I’m delighted they called us disgusting to play against.. I take that as a compliment
HE might not be interested in a war of words with his dugout rival.
But when it comes to hard talk, Callum Davidson wants his St Johnstone side to do theirs on the park and leave LASK feeding on their own jibes.
Nobody can tell Davidson his players don’t deserve the right to share a stage with the Austrians. LASK boss Dominik Thalhammer’s claim the Perth side were “disgusting” to play against after last week’s first-leg draw is music to his ears.
Davidson is not interested in mind games but he did have one old trick up his sleeve as he looked to pile on the pressure.
Ahead of tonight’s Europa Conference League play-off return in Perth, the Saints boss was asked for his thoughts on Thalhammer’s comments.
And he said: “I was delighted. We work really hard to stop the opposition playing and pride ourselves on limiting them to very few chances. We did that over there.
“I thought we had the better opportunities. On the counter attack we opened them up. I’m pleased with his comments.
“They were a good team. If that’s what he thinks, I’ll just take it as a compliment.
“If it’s mind games, it doesn’t bother me. It’s more about how my boys play. If they play well, I’m happy. And if not, I’m annoyed. Let’s see if we can do a job on the night.
“They are the favourites to go through, so the pressure is on
them to beat us. If we don’t win, it’s been a really good show and we put up a good fight.” Shovelling the pressure on the opposition might be the oldest trick in the book but Davidson insists his squad don’t feel the strain – even with a £3million group stage prize riding on this evening’s result. He is convinced his players have become big-game hunters after their Hampden heroics last season were followed by colossal performances away to Galatasaray and then again last week in Klagenfurt. Now they’re facing the most lucrative match in the club’s history. Davidson said: “Players probably won’t see it financially, so that’s an easy one. For the players it’s the achievement.
“For me it’s more about St Johnstone as a football team qualifying for group stages and playing all these European games. We aren’t a big club by any means.
“We’re one of the provincial clubs and for us to get to the group stage would be huge. “It would be a sense of selfachievement in the players, myself and the coaches. For the club it’s different. It’s a huge
financial bonus for us, especially in difficult times.
“Overall I’d say it is one of the biggest games in the club’s history.
“David Wotherspoon has come back in great condition, so it’s good news on that front. He’s somebody we miss, especially on the left-hand side with Callum Booth. They link up really well.
“He’s probably the one player higher up the field who has that composure and can pick a pass. Let’s hope he can be a surprise package to them. Whether he starts or is on the bench, he will make an impact on the game.” One member of Davidson’s squad as good as guaranteed to start is keeper Zander Clark, whose consistency between the sticks over the last few years was finally rewarded two days ago with a call-up for Scotland’s World Cup triple-header. Davidson added: “I’m absolutely delighted. He has been pretty consistent for the last couple of years and he has just upped his level in big games.
“Zander thoroughly deserves it and he works extremely hard.
“He’s a modern-day goalie, good with the ball at his feet and he’s a big unit. He produces saves at the right time.
“He’s in the door. Craig Gordon is a top-class goalie, we all know that. Some of the goalies are getting to the latter stages of their career, so there are chances for young goalies to come in and stake a claim for a place in the team.
“I’ve been in Scotland squads, I know the level Zander plays at and I know he will be able to cope fine.
“The challenge for him is, can he keep pushing? Can he keep getting better and better?
“He’s got a chance now, he’s in the mindset of the manager.
“Can he keep pushing and make sure he not only stays there but challenges to play?”