{"id":45370,"title":"D\u00e9j\u00e0 Boo","description":"Misery Hunters' Andrew Christie analyses St Mirren's 2-0 defeat at Rugby Park to Kilmarnock. It wasn't very good Plus, looking ahead to crucial matches against Celtic and Dundee United in the coming weeks.","content":"

\"o5zhta5dhzm6u2wj5pbbpfgk3z2esxysnudpoaxtnbfdfpcf.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Describing Kilmarnock\u2019s Rugby Park as a hard place to go for St Mirren is something of an understatement. It\u2019s the Bermuda Triangle swallowing footballing hope. It's the island from Lost, but instead of smoke, the monster is made out of footballing attrition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As much as it frustrates to admit, there aren\u2019t many examples in Scottish football of one party having another\u2019s number as much as Kilmarnock\/Derek McInnes have ours.<\/span><\/p>

While Killie\u2019s 2-0 win may not have been the tactical doing so often dished out to St Mirren by their East Ayrshire rivals, it was a clinic in sitting back and letting us shoot ourselves in the foot. A game defined by individual defensive errors and an abject lack of creativity going forward.<\/span><\/p>

The festive period's congested fixture schedule inevitably takes its toll on any team's pressing intensity and ability to make dynamic runs. For St Mirren - whose tactical identity is fundamentally built on high-energy performance - this is an issue.<\/span><\/p>

Manager Stephen Robinson requires his players to be sharp, bold and decisive both in body and mind, demanding constant movement and aggressive pressing. Thursday saw none of this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Perhaps taking heavy legs into consideration, Robinson elected to start Marcus Fraser at right wing back, and brought in Jonah Ayunga up top, with Elvis Bwomono and Greg Kiltie starting as subs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The absence of Kiltie, who typically orchestrates St Mirren's pressing rhythm and intensity, was particularly felt, while Fraser's more defensive instincts as a natural centre-back meant he couldn't provide the same attacking width that Bwomono offers in the wing-back role.<\/span><\/p>

Our approach typically thrives on immediate forward transitions after winning possession. But with energy levels visibly depleted and with a lack of quality in the build-up, longer passes have to then go in behind, St Mirren struggled to maintain their usual off the ball intensity. The hosts, anticipating this long ball approach, simply dropped deeper, with various products of McInnes\u2019 Bad Vibes and Headers Factory able to mop up anything that came their way with consummate ease.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

St Mirren's positioning was consistently compromised \u2013 midfielders were caught between dropping deep to receive the ball and trying to support counter-attacks, ultimately accomplishing neither effectively. This tactical disconnect left Saints struggling for numbers both in defence and attack, making it difficult to establish any real form of control over the game.<\/span><\/p>

Not that Killie were much better, with both goals coming as a result of Bruce Anderson penalties (8 and 65 minutes), which I now have to talk about. Class! So here goes:<\/span><\/p>

\"36zocz9qgzx6hinsjkkefzoxmgapkapky9hbcxucj2ueqxgo.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Penalty one: got a big \u2018<\/span>HMM<\/span><\/em>\u2019 at the time but probably the right call. Scottish band Idlewild were famously described by NME in their early days as \u2018<\/span>a flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs.<\/span><\/em>\u2019. Watching Alexander Gogic defend in KA1, I am reminded of these words for some reason. Anderson pips the ball from the Cypriot\u2019s toes as he fails to clear his lines and then does well to initiate contact in the box. It\u2019s a penalty that\u2019s unfortunately always going to be given. Saints keeper Ellery Balcombe was very unlucky having saved the penalty to then concede on the rebound.<\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s also worth noting while i\u2019m still feeling bitter that Toyosi Olusanya could have had a penalty for a very similar challenge not long after. Unlike many other decisions on the day he needs to learn how to sell it slightly better though. He is not good at that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Penalty two: Gogic on Kyle Magennis. An incredibly soft penalty, but the type of call Colin \u2018<\/span>I have so broke my VL they live up my gran\u2019s bit\u2019<\/span><\/em> Steven most certainly do be making. And plus, you sort of have to say, Magennis using half of his allotted 30 upright steps this calendar year to get it up his old employers deserves praise, albeit begrudgingly.<\/span><\/p>

\"d1svyt9zisbwpdikm7nlis6vghnfqxgedcoyatanxtcbv8uq.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"When Bwomono and Kiltie did finally enter the fray (on 66 and 74 minutes respectively), there were green shoots of improvement, but nowhere near enough. With 58% possession and one solitary shot on goal, the second half in particular saw wave after wave of ponderous attacking play fizzling out in front of a canny Kilmarnock backline.<\/p>

As the final whistle rang, the visiting fans were left bemoaning a 34th unsuccessful attempt at bettering Derek McInnes, with thoughts now turning to a block of tough fixtures.<\/p>

While Sunday\u2019s trip to Parkhead represents the toughest fixture in Scottish football, Celtic's vulnerabilities were laid bare in Thursday's lethargic 3-0 defeat to (imho quite an ordinary) Rangers side. While there is never a good time to face the champions on their patch, Saints should approach this weekend's fixture with zero fear. Respect but not reverence.<\/p>

The January 11th clash with Dundee United in Paisley now looms as a defining moment in the campaign.<\/p>

\"rzfur6taxv4apjqzzjpeezjitr05f0oqp0ljpzpeoj5bk1te.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Despite recent struggles, the fundamentals that have driven St Mirren's success remain intact. With a week between the Celtic and United fixtures to recover energy levels and reestablish our rhythm.<\/p>

Dundee United currently sit third in the league and are establishing themselves as serious contenders for European football. With the cursed crumb of Rugby Park mercifully off the calendar for now, Jim Goodwin\u2019s return to the SMISA represents an opportunity for St Mirren to reassert themselves as a force in the top half of the Premiership and reignite the momentum that has made this season so promising just a few games ago.\u00a0<\/p>


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Author\u2019s bio<\/p>

Andrew Christie is a football writer with a gorgeous brain and huge thinking. You can find him on twitter<\/u><\/a>, bluesky<\/u><\/a> or here<\/a>. <\/p>","urlTitle":"deja-boo","url":"\/blog\/deja-boo\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/deja-boo\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/miseryhunters.co.uk\/blog\/deja-boo\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1735948559,"updatedAt":1738880911,"publishedAt":1738880911,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":106606,"name":"Misery Hunters"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ybbrt82i2bewjdkhjhepmjh7h9fxlximqf2agnljrfxwus3a.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ybbrt82i2bewjdkhjhepmjh7h9fxlximqf2agnljrfxwus3a.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ybbrt82i2bewjdkhjhepmjh7h9fxlximqf2agnljrfxwus3a.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":30519,"title":"The 2023\/24 Premiership Shirts, Ranked","url":"\/blog\/the-2023-24-premiership-shirts-ranked\/","urlTitle":"the-2023-24-premiership-shirts-ranked","division":106606,"description":"The 2023\/24 Premiership Shirts, Ranked","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/9xihi9nsw6d0ms1uln6pxg7ztr3fssnauja6cppkmpo26xgy.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855&z=1.4&fx=0.61488547472105&fy=0.53920699771788","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/9xihi9nsw6d0ms1uln6pxg7ztr3fssnauja6cppkmpo26xgy.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440&z=1.4&fx=0.61488547472105&fy=0.53920699771788"},"hidden":0},{"id":36954,"title":"The Back Five #6","url":"\/blog\/the-back-five-6\/","urlTitle":"the-back-five-6","division":106606,"description":"Join Misery Hunters main man Andrew Christie on a whirlwind tour of the past seven days in the world of St Mirren Football Club.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/nvtgmzescoao8tfuf7hnrsvriasm56x5h22kxctdvk7bhbsa.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/nvtgmzescoao8tfuf7hnrsvriasm56x5h22kxctdvk7bhbsa.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":36095,"title":"The Back Five #2","url":"\/blog\/the-back-five-2\/","urlTitle":"the-back-five-2","division":106606,"description":"Welcome to the second edition of The Back Five; where Misery Hunters writer Andrew Christie casts his eye over the past seven days of St Mirren Football Club.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wghhvrlrpybb7nwtiuwbnijbqbmucekqo1jd4dqqouopwnlr.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wghhvrlrpybb7nwtiuwbnijbqbmucekqo1jd4dqqouopwnlr.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}