Talking points from the Premiership

Who'd have thought Homer was talking about St Mirren? https://t.co/ysW8YU3Cds
— Narey's Toepoker (@Nareystoepoker) April 13, 2015

Where do St. Mirren go from here?
Oh dear.  Oh dear.  Oh dear.  Just to recap, St. Mirren's last two matches have been against the two sides immediately above them in the league.  They've lost them by an aggregate score of 8-0.  Both games were on live telly too.  Gary Teale's post-match interview suggests he has accepted that relegation is inevitable; judging by their performance, his players had come to that conclusion even before kickoff.  Aside from the inevitable Jim Goodwin tantrums as goals were conceded, there was little sign that the Buddies were hurting.

Teale talked about the possibility of turning to his Academy for alternatives as the season winds down.  It's an interesting thought, giving the likes of Jack Baird, Lewis Morgan, Adam Brown and others extended runs in the team in preparation for life in the Championship.  Preparing for the future might not do any favours to Teale's (probably remote) chances of being kept on next season, though, and he may want to try and finish the campaign with a few positive results, in the hope that it might convince the board to extend his contract.

On the other hand, given the way his senior players have let him down, maybe blooding the youngsters is his best hope of a win or two.  They can't do much worse than the current bunch. LS

Have United turned the corner?
Well, someone's rotten run had to end here.  In the end, it was the home side wot won it, courtesy of Chris Erskine's strike - their first goal from open play in eight games - but post-match claims from the United management team that they were focusing on getting back in the fight for third reeked of wishful thinking.

Let's go through the list of Accies chances: one cleared off the line; a shot against the post; an excellent penalty shout for handball denied; another shot against the post; a great save from Rado Ciernziak; another shot against the post (the woodwork emerged as United's man of the match here); more great saves from Ciernziak.  The Tannadice house is still made of straw, it's just that Hamilton inexplicably failed to blow it down before the late sucker punch from Erskine.

Did Martin Canning run over a black cat on his way to being confirmed as Accies boss?  He's still winless, with only 4 points out of a possible 39.  For 3 months, they've needed just that one more win to guarantee top six status, but they never got it.  There has been more cause for optimism recently - they should have beaten St. Johnstone last week too - but the results still aren't coming.  With no danger of finishing in the playoff place, Canning must be tempted to start blooding more youngsters and look towards 2015/16...but he really needs a victory to reassure the fans, the chairman and possibly even himself that he's up to the job.

United, meanwhile, will have to do a heck of a lot more than this if they are to prevent the word 'crisis' being banded about as freely as it is now. LS

St. Johnstone's stuffiness deserves plaudits

With so many options around these days that allow us to watch some of the best football from around the world, I generally have very little time for St Johnstone and their dreary, defensive  style. But that does not mean I do not have the utmost respect for Tommy Wright and the job he has done.  Winning the Scottish Cup last season was the kind of high point that quite often leads to a dramatic slump, particularly when it’s quickly followed by the departure of the best player you’ve had in perhaps  a generation.

However, Wright has adapted to the loss of Stevie May and it was a great achievement when this victory on Saturday, thanks to a lovely curled effort from Brian Graham, secured a fourth consecutive top six finish for the Perth side.  That's remarkable consistency considering their modest budget..even it has meant building  success on a decidedly dull, if effective, defensive game plan.  Only St. Mirren have scored fewer goals, but only Celtic and Aberdeen have conceded fewer.  So no wonder Wright has signed up keeper Alan Mannus and defender Tam Scobbie on new deals.

My wee soft spot for St Johnstone will only last so long however, if they continue to serve up dross - their league games this season average a total of just 1.85 goals per game, the lowest ratio of any team in the English or Scottish league.  I fully understand managers have to what they can to ensure success, but if the boring football continues next season, I will demand summary relegation! IM

Killie beaten by Beaton

While Aberdeen deserved their win over the balance of play, it was hard not to empathise with Killie, who seemed to be on the wrong end of a number of dubious refereeing decisions.

Although Aberdeen dominated the first 45 minutes, it looked as if the homeside were going to have the best chance of the half after Tope Obadeyi breezed past Willo Flood to bear in on goal. Instead, the referee judged that he had shoved Flood and awarded a free kick to the Dons - if anything, it appeared that Flood tried and failed to hold back Obadeyi, and he didn't claim to be fouled either.

The Dons' opener, just before half-time, came after Willo Flood at first tried to take a quick free kick (which came to nothing); however referee John Beaton called it back because he wasn't ready.  From the retake, Niall McGinn swung a cross into the six yard box for Don Daniels, who knocked it back across the face of the goal for Adam Rooney to nod home from point blank range.  However, Kilmarnock started the second half with a bang when Craig Slater finished off a counter-attack with a fantastic shot from outside the box for the equaliser.

It was another counter attack that saw the Dons regain the lead, although this one arose after Beaton failed to award a foul for a Mark Reynolds challenge on Josh Magennis. Kenny McLean's raking cross-field pass found McGinn in space on the right flank, pulling David Syme out of central defence to cover the absence of his upfield left-back. McGinn wasted no time turning the young defender inside-out and delivering a cross for the onrushing Cammie Smith to head the Dons back in front.

At least the ref managed to correctly award Kilmarnock a last minute penalty after Aberdeen keeper Scott Brown inexplicably bundled over Lee Miller.  Luckily for Brown, he redeemed himself by guessing the right way to save the resulting penalty kick.  It turned out to be a bittersweet day for Slater - scoring a 25 yard screamer one minute, missing from the spot the next.  That's fitba'

for you. MI

Dress rehearsal tells us little about the real event
So, I missed this match because of a family wedding.  There was great happiness and joy at the service, though...when word came through that ICT had nicked a point.  The various reports I've had from spectators have roughly consisted of "the first five minutes were great, then nothing happened".

As a dress rehearsal for next week's Cup semi-final, we learned little.  The poor surface stopped both sides from playing possession football effectively.  Inverness got some joy from playing high up the pitch in the first half, but were forced back as they tired; one wouldn't be surprised to see the champions-elect carving them open late in the rematch at Hampden.  Whilst the better surface may benefit John Hughes' side, it can only aid Ronny Deila's too.

Interestingly, Deila suggested that, in hindsight, he should have used Leigh Griffiths and John Guidetti as a tandem, rather than replacing the former with the latter.  Will he go with two strikers on Sunday?  I doubt it.  Instead, expect Kris Commons to return, with Stefan Johansen drifting wide.  Celtic will miss the cup-tied Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven, but that didn't do them much harm in the League Cup Final, did it? LS

Partick have room for error
There isn't much to say about the action in this game; given that both teams are in danger of ending up in eleventh place, it was strangely lacking in intensity...though the wind, and a pitch with more potholes than the A9, didn't help.  But it's a bit odd that Partick, who have been playing well recently, are even in this situation at all.  They are vastly superior to Motherwell, and it was no surprise that they won this.

It was no surprise that Motherwell's back line let them down again. either.  The first goal was a catastrophe for Louis Laing, who's had a bit of an up-and-down time in Scotland since arriving on loan from Nottingham Forest.  As a free-kick was swung in deep, Laing followed everyone towards the near post, failing to notice that the man he was marking, Stuart Bannigan, had peeled off to the far post; Bannigan's header back across goal was knocked into the net by Lyle Taylor.  The second wasn't any better from a defensive point of view, as both Laing and Steven McManus failed to track Taylor's dart into the six yard box to finish Callum Booth's cross.

Whilst Motherwell were much less effective in attack without the injured Marvin Johnson, it will be their defence that is to blame if they end up in eleventh.  Manager Ian Baraclough called the result "a blip".  He had better be right.  It was a blip they could do without though, as it gives Partick seven points worth of breathing space.  Whether they can maintain top flight status for a thirtieth consecutive season now comes down to five post-split games, and possibly - even probably? - a two-legged playoff. LS

Martin Ingram (MI) is our Aberdeen Correspondent.  Legend has it that he is the tallest man in the Red Army.  He writes regularly for Aberdeen fanzine The Red Final.

Iain Meredith (IM) is technically a Rangers fan, but these days he tends to support them ironically.  He only agreed to help with this blog because now he can tell his wife that he's "only watching the game to help a friend out".

Lawrie Spence (LS) has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007.  He has a life outside this blog.  Honestly.

Andrew Sutherland (AS) occasionally writes for When Saturday Comes.  He would never miss an ICT match unless he was offered a date with the lead singer of CHVRCHES...who he would then take to said ICT match.