Tale Of The Tait: Game Winning Subs & Switches vs Ross County
Tale Of The Tait: Game Winning Subs & Switches vs Ross County
Jim Goodwin wasn't able to set foot in the dugout on Wednesday but that wasn't necessary for him to influence proceedings up in Dingwall. Watching on in the stands, he would doubtless have been impressed as his St Mirren side transformed a match, threatening to meander into a dull and dreary affair, into a full throttle exhilarant. Tactical tweaks and superb individual displays ensured St Mirren were able to turn the screw, to such an extent that Ross County became ragged and lost their composure as they desperately tried to grab a precious equaliser.
Perhaps defeating John Hughes in a battle of strategic nous isn't the steepest of challenges in the SPFL Premiership, as even Yogi questioned in post-match whether his team had been too 'gung-ho'; yet the ability to rectify mistakes and then significantly improve the team is a real feather in the cap for any manager. This article will take a look at how the decisions of the St Mirren coaching staff shifted the game in our favour.
1st Half
Both Craig Fowler and Joel Sked from The Terrace had Richard Tait in their top 12 SPFL fullbacks, with the ambidextrous Englishman featuring as high as 7th on Craig's list. Deservedly so, too, as he's been brilliant for most of the season. Quite why, then, Jim Goodwin decided to persist with his 3-5-2 system, where Richard Tait featured as the holding midfielder, is a mystery. A switch to a flat 4 across the back was the natural and obvious choice.
We made a bright enough start early on, and I want to highlight this sensational pass from Cammy MacPherson to Ilkay Durmus. The clip was shamefully omitted from the Sportscene edit, as it led to Jay Henderson's chance (our best of the half by a clear margin). It also foreshadowed the importance of releasing Ilkay Durmus further up the field, with the space in behind Jason Naismith providing the Turkish winger space to work his magic.
Once County settled down, however, it became abundantly clear we had some issues. Saints had just 43.72% possession during the first half and lacked any attacking fluidity and verve. Able to play on the front foot, Ross County managed 3 shots on target; you need to go back to our Boxing Day clash in the Highlands - where we ultimately triumphed 2-0 - to find the last time we allowed more in a first half (5). Staggies everywhere will be ruing the fact Billy Mackay didn't convert the Naismith cross, after our youth academy product managed to burst down our left in a rare instance of St Mirren looking ruffled defensively.
It was a functional but dispiriting display - not atrocious by any means but certainly very underwhelming, relative to what we later showed we were capable of. It was hard to find a clip which summarised the performance from our perspective but this one comes close.
Richard Tait plays a mediocre long ball behind Ilkay Durmus, which he needs to retreat to retrieve. As he is our LWB, we have no attacking channel on the left flank instantly. On the other side, we had Jay Henderson at RWB; he showed plenty of promise but the combination of being 18, making his starting debut in the top flight, lack of aerial threat, and not a wingback by trade, meant we had no outlet to switch the play. Joe Shaughnessy ambles forward and sees Erwin, Dennis, and McGrath displaying a lot of endeavour in their movement and shells the ball down the pitch. The outcome, predictably, is a turnover and Laidlaw collects the ball easily in his area.
The goal conceded from the corner doesn't necessarily lend itself to analysis from a tactical point of view. However, Richard Tait, Conor McCarthy, and Joe Shaughnessy will not want to watch it back. Tait's touch is poor at this level and McCarthy will know he needs to put distance in his clearance. Jordan White is unquestionably a formidable physical presence, however Shaughnessy needs to get tighter to prevent the turn and shot (admittedly the finish is excellent, leaving Jak Alnwick no chance).
2nd Half
With Dundee United losing heavily to Kilmarnock, the chance to reclaim 7th spot was there for the taking. The 3 points proved especially important with Motherwell continued their upward trajectory by defeating Hamilton in the Lanarkshire derby. The management would have known that and subtly gone about ways to take the game to the Highland opposition.
Attacking impetus, with one notable exception highlighted earlier, was sorely lacking from wide areas first half (although we did switch to a back 4 just before the whistle). Predictably, this changed with the switch to a conventional 4-4-2. Ilkay Durmus, freed from the shackles of defensive responsibility somewhat, was able to pin Jason Naismith back. This enabled the space for Richard Tait to advance - after an immaculate chest control past Tillson - and cross for Lee Erwin to head home.
The ex-Motherwell man went on to make an exceptional, goal-saving recovery challenge (below) preventing either White or Tillson from converting. As impressive as he was second half, our impressive defensive turnaround wasn't down to Richard Tait or any specific individual. It was our return to doing the fundamentals well - we won 50.74% of our duels in the latter half, 46.83% in the earlier - with the old adage 'attack is the best form of defence' ringing true. St Mirren conceded 0 shots on target second half but it's more tempting to look at the attacking numbers.
Ball possession increased nearly 8%, meaning we had more time in control of the match. Other improved metrics included shots (5 first half to 9 second half), shots on target (1 vs 4), and our xG (0.7 against 1.7, with non penalty XG of 0.94). The early equaliser ensured St Mirren did not have to overcompensate in an attacking sense, instead piling the pressure on our relegation-threatened opposition. Substitutions would prove key; Goodwin's alterations boosted the performance of his charges, while Hughes lacked a knowledge of his best side or how to allow them to build coherent, structured attacking patterns of play.
Collin Quaner won't have justified his salary yet in the eyes of the club hierarchy. Ross County must be ruing our decision to ever take a chance on the German, however, as he not only turned the last encounter between the sides (buying an undeserved penalty from poor Leo Hjelde) but transformed this one too. Let's take a look at his assist:
A lofted pass from Lee Erwin, who surely impressed even his harshest critics last night, sets up a foot race between Quaner and Iacovitti. Despite the defender having a head start, the not-yet-match-sharp Saint was too powerful, took control of possession, and was unselfish in looking for a colleague (not for the last time). Apparently Durmus, as a fellow German speaker, was pleased to have been joined in Paisley by the ex-Huddersfield forward, and the two linked up superbly. It's too easy to reach for a Turkish delight gag, but this is a delightful finish from Silky Ilkay. To have the wherewithal, running at that speed, to simultaneously somehow caress and prod the ball with his left foot into the bottom corner - as Ray Hudson would say, magisterial.
Quaner's superb cameo appearance was not over yet. The clip below foreshadows the penalty award which followed a few minutes later. Again, our new recruit is the facilitator rather than the main man - he tees up a now customary Cammy MacPherson shot from outside the box.
At this stage, with a few minutes remaining and staring defeat in the face, County were ragged. If the Buddies could get past the initial swarm of forwards, there was plenty of space to exploit if the midfield runners were able and willing. MacPherson and Quaner actually play a one-two, with our youth academy graduate getting out the proverbial pitching wedge, lofting the ball over the backline to chase yet again, and the chaos ensuing in the defensive box for the hosts resulted in Leo Hjelde conceding another penalty against us.
Final thoughts
- Kristian Dennis looked to still be struggling for the true match sharpness. When he gets it, he could become the prolific striker all fans are craving. He's the best number 9 at the club, Eamonn Brophy included.
- Kyle McAllister had another decent game from the bench and, personally, suspect he's come full circle; previously vastly overrated by our supporters, he's now sorely underappreciated by most.
- Marcus Fraser = Mr Consistency.
Comments
Post a Comment