St Johnstone

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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.

(Available to UK users only)

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."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Simo Valakari's bright start to life back in Scotland has come to an abrupt halt with two consecutive defeats.

However, Saints can count themselves unfortunate on this occasion not have at least taken a point to end Hearts' dominance in their recent meetings.

Former Lech Poznan left-back Barry Douglas was handed his first start since arriving in Perth, but it was the return to the starting line-up of veteran winger Graham Carey that provided much of their attacking threat.

Manager Valakari also changed his goalkeeper, with Ross Sinclair replaced at the break after 45 minutes of nervousness under the high ball, with replacement Josh Rae denying a second goal.

Had Saints' normally dangerous strike pairing of Benjamin Kimpioka and Adama Sidibeh not looked unusually hesitant, it might have been a different scoreline.

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Former Lech Poznan left-back Barry Douglas is handed his first start since joining St Johnstone as Simo Valakari makes two changes, one of them enforced, in his first home game as manager.

Having suffered his first defeat in charge last time out against St Mirren, the Finn also brings veteran winger Graham Carey into the side.

Midfielder Matthew Smith drops to the bench, while on-loan defender Lewis Neilson is ineligible against his parent club.

Beni Baningime returns to Hearts' midfield after missing the past three matches through illness as Neil Critchley makes three changes after suffering his own first defeat as Hearts manager, at home to Kilmarnock, last time out.

Baningime is joined in midfield by Yan Dhanda, with Daniel Oyegoke replacing Adam Forrester in defence.

Forrester, Cammy Devlin and forward Kenneth Vargas drop to the bench.

Jason Holt tells St Johnstone to stick to their identity. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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St Johnstone loanee Lewis Neilson cannot participate against his parent club while Andre Raymond will be assessed after missing the midweek defeat by St Mirren.

Croatian centre-half Bozo Mikulic is still waiting for a work permit. Uche Ikpeazu is back in training following knee surgery while Cammy MacPherson (hip) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) remain out.

Hearts midfielder Beni Baningime is in line to return after missing the last three matches through illness but Yutaro Oda, Gerald Taylor (ACL) and Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) remain sidelined.

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Simo Valakari is relishing a "beautiful game" when his St Johnstone side host Hearts on Saturday.

The Perth side are looking to bounce back from a midweek defeat at St Mirren, while Hearts are bottom of the table after a home defeat by Kilmarnock.

Valakari, who took over at the beginning of last month albeit paperwork issues kept him in the stands for two games, is excited to be in the Perth dugout for the first time.

"I see it as a big opportunity for us to play a beautiful game in front of our own fans in our home stadium," he said.

"At the same time we are playing against a very good footballing team, for whatever reason they are there [at the bottom of the table], but they have the quality there.

"We have been concentrating on our thing. They will come here and see this game as [an opportunity] to kickstart their season.

"That's normal, but we need to be ready and it's always about us, we look at this as opportunity to play here, in front of our own fans and be positive, be brave and do all the little details as well as possible against a quality team. If you sleep even for one moment, they will punish you.

"I have already seen our fans, I felt them and they are great. Our job as a team is to give them joy, give them emotions, give them enjoyment, to watch their own team to play at their home stadium that's what we are ready to do."

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Simo Valakari has been speaking to the media before St Johnstone's fixture against Hearts in the Premiership this weekend.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Saints "have recovered very well mentally and physically" from their 3-1 midweek defeat against St Mirren.

• Valakari wants his side to "make those suffering moments" short as he talks about the pressure they were under on Wednesday night.

• He is keen to see more "bravery" from his team but likes the the "work ethic" of the players and staff.

• Hearts' visit will be Valakari's first home match in the dugout and he is looking forward to "playing a beautiful game in front of our own fans".

• On the "great" Saints support, he says: "It's our job as a team to give them joy, give them emotions, give them enjoyment to watch their own team to play at their home stadium."

• Despite Hearts being bottom of the table, Valakari says they're a "very good footballing team", who have "quality" and will be looking to "kickstart their season".

• Andre Raymond is "touch and go", but everyone else "is fit".

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• St Johnstone have lost their last six league meetings with Hearts, the last four of which have seen the Perth men fail to score.

• Hearts have won their last three league visits to St Johnstone. The last side they won four successive top-flight away games against were Dunfermline Athletic, winning five on the bounce from 2006 to 2012.

• St Johnstone won their most recent home match in the Scottish Premiership 3-0 against Ross County last month and could win back-to-back league games at McDiarmid Park for the first time in 2024.

• Hearts are winless in nine away games in the Scottish Premiership (D3 L6) and last went 10 on the road in the top flight without victory in February 2020.

• Hearts' Lawrence Shankland has scored in six of his last seven Scottish Premiership appearances against St Johnstone, including each of the last three – he has never scored in four in a row against the same team in the competition.