Broon

Exactly the performance I wanted from him in front of the scouts

Exactly the performance I wanted from him in front of the scouts

Up there with one our best performances of the season. Davidson was incredible, harking back to his performances that seen him called up to the Scotland squad. He had everything, including a finely taken goal.
Spoony and Craig also had fine games. You can't deny that when Spoony plays wide we play better football. He works so well with whichever fullback he plays with. Two fingers to the twats in the stand that are on his back constantly. Good player.
No failures at the back either with a special mention to Tanser who was class again.
Strikers worked hard and caused problems. Kane should have had a few goals again, his finishing is poor. He's a nuisance though.
Well played Saints.

Exactly the performance I wanted from him in front of the scouts

Exactly the performance I wanted from him in front of the scouts

Spoony makes mistakes because unlike the rest of our team he tries to pass the round thing rather than scud it as hard as he can. He's a quality player who when played in his correct position is one of out best players. He tackles well, has great feet and always works well with our fullbacks in wide areas. Where he's totally underrated is his assists. Statistically he's season after season our most creative player. Today, he slipped Davidson in for a chance and put one right on Kane's head. He also put two other fantastic balls in that could easily have ended in goals.
Granted, he's not a central midfielder and I share every fans frustrations when he plays there.  However to say he's not good enough for us in my opinion is nonsense.

Up there with one our best performances of the season. Davidson was incredible, harking back to his performances that seen him called up to the Scotland squad. He had everything, including a finely taken goal.
Spoony and Craig also had fine games. You can't deny that when Spoony plays wide we play better football. He works so well with whichever fullback he plays with. Two fingers to the twats in the stand that are on his back constantly. Good player.
No failures at the back either with a special mention to Tanser who was class again.
Strikers worked hard and caused problems. Kane should have had a few goals again, his finishing is poor. He's a nuisance though.
Well played Saints.

Up there with one our best performances of the season. Davidson was incredible, harking back to his performances that seen him called up to the Scotland squad. He had everything, including a finely taken goal.
Spoony and Craig also had fine games. You can't deny that when Spoony plays wide we play better football. He works so well with whichever fullback he plays with. Two fingers to the twats in the stand that are on his back constantly. Good player.
No failures at the back either with a special mention to Tanser who was class again.
Strikers worked hard and caused problems. Kane should have had a few goals again, his finishing is poor. He's a nuisance though.
Well played Saints.

Up there with one our best performances of the season. Davidson was incredible, harking back to his performances that seen him called up to the Scotland squad. He had everything, including a finely taken goal.
Spoony and Craig also had fine games. You can't deny that when Spoony plays wide we play better football. He works so well with whichever fullback he plays with. Two fingers to the twats in the stand that are on his back constantly. Good player.
No failures at the back either with a special mention to Tanser who was class again.
Strikers worked hard and caused problems. Kane should have had a few goals again, his finishing is poor. He's a nuisance though.
Well played Saints.

I'll wait until the full details are made public before commenting. There is always two sides to these stories. 
Regarding Swanson - we're basically bottom six now and with a healthy cushion on the teams below us. We should absolutely be using the next 7 games to get Mikey and Swanson back firing. These guys have all the talent in the world. Tommy needs to figure out how to get them playing. I'm not that bothered about results now - he can be as experimental as he wants. Lets make sure we find out what works for next season. 
 
 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.
I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.
This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 
Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.
Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 
If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.
But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

This is probably the first January in a long, long time where I'm not that bothered if we sign anyone. I still think longer term we need cover for a central ball playing midfielder. Liam Craig is doing a terrific job in there but if he gets injured we are really struggling given Davidson's injury history.
I suspect any transfer activity will be heavily dependent on who moves on - if anyone. I'm just hoping there are no bad surprises....

This is probably the first January in a long, long time where I'm not that bothered if we sign anyone. I still think longer term we need cover for a central ball playing midfielder. Liam Craig is doing a terrific job in there but if he gets injured we are really struggling given Davidson's injury history.
I suspect any transfer activity will be heavily dependent on who moves on - if anyone. I'm just hoping there are no bad surprises....

It's only a couple of bad games against the best teams in the league. If anyone deserves time its Tommy.

I think Tommy has recruited some talented attacking players but i fear he's created a very unbalanced squad. If you play with wingers and 9s and false 9s you absolutely have to have one maybe two dominant ball winners. Players to do the dirty work, win and move the ball. Keep the ball under pressure (ala Chris Millar). At the moment we have a big gaping hole in the middle of the park. We're somewhere between a good side and a weak side. 
I'm trying not to overreact as its been a tough run of fixtures but i also think we're caught between two playing styles. The old team of 2 or 3 years ago could drop deep and defend with Wright, Ando, Mackay and Easton. All day long. This team try and drop deep and there's nobody throwing their bodies in front of shots. Nobody putting tackles in. We just stand off. What frustrated me most is when we do start to press and play more direct and on the front foot supposedly invincible teams like Hearts start to crumble. We waited until were 2 down for that. Tommy needs to decide how to line this team up because unless he finds a solution in the middle he can't have them so passive.
Also, Swanson should be starting ahead of Kennedy. Far superior player.

Maybe a strange thing to say but trying to get my head around our performance and reading other posts is helping piece it all together. Regularly agree with yourself anyway but much to concur with there.
Think the first word TW used in his post-match stuff was "frustrating" and it's probably the word I'd choose as well. 
It's still early in the season and you never want to make judgements on one game so I think after the matches to round off the first third of the regular season, it'll be an interesting time to take stock but, rightly or wrongly, TW is trying to remould Saints, playing from the back, passing the ball more but our decision making at times screams of team trying to adapt, quick free kicks or goal kicks when there isn't a second option for the first receiver, trying to pick an extra pass rather than just sticking it in the box etc... We got two corners today, the first of which didn't even get into the box because we mucked it up by overplaying it short.
I can't pretend there weren't times that the pragmatism of the past didn't frustrate me slightly but in reality, I liked what we were about and jibes from outside the club, as the players themselves routinely admitted, were music to the ears. I'm still figuring out this new Saints team and if I'm going to like it.