Aitchy

Hope it gets called off. Worst away fixture of the season.

Who wants third place anyway ?
 
time take get pished

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tragic news, RIP Mehmet.
Many people seem to view the friendship between the two clubs as cringey, but I think the recent reaction from both sets of fans to the sad losses we have both suffered shows how unique and special the relationship between both clubs is.
I will never forget them few days in Eskisehir, the warm welcome we received was unbelievable.
My thoughts are with Mehmets family and friends.

Tommy said this recently in his Daily Mail interview;
‘We’d had words a few times but the final nail for him was that I didn’t want to join him at Millwall,’ says Wright.
‘Steve did a great job here, but it doesn’t bother me if people don’t speak to me. It doesn’t worry me in the slightest. It’s stubbornness on my part but I see no reason to pick up the phone. So I won’t.’
He's said similar in the past as well - he didn't hear from Lomas in the build up to the final, wishing him luck, he hasn't spoken to Lomas since he left for Millwall etc - but I've never seen anything about personality clashes/conflicts when they were both at the club. They're both strong, stubborn characters and will obviously argue if they disagree, but I always got the impression that their working relationship was quite healthy.
I've heard stories that the players didn't like Lomas much but those are rumours and ultimately well in the past now. On the pitch, they certainly played for him and achieved a 3rd place finish. Lomas' contribution shouldn't be underestimated - he managed two European finishes (one of which on a reduced budget, and after losing some excellent players the previous summer) and brought Wright into the club. I wouldn't go as far as hasting him back, but he deserves plaudits and his record will stand up to most other managers in our history.

At a recent Meet the Manager Night, Tommy said that the contract that Frazer Wright signed during the summer was on reduced terms and was geared towards how many games he played.
He said that it became evident during training that Frazers standard of performance had dropped dramatically, which led to him letting him go. Tommy said he could have strung him along, but due how good a servant he was to club, thought it only fair to let him leave when Dumbarton came in for him again.

As has been said before, comparisons have got to be tempered with different circumstances and what era you witnessed players in Saints strips.
Ormond's philosophy was geared on attack and the ball was in the opposition half most of the time, due to the fact that the skill of the forwards meant that they did not surrender possession easily.
Hence the defence were not called into action maybe as often as they are nowadays. 
As for individual players, thought the thread was about which TEAM was the best?
As a supporter since the early sixties, I Have my own memories and favourites, but of some of the names mentioned, sorry Andy Rhodes does not get into the top five.
For what its worth, the most complete footballer, who made the game look easy, was Baltacha. 
How priveledged I was to witness this man's interceptions, tackles and distribution from defence.

I have to question Saints' decision making sometimes...
a game live on tv with a Sunday lunchtime kick off 12 days before Christmas..  And we bump East Stand tickets upto £26 !!!
Absolutely mental.  

I can see the great squad of the end of the 60s / beginning of the 70s in my mind's eye. The memory is fresh of them running out on to dear old Muirton Park in their Blue tops with the white V neck collars. There was a wee shiver of excitement when the whistle blew to start the game and a loud cheer went up from the Choir under the auld stand.
Donaldson, Coburn, Lambie, Rennie, Rooney, Aird, Gordon, Whitelaw, Aitken, Connolly, Hall, McPhee, Muir, McCarry, Pearson.
If you were there and watched that team, you would never forget it. Three really good front men in Connolly, Hall and Pearson. Each different in their own way, but great players all. That defence was rock solid with Benny and Willie both feared and fearless. This is the team that took us on our famous European run, beat Celtic and Rangers home and away, and finished the league third behind Celtic and Aberdeen.
Yes the current team have won the Cup and qualified for Europe, and also there's the team of '99, but the 1970 squad stands alone for the quality of its players, the teamwork, and the outstanding results against top class opposition. That Rangers team who were one place below us in the league included Greig, Penman, Stein, Henderson and Johnstone all of whom were Scottish internationals.

I think that the length of time the current Saints side has been successful for has to be taken into account. The Ormond team (which I never saw) had a very brief period of doing well, but rapidly went downhill. The team of the late 90s, similarly, had one really good season but quickly started to struggle once those players started to drift away and Clark was faced with replacing them. The current era of success, on the other hand, transcends different key players, different managers, even different chairmen. It's almost as if the very environment at McDiarmid Park is what is behind the success. The era now includes becoming top 6 regulars, regularly reaching semi-finals, winning the Scottish Cup, beating Rosenborg one season and beating Luzern the next, and now topping it all off with this transformation into free-scoring entertainers who consistently come from behind to pick up points with this incredible never-say-die attitude. I've certainly never seen anything like it in my time following Saints, and I'd be surprised if anyone else has. Individually we've had plenty of better players, but we've never had a better team.
One thing I find disappointing and I feel has disappointed Tommy Wright too, has been our failure to manage serious progression in Europe. We've done so well in beating really good sides, only to fall flat against weaker ones. If we could get through two or three rounds in Europe and get into a place where we're in contention for the group stages and can go out on a high, then that would be the thing that would top it all off.
 

I recall he  lived in strathtay road and had an auld  volvo years ago.I  never stopped ribbing him ,if he still had it and was he going to restore it ! 
I knew les from the muirton park days of the 1970's . Always had the banter wherever I saw him be it in Eskisehir  , a friendly in Peterhead , some pub at an away day,Perth or in the West stand.
 
  As previously stated by Dr christmas jones he had an almost unofficial ambassador role between saints and eses. Oh aye and starlitz  boozer mein host 
 
Plenty memories .Am gonnae have to raise a glass of EFES beer tae a top saints fan.
RIP les

We need another blue and white away day this season.  A good scottish cup trip to Peterhead, Elgin or Annan would do just fine...

I think it's extremely important to separate those who fought in the World Wars from those who have chosen the forces as a career path. 
 The reason i'm slightly uneasy about something like this being associated with Saints is the way in which certain far right groups have hijacked the armed forces as a symbol. It's prevalent just now in anti immigration rhetoric, it's prevalent in anti-Muslim rhetoric and it's getting to the stage that any comment against the forces is considered sacrilege which has resulted in the incredible situation where a man who has been convicted of cold blooded murder is lauded as some sort of hero. 
There's good people in the forces and there's bad people in the forces, same as any other walk of life. As brave a life choice as is it is, I don't think joining the army immediately entitles someone to respect tbh. 
 
 

Not sure that's entirely fair. We're all St Johnstone fans on here so it's a bit of a stretch to imply that those of us who don't follow Scotland are Sky-binging glory-hunters who are only interested in the big times. If anything I think it's sometimes the other way round: the big international tournaments like World Cup and Euros attract the interest of a lot of people who otherwise have no interest in football. Down here in England they tend to be the people who expect England to win and then can't understand it when they don't. Personally I enjoy watching those tournaments, but when it comes to actually caring and being passionate about football, I consider the average Saints game to be infinitely more important. In a way, I sort of view the World Cup as football for people who aren't actually in to football.
I'd think it nice to see the Scotland team doing well but that's pretty much as far as it goes for me, personally. I don't consider myself a supporter and I very rarely bother to watch the matches (partly because I think there's way too much football on TV so I don't watch much of any of it these days). I did go to a few Scotland games when I was younger but, to be honest, after the novelty of the big crowds had worn off, I actually found it a bit boring. Possibly because I wasn't invested in it in the same way that I am in Saints games (which can be boring too obviously, but because they really mean something to me I don't mind so much).
It's just each to their own, really. I feel a sense of pride in Saints and feel that I have a duty as a football fan to support my local team, who I have that lifelong connection with. I don't feel that sense of pride or duty with Scotland, maybe because they play most of their games in a city I have no affiliation with, and tend to field players I have no interest in or support for.
But I'd be delighted if Saints could start filling the ground with "happy clappers" - because it would mean we were actually filling the ground (and, even better, with people who are clapping rather than moaning).