Wright's Mind Games

[jon paul jones]

I see Tommy Wright has started the build up to the semi next weekend by dumbing down his team to "underdog" status. What a f%d!!!

How can a manager who leads a team in a higher league, who's won the Scottish Cup in the last 2 years and been in Europe for the last four consecutive seasons say that.

Saying that, the source is the Sunday Mail......

[lyonhibs]

I see Tommy Wright has started the build up to the semi next weekend by dumbing down his team to "underdog" status. What a f%d!!!

How can a manager who leads a team in a higher league, who's won the Scottish Cup in the last 2 years and been in Europe for the last four consecutive seasons say that.

Saying that, the source is the Sunday Mail......

Because he's playing mind games 101. No biggie, I trust Stubbs to brush it off like dust off his shoulder

[H18 SFR]

Because he's playing mind games 101. No biggie, I trust Stubbs to brush it off like dust off his shoulder

Apologies if this goes against the grain but I genuinely think we are favourites - by a mile.

[Andy74]

I see Tommy Wright has started the build up to the semi next weekend by dumbing down his team to "underdog" status. What a f%d!!!

How can a manager who leads a team in a higher league, who's won the Scottish Cup in the last 2 years and been in Europe for the last four consecutive seasons say that.

Saying that, the source is the Sunday Mail......

The detail of what he is saying is right though. Bigger club with bigger budget and bigger expectations. We have beaten them to players recently as well he said.

I'd have us as favourites looking at our squads.

[iwasthere1972]

I see Tommy Wright has started the build up to the semi next weekend by dumbing down his team to "underdog" status. What a f%d!!!

How can a manager who leads a team in a higher league, who's won the Scottish Cup in the last 2 years and been in Europe for the last four consecutive seasons say that.

Saying that, the source is the Sunday Mail......

Hope we just do our talking on the park and don't get caught up with who is or should be favourite etc. Nice and quietly does it.

[Since90+2]

Apologies if this goes against the grain but I genuinely think we are favourites - by a mile.

By a mile? :confused:

[Thecat23]

As it stands, we are in a lower league but I still think we have a better squad and are still a much bigger club.

Would I say we are fav's to win next week... Better believe it and Tommy is correct.

[Ged]

As it stands, we are in a lower league but I still think we have a better squad and are still a much bigger club.

Would I say we are fav's to win next week... Better believe it and Tommy is correct.

Damn right he is. They're getting pumped.

[erin go bragh]

Apologies if this goes against the grain but I genuinely think we are favourites - by a mile.

Mmmm , Tommy ! Second name no Wright by any chance :)


GGTTH

[Sir David Gray]

Apologies if this goes against the grain but I genuinely think we are favourites - by a mile.

No danger.

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Saints are favourites. Will be a cup upset when we beat them.

[JimBHibees]

Think we will need to play better than we recently have to win. Saints are a decent team and will cause us problems for sure. Seems a 50/50 game to me.

[Keith_M]

Dunno what he's on about as we're just a lower league outfit trying to do our best against an establsihed top flight club.


C'mon the Diddy Team!!!

[SunshineOnLeith]

I like Tommy Wright, always amazed he's not linked with decent jobs down south.

[Waxy]

We are the underdogs but are well capable of beating anyone IF our players step up and play how they can.

[lucky]

Saints are favourites. We've a good chance but it would an upset if we won.

[Andy74]

Saints are favourites. We've a good chance but it would an upset if we won.

Which St Johnstone players would get in our team?

[21.05.2016]

Stubbs is not daft, he's been involved in football at high levels, he knows how these mind games work. Look at all the hun mind games in the summer during the whole Allan saga.

Keep the team focused on our own preparations and try and ignore the media as much as possible. The media love stirring up **** and twisting things to try and get a bit of drama going. I hope Stubbs and his team will avoid getting caught up in it and just focus on preparations on the training ground.

As for the whole underdog thing. I don't think there is one clear underdog. I would probably say we are slightly more underdogs as we have been playing in a lower league against weaker oppositions but I think on paper we actually have a better team.

It'll be a tough game, absolutely no doubt about that but if we turn up on the day and play the way we are capable of playing then we can win.

[jingler1954]

The bookies odds will tell you who are favourites they are not often wrong GGTTH.

[SeanWilson]

As someone else said earlier, I think to a man, they'd rather have our starting 11....

[Ged]

Think we will need to play better than we recently have to win. Saints are a decent team and will cause us problems for sure. Seems a 50/50 game to me.

Their last win was 5th December so they're hardly on a decent run.

[21.05.2016]

Hope we just do our talking on the park and don't get caught up with who is or should be favourite etc. Nice and quietly does it.

Exactly. Keep the heads down, keep ourselves to ourselves and give the media no opportunities to start **** stirring. We don't need any distractions.

[FitbaFolkKen]

The bookies odds will tell you who are favourites they are not often wrong GGTTH.

WH have it 7/5 Hibs and 6/4 St J - pretty much 50/50

[lord bunberry]

The fact his team won at ibrox earlier in the tournament would suggest he's talking pish. I think it will be a tight game that we will ultimately win.

[ekhibee]

He is just playing wee mind games. I'm sorry, but going against the trend here, I don't think we're the stronger team, either on paper or anything else. We are more than capable of beating St Johnstone, but I don't think our level of form is as good as when we beat Aberdeen or DU. I think it'll be a really hard game for us, but I also think the O'Halloran situation could also have an effect on the outcome. Just my opinion of course, and obviously I hope we do make it to the final.

[FromTheCapital]

We've got a better squad than St Johnstone but still think they've got players who can hurt us as well. We're slight favourites I'd say but obviously wouldn't rule St Johnstone out either


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[Andy74]

He is just playing wee mind games. I'm sorry, but going against the trend here, I don't think we're the stronger team, either on paper or anything else. We are more than capable of beating St Johnstone, but I don't think our level of form is as good as when we beat Aberdeen or DU. I think it'll be a really hard game for us, but I also think the O'Halloran situation could also have an effect on the outcome. Just my opinion of course, and obviously I hope we do make it to the final.
Perhaps you can do what no one else has yet and tell us which of their players would get in our team?

[Broken Gnome]

Which St Johnstone players would get in our team?

Wotherspoon.

[O'Rourke3]

Sorry they are and should be favourites. Regular top 4 team and in Europe. What's unusual for St Johnstone is they are rarely in semi finals and never favourites. So the more we tell them they are the bigger the banana skin if we win. Lets see how they handle it for a change. By already insisting we have a better squad we are setting ourselves up for a fall. I like the idea that we go in as underdogs and hopefully with a realistic expectation from the supporters at the ground.

[Bishop Hibee]

What makes St Johnstone favourites us that they play more games against a higher level of competition. we only have Falkirk and the Rangers. Having said that we made the step up against the Dons and Utd.

[Tyler Durden]

Sorry they are and should be favourites. Regular top 4 team and in Europe. What's unusual for St Johnstone is they are rarely in semi finals and never favourites. So the more we tell them they are the bigger the banana skin if we win. Lets see how they handle it for a change. By already insisting we have a better squad we are setting ourselves up for a fall. I like the idea that we go in as underdogs and hopefully with a realistic expectation from the supporters at the ground.

We are favourites as has been pointed out by the post sharing the bookmakers odds.

People can say what they like but we're favourites. FACT, ENDOF (always wanted to end a post this way :wink:)

[Carheenlea]

I think we have the edge over St Johnstone, and if both teams were to play at their best we would beat them conformably.
It will probably be closer that that but I'll be disappointed if we are not going to Hampden for a League Cup Final.

[Big_Franck]

It's a 50/50 game for me. Although we might think we have the better players they are the Premiership side challenging for third despite a very average run of results of late. They are also a good team unit with some experienced players. It'll be a tough game and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes to extra time.

[Big_Franck]

Wotherspoon.

No way he'd get in our starting 11. Fyvie, Henderson, McGinn and McGeough would all start ahead of him. I'd maybe even have Boyle wide right before Wotherspoon.

[Andy74]

Wotherspoon.

Not a chance. He might have his one good game in 3 months against Hibs but still won't change the fact he wouldn't be in our team.

[JimBHibees]

Which St Johnstone players would get in our team?

They are a decent team though and horsed Rangers at Ibrox in a way we were nowhere near doing.

[Pete]

They are a decent team though and horsed Rangers at Ibrox in a way we were nowhere near doing.

They are to be respected but I wouldn't use that one match as evidence that they have this extra gear that would put them a class above us. There is always the element of the unknown when it comes to two unfamiliar teams playing each other and it can work either way.

I'd be similarly wary of people looking at our matches against United and Aberdeen and concluding that we would do very well in the top flight.

[Broken Gnome]

Not a chance. He might have his one good game in 3 months against Hibs but still won't change the fact he wouldn't be in our team.

I know, there was mischief-making afoot.

If we were in the same league and the squads were as they are we'd be favourites. With Saints a league above, the fact they're playing against better teams than us is usually over-played and under-played by others.

They're pretty much your steady SPL side - would guess Hibs would lift their game as they've done against Hearts, Rangers, Aberdeen and Dundee United, but hard to tell how well we'll play against the type of side we haven't played in a long time.

[Sioux]

The big difference is we won't be up against a team with everyone behind the ball and no real intention of attacking. St J will want to want to play up the park, instead of in their own half. That gives Hibs space and options we don't get every week. Will that be a decisive factor.

Might be.

[givescotlandfreedom]

No way he'd get in our starting 11. Fyvie, Henderson, McGinn and McGeough would all start ahead of him. I'd maybe even have Boyle wide right before Wotherspoon.

I like Spoony as a player and he seems a decent bloke but have to agree.

[Lago]

I see Tommy Wright has started the build up to the semi next weekend by dumbing down his team to "underdog" status. What a f%d!!!

How can a manager who leads a team in a higher league, who's won the Scottish Cup in the last 2 years and been in Europe for the last four consecutive seasons say that.

Saying that, the source is the Sunday Mail......
I agree with him they are under dogs.

[Dashing Bob S]

Saints are favourites, not because they have better players than us (or the Huns, whom they easily horsed at Ibrox) -I don't think they do- but because they are used to playing against stronger sides week in, week out.

We've shown against Aberdeen (especially) and Dundee United that we can raise our game in one offs, and make no mistake, we'll need to do that to get past them and pull off another upset (and then again against Los Yambolinos).

[Lago]

Saints are favourites, not because they have better players than us (or the Huns, whom they easily horsed at Ibrox) -I don't think they do- but because they are used to playing against stronger sides week in, week out.

We've shown against Aberdeen (especially) and Dundee United that we can raise our game in one offs, and make no mistake, we'll need to do that to get past them and pull off another upset (and then again against Los Yambolinos).
We will raise our game.

[HibbyAndy]

Hibs will be favourites, And quite rightly so.

[hfc rd]

Just remembered that Liam Craig always has a tendency to score against us. Hopefully that ain't the case on Saturday. I believe if we can keep Michael O'Halloran quiet then that nullifies St J's main threat as I remember his performance against The Rangers in the last 16 tie and he ripped their whole defence all night. We've got plenty options available in the final 3rd and Stubbs has a good variety of selections to choose upon on how we do shape up.

[ronaldo7]

We've beaten Montrose, Stranraer, Aberdeen, and Dundee Utd.

They've beaten The Rangers and Morton.

It's time we get back up to the to League to do away with the dross at the start of the competition.

[Billy Whizz]

Hibs will be favourites, And quite rightly so.

I don't like this favourites tag. Saints are a big game team, seem to raise it for the key games. We need to keep Mclean quiet

[Hermit Crab]

No way are we favourites and we shouldn't be mouthing off about it either imo.

[Tyler Durden]

No way are we favourites and we shouldn't be mouthing off about it either imo.

We're favourites

[ekhibee]

No way are we favourites and we shouldn't be mouthing off about it either imo.
Totally agree but we are favourites for this game (17/10). Saints are 13/8.

[Forza Fred]

He is just playing wee mind games. I'm sorry, but going against the trend here, I don't think we're the stronger team, either on paper or anything else. We are more than capable of beating St Johnstone, but I don't think our level of form is as good as when we beat Aberdeen or DU. I think it'll be a really hard game for us, but I also think the O'Halloran situation could also have an effect on the outcome. Just my opinion of course, and obviously I hope we do make it to the final.

Careful, such opinions are viewed as 'negative' by some of the 'positive police' and they will be along any minute to give you a severe talking too:greengrin

FWIW....I agree with you.

[Bronson]

Bookies will have saints as slight favourites, a lot of money to be made on hibs next week IMO, we are by far the better side.

[ancient hibee]

Totally agree but we are favourites for this game (17/10). Saints are 13/8.


The odds you quote come to 68/40 and 65/40.This in fact makes Saints favourites.

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

Which St Johnstone players would get in our team?

Michael O'halloran.

[BoomtownHibees]

The odds you quote come to 68/40 and 65/40.This in fact makes Saints favourites.

Or Hibs 1.7/1 and Saints 1.62/1 so Saints slight favourites