Melamed right at home after leaving Israel
IT may have taken Guy Melamed longer than he had planned to settle in at St Johnstone, but now the Israeli striker is firing on all cylinders.
The 28-year-old struggled to make an impact when he arrived at McDiarmid Park and trust issues were raised by manager Callum Davidson.
But after netting two goals, claiming three assists and forming an impressive strike partnership with Chris Kane in his last three starts, Davidson has now said that Melamed is like a new signing.
“It has been difficult for me but I feel comfortable with the team now, much better than when I first arrived,” said Melamed. “It took me some time to adapt to Scottish football and it has been difficult to be away from home in these times.
“It is much faster and more physical than in Israel. The referees don’t give as many fouls. But I have got used to it now. I am happy that I have made the switch.
“I want to play as many games as possible now and succeed with St Johnstone.”
Saints face the tough prospect of taking on Rangers at Ibrox tonight as they look to build on their stunning comeback victory over Kilmarnock at the weekend.
Melamed was not involved as the Perth outfit picked up a precious point against Celtic in December, but now the frontman is eager to make an impact against Steven Gerrard’s side.
He continued: “I just focus on the next game, which is a huge one against Rangers. They are a top team. But we are confident because of our good run of form.
“The win against Kilmarnock was the sweetest of the whole season, it was very special. We showed our character to come back from being 2-0 down at half-time.
“We believed we could win when the gaffer spoke to us. We were still very positive. It was very good for our supporters who watched it. It must have been perfect for the fans.
“For me it is good to have scored goals and have three assists. They are also important to the team. The other strikers are all hard workers. And I have a good relationship with them.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t play against Celtic in Glasgow but I am excited about facing Rangers in their big stadium.
“It’s just a pity there will be no fans inside. It will be difficult. I know Rangers are unbeaten at their stadium.
“But someone needs to do it. And we have good momentum. We need the points. But the pressure is on Rangers because they want to win the title.”
On the task of facing Rangers at Ibrox, Saints boss Callum Davidson added: “We can’t give away cheap free-kicks around the box and we need to set up correctly at throw-ins.
“They are really clinical through the team. If you give them easy opportunities to score then you will get punished. That showed in the first two games. At times I think we have performed well against them.
“Hopefully we can put in a great performance on Wednesday night. There are very few games I’ve seen where Rangers have been off form. They have always been there or thereabouts at a high level.
“Our players have got to be mentally attuned to the game and know what they are doing. You need to be diligent all the way through the game and limit Rangers.
“When we get the opportunity to score, we need to take it.”