There will be changes to the St Johnstone team at Livingston this Saturday, Callum Davidson has pledged.
With Premiership safety now the Perth club’s sole goal and focus for the last seven games of the season, the McDiarmid Park boss is ready to call on players who haven’t been regular starters of late.
And Davidson is confident the fringe men will make an impact.
“We are looking at a few changes this weekend because there are players who deserve their chance,” he said.
“A few of them have been on the sides watching in but have made an impact when coming on.
“So they will get their opportunity now.”
Still hard to see Dundee Utd reigning in 7 points on St.Johnstone IMO so I think Saintees absolute worst case scenario is another play off but I think their away form *should* be enough to see them escape that.
Great chance on Saturday against a struggling Livingston side.
— Pie & Bovril 🏴 (@pieandbov) April 10, 2023
Davidson made no attempt to hide from the reality of their increasingly worrying Premiership predicament.
“Unfortunately that’s where we are but I still believe we will get those two or three wins we need between now and the end of the season,” he said.
“It becomes tough when you play under pressure but we did it last season so know how to cope with it.
“We have to accept we’ve not made the top six, which is a blow, but the sooner we get safe then the better it is for everyone.
“That maybe sounds negative – and it’s not what we wanted because there was a place in the top six there for us.
“But we haven’t done well enough in the last few games and it’s cost us that opportunity.
“Everyone is ready to fight to get the results we need and hopefully end the season on a positive note with a few wins.
“We’re all looking forward to Saturday’s game now.”
Sympathy for Robbie Neilson
Meanwhile, Davidson expressed his sympathy for recently sacked Hearts boss, Robbie Neilson.
“Managers losing their job is the nature of it now,” he said.
“It is the time of the season when people panic and looking for that bounce, they sack the manager.
“We all know the job we are in.
“Expectations are different at every club and they felt as a board he didn’t meet them.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club can confirm that it has parted company with manager Robbie Neilson.
We'd like to thank Robbie for all of his efforts. A full statement from the Board of Directors will be released in due course. No further comment will be made today.
ℹ️⬇️
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) April 9, 2023
“Personally I thought he did a pretty good job. He has a good squad but it is a blip in form. But that’s football.
“You take it on the chin and get on with it.
“I have sympathy for every manager who loses his job and I have more sympathy for managers now than I ever did!
“You never want to see someone lose their job.
“If you go into this job you will always get sacked at one point and you have to be very lucky if you don’t.”
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