St Johnstone

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

So what now for St Johnstone? In the past week, Scott Brown, Peter Leven and Larne boss Tiernan Lynch have all been closely linked to become the next manager in the door at McDiarmid Park, and have all turned the position down. This after the surprise sacking of Craig Levein over two weeks ago.

All three had valid credentials for the post. Indeed Lynch had been identified by the new American owner Adam Webb as one he had thought had the right profile to take the club forward.

What it may tell us is the prospect of managing a Scottish Premiership club may not be the lure it once was.

Or is it just St Johnstone's new owners and the way they want the club to move forward?

A few years ago it would have been unthinkable for a manager from the Northern Ireland Premier League to turn down the opportunity to manage in Scotland.

But Lynch this week will be preparing Larne for their first venture into the proper stages of the Conference League.

A history-making week for football in Northern Ireland and one he simply couldn’t turn down.

Webb is back in the United States undergoing treatment for cancer and we wish him well in his recovery. Meanwhile there are good football people at St Johnstone with Gus McPherson and Roddy Grant helping with the day-to-day running of the club.

It has been a difficult introduction to the role of chief executive for Francis Smith. The 42-year-old knows St Johnstone well having made the move into the new role from the club's community foundation where he was a success.

Meanwhile Andy Kirk, who only last week said he feels he is ready for the job should he be given the opportunity, has to pick up the pieces after a mauling by Celtic on Saturday. Coming up is a trip to Ibrox this weekend.

The upcoming international break can’t come quick enough for Saints.

This will give all at McDiarmid Park time to draw breath and with reports that Riga boss Simo Valakari is now the front runner for the job, it may not be too long before Saints fans will have clarity on who will lead the club moving forward.

Three of St Johnstone's Scottish Premiership fixtures in December and January have been updated.

The Saints home match against Rangers on Sunday, 1 December will be a 12 noon kick-off due to selection for television.

Their trip to Tynecastle on Sunday, 22 December has been confirmed as a 15:00 GMT kick-off.

Finally, St Johnstone will now travel to Ibrox on Sunday, 12 January 2025 for a 15:00 kick-off, after the match was moved back 24 hours due to Rangers' participation in the Europa League.

Watch highlights of Celtic's 6-0 win over St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK viewers only.

We asked for your views on St Johnstone's 6-0 defeat against Celtic.

Here's what some of you said:

Linsey: They really need to invest in a goalkeeper and a couple of wingers. This constant playing through the middle and not touching the wing and byline anymore, like we did in Tommy Wright's days, is killing us.

Hopefully we get a decent manager in, and get out-of-contract players from further afield into the squad.

Brian: How is Andy Kirk still in charge? The back three were a disgrace. We need to some how get Lewis Neilson, Jack Sanders and Kyle Cameron out the door. We have so many players out on loan, so many that are out on the physios table and an owner that is so far away. We had five or six players that were up for a fight to get something out of the game. Absolute rubbish.

Stephen: Imagine giving up three stands to away fans and then losing 6-0. Everything that is wrong with Scottish football in one game.

Perry: Unfortunately these results are way too common these days against the Old Firm. We used to always be hard to break down against the best of teams, but now we can't defend at set pieces and long balls played through.

Our inexperienced keepers can't be blamed for this. Our new gaffer will need to be a miracle worker to keep us up.

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• Celtic have kept a clean sheet in six of their six games, more than any other in the Premiership this season.

• St Johnstone have failed to score in three of their seven games, no team has failed to do so more often in the Premiership this season.

• Celtic have kept a clean sheet in each of their last six games in the Premiership, a run of 666 minutes without conceding a goal.

• St Johnstone have failed to win in their last five games in the Premiership, their last joint longest winless streak was from 13th April 2024 to 15th May 2024.

St Johnstone are aiming to finalise a deal with Tiernan Lynch on Sunday to make the Larne boss their new manager after choosing the 44-year-old as their number one candidate, but it is now down to the Scottish Premiership club agreeing a financial package with the Northern Irishman. (Belfast Telegraph), external

Adam Webb has identified Larne manager Tiernan Lynch as his preferred choice to be St Johnstone's new team boss after the club owner conducted interviews - and a compensation package has been agreed with the Northern Irish champions. (Sunday Post), external

Aberdeen first-team coach Peter Leven, who was interviewed for St Johnstone's managerial vacancy, has told the Perth club that he will be remaining at Pittodrie after holding talks with manager Jimmy Thelin and the club hierarchy. (Sunday Mail), external

Linfield manager David Healy, whose side were pipped to the Northern Irish title by Larne two years running, has backed Tiernan Lynch to be a success as St Johnstone's new team boss. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), external

Sven Sprangler says he rejected the chance to leave St Johnstone this summer despite the 29-year-old Austrian midfielder only being selected by Craig Levein for the last game of the manager's tenure. (The Courier), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Image source, PA Media

Did you attend St Johnstone's 6-0 loss to Celtic or were you following from home?

Click here, external to have your say on the match.

St Johnstone interim manager Andy Kirk: "Celtic, when they're playing like that, they're unstoppable at times. The disappointing thing was some of the defending. There were goals there that we could've avoided, absolutely.

"We need to defend our box better. Once we conceded the first goal, for the next 10 minutes we sort of lost our way completely.

"We're having a difficult period but they've got to stay together as a group. We've got to keep working hard. We've got to try and fix some of the problems that we're seeing and hopefully we'll come out on the other side of it in a better place."

Andy Campbell, BBC Scotland

St Johnstone showed some resistance in the early part of the game but the lack of an out ball kept the pressure coming their way.

Captain Kyle Cameron's first-half hamstring injury added to their woes.

Aaron Essel tested Schmeichel at his near post as Saints looked for a reply at 4-0 but there would be no consolation for the Perth side, who were playing their second game under caretaker Andy Kirk following manager Craig Levein's exit.

They face an evening encounter away to Rangers next Sunday before the international break.

Interim manager Andy Kirk makes one change to the St Johnstone side that drew 3-3 away to Ross County last time out, as Graham Carey comes into midfield in place of Jason Holt.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers rotated heavily for last weekend's Scottish League Cup win over Falkirk and he reverts to a much more familiar starting XI.

Auston Trusty keeps his place in defence because of Cameron Carter-Vickers' toe injury, but Alistair Johnston, Liam Scales and Greg Taylor all return to the back line.

Arne Engels replaces Reo Hatate in midfield, while forwards Nicolas Kuhn, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi all start.

Hatate drops to the bench, as do James Forrest, Adam Idah, Anthony Ralston and Alex Valle but Luis Palma and Stephen Welsh miss out.

St Johnstone: Sinclair, Neilson, Sanders, Cameron, Wright, Carey, Sprangler, Smith, Raymond, Kirk, Clark.

Substitutes: Rae, MacPherson, Essel, Kucheriavyi, McPake, Keltjens, McCrystal, Franczak, Dair.

Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Bernardo, Engels, Kuhn, Maeda, Kyogo.

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Idah, Valle, Yang, McCowan, Nawrocki, Hatate, Forrest, Ralston.

Larne manager Tiernan Lynch avoided pre-match media duties on Friday night before his side's 3-1 win away to Cliftonville in the Northern Irish Premiership as the prospect of him becoming the next St Johnstone boss grows. (The Courier), external

Ayr United manager Scott Brown has revealed that he signed a new contract amid links with St Johnstone because he and assistant Steven Whittaker are "in a good place at this moment in time". (The Herald), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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St Johnstone are still without suspended forwards Benjamin Kimpioka and Adama Sidibeh while Uche Ikpeazu (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) are still absent.

Cameron Carter-Vickers remains out for Celtic with a toe injury but Alistair Johnston returns.

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Sven Sprangler says the St Johnstone players "trust" interim manager Andy Kirk, but admits they feel "responsible" for Craig Levein's sacking earlier this month.

Levein was dismissed after four successive defeats in all competitions, before the Perth side drew 3-3 with Ross County in Kirk's first match in interim charge.

The Perth side welcome Celtic to McDiarmid Park on Saturday and Sprangler is determined to "fight" for a result against the league champions.

"He [Kirk] is very positive, he's a very good coach and we trust him. He knows his stuff because he has a lot of experience. We will see what happens," said Sprangler.

"Everyone feels responsible for the gaffer [Levein] getting sacked. It's not good when someone leaves the club like that. But we have to keep going, that's football.

"We have to focus on the next game. We are just focused on the Celtic game.

"I love to play against good teams like Celtic and Rangers because you don't always get the opportunity to play against Champions League teams.

"They are an incredible team with incredible players. The main thing is that you know their qualities, you know they are good players, but you have to focus on yourself and making sure you deliver.

"It would be a huge boost for the players, the club and the fans if we could win against the champions, but it's a tough game and you have to do everything to get the points.

"We have a chance but we have to deliver on the pitch. We have to fight for every ball, avoid mistakes and be 100 per cent concentrated from the first minute to the last."

Andy Kirk has stepped into the breach after the dismissal of Craig Levein, saying he feels ready to take the job permanently.

However, facing so-far flawless league leaders and reigning champions in only your second game as caretaker is hardly ideal when you are trying to impress.

It could work the other way, of course. As it would be some achievement if the 45-year-old former Heart of Midlothian, Dunfermline Athletic and Northern Ireland striker was to eke even a draw out of Saturday's visit by Celtic.

Kirk has already ended the run of four defeats endured under Levein, with only a late two-goal fightback by Ross County denying him more than that 3-3 draw in Dingwall last weekend.

Celtic, though, arrive having won 14 successive games, including all eight of their fixtures this season, and have won 13 in a row at McDiarmid Park since a 2-1 defeat in May 2016 - scoring 49 goals for the loss of only nine.

Indeed, having won and kept a clean sheet in all five of their games so far means Brendan Rodgers' side are one short of matching Celtic's best-ever start to a league season - way back in 1906-07.

Saints, in contrast, have not won in 11 home league games and have lost their latest two meetings with Celtic 3-1, home and away.

Kirk's experience before becoming Levein's assistant was limited to being interim boss with Hearts, a year in charge of their women's team, then leading Brechin City to the Highland League title before losing to Spartans in the Pyramid Play-offs.

New Saints owner Adam Webb might want more of a statement appointment with his first choice of manager.

However, if Kirk was to lead his team to a first win over Celtic in 30 meetings since that 2016 victory, or even match the 0-0 draw at Celtic Park last August, he could make his candidacy difficult to ignore.

Read all of this weekend's Premiership picks here.

Larne manager Tiernan Lynch spoke to St Johnstone about their managerial vacancy on Thrsday. (Belfast Telegraph - subscription), external

Former St Johnstone manager Craig Levein has been given a touchline ban for post-match comments in the wake of Saints' recent loss at Motherwell. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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• St Johnstone are without a win in 29 meetings with Celtic across all competitions (D4 L25) since a 2-1 victory in May 2016 under Tommy Wright.

• Celtic have won each of their last 14 away games against St Johnstone in all competitions; only at Queen’s Park (19 ending in 1923) and Partick Thistle (18, ongoing run) have they ever had longer away winning runs against a single opponent in major competitions.

• St Johnstone are winless in 11 home league games (D4 L7); the last side to go 12 straight Scottish top-flight home games without a win were Dundee from December 2018 to September 2021 (15).

• Celtic have won and kept a clean sheet in all five of their league games so far this season.

• The Hoops have won their opening six matches of a top-flight campaign on 11 previous occasions, but only in 1906-07 have they achieved this while also not conceding a single goal.

• In all competitions, Celtic are currently enjoying a 14-match winning run, including all eight so far this season - this is their longest win streak from the start of a campaign since 2000-01 under Martin O’Neill, when they won their first 12 competitive fixtures.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

St Johnstone interim boss Andy Kirk believes he is ready to take on the job on a permanent basis but admits he has not had a conversation with owner Adam Webb about his future.

Kirk was handed the interim role after previous boss Craig Levein was sacked with the club in tenth position in the Premiership table.

“I feel like I’m capable at working at this level of football," Kirk said.

"Absolutely. I had a taste of it at Hearts under Daniel Stendel.

“I’ve managed for two and a half seasons at Brechin City where we won a league title. And obviously in the past 11 months working with the first team group at St Johnstone.

“There is a lot of experience there I have gained in how to deal with people and build relationships. All these things are important but absolutely feel I’m capable of working at this level of football."

The former Hearts and Dunfermline forward added he has had "no further information" on his future, but views his job as leaving the team in a better place for the next person to come in.

“The team need guidance and organisation so while that’s the case me and Alex [Cleland] have to make the best of it and be as professional as we can.

"If we leave and that's the case, then we leave the new manager in a good place."

Image source, SNS

St Johnstone interim manager Andy Kirk has been speaking to the media before Saturday's visit by Celtic. Here are the key points.

• Kirk says he feels he is "capable" of managing at Premiership level, but concedes he has "no further information" from the owner on the managerial vacancy

• There have been no conversations between Kirk and owner Adam Webb about the Northern Irishman being considered for the role

• Kirk says his job at the moment is to "leave the team in a good place" if he is to depart the club under a new manager

• There are no fresh injury concerns for the Celtic game, but Adama Sidibeh and Benjamin Kimpioka are still suspended

• The team have been working hard on "certain details" to ensure they stop conceding set piece goals

Scott Brown has pulled out of the running to be the next St Johnstone manager, opting to remain with Ayr United after talks with Saints owner Adam Webb (Mail), external

Brown was not offered the job, but was one of a number of candidates interviewed on Wednesday before ruling himself out. (Courier - subscription), external

The Saints job is a "really, really good job", says out of work manager Ian Murray. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip