St Mirren

Image source, SNS

Stephen Robinson is confident St Mirren's results "will turn if the performance levels" are maintained as they prepare to host Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts on Wednesday.

The Buddies manager was left frustrated after the 3-1 defeat away to Dundee United at the weekend, when defender Alex Gogic was sent off for a late tackle on Nikolaj Moller to concede a converted penalty.

It was a third successive defeat following losses to Aberdeen and Kilmarnock and leaves the Paisley side, who finished sixth last season, ninth in the table, 16 points behind Hearts.

"I hate losing football matches, but I never use excuses," Robinson told St Mirren's official X account. "Even with the officials' decisions, it was still in our own hands.

"We can't rely on the officials, which has been shown in the last three-and-a-half years, but we have to be better at that end product, that final action.

"We are just not hitting the target often enough, even though we are getting in brilliant areas - our build-up play is excellent.

"Results usually come when the performances are there. If the performance levels maintain then it will turn, 100%.

"We have another tough game on Wednesday night, but I am confident in this group of players that it will.

"We need to go again. They [the players] are doing everything in their power to win games. They are outworking teams and it is just not going our way at the moment."

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

Since mankind first rubbed sticks together and discovered video-assisted refereeing, furious criticism has raged through social media, pub conversation and weekly fitba columns alike.

For a change, I'm not going to yell into that particular abyss.

I appreciate that a late red card and penalty review generates debate and disbelief, as does a marginal handball call on the edge of the penalty area.

However, I think, in the cold light of day (multiple replays on X, iPlayer and elsewhere), it is now essential to accept Alex Gogic was out of control in his challenge on Nikolaj Moller and complaints to the contrary have very limited grounds.

The Cypriot stalwart is not some maniacal hatchet-man, hell-bent on disrupting both opponents' possession and their shinguards. There is no element of his challenge on Saturday that suggests such behaviour. Clumsy, yes. Dangerous, I believe so. But deliberate? Not even close.

If sticking your foot into open space results in 14 high-definition angles of your studs coming down upon an opponent's standing leg, well, you'll be needing the Lincoln Lawyer to find a route to innocence.

The Shamal George handball incident, leading to United's free-kick equaliser, is a more bitter pill to swallow. However, I think this discomfort comes down to poor process and inconclusivity as opposed to some unfathomable refereeing error.

From angles available post-incident, it would appear the ball is at least partially on the 18-yard line when George lays gloved hands upon pleather.

It is perfectly reasonable to argue the Wycombe loanee has his hands outside of the box in order to make this contact, or that he initially makes said contact marginally before ball is over line.

However, I don't see how you make either of those cases with such a degree of certainty that it should prove decisive in key match incidents.

As, by the nature of the incident, a penalty is not an awardable outcome, a red card would require to be shown in order for VAR to become involved.

Again, as this is not the recommended punishment for such an incident, no such outcome is awardable. The on-field decision must stand. Questioning quite how that decision was made definitively is perhaps a more reasonable path to follow.

This leaves us with George booked and United lining up a direct shot on goal from as close to 18 yards away as you can get and still claim that a foul happened outside of the box.

The Saints keeper should perhaps start from a wider position and give himself the chance to stop Zac Sapsford's excellent strike, but the overwhelming feeling is the situation need never have arisen.

So, there you have it. A raging Saints fan arguing in defence of a painful VAR outcome and also wondering if a little bit more VAR might have been sensible. This is what I have become.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

Watch Sportscene analysis of St Mirren's recent poor form and the prospect of missing Alex Gogic for upcoming games.

Watch highlights as Dundee United win 3-1 against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on St Mirren's 3-1 defeat against Dundee United.

Here's what some of you said:

William: Simply not good enough. Can talk about shots on target but the reality is that our strikers are just not good enough, the manager should have done something about that in the summer but he failed to do so. We are where we are for that reason.

Alan: Once again we have so much of the ball but again fail to take advantage of the situation. But also again just like last week, VAR interferes and comes up with wrong decisions. This has to end as we are getting done over too many times.

William: How could VAR not see that Shamal George picked up on the line, it is not a free kick! This wrong decision changed the game. As for the red card, it was exceptionally harsh. The boss commented on the number of shots at goal and it's obvious we need to do a lot better. This game should have been won and we'd be sitting third top and not third bottom.

Kevin: Dominated most of the game but lack of clinical finishing in front of goal is costing us. VAR intervention for the second week in a row re-refereeing the match is killing the game. What happened to the criteria of clear and obvious errors?

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson tells BBC Sportsound: "It's a real disappointment. We dominate large parts of the game with 25 shots with [ three ] on target, which has been a common theme for us, unfortunately.

"Decisions change the game, rightly or wrongly. I've seen footage of the first one [when Shamal George was penalised for picking up outside his box], and it's clearly on the line when he picks it up, so it's not a free-kick.

"I haven't seen an angle from behind the goal for the [Dundee United] penalty, but the decisions change the complexion of the game. The parts we can control are that we have 25 shots away from home, 13 corners, play incredibly well, and we only hit the target three times.

"That's onus, that's on me, that's on the players, we have to be better and we'll do our best to change that."

Image source, SNS

It was quit the dramatic finish at Tannadice as Dundee United left it late against 10-man St Mirren, but what did you think?

Match report can be read here.

Have your say on the match here.

Image source, SNS

Dundee United remain without Ross Graham and Max Watters (both hamstring) while Owen Stirton is working his way back from an ankle problem. Isaac Pappoe (knee) is a long-term absentee.

St Mirren are without the suspended Jayden Richardson while strikers Jonah Ayunga and Mikael Mandron are both struggling with knee problems.

Image source, SNS

St Mirren striker Dan Nlundulu is hoping to use his time in Paisley to launch himself back into the English Premier League.

The 26-year-old, who joined Stephen Robinson's side from Bolton on deadline day, made 13 appearances off the bench for Southampton during their 2021-22 season in the top flight.

Nlundulu was given his first St Mirren start in their 1-0 defeat against Aberdeen last weekend and could be in line for another in Saturday's game at Dundee United with Mikael Mandron and Jonah Ayunga both struggling with injuries.

"The gaffer's standards are really high," he said.

"The way he coaches me personally I find it really beneficial so I'm feeling really positive about this season and what I can do and what he can bring out of me.

"It's a very good league with some big teams in it so it's a good opportunity for me to get my name back out there, score some goals and see what happens.

"My time at Southampton is a long time ago but it was a great experience. I owe them everything for who I am today really because I was there for 13 years. It's the best time of my life.

"One day I'd like to go back to that level, so it starts here. If I keep the standards up, listen to the manager, the information that I'm given, and hopefully through my potential I go back to that kind of level."

Assistant manager Brian Kerr backed Nlundulu to step up if Ayunga and Mandron do not make the Tannadice clash.

"Both are touch and go," Kerr said. "Dan wants to be playing and if he's given the responsibility, he'll need to step up and be counted.

"Dan's just getting up to a stage with fitness and we know he's a wee bit behind with a lack of games. The more games Dan plays, the more everybody will see what he really has to offer.

"We know we've got a really excellent player there who previously has been signed for a lot of money, who has been at Bolton and a top league down south and a top side.

"So we know we've got a player with real assets. We just want to get the best out of him and being on the pitch over the next few weeks I'm sure we'll get the best out of Dan."

Image source, SNS

• St Mirren (60% - 3/5) and Dundee United (43% - 6/14) are the top two sides for percentage of their Scottish Premiership goals this season coming from set-pieces (excluding penalties).

• St Mirren have lost their past two league games – as many as their previous 15 beforehand (W6 D7) – but haven't lost more in a row since January last season (4).

• While only Hearts (19) have scored more Premiership goals this season than Dundee United (14), only Livingston (18) and Falkirk (14) have conceded more than Jim Goodwin's side (13).

• St Mirren have won four and lost just one of their past six Premiership visits to Tannadice (D1), with their only defeat coming in November 2024 (2-0).

• After winning their first three league meetings with St Mirren last season all without conceding, Dundee United lost their latest against the Buddies 2-0 in May.

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

I'm a somewhat philosophical fitba fan, I try not to get too wound up by the bad stuff and wholeheartedly seek to make the absolute most of the good bits. I can't imagine any other way to rationally function as a St Mirren fan.

Saturday's last-minute gut punch of a defeat to Aberdeen was painful, there's no hiding that. However, I'm willing to attribute this misfortune to some high stakes universal balancing act.

Aberdeen FC have been the source of much joy in our recent past. Toyosi Olusanya's 97th-minute winner in 2024, cup finals and promotions aside, is probably the most I've celebrated anything within the confines of a football stadium.

Our 3-0 Pittodrie drubbing the previous December, courtesy of Mark O'Hara, Jonah Ayunga and Greg Kiltie, made that frosty pre-Hogmanay trip worth the effort. We've repeated each of those scorelines again since, all against richly-budgeted sides that on paper should be putting us in our place.

I've had more fun at the Dons' expense these past few years than could have been hoped for, never mind expected.

With all of this "get it round yeez, haha" credit resting in our collective accounts, there was bound to be a course correction at some point.

And, if you're going to take a sore one, I'll begrudgingly accept it arriving courtesy of a 96th-minute Berbatov-esque turn and strike that arrived in Scotland via AC Milan.

There are grounds for tough self-examination at Ralston this week; a needless and petulant red card, unnecessary proximity to a goalkeeper saving Dimitar Mitov's blushes, losing your man deep in injury time and an arguable lack of common sense in allowing that 96th-minute break in the first place.

However, there are 90-odd minutes of decent performance in there to reflect on too, and cause for cautious optimism on the road to Tannadice next weekend.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

Watch the Sportscene panel discuss Alex Gogic's disallowed goal in their 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen.

Watch the highlights as Aberdeen overcome 10-man St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership

We asked for your thoughts after St Mirren's 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen.

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

John: Undoubtedly, there must be question marks about St Mirren's game management in those last few minutes but that doesn't mitigate the shocking officiating throughout the 90 minutes and the cynical approach from Jimmy Thelin's team.

William: Saints lost their chance to climb the table by squandered chances.

Douglas: Saints were cheated out of three points. Alex Gogic's goal should have stood. The ref gave the goal, no flag from the linesman but VAR disallowed it for offside, why?

Image source, SNS

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson remained philosophical about losing 1-0 at home to Aberdeen after having an Alex Gogic goal chopped off by VAR, seeing Jayden Richardson sent off then conceding a late winner in stoppage time.

"It is obviously a sore one to take," he tells BBC Scotland. "I thought we were excellent throughout.

"We had a goal disallowed. I haven't seen it back yet, but it is hard to see what it was disallowed for.

"We managed the game brilliantly with 10 men. I thought we were the better side with 10 men and, in the last 30 seconds, instead of taking the ball into the corner, we got done on the counter.

"The gap in the finances of the two clubs is huge and it didn't look like that today.

"Performances are good, but we need to turn performances into wins now. We are sitting okay in the table and we go forward into next week now."

As for being shown a red card after the final whistle after obviously being angered by the decision making of the officials, Robinson added: "We can't control other people's decisions."

What a finish - but it didn't favour St Mirren.

Alex Gogic thought he had given the hosts the lead but had his headed goal ruled out for offside, Jayden Richardson was sent off against his former club, Marko Lazetic scored in stoppage time for the visitors and Buddies manager Stephen Robinson was shown a red card after the final whistle.

Read Martin Dowden's match report.

Have your say.

Image source, SNS

St Mirren pair Marcus Fraser and Mark O'Hara are back in contention but Richard King and goalkeeper Shamal George are doubtful due to illness.

Aberdeen have some unnamed fitness concerns on top of long-term absentee Kristers Tobers (knee).

Image source, SNS

Manager Stephen Robinson hopes St Mirren can "get back on track again" after a 2-0 defeat in their previous match against Kilmarnock.

Robinson's side entered the international break frustrated with the loss to Stuart Kettlewell's men, despite their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final victory on penalties at the same venue.

The Buddies, who sit fifth in the Premiership table on nine points, now host bottom-of-the-table Aberdeen, a side that have struggled so far this term but are fresh off a first league win.

Aberdeen are winless in their last 10 league visits to St Mirren since a 2-1 victory in December 2018, but Robinson insists that is irrelevant to Saturday's match.

"We learned from that [defeat to Kilmarnock] and we've trained really well this week. It looks like we're back to ourselves again," Robinson said.

"We've reset this week. We know what we are. We've got an identity and we've done very well with that identity.

"If we play to the levels we can then I believe we can get a result.

"We don't fear anybody. We've been very good at home. We've had a relatively decent start to the season and [a good result] it would maintain our position in the top six.

"It's a one-off game, it doesn't matter what happened previously. Again, we need to be at our very best to beat Aberdeen any time we've ever played.

"We know we're facing a side full of talented players. It doesn't matter what the league table at this moment. It's irrelevant.

"Jimmy's [Thelin] put a lot of money into the squad, been backed really heavily by Dave Cormack which is great for Aberdeen.

"We need to be at our very best. I'm confident that we'll put a good performance in and a bit of luck along the way would be good."

Following a string of injury in the squad, St Mirren could be with three key players again.

Captain Mark O'Hara, midfielder Keanu Baccus and defender Marcus Fraser could all return to the matchday squad after recovering from injury.

"Whether they start or not remains to be seen. They'll definitely be involved. They've come through training the last three days," the St Mirren manager added.

"All three are available for selection so that gives me some difficult selection issues, which we want.

"When we've had a midfield of Keanu, Mark [O'Hara] and Killian Phillips, we've not lost a game this season."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for Saturday's game against Aberdeen.

Here are the main points:

• Robinson has had to remind his players "what we're good at" after the defeat to Kilmarnock before the international break where the boss felt his side "were a shadow" of themselves.

• But the manager insists they have "learned from that" and in training this week the players have looked "like we're back to ourselves".

• Knows Aberdeen "have a lot of talented players" but insists St Mirren "don't fear anybody" although they will have to be at their "very best" to pick up the three points.

• Robinson is desperate to see his side "get back on track" with a victory on Saturday.

• The boss insists the League Cup semi-final clash against Motherwell in a few weeks "can't be on anybody's mind" as they have to be fully focused on winning their league games.

• Marcus Fraser, Keanu Baccus and Mark O'Hara have all trained so they come back into contention while Richard King and Shamal George are suffering from illnesses so they are both a doubt

• But Robinson is "very confident" in Ryan Mullen's ability to fill in between the sticks if George is unavailable.

Image source, SNS

• St Mirren have won five of their last six league meetings with Aberdeen (L1), as many as their previous 31 beforehand (W5 D14 L12).

• Aberdeen are winless in their last 10 league visits to St Mirren (D3 L7) since a 2-1 victory in December 2018. They have lost six of their seven trips since the start of 2021-22 (D1).

• St Mirren are unbeaten in eight home league games (W4 D4), and have kept three clean sheets in their last five on home soil – as many as their previous 23 beforehand.

• Having not scored in any of their opening six Scottish Premiership games of the season, Aberdeen beat Dundee 4-0 last time out. It was the first time a side ended a 5+ game scoreless streak by scoring four in the competition since St Mirren beat Kilmarnock 4-1 in April 2015 (5 games without a goal before).

• Aberdeen have had 21 direct attacks in the Scottish Premiership this season – at least six more than any other side.