New St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson won’t be a slave to a formation.
The Perth boss spent pre-season getting his players up to speed with a 5-2-3 set-up that he had worked on at Millwall.
That was the system he went with against Dundee United in the Premiership opener last weekend but it doesn’t necessarily follow that it will be the system against Aberdeen on Saturday.
This season Davidson will attempt to strike a balance between imposing his own team’s game plan on their opposition and adapting to the specific requirements of each fixture.
“We’re a team who will have to tweak it here and there depending who we’re playing against,” he explained.
“The amount of knowledge we have on the opposition might be a factor as well.
“But I do believe that we have to make sure we’re good at what we do to be successful this season. That means the defensive side and the attacking side.
“That’s been the case for the last few years.”
The longer the United game went on, the happier Davidson got. And he now wants to see that upward form curve continue against the Dons.
He said: “We worked better as a team in the second half at Tannadice, which is something we want to build on.
“The first half looked like a first game of the season. We weren’t keeping the ball well enough or working hard enough when we got into good areas.”
The on-pitch team will take time to gel given the long wait football lay-off and the introduction of a couple of signings and a new formation. But the backroom team has already come together just as Davidson had hoped.
“Steven MacLean and Alec Cleland have been really important,” he said. “They have both worked really hard.
“They have different styles, which I really like. Alec is very calm and Macca is a little bit more energetic.
“It’s a good balance between the two of them. I’m a bit energetic myself so it’s good to have Alec as more of a calming side.
“He sits back and has a good look at everything.”
The importance of Liam Gordon’s vocal presence to the Saints team was often talked-up by previous manager Tommy Wright. It’s a contribution that becomes even more apparent with no fans in the stadium.
“I’d encourage all players to do that,” said Davidson. “Liam Gordon has got that constant pitch in his voice and you can hear him all the time.
“The fact that you can hear Liam is great, but there are others who talk in different ways.
“One of the good things without having a crowd is that you can hear what’s being said on the pitch.
“I think I shouted more on Saturday because we were down to 10 men. I’m always a bit hoarse after games – that is just me.”
Meanwhile, Saints may follow other clubs by piping in crowd noise on Saturday.
“It’s definitely something we’re going to have a look at,” said Davidson.
“I know from experience down the road that players prefer some sort of noise during the game. We’ll have a look.
“We’ll probably get out on the pitch and see what it’s like. As a player, sometimes you don’t even notice when you’re in the heat of the game.”
There was nothing fresh to report regarding new signings.
Davidson said: “It’s a big window so it’s something I need to be mindful of.
“I’ll see where we are injury wise and make sure I’m ready to go if something does happen.”
