Look, I know it's Tuesday, but a few days recovery is needed after seeing your side gubbed 4-0 in Perth. ..
A fatal blow for Hearts?
St. Mirren had been playing so badly that Hearts had pencilled this match in as a definite must-win if they were to avoid the drop. Defeat, and a poor performance to go with it, is an enormous blow. The Jambos have to pick themselves up over the international break - their next two matches are away to Motherwell and Kilmarnock, and Hearts' away form this season has been guff, possibly because they don't have the wonderful Tynecastle support to drive them on. It's conceivable that, by the end of October, Gary Locke's side could be no closer to the teams above them than when the season started.
Danny Lennon goes back to basics
Anyone with half a brain has been saying it since the season started - St. Mirren needed to stick Jim Goodwin in midfield to give them some steel, restore Darren McGregor to his favoured central defensive position, and use Paul McGowan as the closest support to Steven Thompson. Lennon finally makes these blatantly obvious changes, and, lo and behold, the Buddies take four points from two games. They are further away from Hearts and above Kilmarnock now as well. An international break would have been the perfect time to sack the manager; Lennon has bought himself a bit more time now.
Celtic looking ominous
It's taken more than two months of the season for Celtic to take an overall lead at the top of the table...though to be honest that's mainly been because they have had a game in hand. Victory over Motherwell was their fifth league win on the bounce though, and it was also another win straight after a Champions League game. Given that this is where they were so weak last season, that is pretty ominous for the rest of us.
Will Lee Hollis and Craig Samson still be in goal in a fortnight?
After Darren Randolph's departure, I was surprised that Stuart McCall plumped for his perennial backup to take over the gloves; Faroese international Gunnar Nielsen, so long an employee of Manchester City, seemed to have a greater pedigree. To be fair, Hollis hasn't done too much wrong, apart from a rotten blunder for Celtic's opener on Saturday. But he's not a patch on Randolph.
Samson, meanwhile, moved to Kilmarnock with a strong reputation, mostly as a result of occasional Scotland call-ups. But he was far too slow when he tried to block Nadir Ciftci's effort which, though powerful, was quite close to him. It's not his first error of the season. Allan Johnston has a capable alternative on the bench in Antonio Reguero, and may yet be tempted to go to him.
May the best men win
The question is, why did it take St Johnstone so long to give Stevie May a chance? He spent the last two seasons banging them in for Alloa and Hamilton during loan spells, but only now has he been deemed ready for top flight action. May's all-action, never-give-up style compliments the more cerebral approach of his strike partner Steven Maclean; the former never stopped moving, while the latter kept finding space by using his brain rather than his legs. Both gave Caley Thistle's hitherto-excellent defence a hell of an afternoon.
No plan B for ICT
Caley Thistle were as terrible as St Johnstone were good. In all honesty, this was probably a bad day at the office, the sort of off-day that afflicts all teams once or twice a season. What is of concern is that the two enforced changes to the lineup weakened the team so much. Young midfielder Liam Polworth was largely anonymous, as Jamie Vincent's uncanny knack for winning the second ball was badly missed. Meanwhile, Daniel Devine, replacing David Raven, looked like a central defender playing at right back, which is exactly what he was. His lack of attacking nous can be excused; his terrible defending at the fourth goal, and his repeated attempts to play high diagonal balls towards little Nick Ross cannot. In hindsight, I bet Terry Butcher wishes he had swapped Devine and Josh Meekings around.
Ciftci the signing of the season?
Nadir Ciftci has been shunted back to the flank after a period at centre forward, but his stunning volleyed winner against Kilmarnock shows that the positional change hasn't diminished his goal threat. After a poor first few games in tangerine, he's been absolutely terrific...to the point that he is actually keeping Gary Mackay-Steven out of the team.
Are Hibs really on the way up?
The Hibees' smash-and-grab win at Firhill really was a travesty. Pat Fenlon's side played no better than they did when they were thumped in Inverness last week, yet are actually level on points with Aberdeen. Out of their four wins, only their victory in Perth has been particularly impressive; their other two wins over Kilmarnock and St. Mirren, two definite relegation candidates, were fairly stolid. Time will tell if they are really top six material.
De Leeuw settling in at County
Out of Dingwall's Dutch contingent, only left winger Melvin De Leeuw has really made an impact. With Iain Vigurs having left, and Richard Brittain playing deeper, County were in desperate need of some more creativity in midfield and he's providing it. His fellow midfielders, Rocco Quinn, Stuart Kettlewell and Graham Carey, are all playing well at the moment, which gives County a decent platform as they try to get into the top six mix.
Referee watch
I don't know about anyone else, but I've often wished that refs could be subbed...like-minded fans in Dingwall saw that wish come true as Crawford Allen was replaced by David Somers. Apparently Ross County-Aberdeen was held up for 7 minutes as a result - Allen clearly should have been booked for time wasting instead of getting off the pitch sharpish (arf arf!).
L.
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