Here we are again.
St Johnstone needing to save their season in the January transfer market.
The bigger picture of conducting their recruitment business in a more strategic and effective manner in the summer, when the bulk of a well run club’s squad-shaping work should take place, is for another day.
At the moment, Saints are in a perilous position at the bottom of the Premiership table, losing far more games than they’re winning.
Cavalry is required. Errors need to be corrected.
Courier Sport has identified which positions require urgent attention and has put them in order of importance.
Goalkeeper
Craig Levein took a reckless gamble in deciding not to sign an experienced goalkeeper.
And Simo Valakari made a risky judgment when he decided against picking up a free agent for the position soon after he took over, as he did with a centre-half (Bozo Mikulic) and a left-back (Barry Douglas).
Josh Rae and Ross Sinclair are young goalies with promise – the emphasis being on the word ‘young’.
Rae’s second spell of games has been better than his first – he was very good at Celtic Park – but the need for a senior number one with a body of work to his name is as plain as it was when Levein inexplicably opted to roll the dice.
There is no excuse for Saints failing to sign a new goalkeeper in the first week of the window.
The negligence concerning the most important position in the team needs to come to an end.
Right-back
A combination of Barry Douglas’ injury and miles on the clock and the doubts over Andre Raymond’s suitability for an orthodox full-back role is a cause for concern about the left side of St Johnstone’s defence.
But Valakari will likely have to make-do with what he’s got.
That’s not an option on the right.
Drey Wright has performed admirably in an unfamiliar position but has been caught out by back post crosses on a few occasions; David Keltjens hasn’t earned Valakari’s trust and hasn’t forced a change of opinion with recent appearances; Lewis Neilson was substituted at half-time the last time he played there; and, like Neilson, young Aaron Essel is better suited to more central positions.
Valakari needs an out and out right-back he can reply upon, with Dundee United the most recent team to expose Saints in that area.
Centre-half
Mikulic has been a good signing and, though he has been far from faultless over the festive period, I would expect to see the Croatian steadily improve in the second half of the season on the back of regular game-time.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jack Sanders has been inconsistent because he was untested at this level.
Saints are still a team that concedes an alarming number of goals from failing to properly deal with bread and butter cross balls.
Valakari could do with a right-footed Mikulic and the fact that an interest in signing Ville Tikkanen emerged in the Finnish media backs that up.
Winger
The best formation for this current squad is a midfield diamond.
That plays to the ball-playing strengths Valakari has in a number of his midfielders.
It also speaks to the glaring absence of wingers.
Somebody who could take on a full-back, preferably with pace, lift his head and pick out a team-mate would open Valakari’s selection possibilities and make Saints less predictable as a consequence.
Kimpioka, Kirk and Matt Smith have all been square pegs in this particular round hole.
Now is the time to sign somebody who thrives in that part of the pitch rather than one who can merely do a job.
Centre-forward
A couple of months ago, nobody would have predicted a striker would be needed in January, let alone become a priority.
But a number of factors have contributed to the centre-forward situation flipping 180 degrees.
For starters, there’s still no sign of Uche Ikpeazu becoming a selection option.
With every passing month, the chances of the former Hearts man (one of Saints’ highest earners) going down as the lowest value for money signing in the club’s history increase.
Nicky Clark is being used in a deeper role by Valakari these days.
Adama Sidibeh hasn’t scored a goal since August and hasn’t really come close.
At his best, Benji Kimpioka is one of the most dangerous attackers in the division but the indulgent side of his game has outweighed his penalty box prowess in recent weeks and we now know that he has no intention of staying beyond the end of the season.
Makenzie Kirk is the recent success story and has become the main goal threat but, given his age, he will undoubtedly experience dips in form.
If an acceptable offer comes in for Kimpioka, Saints will surely consider it and seek to recruit a reliable striker, hopefully in the Chris Kane link-up mould.
Central midfielder
Sprangler’s form has been key to a lot of the good things in this Valakari team – both as a protector of the backline and the first focal point for passing through the lines.
His one-game suspension left Saints without an obvious like for like, unless it’s Essel, who still has plenty of rough edges.
If Sprangler was sidelined through injury, there would be a real problem.
Even with the Austrian in the side, they lack a dynamic and powerful number eight who can run beyond centre-backs and chip in with a few goals.
The ideal scenario for this position would be a central midfielder who can do a bit of everything – more of an attacking threat than Sprangler but physically capable of operating as a six if necessary.
Those players don’t come cheap in Scotland so it would probably need to be a loan from down south or a player Valakari knows from Europe.
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