{"id":36294,"title":"The Back Five #3","description":"Welcome to The Back Five, where Misery Hunters writer Andrew Christie takes you thorough the past seven days in the life of the country's most box-office football club: St Mirren FC.","content":"

\"68shohl7jfbskvdsfyje3q6vv8dgadoqrfub7274nkh1tu0m.png.png?w=1140&v=2\"It\u2019s late, you\u2019re driving home after a long day when your windshield is filled with the hazy glow of an approaching drive-through. Lazy, greedy thoughts turn towards the greasiest, most decadent takeaway<\/u><\/a> you can think of. Life just isn\u2019t as fun as that though, as you concede \u201cwe have food at home<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>

It\u2019s easy to forget though, that the food you have at home is absolutely class, and is more than capable of being a part of the most nutritious and satisfying<\/u><\/a> meal you\u2019ve had in years.<\/p>

Here\u2019s that, and some other stuff that\u2019s caught the eye of St Mirren\u2019s second most prominent bald IDEMO shouter: Misery Hunter\u2019s Andrew Christie.<\/p>

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\"738bghyhyvsx3wmkmbeyrmqmcfbq6gep1a6k1rnt7j1zw3mt.png.png?w=1140&v=2\"Red Led Redemption<\/h3>

Celtic away 1998\/99. Tear-stained grey of England at Euro 96. That retro Rangers kit they wore once as we put them out of the League Cup (lol). Football history is littered with cursed kits. Bad vibes stitched into their very memory.<\/p>

This season\u2019s St Mirren third kit was threatening to become just that; its only outing so far being a season-low loss to St Johnstone in Perth. For a while, the fear was that the kit would be tabled. Ousted to the annals of the rejected.<\/p>

Saturday\u2019s 3-0 demolition of Hibs was the win that this belter of a kit deserved. Brilliant red dancing like Chinese lanterns across the Leith night sky.<\/p>

It\u2019s so back.<\/p>

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\"9rr6lxxlr7ztuar75cafgjverjhfajctkms3wuquaps2vk50.png.png?w=1140&v=2\"Home is Where<\/h3>

More than any other sport, football is representational. A club\u2019s stadium represents a community. The old Love Street - home to St Mirren for 115 years - meant so much to so many, and a mid-season move to Greenhill Road (15 years ago this week<\/u><\/a>) was always going to be challenging.<\/p>

Dwindling crowds, spells in the Championship and the powerful weight of nostalgia contributed to an all-round crisis of identity in the early days of our new digs.<\/p>

Football stadiums grow and mutate to match the identity of their inhabitants, however. And some tireless work from the club, the charitable foundation and various fan groups has grown the feeling around the place year on year.<\/p>

Attendances are at an all-time high. The link between club and community is as strong as it has ever been and, after fifteen years, St Mirren Park truly feels like home.<\/p>

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\"iubgvqwth36ojheqs5y7pskldfktascmmpf86vg2qwvxla1k.png.png?w=1140&v=2\"Bacc Up the Road<\/h3>

Last weekend saw a repeat of the 2015 Asian Cup final, as Australia met South Korea - this time at the Quarter Final stage.<\/p>

Unfortunately, Graham Arnold\u2019s Aussies narrowly lost out 2-1 (AET) to a South Korean team including the likes of Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and Spurs\u2019 Son Heung-min in its ranks.<\/p>

The Socceroos loss is our gain, however, as we await the return of Aussie midfielder Keanu Baccus to Paisley.<\/p>

Fresh from going toe-to-toe with the continent\u2019s best, the former Western Sydney Wanderer can return to Paisley with his head held high.<\/p>

With the returning Baccus joining Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Caolan Boyd-Munce, and Mark O\u2019Hara, we have an embarrassment of riches in midfield. A great headache for manager Stephen Robinson to have.<\/p>

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\"11odahcrkdenoqgsdbf5vdoidx5fxgsaama6q5kfle17vucc.png.png?w=1140&v=2\"A Half-Time Boo for the Ages<\/h3>

44 minutes gone. Your new look, back-on-track and bound-for-Europe, rock \u2018n\u2019 rolling football team is down 3-0 to a side you thought no more than a formality. This wasn\u2019t how it was supposed<\/u><\/a> to go down.<\/p>

Your breath - visible in the February chill - fizzing with the kinetic energy of the seethe about to be unleashed. The referee\u2019s whistle a starter pistol for an exhibition of pure bile. Half time. All together now. Fucking\u2026 BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO<\/p>

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\"negxltlfxewoipjqbdcamsef8wgv9xufvlheqw4ldw3hrv7x.png.png?w=1140&v=2\"K-Bop<\/h3>

We end on some absolutely smashing <\/span>Noraebang<\/u><\/span><\/em><\/a> from Kwon here.<\/span><\/p>

Look at the guy.<\/span><\/p>

Already love him, don\u2019t we?<\/span>
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