Radford 72

Moderators
  • Posts

    5,354
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    60

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from pezza70 in Sack the Manager?   
    I would sack him this morning. 
    Craig, MacLean and Cleland until the end of the season. 
    I fail to see how that reduces our chances of staying up. 
  2. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Coltrane in Taxi For Davidson   
    I can fully acknowledge if people don't feel now is the time for change. There are good points that have been made in that regard. I would even accept a change is probably no more likely to keep us up but that's kind of my reasoning, we are just treading water until hopefully making a proactive decision in a few weeks. But why not start moving forward now? 
    There isn't an argument to be won or lost on timing because there is no right answer. But he can't be manager next season. Saying that doesn't diminish his place in history or if people want to call him a legend. But equally, as someone else pointed out, no one is bigger than the club. 
  3. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Havana Saint in Taxi For Davidson   
    I can fully acknowledge if people don't feel now is the time for change. There are good points that have been made in that regard. I would even accept a change is probably no more likely to keep us up but that's kind of my reasoning, we are just treading water until hopefully making a proactive decision in a few weeks. But why not start moving forward now? 
    There isn't an argument to be won or lost on timing because there is no right answer. But he can't be manager next season. Saying that doesn't diminish his place in history or if people want to call him a legend. But equally, as someone else pointed out, no one is bigger than the club. 
  4. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Saintdunc in Taxi For Davidson   
    I can fully acknowledge if people don't feel now is the time for change. There are good points that have been made in that regard. I would even accept a change is probably no more likely to keep us up but that's kind of my reasoning, we are just treading water until hopefully making a proactive decision in a few weeks. But why not start moving forward now? 
    There isn't an argument to be won or lost on timing because there is no right answer. But he can't be manager next season. Saying that doesn't diminish his place in history or if people want to call him a legend. But equally, as someone else pointed out, no one is bigger than the club. 
  5. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from pezza70 in Taxi For Davidson   
    I can fully acknowledge if people don't feel now is the time for change. There are good points that have been made in that regard. I would even accept a change is probably no more likely to keep us up but that's kind of my reasoning, we are just treading water until hopefully making a proactive decision in a few weeks. But why not start moving forward now? 
    There isn't an argument to be won or lost on timing because there is no right answer. But he can't be manager next season. Saying that doesn't diminish his place in history or if people want to call him a legend. But equally, as someone else pointed out, no one is bigger than the club. 
  6. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Cagey in Taxi For Davidson   
    I can fully acknowledge if people don't feel now is the time for change. There are good points that have been made in that regard. I would even accept a change is probably no more likely to keep us up but that's kind of my reasoning, we are just treading water until hopefully making a proactive decision in a few weeks. But why not start moving forward now? 
    There isn't an argument to be won or lost on timing because there is no right answer. But he can't be manager next season. Saying that doesn't diminish his place in history or if people want to call him a legend. But equally, as someone else pointed out, no one is bigger than the club. 
  7. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from blueheaven in Taxi For Davidson   
    I can fully acknowledge if people don't feel now is the time for change. There are good points that have been made in that regard. I would even accept a change is probably no more likely to keep us up but that's kind of my reasoning, we are just treading water until hopefully making a proactive decision in a few weeks. But why not start moving forward now? 
    There isn't an argument to be won or lost on timing because there is no right answer. But he can't be manager next season. Saying that doesn't diminish his place in history or if people want to call him a legend. But equally, as someone else pointed out, no one is bigger than the club. 
  8. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from blueheaven in Taxi For Davidson   
    I think there is a strong case to change now.
    Kelty was obviously the nadir, our reaction after going behind as cup holders was pitiful and screamed of a side not playing for the manager. Much has been made of the scenes afterwards and they possibly triggered a personal reaction in some players. 
    Results have obviously been better but I really don't see it in performances generally. Livingston away was a good performance and beating Hearts obviously took something but that apart, it's been more of the same, the difference being we have had decisions go for us rather than against us, the back three is a bit more settled (McCart improved) and we have a striker with a real point to prove to a manager who has wasted his talent and cost us a good player. 
    Does losing 7-0, allowing Celtic to break records for passes made, show a team playing for a manager? Did they look like a team motivated by their leader? Does his reaction of it being "disappointing" and "not nice" convey the right message? 
    Usually you'd expect to a reaction from such a defeat but such is Davidson and this group, I wouldn't bank on it as things stand.
    A change isn't just about getting an immediate bounce though, it would allow a new man to assess the players that are here moving forward, although most of them should have big marker pen black crosses next to their names in any case.
    I don't really understand the logic that he stays on if he keeps us up but goes if not. I do accept managers should be judged over extended periods but there also has to be an element of discretion and what has been served up and presided over this season hasn't been good enough, whatever the end result. He shouldn't be in charge next season, so why delay the inevitable if you don't believe Callum Davidson will have any influence over whether we stay up or go down? 
  9. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Saintdunc in Celtic v St Johnstone 9/4/22   
    Angry and deflated at that. It was pathetic. A performance that encapsulated the personality of our manager. 
    Folk will point to the battering we took there under the previous manager but, whilst I will never make lengthy excuses for losing 7-0, the two defeats by that scoreline at Celtic Park are very different in my opinion.
    Yesterday was a disgraceful performance with absolutely nothing to cling to. I don't even trust this manager and group of players to give us a reaction. 
    The opening day defeat a couple of seasons ago came after a bad, injury-hit summer that Tommy Wright got very wrong. Duffy and Vihmann were so far below standard but a major contributor was the performance of the goalkeeper, who had one of his worst days and one that set the tone for the next 18 months unfortunately. At least four of the goals were from outside the box and should have been dealt with better.
    A glimmer of light came out of that game though in the second half performance of Ali McCann. Tommy Wright took the opportunity to offer a young player some minutes. Callum Davidson left John Mahon and Charlie Gilmour benched to bring on Jacob Butterfield because he had friends in the crowd. 
    More important than staying up or going down, from a purely football point of view, is getting rid of this manager and his collection of sub-standard dross. We've played 41 games this season, I reckon he's got a performance out of the team in about half-a-dozen of them. 
    Change needed and there is an argument it should be right now because you need to look at it longer-term. Staying up or going down with this manager. Are we not just delaying the inevitable? And are we really better placed come, say, October, if we scrape survival and let him work his magic over the summer? 
    And in terms of what could go wrong if we sack him now, if this group are so behind the manager that we definitely won't get a bounce, then they are doing a good job of disguising it. The player that has really stepped up since January is that one that wants to stick it to Callum Davidson.
    Surviving via the play-offs won't be a cause for celebration if it just leads to more of the same going forward. 
  10. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Havana Saint in Taxi For Davidson   
    For me, now is the time for change. It's not about yesterday or even about staying up any more. Are Saints really better placed for the long-term or the next manager if we scrape survival and let Callum Davidson work his magic over the summer? 
    Even if still in the Premiership, we could be in a far worse position come the World Cup than we are right now. 
    When you can't see how the club moves forward with a manager, why do you continue to back him? 
    Be brave please, Mr Chairman. 
  11. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Coltrane in Taxi For Davidson   
    For me, now is the time for change. It's not about yesterday or even about staying up any more. Are Saints really better placed for the long-term or the next manager if we scrape survival and let Callum Davidson work his magic over the summer? 
    Even if still in the Premiership, we could be in a far worse position come the World Cup than we are right now. 
    When you can't see how the club moves forward with a manager, why do you continue to back him? 
    Be brave please, Mr Chairman. 
  12. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Coltrane in Celtic v St Johnstone 9/4/22   
    Angry and deflated at that. It was pathetic. A performance that encapsulated the personality of our manager. 
    Folk will point to the battering we took there under the previous manager but, whilst I will never make lengthy excuses for losing 7-0, the two defeats by that scoreline at Celtic Park are very different in my opinion.
    Yesterday was a disgraceful performance with absolutely nothing to cling to. I don't even trust this manager and group of players to give us a reaction. 
    The opening day defeat a couple of seasons ago came after a bad, injury-hit summer that Tommy Wright got very wrong. Duffy and Vihmann were so far below standard but a major contributor was the performance of the goalkeeper, who had one of his worst days and one that set the tone for the next 18 months unfortunately. At least four of the goals were from outside the box and should have been dealt with better.
    A glimmer of light came out of that game though in the second half performance of Ali McCann. Tommy Wright took the opportunity to offer a young player some minutes. Callum Davidson left John Mahon and Charlie Gilmour benched to bring on Jacob Butterfield because he had friends in the crowd. 
    More important than staying up or going down, from a purely football point of view, is getting rid of this manager and his collection of sub-standard dross. We've played 41 games this season, I reckon he's got a performance out of the team in about half-a-dozen of them. 
    Change needed and there is an argument it should be right now because you need to look at it longer-term. Staying up or going down with this manager. Are we not just delaying the inevitable? And are we really better placed come, say, October, if we scrape survival and let him work his magic over the summer? 
    And in terms of what could go wrong if we sack him now, if this group are so behind the manager that we definitely won't get a bounce, then they are doing a good job of disguising it. The player that has really stepped up since January is that one that wants to stick it to Callum Davidson.
    Surviving via the play-offs won't be a cause for celebration if it just leads to more of the same going forward. 
  13. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from blueheaven in Celtic v St Johnstone 9/4/22   
    Angry and deflated at that. It was pathetic. A performance that encapsulated the personality of our manager. 
    Folk will point to the battering we took there under the previous manager but, whilst I will never make lengthy excuses for losing 7-0, the two defeats by that scoreline at Celtic Park are very different in my opinion.
    Yesterday was a disgraceful performance with absolutely nothing to cling to. I don't even trust this manager and group of players to give us a reaction. 
    The opening day defeat a couple of seasons ago came after a bad, injury-hit summer that Tommy Wright got very wrong. Duffy and Vihmann were so far below standard but a major contributor was the performance of the goalkeeper, who had one of his worst days and one that set the tone for the next 18 months unfortunately. At least four of the goals were from outside the box and should have been dealt with better.
    A glimmer of light came out of that game though in the second half performance of Ali McCann. Tommy Wright took the opportunity to offer a young player some minutes. Callum Davidson left John Mahon and Charlie Gilmour benched to bring on Jacob Butterfield because he had friends in the crowd. 
    More important than staying up or going down, from a purely football point of view, is getting rid of this manager and his collection of sub-standard dross. We've played 41 games this season, I reckon he's got a performance out of the team in about half-a-dozen of them. 
    Change needed and there is an argument it should be right now because you need to look at it longer-term. Staying up or going down with this manager. Are we not just delaying the inevitable? And are we really better placed come, say, October, if we scrape survival and let him work his magic over the summer? 
    And in terms of what could go wrong if we sack him now, if this group are so behind the manager that we definitely won't get a bounce, then they are doing a good job of disguising it. The player that has really stepped up since January is that one that wants to stick it to Callum Davidson.
    Surviving via the play-offs won't be a cause for celebration if it just leads to more of the same going forward. 
  14. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Linky in Taxi For Davidson   
    For me, now is the time for change. It's not about yesterday or even about staying up any more. Are Saints really better placed for the long-term or the next manager if we scrape survival and let Callum Davidson work his magic over the summer? 
    Even if still in the Premiership, we could be in a far worse position come the World Cup than we are right now. 
    When you can't see how the club moves forward with a manager, why do you continue to back him? 
    Be brave please, Mr Chairman. 
  15. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from blueheaven in Taxi For Davidson   
    For me, now is the time for change. It's not about yesterday or even about staying up any more. Are Saints really better placed for the long-term or the next manager if we scrape survival and let Callum Davidson work his magic over the summer? 
    Even if still in the Premiership, we could be in a far worse position come the World Cup than we are right now. 
    When you can't see how the club moves forward with a manager, why do you continue to back him? 
    Be brave please, Mr Chairman. 
  16. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from crieffsaintandy in Celtic v St Johnstone 9/4/22   
    Angry and deflated at that. It was pathetic. A performance that encapsulated the personality of our manager. 
    Folk will point to the battering we took there under the previous manager but, whilst I will never make lengthy excuses for losing 7-0, the two defeats by that scoreline at Celtic Park are very different in my opinion.
    Yesterday was a disgraceful performance with absolutely nothing to cling to. I don't even trust this manager and group of players to give us a reaction. 
    The opening day defeat a couple of seasons ago came after a bad, injury-hit summer that Tommy Wright got very wrong. Duffy and Vihmann were so far below standard but a major contributor was the performance of the goalkeeper, who had one of his worst days and one that set the tone for the next 18 months unfortunately. At least four of the goals were from outside the box and should have been dealt with better.
    A glimmer of light came out of that game though in the second half performance of Ali McCann. Tommy Wright took the opportunity to offer a young player some minutes. Callum Davidson left John Mahon and Charlie Gilmour benched to bring on Jacob Butterfield because he had friends in the crowd. 
    More important than staying up or going down, from a purely football point of view, is getting rid of this manager and his collection of sub-standard dross. We've played 41 games this season, I reckon he's got a performance out of the team in about half-a-dozen of them. 
    Change needed and there is an argument it should be right now because you need to look at it longer-term. Staying up or going down with this manager. Are we not just delaying the inevitable? And are we really better placed come, say, October, if we scrape survival and let him work his magic over the summer? 
    And in terms of what could go wrong if we sack him now, if this group are so behind the manager that we definitely won't get a bounce, then they are doing a good job of disguising it. The player that has really stepped up since January is that one that wants to stick it to Callum Davidson.
    Surviving via the play-offs won't be a cause for celebration if it just leads to more of the same going forward. 
  17. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Strawman in Taxi For Davidson   
    For me, now is the time for change. It's not about yesterday or even about staying up any more. Are Saints really better placed for the long-term or the next manager if we scrape survival and let Callum Davidson work his magic over the summer? 
    Even if still in the Premiership, we could be in a far worse position come the World Cup than we are right now. 
    When you can't see how the club moves forward with a manager, why do you continue to back him? 
    Be brave please, Mr Chairman. 
  18. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from jez1971 in Celtic v St Johnstone 9/4/22   
    Angry and deflated at that. It was pathetic. A performance that encapsulated the personality of our manager. 
    Folk will point to the battering we took there under the previous manager but, whilst I will never make lengthy excuses for losing 7-0, the two defeats by that scoreline at Celtic Park are very different in my opinion.
    Yesterday was a disgraceful performance with absolutely nothing to cling to. I don't even trust this manager and group of players to give us a reaction. 
    The opening day defeat a couple of seasons ago came after a bad, injury-hit summer that Tommy Wright got very wrong. Duffy and Vihmann were so far below standard but a major contributor was the performance of the goalkeeper, who had one of his worst days and one that set the tone for the next 18 months unfortunately. At least four of the goals were from outside the box and should have been dealt with better.
    A glimmer of light came out of that game though in the second half performance of Ali McCann. Tommy Wright took the opportunity to offer a young player some minutes. Callum Davidson left John Mahon and Charlie Gilmour benched to bring on Jacob Butterfield because he had friends in the crowd. 
    More important than staying up or going down, from a purely football point of view, is getting rid of this manager and his collection of sub-standard dross. We've played 41 games this season, I reckon he's got a performance out of the team in about half-a-dozen of them. 
    Change needed and there is an argument it should be right now because you need to look at it longer-term. Staying up or going down with this manager. Are we not just delaying the inevitable? And are we really better placed come, say, October, if we scrape survival and let him work his magic over the summer? 
    And in terms of what could go wrong if we sack him now, if this group are so behind the manager that we definitely won't get a bounce, then they are doing a good job of disguising it. The player that has really stepped up since January is that one that wants to stick it to Callum Davidson.
    Surviving via the play-offs won't be a cause for celebration if it just leads to more of the same going forward. 
  19. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from rik2304 in Taxi For Davidson   
    For me, now is the time for change. It's not about yesterday or even about staying up any more. Are Saints really better placed for the long-term or the next manager if we scrape survival and let Callum Davidson work his magic over the summer? 
    Even if still in the Premiership, we could be in a far worse position come the World Cup than we are right now. 
    When you can't see how the club moves forward with a manager, why do you continue to back him? 
    Be brave please, Mr Chairman. 
  20. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from rik2304 in Celtic v St Johnstone 9/4/22   
    Angry and deflated at that. It was pathetic. A performance that encapsulated the personality of our manager. 
    Folk will point to the battering we took there under the previous manager but, whilst I will never make lengthy excuses for losing 7-0, the two defeats by that scoreline at Celtic Park are very different in my opinion.
    Yesterday was a disgraceful performance with absolutely nothing to cling to. I don't even trust this manager and group of players to give us a reaction. 
    The opening day defeat a couple of seasons ago came after a bad, injury-hit summer that Tommy Wright got very wrong. Duffy and Vihmann were so far below standard but a major contributor was the performance of the goalkeeper, who had one of his worst days and one that set the tone for the next 18 months unfortunately. At least four of the goals were from outside the box and should have been dealt with better.
    A glimmer of light came out of that game though in the second half performance of Ali McCann. Tommy Wright took the opportunity to offer a young player some minutes. Callum Davidson left John Mahon and Charlie Gilmour benched to bring on Jacob Butterfield because he had friends in the crowd. 
    More important than staying up or going down, from a purely football point of view, is getting rid of this manager and his collection of sub-standard dross. We've played 41 games this season, I reckon he's got a performance out of the team in about half-a-dozen of them. 
    Change needed and there is an argument it should be right now because you need to look at it longer-term. Staying up or going down with this manager. Are we not just delaying the inevitable? And are we really better placed come, say, October, if we scrape survival and let him work his magic over the summer? 
    And in terms of what could go wrong if we sack him now, if this group are so behind the manager that we definitely won't get a bounce, then they are doing a good job of disguising it. The player that has really stepped up since January is that one that wants to stick it to Callum Davidson.
    Surviving via the play-offs won't be a cause for celebration if it just leads to more of the same going forward. 
  21. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from chips in Taxi For Davidson   
    For me, now is the time for change. It's not about yesterday or even about staying up any more. Are Saints really better placed for the long-term or the next manager if we scrape survival and let Callum Davidson work his magic over the summer? 
    Even if still in the Premiership, we could be in a far worse position come the World Cup than we are right now. 
    When you can't see how the club moves forward with a manager, why do you continue to back him? 
    Be brave please, Mr Chairman. 
  22. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from Shibbydoo in Celtic v St Johnstone 9/4/22   
    Angry and deflated at that. It was pathetic. A performance that encapsulated the personality of our manager. 
    Folk will point to the battering we took there under the previous manager but, whilst I will never make lengthy excuses for losing 7-0, the two defeats by that scoreline at Celtic Park are very different in my opinion.
    Yesterday was a disgraceful performance with absolutely nothing to cling to. I don't even trust this manager and group of players to give us a reaction. 
    The opening day defeat a couple of seasons ago came after a bad, injury-hit summer that Tommy Wright got very wrong. Duffy and Vihmann were so far below standard but a major contributor was the performance of the goalkeeper, who had one of his worst days and one that set the tone for the next 18 months unfortunately. At least four of the goals were from outside the box and should have been dealt with better.
    A glimmer of light came out of that game though in the second half performance of Ali McCann. Tommy Wright took the opportunity to offer a young player some minutes. Callum Davidson left John Mahon and Charlie Gilmour benched to bring on Jacob Butterfield because he had friends in the crowd. 
    More important than staying up or going down, from a purely football point of view, is getting rid of this manager and his collection of sub-standard dross. We've played 41 games this season, I reckon he's got a performance out of the team in about half-a-dozen of them. 
    Change needed and there is an argument it should be right now because you need to look at it longer-term. Staying up or going down with this manager. Are we not just delaying the inevitable? And are we really better placed come, say, October, if we scrape survival and let him work his magic over the summer? 
    And in terms of what could go wrong if we sack him now, if this group are so behind the manager that we definitely won't get a bounce, then they are doing a good job of disguising it. The player that has really stepped up since January is that one that wants to stick it to Callum Davidson.
    Surviving via the play-offs won't be a cause for celebration if it just leads to more of the same going forward. 
  23. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from dunkeldneil in Twenty Years Ago Today   
    It was touched upon by 1884 in another thread but twenty years ago around now, Saints fans were filing out of McDiarmid Park, the new ground's first season, having witnessed what probably remains the greatest match to take place at he stadium.



    In the late sixties and early seventies, under the stewardship of Willie Ormond, St Johnstone enjoyed the most successful period in their history. A League Cup final and sojourn into the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup saw crowds flooding to Muirton Park. Victory over Celtic on the final day of the 1974/75 campaign secured the club a place in the inaugural Premier Division but within a decade they were heading for the Second Division and crowds struggling to break four figures. The club were on the brink, with debts approaching £275,000 and a once proud ground that had seen the capacity restricted to just 2,500.

    The arrival of Geoff Brown as chairman in 1986 not only saved the club but transformed its fortunes. Brown delivered not only a top class manager in Alex Totten, who had Dumbarton on the brink of promotion to the Premier Division, but masterminded a deal that saw the club move into the country’s first custom-built, all-seater football stadium, all within three years. The club entered the 1989/90 season with a real hope that top flight football could be on the way back to Perth. It was November before Saints tasted defeat in the league, when Jimmy Bone’s Airdrieonians became the first side to win at the new ground and as the season progressed it would be the men from North Lanarkshire that offered the greatest threat to Saints’ premier dreams.
    The Diamonds’ second visit to Perth came in late March 1990, on a day when everything conspired to bring about the most amazing match, which will live on in the club’s history as one of their finest achievements. The stakes were high, but especially for Saints. With a one-point advantage and a game in hand, the Broomfield men had lost only once in 18 outings and only really needed to draw to set themselves up for the final run in to the league flag. Four years after Totten’s arrival in Perth, the prospects of Premier League football were going on the line. It was win or bust for Saints. Every single one of the record 9,556 spectators who crammed into the Crieff Road stadium knew they were playing for high stakes. The entire season would be shaped by the outcome of the next 90 minutes.

    The sun was shining on the shirt-sleeved crowd as the show got under way in front of the BBC Scotland cameras. Saints came flying out of the traps and Airdrie keeper John Martin had already produced two fantastic stops when Steve Maskrey controlled Roddy Grant’s flick and rattled the crossbar. The game was being played at a frantic pace and it was the home side creating all of the chances. Grant had prodded wide before Paul Cherry was next to test the Airdrie keeper when he burst through the middle and stung Martin’s palms with a ferocious right foot drive. Airdrie’s only notable first half venture forward saw Owen Coyle, a recent £175,000 signing from Clydebank, force Saints stopper John Balavage to showcase his own reflexes.

    Airdrie were struggling to deal with the presence of Grant and the pace of Maskrey and Allan Moore out wide and within the opening minutes of the second period, another three chances had been passed up. First, Maskrey scampered down the left before cutting the ball back to an unmarked Sammy Johnston, who failed to get enough purchase on his effort, and then Paul Cherry became the second player to rattle the bar when he was picked out in the box by Moore. Next it was Maskrey rampaging down the right and when his teasing cross found Grant, the woodwork was left shaking for the third time in the match. The pressure pounded down on the Airdrie defence and Coyle, Scotland’s top scorer, was starved of possession. Surely it was just a matter of time before the breakthrough?

    Then, in 69 minutes, a rare Airdrie venture upfield. Stevie Gray, a £70,000 buy from Aberdeen, raged a drive towards the top left corner. Saints keeper Balavage, who until that moment had been little involved, threw himself towards it but already knew he was beaten. The north stand erupted, a cauldron of red and white. A sucker punch had been delivered in this clash of the heavyweights.

    Everything Saints had played for seemed to be collapsing. This game was going to have a crucial bearing on the future of both clubs and after all the pressure Saints had exerted, the whole season was disintegrating. Several in blue fell to their knees but the fighting spirit throughout the team was incredible and not for the first time that season, Saints hauled themselves up off the deck, like a weary prize fighter operating on personal pride. Maskrey nearly capitalised on a slack ball back to Martin but the Airdrie man again came to the rescue. Increasingly frequent glances towards the electronic scoreboard suggested fate was conspiring against the Saints. Martin seemed capable of turning back the blue tidal wave all afternoon and, with time against the Perth side, the championship seemed bound for Broomfield.
    But with Ian Heddle and Kenny Ward replacing an exhausted Gary McGinnis and Sammy Johnston, Airdrie were driven further back into their defensive shell. The tireless Maskrey jinked into the box, only to be upended by Brian McKeown. Down he went... penalty!

    Saints had in their ranks a player who enjoyed taking penalties and never missed one for the club. As he placed the ball on the spot, Mark Treanor had already decided where the ball was going, all because of an evening in front of the TV. A preview of the match the previous evening had included a look back at the penalty he converted earlier in the year to put paid to Partick Thistle’s promotion hopes and wary of the fact that Diamonds keeper Martin could be tuned in as well, the former Clydebank right back had made up his mind that if there was a penalty, he would send the ball towards the other corner. Whether Martin had seen the programme or not, he went the wrong way and Treanor, tagged as being as cool as a cucumber by BBC commentator Alastair Alexander, had dragged Saints back into the game with only 14 minutes left on the clock.

    The draw was tailor-made for the league leaders but Saints were back in it and from then to the end it was a question of when the Perth side would get their winner. Saints had been the side that all season had produced the late goals and when Derek Grant scythed down Allan Moore, it was the same player that was beaten to the ball by Roddy Grant as the big striker met Treanor’s 86th minute driven free kick to put Saints into the lead and point them in the direction of the Premier Division. The heroic Martin got his hands to the ball, he couldn’t keep it out. A cult hero with the fans, man-of-the-match Grant notched 19 goals in this championship season but none as valuable as this, which amply repaid the faith his manager had shown in him during his initially unproductive time with the club.

    McDiarmid Park was alight with passion and having hit the woodwork thrice, there was no doubt that Saints merited their advantage but Airdrie were briefly stung into life, although Coyle could do no better than direct a header over with their final offering of the match. Saints themselves weren’t finished though and only three minutes after Grant’s strike and with the full-time opposition devastated, the Saints subs combined to inflict the coup de grace, Ward dispatching Heddle’s measured cross in the final minute following more fine play by Grant. Airdrie’s hopes were buried. The fans, many of whom were still on their feet from Grant’s goal, went mad again. Relief, joy, and that feeling which only football can engender, of momentary, yet supreme, subliminal happiness, all mingled to give the home crowd the result of the season. The standing ovation was richly deserved.

    The impact of this result reverberated over subsequent weeks. Airdrie were defeated, psychologically as well as statistically. They lost their game in hand, to Clydebank, and Saints were then in pole position. Although it would be the penultimate weekend of the season before the title was secured, it was always destined for Perth following this classic confrontation that got the Perth fans behind their team in a way which has seldom been repeated.
  24. Haha
    Radford 72 got a reaction from garydavidson in Saints January '22 Transfer Activity   
    Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Sneezy, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy and Sean Webb.
  25. Like
    Radford 72 got a reaction from pezza70 in Saints January '22 Transfer Activity   
    Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Sneezy, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy and Sean Webb.