St Johnstone

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Controversy and VAR have been intertwined ever since its implementation in the Scottish top flight in October 2022.

From handball decisions to fouls and penalties, managers and fans alike have had grievances over the technology - and the length of time taken for decisions to be made.

With the 2023-24 season complete and the new campaign a number of weeks away, would you rather see VAR scrapped from Scottish football or persevered with?

Cast your vote here.

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St Johnstone have added a friendly against Arbroath to their pre-season schedule.

Craig Levein's men will head to Gayfield on Saturday, 6 July to face the third-tier side at 15:00 BST.

Saints also have two friendlies away to Highland League teams - Nairn on 28 June (20:00) and Huntly the follow day (14:00) - before their League Cup opener at Brechin City on 13 July (15:00).

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St Johnstone midfielder Sven Sprangler says his knee injury is fully healed and he expects to "be better than before" after signing a one-year contract extension with the club.

The Austrian midfielder has made 20 appearances for the Perth side after signing on a free transfer last summer.

The 29-year-old missed the end of the season through injury, but has now signed a deal to keep him at McDiarmid Park.

"My knee is feeling very good," he said. "There is no pain. I know pre-season will be tough but we need this to prepare for the Premiership and I will be ready to go.

"I’m actually looking forward to pre-season and I know I will be better than before.

"I want to score some goals and create goals. But my main target is to play football. I want to be part of the team and play every single week. I need to do everything to be in the starting XI."

We asked you to name St Johnstone's best cult hero signings - the player who showed up with little expectation (and perhaps ability) but won over the support.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Donald: Easily Shaun Rooney. Went from a bench player when he arrived to scoring in both cup final wins. All Saints fans will remember his name.

Douglas: Dave Mackay. Plenty of ability but was totally unheralded when he joined Saints from Livingston. Became a legendary right-back - consistent, dependable and passionate - and, of course, captained Saints to their first ever cup win in 2014.

Anon: Jason Scotland’s got to be up there. Managed to get him on a work permit then he averaged about a goal every other game for two seasons. Was also part of the Trinidad and Tobago 2006 World Cup team, so they were our adopted nation for the summer.

Anon: Attila Sekerlioglu was a cult hero at Saints. Brought so much energy and determination to every performance. Oh, and he had cracking hair. A joy to watch.

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Cammy MacPherson is determined to put his injury woes behind him after signing a new one-year deal at St Johnstone.

The midfielder's contract was set to expire this summer, but after impressing in the final three games of the season as Saints stayed up, the 25-year-old has extended his stay at McDiarmid Park.

"I am really happy to be staying for another year and I am now hoping to stay fit, play consistent games and put the injuries behind me," he said.

MacPherson joined St Johnstone on loan from St Mirren in 2021, before making the move permanent the following year.

“The manager and staff put their trust in me at the end of last season and I was happy with how it went - playing three 90-minute matches in a week and obviously staying up with the win at Fir Park on last day of the season," he added.

“I am now looking to take that momentum into next season, both collectively as a team and personally.

"There are exciting times ahead for the club and I’m looking to play a big part in that.”

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St Johnstone will kick off their season with a trip to Brechin City in the opening game of the Premier Sports Cup.

Craig Levein's side will also host Greenock Morton and East Fife in the competition, either side of a visit to Alloa Athletic.

The Perth club has also announced two pre-season friendlies against Nairn County and Huntly 18 hours apart.

Fixtures (All times BST)

Pre-season friendlies

Nairn County v St Johnstone - Friday, 28 June (20:00)

Huntly v St Johnstone - Saturday, 29 June (14:00)

Premier Sports Cup

Brechin City v St Johnstone - Saturday, 13 July (15:00)

St Johnstone v Greenock Morton - Saturday, 20 July (15:00)

Alloa Athletic v St Johnstone - Tuesday, 23 July (19:45)

St Johnstone v East Fife - Saturday, 27 July (15:00)

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Ali Crawford, Cammy Ballantyne and double cup winner James Brown will leave St Johnstone at the expiry of their contracts this summer.

The Perth club had already announced the departures of fellow Scottish Cup and League Cup-winning legends Callum Booth and Chris Kane, while former Aberdeen stalwart Andy Considine will also move on.

Tony Gallacher and Jack Wills round out the players who will not sign a contract extension ahead of next season.

Meanwhile, loan signings Luke Robinson, Diallang Jaiyesimi and Dave Richards have all returned to their parent clubs.

Manager Craig Levein said: “I would like to thank every single player for their professionalism and contributions during their time at the club.

“Myself, the staff and everyone at the football club wishes them all the very best moving forward.

“We are continuing to work hard to build our squad for next season and further updates will be provided when available.”

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St Johnstone's Adama Sidibeh has been called up by Gambia as rumours of the forward moving to English clubs are played down. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

Players come and go, but sometimes a new face will arrive and win the hearts of supporters unexpectedly.

Who's the lesser-remembered player that showed up at St Johnstone with little expectation and perhaps had more passion than talent, but turned into a hero loved across the fanbase?

Give us your shout. , external

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Chief executive Neil Doncaster says crowd figures are "hugely promising" after the SPFL broke its attendance record for the second year running.

Over 5.15m supporters took to the stands to watch their side across all SPFL competitions in 2023-24, covering the Premiership, Championship, League 1, League 2, League Cup and the SPFL Trust Trophy.

The year-on-year figure marks an increase of 64,122 on the season prior's record high, when the number of people attending SPFL matches surpassed 5m for the first time.

A total of of 4,746,052 fans attended games across the four divisions, with Premiership matches attracting 3,760,765.

Scotland continues to have the best attendances figures per capita across its top four divisions in Europe with 21.3 per 1000 people - 65% ahead of second-placed the Netherlands.

Doncaster said: “After topping five million fans across an SPFL season for the first time in season 2022/23, it is hugely promising to see attendances growing even further this season.

“Our supporters are renowned across the world for their dedication and passion and regularly record the highest per capita attendance in Europe."

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Craig Levein says he is "determined" St Johnstone aren't in the "same position" as last season after an awful League Cup campaign carried over into a relegation battle.

The Perth side lost three of their four group stages matches in the competition under Steven MacLean, including a 4-0 thumping by third tier Stirling Albion.

A false start meant St Johnstone never really got going last term, needing a win on the final day of the season to avoid the relegation play-off.

Levein's side will take on Greenock Morton, Alloa Athletic, East Fife and Brechin City in Group F following Wednesday's draw.

“You can’t afford to take anything for granted in cup competitions," Levein told club media.

"We will need to be good from the word go and we need to show respect to every team we come up against.

“We’ll get moving on our research and get a look at what we will be facing. It is important that we have a really good start.

“If we start well in cup competition, you can then follow it up with a good start in the league. I am determined not to be in the same position as we were last season.”

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Scotland international Andy Considine indicates he has played his last game for St Johnstone with his two-year contract at an end. (Courier - subscription), external

Saints are interested in former Hearts forward Uche Ikpeazu. (Herald - subscription), external

Meanwhile, St Johnstone forward Adama Sidibeh is attracting interest from Burnley, Derby County and Middlesbrough. (Football Insider), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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St Johnstone will open the new season in Group F of the Premier Sports Cup where they face Greenock Morton, Alloa Athletic, East Fife and Brechin City.

The group stage gets under way on the weekend of 13-14 July and wraps up on 27-28 July.

The eight group winners and three best runners-up join European participants Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Mirren in the last 16 on the weekend of August 17-18.

Click here to view the draw in full.

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League One club Stevenage want 23-year-old midfielder Dan Phillips, who is out of contract with St Johnstone, and are also tracking Malachi Boateng, the 21-year-old midfielder who has been on loan to Dundee from Crystal Palace. (The Courier), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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It seems St Johnstone fans have watched Dan Philipps play his final game for the Perth club.

After arriving at McDiarmid Park from Watford in 2022, the central midfielder established himself as one of the key cogs in the Saints midfield.

He provided physical presence in the middle of the park, while also displaying technical ability to give St Johnstone a real driving force while others struggled around him.

In a season that Craig Levein's side had to wait until the final day to secure safety, no player in the Scottish Premiership made more tackles than Phillips.

On top of that impressive stat, only Ross County's Ryan Leak made more interceptions. The Trinidad and Tobago international also conceded the most fouls in the league, showing he's not shy of getting stuck in.

With Phillips' bite out the team, where do St Johnstone look now?

It will likely be one of the biggest question Levein looks to answer in this transfer window. Adama Sidibeh turned out to be a shrewd signing for the English non-league wilderness and may embolden the veteran manager to dip into that market again.

While not the same profile of midfielder, Sven Sprangler impressed in spells for Saints, though struggled with injury towards the end of the season.

Keeping the Austrian fit next term could soften the inevitable blow of losing a player of Phillips' quality.

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Callum Booth - part of St Johnstone's momentous double cup success in 2021 - will depart the club with "amazing memories" when his contract expires at the end of the month.

The defender, 32, made 79 appearances and scored one goal in a near five-year year spell in Perth.

Booth spent the second half of last season on loan at Spartans and his Saints career was disrupted by injuries.

However, he played every minute of the League Cup and Scottish Cup final wins over Livingston and Hibs in 2021 - and admits he still struggles to comprehend the enormity of the team's glory double.

“We had a good team, don’t get me wrong,” said Booth. “But even now you think, ‘How did we manage to do that?’

“Everything just seemed to click into place those last few months. So many players better than me have played in Scotland for years and not one a cup, never mind two.

"It was such an amazing achievement that will be remembered for years to come – and rightly so.”

Booth added: “My appearances probably don’t reflect the time I was at the club. I had a few unhappier times being injured and that part of it was not great, but it was still amazing times for me.

“I have some really amazing memories. Probably the best I’ve ever had in football – without doubt winning the two cups and the European games. I was actually watching the Galatasaray highlights with my little boy the other day.”

Adam Webb’s takeover of St Johnstone should finally get the green light early next month after the English Football League gave its consent to the buy-out as a result of him holding a 10% stake in Cambridge United. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Friday's gossip.

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St Johnstone midfielder Connor Smith has been linked with a return to Hamilton Academical. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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St Johnstone midfielder Matt Smith says avoiding relegation on the final day of the Premiership season was "one of the best days" of his career to date.

Smith started the must-win game against Motherwell and credited the spirit Craig Levein's side showed in their 2-1 win.

"One of the best days in my football career," he said, when asked to sum up the final game of the campaign. "It's been a rollercoaster of a season. It's a credit to the staff and the lads.

"Relegation is something that changes livelihoods, and that's something I looked at. I know how it can affect people.

"It was about digging in. We put in a massive shift, and it was a fantastic performance and a fantastic day for the club and the city.

"It's been tough, but we never gave up - we kept fighting."