St Johnstone’s excellent draw at Galatasary, a club which has an annual wage bill equal to ten years’ turnover for them, is another magnificent milestone in the success story at McDiarmid Park.
Hot on the heels of an historic cup double last season, an outstanding performance in Turkey sets up the potential for an extended run in Europe.
Having covered the epic nights when Saints won away at FC Rosenborg and FC Minsk, I’ve witnessed first hand the joy that mixing it on the European stage brings to fans who are “living the dream” in this period of unparalleled success.
WATCH: Jason Kerr's penalty puts St Johnstone 1-0 up 👇 pic.twitter.com/riD4Si0QWE
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) August 5, 2021
These are historic times for those Saints supporters who can remember the dark days in the eighties before Geoff Brown rode to the rescue of an ailing club which faced extinction.
In football, for most clubs the good times are usually fleeting so it’s best to enjoy them fully while they’re there to be savoured.
Saints fans should drink this purple period in and store the memories away for their grandchildren.
Tam Courts is already under pressure and I suspect will have limited time to win over sceptical Dundee United fans, let alone the angry ones.
Many Arabs didn’t want him as manager, claiming that he lacked the experience and stature for the job.
It’s hard to persuade those who’ve already made up their minds; only results on the park help and even then a lingering residue of doubt waits to burst forth the minute things turn bad again.
I suspect that any experienced manager saying, as Courts did, that his team had edged things against Aberdeen in the Dons’ 2-0 win would’ve been cut some slack by his team’s supporters, but Courts is whistling in the wind with some fans who already want him out.
United could potentially be bobbing adrift in the Premiership very quickly with a tough fixture list of Rangers, St Johnstone and Hearts all to be faced in short order, plus the first top flight city derby in five years.
The coming weeks will be a test of resolve for the manager, the sporting director, and the Ogrens, who own United and who have invested very heavily.
They’ve set out their vision for how they see the club progressing – now they need to be bold enough and strong enough to stand up to the doubters and the shouters.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder in football as well as in life.
At Dens Park last Saturday the crowd noise was thunderous and very rousing as a glimpse of normality peered through the last 18 months of supporter-free gloom.
The return of a decent sized crowd for a meaningful fixture certainly inspired a Dundee side which showed character and strength to take a point against a very capable St Mirren team.
Dundee showed grit but there was also a fair amount of flair on display with Charlie Adam, Paul McMullan and Jason Cummings all bringing a special set of silky skills to the party.
Crucially too for a club with a long tradition of top performers between the sticks, Adam Legzdins looked confident in his handling and shot-stopping and exuded the kind of confidence which allows defenders to breathe more easily.
It is early days for the Dark Blues but a sense of confidence and camaraderie seems evident.
That’ll be needed not just for a testing afternoon at Celtic Park on Sunday, albeit against an unusual looking Hoops line up, but for a season where the club must establish their Premiership credentials and ensure they build for an extended top league future.
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PODCAST: Fantasy land for St Johnstone and febrile times for Dundee United
