St Mirren

Andrew Christie
Fan writer

At its best, football is a fine wine. At its worst, it's the gin I made in my bath that one Christmas that "ruined the holidays for everyone".

Games have started to drift towards the latter in the past month of St Mirren. Inclement Scottish winter, an excess of tactically similar neutralising teams and an outbreak of main character syndrome among the country's officials have contributed to a series of dour spectacles.

The 0-0 draw with Ross County, the 2-0 defeat to Dundee United, and most recently Saturday's 1-0 loss to Motherwell – these aren't just results, they're a diagnostic report on our current footballing malaise.

Take the weekend's defeat to Motherwell; Tony Watt's 94th-minute headed winner a vindictive full stop on a grammatical error of a football match.

The game was turgid and attritional. It was bad. Made worse by referee Dan McFarlane switching between overly officious prefect and a bird that thinks it is night when you put a sheet over its cage.

As the Motherwell celebrations filled the SMISA, one fundamental truth became inescapable: good teams find ways to win these games. Sometimes football is about industrial persistence, about being more streetwise than your opponent, about understanding that beauty is occasionally found in pure, unadulterated pragmatism.

Right now, St Mirren are drinking 15% hazy craft IPAs out of a cracked Tennent's glass. We're overthinking when we should be overwhelming, analysing when we should be action taking. Games like these are so often won in moments of stubborn determination.

Motherwell knew this. They played a canny game, understanding precisely what was required. They were trying to win a football match with the tools available to them - however blunt they may be. And win it they did.

For St Mirren, the message is clear: it's time to get ugly. Not metaphorically - literally. We need to develop a tactical personality that can turn these cold, grey, sodden Scottish afternoons into points on the board. Less philosophy, more function. Less contemplation, more confrontation.

No points for style. In football, only the result matters.

Andrew Christie can be found at Misery Hunters, external

Watch highlights of St Mirren's 1-0 defeat against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership. (UK only)

We asked for your views on St Mirren's 1-0 defeat against Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

Eddie: Too many players not performing. Confidence seems low. Players don't have the confidence to try something different. Manager needs to give some of our youngsters a chance.

Craig: St Mirren should be walking away with three points, the only team who tried to play football. Seen some awful football from away sides at our ground over the course of the season so far, but Motherwell have to be the worst side I've seen in terms of attractive football. The ball was played in the air for most of the match from them. I'm very disappointed in the Saints.

James: St Mirren were blunt up front despite looking the better team. They currently create very few actual chances and, unless that changes, they will always be open to losing games by conceding a late goal. They need to look for another striker in January to complement Toyosi Olusanya.

Ian: Poor yet again from St Mirren. Couldn't manage to see the game out. Needless foul to give away and now a man down for the next game. Sorry but I can't see any wins coming in the next few games. We are on the slide, hard times ahead.

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• Motherwell have a record of W5, D0, L0 when scoring the opening goal in the Premiership this season.

• St Mirren have failed to score in six of their 16 games, only Ross County (eight) have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.

• Lennon Miller has assisted five goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other Motherwell player.

• St Mirren have a record of W1, D0, L6 when conceding the opening goal in the Premiership this season.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "I thought it was a poor game, there wasn't a lot of quality on show because the weather made it difficult to play any kind of football.

"We had the better chances but we didn't take them and you're always open to losing a goal.

"The disappointing thing is we didn't have enough people leading the last minute to make sure we didn't concede a goal.

"We showed a lack of quality and composure, I thought we were the better team on the day but if you don't take your chances, be as creative as you should be, that's a few weeks now where we haven't had that end product.

"We have to have leaders, we have to have people to stand up in those moments.

"We'll try and recruit in January to get a little bit more invention into the team in forward areas for competition.

"Ultimately we lose the game on a free-kick, you have to do the basics right and we didn't do that in the last minute of the game."

The striker netted his first of the season when he turned in Lennon Miller's free-kick.

Alex Gogic picked up a second yellow card and was sent off just before the winning goal for Stuart Kettlewell's side.

They now move to within two points of Dundee United and two ahead of Dundee in sixth.

St Mirren missed the chance to break into the top six and drop a point behind Tony Docherty's men.

Saints fans, were you at the game or following the action from home? Have your say on the match., external

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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St Mirren looked like the better side for the most part in Paisley but just lacked any sort of edge in front of goal.

Conor McMenamin looked a threat and second-half substitutes Mikael Mandron and Roland Idowu also appeared to make a difference when they came on.

Breaking into the top six wasn't to be for Stephen Robinson's side but they're just one point behind Dundee in sixth, and three clear of Ross County in eighth.

They will now prepare for a trip to St Johnstone next weekend to try and crack the top half again.

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If not for Tony Watt, Motherwell looked like they were heading for a fourth game without a win. His striker's instincts were evident when he smashed his header into the back of the St Mirren goal.

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St Mirren's Charles Dunne will get scans on a hamstring complaint but fellow defender Alex Iacovitti has trained for two weeks after recovering from a hamstring injury and might be involved.

Stephen O'Donnell is close to a Motherwell return after hamstring trouble but might have to wait another week while Sam Nicholson will be gradually reintroduced after recovering from a knee injury.

Tom Sparrow (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh), Callum Slattery (knee), Jack Vale (calf) and Zach Robinson (Achilles) remain out.

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St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson says "common sense prevailed" after Marcus Fraser's red card in the 2-0 loss at Dundee United last weekend was overturned by a fast-track tribunal.

Defender Fraser - who is now available to face Motherwell on Saturday - was given a yellow card after clashing with Louis Moult inside the box before it was changed to red when referee Matthew MacDermid checked the video replay.

St Mirren's subsequent appeal was upheld, and Robinson said: "Common sense prevailed, so credit to the review panel.

"There's a transparency now. Willie [Collum, head of referee operations at the Scottish FA] is open to speaking about it.

"The club spoke to him and obviously we had a meeting, which Brian Kerr [assistant manager] attended. And everyone's trying to make things better, everybody's trying to improve things.

"Everyone's trying to make the whole situation better, VAR, refereeing and the standard of football, everybody's trying to do the same.

"Human beings make mistakes and VAR is there to correct those decisions when they do.

"It didn't on that occasion. It has done on plenty of occasions. If I use the Alex Gogic example against Aberdeen [red downgraded to yellow on the pitch], it worked very well, so not everything's really poor about it."

Motherwell have suffered three defeats in a row, but Stuart Kettlewell's side still remain one point ahead of St Mirren in the Premiership table.

"Everyone has a little [poor] spell and we had our spell. They've got a good squad, they've got a good manager," added Robinson.

"It'll be a tough game. There's not a lot between the two teams in any of the games that have been played."

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• St Mirren have only won one of their last nine home games against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership (D4 L4), a 1-0 victory in January 2023.

• After their 2-1 win in September, Motherwell are looking to earn back-to-back Scottish Premiership victories over St Mirren for only the third time since the Buddies' returned to the division in 2018, having previously done so in December 2019 and July 2022.

• St Mirren have won four of their eight home league games this season (D2 L2), more than their final 11 such matches of 2023-24 (W3 D2 L6).

• Since a goalless draw with Ross County in their opening match this season, none of Motherwell's last 13 league games have ended level (W6 L7). They've lost their last three in a row, last losing four consecutively in October 2023.

• Motherwell's Lennon Miller has created more chances from set play than any other player in the Scottish Premiership this season (18), with all four of his assists also coming via set pieces.

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

Before launching into a bitter, emotional tirade about the integrity of decision-making in Scottish football and VAR as a philosophical concept, I think it's best that I'm up front about Saturday's result at Tannadice.

Like many Jim Goodwin-led performances before this one, the home side did enough to keep the three points in Dundee. Outstanding performances from Declan Gallagher, Kevin Holt and Will Ferry (among others) restricted the Saints to not much at all, and for the third time this season the United attack compounded that clean sheet with enough to secure the win.

The more colourful end of Tannadice St has much to be proud of this season. In a tight middle section of the Scottish Premiership, they are inarguably the standard setter as we enter December and there is no point in arguing with any of that. In many ways, they have picked up the Saints' mantle from last season and ran with that level of hard-fought consistency. The up and down nature of the Buddies' early season form has left that spot up for grabs, and Jim Goodwin's promoted side have mercilessly snatched it.

Saturday, however, could all have been so different. Fresh from setting Toyosi Olusanya free on the Aberdeen defence from about eighty yards away last week, Ellery Balcombe claimed an early United corner at full-stretch and once more sent the Buddies charging towards the far end of the pitch. What wasn't accounted for on this occasion was the on-rushing Jack Walton, sprinting from his goal and clearing out Olusanya at reasonable height.

I'm not saying Walton's challenge was the worst tackle you'll have seen this weekend, far from it, but I'd assume the taps on the home dressing room bath were already running and Walton's preferred rubber duck lifted off the shelf by the time Matthew MacDermid showed yellow.

This decision alone, denying the Saints a man advantage and disrupted opposition back line, would have been enough to fill the Saints forums and Facebook with misery - regardless of result and further upset. However, they needn't have worried for more material by the time the long journey home had begun.

Marcus Fraser might have thought penalty number one was harsh, and he may have had a point, but it is what it is. Where the real fury has simmered and boiled over into an appeal to the SFA is with penalty number two and subsequent red card.

MacDermid and VAR room aside, I don't know that many watching have concurred with the double whammy dished out to Fraser in the closing stages. A bit of mutual wrestling and admittedly poor defending somehow morphed into a straight red. If anyone else knows of a penalty given where a forward has only let go of his opponent's collar in order to fall over, please do write in and let me know.

Some Saints fans have taken all of the above (plus an unawarded penalty of our own) and leaned hard into the realms of conspiracy.

So, there we have it. Dundee United have a well-earned victory to enjoy and the Saints faithful have a full week of righteous anger to keep them busy. And, in a way, that feels like a balanced world. I'm sure all roles will be reversed before too long, such is Scottish football.

Mark Jardine can be found on the Misery Hunters podcast., external

Image source, SNS

St Mirren will travel to face League One side Queen of the South in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

The tie will take place on the weekend of 18/19 January.

We asked for your views on St Mirren's defeat at Dundee United.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Jim: If you can't challenge for the ball in your own box, and it was a 50/50 challenge, then football as we remember it has gone. Two very dubious decisions have spoiled a very even game. Both sides lacked the killer blow and a well deserved draw would have been just about right. A lack of striking power must be a concern for the Saints staff.

Douglas: Well... was at Tannadice and I thought I had seen bad refereeing before but that has to be the lowest of the low and in the VAR studio just as bad. Jack Walton had to be sent off and the penalties awarded were not penalty kicks. Marcus Fraser's red card, never. Wasn't even a booking.

Ian: Frankly, very poor officiating and not a good advert for VAR. TV evidence confirms this opinion. A goalkeeper who should have been sent off and two very dubious penalties. St Mirren could be careless at times but deserved something from the game. The scoreline flattered United.

Image source, SNS

• Dundee United have scored in each of their last five games in the Premiership, scoring eight goals in that run.

• St Mirren have failed to score in five of their 15 games, only Ross County (eight) have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.

• Dundee United have kept a clean sheet in five of their 14 games, only Rangers (six) and Celtic (10) have done this more often in the Premiership this season.

• Dundee United have scored in their last five games in the Premiership, their longest scoring streak this season.

Kevin Holt scored a penalty opener - awarded after VAR intervention - then missed from the spot before Emmanuel Adegboyega poked in a second for Jim Goodwin's side in injury time.

Have your say on the game here., external

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: “We've won games and got points when we've played a lot worse than that, let's put it like that. There were very good aspects of our play, but credit to Dundee United, you know, they defended when they needed to defend, they defended their box brilliantly well, I have to say. I thought Declan Gallagher was outstanding.

“We didn't have the quality we have had in recent weeks in the final third, for the bits that we can control, but the game changes on decisions as well. But we have to take chances and we have to be better with our creativity in the final third as well.

“Sometimes that happens. There was a lot of good stuff to like about it. When you win, everything isn't brilliant, when you lose, everything isn't woeful and you need throw everything out.

“There were a lot of good points, a lot of good performances. As I said, I think our end pass, our final decision was what it has been in recent weeks and that's the bits that we can control.

“We can't control two VAR reviews in the first half that go against us, and a VAR in the second half that goes for Dundee United. We can't control that. We can only control the bits that we work on and those bits that can be improved.

On Marcus Fraser’s red card, he adds:

“That's, yeah, I don't agree with that decision. I've seen that footage back. If that's a red card, then we're all in trouble for the game because there's minimal contact. It was debatable whether it was even a penalty.

“I think Dundee United didn't feel it was a penalty either. So to have a red card and now lose a player because of it, it's a hard one to take. But as I say, we're not in control of that. We're not in control of the referee's decisions or VAR decisions more to the point. We can control our final third decisions. We have to be a little bit more ruthless in that final third and that's the things we'll keep working on.”