This time next week, John Coughlin could be out of a job. A hammering at the hands of Caley Thistle finished off Tom Hendrie last year, and it could well have the same effect on Coughlin.
Let’s get one thing straight. I do not want John Coughlin to fail. Never have done, and even now, when it is clear he has to go, I am not one of these fans who want a defeat so that the board will be forced to get rid of him. The fact is we find ourselves, once again, in a relegation battle. That’s the fourth season running. Every point is crucial, and, as long as we win, I don’t care who the manager is.However, if we find ourselves three or four goals down at half time, as Hendrie did in August 2002, I for one will be hoping Caley go on and put seven or eight past us. It would be embarrassing, but it would surely rid of us a manager who is no way capable of doing the job. His record last season was awful, why he was appointed is a mystery. I take that back, I do know why he was appointed. We couldn’t afford to get rid of him.
The argument about last season was that it wasn’t Coughlin’s squad. Fair enough, so I was prepared to give him a chance this season, but it just hasn’t worked out, and now those same people who made the “not his squad” argument are claiming it doesn’t matter who signed the players! Paul McKnight and Kevin Twaddle have been total wastes of wage so far, even I could have predicted that pre season.
Of course it’s not John’s fault, it’s injuries, the players, the fans, the officials, the opposition, the groundsmen and the wee wummin selling the pies at the back of the North Bank. John Coughlin is fully responsible for the dross we have been forced to watch this season. If we go a few goals down early on to Caley on Saturday, which could happen, I am fairly confident we will not come back from it.
Anyway, on to the preview. Paul McKnight and Kevin Twaddle are still out (shock horror there), whilst Barry Lavety picked up an injury in a bounce game against Dumbarton so will probably miss out. Simon Lappin and Gus MacPherson may be back, which is good, though David Jack and Graham McWilliam are still injured.
What formation we will see tomorrow is anyone's guess. Perhaps Coughlin has a wheel of fortune type thing with various formations, and he spins it to decide what to go with. 4-4-2, 3-4-3, 4-3-3, 3-5-2 were all apparently used last weekend against Clyde. What odds on a 4-5-1 or a 3-6-1 to try and stop us conceding goals rather than going for a win?
What formation we will see tomorrow is anyone's guess. Perhaps Coughlin has a wheel of fortune type thing with various formations, and he spins it to decide what to go with. 4-4-2, 3-4-3, 4-3-3, 3-5-2 were all apparently used last weekend against Clyde. What odds on a 4-5-1 or a 3-6-1 to try and stop us conceding goals rather than going for a win?
You know the drill by know. Caley Thistle, Paul Ritchie, always scores, not the striker we wanted. Here endeth the sermon.
Predictions? Nothing short of a hammering, and if we are four or five goals down with half an hour to go I will (secretly) be cheering them on to rack up a cricket score. A heavy defeat, or even a defeat of any kind, will hopefully end John Coughlin’s reign, one of the sorriest I can remember as a Saints fan.