St Johnstone midfielder Dan Phillips has an eve of season message to Perth fans – “don’t write us off”.
The Trinidad and Tobago international pledged that the Premiership Saints who take on Hearts this weekend won’t bear any resemblance to the Viaplay Cup Saints who were embarrassed by Stirling Albion.
The McDiarmid Park side have rediscovered the vibe of Steven MacLean’s first few weeks in charge after taking over from Callum Davidson.
And hopefully a performance the supporters can be proud of will follow on.
“The manager has let it be known he won’t accept a performance like Saturday’s and a line has been drawn under it,” said the 22-year-old.
“We agree. As players we know it was nowhere near our level.
“It’s been hard work from the get-go on Monday morning.
“It’s exactly the same feeling as after the manager took over.
“He’s reminded us of the basics we need to get right and we’ll build from there.
“I don’t pay attention to the pundits or social media too much.
“But we know that based on what we produced in the League Cup, people will be writing us off.
“We’re not listening to outside chatter but we are focused on what we need to do.”
The bond with the supporters will be crucial this season, of course.
And Phillips kept his rallying call short.
“Just don’t write us off. That’s it. Don’t write us off.”
Senior pro at 22
You can expect to see Phillips take on a more senior role in the Perth squad now that the average age is plummeting.
“I consider myself as someone who is vocal in the changing room and on the training pitch,” he said.
“I might not have a lot of first team experience yet but I do have a lot to say.
“Yeah, I’d see myself as one of the senior pros here.
“From a young age I’ve always been loud on and off the pitch – captain of my youth teams at Chelsea.
“I like to drag people with me.
“Even without an armband it’s good to have a lot of people in the changing room who will speak up. I think we’ve got that.”
Tynecastle learning curve
The last time Phillips faced Hearts, he was the target of Tynecastle anger after being incorrectly identified as the man responsible for Liam Boyce’s serious injury.
Davidson took him off at half-time.
“I learned a lot from that day,” said Phillips.
“Every bad performance and every tough game is a learning curve.
“It was definitely the most hostile atmosphere I’ve been involved in.
“The injury wasn’t my fault but the Hearts fans didn’t know that at the time and they were booing my every touch.
“The first time I got the ball I think I lost it straight away because I was in shock with the noise.
“The gaffer didn’t need to pull me aside or speak to me the next day. That’s football. You’ll encounter that sort of thing if you want to get to the top in the game.”
🗣️ "I had some doubters to prove wrong!"
St Johnstone's Daniel Phillips takes on our Scottish Premiership crossbar challenge and goes top of the table! 🔝🎯 pic.twitter.com/PVx0oOETTg
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) July 27, 2023
Phillips caught the eye with his accuracy in a pre-season Sky Sports crossbar challenge, finishing top of all the clubs in the Premiership with five in 30 seconds.
He’s certainly got the shooting ability to be finding the net for Saints this season.
“I’m still waiting to hear what the prize is!” he joked
“A lot of the boys were writing me off for that one. I told you – don’t write us off!”
“Hopefully I’ll be getting higher up the pitch this season – more an end to end role.
“Scoring goals is something I’m aiming to add to my game.
“In training I score plenty and my aim wasn’t too bad for that crossbar challenge so hopefully I can get one under it on Saturday.”
Phillips added: “For me the key word this year is ‘consistency’.
“I missed games through injury and there were other times when I wasn’t at my best.
“But I hit a high standard when I was playing well and I want to consistently be at that level this season.”
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