4 St Johnstone talking points: Why Uche Ikpeazu is the perfect impact sub and Jack Baird should keep his place

The Courier

7 days ago

St Johnstone's dream start to the season keeps on going.
That's now six wins out of six – equalling a club record for the opening of a campaign.
As Simo Valakari rightly pointed out before their Friday night game against Ross County, a trip to take on the title favourites, intent on both proving a point and claiming three of them, had the makings of the Perth side's toughest test thus far.
And so it proved, albeit this was another contest they dominated in terms of territory, possession (enjoying a higher percentage than against Partick Thistle), chances and any other metric you care to mention.
Make no mistake about it, Valakari's side thoroughly deserved this latest victory, they're on a roll and are showing they can win different types of game in different fashions.
Courier Sport was in Dingwall to see five-star Saints become six-of-the-best Saints.
Having tried various permutations at centre-back over the course of pre-season and the Premier Sports Cup group stage, Valakari settled upon a partnership of Cheick Diabate and Morgan Boyes for the league opener.
That is, until the plan was scuppered by an unwelcome Friday afternoon revelation that the latter had to serve a two-game suspension which carried over from his Morton days.
So, in came Jack Baird to play alongside Diabate.
Baird did well against Thistle, albeit on a day when the ball spent far more time away from his box than in or close to it.
But coming up against the likes of Ronan Hale and James Scott was a step-up in level of opposition.
And Baird produced a step-up in his level of performance to meet that challenge.
Diabate was the best central defender on the pitch, with Baird a close second.
Ahead of the match, the ex-Morton skipper played down his ability with the ball at his feet when talking about the talented midfielders and attackers in front of him whose job he saw it as to serve.
On a carpet of a Ross County pitch, Baird's distribution had accuracy and zip.
More importantly, he and his sidekick dominated their opponents in the air and on the ground, with the counter-attack that resulted in Jay Henderson's shot being saved by Toby Steward the only moment they got dragged out of position.
Valakari has always said he wipes the slate clean for every team selection.
Now that Boyes' suspension is over, it will be fascinating to see if he sticks with Baird for the Premier Sports Cup clash against Motherwell, or brings back arguably the best passer out of all the Saints' centre-halves.
If it was my call, I'd stick with Baird.
The contract uncertainty surrounding Uche Ikpeazu is a complicated plot, with an ending yet to be written.
You get the feeling it won't be until the last week of the transfer window – or even the last day – that we find out whether the centre-forward sticks or twists.
Valakari and his team-mates have stressed that Ikpeazu's training ground and match-day commitment to the cause has never wavered.
From the outside looking in, you would struggle to see a more enthusiastic substitute when he comes on, or a more frustrated one if he doesn't.
It would have been reckless on Valakari's part to spend the last couple of months moulding his attack around the former Hearts man.
But his game-changing impact against County will leave people debating whether now is the time to start the 30-year-old for the first time.
I wouldn't.
That's not coming from a contract stand-off point of view. It's purely football based.
Ikpeazu wouldn't be content with the role of impact sub if he stays for the season but at this moment, it's perfect for him.
Even a player as experienced and robust as Declan Gallagher couldn't cope with a fresh striker of his physical stature changing the nature of the defence v attack battle.
The ball players had softened up Gallagher and his fellow centre-halves for Ikpeazu to deliver the knockout punch.
That theory wouldn't work as effectively the other way round.
As with the Baird v Boyes situation – if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The inescapable theme of St Johnstone's emphatic victory over Thistle the previous weekend had been of a team and a club reborn emerging from grind and torment.
Like Saints, County fell through the Premiership trapdoor in May and have overhauled their playing squad for their second-tier challenge.
But Friday night suggested that's where the McDiarmid Park-Victoria Park comparison begins and ends.
In Perth, there is no link between last season and this.
In Dingwall, it feels as if there's a seamless continuation.
The supporters are unenthused and either agitated or apathetic about what they're seeing, a discernible playing style hasn't been embedded, and pressure is already building on the manager.
Very different tones have been set.
Money can't buy everything.
Unlike Partick's defenders, Friday's opponents did a much better job of stopping Josh McPake from scoring his trademark goal of working the ball on to his right foot and steering a shot into the far corner.
Five minutes in, they managed to usher him across goal so the angle ended up tight enough to swing the odds in their favour by the time it came for McPake to let fly.
On other occasions, committed blocks and tackles thwarted him.
That McPake still ended up being chosen as man of the match by BBC co-commentator, Billy Dodds, showed that the winger still managed to create a bit of havoc in a crowded penalty box even when he wasn't quite as 'on it' as the week before.
The match did lay bare once again, though, that Saints need a right winger to make their route to goal less predictable.
Stevie Mallan, given a half and half role once more, is happier infield than out and the County players knew that nine times out of 10 they needed their numbers on the visitors' left, rather than right.
Saints' central threat is such that they're as likely to score a goal through the middle as the left flank.
But when the team has Sven Sprangler (and probably Adam Forrester) at right-back as opposed to Reghan Tumilty, the need for another McPake-type creative option is obvious.