St Johnstone are going to Hampden Park again – their second home these days.
Eric Nicolson picks out three talking points from the League Cup defeat of Dundee as they put themselves within two wins of a third trophy in 2021.
‘Big club’ aura beyond debate
One day somebody will come up with a ‘big club’ formula – football’s equivalent of the Duckworth-Lewis Method that kicks in when it’s chucking it down at the cricket.
Until that point you’ll always have folk who think Nottingham Forest trump Manchester City and Newcastle United outrank Leicester City.
It’s never a good sign if supporters of the historically powerful clubs in a country get involved in that type of debate because invariably it points to achievements being celebrated that date back to three channels on the television at best and black and white pictures at worst.
And it doesn’t really matter anyway.
What matters is recent history and the way in which a team is perceived as a consequence of its achievements and performances over a sustained period of time.
On that front, it is beyond argument that even though St Johnstone will never be regarded as one of the Scottish game’s powerhouses, they have established a ‘big club’ aura about them in cup competitions that only the Old Firm can rival.
🔵⚪ @StJohnstone's goalscorers Shaun Rooney and Ali Crawford react to their quarter final victory
🗣️ "Love fitba! Love the cup competitions!" pic.twitter.com/7R7iwWeW6Q
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) September 22, 2021
When he was sharing a post-match Premier Sports interview with Shaun Rooney on Wednesday night, Ali Crawford wisely left the amusing soundbites to Mr Hampden.
But his answer to a question about the Perth side’s 2021 cup record was quietly impactive.
“It’s probably why I came here,” said the loan recruit from Bolton Wanderers. “I want to win trophies.”
There is an ever-expanding body of evidence to say that if you’re not signing for Rangers or Celtic, to do that, your best chance is moving to Perth.
And that is quite something.
Major cup semi-final appearances since 2007:
21: Celtic
16: Rangers
14: Aberdeen
13: Hibernian
11: St Johnstone9: Hearts
8: Dundee Utd
6: Falkirk5: St Mirren
4: Inverness, Motherwell
2: Dunfermline, Kilmarnock, Ross County
1: Ayr Utd, Livingston, Morton, QoS, Raith Rovers— St Johnstone 1884 (@stjohnstone1884) September 23, 2021
You better score first against them
There are many trends you could point to when reflecting on Saints’ three recent cup runs and their general good form in the calendar year.
Their ability to either win or draw a match they score first in is arguably right at the top.
In 2021, Saints have taken the lead 19 times.
Only twice out of those 19 fixtures have they ended up losing the game – once to Celtic in mid-February and once to Rangers a fortnight ago.
That sequence takes in two cup finals, two cup semi-finals, two cup quarter-finals and away games against Galatasaray and LASK.
The moral of the story – the law of averages tells you that if you want to beat St Johnstone, you better not concede first.
Against Aberdeen on Saturday and Dundee in midweek, they managed the conclusion of the game magnificently, as is their wont.
This ability to see a contest out is a truly formidable characteristic of Callum Davidson’s side and one that goes a long way to explaining why they are such a stubborn opponent in knockout football.
Watch him go
From the moment Rooney first started a match for St Johnstone you could see that confidence would be a big factor in his success, or otherwise, at the Perth club.
Whether it’s arguing with officials, berating himself for misplaced passed and crosses that don’t get past the first defender, or playing with his chest out after scoring a goal or providing an assist, this is not a man born to play poker.
For good or bad – very bad in that first game against Kilmarnock – his emotions are a key part of Rooney’s performance.
When he’s feeling good about himself, when he’s feeling like the main man, when he’s scoring goals – well, you know the rest.
It started at Dunfermline in the League Cup quarter-final last season and culminated in two cup final winners.
After a slow start to this season, when he struggled to make an attacking impact and was left out of Davidson’s team for the home game against Galatasaray, the talismanic peacock figure is back.
Now watch him go.
