St Johnstone

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has been speaking to the media before the Scottish Cup tie against Motherwell on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• Valakari didn't want to be drawn on transfer chat "out of respect for this cup competition" but did confirm the club have "agreed terms" with Swedish midfielder Jonathan Svedberg.

• Trialist Roman Eremenko has gone back home but Valakari wouldn't confirm if the former £13m midfielder will be coming back.

• The Perth boss says the cup tie is a break from the pressure of the Premiership survival battle and his side have "nothing to lose".

• On whether a cup win could be a catalyst for better fortunes in the league, he says "there is no magic in football that things can happen", but feels the team "is coming back now".

• On their league plight (nine points adrift at the bottom) Valakari says it is a "very difficult situation" but that "no one has even one millimetre given up" and "everyone is hurting, everyone is suffering".

• The Finn pointed out if they keep making the same mistakes then survival is "impossible".

• On the challenge Motherwell will pose, he says they are a team that always give 100% and "we need to match that".

• Team news: No fresh injuries and the club are waiting for the necessary clearance to field new signing Victor Griffith.

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Connor Smith will not be returning to St Johnstone after Hamilton paid an undisclosed fee to sign the loan midfielder on a permanent deal.

The 22-year-old departs the Perth club having made 13 Saints appearances and scored once since his move from Hearts a year ago.

Smith moved on loan to Hamilton in September and his played 15 games for the Championship side.

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Might the break from their grim league predicament bring the morale boost of a much-needed win for St Johnstone?

The rock-bottom Perth side are seeking a first victory in 10 games when they host Motherwell in an all-Premiership fourth-round Scottish Cup tie on Saturday.

Former Scotland goalkeeper Gemma Fay, who is a Saints fan, told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast: "It's an opportunity to leave the stress of the league to one side. It's a free hit, isn't it?

"And Motherwell are struggling a little bit in terms of their injury count. We know they've got some key players out.

"If we're looking for positives, the second half versus Rangers, St Johnstone were much improved. I think Simo Valakari will take something from that.

"I know he wants to play attacking football and we'd love that but we're also realists in terms of the quality of squad we've got.

"We like the cups and we've had success recently. It's an opportunity to take a little bit of stress off the players, allow them to go and enjoy themselves against a good Motherwell team, but a struggling one in terms of those injuries.

"Hopefully we can take something out of it."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Monday's Dundee derby grabbed the headlines when the Scottish Cup fourth-round draw was made, but there are two other all-Premiership ties before the city rivals do battle for the final spot in the last 16, including Saturday's game in Perth.

Either St Johnstone, aiming to reach the last 16 for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2021, or Motherwell will end their dismal recent run on Saturday.

Saints have fallen nine points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership with no wins in nine outings, seven of them losses, under new manager Simo Valakari and seem destined for relegation.

Visitors Motherwell, suffering a spate of injuries, have themselves just one victory in seven, but Stuart Kettlewell's side have won 2-1 home and away against the Perth side already this season and have not lost in five visits to McDiarmid Park.

Read Scottish Cup preview in full.

St Johnstone are closing in on the signing of 25-year-old Halmstads midfielder Jonathan Svedberg. (The Courier), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Roman Eremenko, who Rubin Kazan paid £13m for in 2011, has flown to Scotland and could sign for St Johnstone this week. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Sam Miller
Fan writer

One of the problems we have suffered this year is not having a number one.

After the club finally brought in an experienced shotstopper, he must be wondering what he's signed up for.

Defensive mishaps once again made us our own worst enemy as we continue to sink without a trace.

The previously mentioned 'playing players out of position' problem still hasn't gone away and is still causing havoc, too.

We started the Rangers game with a centre midfielder at right back, a right-sided player at left-back, a centre forward as a number 10 in midfield.

In the second half, after a couple of changes saw us have a right-sided player at right-back and a left-back at left-back, we shipped no more goals and scored ourselves.

The very likeable gaffer keeps getting his line-ups hopelessly wrong from the outset.

He's leaving himself wide open to criticism, but as long as there are points available, I'll hold onto some hope.

However, Simo Valakari needs to double up as Steve McQueen to pull off this particular great escape.

Sam Miller can be found at The Dogger Saints Podcast, external

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Barry Douglas has warned his St Johnstone team-mates that "livelihoods are at stake" as the club attempt to avoid relegation from the Scottish Premiership.

The Perthshire Saints are nine points adrift at the foot of the table and without a win in nine games, too.

In their latest defeat, a 3-1 loss to Rangers at Ibrox, Simo Valakari's side were all over the shop in the first half before a more collective and cohesive display in the second.

Former Scotland international Douglas appeared off the bench after the break, marking his return from a severe calf tear that was kept him out since November.

Now back, the 35-year-old is aiming to use his vast experience to educate and inspire his side that their fate is not yet sealed.

"The challenge is there for us, and there's no more motivation we need than to just look at the table," the defender said.

"It's boys' livelihoods, and that's the reality of it. A lot of boys need to realise that. It's not just about what we do on a pitch, it affects everyone else surrounding the club.

"There's still loads to play for. In this league, two, three consecutive games changes the outlook of where you are in the table.

"So I'll be amplifying that in the dressing room, that it is one game at a time now, starting with the cup."

Bottom club St Johnstone's players need to realise their livelihoods are at stake amid the threat of relegation, says left-back Barry Douglas, 35. (Record), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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Former St Johnstone goalkeeper Cammy Bell says Simo Valakari must change the style of play if they are to have any chance of escaping relegation.

Following Sunday's 3-1 defeat to Rangers, the Perthshire Saints remain bottom of the Premiership table, nine points behind Hearts in 11th.

"I thought they were absolutely shocking, especially in the first 25 minutes [against Rangers]," Bell told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The goals they conceded were horrendous. Really, really poor decisions, putting themselves in trouble.

"You look at the teams that Rangers have played recently and how they've got results. You've got to be solid, you've got to give yourself a base. St Johnstone are so wide open, easy to play against, concede terrible goals, and make individual errors as well.

"I just can't see a way back for them at the moment. They need to change their style of play.

"Everyone wants to play that expansive, attractive style of football, but you also need to win games of football. You need to put points on the board. So they're really struggling at the moment. They need to change something."

Watch Sportscene analysis of St Johnstone's 3-1 defeat against Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. Available to UK users.

St Johnstone fans, we asked for your views after Sunday's defeat to Rangers.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Jimmy: The shape of the team is wrong, players out of their best positions, the set up looks "makeshift". The signing of Andy Fisher appears to be a good one, he is a better keeper but we still need a good defender, and a proven goal scorer. I still have confidence we can escape the relegation spot, but that gap is getting wider.

Stuart: Special round of applause for how our management team at the time believed no right back, two Championship goalkeepers, a 36-year-old playmaker and a relatively inexperienced defence was good enough to push for top six. Calling for Simo Valakari's head is absolutely bizarre when he can't fix the mess in this window. We need to back him and let him rebuild.

Duncan: Not unexpected, perhaps more respectable than expected. But the same as last week. We clearly need more faces through the door to match the style of play, or at least break the cycle for some of the regular starters whose confidence is only going to get worse chasing so many games and so many damaging errors. Have patience. Stick with Simo!

Ally: Simo Valakari says "we are making too many mistakes" I hope he's including himself in that statement. His starting teams leaves a lot to be desired, he has to stop playing people out of position. It's like he's still experimenting with players, meantime we're being cut adrift in the relegation spot. Come on Simo, round pegs for round holes.

Bryan: Relegation now a reality. Time to prepare for a Championship campaign.

Anon: Sadly it is just the same over again. First and third goals are just ridiculous defending. We have full-backs on the bench but Simo plays two guys out of position. We are Championship bound but go down with a fight not a whimper!

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• Rangers have scored in each of their last 14 games in the Premiership, scoring 29 goals in that run.

• Nicolas Raskin attempted 110 passes in this game, the highest total for a Rangers player in the Premiership this season.

• Rangers are unbeaten in their last 10 Premiership matches when leading at half-time (W9, D1) dating back to 14 April 2024 against Ross County (L2-3).

• St Johnstone have failed to win in their last nine games in the Premiership, their last joint longest winless streak was from 5 August 2023 to 28 October 2023.

• St Johnstone have scored six goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, only Celtic (10) and Aberdeen (8) have scored more in the Premiership this season.

• St Johnstone have failed to score a first-half goal in 16 of their 23 games, only Dundee United (17) and Kilmarnock (17) have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.

Did you take in St Johnstone's defeat by Rangers or were you following from home?

Have your say on the match, external

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari: "It's only us we can blame. We are making too many mistakes, we all know it. We just need to be better in those moments.

"I know my players, they have this spirit, they have this capability to play good football. If you make those [bad] decisions, you get punished. It's not about taking risks.

"We need to try to play our stuff with the ball. When we do this, we created a couple of moments to be even more dangerous. The bottom line is, we need to be better."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter at Ibrox

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has a determination to play football from the back. Early on at Ibrox, that looked very risky but they stuck with it.

The concession of the opener was cheap. The second and third were also far too easy.

The Perth side are capable of producing some good moments going forward, but look so vulnerable to conceding it's little wonder they are toiling at the foot of the Premiership, with the deficit now nine points.

The question seems to be whether the manager has the personnel to play the way he wants. They were cut open far too easily for the goals and the game was pretty much done before the half-hour mark.

Saints were ruthlessly punished but fully contributed to their own demise.

There was a clear improvement after the break as they looked more solid and got a consolation goal, but it does nothing to change the challenge they face in the remainder of the season.

Image source, SNS

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New St Johnstone goalkeeper Andy Fisher says he is looking forward to the "challenge" of trying to help the club mount a remarkable surge to safety.

Fisher, who has joined on loan from Swansea City, will stake his claim for the number one jersey against Josh Rae and Ross Sinclair, who have shared the gloves until now.

Saints are eight points adrift at the bottom and Fisher said: "I like the challenge of the situation we are in. I want to help the team out and that's what I'm here to do.

"I like the pressure of winning games. I think that's something that will make everyone here grow. I'm hoping to play a big part. It will be a challenge but I'm hoping I can come here and we can start picking up a few points."

The 26-year-old added: "I need games and St Johnstone showed real interest and showed that they really wanted me to come and help them out.

"I thought it's a real good opportunity for me and a real good challenge, where I think I can help the team out."

The shot-stopper is yet to play this season after suffering a groin injury last summer.

"I got injured in pre-season and I had an operation but I feel I'm back up to speed now, so hopefully I can come here and show that I'm still good."

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• Rangers have won their past eight meetings with St Johnstone across all competitions (all without conceding), their longest winning run over the Saints since winning 10 in a row from April 1991 to December 1992.

• St Johnstone are winless in their past 11 visits to Rangers in all competitions (D2 L9) since a 3-1 victory in December 2017. The Perth men have scored just two goals in those 11 away trips.

• Rangers have won 11 of their past 12 home league games (including nine of 10 this season – D1), winning their last three in a row without conceding. The Ibrox side last won four in a row while keeping a clean sheet each time at home in the Scottish Premiership in February 2022 under Giovanni van Bronckhorst (run of 7).

• St Johnstone have lost four of their past five away league outings (D1), and could lose three in a row on the road for the first time since January 2023 – the third defeat of which was at Rangers (0-2).

• Since the start of November, St Johnstone have earned fewer points in the Scottish Premiership (5) than any other side. Prior to that, they had picked up more points than three sides in the division, but now find themselves eight points adrift at the bottom of the table.

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Nico Raskin returns to the Rangers squad after missing the game against Dundee through suspension.

Dujon Sterling, James Tavernier, John Souttar (groin), Neraysho Kasanwirjo (knee), Jack Butland (leg), Leon Balogun and Tom Lawrence remain out.

St Johnstone could hand a debut to on-loan Swansea goalkeeper Andy Fisher, while Makenzie Kirk is back in contention following a minor niggle.

Barry Douglas (calf) and Cammy MacPherson (hip) are both back in full training and could be involved, but Uche Ikpeazu (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) remain sidelined and Jason Holt is still suspended.

Image source, Getty Images

St Johnstone have signed Panama midfielder Victor Griffith on a deal until summer 2026.

The 24-year-old joins from top-flight Club Deportivo Arabe Unido in his homeland and previously played for MLS side Portland Timbers.

"This is a big opportunity for me in my career and is a proud moment both for myself and my family," Griffith told club media, external.

"I have been training and working hard every day on the pitch and in the gym. I am ready for this big moment in my career."

Griffith is Scottish Premiership bottom club St Johnstone's second signing of the January window after goalkeeper Andy Fisher joined on loan from Swansea City.

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St Johnstone have recalled Taylor Steven from his loan spell with Irish Premiership side Cliftonville.

The 20-year-old winger, who joined Cliftonville on a season-long deal in August, departs having made 21 appearances, scoring four goals and providing three assists.

Steven has played 11 games for St Johnstone, who are eight points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership before a trip to Ibrox to take on Rangers on Sunday.

Simo Valakari has been in the spotlight since joining St Johnstone. But not for positive reasons.

Eight points adrift and eight games without a win, the Saints need to turn a corner and do so at speed.

The head coach admitted in the aftermath of the 3-1 defeat by Dundee that relegation is "a big possibility" and said in his press conference on Thursday he doesn't blame players for not wanting to join the club in January.

Not exactly a rallying cry, nor is it what St Johnstone fans will want to hear as additions appear a necessity for a team devoid of cohesion and confidence.

Positive results are paramount, and while few will fancy their chances against Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday, the performance and scoreline cannot afford to be disastrous.

The Finn has found himself in a downward spiral since pitching up in Perth. He desperately needs to find a lifeline before he, and the Saints, sink any deeper.

Read all the weekend Premiership picks

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari understands the protest of supporters following the recent home loss to Dundee. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip