St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson will demand fire and fight in Saturday’s Premiership basement battle at Dens Park.
But he will also call for composure and calm.
And the Perth boss is confident that if his players marry heart with head, they’ll get their post-split run-in off to a weekend flier.
“Sometimes tactics become less important than desire when you are in this position,” said Davidson. “And what I have been pleased with is the desire and attitude of the players.
“There is still loads of hard work to be done though and everyone is aware how much is at stake in the next few weeks.
“We want to make a fast start, be positive and not let their fans get behind them.
🎟 | Dundee Ticket Update
We have sold over 1500 tickets for our crucial away game against Dundee.
Purchase yours now and be a part of our final push 👊#SJFC
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) April 18, 2022
“What I’ll be telling the players is we need to play with calm heads.
“You want your head nice and calm but have fire in your belly at the same time.
“We have to go about our business the right way – fire and fight, but being composed and disciplined as well.
“It’s a huge game for us in terms of hopefully getting to where we want to be.
“I would imagine it will be a pretty feisty contest.”
Training ground buzz
Davidson likes to see the Saints players show they have a sense of the importance of a big match in the build-up.
And he was happy to report, as in cup semi-final and final weeks of the recent past, the signs on the training ground are there.
“We have parked the Celtic game and are now looking forward to five huge games,” said Davidson.
“Everyone who had been carrying knocks is fit and there’s a real buzz about training.
“The lads know where we are. We have been doing this since Christmas and know the pressure involved.
“We were five points behind Dundee at one stage and now we go there for a massive game.
“It’s probably slightly more important for them given where they are but we will both be going into it trying to get the three points.
“Everyone is raring to go this weekend.
“The last time we played Dundee it was nervy for both teams. We were not in a good position back then.
“But we have been happy with the way we have responded since then and we want to keep that going over the next five games.”
All quiet with McGhee
Davidson and Dundee manager Mark McGhee were part of the same Scotland coaching set-up a few years ago but, as expected, communication between the two has dried up of late.
“Mark and I won’t be speaking this week,” he said.
“He’s someone I have a huge amount of respect for and I loved working with him and Gordon (Strachan) at Scotland.
“They’re both very experienced. They’ve seen it and done it all in the game.
“Mark is a great character. He’ll have his team up for the game and motivated.
“They’ll come out fighting like his teams always do.
“I have watched their recent games and they’re definitely battling, just like we all are, because everyone wants to be safe and able to relax.
“After the game Mark and I will have a chat. One of us will be happy and the other disappointed – but that’s football.”
