John Callan (@JohnLCallan)
For a team with comparatively meagre resources, St Johnstone seem to have assembled quite a formidable side. Sure, we say it every season like it’s some sort of great surprise, despite all previous evidence of Saints under Tommy Wright suggesting anything other than clear, gradual progress would be unusual. But now it looks as if they have greater depth beyond the starting eleven. Sitting on their bench at the weekend were seven players who probably wouldn’t be too out of place in most Premiership starting line-ups.
The fact, too, that they can count on a decent back-up ‘keeper, following Alan Mannus’ red card, is a luxury beyond many less prudent clubs. Zander Clark proved more than capable in the Championship for Queen of the South last season, collecting 15 clean sheets in a tough division, and the 23-year-old is probably ready for a step up to the big boy league. His hour-and-a-bit between the sticks on Saturday, with a depleted side in front of him, strengthened that case further.
The best moment of his was a point-blank block from an on-rushing John Souttar, getting in the way with a wee stunted jump in the style of a malfunctioning video game character. But an overall assuredness from Clark suggests Saints are in good hands whenever Mannus isn’t available, and that he could go on to forge out a decent top-flight career, whether at McDiarmid or elsewhere.
Duncan McKay (@DuncMcKay)
The football was pretty turgid on Saturday at Easter Road. Moments of inspiration were few and far between. Lawrence Shankland looks like he could develop into a real talent, while Jim Goodwin remains Scottish football’s biggest pantomime hero (we’ll miss him when he’s gone. Honest).
Hibs were good in possession, but blunt in the final third. Probably not the first nor the last time this line will be written this season. But my moment of the weekend took place at half time.
Seeing a young supporter in a cast (not me, dear reader), Dominique Malonga leaped the advertising boards to sign the young lad’s plaster and posed for pictures with supporters. Malonga is not the first player to have committed such an act, but in the two minutes he spent signing autographs and posing for photos he probably made the weekend for a dozen kids. Moments that will last far longer for them than a dull 1-1 game: the day they met one of their heroes.
Football clubs have such huge potential to enhance lives for the better. It was nice to be reminded of that on Saturday.
Joel Sked (@sked21)
What separates Ross County from sides with similar or more quality who are languishing in the league is their ability to compete. Jim McIntyre and Billy Dodds have added to the squad shrewdly while getting the best of the players they opted to keep. Not only that but they have the squad well drilled.
The 4-4-2 system is one which can be hard to master effectively when up against a variety of 4-5-1, but the County players all know their individual roles and how they each impact the team. When the players know what is required of them the management team is onto a winner. And when the players carry out their roles diligently, fighting for everything on the field you will get success. This combative nature from County was evident in their third goal on Saturday.
From a goal kick, Brian Graham challenges James McPake who wins header but then Fraser nips in ahead of Ricarrdo Calder to head the ball back into Dundee’s defence. Liam Boyce is then quicker, stronger and more alert to get ahead of Julen Whatshisface. Both Graham and Michael Gardyne chase the ball putting Holt under sufficient pressure so can’t get a clean connection on his clearance. Who snaps in and wins the ball? That would be Jackson Irvine. He springs forward with his unusual but effective gait, cuts in and floats a lovely ball to the back post. Okay, Julen was useless, like one of those human shaped walls they use to practice free-kicks. But Gardyne rose majestically to head the ball back across goal, looping over Bain and dropping in at the far post.
Determination, desire, deliciousness.
The Football Critic (@TheFitbawCritic)
Christian Nade. Christian, Christian Nade. Even when he’s good he makes me laugh.
Hamilton were struggling away to Kilmarnock on Saturday and something radical had to be done to avoid the ignominy of being beaten by a side managed by Gary Locke. With a small but hardy squad to pick from, Martin Canning was left with little option but to turn to his bulky Frenchman to replace the ineffective Carlton Morris with the scores tied at 1-1.
Almost immediately Nade went about imposing himself on the game. Running onto the end of a clipped Ali Crawford ball forward, the striker executed a deft touch when allowed the ball to go through him while also enabling a change of direction. At this point he won the battle of strength with Lee Ashcroft as the Killie defender face-planted on the deck before charging into the penalty area. One there he pulled off another feint, this time dragging the ball behind him to manoeuvre past the covering Conrad Balatoni and setting himself up perfectly to curl a shot into the far corner.
He missed.
In all fairness, if Christian Nade had either the instinct or finishing ability to match some of his other skills, there’s no chance he would be playing in the Scottish Premiership, and certainly not at humble Hamilton Accies. Which is just grand. I love him the way he is.
Gary Cocker (@gary_cocker)
I’ve always said that football is the global language that can rescue any situation. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dinner party or a house party, being a football fan gives you a conversational crutch on which you can always rely.
That was truly tested to the limit this weekend when I braved the beer tents of Oktoberfest. I sat next to a clearly mad AC Milan ultra who gleefully informed me he was a Nazi, which was my cue to quickly redirect the chat to Fabrizio Ravanelli. I then found a New Yorker who’d attended the Ajax-Celtic game and who had decided he belonged in the Green Brigade. “My fadda loves Henrik Laa-sin” was not a sentence I ever expected to hear delivered in a broad Queens accent.
The surreal edge to my footballing weekend came at the Allianz Arena, where I took in a second tier 1860 Munich game. When I told some local fans, who were kind enough to teach me some chants and team history (which mainly centred on despising Bayern), that I supported Dundee, I suddenly heard a cry of “SHED RULE”. I turned around to see four Arabs in kilts from Arbroath proudly displaying tangerine and black pin badges. I’d say it was a coincidence but if I were an Arab I’d be travelling hundreds of miles to avoid watching their current mob too…
Kris Jack (@krisjack85)
What an absolute crawly-crawly-sook Ryan Christie is.
It seems that the new Celtic signing has seen no better way to endear himself to the great unwashed (FACT) Celtic fans by putting a dent in Aberdeen’s title hopes and trying to kill one of their biggest threats at the same time.
Like the kid in class who’d clean the blackboard dusters for the teacher or hand out the packed lunches to all his favourite class mates first, Christie showed little subtlety as to his motives in Saturday’s performance against Aberdeen.
His co-ordinated attacks on Graeme Shinnie were both ridiculous and sublime, more so the second challenge, where he has got to have known he’d be heading for an early bath. Is Aberdeen’s challenge that much of a threat to Celtic that Ronny Deila has put a word in his ear about smashing up one of their top men?
That’s the only thing I can fathom as young Ryan seems to be a nice enough guy otherwise, but clearly that one day he’s spent at Parkhead has indoctrinated him on to the ways of the Hoop. The fact that his bookings sandwiched an absolute worldy of a goal makes Christie the biggest crawler in the Scottish Premiership.
Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001)
Ross County are now getting so good at crossing the ball into the box that they are starting to fly in without anybody touching them. Marcus Fraser’s inswinging cross, with his weaker foot, found its way past Scott Bain in the Dundee goal to put the Staggies ahead on Saturday. Fraser was aided, of course, by the crazy dive towards the ball from defender James McPake, who spends more time on his arse in a match than an entire episode’s worth of Takeshi’s Castle contestants.
Had he just left it, the ball would likely have found its way safely into his goalkeeper’s hands. The closest attacker Brian Graham was nowhere near connecting and Bain was forced to wait to see what the hell his captain was doing before he could react. Luckily for McPake, another of his dives won his side a penalty and forced referee Craig Thomson to send off Andrew Davies for a second yellow. This proved to be the turning point in the match.
Since the appointment of Jim McIntyre, County’s approach has been to get the ball to their wingers as much as possible, support them with two full-backs, and get the ball into the box. Of the 68 goals during his tenure, 47 per cent have come as a result of crosses. That is how two of their goals came about in the 3-3 at Dens and, amazingly, they scored six of their seven goals versus Falkirk via such means in their previous match.
Craig Fowler (@craigfowler86)
I love going to Motherwell. It’s a sentence few of you will have ever seen written down, or will likely see again, but I do. Direct trains go from Edinburgh, the stadium is a comfortable walk from the station, and when you arrive you are treated better than most clubs outside Celtic Park (and I include Rangers in that). Media room with live football on, complimentary sandwiches pre-kick off, a fridge cooler stocked full, and all the tea and coffee you could hope to drink. There’s also free WiFi that , while a little inconsistent, works downstairs and upstairs in the media box, which, I must add, is separated from the fans. This usually isn’t a big deal, but I can sometimes get a bit carried away in the press box, like the big bairn I am, and audibly react to things that happen on the park. It’s better to have that buffer in case I go too far and someone tries to make me eat my laptop.
The best bit, though, is half-time. Along with your usual pie choice, the ‘Well put on a terrific spread of pakora, spring rolls, samosas and fried chicken, all with dipping sauce. I intentionally skip a full breakfast whenever I go to Fir Park.
Anyway, as for the football, Motherwell won. They didn’t exactly blow Thistle away – talking of whom, if goals were awarded for hitting the woodwork, Thistle would be title contenders – but there was still a clear improvement and great coherency than there was under Baraclough.
After the victory Craigan came and spoke to the press, and as you may imagine from someone who’s spent his last three years answering questions and analysing football on television, he spoke very well, at great length, and avoided the usual tired cliches about the boys ‘being up for it’ or ‘having a point to prove’. For that reason alone I hope he gets the job. It’s always refreshing to hear from someone different. It certainly makes my life more enjoyable when I sit down to write about it. So I’ll be gutted if Jimmy Calderwood gets the job.
And, to top it all off, Graham Barnstaple gave me a lift back up the road to the train station and Graeme Thewliss kept me company on the train to Belshill. See you soon Motherwell, hopefully next time we can sneak in a cheeky wee pint as well.
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