That, last night, was the result that had been waiting for us.
I thought we would avoid it, with the resilience this team was showing, but the fact is that months of mounting injuries finally took their toll last night. The media is spinning this as some kind of moral victory for St Mirren; in fact, we had more first team players missing than they did and no-one in the media cares.
Don’t get me wrong, we had enough on the pitch last night that we should have taken care of them, but it’s a fact that we were missing a recognised striker, that our two best wide players are out and that our most creative midfielder was missing.
This is a team on the bones of its arse, and the makeshift solutions aren’t getting the job done.
Mikey Johnson is the case in point; he looks miles off what a Celtic player should be.
I love watching this guy when he’s part of a team playing well, but he lacks the mentality to be a match-winner.
You know what I mean. He can breeze around the pitch when the weight of responsibility isn’t on his shoulders but he will never step up on a night when it’s all on the line.
He’s a luxury player, and we need guys who can grind it out.
The St Johnstone game is now a major worry.
Had we won last night I would be less queasy about the bottom club in the table, but we can’t take anything for granted now.
I’ll be relieved with a single goal win to take us into the three week break.
And that break is coming at the right time.
None of us wanted this – and let’s be clear on that – but for once the global situation might have done us a big favour. This team needs some time to recharge the batteries. Players need an opportunity to get fit.
New signings need to be brought in, giving us new options. That opportunity is there now.
By God, we need to seize it. We need to beat St Johnstone with whatever warm bodies are available to us. We need to get past that final game and into that break no further behind. Do that, and we have time and space to breath. A lot can happen in those three weeks.
I expect a lot to happen. On both sides of the city.
There are new considerations for the club across town, new factors to ponder and worry about.
Believe me when I tell you that they would have swapped the two points from last night for the chance to take to take on a depleted Celtic at Parkhead in front of no fans.
That game behind them, with a seven-point lead, they’d have seen the end in sight, although there’s a long way to go.
Instead the lead is six, and that game still looms.
There is no guarantee that their squad will be intact. Ours will be, and stronger. And there’s stuff on their horizon which makes every decision they make fraught with peril. This isn’t over by a long way.
So although this isn’t an ideal situation, if we get by St Johnstone the extended break, and the way that game is rescheduled might be the best thing to happen to us.
Our injury crisis is sufficiently serious that if there were three games left, including theirs, we’d be in real trouble and there would be major reasons for concern.
Last night looks bad on paper.
But overall, yesterday might just be the day our luck – lousy for the whole of this year – started to turn.
Just in the nick of time.
It is impossible to play football against a team if all they do is kick the ball away and have 11 men behind the ball.
You can guarantee Ciaran that Sevco will find a way past their 11 man defence.
Agree
Victory on Sunday
Every player man up for one last effort
Crucially rest and reenergise every player
Reset hopefully with quality additions
Sevco will also hit a spell of dodgy form but they can always call on the 12th man in an emergency
HH
Mikey Johnston I think is more than a luxury player. On a number of occasions last night he was the only one capable of taking on men and getting past them. He did it on Sunday too. His problem is his final ball and to some extent his fitness. I think Ange sees something worth pursuing. He can be coached to improve his final ball and he has good role models now in Kyogo and Jota. Our problem last night was that young Moffat had no experience of playing against a team that has 11 men behind the ball. And Abada is not a dribbler. There was our front three then and no wonder we scored zero.
We all hope the new additions in Jan are the real make a difference deal because its as clear as day this squad is not good enough to win the league. I’m not apportioning blame on Ange, as he’s been managing an inherited crock, but he’s in charge of the dross and only just sneaking wins was bound to catch up and did. If we can get a win against the other Saints then we’re still in it, just, if not well I don’t want to go there.
Now is Ange’s time, its up to him, the January sales, what comes in and what we must rid ourselves of. We need a clear out so as the 1st team and our squad replacements/subs are of a better standard than last night proved. 3 or 4 players may not be enough. We’re all hurting but God I wish him well. HH
How I wish someone at Celtic had the foresight to keep a hold of Johnny Hayes he is exactly what our team need now.
We dumped simunivic Hayes to save a small amount
. They were far from ideal but we still need a tall centre half and a left back.
Our rivals will put four past them. Six points is massive in this league absolutely massive. Yes we need recruits but some must be tall aerially excellent players we have zero threat or defence from set pieces. We need at least 6 players. 3 players five foot seven or eight will not be sufficient.
This situation was nagging at me, then I remembered that Billy McNeill played a front three of small wingers during a run of important games in 1979-80. (I checked TheCeltic Football Companion for this). After an injury to centre forward George McCluskey, the front three of Provan, Doyle and Lennox were played for 5 matches. Rangers (A) 1-1, Dundee United (H) 1-0, Hibs (A) 1-1, Aberdeen (A) 0-0, P Thistle (A) 1-1. McCluskey returned after that and Frank McGarvey was signed soon after.
I had a feeling of dread when I saw the team last night had the three small wingers. ??
The front 3 were useless for different reasons. Abada is not good enough and neither is Johnston. Abada cannot beat a man and Johnston cannot pass or score. Moffat is young and too small if he is not beating players. He looks like a reserve player. If we play that front 3 on Sunday we are in trouble. The weather did not help. Yes its the same for both sides if both sides are trying to actually play football. Bitton and McGregor were trying to play the same role and that did not hep either. Not looking forward to Sunday