Not as comfortable as 2-0 sounds

The early tea-time kick-off would have been out of the ordinary for most fans but in the end, it gave Rangers fans more of the evening to enjoy returning to the top of the league. St Johnstone will look back and rue the part they played in their own downfall but it’s results that matter and Rangers can be content with their early evening’s work.

It was looking as though it was going to be a tricky evening for the champions but they were given a massive boost when Danny Grainger had an aberration. His woefully short backpass was intercepted by Kyle Lafferty who easily opened the scoring. Grainger could possibly have won St Johnstone a penalty earlier in the game when he was tripped by Wylde but the St Johnstone defender gave a horror performance over the course of the game and he could have been substituted earlier.

Rangers took control for the rest of the first half and hit the post through Davie Weir, although a foul had already been given. Aside from that, Nikica Jelavic looked wasteful in front of goal but there wasn’t much between the teams.

St Johnstone stepped it up a gear in the second and Rangers had Alan McGregor to thank for keeping them in front with two smart saves. Just when it looked as though the game was building up to a grand stand finish, Rangers swept up the park and good play between Naismith and Jelavic saw the Scottish internationalist finish well…and finish the game.

The 2-0 win sees Rangers on top of the league, a point ahead of Celtic but having played a game extra. The champions also have an inferior goal difference of 7 at the current moment. St Johnstone’s hopes of a top six finish are now virtually extinct, lying 6 points behind Motherwell with 2 games to play and having a goal difference which is inferior by 10.

The pitch at McDiarmid Park was pretty rough and although it is too late for St Johnstone to do much about it for this season, it can only be hoped that they and many of the other SPL teams who have inferior parks do something about it for next season. With the continual mucking about of supporters, the least clubs can do is ensure they have a half decent surface for games to be played on.

All Rangers eyes turn to the internet for further updates about the takeover and then to Celtic Park to see if Hibs can do them a favour and keep them on top of the league tomorrow night.

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All ifs and buts at the moment

The FA Cup down south managed to get all four of its quarter final ties played with a winner at the first time of asking but this wasn’t the case up here.

Three draws and one postponement means the semi-final draw is looking rather full with all 8 quarter finalists still having genuine hopes of reaching Hampden.

The draw is:

Dundee United or Motherwell v Brechin City or St Johnstone

St Mirren or Aberdeen v Inverness Caldeonian Thistle or Celtic

The ties are scheduled to be played the weekend of 16th and 17th of April.

Aberdeen left it late in Paisley where St Mirren yet again lost a late goal in the 1-1 draw.

Plucky Brechin grabbed the lead but then hauled back a 2-1 deficit against St Johnstone to leave that tie at 2-2.

Dundee United and Motherwell served up a great treat at Tannadice with the holders pulling back from a goal behind on two occasions to create another 2-2 draw.

And of course, a waterlogged pitch prevented Caley and Celtic locking horns with that match scheduled for Wednesday night.

It is a farce that the Celtic v Hibs game on Wednesday has been postponed to allow this tie to be re-scheduled at short notice but that’s the rules of the cup taking precedence. However, with Sky not planning to show the re-arranged game and the money going into the pot as opposed to being split between the two sides, how hard will Caley work at making the pitch playable….

The St Johnstone v Brechin replay will be televised live on Sky on 22nd of March, giving the broadcaster some football to show in the build up to the international fixtures.

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Cup tie revenge is also needed for Jambos

All things come to an end and so Hearts praise-worthy unbeaten SPL run crumbled at Celtic Park on Wednesday night. The defeat itself wasn’t the worst thing, you can lose in Glasgow for a number of reasons but it was the performance that would have really disappointed Hearts fans. Celtic were good but Hearts were just not at the races and could only muster a few skewed shots in the first half as a sign of attacking play.

Three points against the big two in back to back games is not bad but four or more would have indicated that Hearts are right in the mix for the title hunt. That talk will quieten down now for a while but it is up to Hearts to put themselves back in there.

Big teams don’t lose too often, that is why they are seen as the big teams but you learn a lot about a club in the way they handle defeat and this is what the Tynecastle crowd will be looking for today.

Will the defeat on Wednesday impact on the confidence of the players or will there be a fired up Jambo team looking to put things right?

Although Hearts had a decent unbeaten run in the SPL going on, they weren’t unbeaten against SPL opposition and they certainly weren’t unbeaten at Tynecastle. That is because their opponents today St Johnstone hit them with a late Peter McDonald sucker punch and knocked them out of the cup.

That was a sickener for the Jambos and if the Perth side can do it again, the boys in maroon will really start to hate the sight of Derek McInnes and his men. With a win against Motherwell in midweek and an unbeaten run that stretches back to Boxing Day (when they were undone in injury time), McInnes has his team motoring along quite nicely.

St Johnstone will have serious thoughts about a top six finish this season and avoiding defeat today will send out a big message to the teams above them. They may be sitting in 8th at the moment but there is no reason why St Johnstone should not set their sights as high as fourth for this campaign. However, one step at a time…

Kevin Kyle looks set to miss out again for the home team and Danny Grainger starts a two game suspension for the away team.

It’s the big game in the SPL this weekend – can St Johnstone shock Hearts again?

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Tynecastle triumph comes against the odds

Ever since the Cup draw this afternoon paired Rangers and Celtic together at Ibrox, Hearts fans have had Hampden on their mind. After all, the Jambos appear to be best of the rest by a good distance and would fancy their chances against whatever of the big two made it through from the 5th round.

And as so often happens in football, you take your eye off the task at hand and you get punished.
Tynecastle was stunned when Peter McDonald was fed by Steve May and the Glaswegian striker fired home to put the Perth side in the lead. St Johnstone have been playing well of late but the form book was indicating that the Edinburgh side were the more likely to win at Tynecastle.

A game of few chances on targets meant that one goal was always likely to be the winner and McDonald’s strike put St Johnstone into the 5th round.

At this moment, St Johnstone do not know who their opponents are going to be but Falkirk currently have a 2-1 lead over Partick Thistle with 8 minutes to go at Brockville. If the home team sees it out, Steven Pressley will bring the Bairns to McDiarmid Park. EDIT: And yes…that’s the beauty of football, Partick grab an equaliser with 4 minutes to go – as it stands, St Johnstone will have to wait to see who their opponents are.

A fantastic win for St Johnstone against the odds and for once in the Scottish Cup, Hibs fans will be able to point to their Jambo colleagues in the morning and have a right good chuckle to themselves.

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Incentive for a win tonight

There were rumours that George Peat was going to bring along his toy dinosaur to the Scottish Cup draw today but this was felt unfair. After all, the dinosaur is the only thing which remembers Hibs last Scottish Cup win and it was felt best not to have this fact overshadow the rest of the draw.

Biffy Clyro were on hand but we are thankful that they weren’t playing any music. Not sure if the band had dreams of making the Scottish Cup 5th round draw when they were starting out but with Kilmarnock being knocked out of the tournament, they never got to draw their side.

Tonight’s game at Tynecastle between Hearts and St Johnstone was postponed on Saturday due to plumbing problems at Tynecastle. At the moment, the game is going ahead and both teams take to the field knowing the task that lies ahead of them. A match against First Division opposition whilst knowing one of the big Glasgow two are out on their backside is a huge incentive to win a cup tie.

The fifth round ties of the Scottish Cup are scheduled to take place the weekend of the 5th and 6th of February. Of course, by the time the BBC and Sky get their hands on the fixtures who knows when the games will actually be played…

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Perth side manage what the top teams failed to do

It was perhaps inevitable, given the crazy world of football but two days in 2011 and the Inverness Caley away run without defeat has juddered to a halt. A late Colin Samuel goal gave the home fans plenty to cheer about and moved them ten points ahead of the bottom placed team in the SPL.

It’s not as if Saints fans should be nervous about the drop but securing safety in the top flight again is still the number one priority for Derek McInnes and his team. A good Scottish Cup run and maybe pushing for a top six slot would be a great result for the Perth side.

With just five minutes to go, Caley may have thought they weathered the storm when Dave MacKay’s shot was blocked but Colin Samuel sweeped home the rebound and McDiarmid Park came to life celebrating the first home win since 2nd October 2010.

Caley’s closest moment came when they hit the bar with one of those cross-cum-shots that can often make a fool out of goalkeepers. There is probably a DVD worth of material where Peter Enkelman has looked foolish but on this occasion, the keeper was able to breathe again.

Yet again, a great result for St Johnstone and the only downside for the fans is the fact that their managers name is appearing in the rumour mill regarding one or two of the positions down south. You do wonder how much further McInnes can take take St Johnstone but for now, he and his team will be feeling very satisfied with their work.

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No midweek game in Perth

The game between St Johnstone and Rangers scheduled for Wednesday night has been postponed. There was doubt about the game going ahead and this early call-off ensures fans do not have to travel but it does give the teams another game to schedule later on in the season.

This call off means that both teams are now not in action until the 2nd of January. Rangers are set to welcome Celtic to Ibrox in the top of the table clash whereas St Johnstone welcome Inverness Caley to McDiarmid Park.

Cue the conspiracy theories about this game being called off:
A) It allows the Rangers players to be fresh for the big game at the weekend or
B) It provides Celtic the opportunity to head to Ibrox top of the league if they can defeat Motherwell at Celtic Park

Still, let’s not dwell on they angles and hope that the rest of the SPL card can get the go-ahead.

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Quick action from the Perth club

Scottish football is in the grubber at the moment with stories of lies and cover-ups taking over the front and back-pages. It turns out there was potentially another matter worthy of consideration at McDiarmid Park on Saturday in the match between St Johnstone v Celtic.

Reports suggested that racist remarks or chants were being directed towards two Celtic players (Ki Sung Yueng and Cha Du Ri).

St Johnstone have acted quickly and released the following statement, which was published on the club’s website:

01 November 2010
CLUB STATEMENT

It has been brought to the Club’s attention that an extremely small minority of our support may have been responsible for making racist noises towards certain Celtic players during Saturday’s game.

St Johnstone FC will conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations. We will consult both the police and our stewarding suppliers, G4S. Additionally, we are appealing to fair-minded Saints fans, who make up the overwhelming majority of our support, to let us know, if they are able to identify the individuals who may have been responsible.

Should we be able to identify any perpetrators, the most stringent action will be considered.

Many clubs would attempt to ignore or sidestep these issues so it is commendable of the Perth club to make the situation public and to state they will investigate it.

Another aspect that should be noted from this issue is that St Johnstone fans were quick to complain about those committing the racist abuse. You may know that this site has a Twitter site where we can interact with regular readers.

After the game, Saints fan Frugal Nory tweeted his unhappiness about the incident bringing it to wider attention. Again, some fans would be keen to downplay some unpleasant behaviour from their fellow fans..so kudos to him for telling his side of the story.

If you are a Saints fan, the hashtag #SainteeTwitterMafia should be of interest to you.

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Will the pressure drop for either of the bosses on Saturday?

A 2-1 home win over St Mirren is not only the Perth sides only league win of the season so far, it is the reason they are not at the bottom of the table. The Paisley club are on the same points as their Perth rivals but an inferior goal difference means Derek McInnes’ side can still solace from not being the bottom club.

That can change in a game though and with the SPL being tightly packed, a win or two would make every manager breathe a lot more easily. There have been some grumblings about the start to St Johnstone’s season but if McInnes think he is under pressure, he only needs to take a look at the manager who will be in the away team dug-out on Saturday.

Steven Anderson has been handed a one-match for the two yellow cards (but no red) he received at Tannadice but he will still be available for the game on Saturday. The one-match ban takes place when St Johnstone visit Inverness Caley on the 16th October and the player will then sit out a further game against Hamilton on the 23rd of October.

Hibs were without Sol Bamba and Colin Nish at Celtic Park, both players were listed as injured but also linked as the players involved in the Rugby Park bust-up but both are back in contention this weekend. Whilst many Hibs fans took a lot from the performance at Celtic Park but this match will be a much more real test for the Leith club.

If Hibs fail to get the win at McDiarmid Park, some fans will have had enough of John Hughes’ reign. Mind you, some fans have already had their fill of big Yogi but you wonder how much longer Hibs decline can continue?

Hibs only win of the season came on the first day of the season at Fir Park but since then, it has been slim pickings for the Hibs faithful. With only six games gone, there is no need to panic too much but given the way that Hibs started their league campaign last season, the anxiety of hibs fans is very real.

The goal at Celtic Park last weekend showed just what Derek Riordan can do, that is not up for grabs but he really needs to start doing it every week, for his own career and for that of his boss. Craig Levein may have yet again overlooked Riordan but if he can just add more consistency to his performances, there will surely be a place for the player.

Far better websites than us have hoped that Derek Riordan will eventually live up to his potential but right now, his country could really do with a player of his talent and skill performing on a weekly basis.

The Hibs fans will settle for getting that on a weekly basis for their club, never mind the international arena.

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League Cup starts to get interesting

Iceland, Norway, Denmark…..Brechin.

The glory trips for the Motherwell fans just keep on coming don’t they?

Two wins and a draw from four league matches is a fairly strong start from the Fir Park club and you would feel that Motherwell’s early season start has given their campaign a kick-start. With that in mind, you would expect the SPL side to triumph against their Second Division rivals.

The way the League Cup is set-up, you always fancy the chances of a team outside of Celtic or Rangers making the final and you would have to say that Motherwell are in with a shout of making it to Hampden. Then again, a lot of success in cup competition depends on luck and if you get it in your favour, you’re a good part of the way there.

In cup competitions, setting yourself up to avoid defeat can be a fairly strong tactic in cup competitions and as we’ve said before, Craig Brown knows all about organisation and getting his players to work hard for him.

Craig Brown is recognised as one of the highest rated Scottish managers but he hasn’t picked up any silverware, which is something that Jim Jefferies has on his CV.

The 1998 Scottish Cup triumph over Rangers at Celtic Park is probably the managerial career high of Jefferies but he has also reached the League Cup final in his time.

To get past the first hurdle, Jefferies will have to get the better of his former on-field right hand man Steven Pressley, still in charge of Falkirk after relegating them from the SPL.

Hearts have a number of players out injured for a reasonable length of time and it appears that Ian Black may be a doubt for the tie in Falkirk which may just give the 1st Division side an extra bit of confidence.

If there are to be any shocks tonight, it may well be it comes here as you would expect the Falkirk side to be massively up for this tie and could catch Hearts if the Gorgie side are not fully up for it.

Continuing the talk of the managers, St Johnstone boss Derek McInnes has given side a boost before tonights clash with Queen of the South by signing a new contract. McInnes has been linked with a few jobs down South and although the Perth fans have booed him in recent weeks, his contract signing should be good news for the Perth fans.

The game at McDiarmid Park features two sides who have reached the latter stages of cup competitions in recent years and you would say this tie could be up for grabs. Neither side have set the heather on fire this season so far…but tonight could be a turning point for the club that progresses to the next round.

St Johnstone got their first league win of the season at the weekend against St Mirren so the opportunity to follow it up with another triumph, before this weekends trip to Tannadice could be ideal for the Saints fans.

The League Cup is very much up for grabs this season, will the winner come from these games?

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