St Johnstone

Rangers secured a third consecutive Scottish Premiership win, with Vaclav Cerny's exquisite double effectively sealing the points against St Johnstone before Ianis Hagi's late red card.

The Czech scored either side of the interval to ensure the Ibrox side end the weekend still five points back from Celtic and Aberdeen.

Hagi, introduced at half-time to make his first appearance since last August following a contractual issue, assisted the second goal.

However, the Romanian's night ended badly, his high challenge on Adama Sidibeh's shin being upgraded from a yellow card after a VAR check.

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Interim St Johnstone manager Andy Kirk thinks his side have shown incoming head coach Simo Valakari that he has a good base to build on despite their 2-0 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox.

"The result was poor obviously, but there's things on the pitch the new manager will have seen that we can improve on," he told BBC Scotland.

"We made some mistakes and got punished - that tends to happen against the better teams, but there's a lot to work with.

"We will look to improve on those things and hopefully things will turn for us.

"We tried something different with the front players, getting them wider, and in the second half we were a bit more composed on the ball, changed the shape and showed the manager what he's got to work with."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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This was night and day from the 6-0 Celtic horror show in St Johnstone's previous outing.

The visitors showed enough to suggest positive days may come once new manager Simo Valakari has time to impose his approach on this team.

They demonstrated intent to hit Rangers on the break and did create a number of moments that may have brought more.

They stood firm for the most part and defended very well at times, something that will be of use if they can deliver that consistently.

A moment of real quality unlocked them and fine margins cost them a route back into the game.

Their next fixture at home to Ross County will be key as they look to kick-start a revival and fresh start.

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Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence picked up a hamstring injury against Lyon on Thursday and is likely to miss out.

Left-back Ridvan Yilmaz is training again after recovering from a muscle injury and attacker Ianis Hagi is available after a contract issue was resolved. Danilo, Oscar Cortes and Rabbi Matondo remain on the sidelines.

Saints forwards Benjamin Kimpioka and Adama Sidibeh return after suspension but Uche Ikpeazu (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) are still absent.

Adama Sidibeh, back from suspension, can hurt Rangers on Sunday evening, believes St Johnstone strike partner Nicky Clark. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

In: Simo Valakari, head coach (Riga); Andre Raymond, defender (Vilar de Perdizes); Jack Sanders, defender (Kilmarnock); Makenzie Kirk, forward (Heart of Midlothian, undisclosed); Jason Holt, midfielder (Livingston); Josh Rae, goalkeeper (Airdrieonians); Uche Ikpeazu, forward (Port Vale); Josh McPake, forward (Stirling Albion); Aaron Essel, midfielder (free agent).

Loan in: Lewis Neilson, defender (Heart of Midlothian); Kyle Cameron, defender (Notts County).

Out: Craig Levein, manager; Dimitar Mitov, goalkeeper (Aberdeen, undisclosed); Liam Gordon, defender (Motherwell); Andrew Considine, defender (retired); Ali Crawford, midfielder (Linfield); Cammy Ballantyne, midfielder (Linfield); Ross Tierney, midfielder (Bohemian); Ryan McGowan, defender (Livingston); Chris Kane, forward (Dunfermline Athletic, loan to permanent); Jack Wills, goalkeeper (Queen's Park); Dan Phillips, midfielder (Stevenage); Dean Aitken, defender (Stenhousemuir); Kodi McKinstray, midfielder (Edinburgh City); Callum Booth, defender (The Spartans, loan to permanent); Tony Gallacher, defender.

Loan ended: Luke Robinson, defender (Wigan Athletic); Diallang Jaiyesimi, midfielder (Charlton Athletic); Dave Richards, goalkeeper (Crewe Alexandra).

Loan out: Stevie May, forward (Livingston); James Brown, defender (Raith Rovers); Taylor Steven, forward (Cliftonville); Oludare Olufunwa, defender (Hamilton Academical); Connor Smith, midfielder (Hamilton Academical); Liam Parker, defender (Cove Rangers); Alex Ferguson, midfielder (Stirling Albion); Bayley Klimionek, defender (Forfar Athletic); Arran Cocks, forward (Forfar Athletic); Jackson Mylchreest, forward (Forfar Athletic); Adam McMillan, forward (Albion Rovers); Joe Ellison, defender (Berwick Rangers).

Read the Scottish Premiership ins & outs in full here.

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Former St Johnstone defender Ryan McGowan expects the Perth club to struggle again this season, but thinks new manager Simo Valakari has injected some positivity since his appointment.

Valakari, 51, replaced Craig Levein at McDiarmid Park on Tuesday with St Johnstone 10th in the Scottish Premiership.

The former Motherwell midfielder has stressed the potential of the club in early interviews, and striker Nicky Clark has been impressed by the new gaffer's "energy".

"I think everything he said in the press has been positive," McGowan said on the Scottish Football Podcast. "He's a bit more vibrant, a bit younger than Craig.

"Fans are given a bit more of positive feel in terms of what he's saying off the pitch. They obviously went for Scott Brown and they spoke to the Larne manager. They've decided to go along this route and he seems to be delighted to be at St Johnstone.

"It's a wonderful club to be at, the people they have behind the scenes and the fanbase, it's a real community club and one that needs somebody to get them going because the last couple of years has been a struggle. And this year will be a struggle with the way the league is in terms of money and stuff like that.

"They need someone to come in and hit the ground running and really give the fans something to hold on to. I think that will all be put on hold until after Sunday [trip to face Rangers]. I don't think it's a great opening game to play."

Former Hearts, Dundee United and St Johnstone defender Ryan McGowan says non-Old Firm fans will have enjoyed Celtic and Rangers being given a "taste of their own medicine" by "taking a pasting" in Europe against teams with a bigger budget.

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We asked for your views on Simo Valakari being appointed St Johnstone's new head coach.

Here's what some of you said:

Al: A really positive appointment.

Tam: The last three years have not been good, let's be one St Johnstone family and hope to roll on, better years to come, looking forward to that come on the Saints.

Gary: Good luck to Simo. Hopefully he can address some squad deficiencies.

Simo Valakari is a familiar name to Scottish football fans of a certain generation following his playing spell with Motherwell in the late 1990s.

On Sunday evening, he will watch on as his St Johnstone side face Rangers at Ibrox, with Andy Kirk and Alex Cleland continuing in the dugout. Valakari will take proper charge after the international break, but any changes he makes after Sunday could be telling.

Saints sustained a heavy 6-0 loss at home to Celtic last weekend and are bidding to end a run of six defeats in a row to Rangers in all competitions.

However, the player who scored the winner in their most recent victory in the fixture, Nicky Clark, is still going strong in Perth and the former Rangers forward's experience could be crucial as Saints seek to capitalise on any post-Europa League hangover at Ibrox.

Rangers were humbled 4-1 at home by Lyon on Thursday and could be eight points off the pace in the Premiership by the time Sunday's game kicks off at 20:00.

Read all the weekend Premiership picks

New St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari intends to assess the squad he has inherited before making any changes. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Nicky Clark is excited for a fresh era at St Johnstone and believes new head coach Simo Valakari can re-energise the club.

The 51-year-old Finn arrived on a three-year deal to replace the sacked Craig Levein.

Striker Clark has liked what he has seen so far of the man tasked with turning Saints' disappointing start to the season round.

He said: "Really good, exciting, a lot of energy, he wants to play a nice style of football I think so that is down to us to do that on the pitch.

"It has been a difficult period for the club, on and off the pitch, and there has been a lot of change recently with the new owner and stuff like that.

"Energy is a big thing for us and we have obviously not had a great start to the season. It has been frustrating at times, so with the new manager coming in, it is a fresh start for everybody.

"I am really looking forward to getting going, he was very energetic this morning, spoke very well and the boys are excited."

St Johnstone are currently 10th in the Premiership and travel to play Rangers on Sunday night.

However, Valakari wont be in the dugout at Ibrox with his work permit still to be finalised.

"It is exciting times, obviously with the new owner coming in as well he is starting to do things round about the place, you can see that," added Clark.

"It is a good time and hopefully we can start putting performances on the pitch that represents that."

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• Rangers have won each of their last six meetings with St Johnstone in all competitions, their longest winning run over the Perth side since a run of seven from August 1993 to November 1997.

• St Johnstone have lost each of their last six away league games against Rangers without scoring a single goal in the process.

• Rangers have won back-to-back league games without conceding; only once since the start of last season have they won three in a row while keeping a clean sheet each time, doing so in January/February last term.

• St Johnstone have lost four of their last five league games (D1), while their 6-0 defeat at home to Celtic last time out was their heaviest in the Scottish Premiership since losing 7-0 to the same opponent in April 2022.

• Tom Lawrence has scored in each of his last three league starts for Rangers (3 goals), surpassing his goal tally in the Scottish Premiership for the whole of last season (2). The last Welsh player to score in four successive starts in the competition was Christian Doidge for Hibernian in November/December 2019 (run of 5).

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

New Head Coach Simo Valakari is just through the door at St Johnstone but the early signs are positive.

His demeanour certainly is. As he walked in and sat down to speak to the media on Wednesday for the first time since making the move from Riga FC, he effused bucketloads of positivity and enthusiasm.

It will be interesting to see how long that lasts as he tries to mastermind a turnaround in fortunes amid Saints' poor start to the season.

It is also worth noting that when striker Nicky Clark spoke of his early dealings with the Finn since he arrived in Perth, he made several references to the "energy" he has. That was also abundantly clear to the assembled press.

It is not the most complicated of formulas – positive energy plus enthusiasm would appear to equal a working environment conducive to getting things moving in the right direction.

It remains to be seen if that will be the case.

Valakari appears to be bringing a solid managerial pedigree to McDiarmid Park, having had success elsewhere during his dugout career.

The St Johnstone fans will be hoping he can deliver something similar in Perth.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari has been speaking to the media for the first time since his appointment at McDiarmid Park.

Here are the key points he made:

• The former Motherwell player says Scotland, "always has a special place in my heart," adding, "everyone breathes football here".

• He says he always dreamed he would one day coach in Scotland and he has, "been preparing myself for this moment".

• The head coach believes getting the club back into the top six and challenging again is the objective. "I see where this club wants to go," but that they have to head in that direction, "step by step".

• On his backroom staff, he said, "we have good, talented people here," adding, "I would be stupid" not to use their knowledge.

• He said he wants to help the St Johnstone players by "giving them the tools to enjoy their football on game day".

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St Johnstone have taken the plunge in picking their new head coach from further afield.

They've avoided the usual suspects on the managerial merry-go-round, and will no doubt be hoping for the same kind of success Aberdeen have found in doing so with Jimmy Thelin, too.

But how do you view the move? Some say brave and bold, Stephen McGinn this morning called it "risky".

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, the former St Mirren midfielder said the Finn has a big job on his hands nonetheless.

"I think it's a risky appointment," he said.

"Watching St Johnstone so far this season, I think he's got a lot of work to do, and he's got a lot of work to do quickly.

"They have to be more organised, harder to beat for a start because you're looking at the quality of some of the teams round about them, you can't believe that Hearts and Kilmarnock will continue in the current veins, they'll pick up."

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New St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari is like a kid at Christmas, full of excitement and energy at what's to come.

The 51-year-old is "proud of the trust" put in him to be appointed as Craig Levein's successor and admits he was blown away by what he saw from the team.

"When I watched the matches I saw very good players there," the 51-year-old told SaintsTV, external.

"Players with huge potential so I got very excited. The players are the key, we have the tools.

"You look for characters. You don't need to be the player who shouts the most, you can set the example by doing the right things for the team.

"When you have players playing for the same goal, then comes the power of the team. When we play well as a team, every individual player looks much better.

"No player can do it alone, we have to do it together and then we can enjoy the individual brilliance.

"I'm very proud of the trust that's been put on me to take this great football club forward. I'm so happy to be here."

Newly appointed St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari is looking to "create something special" at McDiarmid Park.

The 51-year-old has won domestic honours in Finland and Latvia across his 14-year managerial career, as well as having a three-year spell at Norwegian outfit Tromso.

Saints fans, let us know your thoughts on your new boss here, external.