Courier sports writers Eric Nicolson, Ian Roache and Neil Robertson put on their Stetsons and discuss the Who, Bee Gees, and United’s hopes of Staying Alive.
Q A win over Dundee tomorrow and St Johnstone will go ahead of “title challengers” Aberdeen in the Premiership and sit just a point behind Hearts. Can Saints finish second?
EN: Of course they can. The very fact that Tommy Wright has even talked about the possibility of fighting it out with Hearts and Aberdeen tells you he believes it’s possible. There’s a perception that this is Saints at their maximum but I don’t actually think they are playing to their full potential yet. I would probably just edge towards Hearts, though, as their home form is so strong.
NR: There is no doubt that Saints are flying at the moment and the big question is can they keep this run of form going until the end of the season? That will probably depend to a large degree on injuries and suspensions although St Johnstone showed again last Saturday when they were without Liam Craig, Simon Lappin and Graham Cummins that they have the squad to cope. So, can Saints finish second? Definitely.
IR: This Q and A has not long started and I am already sick of praising Saints! Seriously, it’s a resounding “yes” from me. Perhaps above all else, it is their never-say-die attitude that impresses me. They have taken nine points from three games in which they have been down to 10 men say no more.
Q Considering the run the Perth men are on, isn’t it about time some manager/player of the month awards started winging their way to McDiarmid Park?
EN: I said a few weeks ago that Tommy Wright should have got October’s. A win over Dundee and that would be a 100% in November and impossible to ignore. On the player of the month front, the fact that Saints are so far removed from a one-man team doesn’t help them. But Steven MacLean or Michael O’Halloran definitely deserve recognition. I think it could be a Perth double, with O’Halloran getting chosen alongside Wright.
NR: Yes, it would be nice if instead of the usual predictable Celtic recognition, the people giving the awards would maybe take a bit of time to weigh up the merits of what Wright and his men are achieving at the moment. Saints like to fly under the radar, so to speak, but I am sure the manager and his players would welcome some success when the monthly awards are handed out.
IR: As it happens, I have been to “one or two” of these voting lunches in the past but can’t give away any secrets. All I can suggest is that they get the decisions taken “pre-starter” so that sense prevails and Wright and O’Halloran get the nod.
Q Having taken a point at Tynecastle, surely Dundee will travel along the A90 with a fair bit of confidence?
EN: I covered their game against Hearts and they got better and better as it went on. Their main men are back (Thomson and McPake) and they’ve got a much better record against Saints than their city neighbours. I can see this one being a draw.
NR: On paper, tomorrow night’s game in Perth looks as tough an assignment for the Dark Blues as last weekend’s one at Tynecastle. Dundee have already beaten Saints once this season but it would be fair to say that the Perth side were not in the best of form at that time. I would love to come down off the fence but, like Eric, I can see this week’s game ending with honours even.
IR: It’s not just with hindsight that I say I fancied Dundee to get something against Hearts last weekend. They are that kind of team. The Dens men will relish this one and, backed by a large and loud travelling support, can make it tough for Saints.
Q Dark Blues manager Paul Hartley says they will have a fight on their hands to keep Greg Stewart when the transfer window opens. Agree?
EN: The cynics will say that’s a For Sale sign slapped on his back. I think the Premiership is the best place for Stewart. I’m not convinced his style of play would suit the English Championship, which is all about pace and strength. And it wouldn’t be a good career move to go any lower than that.
NR: I am sure that Dundee fans may have preferred the manager to say like Tommy Wright did a few weeks back when talking about Michael O’Halloran that Stewart was simply not for sale. However, Hartley may have just been preparing the support for the fact that after what the striker achieved last season and already this one, interest from elsewhere is inevitable.
IR: Like Neil and the Dundee manager, I am expecting there to be interest shown in Stewart. However, they should do all they can to keep him as, ahem, selling your top talent in January may not prove to be a good idea (just saying).
Q Who’s getting to cover Dundee v Celtic in Boston?
EN: None of us. A good midweek page-filler, but this isn’t going to happen.
NR: Me! No, seriously, I will eat my Stetson if this ever comes to pass.
IR: Looks like it’s my turn then. Cheers! I want to be where everybody knows your name (there’s one for the teenagers). PS, Neil does indeed own a Stetson and wears it at line dancing.
Q The Who once sang: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Was it a mistake for Dundee United gaffer Mixu Paatelainen to do a Jackie by claiming St Johnstone like to kick it long?
EN: I don’t know about the Who, but this long ball thing is a broken record. Steven MacLean is nobody’s idea of a target-man, and he’s their main attacking link. And he’s not shy either, so wouldn’t tolerate punts up the pitch fizzing past his ears. The soundtrack for the United v Saints fixture should be You Win Again by the Bee Gees.
NR: Who are you with these lyrics? Yes, it did seem a strange thing for Mixu to say and he has since insisted that his comments may have been “mis- construed”. The thing is, everyone will remember that he called Saints a “long-ball” side even if he didn’t and Tommy Wright’s team-talk is probably already written for the next time the sides meet.
IR: I think Saints and everyone else should cut Mixu a bit of slack with this, especially after his subsequent explanation. I believe him when he says he wasn’t meaning to be derogatory to St Johnstone.
Q We know they are all difficult games for United at the moment but the home match against Hamilton on Saturday looks massive. Can they get the win they so desperately need?
EN: This is the most confident I’ve been for a United win since Mixu took over, both because of their improvement against Saints and the opposition they’re facing on Saturday. If you’re not beating Hamilton at home a climb up the table isn’t going to happen any time soon.
NR: Hamilton may have beaten United 4-0 at the start of the season but they haven’t won a game since September 26 so this looks a great opportunity to pick up a priceless three points. To do so, Mixu’s men need to replicate their impressive early play from last week’s game against Saints for the full 90 minutes and cut out the defensive slackness that cost them dear.
IR: I still wake up at night screaming in horror, recalling that dark day at New Douglas Park. The display was dreadful, I scalded my hand with my tea and had to sit next to Tom Duthie of the Tele all game it was horrendous! However, I still fancy them to beat the Accies.
Q Will Brechin’s survival chances in League One be enhanced if goalkeeper Graeme Smith checks the fixture list and buys a satnav?
EN: Smith won’t have been the only one to make that rickett down the years. It’s just it never got out. Social media has a lot to answer for. As for satnav, Brechin might have to buy one to locate the rest of the teams above them in the table soon.
NR: Ouch! To be fair to Brechin, they are still just six points behind Forfar in seventh place but Smith’s blunder and the national exposure it gathered was probably the last thing the club needed at the moment.
IR: Here’s a suggestion for Graeme next time, don’t tell anyone. Also, make sure Stranraer aren’t the opponents that weekend. Fair play to all involved, though, for seeing the funny side and I hope City are OK because they are a great club.
VIDEO | Highlights from last night's kit launch at #JDGlasgow for Scotland Supporters Club members. #BeTheDifferencehttps://t.co/OISwuSHEjw
— Scottish FA (@ScottishFA) November 23, 2015
Q So it’s either tartan or pink for the new Scotland strips. Are the SFA having a laugh or is this a serious fashion faux-pas?
EN: It shouldn’t matter, but the fact that the SFA have signed off “look at us” strips at a time when the rest of the home nations are laughing at us isn’t good.
NR: I am probably the last person to comment on fashion but you don’t have to be Armani to know that the two strips are horrendous. I’m not sure the players will be “in the pink” when they see the away strip while do we really need a tartan rug effect on the home one?
IR: Being a boring, old traditionalist I just feel it should be a dark blue shirt and white shorts. Anyone else noticed that we have allowed France to nick our colours? The twee tartan kit is so dire that it has actually made the pink number seem not too bad. What next a shortie biscuit at half-time for the players?