St Johnstone

We asked for your views on St Johnstone's 2-1 defeat against Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

Paul: Once again our defensive frailties cost us. This is a hangover from Craig Levein and Simo Valakari has already taken steps to address this by bringing in Bozo Mikulic, but it will take time to get right. Middle to front we look good with good movement and passing. Just need to solidify at the back and we will rollover a team soon.

Sandy: Things don't happen in a vacuum - there are reasons for where Saints find themselves, including huge missed opportunities. Good to see a recognition, the goalies have been let down, but we all have to see that despite good possession play today there is a long term project needed to get back to where we were in 2014 or 2021, we must stay up.

Jimmy: Seems like we are still very nervous in defence. For Simo, the honeymoon period is nearly over, personally I know he can turn it around, we just need to keep faith in him and the team.

Roy: Promising start but looked utterly at sea when Motherwell started attacking. Could have been four or five down by the break. Didn't deserve anything from the game. Attractive football might be more pleasant to watch than what we've seen in recent years, but no points from three winnable fixtures and the leakiest defence in the Premiership doesn't augur well.

Hamish: Enjoying the new possession based football that Valakari is trying to instil into the players who appear to be buying into this way of playing. Once he has found the correct balance between defence and attack I think Saints will be a different team. It's not often you find a team out with the Glasgow two that dominates possession as much as Saints.

• St Johnstone attempted four shots on target in this match, higher than their season average of 3.3 in the Premiership.

• St Johnstone have scored in their last five Premiership games.

• Motherwell have conceded three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, only St Johnstone (four) and Ross County (four) have conceded more in the Premiership this season.

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St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari: "First half was not close to where we need to be. We cannot be this soft. To go two goals down away at Motherwell, a strong defensive side who can hit you in the transitions, we put ourselves in a very difficult situation.

"At half time I said to the boys it would be the most crucial 45 minutes in our time together because these 45 minutes will tell what kind of team we are and want to be.

"Either we can go down, give up, or show something. I think in the second half they put their heart and soul on the pitch to try to get something out of it.

"But in the first half we put ourselves in too difficult a position."

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari endured a difficult return to Fir Park as Motherwell inflicted a third straight Scottish Premiership defeat on his side.

Were you encouraged by St Johnstone's attacking display? Did the defence worry you?

Let us know your thoughts., external

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Simo Valakari has brought energy and a new intent to a St Johnstone side which has struggled to stay in the top flight in recent seasons, chiefly because of their lack of creativity and goalscoring threat.

They started brightly at Fir Park and passed with confidence and precision, but the crucial thing is they still lack the final punch needed in the box.

On top of that, there is an openness to their style which means they are leaking too many goals, the most of any side in the top flight.

Motherwell knew how to exploit that, and other teams sense it too. They did show more grit in the second half after Valakari brought on defender Lewis Neilson and left-back Andre Raymond at half-time for midfielders Matt Smith and Jason Holt.

However, the Finnish manager is struggling to find the right balance between defence and attack.

The stats by full-time were even, but it was Motherwell who were more effective in both boxes.

St Johnstone make two changes from the defeat by Hearts for the trip to Motherwell. Josh Rae replaced Ross Sinclair in goals at half-time last weekend and continues between the sticks.

Matt Smith also comes back into midfield as Benjamin Kimpioka - the side's top scorer - drops to the bench.

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The suspended Liam Gordon will miss out against former club St Johnstone while Harry Paton and Johnny Koutroumbis might be on the bench but are short of match fitness.

Motherwell remain without Stephen O'Donnell (hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh), Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson (both knee), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Jack Vale (calf).

St Johnstone goalkeeper Ross Sinclair misses out but his injury is not serious.

Lewis Neilson and Andre Raymond return while Croatian centre-half Bozo Mikulic could make his debut.

Uche Ikpeazu is back in training following knee surgery while Cammy MacPherson (hip) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) remain out.

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Simo Valakari admits he has not been back to Motherwell since leaving the club 24 years ago as he looks forward to a reunion on Saturday when he takes his St Johnstone side to Lanarkshire.

The Finn joined Motherwell in 1996 as a player and spent four years at the club before leaving to join Derby County.

"It is nice to go back to Fir Park because that was the place I started my professional career," Valakari said.

"I played my last game for Motherwell in 2000 when we beat Rangers 2-0. It’s now 24 years, I have not been back there.

"It will be nice to see the stadium again, to see the fans, but we have a big job with St Johnstone and this is our thing now, so full focus."

Valakari was full of praise for Stuart Kettlewell's side, who sit fifth after a solid start to the Premiership campagin.

"I have been watching and following Motherwell a long time, for many reasons," Valakari added.

"I see a very strong team who have a good team chemistry who are working for each other, who have some special players, with some pace, some good midfielders with the ball, some good defenders. It’s a very solid team. We need to find our way to hurt the opponent."

And while he focused on Saturday's match, Valakari admitted he never thought he'd return to the Scottish game.

"Not even one day did I think I would get the chance to manage in the Scottish Premiership," he said "I have been working very hard to get here and I am so happy and proud to be manager of St Johnstone.

"It’s a great moment to go back there but... we leave the nostalgia. Great memories, they never go, I never forget them, but now it’s a new chapter."

Livingston's former St Johnstone striker Stevie May - a three-time cup winner with the Perth club - reflects on the career-threatening knee injury he suffered while playing for Preston North End in 2015.

• Watch the full interview with May at half-time of Morton v Ayr on Sportscene on Friday, 8 November on BBC Scotland, iPlayer and on the BBC Sport website and app.

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Bozo Mikulic "feels at home already" at St Johnstone after linking up with Simo Valakari again.

The 27-year-old defender played under Valakari at Auda in Latvia and is hoping to experience more "amazing times" together after becoming the Finn's first Saints signing last month.

Mikulic, who has now been granted a work permit and could make his debut against Motherwell this weekend, told SaintsTV: "I feel at home already and I thank the great people for their perfect hospitality.

"I worked with the head coach in Latvia, I enjoyed that so I hope to do so again here at St Johnstone.

"We had a great season, we were third and played in the Conference League, it was amazing."

The Croatian has enjoyed a few training sessions with the Perth side and played 45 minutes in a bounce game, so believes he is ready to get going in the Scottish game.

"I played a training game against Hibernian and I feel really good," he added. "The standard is intense and expectations are for maximum effort, so that's great for me.

"I think I will adapt to the aerial duals here, I am strong in the air and strong in duals. I enjoy playing with the ball at my feet, too."

• After their 2-1 win in August, Motherwell are looking for back-to-back league victories over St Johnstone for the first time since November 2019.

• St Johnstone have won three of their last four away league games at Motherwell (D1), this after having lost four of their previous five such trips beforehand (W1).

• Motherwell have lost their last two home league games, last losing more on the bounce in November 2022 (4).

• St Johnstone have conceded more goals in the Scottish Premiership this season than any other side (25), keeping just two clean sheets in their 12 matches so far. Indeed, only Dundee (19.0) have a higher expected goals against total in the division this term than the Perth side (17.4).

• Motherwell have had fewer shots (108) than any team in the Scottish Premiership this season, while only Hibernian and Ross County (both 10) have scored fewer goals than the Steelmen (13).

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Despite recent back-to-back defeats, Jack Sanders insists everyone at St Johnstone is "buying into" new manager Simo Valakari's "philosophy and how he wants to play".

The former Finland international led his new side to two straight wins over Ross County and Dundee following his appointment, but losses to St Mirren and Hearts mean the Perth side sit 10th in the Premiership.

However, Sanders says the managerial change "has been really positive" and the defender is convinced "every player will improve" under Valakari.

"Everyone has bought into the gaffer's philosophy and how he wants to play," Sanders says. "We're enjoying it, just disappointed we didn't get the result on Saturday [against Hearts].

"There is a different belief around the place. We're raring to go, ready to train and improve as a team. The positive energy the gaffer and his staff have brought is only going to help us."

Sanders is hoping for a change in fortunes when his St Johnstone side travel to Fir Park to face Valakari's former team Motherwell on Saturday.

The Lanarkshire club earned a late win in Perth earlier this season before Valakari's arrival.

"One thing with this group of boys is that we’ll leave everything out on the pitch," Sanders adds.

"It's no good putting in good performances with good possession and shots on target without turning it into wins.

"We're really disappointed with [the recent losses] but we're hoping to continue playing the way we have been and that the results turn."

St Johnstone are expecting to have a long-awaited work permit for centre-back Bozo Mikulic in time for the Croat to make his debut against Motherwell on Saturday. (The Courier), external

Following the arrival of former Lech Poznan left-back Barry Douglas, St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has decided against signing trialist Ghana international Dennis Korsah. (The Courier), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Sam Miller
Fan writer

Losing a match is never great but losing a match while playing attractive football is, for the time, a step in the right direction.

Successive defeats to St Mirren and Hearts may on paper seem like the same old story but something is happening at McDiarmid and everyone seems to be buying into it.

Watching football that isn't eye bleeding has been a modest request of us fans and it appears we may just be getting it.

If we can turn the performances into wins then Simo Valakari's appointment will have turned out to be a stroke of genius.

Sam Miller can be found on the Dogger Saints podcast., external

Watch the best of the action as Hearts edge out St Johnstone 2-1 in Perth.

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We asked for your thoughts after St Johnstone's 2-1 defeat against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

Here's what some of you said:

Sandy: Ross Sinclair did not lose us this game, the new captain should have stood up for him - shame on him and some other players in front of him. A lot of good effort and football played but there is a bit of naivety up front while Hearts were there for the taking, but we couldn't do it and the manager must sort the poor, still negative mentality out.

Brian: We need to get the ball forward to midfield and to the forwards. We need to start with different strikers as all the other teams know exactly what they will do and they know how to snuff them out. We need to be passing the ball forward instead of backwards.

Anon: We need an experienced keeper in as soon as possible. We are losing two goals a game pretty much so we need to address that immediately. Can the club contact Crystal Palace and see if Remi Matthews fancies another loan up here? Fed up with weak refereeing decisions this season.

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• Beni Baningime assisted his first goal in the Premiership this season. Kenneth Vargas scored his second goal in the Premiership this season, netting for the first time since 19 October against St Mirren.

• St Johnstone have conceded six goals to opposition substitutes in the Premiership this season, more than any other team.

• Hearts have scored four goals via substitutes in the Premiership this season, only Celtic (five) and Aberdeen (six) have scored more.

• St Johnstone have conceded six goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Hibernian (eight) have conceded more in the Premiership this season.

St Johnstone are going in the right direction, despite Saturday's loss to Hearts, says manager Simo Valakari. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

Were you at McDiarmid Park or following the game from home? Either way we want your views on St Johnstone's performance.

Let us know your thoughts here, external.

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St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari: "We played well.

"We are here to win football matches but when we can play good football, it gives us the chance to be successful. This league, it's such small margins. We just need to work better to turn these small margins on our side.

"Our players, what they put on the field - I can't ask more."