Back to basics for Joe
Shaughnessy wants Saints to keep it simple in defence
Joe Shaughnessy reckons St Johnstone need to get back to basics to solve the problem of shipping cheap goals.
The Perth side conceded three for the second match in a row as Rangers left McDiarmid Park with victory on Friday evening.
Shaughnessy is aware that Saints, who have slipped to fifth in the Scottish Premiership, must defend cross balls into the box better.
Ibrox forward Carlos Pena twice benefited from deliveries from the right flank and there was a similar issue in the recent game with Aberdeen.
Shaughnessy told the Perthshire Advertiser: “In the last couple of games we have given away goals from crosses too much. We need to work on stopping the crosses coming in and, if they do, defending them better.
“It is all stuff we know we are able to do so it’s just a case of getting back to doing it.
“This is usually what we are good at and it’s not often we have to say we have lost three goals in two games in a row.
“We need to get back to basics. It’s just a case of getting back to doing our jobs.
“I’m sure we’ll work on it in training and we’re usually pretty good at finding problems and dealing with them.”
Shaughnessy has been a mainstay in the Perth starting line-up and has become used to keeping it tight at the back. The Irishman
believes Friday night’s 3-0 defeat against Rangers was a harsh one - and that the sending off altered the flow of the game.
“I didn’t think it was a 3-0 and I thought we were in the game until the red card,”Shaughnessy said.“They weren’t causing us too much trouble.
“The first goal was a very good cross into the box and finish. But other than that they didn’t really break us down.
“There weren’t too many good chances created although Alan Mannus has made one good save.
“You can’t read too much into what has happened in the game after the sending off.
“We had to try and chase the game a little bit and they have picked us off.
“The second goal, because we are down to 10, we get overloaded and overall it is a tough one to take.
“We were down to 10 men and were trying to deal with that, so it is hard.
“If we stayed with 11 men and still got beat 3-0 then there would maybe be a bit more cause for worry.
“You would think Aberdeen and Rangers are two of the teams who will be right up there towards the end of the season.
“We just need to push on, deal with it and get back to grinding out results starting next week.”
Perth boss Tommy Wright said after the Rangers game:“I thought we were the better team for 70 minutes.
“We lacked the final ball and killer instinct to deservedly get a goal or two, which we didn’t do.
“If I’m going to be disappointed with the players, I’m disappointed that we conceded from two crosses again.
“That is something we need to be better at, even though they are quality balls into the box.
“I thought the players gave everything and took the game to Rangers and probably had more possession against them than we have ever had.
“I was happy with the performance, the reaction but obviously not happy with the result.”