St Mirren

Major League Soccer clubs Minnesota United, San Diego and Portland Timbers are preparing bids for 23-year-old St Mirren midfielder Killian Phillips and are ready to meet the Premiership club's asking price of £750,000 for the Republic of Ireland player. (The Herald)

Scottish Premiership rivals and clubs in the English Championship and Europe are considering approaches for 22-year-old St Mirren centre-back Miguel Freckleton. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Andrew Christie
Fan writer

Saturday's trip to Tannadice was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch, which felt frustrating at first.

Another fixture pile-up to navigate later, another week without points on the board. But maybe it's exactly what we needed.

We've been bouncing from one game to the next without time to properly catch our breath, never mind integrate the January additions.

Jake Young got 20 minutes against Livingston. Kion Etete's barely had time to read my 'Top 10 Palindromic Footballer Names' list, never mind build the kind of understanding with his midfield that a striker in a Stephen Robinson system needs.

Not-quite-new-but-different Tunmise Sobowale looked dangerous in his 15 minutes last Tuesday at Livi, but one promising cameo doesn't necessarily mean immediate match-readiness.

The issue isn't just fitness or form, it's cohesion, which sounds like LinkedIn speak - have you thought about what a 2-2 draw with bottom-of-the-league Livi could teach us about B2B marketing? - but actually matters.

Young's movement is different to what our current strikers offer. He wants the ball in behind, wants to stretch defences vertically. That requires midfield to recognise the runs, to play the pass early, to trust he'll be there.

Etete gives us a proper aerial outlet, but only if wing-backs know when to hit him, if midfielders know when to play into his chest versus when to play around him.

These are tactical relationships that need building, the sort of understanding that can't be fast-tracked, only repeated into existence.

Robinson's been firefighting. Fixtures, absences, arrivals - holding the centre while the edges keep moving.

You can't solve those problems between Tuesday and Saturday. You need time on the grass... or plastic, or swamp, depending on what mood the SPFL is in on any given day.

An extra week means actually having one. Time to build those relationships we've been talking about rather than just hoping they develop on the job.

Time for bodies to feel properly fresh instead of just functional. Time to turn arrivals into integrations, to let Robinson actually coach the things that need coaching rather than just managing the chaos.

Sometimes the best result is no result at all.

Andrew Christie can be found at Misery Hunters, external

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Dundee United's Vicko Sevelj is set to remain sidelined along with Isaac Pappoe (knee).

Kion Etete will go straight into the St Mirren squad after signing on loan from Cardiff until the end of the season. Oisin Smyth, recalled from a loan spell at Partick Thistle, has returned to the Jags on loan until the end of the season. Saints remain without Jonah Ayunga (tendon), Mark O'Hara (ankle) and Keanu Baccus (hamstring tendon).

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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He's only 24, but Jake Young says he's "had more clubs than Tiger Woods" on his footballing journey from Sunday league to St Mirren.

The Buddies signed him from English League One Stevenage a week ago and he's already tasted Scottish football, coming on as a substitute in Tuesday night's 1-1 draw away to Livingston.

One could say, though, he's taken the scenic route to Paisley.

He joked: "I said to my agent that I'd always wanted to play abroad, but I was thinking somewhere a little bit more sunny."

St Mirren is the Huddersfield-born striker's eighth club, but he's hoping under Stephen Robinson's guidance he'll flourish in the Scottish Premiership.

He said: "I was never really in an academy when I was younger. I was probably a bit of a late developer. I played Sunday League then went to non-league Guiseley."

It was at the West Yorkshire club in the seventh tier of English football where things fell into place.

"Everything started clicking a little bit, my body was growing and then it happened quickly," said Young.

"I moved to Sheffield United and got my first professional deal there. I quickly realised I just wanted to play first-team football as opposed to Under-23s.

"I ended up at Forest Green in League Two and had a couple of years there. In my second season we won the league.

"Then I managed to go back up north to play for Bradford. It probably didn't work out as I'd hoped for the first year.

"I had a loan move to Barrow and then a loan move to Swindon Town, which is probably where I played my best football."

Young enjoyed his most prolific spell with Swindon, scoring 16 goals in 26 appearances. That earned him a recall to Bradford where things didn't go according to plan.

"Unfortunately, I tore my hamstring, the only serious injury I've had in my career. When I recovered I went to Stevenage," he said.

"I had 18 months at Stevenage in League One but had limited opportunities.

"My agent called me and let me know of St Mirren's interest and whether I'd be interested. I did my own research obviously and had a chat with the gaffer. It was all positive and gave me a good feeling.

"I think a big thing for me was he spoke about improving me as a player and the time on the training pitch."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Stephen Robinson has been speaking to the media before St Mirren visit Dundee United in the Premiership on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from the Buddies boss:

• Robinson tried to bring Toyosi Olusanya back to Paisley, but "we didn't have the funds to do what we wish" and the Houston Dynamo forward instead joined Aberdeen.

• Injured midfielders Keanu Baccus and Mark O'Hara are three or four weeks away from returning and Robinson says he'll have to do some "wheeling and dealing" to strengthen that position before the transfer window closes.

• He adds: "We've brought two strikers in so the board have backed that, which is great, and we need to find a way to either move people out or people that aren't happy not playing football, then create that yourself."

• He says the positivity is back at the club after a few weeks where "everyone was feeling a little bit sorry for themselves with the injuries". New arrivals have helped provide a "freshness" and Robinson is ready to give opportunities to players who have "trained particularly well".

• He says the acquisition of strikers Jake Young and Kion Etete, who will both be in the squad to face United, gives him options and creates competition up front where Mikael Mandron has been "playing constantly without a break".

• Young especially offers the ability to get in behind defences, a quality that the injured Jonah Ayunga offered.

• On United, Robinson says: "They always pose a challenge. I think Jim Goodwin's recruitment has been very good. United are a big club and they'll be hoping to get into the top six. We have to go there and get a result. We've done that in the past."

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Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin says St Mirren's current League Cup-winning hangover is reminiscent of when he captained the Buddies to glory in the same competition 13 year ago.

On Saturday United host Stephen Robinson's side, who have won only one of their seven league matches since defeating Celtic in the final last month.

Goodwin was captain of the Paisley side the previous time they lifted the cup before failing to win any of their following seven top-flight matches.

"I think it's difficult after the highs of winning the cup then to refocus and get back on to the league programme. I've seen that numerous times," said Goodwin.

"It actually happened to my own team back in 2013. We really struggled to get any momentum in the league after the cup final.

"Stephen Robinson has had lots of injuries to key players as well to contend with, but they've still got a very good, strong squad available to them. We will certainly be preparing for a very difficult fixture.

"They gave us a really difficult game in Paisley last time out and deserved to win the game and we need to make sure we don't have a similar type of performance on Saturday because we can't afford to be on the wrong end of the result."

United are five points off sixth-placed Falkirk after winning just two of their past 13 league games.

"We have to put a run of wins together, something that we haven't been able to do up to now," added Goodwin.

"We're going into that last block of 11 games now prior to the split and we have to start picking up maximum points on a consistent basis."

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• Alex Gogic, who scored St Mirren's equaliser against Livingston last time out, is set to make his 250th Scottish Premiership appearance (currently 249). He will be only the second non-British/Irish player - after Canada's David Wotherspoon (295) - to reach that figure since the top flight was rebranded to the Premiership in 2013-14.

• Dundee United have lost their past two league games without scoring, last losing three in a row without reply in the Premiership in December 2021 (run of four).

• St Mirren are winless in eight away league games (D2 L6) since beating Falkirk 2-1 in September. Only bottom side Livingston have fewer away points this season (four) than the Buddies (six, level with Dundee).

• After their 3-1 win in October, Dundee United are looking to beat St Mirren twice at home within a single Premiership campaign for the first time since 2013-14.

• St Mirren have won two of their past three league meetings with Dundee United (L1) after losing three in a row without scoring beforehand.

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No sooner had Oisin Smyth returned to St Mirren than he was away again.

Having been recalled from his Partick Thistle loan spell 10 days ago, the Northern Irish midfielder has now departed to Firhill for the remainder of the season.

During his short Buddies return, Smyth started the 2-0 defeat to Hearts and Scottish Cup win over Livingston then was an unused substitute in Tuesday night's 1-1 league draw in West Lothian.

The 25-year-old made 18 appearances for Thistle this season in his initial loan stint.

We asked for your thoughts after St Mirren came from behind to snatch a late 1-1 draw with Livingston in the Scottish Premiership.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Trevor: Talk about hot potato football. That was a horrendous watch, to me to you, it was like watching the Chuckle Brothers. The referee didn't help, blowing that whistle like a swimming lifeguard when anyone dare touch an opponent. Hopefully it's a platform for a win at Dundee United on Saturday.

JayDee: Alex Gogic reached superhero status at Livi. He can foul, pull his marker and score in under two seconds. Had the Livingston defence been marking, not blocking, they might have had his number.

Douglas S: Oh dear, we got out of jail. Too many players not coming up to the mark when we needed everyone to pull their weight. The new striker Jake Young looks good and should start on Saturday in place of Mikael Mandron, who looks as if he is struggling badly. Thank goodness we have Gogic.

Douglas M: There is much to debate about the outcome of this game but in overall terms, as the stats show, there was practically nothing between the teams. So a draw was a fair result in an overall scrappy, mistake-driven game that neither team deserved to win or lose. It says something about our current form that we will take a hard-fought point from the worst team in the league.

Kev: We all feel the manager's frustration on where the team that so convincingly won the League Cup has gone. The effort, belief and passion were missing until Gogic roused us out of the stupor we've been stuck in. I hope that was the spark we needed to get the performances I know we are capable of.

Peter: Always a struggle against Livingston, they kill the game at every opportunity. Our final 11 should be first picks on Saturday. Fantastic header from Goga to get the point.

Watch highlights as St Mirren's Alex Gogic scores a late equaliser to deny Livingston their first victory in the Scottish Premiership since early August.

UK only

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St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson: "It was great character from the boys, last 15 minutes we showed the energy that was missing from our game.

"It wasn't our best performance by any stretch of the imagination, but we played like St Mirren again, playing with a quality and an energy that got us the equaliser.

"I see light at the end of the tunnel now. We've got players coming in with energy, that gives us hope going forward."

Livingston moved to within three points of Kilmarnock at the foot of the Scottish Premiership but were denied their first victory in 22 games by Alex Gogic's late equaliser for St Mirren.

Have your say on the game here.

Read our match report here.

Andrew Christie
Fan writer

I've not seen One Battle After Another yet, so I don't actually know what it's about, but I'm comfortable assuming there's a section where someone has to go to Livingston twice in four days.

Saturday's battle was, broadly speaking, fine. Not good, not terrible - just football that happened.

We came out of it still alive in the Scottish Cup, which at this point feels like a moral victory. Roland Idowu scored after three minutes, Scott Arfield equalised eight minutes later, and then we all spent the next two hours suspended in that strange football purgatory where time passes but nothing meaningfully changes.

Penalties eventually arrived, we won them, we're through to play Airdrie in the last 16. Job done. Sort of.

Tonight's battle is something else entirely. Same ground. Same opposition. Same everything, really - except now it's League Away rather than Cup Away.

League Away is not a thing we enjoy. Seventy-two percent of our points have been collected at the SMISA Stadium. Away from Paisley, the story is markedly different: one win, two draws, seven defeats.

It's not a quirk or a coincidence or a small sample size. The moment we leave PA3, we become something different. Something daft.

Livingston are bottom with nine points and haven't won a league match in 18 attempts. We're 10th with 18 points and have lost four of our past five. Between us, the league table has been bookmarked on three different devices and is now checked more frequently than the weather, which is saying something given we live in Scotland.

The numbers are grim whichever way you look at them. They haven't won since August. We can't win away from home. They're desperate for anything that looks like momentum.

We're desperate not to get dragged into whatever this is. It's the kind of match where someone's season pivots - either theirs lurches back into life or ours slides noticeably closer to the drain.

Stephen Robinson will have learned everything he needs to know from Saturday. We know how they defend set-pieces, where the gaps are, which players cause problems.

Unfortunately, David Martindale now knows exactly the same about us. So tonight becomes this odd, tense, tactical stand-off where both managers can see the punches coming and it's just a matter of who lands theirs cleaner and who does something stupid first.

Win, and it's 11 points between us and bottom. Lose, and it's five. Livingston get their first league win since the start of August, and we're forced to confront the idea we might not actually be much better than the worst team in Scotland.

One battle after another, indeed.

Andrew Christie can be found at Misery Hunters, external

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• Livingston are winless in 19 league games (D6 L13), the longest run by any side in Scotland's top flight since Hamilton went 22 without victory from November 2010 to April 2011.

• St Mirren have lost their past four Scottish Premiership games, last losing more in a row in October 2020 (six). The Buddies have lost their past three without scoring, last losing more in succession without reply in the top flight in April 2015 (five).

• Livingston are the first side to win just one (or fewer) of their first 21 matches of a Scottish top-flight season since Dundee United in 2000-01 (also one win) – who managed to avoid relegation with an 11th-place finish that term, with St Mirren finishing 12th and being relegated.

• Livingston are unbeaten in four home games against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership (W1 D3), and, after their 1-0 victory in February 2024, could win back-to-back home games over the Buddies for only the second time in the top flight after February 2020.

• St Mirren have only lost one of their past 14 Scottish Premiership games against Livingston (W7 D6), and after their 1-0 win in December, could beat the Lions successively in the competition for the first time since November 2020.

We asked for your views on St Mirren's win on penalties against Livingston to book their place in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.

Here's what some of you said:

Michael: What a shambles. Stephen Robinson says the team let him down so what does he do? Chooses almost the same team less one. What do Evan Mooney and Malik Dijksteel have to do to start a game? Move! Mikael Mandron needs to be dropped. I said before the first sign of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. When will he learn? Hope sooner rather than later, but I will not hold my breath. Time to clear out the deadwood and give others a chance.

Alistair: I would rather have a win against Livingston in the league to come, rather than a win in the Scottish Cup to be honest. The way St Mirren are playing at the moment, we should be concentrating and focusing energy on staying up and not getting relegated. If you go down it is very difficult to return to the Premiership.

Eddie: In the hat for next round, all that matters given our injuries.

Ian: We can't expect a team like St Mirren to have the ability to reach the top six season after season. It's nobody's fault. It's a very tight league with positions five and six always up for grabs between seven teams. Let's just enjoy what we have or risk losing a good manager.