{"id":36095,"title":"The Back Five #2","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.","content":"

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Welcome to the second edition of The Back Five; our weekly opportunity to give our own Andrew Christie unimpeded access to his St Mirren soapbox. In a week that\u2019s seen transfers, tifos<\/u><\/a> and TIME-WASTING<\/u><\/a>, here\u2019s what\u2019s caught his eye\u2026<\/p>

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Hampden Heroes<\/h3>

11 years ago last weekend we had a great day<\/u><\/a> at Hampden. Still all Esme, aren\u2019t we?<\/p>

Happy wedding anniversary to Mr and Mrs McPhee.<\/p>

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Bruised But Unbroken<\/h3>

Games against the Old Firm are rarely fun. Time that could be better spent painting \u201cOUR SEASON WON\u2019T BE DEFINED BY GAMES LIKE THESE\u201d onto a brick wall and running at it headfirst.<\/p>

But the truth is that Saturday\u2019s 1-0 home loss to Rangers was up there with the best performances of our season.<\/p>

One momentary lapse<\/u><\/a> aside, St Mirren were the better team by far on the day.<\/p>

Saints pressed exceptionally well, and were level-headed yet bold when on the ball. This was exemplified by man of the match Alex Gogi\u0107, leading by example at the heart of the Saints defence. The Cypriot international was tenacious, fearless and a constant thorn in the side of a Rangers team seldom seen so uncomfortable domestically.<\/p>

With big chances from Kwon, Jamieson, Gogic and Bolton going begging, on another day we may have got the points most would agree we deserved.<\/p>

While \u201cyous gave us a game<\/em>\u201d tweets will never pay the bills, Saturday saw us win a lot of admirers, with many neutral viewers sitting up and taking note of the team every Saints follower knows we can be.<\/p>

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Centurian<\/h3>

Saturday\u2019s tie against Rangers marked midfielder Greg Kiltie\u2019s 100th appearance for St Mirren. A remarkable feat from a player that occupies an odd Venn diagram of being both one of our most important players, yet still feeling slightly underappreciated.<\/p>

The former Killie man came to Paisley nominally as an attacking midfield but found game time hard to come by due to the performances of Jamie McGrath, as well as a general phasing out of the number 10 role in modern football.<\/p>

Since then Kiltie has been required to play in a number of positions, dropping into a deeper midfield role in Stephen Robinson\u2019s 352 formation to great effect in the 22\/23 campaign. This season we have seen Kiltie deployed on the left of a front three, leading the press and setting the tone with his endeavour, work rate and intelligence.<\/p>

Few players have been so consistently asked to reinvent themselves at St Mirren as Greg Kiltie. It speaks to the character of the player that not only does he do so without complaint, with each new iteration of his game, he makes himself that bit more indispensable to the team.<\/p>

Welcome to the 100 Club, Kilts!<\/p>

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Up The Road<\/h3>

31st January 2020. 19-year-old James Scott makes the deadline day trip from Motherwell to Hull. The \u00a31.5 million price tag testament to the coaching of then Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson and youth coach Diarmuid O\u2019Carroll.<\/p>

Scott had lit up Lanarkshire alongside a generational crop of \u2018Well academy graduates that included the likes of David Turnbull, Allan Campbell, Jake Hastie and Chris Cadden. The winger\u2019s seven goals in the first half of the 19\/20 season would set the tone for the club\u2019s momentous third-place league finish.<\/p>

Fast forward four years and the young forward\u2019s career has been one of injuries, hard luck and ineffective loan moves.<\/p>

Reuniting with coaching team Robinson and his now assistant O\u2019Carroll at St Mirren, Scott returns to Scotland not with his tail between his legs, but rather the bit between his teeth - keen to recapture those performances, and that love for football from his Motherwell days.<\/p>

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The Half of It<\/h3>

Following football writer Phil Delves\u2019 tweet<\/u><\/a> extolling the virtues of a half-and-half shirt, I was reminded of St Mirren\u2019s own entry into that particular hallowed hall. Saints\u2019 1994 home effort - a first under English-based manufacturer core - was a controversial break from the tradition of the black and white stripes and has become a cult favourite as a result.<\/p>

It\u2019s not hard to see why. That collar. The geometric embossed design throughout the shirt. A perfectly symmetrical sponsor in material that would immediately rid your mouth of any moisture.<\/p>

Absolutely class. One we should revisit.<\/p>","urlTitle":"the-back-five-2","url":"\/blog\/the-back-five-2\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/the-back-five-2\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/miseryhunters.co.uk\/blog\/the-back-five-2\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1706553093,"updatedAt":1713124281,"publishedAt":1713124280,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":106606,"name":"Misery Hunters"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wghhvrlrpybb7nwtiuwbnijbqbmucekqo1jd4dqqouopwnlr.png","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wghhvrlrpybb7nwtiuwbnijbqbmucekqo1jd4dqqouopwnlr.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wghhvrlrpybb7nwtiuwbnijbqbmucekqo1jd4dqqouopwnlr.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":20420,"title":"Hands Jack Ross The Divide","url":"\/blog\/hands-jack-ross-the-divide\/","urlTitle":"hands-jack-ross-the-divide","division":106606,"description":"Like many, I had tipped Dundee Utd pre-season to have a bit of something about them this year. New manager Jack Ross was given considerable financial backing and immediately set about putting together what appeared at the time to be an impressive squad to build - and even improve - on the club\u2019s fourth-place position last season. St Mirren's 3-0 win at Tannadice on Saturday, however, was amongst the most comfortable and emphatic performances we have seen since Stephen Robinson\u2019s arrival","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/r4lfvokghnmpe80gu97ube6gtql2xb900fxo3uuqmuy1v5ma.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/r4lfvokghnmpe80gu97ube6gtql2xb900fxo3uuqmuy1v5ma.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":14326,"title":"Winter is Coming","url":"\/blog\/winter-is-coming\/","urlTitle":"winter-is-coming","division":106606,"description":"There are some phrases in football you just never want to have to say. \"Fair play to Hearts\" and \"Massive game against Ross County\" are two of them. With that being said, let\u2019s talk about the past few days of supporting St Mirren Football Club","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kgv8kyfmli40fjwiedpbioswb107r6tljpggoowjbqdc2w5j.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kgv8kyfmli40fjwiedpbioswb107r6tljpggoowjbqdc2w5j.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":45546,"title":"good win, b.A.A.d footy","url":"\/blog\/goodwin-b-a-a-d-footy\/","urlTitle":"goodwin-b-a-a-d-footy","division":106606,"description":"A tactical deep dive into St Mirren's struggles against similar styles of play in the Scottish Premiership. Misery Hunters' Andrew Christie breaks down what needs to change ahead of Jim Goodwin's return to Paisley with Dundee United, examining how Saints can overcome the tactical stalemates that have defined their season against similar opponents.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/r10s9cxy6hun6eojy7cqt3ds7lijh4a33p4owh7l1olbdhdh.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/r10s9cxy6hun6eojy7cqt3ds7lijh4a33p4owh7l1olbdhdh.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}