St Johnstone

Steven MacLean hopes Theo Bair doesn't come back to haunt St Johnstone on Saturday as the Perth men look to finally claim a first Premiership win of the season.

Canadian striker Bair was released by Saints in the summer after scoring once in 38 games and has since been a regular starter for Motherwell, including a goal on his debut.

"I have done it myself, gone back to my old clubs and you are always looking forward to the occasion," said Saints boss MacLean.

"Theo is a good lad and we will wish him well after Saturday but hopefully we will deal with him well."

Perth striker Nicky Clark, out since February with an ankle injury, is in line to make his comeback after stepping up his fitness during the international break.

"It's great to have him back," MacLean said. "He's a top striker. We are hoping, if he plays, he can bring us goals. It just depends if we think he is fit enough to start or come off the bench."

Motherwell have lost four in a row and McLean hopes to prolong their "sticky spell" to kickstart his side's seaosn.

“We're seeing good signs but we need to start winning games now,” he said.

“We've got a good run of fixtures coming up in the league, but it’s so tight and it's just small margins in games.

"Motherwell will probably be saying that they just need a bit of luck, they're a good side but we know where we can hurt them."

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

Charlie Adam says he had to convince Dara Costelloe to make a loan move from Burnley to St Johnstone, but that the Irishman was quickly won over when he made his debut in front of 60,000 fans.

Forward Costelloe arrived in August for a season-long stint in Perth from the Clarets, where Adam is loans manager.

Speaking to the BBC's Sacked in the Morning podcast, former Dundee and Rangers midfielder Adam said: "We’ve got two players on loan in Scotland at the moment, Dara Costello at St Johnstone and Marcel Lewis at Dundee.

“I had to nearly drive them there myself to make sure it happened because when you’re in the Premier League and you’re thinking about Scotland, it’s not what you think it is.

“I said to them, 'Lads, this will be one of the best experiences you’ll ever have, you’re going to the Premier League in Scotland’.

“Dundee had just been promoted and St Johnstone had a tough season last year but they escaped relegation, I have a good relationship with Gus [MacPherson] and he’d been on to me asking about players.

“I said ‘take him’ but I was just trying to convince the player and that’s the problem now, trying to convince the player to come to Scotland.

"Dara wanted to play in English League One or Two and I said, ‘You went to Bradford last season and it didn’t work out, here’s an opportunity to go to the Premier League, you’re playing against Rangers, Celtic, Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen.’

“His first game was at Celtic Park 0-0, in front of 60,000. I texted him after the game to say how was it and he said, ‘One of the best experiences of my life’.

“So now you ask him about it and he’s like, ‘I’m loving it, I’m playing every week.’

“It’s just different when you can play on the Saturday and I’m glad they have because it’s an experience for them and we’ll look to try and bring players to Scotland as much as we can.”

• After their 2-0 defeat in May last season, St Johnstone could lose back-to-back league meetings with Motherwell for the first time since November 2019 under Tommy Wright.

• Motherwell last won back-to-back away games against St Johnstone in the top flight in November 2012 under Stuart McCall.

• St Johnstone are winless in eight league games (D4 L4), the longest ongoing run in this season’s Scottish Premiership. It is Saints' longest winless streak in the league since January 2022 (10 games).

• Motherwell have lost their last four league matches; not since January 2015 have the Steelmen lost five in succession.

• St Johnstone have scored just three goals in the Premiership this season, the fewest by a side in their opening eight matches of a campaign in the competition since Livingston in 2021-22 (also three). The last side to score no more than three in their first nine games was Partick Thistle in 2015-16 (three), whose ninth match was against Motherwell.

Bottom side St Johnstone host Motherwell on Saturday looking for their first league win of the season.

Pick your starting XI for the Premiership encounter here.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle have announced the signing of St Johnstone legend David Wotherspoon on a short-term deal, following his release by the Perth club at the end of last season.

Wotherspoon becomes Duncan Ferguson's first signing as ICT manager, and his new contract runs until January 2024.

The Canadian international made 355 appearances for St Johnstone, scoring 26 goals and contributing 50 assists. He also won the Scottish Cup twice, in 2014 and 2021, and the Scottish League Cup in 2021.

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St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean is set to turn to fit-again striker Nicky Clark against Motherwell despite his long injury lay-off. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

St Johnstone's poor start to the season has been well documented. The Perth side are yet to win in the league and sit bottom of the Scottish Premiership with just four points from eight games.

They have scored just three goals, the fewest in the league, and have conceded 11, with only Livingston, Hibs and Ross County shipping more.

Unfortunately for manager Steven MacLean, the underlying data would suggest that their troubles are likely to continue.

They have the lowest cumulative xG in the league with 5.33, and they have also conceded the highest xG, with a value of 14.29.

That would suggest they are struggling to create clear-cut chances, and cough up plenty at the back. That has to change after the international break if they want to haul themselves off the foot of the table.

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Sven Sprangler is enjoying his spell at St Johnstone after being told to find a regular job during his long search for a club. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip

We asked you for your thoughts after St Johnstone's goalless draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

Here's what you had to say:

Gav: Another excellent away point but for the second week in a row it feels like two dropped by not converting chances when on top. I'm confident that this will be a tight race to the end of the season with four, if not five teams likely to be in the mix at the bottom by the end of the season.

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Tyrone Smith, BBC Sport Scotland

St Johnstone midfielder Matthew Smith says they have "just got to the trust the process" as the club look to get themselves off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership and end a run of eight league games without a win.

After a spirited performance in their goalless draw away to Aberdeen on Sunday, Smith believes it is only a matter of time before things click into place.

"I think that has been the frustration since the start of the season - there have been times in games where we have played really well and you come back and you go ‘we haven’t really got anything for it’," he said.

"But we have full belief in the dressing room. We know that, once we get on a bit of a run, that will come. We have just got to keep believing - you have just got to trust the process.’

"It is important that we all stick together, not just as a team but as a whole club in general, because once it does turn, I feel like we are in a good space to push on from that.

"We know how difficult it is to get results in this league and there have been times this season where we have been unlucky not to get results. So we do feel as a group that we are all waiting for that one win."

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Were you at Pittodrie on Sunday or following the match from home? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean: "When you come up to Pittodrie and get a point, I think it's a good result.

"First half I thought we were the better team by quite some distance, it was just that final act. Second half, I knew Aberdeen would throw it at us, but I thought we defended our box really well.

"There is a good side in there, I'm happy with my squad now. We're going to get better, we're going to keep improving and teams will need to watch us coming up the table. I know we haven't won a game yet, but we're getting there and we will win games.

"We're a team in transition, but we're getting players back, I'm getting options. I keep saying it, but we're going to get on that run soon and we'll win games."