A win’s a win but boy that was lucky
Beggars can’t be choosers and at the end of the day – three points are three points.
But, after the dust had settled on Saturday’s pulsating victory win over Dundee, it is clear that St Mirren still remain a good three or four players off being a competitive force in the Premiership this season.
The open and – at times – expansive football of last season tended to be enthralling when it worked. When it didn’t then it led to the odd hammering here and there.
The risk and reward ration from last year will be more heavily weighted towards risk this campaign as St Mirren make the step up in class to face the likes of Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen as opposed to Brechin, Dumbarton and Falkirk.
Dundee, a side that themselves battled relegation from the top flight last year, seemed to clock Saints’ defensive frailties after just 10 minutes of the weekend’s clash in Paisley. And it doesn’t take a master tactician to see that the Buddies can be exploited quite easily.
On another day St Mirren would have lost that game last Saturday.
In fact, if they were facing a side with a striker that could hit the proverbial cow’s backside with a banjo then Dundee could have found themselves swanning off into the sunset just 10 minutes into the second half.
A better side would have punished St Mirren – that much is true.
You could perhaps call some of Alan Stubbs’ post-match critique as negative, after all he wasn’t exactly impressed with the display.
But to his credit, he is just being honest in the way he viewed the way his side went about their business.
“Too open”, “the win was a bonus”... stopping just short of calling his side lucky.
These post-match interviews usually descend into a manager searching for positives from his team’s performance but Stubbs just calls it as he sees it.
He (still) wants more players and he looks to have got his wish with Birmingham City striker Nicolai Brock-Madsen arriving on loan.
But St Mirren probably still need a few more.
Hayden Coulson has been brilliant going forward and is fast becoming a Saints favourite. But defensively the self-confessed winger is getting caught out time again as he turns out in a more reserved full-back role.
Coulson could be a big player for St Mirren this season but it would be interesting to see him playing in his favoured position.
The need for a striker was also well documented and with Ross Stewart, at the time of writing, about to sign a deal with Ross County then Saints are still sitting with just Danny Mullen, Cody Cooke and your new boy Madsen.
One injury could leave you short but with around three weeks of the
St Mirren return to Ibrox on Sunday after two seasons away.
And although it wasn’t a happy hunting ground for Saints back in the 2015/16 season, you have to take some hope from the two league games in Glasgow that season – especially when you consider the predicament that the Buddies found themselves in near the foot of transfer window still to contend with, you have to be hopeful that more deals will follow.
It has been a tricky summer both on and off the park for St Mirren but as the dust settles things look to at least be turning.
At the end of the day, Stubbs is unbeaten ahead of this Sunday’s trip to Rangers.
the Championship. Rangers would of course go on to win the league, but Saints gave Mark Warburton a scare on his first league game in charge at Ibrox.
If Steven Thompson’s penalty goes in then you never know what could have happened... both for Rangers and St Mirren that season. It was one of those sliding doors moments – even just an hour into a new season. When Danny Mullen signed for St Mirren back in January many people doubted if he would even be able to get in the team.
But the little striker has worked his socks off and earned his start in Saints’first game against Dundee.
His two goals were no less than he deserved as he ran himself into the ground over the course of the 90 minutes.
Of course, St Mirren still need a new striker but Mullen gives you something that very few other players can and that is being a constant live wire that won’t give any defence in the league a moment’s peace this season.
Mullen is finally getting the credit he deserves and long may it continue. Missed