Fans – and players – need nerves of steel
The cutthroat business of Scottish football was no more evident than in Paisley on Tuesday night.
As a small chorus of boos rang out from the stands following an admittedly dire 90 minutes from St Mirren – memories of the promotion party (the last thing to grace the turf prior to the draw with Spartans) felt like a lifetime ago.
The celebrations from that glorious day in May were quickly consigned to the history books as Saints stumbled against the most unfancied of opposition.
The St Mirren supporters have been there through it all – and one disappointing performance isn’t going to change anything. But with a Premiership campaign just around the corner, there is no getting away from the nerves that the side are not yet up to speed.
The success of the last 18 months helped establish St Mirren as one of Scottish football’s darlings. The rip-roaring fearless nature of their play in the Championship was a hallmark of the champions that earned them plaudits from across Scottish football.
But Tuesday night’s performance was as far removed from that as you could possibly imagine – and that clearly wasn’t lost on the supporters.
No one expects Saints to be world beaters this season – despite promotion – the club was always going to undergo a period of transition as they got to grips with the top flight and the overhaul that comes with it.
The glory days are gone now, for the next while at least, as Saints, for better or worse, turn their attentions to survival before plotting their way up the table. Ambitions are all well and good, and talk of top-six finishes have echoed around Paisley since the midst of party season.
However, before any of that, there is a lot more to be done if Saints are not to get dragged into a relegation battle.
Alan Stubbs cut a frustrated figure in the Saints media room on Tuesday night, bemoaning his side’s performance as they struggled to produce against Spartans.
Speaking after the game, Stubbs said: “The way we approached the game in the first half was not what I wanted and I have to be honest, it took the introduction of Stephen McGinn to really spark us into life. “For me that is not acceptable. “Does it highlight the need to add some extra quality in the final third? It does. We knew that before so the search goes on and we still have a few weeks.”
Those few weeks are now crucial as they could prove to be the difference between a St Mirren side scrapping for
Anthony Stokes splits opinion – he always has and he always will.
In a week that the Irishman, right, has again been linked with the Buddies, it is plain to see why he would top any short list of the gaffer.
Last Friday’s clash with Kilmarnock underlined the type of football that St Mirren are capable of playing, spraying the ball about and creating chance after chance. top six, or scraping by at the bottom.
The manager made five changes to his St Mirren side but admitted afterwards that a number of the guys on the fringes had failed to make their opportunity count when it mattered most.
If they are to feature in the manager’s plans then they will have to up their game quickly.
The lack of a competitve games this weekend may give them a welcome break.
Danny Mullen ran himself into the ground with another workmanlike performance that has seen him fast become a favourite.
But what the Buddies need, as admitted by the boss, is someone who can put the ball into the back of the net.
Take away Stokes’ indiscretions off the pitch and he is the perfect candidate.
He is available, he is free, and he will score you goals. Jack Ross will undoubedly receive a hero’s welcome when he returns to Paisley this Saturday – and rightfully so.
Although he was only in charge for 18 months, Ross, right, tarted the remarkable turnaround in fortunes for a club that were in the pits prior to his arrival.
St Mirren head into the Premiership next season thanks to the man who will be in the visiting dug-out tomorrow – and he will be there on merit.
Some may have complained when he jumped ship for Sunderland over the course of the summer but it was a move that was earned, and if it was a player swapping Saints for Sunderland then there would have been no complaints.
Ross worked wonders to even keep St Mirren in the Championship in the first place, never mind the promotion.
A show of appreciation is definitely due this weekend.