{"id":15740,"title":"Tangerine Dream","description":"This week saw the return of Premiership football after a long, dark, cinchless and ultimately joyless Christmas period. The break couldn\u2019t have come at a better time for St Mirren, allowing Jim Goodwin and his team the chance to hit the reset button on a run of form that saw us register 12 league games without a win.","content":"

By Andrew Christie<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

This week saw the return of Premiership football after a long, dark, cinchless and ultimately joyless Christmas period. The break couldn\u2019t have come at a better time for St Mirren, allowing Jim Goodwin and his team the chance to hit the reset button on a run of form that saw us register 12 league games without a win.\"\"
Kicking off the new year was a trip to Tannadice to face off against Thomas Tam Courts\u2019 Dundee Utd \u2013 themselves looking to rectify a faltering end to 2021.<\/p>

The resulting 2-1 Saints win was among the most impressive, satisfying displays we\u2019ve seen from the side in months.<\/p>

So let\u2019s get into the main talking points of the night.<\/p>

Winning Formation?<\/strong><\/p>

While I have, for the most part, been a card-carrying member of the \u201cOur 352 is good, actually\u201d club, there has been a sense in recent weeks that St Mirren have been a bit sussed out tactically.<\/p>

It was important for Jim Goodwin to use the winter break to show the tactical flexibility to switch things up without compromising on his footballing vision; tweaking the existing system to play more effectively to the squad\u2019s (many of whom were brought to Paisley specifically with this system in mind) strengths, rather than making any wholesale changes.<\/p>

Saints lined up on Tuesday with a back four that switched to a back three when in possession. The best illustration of this was the positioning of Scott Tanser and Conor Ronan on Saints\u2019 left wing.\"\"\"\"
From the above heatmaps (Ronan fig.1, Tanser fig. 2) we can see the two occupying similar positions throughout the game. This system plays to both players\u2019 strengths; Tanser\u2019s crossing and Ronan\u2019s creative energy proving a real outlet on the left flank (43% of Saints\u2019 attacking play coming down that channel). From Ronan\u2019s graphic, we can see where he comes deep, allowing him to drive with the ball or break the lines, with Charles Dunne able to provide additional defensive cover from his position on the left of the back three.<\/p>

We can also see this formation working well on the other wing, as illustrated by the below heatmaps of Jay Henderson (fig.1) and Marcus Fraser (fig. 2)\"\"
\"\"
Since his St Mirren debut in April of last year, Henderson has emerged as a real prospect. Using him in a right-wing-back role asks a lot of him defensively, however. The presence of Fraser (playing much deeper than his counterpart on the left-wing Tanser) behind Henderson allows the 19-year-old the freedom to focus his attention on his attacking game; something he did to great effect on Tuesday, giving Scott McMann a torrid time on the left of Utd\u2019s defence.<\/p>

Henderson was rewarded 15 minutes into a game when a neat link-up with Greg Kiltie (the kind of one-two that would make your u12s coach turn to your Dad like that \u201cyass\u201d) on the edge of the box saw the youngster rifle a superb 20-yard strike past Benjamin Siegrist. A much deserved first professional goal from one of the night\u2019s standout players.<\/p>

The Feegie Bash Bros<\/strong><\/p>

As Jim Goodwin\u2019s sides often do, the system we played on Tuesday will live and die in the middle of the park. Key to the performance at Tannadice was the central midfield partnership of Alan Power and Ethan Erhahon; the duo\u2019s combined 4 interceptions, 19 recoveries and 14 duels won kept Saints ticking.<\/p>

In the first half, when St Mirren controlled long stretches of the game, Power and Erhahon dictated play both in and out of possession.<\/p>

Despite going 2-0 up through Eamonn Brophy on 60 minutes, the second half became a bit of an exercise in containing the hosts. With 73 minutes on the clock, Saints were made to pay for some slack defending, as Erhahon and Dunne (potentially hampered by the identity crisis brought on by the perma-rattled<\/a> DUTV commentary team\u2019s baffling inability to tell them apart) found themselves caught in a bit of a mix-up, leading to Alan Power turning a driven Kieran Freeman cross into his own net.<\/p>

The odd lapse in concentration aside, it was an assured performance from the two central midfielders. Should this system be one that is to continue, Power and Erhahon will be vital to its success.<\/p>

Kiltie\u2019s Time to Shine<\/strong><\/p>

Perhaps the most pleasing part of the night was the performance from Greg Kiltie. Much of the recent media surrounding St Mirren has focused on the future of Jamie McGrath. The Irishman (who is out of contract in the summer) has been subject to multiple transfer bids and was left out of the matchday squad on Tuesday night, with Kiltie starting in his place. The former Killie man was rampant; his 2 assists, 17 successful passes (13 in the opposition half) and 13 touches in the final third (3 recoveries) \u2013 not to mention his very-not-offside-offside-goal - resulting in a clear MOTM performance in my view.<\/p>

The 25-year-old\u2019s running off the ball was also excellent, with his constant desire to stifle the Utd backline key to the Saints press.<\/p>

It was this pressing that led to Saints\u2019 second goal, as Charlie Mulgrew found himself unable to clear his lines under pressure from Henderson and Brophy. A neat link-up between Erhahon, Power and Fraser played in Kiltie, who was able to put the ball on a plate for Brophy (in the latest instalment of his Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? style feud with fellow on-the-cusp Scotland striker and new Dundee Utd signing Tony Watt) to turn home from two yards out.\"\"
Overall, this was the most balanced and effective we have seen Saints\u2019 forward line look in a long time. Losing a player of Jamie McGrath\u2019s quality would hurt any team, but in Greg Kiltie we have the ideal successor.<\/p>

Tuesday\u2019s victory was a pleasing return to action for St Mirren. There is just over a week left to go until the January transfer window closes, and we can likely expect some business to be done to fine-tune the squad before that happens (whether this will take the form of departures or signings remains to be seen). What Tuesday night showed, however, was the strength of the current squad, when deployed smartly. There is a feeling of optimism following Tuesday\u2019s game, with a trip to Ayr on Saturday offering the opportunity to mount a Scottish Cup run before attentions turn back to the matter of climbing that Premiership table.<\/p>","urlTitle":"tangerine-dream","url":"\/blog\/tangerine-dream\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/tangerine-dream\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/miseryhunters.co.uk\/blog\/tangerine-dream\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1642761606,"updatedAt":1642762519,"publishedAt":1642762519,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":106606,"name":"Misery Hunters"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/itwy5sfkpqs9vmoij8ofcggbaq2qmjzvhe6wkgdgoibbznyp.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/itwy5sfkpqs9vmoij8ofcggbaq2qmjzvhe6wkgdgoibbznyp.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/itwy5sfkpqs9vmoij8ofcggbaq2qmjzvhe6wkgdgoibbznyp.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":14511,"title":"You\u2019re A Mean One, Mr Cinch","url":"\/blog\/youre-a-mean-one-mr-cinch\/","urlTitle":"youre-a-mean-one-mr-cinch","division":106606,"description":"St Mirren Football Club \u2013 whit we like?In our most recent \u201cnot necessarily must-win but also kind of\u201d game came in the form of a trip to rainy, blustery Pittodrie where Stephen Glass\u2019 Aberdeen looked to put right their own stuttering Premiership campaign. While the eventual 4-1 win for the home side may have looked a more one-sided affair than the game as a whole actually delivered \u2013 it was another frustrating low point in a season that has been far from short of them. In what has become a bit of a recurring piece of commentary in recent times, Saints could have taken the lead but for a lack of clinical finishing in front of goal","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/pla6otz0csg3vx6jmrvzf9hc93xnq6azwoxiieoktilar999.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/pla6otz0csg3vx6jmrvzf9hc93xnq6azwoxiieoktilar999.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":21143,"title":"I'm Loving Ange Ls Instead","url":"\/blog\/im-loving-ange-ls-instead\/","urlTitle":"im-loving-ange-ls-instead","division":106606,"description":"\u201cComfortable, actually\u201d was how Mark O\u2019Hara described St Mirren\u2019s 2-0 win over Celtic in his post-match interview on Sunday. And you have to say, the captain and goalscorer was pretty much spot on in his assessment of his side\u2019s performance.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2rorjkztngdngvomwlcmw8rhoeewpwcceb0sha8wn5mxnzos.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2rorjkztngdngvomwlcmw8rhoeewpwcceb0sha8wn5mxnzos.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":14648,"title":"It\u2019s Beginning to Look a Lot Like F--- This","url":"\/blog\/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-f-this\/","urlTitle":"its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-f-this","division":106606,"description":"The wet and windy SMISA Stadium was the setting for the weekend\u2019s Can\u2019t-Buy-A-Win Derby, as St Mirren faced off against recently managerless Hibs. Following Jack Ross\u2019 midweek departure, interim boss David Gray brought his side to town hoping to claim just their second victory in nine league games. Conversely, Jim Goodwin\u2019s Saints side were looking to arrest a period of poor form that has seen us without a win since October 16th \u2013 also nine games ago","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5paskjywyqwskvxtrjmwjotrcrii7a7rzcy7pkat5enqfekr.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5paskjywyqwskvxtrjmwjotrcrii7a7rzcy7pkat5enqfekr.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}