Season 2012/13 has been another memorable season for St
Johnstone supporters. The season started with the first venture into Europe since 1999 when they were drawn against Turkish
side Eskisehirspor. For those lucky enough to make the trip to Turkey, its one
they will never forget. The reception that the fans gained from the city of Eskisehir was
unbelievable and the link between the clubs has become so strong now that
Saints have announced that the club will be playing in a red and black away
shirt next season in tribute to their Turkish friends. Away from this, after a
poor start in the league, the season picked up and Saints have secured a place
in the top 6 and are still very much in the hunt for one of the European spots.
Gregg Aitchison writes
Goalkeepers
Alan Mannus
Alan Mannus was signed by Derek McInnes just three days
before the start of the 2011/12 season, however during his first few months at
Saints he found himself in the role of second choice keeper, behind Peter
Enckelman. Fortunately for Mannus he found himself in possession of the number
one shirt after Enckelman put in a horrid performance against our local rival
Dundee United, whereby we were stuffed 5-1. Initially Mannus did not display
any of the types of performances that had seen him so highly rated during his
time at his previous club Shamrock Rovers and many fans, including myself were
anxious when we went into this season with Mannus as our first choice
goalkeeper. Thankfully we have all been proved wrong and Mannus has gone on to
have a superb season. He is not the most vocal of keepers and doesn’t pull of
lots of wondersaves, however he is consistently solid and is good with the ball
at his feet. The Canadian born, part time cagefighter has won many of our fans
over this season with his conduct both on and off the field.
Jonathan Tuffey
Tuffey was brought to club last summer to challenge Alan
Mannus for the honour of being the number one goalkeeper, however due to
Mannus’ superb from this season, his opportunities have been limited to a
single appearances against Queens Park in the League Cup. At 26 years old, you
have to imagine that he won’t be happy sitting on the bench. I would expect to
see him depart the club this summer.
Zander Clark
Zander Clark has been
involved in the majority of the clubs Under 20’s games this season and the 6’3
keeper has always impressed me with the way he commands his area and organises
the defence in front of him. If Tuffey does leave this summer, it will be
interesting to see whether Steve Lomas puts his trust in Clark
to be the clubs second choice keeper next season.
Defence
Dave MacKay
Since arriving from Livingston
in 2009 Dave MacKay has gone on to establish himself as a true fans favourite.
The right back puts in consistently good performances, is a solid defender and
also a threat going forward. After Jody Morris left last season, Steve Lomas
installed MacKay as the club captain and his performances this season resulted
in him signing a two year extensions to his contract, tying him to the club
until 2015. The song “We All Dream of a Team of Dave Mackay’s” sums up
perfectly the high regard in which he is held by the Saints fans.
Steven Anderson
This season was “Ando’s” ninth at the club, since arriving
from Dundee United in 2004. Last season was probably Ando’s finest hour as a St
Johnstone player, with many outstanding defensive displays resulting in him
collecting many of the fans Player of the Year Awards at the campaign’s conclusion.
Whilst his performances this time around will not see him win Player of the
Year Awards again, he has still put in some solid displays. He has a tendency
to struggle when coming up against an opponent with a real physical presence
such as Jon Daly or Michael Higdon and he really struggled when playing against
Hearts Michael Ngoo at Tynecastle a few weeks ago. Barring this, Ando is a
solid enough SPL defender and at 28 years of age he still has a few more
seasons left in his career to add to the 200 plus appearances he has already
made for the club.
Frazer Wright
Having played with Stranraer in the lower leagues until he
was 25, Wright has went on to make a good career for himself in the SPL,
firstly at Kilmarnock and now St Johnstone.
He’s the stereotypical “no-nonsense” defender; not flash in any means but what
he’s good at he does consistently well: strong in the tackle, powerful in the
air and a good leader. Hopefully the club can sign Frazer up for a few more
seasons as his contract expires during the summer.
David McCracken
Since arriving in 2011, David McCracken has proven himself a
more than able SPL defender. McCracken is not always first choice, however when
he is called upon, he is usually reliable. Like most of our defence, his lack
of pace is his major weakness in his game, however his reading of the play and
ability in the air have served him well in his 51 appearances for the club.
Callum Davidson
Despite being 36 years of age, Callum Davidson has played at
times this season like he is still 21 years old! He is still able to get up and
down the pitch and can whip dangerous balls into the box, as proven with his
great delivery to set up Gregory Tade in the 1-1 draw against Eskisheirspor in Perth. Unfortunately,
much to the dismay of the Saints fans, Callum revealed in an newspaper
interview in December that club chairman, Steve Brown had told him that he
would not be offered a new contract at the end of this season – as he is too
old! Callum Davidson may struggle with the occasional injury, however he has
still made 21 appearances this season and his general performance levels have
been good. Thankfully it has recently been revealed that the club and Callum
may be close to agreeing a new contract. Lets hope its true!
Tam Scobbie
Steve Lomas brought Tam Scobbie to St Johnstone on a free
transfer from Falkirk in the summer of 2012.
Due to Callum Davidson being Lomas’ first choice left back, Scobbie has found
opportunities to break into the first team limited this season, although
anytime he has been brought in, he has not done himself any harm. Defensively
Scobbie has been sound and from an attacking point of view he has surprised me
with his ability to get forward and whip dangerous crosses into the box. The
fact Scobbie can also play centre back means he is a useful player to have in
the squad.
Gary Miller
The versatile defender was signed from Ross County last
summer and due to Dave MacKay’s injury, his first competitive action for the
club was to be play in both the European games at the start of the season.
Miller started off brightly at Saints, however his performances dipped and he
found himself out of the team. In January, he came on as a sub in our 3-2 defat
against Motherwell at Fir Park and unfortunately suffered a bad injury, which was
originally suspected to be a broken ankle, however this turned out not be the
case and Miller is now back in training, hoping to be involved between now and
the end of the season.
Midfield
Chris Millar
For me, Chris Millar encapsulates the reason why St
Johnstone have been moderately successful over the past few years. He knows
that he is not the most skilful player, however the effort and discipline he
shows for the club makes up for his lack of skill as a player, and is equally
as comfortable on the right side or centre of midfield. Many supporters of the
club target Millar as a weak link of the team, however I feel this is unfair.
The only criticism I have of “Midge” is that for a midfielder his goal return
is poor, with him only notching five times since signing for the club in 2008.
Out of contract this season, he has stated he would like to stay and I think
Steve Lomas will recognise his contribution to the team and offer him a new
deal.
Murray
Davidson
Murray Davidson gets my vote as St Johnstone’s player of the
year for the 2012/3 season. Since joining the club in 2009 for a fee of
approximately £50,000 from Livingston, along with Dave MacKay – which must
surely rank up there as one of the finest transfers deals ever completed by the
club – Murray
has impressed everyone with his performances. He is the complete midfielder in
that he solid at passing, heading the ball, tackling and has finally added
goals to his game. Murray also became the first St Johnstone
player to receive a full cap for the Scottish
national team in over 80 years when he came on as a substitute in the
dying minutes during a friendly with Luxembourg. Murray has announced his intention to leave
the club at the end of this season and its safe to say he will not be short of
offers. He will be a major loss, it has been a joy to watch his development as
a player over the past few years.
Paddy Cregg
Steve Lomas had a void to fill in the centre of midfield
after Jody Morris left the club at the end of last season to join Bristol City. It’s safe to say that not many
fans would have suggested Paddy Cregg as the man to fill Jody’s boots. However,
Steve Lomas watched him in a few pre-season games and liked what he saw. Like
many, I initially had my reservations about Cregg, mainly due to comments from
fans at some of his previous clubs being far from glowing! Thankfully Paddy has
went on to prove everyone wrong and has proved to be a very astute signing by
Lomas. He breaks up play and plays simple passes and has been a welcome addition
to the team this season.
Liam Craig
Liam Craig has been a vital cog in the St Johnstone team
since Derek McInnes signed him from Falkirk in
2008. Since then Craig has went on to play over 200 games for the club and
scored 39 goals, many of which have proved to be crucial. Unfortunately after
much speculation, it was confirmed that Liam had signed a pre-contract with
Hibs and would leave the club at the end of the season. Despite some poor
performance during November and December, when many were speculating about his
future, Liam has come back on to a game and a 93rd minute header against Dundee
United secured the clubs place in the top six. Like Murray Davidson, Liam will
be a big loss to the club. He is not the quickest player in the world, however
as mentioned he has a habit of scoring important goals, is good at set pieces
and can provide solid defensive cover, if needed.
David Robertson
“Robbo” has endured a tough time at the club since signing
in the summer of 2011. He struggled to get into the team firstly under Derek
McInnes and then Steve Lomas and anytime he did play his performances were
poor, which led to many fans writing him off completely. Despite this Robbo
kept going and started to get more involved in the first team and an injury
time equaliser against ICT and another strike a few weeks later against
Motherwell suggested that he may have a role to play at the club. Unfortunately
just as he was beginning to establish himself in the first team, he suffered a
broken leg in a midweek game against Hibs in November, which ruled him out for
the rest of the season. Robbo is out of contract this summer and it will be
interesting to see if the club decide to offer him a new contract.
Strikers
Nigel Hasselbaink
Look at the word Enigma in the dictionary and underneath it
will be a photo of Nigel! On his day there are not many SPL defences that can
cope with his pace and trickery. Unfortunately these days are few and far
between. Since joining the club last season from St Mirren, Nigel has caused great
debate amongst the St Johnstone support. Two superb goals against Celtic in
November and February showed that Nigel has undoubted ability, but too often
his attitude and work rate leave a lot to be desired. Lomas has been repeatedly
quoted in the media this season saying that if Nigel were to develop a stronger
work ethic and become more aware of his defensive responsibilities, then he
would be a nailed on starter in the team every week. Unfortunately I think his
pleas will fall on deaf ears.
Gregory Tade
The complete opposite of his best mate Whilst Hasslebaink
has all the talent, but shows no effort, big Gregory has limited talent, but
heaps of effort! Tade instantly became a hit with the St Johnstone support when
he scored a cracking header to give us hope of a dramatic victory in our
European tie against Eskisehirspor in July, but since then his goalscoring
exploits have between few and far between; finding the net only fives further
times this season. Despite the lack of goals, Tade has impressed many with the
amount of running he does, his physical presence and his sheer determination to
do the best he can. He wouldn’t be my first choice every week, but he has had a
decent first season at the club and is useful to have in the squad.
Rowan Vine
Rowan Vine first featured for Saints as a trialist in a
pre-season game against Bristol
City, during which he
scored twice, leading to him being offered a deal by the club. Despite playing
as centre forward during his successful trial, he has found himself played more
as a withdrawn type of left winger this season, which I personally don’t think
suits him. Vine obviously has talent, as witnessed by that fact that Birmingham one signed him
for the pricely sum of £2.5 million, however for me he has flattered to deceive
this season. He can quite often be wasteful in possession and often looks
lethargic. His disciplinary record has been poor as well, leading to him being
red carded twice and yellow carded six times! On a positive note he has scored
some important goals, such as the winner against Celtic at McDiarmid in
September and also a magnificent double against Hibs at Easter Road in
February.
Steven MacLean
Maclean was signed by the club as a free agent on September
the 1st after he had impressed Lomas during some closed door games. The man of
many clubs looked like he would be a good bit of business when he scored twice
against Queens Park in the League Cup, then followed this up a few days later
with a goal against local rivals Dundee. Unfortunately during the Dundee game, MacLean landed awkwardly and suffered a
dislocated elbow, which looked like it might scupper any chance of getting his
short term contract with the club extended. Thankfully MacLean recovered
quickly and was back playing within a month. His performances led to him
agreeing an extended contract with the club through until May 2014. Despite his
initial burst, MacLean has went on to struggle in front of goal, netting a
meagre six times all season. I like MacLean as a player and his ability to hold
the ball up and bring others into play is a major strength, however he has been
wasteful in the box this season and needs to start becoming more of a threat in
the final third if he is to hold on to his current role as first choice
striker.
The Manager
If anyone had told me that Steve Lomas would guide the club
to a top six finish during a tough start to the season last August, I would
have laughed in their face! Despite securing the a top six spot last season as
well, the club went on to lose all of the resulting five games after the split
and this combined with some rather strange comments from Lomas in the media
regarding the future of Rangers and how he thought that achieving a European
place could be a ”hindrance” to the club meant that Lomas was not the most
popular man amongst sections of the St Johnstone support. The negativity
continued at the start of this season when his team only picked up two points
from a possible fifteen. After an insipid 2-0 defeat from Hibs at Easter Road
at the end of August left us sitting at the bottom of the table, many fans
(myself included), felt that the board had to act and remove Lomas from his
duties. Thankfully the board showed more patience than the fans did and after a
superb 2-1 win over Celtic in September the team went on to win five games in a
row which propelled us up the league. The media have correctly highlighted the
superb achievements of Ross
County and Inverness
Caledonian Thistle reaching the top six, however I feel that Steve Lomas and St
Johnstone deserve just as much credit. For a club with the third lowest budget
in the league to reach top six two years running is an immense achievement. The
fact we could still clinch another European trip would only add to the
impressive CV that Lomas is building for himself. Barring Craig Beattie, Lomas
signings have all added something to the team and despite my own personal
frustrations with his 4-3-2-1/4-3-3 tactics, he seems to have a decent grasp on
the tactical side of the game. The players also seem to enjoy working under him
and he has continued to foster the good team spirit that was developed under
previous managers, Owen Coyle and Derek McInnes. Towards the end of this season
he also seems to be improving his image in the media. He has impressed me on
the way he talks about his team, his general thoughts on the game and in
particular the way in which he seems to be standing up for the club more.
With so many players out of contact at the end of this
season, it will be another major rebuilding job for Steve Lomas this summer.
Murray Davidson and Liam Craig will be hard players to replace, however the
signing of Richie Brittain (although recent media reports are slightly
concerning) on a pre-contract should go someway to covering their departure.
Hopefully Lomas can also convince lower league goal scoring sensation Stevie
May to sign a new contract with the club and that he gets a chance to show the
Saints support the type of displays that have impressed so many in the First
Division this season. Liam Caddis has also impressed this season for the Under
20’s and hopefully he will get more of a chance in the first team next season.
Lomas’ contacts in England
also became useful in Januray when he signed Mehdi Abeid, Gwion Edwards and
Michael Doughty from Newcastle United, Swansea
and QPR respectively. All three look to be useful players, especially Abeid and
hopefully we can get some of the back on loan again next season.
Despite the positives of securing a place in the top six and
also still to be in contention for a European spot, this season has not been
the most enjoyable for many fans. By the time the campaign reaches its’
conclusion, St Johnstone will have played only 4 matches out of 17 on a
Saturday at 3pm in 2013. I have never known a season like it for fixtures being
moved around. This has been a major reason in our home attendances being so
poor, despite a relatively successful term on the pitch. The club are trying to
entice supporters and should be commended for the initiative that allows all kids
under the agree of 12 free entry into McDiarmid. They are also doing a deal for
the last three home games of the season whereby those aged between 13 and 18
can gain entry for £5. However, the club still need to do much more to
publicise these deals and try and engage with the wider population in
Perthshire.
If you’d like to read more
from Gregg Aitchison then make sure to follow him on twitter.
Subscribe to Podcast