aspect of May’s game highlighted in the Hanlon clip is the strength he has in that 5ft 11in body. It’s without doubt been the most noticeable change in his game since the little lad left for the lower leagues to toughen up. Here he is abusing Graeme Shinnie.
You could argue that this is a clip in isolation, seeing as he’s going up against a full-back and would usually be dealing with bigger, stronger centre-backs. Well, yes and no. For a man who has scored 11 goals in all competitions already this season, it is remarkable where May will go in order to get the football into his feet. He can play on the shoulder, drop deep and create for others, run the channels; in terms of his movement and his adaptability in all situations, the guy is almost a complete forward at this level. Don’t believe us? Watch this.
Technically sound, fast, quick, can dribble, can shoot; where can this guy even improve? Well, one nitpicking aspect to point out is the lack of headers he scores. However, this could easily be explained by the fact that his team isn’t one that relies on width and there aren’t many aerial crosses into the box aside from David Wotherspoon’s set-pieces. Obviously, standing just under 6ft, he’s never going to be a dominant goalscorer in the air, but considering the predatory instincts he possesses with his feet, one would assume he’d score more with his head if St Johnstone crossed into the box with greater frequency from open play. Another small criticism is that he is a little too greedy at times in front of goal. This is in contrast with what he demonstrated in the previous clip, seeing as he could have shot for goal after skipping past Manuel Pascali, so it’s clearly not a character fault. It is just youthful exuberance and the lack of experience knowing exactly when he should shoot for goal and when he should relinquish to a teammate.
The complete striker role wasn’t just a throwaway comment. At 21 he still has years ahead of him to hone his skills and the whispers coming out of McDiarmid Park indicate that May is a grounded young footballer who continually wants to learn and improve. The only thing holding him back at present is that, while he possess a number of attributes, none of them, with perhaps the exception of his finishing, go beyond very good in the Scottish Premiership. And, as we all know, very good in the Scottish Premiership doesn’t immediately equate good in the English Premier League.
What is certain is that, for the time being, St Johnstone have an excellent footballer on their hands, and Tommy Wright’s gamble certainly paid off.
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