{"id":14326,"title":"Winter is Coming","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","content":"

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

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.<\/p>

With that being said, let\u2019s talk about the past few days of supporting St Mirren Football Club.\"\"
Saturday\u2019s trip to Tynecastle ended with a 2-0 defeat for Jim Goodwin\u2019s men \u2013 extending the side\u2019s winless streak to six Premiership games.<\/p>

St Mirren started brightly, controlling the majority of the first half. With Robbie Neilson\u2019s side consistently looking to build from the back, we pressed them well \u2013 forcing Hearts into the long ball, with Saints\u2019 backline of Marcus Fraser, Charles Dunne (deputising for the injured Conor McCarthy) and Joe Shaughnessy more than happy to mop up what came their way (an impressive 6 interceptions and 15 recoveries were shared between the three).<\/p>

St Mirren impressed in possession, moving the ball around well as we looked to dictate the tempo of the game. But for slightly better finishing (and slightly less Craig Gordon) we might have gone into the break ahead.<\/p>

Saints actually had the ball in the back of the Hearts\u2019 net on the stroke of half time when a lovely Alan Power floated pass allowed Richard Tait to slot the ball past Gordon. Tait was adjudged to be offside, however, (hard to say without a conclusive angle, but then the bitter part of me remembers my Hearts pal\u2019s stupid little face in the pub post-game and I\u2019m back to erring towards Well Onside, Mate) and the teams went into the break deadlocked.\"\"Broadly, the second half continued in a similar vein to the first, with both sides trading passages of play in what was an impressive game of football for the neutral.<\/p>

This dissipated on 61 minutes when a slack Jamie McGrath pass led to a Hearts break \u2013 Gary Mackay-Steven eventually turning in a deflected Barrie McKay cross to put the hosts ahead.<\/p>

This goal took the air out of the game from a Saints perspective and the outcome was sealed 15 minutes later when clumsy Charles Dunne foul allowed Stephen Kingsley to fire a world-class free kick into the top corner of Jak Alnwick\u2019s goal.<\/p>

The misery was further compounded in stoppage time when Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin (less a footballer, more a psyop by 40-year-old men who own stakes in tweeting the cry laugh emoji) was brought down by Joe Shaughnessy on the edge of the box, resulting in the Saints captain receiving his marching orders for his second yellow of the game.<\/p>

While the scoreline perhaps flattered the hosts in the end \u2013 we once again find ourselves rueing an inability to convert performance into result.<\/p>

The good thing about this time of year is that the opportunities to make amends come thick and fast, the next one coming in the form of twelfth placed Ross County.\"\"Despite sitting at the foot of the table, Malky MacKay\u2019s side made the trip to Paisley midst of an impressive run of form, winning two and drawing one in their last five games since St Mirren\u2019s 3-2 win over the Staggies in Dingwall in October.<\/p>

Jim Goodwin made two changes to the side that lost to Hearts: Kyle McAllister and Kristian Dennis coming in for Ryan Flynn and the suspended Joe Shaughnessy. With Dennis partnering Eamonn Brophy up front, Saints looked to take advantage of the league\u2019s most porous defence (County have shipped 27 in 14 in the league).<\/p>

The game was a lamentably familiar site, as we played out our fourth 0-0 draw of the season in the freezing Paisley conditions.<\/p>

St Mirren did enjoy the majority of possession and chances in the first half, without ever looking overly likely to break the deadlock.<\/p>

The second period saw a veritable St Mirren onslaught, with the home side somehow failing to convert from a frankly ludicrous 27 shots over the course of the 90 minutes (a teeth-grindingly frustrating xG of 2.19). Of these 27 shots, 67% came from inside the 18-yard-box - Ultimately, we were let down by a lack of confidence and composure in front of goal, with manager Goodwin left once again bemoaning a lack of cutting-edge post-match.<\/p>

The result leaves us in eighth place in the league, having scored only 1 goal in our last 5 games. This is something Goodwin and his squad must look to arrest immediately \u2013 starting with our trip to Pittodrie on Saturday.\"\"\"\"
Stephen Glass\u2019 men have had something of a mixed bag of a season so far, currently sitting a single point ahead of us in seventh place in the league, following a 2-0 win over Livingston last night.<\/p>

With a midfield containing Scott Brown, Funso Ojo and Lewis Ferguson, the ball will likely spend a lot of time in the lower-middle third, making Aberdeen potentially vulnerable. Eamonn Brophy\u2019s movement in leading the press will be key. Frequently against Hearts, we saw the striker press the defence from a wide position, showing the ball infield and forcing the defender to either play into a dangerous central position (where the endeavour of Jamie McGrath and Connor Ronan is a constant threat), or go long. Put up against a system such as Aberdeen\u2019s, this could be an effective tool in stretching the host's lines - and with the way St Mirren\u2019s defence has performed in the past week, you\u2019d back them to limit the chances afforded to the Aberdeen front three.<\/p>

We have also seen this season of the Aberdeen wing backs\u2019 desire to advance, which often creates pockets of space in behind (45% of goals conceded this season have come from crosses). This is an important avenue that Saints should look to exploit on Saturday.<\/p>

Looking at the two performances from the past week, it really does feel like Scoring Actual Goals is the final piece of the puzzle that is St Mirren Football Club 2021\/22. With games against Aberdeen, Hibs, Celtic and Rangers awaiting us in the next four weeks, December could be the most important month of Jim Goodwin\u2019s tenure in Paisley.<\/p>","urlTitle":"winter-is-coming","url":"\/blog\/winter-is-coming\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/winter-is-coming\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/miseryhunters.co.uk\/blog\/winter-is-coming\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1638436270,"updatedAt":1638437034,"publishedAt":1638437034,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":106606,"name":"Misery Hunters"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kgv8kyfmli40fjwiedpbioswb107r6tljpggoowjbqdc2w5j.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kgv8kyfmli40fjwiedpbioswb107r6tljpggoowjbqdc2w5j.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kgv8kyfmli40fjwiedpbioswb107r6tljpggoowjbqdc2w5j.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":37338,"title":"The Back Five #8","url":"\/blog\/the-back-five-8\/","urlTitle":"the-back-five-8","division":106606,"description":"Misery Hunter's writer Andrew Christie casts a sideways look over the past seven days of St Mirren FC.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/trbqlmczribfrmz80djvzcyeopdmmr4tzvcvvto2b7brvt3x.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/trbqlmczribfrmz80djvzcyeopdmmr4tzvcvvto2b7brvt3x.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":45710,"title":"Up for the Cup","url":"\/blog\/up-for-the-cup\/","urlTitle":"up-for-the-cup","division":106606,"description":"Experience St Mirren's Scottish Cup journey through the eyes of passionate supporters, from the historic 1987 triumph to modern-day memories. Featuring exclusive fan stories spanning multiple generations. Discover tales of away-day adventures, legendary goals, and unforgettable moments that define what the Scottish Cup means to St Mirren FC fans. Whether you're a die-hard Saints supporter or a Scottish football enthusiast, these personal accounts capture the magic, drama, and community spirit of Scotland's premier cup competition","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/jhxvt1ehpyn9cgg7jchjz2zymyek3z5jmy3dfm3subty2utl.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/jhxvt1ehpyn9cgg7jchjz2zymyek3z5jmy3dfm3subty2utl.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":37788,"title":"The Back Five #10","url":"\/blog\/the-back-five-10\/","urlTitle":"the-back-five-10","division":106606,"description":"An irreverent, sideways look at the past week in the world of St Mirren FC, with Misery Hunters writer Andrew Christie","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/q0ssixaohwilzdsjczlqogciycu1jpi0pk8vu06ndhn1dzrt.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/q0ssixaohwilzdsjczlqogciycu1jpi0pk8vu06ndhn1dzrt.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}