The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Saints to kick on at Ibrox: MacLean
Striker looks for positive reaction after Killie defeat
The St Johnstone players don’t need to be told that they passed up a golden opportunity at the weekend to crank up the pressure on Hearts and Rangers.
But they also don’t need to be told that the damage done by defeat to Kilmarnock can be swiftly rectified at Ibrox tonight.
Striker Steven MacLean admitted that failing to make ground on the third and fourth placed sides, both of whom have greater worries than their own, was “the most frustrating thing” about Saturday.
“The management had their say and we had our say,” he added. “We are all in it together and we all want the same thing. We know where we want to go.
“I’ve seen him (manager Tommy Wright) lose it a few times but Saturday was up there with the worst. It’s part of football. I’ve seen plenty of them and if you can’t handle it then you’re in the wrong industry.
“It’s about how we react now and putting on a good performance at Ibrox would go a long way to doing that. If you had offered us this position at the start of the season we would have taken it.
“Everyone knows the budgets at the likes of Rangers and Hearts compared to us, but we want to push on. We won’ t use that as an excuse. There is a real opportunity for us and we want to kick on and take it.”
Steven MacLean has seen confidence ebb away from “big club” players in adversity.
And when St Johnstone face Rangers at Ibrox tonight he would be happy to witness it again.
“Rangers had some good moments in the game at Inverness but at others they did look fragile,” said MacLean.
“Inverness were maybe a bit fortunate at times as Rangers had a lot of possession and got in to some great areas.
“They were guilty of trying to walk it in to the net instead of shooting. But they are fragile and if you can keep the crowd quiet for the first 20 minutes, they can turn them against them, and grow in to the game. I know what it’s like.
“When you are at a big club you need big character and you need to stand up and be counted. It’s not easy.
“I played at a few, like Sheffield Wednesday as well, and it’ s not easy when things are not going well. You really need to stand up to it but as an away player you can play on that as well.
“If you get in front and frustrate then you can see what it does to the home players. I’m not saying they fold but you can see the confidence drain away from them.
“Some people don’t like receiving the ball in tight areas when the crowd is on their back. It’s difficult, that’s for sure.
“That’s when you need big characters. I’m not in their dressing room so I don’t know if they have that or not, but that’s what is needed.
“It works both ways. You get the confidence when you see it draining out of the other team. It’s like when you score a goal or concede. You see one team slump and the other gain a yard. “It’s important how we start the game.” The fact that MacLean is an exRangers player isn’t the only reason he has a good appreciation of the pressure building at Ibrox. He’s also got his brother to tell him all about what’s been going wrong at his old club.
He said: “I know the Rangers fans are frustrated – my wee brother William is among them. He goes to quite a few of the games and he says they are raging at the moment.
“They want their future sorted out. They want a new manager, a new director of football or head coach or whatever. They just want to get it sorted and know where they are going.
“We just need to take advantage of what’s going on. Hopefully I can annoy my brother even more! He will be at the game, but so will my dad and wee boy, but they will be on the St Johnstone side.
“My brother is like every other Rangers fan. He thought they were going well and would maybe even challenge Celtic this season. Obviously that’s not happened and it’s gone a bit belly up at the moment.
“They just want to know the direction they are going in.”
Saints won’t be kidded into thinking this will be an easier assignment in Glasgow than usual but MacLean also stressed that the Perth side’s track record gives cause for optimism.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” he said. “Everyone is saying Rangers are gone but they are still a decent team.
“They are still getting a lot of possession and at some point they will turn that in to something. So it will be difficult.
“It’s a good one for us coming off the back of a bad performance, and we want to test ourselves against a good side.
“We’ve not lost against Rangers since the new regime and we have won one and drawn the other at Ibrox, so we’ve got a good record there.
“We need to do the basics well. We are not a side that can just expect to turn up, play expansive football, and just roll teams over. We know that and want to put it right.”