Simo Valakari got his first taste of defeat as a fully hands-on St Johnstone manager in Paisley on Wednesday night.
His team picked up where they left off at Dens Park by making a fast start and earning an early lead but were left to rue a more error-strewn and less composed display in the second half.
Courier Sport identifies four talking points from the 3-1 defeat to St Mirren.
VAR and Valakari
We’re still finding out what type of St Johnstone manager Valakari will be, in terms of his team selections, tactics and post-match reactions to victories, draws, defeats and controversial incidents.
So a game littered with disallowed goals and VAR interventions that played a part in the Perth side losing a game was an interesting test case.
The Kyle Cameron offside was inarguable. Even if it’s as tight as that one, if you’re off, you’re off.
But there’s many a Premiership boss who would have leapt on the decision to penalise Adama Sidibeh for a foul on Charles Dunne before he lobbed the goalkeeper – and claimed it was unjust and the turning point in the match.
“I believe VAR was right in that moment,” was Valakari’s verdict.
Not even a subtle hint that Sidibeh and Saints were unfortunate.
I don’t think there was any long-term strategy about how Valakari will deal with referees at play here.
It’s more likely he wants to build a team that doesn’t look for excuses and identifies shortcomings and solutions from within.
The continuing rise of Sven Sprangler
Saints passed the ball well at Dens.
They passed it even better in the first half against St Mirren.
The Buddies forwards and midfielders did their best to press from the front but time and time again, Valakari’s men popped it round them with crisp and accurate one-touch football before switching the point of attack.
It was very impressive.
We’ve come to expect that level of comfort on the ball from the likes of Matt Smith, Jason Holt and Nicky Clark but the most significant aspect was the part Sven Sprangler played.
With his back to the play, in the middle of the pitch, often not far from his 18-yard line, the Austrian’s responsibility to draw the press and get his team up the pitch from other areas was greatest.
The pressure was on his first touch more than anybody else.
It didn’t let him down once.
The faith Sprangler’s team-mates had to play through him was as telling as his competence.
The 29-year-old’s confidence is rising game on game and so is the confidence of others in him.
The drop-off in the Perth side’s ability to play in St Mirren’s half in the second 45 wasn’t on Sprangler.
This game was more evidence that he is becoming a thoroughly reliable Premiership CDM.
Kimpioka – the good and the not so good
Benji Kimpioka is now the league’s joint-top goalscorer.
He’s got five in the Premiership and 10 in all competitions.
Those are significant milestones to be reached this early in a campaign.
Kimpioka was very unlucky not to be out in front on his own given how marginal the offside call on Cameron was before he smashed the ball home with his left foot.
And it seems harsh to even mention a negative given he’s been Saints’ most influential player of the season.
But he is far from the finished article.
That Valakari took him off when there was nearly half-an-hour still left in the game and Saints were behind speaks to the problems he was experiencing in linking the play.
Kimpioka ran down a cul-de-sac before being tackled a few seconds before St Mirren took the lead and was then fortunate VAR official, Alan Muir, spotted a shirt pull when he coughed up possession in midfield and the hosts broke up the pitch to score a third.
He was substituted straight after.
The Swede has improved his all-round game immeasurably over the last few months but there is still plenty of scope to get better at realising when it’s the right time to keep the ball and when it’s the right time to release it.
Another ugly goal to concede
The second goal decided this game and it was a bad one.
From Kimpioka’s decision-making, to Lewis Neilson being beaten on his outside, Drey Wright not being tight enough to Mark O’Hara and then Jack Sanders and Ross Sinclair getting in each other’s way to keep the header out.
Valakari was right to point out that there had been a lot of good first contact and second ball defending at the start of the second half when St Mirren had them pinned back.
But this was a messy goal.
There have been several occasions this season, whether it’s been with Josh Rae or Sinclair in goal, that the responsibility for conceding has been a shade of grey between a defender and a keeper rather than black or white.
I’d say there have been six – the second for Dundee United, Motherwell’s first, Hibs’ first, Ross County’s second, Dundee’s opener last weekend and now O’Hara’s.
All the good defences have an innate understanding between goalie and centre-halves about who should be doing what and when.
There has been general defensive improvement post-Celtic but Saints don’t possess that yet.
Conversation