Kmcalpin

It depends what was behind it. Players have different personalities and I suspect that Dan Casey is a big character in the dressing room. If it was simply one extrovert that spoke up on his own at random then I agree. However if he was articulating feelings of others then the manager has a huge problem of his own making. What concerns me is that many fans including me, feel that SK is hanging some players like Casey, Wilson, Vale and Maswanhise out to dry and is not playing to the team's strengths.

Although I haven't seen recent away games before today I thought that the biggest difference today was that St Johnstone worked far harder than us especially when not in possession. They got in our faces, swarmed all over us and closed us down. We sat off them and just didn't do that. Their attitude was far far better than ours. Our lads lacked self belief and motivation for the most part. That's down in large part to management.

The way things are going, we could easily be in the play off position. There doesn't seem to be much prospect of an improvement in the next couple of games. Next week alone won't determine 12th and 11th spots but it could be season defining for us. If we lose again next Saturday, SK's position with the fans will be irrecoverable. I'm surprised just how quickly many fans have really turned against him , although I shouldn't be, given given recent results and performances. Today was the first tentative sign I've seen that the players are losing faith.

If I was Jack Vale tonight, I'd be totally p****d off. Asked to play a role for which he's not cut out physically and without support.

First signs today that he's starting to lose the dressing room. Apparently Casey told him a few home truths at half time. .

SK did himself no favours today. He failed to motivate the players, and set us up all wrong. Did we do any homework on StJohnstone at all? It didn"t seem like it. I'm sticking with him until next Saturday. Another loss though and that's it for me.

Game being lost off the park.

Totally avoidable corner for the goal. No need to concede it. We are simply not competing.

Why is it being watered? It's heavy enough.

Is it though David? Its probably a rough reflection of the wider support but we just don't know. Many older fans might not use the internet much and those who do might not post. Many fans do not post on here for various reasons. I suspect the demographiocs, characteristics and views of P & B patrons might be a little different to those on here. In short, we just can't be sure.

An interesting article from the Herald https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/24865448.msps-can-stop-pyro-use-ultras-turn-high-powered-lawyers/

Yes, maybe this explains why SK didn't sign an out and out target man in the summer. It seemed weird at the time given our style of play this season. Individuals aside, bringing ina target man makes sense. I don't know about budget, but from a playing perspective we need cover at goalkeeper, left wingback, defensive midfield (McGhee?) and target man.

Yes, I get that Joe. I think there are 3 empty sections left at the East end. Even if they were to cordon off the end one that would be accommodating and courteous.

Dundee Courier report. https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/sport/football/dundee-fc/5163665/jordan-mcghee-dundee-exit-january-transfer-window/

I see the North Stand is filling up. I just hope St Johnstone don't play silly buggers and cordon off a large section on the stand. There's nothing worse than fans being crammed into individual sections, when there's rows of unoccupied seats in the adjacent cordoned off area.

Well Wunderwell was proven right after all. Credit to him. Can a deal be struck to bring McGhee to Fir Park this month?

Agreed. Yes. we've had horrendous luck and few would take issue with that. However, quite a few of our signings have been in the high risk category due to their injury records. Moving forward, thats something that needs looked at by our recruitement team. We're probably already well down the road of our summer plans.

Seemingly Tavares is also nursing a knock and the Ox is out for 3 months. Seddon out for 8 weeks. Stama also out for several more weeks. Reinforcements almost certainly required. Goalie, left back and central defender? It's the worst season for injuries I can ever recall for and thats going back over 60 years.

Thats bad news, but in no way surprising. If there is a silver lining its that we have time in this window to bring in a replacement. Other things being equal, we should do.

Aparently Jack Vale will be available as his suspension only applies to league games. There is a possibility that Harry Paton & Liam Gordon might be fit.

If anyone is looking for parking on Saturday try the West Mains Avenue area south west of B & Q. 10 minutes walk from the ground.

Lets hope we have no more injuries or viruses this week. I'd imagine that Watt and Maswanhise are stick on to start, barring injuries. I believe that Matty Connelly won't be available for this game as he's cup tied. His replacement on the bench will be interesting. There's no point in playing for a draw so lets give it our best shot and adopt a more aggressive assertive game.

I agree with some of your points. In terms of attendances last season, yes, we were 10th. In terms of averages, St Johnstone were 1,200 below us, Kilmarnock about 800 above us; and St Mirren about 900 above us. If St Mirren have a poor season(or average for them) then watch their attendances drop. Yes, Falkirk does have quite a big support but teams winning the Championship generally do. If the Grangemouth petrochemical complex closes then watch their crowds plummet. Its always dangerous to quote one off figures, but our attendance against Aberdeen was badly affected by the weather that day. We are a bottom 6 club in the pecking order; but still one of Scotland's biggest clubs. Success for me this season will be 7th or 8th place, as that represents progress compared to last season and I agree with your general point about a top 6 finish. In terms of turnover, I don't know how St Johnstone do it. Yes, they cashed in on a dream move to McDiarmid Park but now "only" have £2.8m of that windfall left in the bank. In their most recent set of accounts, they achieved a turnover of over £6m with smaller crowds than us and no transfer income. They do have a thriving hopsitlaity stream but that wouldn't account for huge sums. I'm quite content to see us win and pick up points. Personally I'd be quite happy to for us to emulate Jim MacLean's Dundee United. 20% possession, 2 shots on goal, 1 goal scored and none conceded. In an ideal world I'd like to see us play open attacking football but that isn't always possible.

North Stand tickets now on sale.

That wouldn't surprise me Smiddy.