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Sportscene pundits Niall McGinn and Cammy Bell assess St Johnstone's opportunities in the 2-0 defeat against Rangers.
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Former St Johnstone manager Owen Coyle has backed his old Motherwell teammate Simo Valakari to "elevate the club" following his appointment in Perth. (The Courier - subscription required, external)
Sam Miller
Fan writer
Optimism. An emotion that hasn't seen the light of day in Saints fans since we were all wearing face masks and deciding what family members you wanted to spend Christmas with.
But optimism is absolutely oozing from a particular 80s rockstar throwback from Finland and it is spreading.
Simo Valakari is saying all the right things and is a breath of fresh air.
With the new owners suggesting "just staying up" isn't the standard that should be set, it really is unchartered territory for us fans and something to relish going forward.
I think Simo will be brilliant for Scottish football in general.
With the "Sacked in the morning" headlines now in the past, I hope we don't see "He's Finnish? He's only 51!" any time soon.
Image source, SNSSimo Valakari is St Johnstone's fifth manager in four-and-a-half years
Simo Valakari will "be a breath of fresh air" for St Johnstone, says goalkeeper Ross Sinclair.
The 23-year-old is relishing the international break as a chance to reset and work with the new manager.
Having been appointed as Craig Levein's successor last week, work permit issues meant Valakari watched Saints' 2-0 defeat against Rangers from the directors' box at Ibrox as Alec Cleland and Andy Kirk continued in the dugout.
"Really good, really excited,” said Sinclair.
"I've only been introduced to him so I don't know much about him, but I've seen stuff online and he really looks like he's got a positive vibe and really positive to be fair. That's what we need and can't wait to work with him.
"I think the international break comes at a good time because it does give the boys, who are not away, obviously, that time to work on the training pitch with the gaffer as soon as he comes in.
"I'm sure he'll be a breath of fresh air for us.
"We played better on Sunday, obviously the score wasn't great, but we played better.
"We have to use it [as a reset] because there's a long season and we need to start putting results together before Christmas."
St Johnstone fans, we asked for your thoughts following Sunday's defeat to Rangers.
Here's what some of you had to say:
Laurie: No matter how well we play, we're not going to get good results with this back line. Bringing in some experienced free agents is an absolute must for Simo Valakari.
Gordon: Our new boss Valakari has work to do. He has a blank canvas which is not in the worst shape. He also has some quality paint and some third-rate paint. He needs to get the good stuff on the canvas and the rubbish in the bin. It doesn't have to be the Mona Lisa but it has to be better than what hangs on the wall right now.
Image source, SNSRangers have won their last three games in the Premiership, their last longer winning streak was from 2 January 2024 to 28 February 2024, a run of nine games.
St. Johnstone have failed to win in their last six games in the Premiership, their last longer winless streak was from 5 August 2023 to 28 October 2023, a run of nine games.
Rangers have kept a clean sheet in five of their seven games, only Celtic (six) have done this more often in the Premiership this season.
St. Johnstone have failed to score in four of their eight games, more often than any other team in the Premiership this season.
Rangers have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three games in the Premiership, their last longer run of games without conceding a goal in the competition was a run of six games from 1 December 2021 to 26 December 2021.
Watch highlights as Rangers beat St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership.
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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.
Were you at the game or see it on television? Either way, give us your thoughts here., external
Image source, SNSInterim 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."
Image source, SNSSt Johnstone striker Nicky Clark (right) was always a threat against his former club and thought he had pulled a goal back in the 2-0 defeat by Rangers only to have his fine strike ruled out for marginal offside.
Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSSt Johnstone striker Nicky Clark (right) was left disappointed
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.
Image source, SNSRangers 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
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.
Image source, SNSFormer 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."
Celtic & Rangers Euro defeats 'a taste of their own medicine'
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.
Listen and subscribe to the Scottish Football Podcast on BBC Sounds
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
Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSSimo Valakari has signed a contract until 2027 in Perth
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."
