WE MUST OVERCOME INCONSISTENCY, SAYS O’DEA

THE wily old centre-half at the peak of his powers. His battered beak serves as a badge of honour. The kind whose hip would require immediate replacement if he ever dared to break into full stride. Not that you’ll ever see him sprint. He doesn’t need to. His presence of mind to drop back and give himself an extra yard of space is quicker than any bold youngster could ever be. It’s a quality that we’ve all seen, but also one that escapes the eye. It isn’t as glamorous as a fancy flick or a stepover, nor is it as tangible as a goal. What it is, more than anything, is a state of mind. The fact that St Johnstone possess it in abundance is why they remain the masters of finishing in the top six and why teams like Dundee will continue only to pay lip service to it. Paul Hartley is a bright young manager. He will know that it’s these kind of games his side must win if they are to establish themselves in the top six. But this match was over after 20 minutes. Goals from Paul Paton and Blair Alston put Tommy Wright’s men in total command. Dundee have failed to win away from home against any top-six side this season. That’s what Hartley must address; for all the nice football they often play, there are times when they are too easy to play against. They were exposed in midfield, while Kostadin Gadzhalov operated with a weakness and hesitancy that allowed a striker of Steven MacLean’s 34 years to appear like a young whippersnapper up against the centrehalf. ‘We are a strange team at times,’ said Darren O’Dea, who partnered Gadzhalov at the back. ‘Going from beating Rangers and Motherwell… to this. ‘The manager doesn’t know what he’s going to get on any given day because we are so inconsistent. ‘Anyone who is surprised when you get a tough game at St Johnstone needs a serious reality check. They are a very good team and they know what they are doing. ‘We were outfought. It’s not necessarily about ability. We were beaten because they were ready for a fight and we weren’t, plain and simple. ‘We got rolled over.’