J.M. Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 Greetings, Good morning, I wanted to ask about former club players, especially from the 86/87 season, I'm interested in knowing their positions on the pitch, starting with the following players: * Steve Clarke - Right full-back * Peter Godfrey - Central Defender * Neil Cooper - Central Defender, Defensive Midfielder * Derek Hamilton - Left Full-back it is right? will you help me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helmettroll Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 2 minutes ago, J.M. said: Greetings, Good morning, I wanted to ask about former club players, especially from the 86/87 season, I'm interested in knowing their positions on the pitch, starting with the following players: * Steve Clarke - Right full-back * Peter Godfrey - Central Defender * Neil Cooper - Central Defender, Defensive Midfielder * Derek Hamilton - Left Full-back it is right? will you help me? Correct, but I'm not sure about Neil Cooper as a defensive midfielder, Stevie Clarke could play all across the back 4 but Right back was his more natural position.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 Neale Cooper of Aberdeen played midfield Our Neil Cooper was a central defender most games Wasn't Stevie Clarke away to Chelsea at the end of 85/86? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 I'm talking crap too Steve Clarke was transferred Feb 1987 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 Plenty of shite and crap being spoken on this thread so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santaponsasaint Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 I might be wrong but I seem to remember when Neil Cooper first arrived he played in midfield. I dont ever remember him in midfield Neil Cooper was always a centre back. As I remember Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumboBud Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 I thought Stevie Clark mainly played left back for us, Tommy Wilson keeping him out of his best position. The more things change the more they stay the same, we have rarely in recent years had a proper left back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windae cleaner Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 43 minutes ago, DumboBud said: I thought Stevie Clark mainly played left back for us, Tommy Wilson keeping him out of his best position. The more things change the more they stay the same, we have rarely in recent years had a proper left back. Stevie played a season as a centre half Then later on played in midfield He played right back when wee Tam Wilson was out for a season thanks to the Thuggish Ally Dawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MenstrieSaint Posted August 18, 2020 Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 Just before Stevie Clarke moved to Chelsea he was playing as sweeper, with Hamilton left back and Wilson right back. Godfrey would have been centre half. Neil Cooper would have been involved in defensive midfield or Central defence depending on what players were available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.M. Posted August 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 Paul Lambert played most of his sports career as a defensive central midfielder, in his early years in the saints did he also play in that position? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TPAFKATS Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 Paul Lambert played most of his sports career as a defensive central midfielder, in his early years in the saints did he also play in that position?Don't recall him being a defensive midfielder he was more creative than that.Something he became after he moved from Motherwell to dortmund I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid Calder Saint Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 Saw Paul play on what may well have been his first game for us against Hibs at Easter Road and am sure he played in a wide right midfield role we had not long moved to Edinburgh to live and I believe Miller was our manager Don't recall him being a defensive midfielder he was more creative than that.Something he became after he moved from Motherwell to dortmund I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.M. Posted August 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 (edited) With Ian Ferguson we would be facing a case similar to Lambert's, that is to say, over the years they are remembered as more defensive players but that in their first years, both in St.Mirren, they were more creative players than defenders? Would Billy Abercromby be in charge of performing more defensive tasks in the center of the field? I think he could also play in defense, could it be? Edited August 19, 2020 by J.M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TPAFKATS Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 With Ian Ferguson we would be facing a case similar to Lambert's, that is to say, over the years they are remembered as more defensive players but that in their first years, both in St.Mirren, they were more creative players than defenders? Would Billy Abercromby be in charge of performing more defensive tasks in the center of the field? I think he could also play in defense, could it be?Don't recall Aber playing in defence unless covering due to injury during a game?My fading memory just has midfielders, they all attacked, some more than others, and all defended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TPAFKATS Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 Aber in his early career started at Left back. Cheers, his early days were before my time [emoji57] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Denim Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 On 8/18/2020 at 9:39 AM, Yflab said: Nah think I’m talking shite. One thing about Neil Cooper was he was a very consistent player for us. Usually a 7/10 each week. Rarely injured or suspended iirc. 85/86 saw Neil Cooper play a number of games in midfield with Steve Clarke in central defence most of that season. The side that beat Slavia Prague 3-0 in the UEFA Cup was: Money - Wilson, Godfrey, Clarke, Hamilton - Rooney, Cooper, Fitzpatrick, Speirs - Gallagher, McGarvey Subs- McDowall and Scanlon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Denim Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 (edited) 38 minutes ago, Yflab said: Thanks. My initial response was that he had then I changed my mind as I could not be arsed trawling the programme site for evidence. Cheers Capn. He was definitely playing in central defence when he first arrived in 83/84. John McCormack has been partnering Mark Fulton in central defence and he was moved into midfield when Cooper arrived. He arrived around the same time as Derek Hamilton and they were Alex Miller’s first signings other than Drew Jarvie. We went on an amazing run after Miller arrived, beating Rangers 3-0, then Celtic 4-2 (2-0 down after 20 mins then 3-2 up by half time then Scanlon’s late long range clincher), then we beat reigning champions Dundee United 4-0 in midweek. United had all their big guns back then, Gough, Hegarty, Narey, Malpas, Bannon, Sturrock, Dodds and almost reached the European Cup Final. McAvennie scored a hat trick. Side for those games was Thomson - Clarke, Cooper, Fulton, Hamilton, - McCormack, Fitzpatrick, Abercromby, Scanlon - McAvennie, McDougall Edited August 19, 2020 by Sue Denim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Denim Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 5 minutes ago, Yflab said: I remember that Stevie Clarke scored a scorcher of a goal just on the half time whistle in that game that was chalked off while the shot was airborne. We made some blunders in the transfer market at the start of that season. Sold Billy Stark to Aberdeen very cheaply and before freedom of contract and signed striker Rowan Alexander. Possibly Ricky McFarlane’s thinking was that McAvennie would assume the attacking midfield role but Alex Miller decided, quite rightly, that he was a striker when he arrived. And we swapped Lex Richardson for another striker, Eric Sinclair, who I think played once..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 48 minutes ago, Yflab said: I remember that Stevie Clarke scored a scorcher of a goal just on the half time whistle in that game that was chalked off while the shot was airborne. I can remember an almost identical situation Yflab, but my aged brain has John McCormack as the unfortunate "goalscorer" who had it disallowed. A bullet header from a corner on my imagination. Perhaps there were two similar occurances, but most likely your recall is sharper than my fuzzy brain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyg Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 The Billy Stark one I could understand , he had gone a bit stale and had been a great servant , plus we got some money. The Richardson/Sinclair deal was a disgrace though and was the rock that Ricky McFarlane perished on . When Miller came in , Sinclair's feet hardly touched the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.M. Posted August 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 46 minutes ago, Sue Denim said: We made some blunders in the transfer market at the start of that season. Sold Billy Stark to Aberdeen very cheaply and before freedom of contract and signed striker Rowan Alexander. Possibly Ricky McFarlane’s thinking was that McAvennie would assume the attacking midfield role but Alex Miller decided, quite rightly, that he was a striker when he arrived. And we swapped Lex Richardson for another striker, Eric Sinclair, who I think played once..... In the 86/87 season the Saints would use a 4-3-3 scheme, with the midfielders who played the most as starters Billy Abercromby, Paul Lambert and Ian Ferguson? being Abercromby the one who did a more defensive job? .... although he also played many games as a starter Brian Hamilton who I think was also a defensive-style midfielder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint in exile Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Yflab said: I remember that Stevie Clarke scored a scorcher of a goal just on the half time whistle in that game that was chalked off while the shot was airborne. Was that goal not scored in a 3-3 draw against the Arabs? Scored from way out on the right, in front of the enclosure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MenstrieSaint Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 4 hours ago, saint in exile said: Was that goal not scored in a 3-3 draw against the Arabs? Scored from way out on the right, in front of the enclosure. It was in a 4 nil win against the Arabs from 35 yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPAFKA Jersey 2 Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 (edited) 79/80 to 84/85 was without any doubt the best period in our club’s history. A 3rd place, a 4th place, 3 5th places and a 6th in the League. 3 cup semi finals An Anglo Scottish Cup win 3 of only 4 European adventures in our history. For a club like ours it was a golden period and I feel privileged that those were my formative years as a St. Mirren fan. The mid 70s gave me the bug and then that period just sealed the deal. I could have extended it out to 87 to capture the cup win, but as magical a day as that was, from 86 onwards, as a league team you just felt that the rot had started to set in a little and we were definitely no longer the consistent force we had been before. Edited August 19, 2020 by TPAFKA Jersey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Denim Posted August 20, 2020 Report Share Posted August 20, 2020 (edited) 15 hours ago, J.M. said: In the 86/87 season the Saints would use a 4-3-3 scheme, with the midfielders who played the most as starters Billy Abercromby, Paul Lambert and Ian Ferguson? being Abercromby the one who did a more defensive job? .... although he also played many games as a starter Brian Hamilton who I think was also a defensive-style midfielder. 86/87 was a long season with 44 league games plus the cups and there was a change of manager half way through. A whole lost of players were used and formations tried. It was probably the first time I’d ever seen us without more or less a settled 13/14 players who’d be used throughout the season. Ian Ferguson didn’t arrive until a few games into the season and we initially had Dougie Bell on loan in midfield. Tony Fitzpatrick was still a regular as well as was Gardner Speirs until he got injured. Paul Lambert actually started the season playing as a striker alongside McGarvey with Brian Gallagher playing wide in a 4-3-3. Steve Clarke started the season in central defence but was switched to right back just before Chelsea signed him. My suspicion is that he was switched to right back to allow Chelsea to see him there before signing him. Once he left then Neil Cooper replaced him. Peter Godfrey has been the centre half but got injured and was replaced by David Winnie who had been playing left back. Derek Hamilton then came back into the side at left back. Tommy Wilson was the right back for most of the season. Miller reverted to 4-4-2 with Ian Ferguson in midfield and Ian Cameron coming into the side wide left after Speirs was injured. Paul Chalmers also arrived to play up front. Billy Abercromby played a few games at left back that season and was then suspended for 12 games have his triple sending off against Motherwell. Alex Smith switched to 4-3-3 in the latter part of the season. Paul Chalmers scored twice in the cup win at Cappielow but after he got injured, Smith pushed Ian Ferguson up front. Abercromby came back into the side from suspension and replaced the injured Fitzpatrick in midfield. The midfield 3 in the cup final were Hamilton, Abercromby and Lambert with McGarvey, McDowall and Ferguson up front. Edited August 20, 2020 by Sue Denim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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