It's a title race

At least we’ve came back and won. Last year was the same in we started slowly after the break but hope this time lesson learned and we get the points we need.
 
Agreed. Was always going to be tough and St Mirren are very underrated in terms of how hard they can make life for a team trying to play. 3 points was all that mattered and we got it
 
Gerard now has to coach excellence back in the team, he will have more data points and issues to correct. It’s a positive in that the players know they won, but not to the level required - humbled
 
Win ugly and 3 points is all that matters

After Jan last season and a defeat at Killie we blew any momentum

Yes it was not great tonight but we won

Onto Hearts now and hopefully another 3 points
 
We were never in danger. Had they opened up to threaten us, we’d have taken more off them.

It won’t be pretty watching the home games against these kind of clubs but I’m sure we’ll do the business consistently.
 
How are hearts at the moment? Do we have any idea yet how they will play against us?

EDIT I just checked the table, holy shit they’re actually bottom.
 
I'm just relived to win when we're without key men.

I think we're dicing with disaster if we hope Morelos and Defoe is going to be enough. The way referees go after ALfredo…..we can't, like, rule out the possibility that there will be more suspensions for him. Fair enough Defoe's got the winner today, but I'm always nervious without Alfredo, and I do have concerns about Sunday without him.

My concern with us relative to the mentally challengeds is that nothing ever feels like a formality to us. I'm bricking it in home games versus Kilmarnock and St Mirren, whereas with them I don't even consider the possibility that they might drop points in a home game to the smaller teams.

If I took a step back, I'd probably realise that's all psychological on my part. They've had a few narrow home wins and we haven't dropped any home points either bar the loss to them. But yeah, still, there's always that nagging doubt. People thought tonight might have been a banana skin for them. I didn't, and nor do I think they'll drop any points in their run of away games like some are hoping. The gulf is too much and things are getting serious - I don't see any more 1-1 draws at the likes of Hibs for them.

I really do think this is going to come down to those last two old firm games, with the pessimist in me screaming that we'll probably draw at Kilmarnock or something before then.

The pressure is just intense now, at least that's one box ticked tonight. I'm nervous for Sunday but wish it would come around tomorrow as well.
 
The main thing tonight was picking up 3 points. After every break (be it international or winter break) for the past couple of years we seem to start slow. While not ideal as long as we are picking up points I’m okay with that. I’ll take another 1-0 at the weekend if the team start to perform better and get back to the standard they were at before Christmas. We will look better once Alfie and Tav are back
 
MountFBear said:
End of the day, it's three points. Performance won't be remembered if 55 arrives. Sometimes you gotta grind out a result.
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All champions do. You'd just rather it was away from home against a threat than at home against a team languishing near the bottom. But we won, we move on to Hearts.
 
DoubleWhopper said:
I'm just relived to win when we're without key men.

I think we're dicing with disaster if we hope Morelos and Defoe is going to be enough. The way referees go after ALfredo…..we can't, like, rule out the possibility that there will be more suspensions for him. Fair enough Defoe's got the winner today, but I'm always nervious without Alfredo, and I do have concerns about Sunday without him.

My concern with us relative to the mentally challengeds is that nothing ever feels like a formality to us. I'm bricking it in home games versus Kilmarnock and St Mirren, whereas with them I don't even consider the possibility that they might drop points in a home game to the smaller teams.

If I took a step back, I'd probably realise that's all psychological on my part. They've had a few narrow home wins and we haven't dropped any home points either bar the loss to them. But yeah, still, there's always that nagging doubt. People thought tonight might have been a banana skin for them. I didn't, and nor do I think they'll drop any points in their run of away games like some are hoping. The gulf is too much and things are getting serious - I don't see any more 1-1 draws at the likes of Hibs for them.

I really do think this is going to come down to those last two old firm games, with the pessimist in me screaming that we'll probably draw at Kilmarnock or something before then.

The pressure is just intense now, at least that's one box ticked tonight. I'm nervous for Sunday but wish it would come around tomorrow as well.
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I can't speak for them being as I was not dragged up as a child but,

I work with a few of them and let me reassure you they are feeling the pressure.

For 7 years now I've listened to them say being 1 up against Hearts Aberdeen Motherwell etc didn't have them worried as they were so many points ahead.

This season, not a peep. They are shìting themselves from a 'Zombie' team.

3 points each week and just keep running down the fixtures.

For all we hear we haven't done this or we haven't done that.

THEY have not won a title under any pressure.
 
I get the reasoning that ugly wins are still worth 3 points, and if we do that for the rest of the season we get 55. However, the reality is that if we're 1-0 up going into the last 10 mins of every game for the rest of the season, we'll likely concede 1 or 2 late equalizers.

The facts are, in our last 3 games starting Defoe we've not been on it - two 1-0 wins and Alfie actually had to come off the bench to save us in one of those games.

We need to have another option besides Defoe when Alfie is unavailable.

I'm not a Defoe critic by any stretch, I think he will be an important part of our squad in this title race but our luck in these games will eventually run out IMO.

I really hope SG is looking at possible strikers to bring in. I don't think they have to be fantastic strikers that have pedigrees like Alfie and Defoe, we just need something different when Defoe is suffocated by defenders around him.

With the excellent service our full backs can deliver, I think someone with a presence and height in the box could be the difference in breaking these teams down. Plenty will probably accuse me of not wanting to play "attractive football", but we already put plenty crosses in the box in open play to Defoe, and they get batted away by every SPL defender. Wouldn't it be nice if 1 or 2 of these crosses actually were converted, or even challenged for?!

I think it's possible to find a solution to this problem in this transfer window that won't break the bank.
 
the players just need to go in to every match knowing a win is 3 points closer to the title its not the lack of talent in the sqwad that's the problem but the players also need to have that mentality
 
TerryArcade said:
I get the reasoning that ugly wins are still worth 3 points, and if we do that for the rest of the season we get 55. However, the reality is that if we're 1-0 up going into the last 10 mins of every game for the rest of the season, we'll likely concede 1 or 2 late equalizers.

The facts are, in our last 3 games starting Defoe we've not been on it - two 1-0 wins and Alfie actually had to come off the bench to save us in one of those games.

We need to have another option besides Defoe when Alfie is unavailable.

I'm not a Defoe critic by any stretch, I think he will be an important part of our squad in this title race but our luck in these games will eventually run out IMO.

I really hope SG is looking at possible strikers to bring in. I don't think they have to be fantastic strikers that have pedigrees like Alfie and Defoe, we just need something different when Defoe is suffocated by defenders around him.

With the excellent service our full backs can deliver, I think someone with a presence and height in the box could be the difference in breaking these teams down. Plenty will probably accuse me of not wanting to play "attractive football", but we already put plenty crosses in the box in open play to Defoe, and they get batted away by every SPL defender. Wouldn't it be nice if 1 or 2 of these crosses actually were converted, or even challenged for?!

I think it's possible to find a solution to this problem in this transfer window that won't break the bank.
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I genuinely don't think that this is Defo's fault. Our gameplan and tactics remain the same no matter who is playing up top. The system is far more suited and is in fact built for Morelos in all reality. Defoe is much better with players closer to him and providing service for him.
 
Craig Skinner said:
I genuinely don't think that this is Defo's fault. Our gameplan and tactics remain the same no matter who is playing up top. The system is far more suited and is in fact built for Morelos in all reality. Defoe is much better with players closer to him and providing service for him.
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Totally agree mate, our game plan seems exactly the same whether playing Alfie or Defoe. Not Defoe's fault at all, but if the Gaffer is determined to play the same way when Alfie is unavailable, maybe he needs to consider acquiring a striker with more similar attributes to Alfie.
 
Numans_Left_Peg said:
Alfie completely changes the way we play, absolutely no offence to Defoe but Alfie up top and we are a totally different team.

It is also nights like this when Tav doubters should take stock of what he offers us.

Still, 3 points is all that matters.

I will take turgid football from now until May if it means I'm doing the bouncy in George square.
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Anyone who doubts Tav really hasn't got a clue about the game. Arguably the best attacking full back we have ever had.
 
Job done, but it's a wee bit of a concern when we huff and puff. Hopefully get into our stride soon.
 
Starting a run of 5 games out of 7 at home.

1 game in. 1 win. No injuries. No one sent off.

Today was also a reminder to the directors, if a reminder was needed, not to be tempted to cash in on a single player until after 55.
 
Of course 3 points is all that matters but let's be realistic here . We will drop points between now and the end of season and last nights game was the kind of game where we need to be improving our GD just in case .
Happy with the win , but should have done better .
 
Any win will do.

Great performances and silky football are "a nice to have" at this point, winning is all.
 
Numans_Left_Peg said:
We were not at our fluid best tonight, first league game after the break.

First game back to our 'strongest' available 11.

Missing our captain and huge creative force, missing our main man up front.

It is indeed a title race, and a position we have not been in for the better part of a decade.

I want, we all want a performance, but if it means 55 then 3 points is all that matters each fixture.

It's coming home.
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Pretty clear from reading some folk on here and watching some of the loonballs around me last night losing their shit that they have forgot what a title race is.

Every game won’t be perfect, other teams will make it hard and compete, games like last night are littered through every title win, the players never looked panicked and seen it out without McGregor having a single save to make.
 
We’ll need to get used to games like last night.. Teams have noticed that if they park the bus we struggle to cope with it at times.
As soon as the grumbling starts from the stands they know the tactics are working.
 
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