patsy Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) Dire game, but a great result in the end. Felt the game was crying out for fresh legs. cant agree more. jacko or may should have been on for peaso with at least 20 mins to go. no idea why he didnt make subs. really pleased to be in the semi but we really have to up our game Edited March 22, 2011 by patsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainstand Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 And did we suffer from Hamiltons pitch on Saturday as well MS?? Don;t know never saw the match i was at Murrayfield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 cant agree more. jacko or may should have been on for peaso with at least 20 mins to go. no idea why he didnt make subs. really pleased to be in the final but we really have to up our game Think we will make the final as well but we have to beat Well or Arabs first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues Brother Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 McInness must arrange a couple of bounce games against 2nd Div opposition to restore confidence in his front players.......................Oh no!!!! Stop laughing up the back!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davis Love III Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 The Saints go marching on to Hampden! But my, did we make it more awkward for ourselves than it should have been. We started the first half with the correct attitude matching Brechin in workrate, and beating them in that regard on occasions, and looked very lively and were by far the creative attacking threat, creating a whole number of chances, and following on from our form this season, duly missed them. On a couple of occasions in the first half it looked like our miss firing forwards would cost us yet again, with McAlister wasting a very good opportunity after an uncharacteristic Steven Anderson error. That was soon followed by Fusco's low effort which was denied brilliantly by Peter Enckleman. A world class save from an excellent goalkeeper, who I don't think recieves the credit he duly deserves. Saints finally took a chance, after Colin Samuel reacted quickest to a loose ball and smashed it past the silky slicked hair of Craig Nelson from a tight angle. Saints controled the remainder of the half. Perhaps from a St Johnstone point of view we could have been dissapointed to only go into the break one goal up, but with Brechin having two clear chances, any lead certainly wasn't to be scoffed at. The second half was very frustrating from a Saints perspective, as we became laxidasical at times cheaply giving the ball away, an example being the second kick of the half, and generally looking a a bit sluggish, however the second hald also saw some quite neat football going forward from Saints and we again created quite a number of chances, still not being able to convert them. Brechin, well organised as before, always looked a threat with the ball at their feet, but they must be dissapointed that they never really turned some good attacking possession on the break into a decent goalscoring opportunity, as Enckleman in the Saints goal had virtually nothing to do of any note in the second half. So, 1-0 was the result, we had done 'just' enough to get through, which I felt was the overriding mood from the players on the pitch which transcended into some frustration from the East Stand, although, the morons could have Kaka and Messi in the team, and still wouldn't be pleased, but there was a genuine case for frustration in terms of our finishing and some of the effort from a few players. If truth be told the game had 4-1 as a genuine reflection on the game, rather than 1-0. In terms of individuals for Saints, Chris Millar did a lot of very good work in the game, good movement and some good passes, although he did give a few cheaply away, especially in the second half, but an excellent performance from him. Danny Grainger looked to have abit more fire in his belly tonight charging up the left side on occasions, but there were some not so impressive performances, most notable from the front two, and MacDonald in particular who was very poor throughout. But Semi Final date at Hampden it is, and of that we cannot complain about. Brechin should be rightly proud of how thye have played these 180 minutes and are a side who move the ball far more effectively than half of the SPL, and I wish them well in the League Campaign, as they would certainly brighten up the First Division, and maybe with the money earned this past two weeks, could invest in a stronger playing side to consolidate themselves as regular challengers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintDougie Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Seriously cant see us getting through to the Final to be honest. We just don't pose enough threat. I'll still be at the semi though:neutral: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali91 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 We played shite and still won fairly confortably. All that matters in the cup is getting through. We're all of to Hampden and potentially one match away from Europe. Keep the faith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest Saints Fan Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Give Brechin credit for going the full 90 mins. A very fit side - you'd expect them to lose their legs in the last quarter but they finished as strong if not stronger than Saints who had a few guys blowing out of their arses. WTF? Did you see McAllister? He was blowing out his arse with 20 minutes to go. Our players looked comfortable, bar maybe Sammy and Peaso. We are really sufferring with the pitch, the fact that we actually saw them watering the pitch at half time shown how firy the pitch is, the bobbles that the players are having to put up with make them look stupid at times. Were you at Brechin? Were you at McDiarmid earlier in the season, our pitch is like a bowling green compared to a couple of months ago. Jeezo. True. It's almost impossible to run with the ball on that pitch, so what happens, it just gets lumped up the park. Hope to see a vastly improved playing surface next season. Same to you! That lump up the park as you refer it worked several times in breaking down Brechins defence. It even resulted in a lot of "pingball" football in the box. One foot in the right place at the right time could have resulted in at least 2 more goals. Feck me Saints fans are hard to please. We won, we scored, we're in our 5th National Semi Final since 2007. We shouldn't even be in this position in the first place! I enjoyed the game, from the first 5 minutes you knew Saints were going to win. We controlled possession so easily, if we lost the ball we found it just as easy to win it back. The defence had that wee prick McAllister in their back pocket all night. The difference in divisions definitely showed last night. Seems to me most on here think you can't win comfortably with a 1-0 win but last night definitely showed you can. Not once did I feel Brechin were going to score compared to the first game. Some of our passing play was lovely tonight, the one-twos between Sammy and Peaso were a joy. Okay they missed a lot of chances but that isn't concerning me right now because we are going to Hampden!!! As for the negative tactics, well they were spot on. You are winning, you don't want the opposition to score. If the players weren't instructed to take the ball to the corner flag and waste time I'd be raging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest Saints Fan Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Oh and one more thing. Saints fans really don't even deserve that team! From 5 minutes in the fans were moaning and getting on the players back. Craig clears his lines in the box, ball goes out for a throw in, queue loads of fans moaning. Whit? Sorry Craig don't you clear your lines and let the ball run through to the Brechin player, that'a boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUZZ Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 The only positive from that performance was the fact the team won. St.Johnstone quite simply lack any exciting or positively creative players and it's awful on the eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_Beatson Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Agree with you mostly HSF. Thought we never really looked like conceding aside from one or two half decent chances for Brechin in the first half. But on the flip side, Saints could and probably should have scored four or five. Interested to see the handball penalty shout in the first half - defender appeared to have his hands above his head but don't know if it hit him there or not. Nelson made a couple of good saves and the ball had to be hacked clear off the line as well. If we'd stuck away a couple more of our chances we'd be on here discussing our "excellent, professional" performance. The trouble is we are still creating chances but completely failing to finish them. We're not ruthless enough and some times our attacking play lacks a bit of directness. I'm not really sure what the problem is, as I feel Macdonald and Samuel are both capable of scoring plenty, while guys like Craig and Davidson were chipping in with a few each last season. We're in the semi - that's the main thing - and it was as comfortable a 1-0 win as I've ever witnessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_Beatson Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 PS - my favourite moan of the match was when Millar made a run to the half way line late in the game when Saints were awarded a free kick and Brechin had most of their players in the box. Everyone screaming at Enckelman to launch it at him, while Encks stood ball in hand waiting. It then emerges Enckelman couldn't have taken the free kick as the ref was booking McAllister - and people are still complaining at him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st paddy Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 I care and will be going, I hope for a confidence building, free scoring goalfest, but will be happy with a scrappy 1-0 win. Happy, then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest Saints Fan Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 PS - my favourite moan of the match was when Millar made a run to the half way line late in the game when Saints were awarded a free kick and Brechin had most of their players in the box. Everyone screaming at Enckelman to launch it at him, while Encks stood ball in hand waiting. It then emerges Enckelman couldn't have taken the free kick as the ref was booking McAllister - and people are still complaining at him! Yes I enjoyed that one too. I'm not sure why it even surprises me any more that our fans are that moany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radford 72 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Not sure if it's been mentioned but have to feel for Peaso. His booking in the last round was when he appeared to be quite clearly chopped down by Alan Archibald in the dying minutes and last night, the Brechin defenders committed foul after foul and then he's booked for his first one. So it'll either be 4-5-1 or May/Jackson/Reynolds starting at Hampden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstar101 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Oh and one more thing. Saints fans really don't even deserve that team! From 5 minutes in the fans were moaning and getting on the players back. Craig clears his lines in the box, ball goes out for a throw in, queue loads of fans moaning. Whit? Sorry Craig don't you clear your lines and let the ball run through to the Brechin player, that'a boy! I am getting sick and tired of those who complain about other fans complaining People pay their money and are entitled to do whatever they want - you bunch of self righteous (often deluded) fools do my head in. As for Craig, if I remember the incident I think you are talking about - he had enough time to walk out with the ball doing keepie-ups. His 'clearing his lines' looked like the last 2 minutes in a game when 1 up against the OF. Some of the frustrations that showed at that incident are due to the fact that Liam's game seems to have deteriorated to just hooking the ball over his shoulder or 'clearing his lines' these days. Yes, job done last night, and we are through, but please, let's not kid ourselves that the performance (2nd half in particular) was not insipid. Decent crowd generated through a good initiative by the club, and yet again we failed to provide any form of entertainment that will encourgae any new faces along - that is what made me so frustrated last night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markinch Saint Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Happy, then? Delighted, enjoyed the game and I think HSF has mostly got it right in her analysis. I was never that concerned over the result and saints created chances whilst still playing within themselves, just couldn't put the ball in the net. Saints as a team WILL however need to be more clinical if they want to get to the final as I'm sure whoever the opposition is, it will be a much tougher game. Thought there should have been subs made earlier but can understand Del not wanting to change it unless absolutely necessary. Comfortable win even if at only 1-0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest Saints Fan Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 I am getting sick and tired of those who complain about other fans complaining People pay their money and are entitled to do whatever they want - you bunch of self righteous (often deluded) fools do my head in. As for Craig, if I remember the incident I think you are talking about - he had enough time to walk out with the ball doing keepie-ups. His 'clearing his lines' looked like the last 2 minutes in a game when 1 up against the OF. Some of the frustrations that showed at that incident are due to the fact that Liam's game seems to have deteriorated to just hooking the ball over his shoulder or 'clearing his lines' these days. Yes, job done last night, and we are through, but please, let's not kid ourselves that the performance (2nd half in particular) was not insipid. Decent crowd generated through a good initiative by the club, and yet again we failed to provide any form of entertainment that will encourgae any new faces along - that is what made me so frustrated last night I'd rather he cleared his lines then tried to walk the ball out the box and end up losing it. Who cares if he had all the time in the world, players are always taught, if in doubt kick it out! Craig's game hasn't been as good as what it has been in the past but for me in the last few games there has been massive improvement and he is getting back to his best. You are to hard to please, away and support Man Utd, Rangers, Celtic or Barca if you want attractive, free scoring, tippy-tappy football. We're in the SPL, we are going to be there for a third season in a row, we are in the Scottish Cup Semi Final and our fans still aren't happy! What more do they want ffs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_Beatson Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Not sure if it's been mentioned but have to feel for Peaso. His booking in the last round was when he appeared to be quite clearly chopped down by Alan Archibald in the dying minutes and last night, the Brechin defenders committed foul after foul and then he's booked for his first one. So it'll either be 4-5-1 or May/Jackson/Reynolds starting at Hampden. That was an utter nonsense. Two terrible yellow cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstar101 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 You are to hard to please, away and support Man Utd, Rangers, Celtic or Barca if you want attractive, free scoring, tippy-tappy football. You have been a Saints fan for a full 5 minutes and you have the nerve to come out with a statement like that. I have often gave you the benefit of the doubt with some of your rather delusional comments, but am now convinced that you are nothing but a stoopid wee lassie who bases her opinions around a 'my little pony' ideal world and knows everything about Saints from what she reads in the papers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markinch Saint Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 You have been a Saints fan for a full 5 minutes and you have the nerve to come out with a statement like that. I have often gave you the benefit of the doubt with some of your rather delusional comments, but am now convinced that you are nothing but a stoopid wee lassie who bases her opinions around a 'my little pony' ideal world and knows everything about Saints from what she reads in the papers The "stoopid wee lassie" isn't the one resorting to name calling though.:oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest Saints Fan Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 You have been a Saints fan for a full 5 minutes and you have the nerve to come out with a statement like that. I have often gave you the benefit of the doubt with some of your rather delusional comments, but am now convinced that you are nothing but a stoopid wee lassie who bases her opinions around a 'my little pony' ideal world and knows everything about Saints from what she reads in the papers Cool. Will read again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Down with the moaners! When Ando stumbled to let the guy through it was a bobble. Cue the moaners. 'Ando you're crap.' The pitch can make our players look bad at times. The moaners always look bad. Down with the moaners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erchie Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Get it up the moaners they ll no like it up thum ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 May I suggest that if you cant get excited about getting to the semi-final of the Scottish Cup then maybe St Johnstone isnt the team for you? Great intensity from Saints in the first half and for periods in the second. We put them under pressure high up the field and rarely did they get the chance to build any possession (reflected in the 73/27 at 60 minutes). Exactly what was needed against lower league opposition. Better finishing would've seen us breath a little easier towards then end but with all the doom and gloom forgive me from being that weird bloke who still had a smile on his face at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.