Gekko

Might be. Callum, Ian Murray and Kettlewell seem to be the names that are being mentioned more than others at the moment.

I agree that we need to concentrate on what we can control, and make sure we do our job. In case Dundee, or at an outside chance Killie, slip up. We can't influence what they do, so we need to be focussed on amassing as much points as possible. It's pretty much as simple as that. Even though we didn't win at the weekend, we kept our non losing streak going, so the all important momentum should still be in place. Simo recognises this, which is why he's always going on about " nothing changes". Even though we're focussing on ourselves, there's no doubt that Dundee will have a big say in our final position. We don't have McGhee to save us this time. If they get a boost from the derby win, they could go on a run themselves. Hopefully, it was a one off. Their next game is against Rangers at Dens, so fingers crossed Rangers can continue their good form and knock them back a bit. I also agree that Eremenko would have made a big difference, linking the midfield to attack. I'm sure he would have been similar to Carey in that while he's not as fit and fast as he once was, the important bit of skill he'd have to open up a defence with a pass, or reading the game to our advantage, would have been like the missing piece of the jigsaw. It still irks me that decision.

I think their next game is against Dundee, so hopefully that doesn't happen.

Always thought it was an odd appointment. 18 months at Kelty was all the experience he had. Callum incoming?

Yeah, it's getting tighter. It's still doable but we're on the ropes.

I suppose we have to take Simo's attitude to this. No matter what happens, nothing changes. Our defence gives me confidence we can now keep teams out, the opposite of the start of the season, which is the reason why we're in this position. We had Sanders, Cameron and Rae, all with at least one big mistake each game in them. We seemed to have stopped that. Hopefully, it'll be in time. We could do with the strikers to tap into a bit of form. As Cleveland said above, as much as he might annoy you, Murray, or a player like him, would make such a difference to our team right now. We should maybe use Clark more as a late sub, and stick him in front of the opposition keeper. He's the closest we have to a natural goalscorer. Get to the split within touching distance and we have a chance. Then we really have to be at our best each game. Today's result though, leaves you feeling a bit like we need snookers. Oh well, when the going gets tough...

After all that, there'll be no title party in Perth.

Arron Cocks scores his first goal for Swifts today in a 2-1 loss at home to Haddington. Somebody mentioned Sanders earlier, and I'd totally forgotten about him. So I checked on how MK Dons £150k signing was getting on. They were beaten 3-0 at port Vale today with Jack an unused substitute. I also thought I'd check in on our old captain from the start of the season, Kyle Cameron. Barrow drew 2-2 at Derek Adams' Morecambe, and Kyle was an unused substitute. I'm spotting a trend here.

I presume that'll be Steven MacLean away as well? I can't imagine Callum will get a decent job now, punditry awaits him I think. He's mates with all the Sportsound crew. I remember Allan Preston saying after we won the double, that he should retire because he'd never better that achievement. I thought it was a joke at the time but he's probably right.

It all felt very flat today for me. Neither side seemed to get going. If Kirk had taken his chance, it could've been a lot different. Mitov doing what we know he can do. Kirk should still have scored though. Aberdeen with lots of possession but no real threat. A relatively easy day for Fisher. The same could be said for us. It's good not to lose, but Aberdeen were off it, so we should have done better and taken all three points. Especially with the games we have on the way. The final whistle spoke volumes. Supporters of both sides just went "Meh". A good crowd today which deserved better.

Although I doubt it will happen, you could get a decent 4-4-2 from that line up, with everybody playing in their favoured positions.

If Griffith is fit and ready, I'd have him in from the start for this one. We've missed him and we'll need his kind of hustle against the Aberdeen midfield. It depends on Wright's fitness whether he'd start or not. Simo mentioned he was showing signs of fatigue. Duke got a lesson in Scottish football on Monday night, and hopefully he's benefitted from that. In after match interviews, Carey was saying how he had noticed the space we weren't making the most of, I think that's also his strength. His knowledge and experience of the game means that when he does go on, he knows the best way to make a difference. I'd keep both him and Wright on the bench, to be brought on if and when needed. So basically the same starting eleven from Monday, with the the only exception being Griffith for Svedberg. Fisher Balodis Mitchell Douglas Curtis Sprangler Holt Duke Griffith Sidibeh Kirk That would mean we would also have decent options from the bench, with Clark, Benji, Steven, Wright and Carey all available if we needed to switch things up a bit. For me, that's a decent squad.

I'm fine with drawing Celtic. You can put a positive spin on it. If we lose, it's no big deal. Nobody expects us to win, even we wouldn't be put out that much, neither would the players. We'd just pick up from where we left off and continue the league battle. However, if we win, what a boost that would be. We'd go into the league games super confident. With the exception of a total drubbing, there's not really a bad result that can happen that could derail our season. On the other hand, if we'd drawn somebody like Hearts, both us and the players would have that thought in the back of our heads, "We can do this". Then, if we didn't, and especially if it was a close match, the players could feel it like a punch in the gut, and it could affect them negatively going forward. To be honest, after a few years, it's just good to be back at this stage.

St. Johnstone 2 Aberdeen 0 Goal: Sidibeh Card: Douglas

Livi 0 Saints 2 Goal: Kirk Card: McGowan