If Derek McInnes departs for England to manage Brentford then whoever succeeds him will inherit an impressive squad of players, based on the evidence of this emphatic win against Aberdeen.
Despite the injury list, there was still enough talent left on the field to have at least made this a proper contest with Diamond, Jamie Langfield in goal and others such as Chris Maguire, Sone Aluko, Derek Young and Nick Blackman in the starting 11.
Aberdeen were so poor, large sections of the home support delivered their verdict by heading for the exits 10 minutes after Adam’s goal. Brown and his assistant Archie Knox look to have a major rebuilding job on their hands if Aberdeen hope to be anything but relegation candidates next season.
In contrast, on the evidence of this display, Saints should have a campaign to savour.
“Overall, it’s probably the best team performance since I came here in terms of keeping it going for the full 90 minutes,” added Mackay. “From the first minute until the last we were the better team and could have even won by five or six goals, which you could not have argued against.
“I think it’s just down to a bit of confidence really from winning the previous week at Hibs and scoring a couple of goals. That got the monkey off our backs.
“We had gone quite a few games without a win and it was also well documented that we hadn’t scored in the league for a lot of matches. That obviously affected the players but you could see the way we came out flying here how things had changed.
“Strikers who were maybe low on confidence before are now more like themselves, which can only be a good thing. We have won up here a few times but it has never been as easy as that. Aberdeen did not create much at all, while we had six or seven great chances, so it was a fine victory.”
Mackay did confess to a little regret that Saints have finally rediscovered the winning habit as the season reaches a conclusion. However, he admitted the win bonuses were welcome, as the players get ready for a well-earned rest.
“We are just sorry this kind of form two away wins on the trot has come so late,” he added. “Even in the run-up to the split, we still had a chance to get into the top six but we just couldn’t buy a win. It’s disappointing but if we can finish eighth then it’s another decent season which will give us something to build on for the start of next term.
“We want to try and win our last two games against Hamilton and St Mirren, which means you’re going away on the back of a decent bit of form. Our banks are probably wondering what’s going into our accounts, given it was such a long time since we won a game. It gives us a bit of money for the holiday,” he joked.
The Brentford news had yet to break when McInnes said, “There was an abundance of enthusiasm from our players from beginning to end. That is as pleased as I have been about a performance.
“We have had a lot of good results in the last three or four years but considering this is the end of the season and there are a few boys still not sure about their contract negotiations, it was a proper good team performance.”
Aberdeen boss Brown did not pull his punches about his side’s lamentable display but was quick to praise Saints.
He said, “One team was enthusiastic, aggressive and had a sharpness about them, while we were very lethargic. You have to give credit to St Johnstone who played very well but we were extremely poor and there is no getting away from it.”
Last week’s Scottish elections were a close-run thing compared to this one-sided contest, with the two-goal margin flattering a dismal Dons side, who failed to register a single shot on target.
Aberdeen’s failings should not be allowed to detract from the Perth team’s performance, which skipper Dave Mackay described as the best since he joined the club.
Saints took the lead in the eighth minute after Steven Smith turned a Liam Craig cross into his own net under pressure from Andy Jackson. They doubled their lead on the hour mark courtesy of a bullet header from the impressive Jamie Adams at a corner kick.
Adams’ commitment to put his head where it hurt summed up the difference between the two sides. Mackay also paid tribute to the powerful midfielder, revealing that Adams not only bust a gut during the game he also burst a football.
“Jamie was great,” he said. “Apart from his goal, he was outstanding, winning everything for the team. He actually burst the ball in a tackle as well, which sums him up. He’s just daft. He also almost knocked Murray Davidson out with a header in the first half.
“I don’t know if it’s bravery or just plain stupidity but it certainly shows his commitment. It’s just the way he is and you will never change him.
“We have done well in midfield this season with Murray, Jody Morris and Chris Millar in there. But Jamie has come in and shown he can perform easily at this level.
“It was a fine header which made the points safe and one he really deserved for his overall performance.”
Saints had ended their long SPL goal drought by beating Hibs last week at Easter Road and the confidence they had gained from that victory was there for all to see at Pittodrie. As well as Adams, Millar, Kevin Moon and Davidson were stand-out performers in midfield, while the front two of Jackson and Peter MacDonald worked hard all afternoon.
It was difficult to pass judgment on the back four and the goalkeeper as they had so little to do against a truly awful Aberdeen side.
In mitigation, Dons boss Craig Brown could point to a lengthy injury list that had deprived him of 10 players prior to kick-off. He also lost Zander Diamond to injury during the game, but there can be no excuses for such a spineless performance from his players, whose faces should have been as red as their jerseys at full time.
Continued…