St Johnstone

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Thomas Duncan, BBC Sport Scotland

There is plenty of evidence St Johnstone are playing more with the ball this season than in recent campaigns, but regardless of a more slick approach they have now lost four games in a row.

Their first-half spell was tidy but lacked punch with pacy striker Adama Sidibe a big miss amid his four-match ban.

Craig Levein's side mustered just one shot on target - Nicky Clark's shot from distance in the first couple of minutes - and registered a pitiful expected goals rating of just 0.16.

After conceding from a set piece, as they did twice against Motherwell last week, they slipped out of the match all too easily.

Benjamin Kimpioka's sending off will only compound their issues in attack as he will now also be banned, and discipline is clearly an issue as it is the third game in a row they have been reduced to 10 men in the closing stages of matches.

Levein and first-team coach Andy Kirk have much to consider as a bright start to the campaign threatens to unravel due to persistent problems.

St Johnstone's Craig Levein is without centre-back Jack Sanders due to suspension, so it could be that Aaron Essel drops back into defence at Easter Road.

Cammy MacPherson makes way as fellow midfielders Sven Sprangler and Jason Holt come into the XI.

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Hibs forward Kieron Bowie is facing a minimum of four months out with a hamstring injury he suffered while playing for Scotland Under-21s, but new striker Dwight Gayle could be involved and Elie Youan and Junior Hoilett are back in contention.

Lewis Miller is expected to be fit after a minor knee issue, but Jake Doyle-Hayes is still working his way back to full fitness.

St Johnstone pair Adama Sidibeh and Jack Sanders are suspended. Fran Franczak has picked up an ankle injury and is set to miss out, while Uche Ikpeazu (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) are still absent.

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Craig Levein is prioritising the signing of a centre-back as he looks to bolster the St Johnstone squad with free agents.

Sam McClelland is out with a long-term Achilles injury and fellow central defender Jack Sanders is suspended for Saturday's game at Hibs.

Charles Dunne, who Stephen Robinson has confirmed is training with St Mirren after leaving the Paisley club this summer, has been mooted for a move to Perth.

"He's one of a number of centre-backs who is still on the market," Saints boss Levein said.

"We're looking at a number of different things at the moment. With Sam McClelland being out for most of the season it's a little bit of a blow for us.

"I feel that we're quite low and quite bare in that position so we still need to strengthen there.

"Sam's just doing his recovery at the moment and the operation went well. It's a matter of it being a long slog. Hopefully he comes back stronger."

Levein says it was time to give Ross Sinclair a "reward" for his improvement in training following elbow surgery by restoring him to the first team at the expense of Jose Rae for the defeat by Motherwell before the international break.

"Josh has had the jersey from probably halfway through pre-season," Levein added.

"He's made a few errors and I just felt that Ross had been training well. I just thought we needed a change.

"Ross has been out for an awfully long time with his elbow injury and he's gradually been improving during training and it was time to give him a reward for that improvement."

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Craig Levein has been speaking to the media before St Johnstone face Hibs in the Premiership this weekend.

Here are the key lines from the St Johnstone boss:

• Although the transfer window has closed, he would like to bring in another one or two players who are free agents.

• On being linked with defender Charles Dunne, who is back training with former club St Mirren, Levein says: "He's one of a number of centre-backs who is still on the market, we're looking at a number of different things."

• The Saints boss is looking forward to domestic football resuming because he didn't "like going into the international break on the back of a defeat".

• On goalkeeper Josh Rae being dropped for Ross Sinclair in the loss to Motherwell last time out, Levein says Rae has "made a few errors" and "we needed a change".

• Levein is braced for a tough test at Easter Road and says "it's a challenge when you're playing teams who have a lot more resources".

• He adds: "The lads are in good form, some of the results haven't reflected our performances and I'm hoping we can get back to getting the just rewards for our good play."

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St Johnstone defender Oludare Olufunwa and midfielder Connor Smith have joined Hamilton on loan.

Olufunwa, 23, joined Saints from Liverpool a year ago and made 11 appearances last season, but has not featured this term.

He moves to Accies until January, while Smith will spend the rest of the season with the Championship club.

The 24-year-old left Hearts to sign for Craig Levein's side in January and has featured 13 times, including two League Cup outings this term.

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• Hibs won their most recent Scottish Premiership meeting with St Johnstone in April last season (3-1) but haven't won back-to-back top-flight matches against the Perth side since July 2022.

• St Johnstone have won two of their last three away games against Hibs in the Scottish Premiership (L1), more victories than they managed across their prior six such meetings.

• Hibs have drawn their last two league games despite leading in both; indeed, no side has dropped more points from winning positions in the Scottish Premiership this season than Hibs (four, level with Dundee United).

• Each of St Johnstone's last five league wins have come away from home, including their only victory this term (3-0 v Kilmarnock).

• Hibs have accumulated just 3.01 xG this season in the Scottish Premiership – the lowest figure of any team.

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St Johnstone youngster Alex Ferguson has departed for another loan spell, this time with League 2 Stirling Albion until January.

The 21-year-old midfielder spent las season with Queen of the South and has also had stints at Edinburgh City, Cowdenbeath and East Fife.

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Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum admits Matthew MacDermid did not display "good body language" in the lead-up to Cyriel Dessers' goal in Rangers' recent 2-0 win over St Johnstone.

But he believes the goal was correctly awarded after a VAR intervention in the League Cup tie, while Kilmarnock were also rightly denied a penalty in Saints' 3-0 Premiership win at Rugby Park.

The incidents are among eight controversial moments analysed in The VAR Review, a new monthly show on the Scottish FA's YouTube channel, with Collum saying he was "content with the start we've made".

However, he concluded that Celtic should have been awarded a penalty in their 4-0 win over Kilmarnock, while Dundee United ought to have had a spot-kick for hand ball in their 2-2 draw with Dundee - both on the opening weekend.

Kilmarnock 0-3 St Johnstone - 11 August

Kilmarnock thought they should have a penalty when Danny Armstrong went down under a challenge from Andre Raymond.

Referee Chris Graham booked the home winger for simulation, but VAR decided that his heel had been clipped, but it was outside the penalty box.

"This is a wrong decision on-field," Collum said. "It is a foul, it is a trip and, when the VAR sees it's outside the box, it's impossible for the VAR to become involved.

"It is a quirk. Had it been a yard further, VAR could have become involved and the decision overturned and a penalty given. It is impossible for us to fix it through VAR."

Rangers 2-0 St Johnstone - 17 August

Dessers' goal was controversial at the time, with St Johnstone players and manager Craig Levein claiming their defenders had been distracted by referee MacDermid signalling for a free-kick in their favour.

"Here, the referee probably doesn't display good body language," Collum admitted. "His body language when the challenge is made is edging towards a free-kick.

"But he correctly delays the whistle, he correctly communicates so the VAR is aware of what he intends doing if a goal is scored and, when the ball hits the net, he then blows his whistle for what he deems to be a defensive free-kick.

"VAR checks and realises the Rangers player hasn't committed a foul and they therefore recommend an on-field review.

"Apart from the body language, the correct process was followed and ultimately the correct decision was reached."

Collum also pointed out that the audio recording disproved claims that the referee had blown his whistle before the goal was scored.

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"A club has an obligation to its own supporters to satisfy them and to make them feel like they are the most important people at the club."

No, that's not a profound proclamation along the lines of Jock Stein's, "football without the fans is nothing", but rather Michael Grant's assessment of St Johnstone's decision to cut the away allocation for Celtic and Rangers.

The Times' Scottish football correspondent admitted he can understand the frustration from Old Firm fans, but praised the Perth club for acting on the "scunnered support's" boycotting of their Scottish Cup tie against Rangers last season.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, Grant said: "St Johnstone has an obligation to its own supporters, as they, like all clubs, really resent an invasion of 4000-5000 Rangers and Celtic fans completely occupying their stadium.

"That Scottish Cup game, I mean it was a Rangers' home game on tour kind of thing, wasn't it?

"St Johnstone fans were so scunnered that they boycotted the game and I think it was only a few hundred Saints fans went, so the club is mindful of that.

"St Johnstone is one of the grounds where the home support can get swamped by Rangers and Celtic fans visiting.

"It doesn't happen in Edinburgh or Aberdeen, while St Mirren have now put them in one stand, but St Johnstone and one or two other grounds can still feel completely overwhelmed."

You can listen and subscribe to the Scottish Football Podcast here

St Johnstone manager Craig Levein has confirmed the Perth club’s interest in centre-half Charles Dunne, the 31-year-old who left St Mirren this summer. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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St Johnstone have announced they will cut the away ticket allocations for Celtic and Rangers at McDiarmid Park.

In a letter to fans, new Saints owner and chairman Adam Webb explained the decision and claimed it was part of his "commitment to making McDiarmid Park a true fortress."

"Historically, we have sometimes allocated the East Stand to visiting supporters and moved supporters to the Geoff Brown Stand," Webb wrote. "We have also allotted more seats than necessary in the Geoff Brown Stand to opposing fans.

"Under our new policies, to be announced later this week, opposing fans will be limited to the Ormond and North stands and one section of the Geoff Brown Stand which is legally required to accommodate disabled seating."

American businessman Webb, who took over from long-term owner Geoff Brown in the summer, also asked fans to "turn out in force" if the initiative is to be successful.

Hearts and Hibs, as well as St Mirren, have all taken a similar approach in recent times, with Hibs claiming the move was down to "abhorrent behaviour and chanting."

St Johnstone will host Celtic on Saturday, 28 September in a 17:45 kick-off, while Rangers don't visit Perth until 1 December.

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After four matches, it's still very early to be making definitive assessments of sides in the Premiership.

However, after a few seasons of struggling to find the net and going quite direct there are signs Saints are more of a threat this season as they look to keep the ball more and work it forward.

Craig Levein's side have averaged 55% of possession so far, which ranks fourth in the top flight, while only four teams have played a lower percentage of long passes and a higher rate of short ones.

Only Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, and Hearts have had more 10-pass sequences as well.

Hanging on to the ball has yielded decent results in attack too, with Saints scoring five goals so far and strikers Adama Sidibeh and Benjamin Kimpioka ranking highly for attacking stats.

Both are in the top 10 for shots taken so far and only Lawrence Shankland has more touches in the opposition box than Kimpioka (31).

The Swedish striker is also the most fouled player in the Premiership as a result of his seven completed dribbles, the third most of any player.

Results have not been perfect so far and there is room for improvement, but there have been glimpses of Levein and coach Andy Kirk getting more from their team with the ball than they did last season.

Trinidad and Tobago full-back Andre Raymond says he has grown mentally and tactically since joining St Johnstone this summer, but the 23-year-old admits the downside to life in Scotland is the weather. (The Courier), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

BBC Sport Scotland chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your questions.

Jackie asked: Would you consider Craig Levein as doing a better job of managing St Johnstone than previous managers Steven McLean and Callum Davidson and do you see us as favourites for relegation this season?

Tom answered: Hi Jackie, nobody in the history of the club has done a better job than Callum Davidson. The double cup win was the greatest single-season domestic achievement of all time in Scottish football, in my opinion.

I know things went pear-shaped after that, but St Johnstone fans will talk about Davidson 100 years from now.

I was a touch surprised that Craig stayed on at St Johnstone this season. He didn't look like he was enjoying it last season. The football was grim, the fans were not happy and the whole thing looked stressed.

But he's back and he has another battle on his hands. He's a glutton for punishment, the big fella. I wouldn’t make you favourites for relegation - that’s Ross County - but I can see you finishing 11th again and surviving, again, through the play-offs.

Managing 35-year-old St Johnstone midfielder Graham Carey's game time will be a balancing act, says manager Craig Levein. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

Get your questions ready.

Tom English, BBC Sport Scotland's chief sportswriter, is in the hotseat and ready to offer his insight and opinion on your club.

Four games into the Premiership campaign, what would you like to ask?

Put your questions to our man here, external.

Fran Smith hopes his experience since being an international-class hurdler can help him overcome the obstacles in front of St Johnstone after he was appointed the Scottish Premiership club's new chief executive. (The Herald), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Sam Miller
Fan writer

A rare occasion where the international break has come at a good time.

Saturday's defeat against Motherwell was summed up perfectly with the viral reaction of a Saints fan after the visitors' 94th-minute winner. Frustration.

At this stage of the campaign, I shouldn't be delighted to see other teams struggling but it's given me some Heart that we aren't alone and it is once again a tricky and competitive league.

We had an urgent need for a goalkeeper and a centre-back to be brought in before the deadline, but neither materialised.

So it could be a grim September unless Craig Levein can raid the free transfer market and pull more rabbits out of hats.

Thankfully this two-week window will allow him to work his magic.

Sam Miller can be found at The Dogger Saints Podcast, external

Watch highlights as Motherwell earn a dramatic late win against St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership.

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