Sunny Saint

And people still lust after Michael Higdon... There is no comparison. Best Saints striker of my lifetime by a mile and no matter what else happens now, a club legend.

I've said this on other threads but the Celtic game will go down as nothing more than another cup upset if we don't win this now. Hearts have had their day, their greatest day, last May. This is our time now. Beating Aberdeen on penalties, Celtic, and then Hearts would be a simply outstanding way to win any trophy. We've won nothing yet, but 2013 is our year.

Result-wise, I'm not so sure, but performance-wise, it was one of the very best.

We're still in this and have been the better team. COYS!

From Facebook: Samson, Carey, Van Zanten, McAusland, McGinn, Goodwin, Newton, Goncalves, Thompson, McGowan, Teale An attacking line-up if ever there was one. I'm positively shiting myself with Carey at LB though...

So what would everyone else's starting 11 be? I'd go: ------------Samson------------- DVZ Mair McAusland Barron -----------Goodwin------------- Teale McGowan McGinn Imrie ----------Thompson------------ I'd love to see Isma starting but given he probably won't be match fit, it might be risky, and playing two up top - while desirable - is probably not the best idea given our recent goals conceded record. We need to keep it tight for the first 45 minutes and take it from there - use Isma as an impact sub mid-way through the second half. We have to have a game plan, we can't just go into this hoping for the best. And I'm sorry to say that I'll be disappointed to see any of Guy, Robertson and Parkin on the pitch as I don't think any of them are good enough or contribute enough. We cannot afford passengers tomorrow, certainly not in those areas of the park. Every man has to stand up and be counted. We need an effort like that of the Rangers 1-0 game a few years back at Love St with every player throwing his kitchen sink at the ball to keep it out and not being afraid to shoot when they got the chance.

According to DVZ on Radio Scotland tonight, Danny won't name his team till an hour before kick off.

Absolutely. I'd take him in a minute. A decent, solid left back. Sign him on a two year deal and get that position sorted.

I don't think we can have any excuses, tbh, other than what you state - the balance of our squad. Don't get me wrong, I think we have a lot of good players at the club, but we are all over the place when it comes to having players who are natural to a certain position and I still don't think Danny knows his strongest starting 11. I don't think anyone really does, which is very concerning at this stage of the season. And to be without a natural left-back in our squad, given the amount of problems we've had tying someone down to that position pretty much since Ian Maxwell left, is also a big concern. We have to learn our lesson this summer and get a reliable full back on a two/three-year contract. As long as we come out of the game looking respectable, having put up a fighting performance, and given it our all, I will be satisfied - as that's pretty much all I think we can get from the game, despite having more confidence in our ability a month or two ago. I really hope the players prove me wrong, though. A poor performance from us, and the result doesn't bear thinking about.

There isn't any Cheesy "hate" and I wish people would give up this idea of a witch hunt against certain players. It's not like fans meet in secret on certain nights to decide who they're going to claim isn't good enough to play for St Mirren that week, and then barrage the football forums with such a view. If people are of the opinion a certain player isn't good enough, then that's their opinion - just because it's expressed en masse doesn't make it any less valid or any more of a "hate" campaign! And I'm sure those who hold such an opinion would be the first to acknowledge when he plays well, and many have done in the past. The same goes for Robertson/Teale etc. Anyway, Cheesy being "one of the better defenders at the club" isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of his talents - A. because we only have a handful of defenders at the club, and B. because the standard of defenders at the club is one of the worst at SPL level.

Let's be honest, there's probably hee-haw chance of us signing Boyd. Great signing if it comes off but we've all seen this happen so many times before. I won't get my hopes up.

It's a chance I'd be willing to take. This isn't some past-it, has-been we're talking about - this is the SPL's all-time top goalscorer at the age of 29. This is a guy who scored more than Larsson in this league. If he wants to come and kick his heels in Paisley, I'll pick him up from the airport myself.

Are you speaking here with any insider knowledge? Or just 'speculating'? Kris Boyd, even for half a season, would be a huge signing for St Mirren. Massive. Anyone who believes otherwise is seriously deluded.

And I suppose Mr Gilmour/Lennon/the ball boys are to pick £5k a week from their arses in order to do so? Great player but unfortunately, he's been well out of our price range the minute he moved to Norwich. I wouldn't be surprised if several English clubs are interested.

You mean the inconsistent Kenny McLean? John McGinn's a long, long way off being as good as Steven Gerrard. He's not a long, long way off being as good as Kenny McLean.

That was the first name that came to my mind as well. However, it's complete and utter guesswork!

That was the first name that came to my mind as well. However, it's complete and utter guesswork!

To be fair, so does John McGinn. Doesnae make him a bad player.

I don't think Beattie's attitude is the problem - his fitness is. Given he's barely kicked a ball for St Johnstone, I currently wouldn't go near him, as good a player as he is. I see that Richard Brittain has signed for the farmers on a pre-contract. Good signing. Wouldn't have minded seeing him back in a Saints shirt, but we have a better prospect in John McGinn.

You're either a really shite troll, or a properly shite supporter. All in all, to sum up, you're just generally shite.

Spot on I feel! We have nothing to fear. St Johnstone, Killie and Arbroath among others have proven that already this season. Celtic will have their minds on the Champions League from about now onwards, and still have the SPL and Scottish Cup probably higher up their list of priorities than this. That's not to say we shouldn't be cautious of their ability, but if we take the game to them like we did against Killie, and stay calm and steady at the back, we have a good chance. A lot depends on signings and availability between now and then, but based on our current squad, I'd be happy to start with the same line-up as the Killie game but I'd drop Guy in favour of Imrie, who could become a left midfielder when we don't have the ball and support Thommo when we do. We need players who are good on the ball in this game and Guy is not one of those. We also need 11 men to stand up and be counted and Guy is anonymous too often. At least Dougie puts in a power of a shift in midfield and is the nippy kind of player required on occasions like these, even if he lacks the final product too often. All in all, we are hitting form at the right time. We have had the big days out and the huge disappointments; time for St Mirren to be that team that rises to the occasion and makes a name for itself. It's been far too long since we did that. Surely, we are due some luck?

Him and Thommo up front. Oaft.

Of course there is always room but at a club like ours with a limited budget, it's all about priorities. Obviously if we were getting him on a really cheap deal which wouldn't impact on our budget then that would be a big plus.

Sounds promising but a striker is the last thing we need right now! We have Thommo, Guy, Parkin, Reilly and the likes of McLean, McGowan and Imrie all forward-thinking players and all capable of chipping in with a fair few goals. We literally have five fit defenders at the club. We don't need another striker.

Another one at the end of the season would be great... Especially with the Thommohawk's 96th minute overhead kick from the halfway line against Morton in the Scottish Cup Final rounding it off.