Latest news with #UcheIkpeazu
The Courier
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
Alternative St Johnstone awards: 2024/25 own goals, gaffes and sitting on your goalie
There haven't been many 2024/25 'bests' as far as St Johnstone are concerned. Graham Carey's long-range strike at Livingston in the Scottish Cup would have been a contender for goal of the season for any team in any year but, that apart, there has been very little to celebrate in a bleak, relegation campaign. So, instead of the usual post-season awards, Courier Sport has compiled an alternative list to draw a line under a wretched, best-forgotten 10 months of football. A bit of gallows humour is called for. Uche Ikpeazu came up with a couple of end-of-season contenders, but Andre Raymond had this award bagged in August. Saints had been the better team in the first half and Raymond should have given them a deserved lead. With the Tannadice pitch immaculate, the Trinidad and Tobago international couldn't claim a bobble put him off when Benji Kimpioka's shot came back off the post and into his path. Not quite an open goal but as near as dammit. Aaron Essel had served notice that he was a young man who might find Scottish officials less tolerant of his challenges than he was accustomed to in Ghana when he got a red card for a stamp at Alloa in the League Cup. That was a big naughty, albeit with no possibility of seriously hurting his opponent. The naughtiness went off the scale when Essel threw himself into a challenge at McDiarmid Park during an SPFL Trust Trophy game against Brechin not long after. That he didn't pick up a second red in a fortnight remains the biggest mystery of the season. It was a challenge that would have fitted comfortably into one of those Danny Baker 1970s and 80s nostalgia videos. Given the victim wasn't injured, searching for it on social media every now and again is one of life's guilty pleasures. A category bursting at the seams. You can probably say this about all relegated sides but, dearie me, this St Johnstone team had a propensity to shoot itself in the foot that took some beating. From Kyle Cameron in the build-up to Aberdeen's winning goal in the first game of the league season until the very end, Saints players gift-wrapped points for their opponents again, again and again. No 'assists' were quite as impressive as the Jack Sanders cushioned header for Mohamed Diomande to score Rangers' third in January. It was like peak Gilzean to Greaves. Another crowded field here. Before a ball was even kicked, the list of clubs down south supposedly 'tracking' Adama Sidibeh had reached farcical proportions. It would be quicker to name the English Championship sides who WEREN'T name-checked than those who were – none of whom were actually considering an offer, of course. In the end, only Swansea City made a (verbal) bid, but you did wonder for a while whether Sidibeh would be seen in a Saints shirt again. Only after the Gambia international was sent off against Dundee United, did all the speculation die. Given his struggles to find the net thereafter, there wasn't a single 'link' story written in January. Two English clubs fighting it out for Sanders was an unexpected mid-season development and the end-game for him at McDiarmid was a bit murky. Citing illness when Valakari desperately needed him to play in a league game against Motherwell raised suspicions in the Perth fanbase, but a spell in hospital a few weeks later backed him up. No 'will he, won't he' episode was as impactive on Saints' season and as impactive on a player's reputation as the Kimpioka one, though. From the moment he told his manager he wasn't interested in a contract extension, it all went downhill. Kimpioka, his top scorer, effectively became unpickable in Valakari's eyes. It remains to be seen whether the Swede will find a better club than the two (one in Belgium and one in the Netherlands) who were willing to pay him handsomely. The word was Kimpioka had his heart set on the English Championship. Good luck with that. Nicky Clark became a peripheral figure over the last few months of the season, but he was one of the main men at the start of it. And his second half free-kick double to put Saints 3-1 in front against Ross County in Dingwall was the most impressive I can think of from a St Johnstone player. That Clark's defensive colleagues couldn't prevent their opponents from equalising says it all about the shambles that was the Perth defence at that time. They had badly let down a team-mate who should have been basking in the glory of a career high-point. Clark spoke to the media after that game and the understandable fury was still written all over his face, even though he managed to be impressively diplomatic. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall in the away dressing room. Valakari has always been controlled in his post-match media duties, even though it hasn't been hard to read between the lines on occasion. He has also admirably stuck to his pledge that he would respect officials' decisions. Levein tried his best on that front but couldn't help himself after Saints' League Cup defeat to Rangers and then when Sanders was red-carded at the end of a Premiership loss to Motherwell. 'Have I spoken to the ref? What's the point? Seriously, what's the point. After the Rangers debacle you know what's going to happen. It'll be swept under the carpet.' Those last few words earned Levein an SFA charge and a fine. Valakari likes a Sunday morning run to clear his head after a game. The head-clearing jog along the River Tay in December, after a 2-1 lead against St Mirren became a 3-2 defeat, almost turned into a marathon such was the significance and torment of that match conclusion. But Bozo Mikulic has to get this award. None of your predetermined goal celebrations for the big Croatian. After he smashed home a late winner against Motherwell, Mikulic basically ran until somebody could catch him. Given all the blows Saints had to absorb over the season, the only surprise is that VAR, the ultimate joy-killer, didn't disallow it. You've got to be able to laugh at yourself, haven't you? Especially in Scottish football. Yes, losing to Alloa on the back on an utterly abject performance was the last thing Saints fans wanted to see as the new football season got underway. And it proved to be a sign of things to come. But Luke Rankin's second goal of the night and his team's third had a comedic beauty to it. Poor Josh Rae. He'd bailed out David Keltjens by making a brilliant save after the Israeli had been caught on heels at the start of an Alloa counter-attack. His thanks? Keltjens then tried (and failed) to play leapfrog with his goalkeeper, as Rae did his best to sprint back to his goal. It was a clip worthy of the Benny Hill soundtrack Alloa put to it (then deleted, more's the pity). Saints had played over 130 minutes of football against Celtic without conceding a goal. Until Barry Douglas decided the time was right to bin his manager's strategy at goal-kicks and chip a ball towards his smallest team-mate, setting in motion a chain of events that saw the Hoops take the lead in the Scottish Cup semi-final. Inexplicable then. Inexplicable now. Sanders, Clark, Jason Holt and Sven Sprangler were all in the Perth OG club. However, they were very much junior members in comparison to the man who put them in the shadows at Tynecastle on the night Saints were relegated. There are balls across the six-yard box that a defender has no option other than to throw his leg out to meet. This wasn't one such occasion, let's just leave it at that. We could all have gone home after Tony Watt was serenaded by the away end at Fir Park in April. That he would roll back the years and do his best Harry Kane impression was written in stone. Valakari mentioning David Martindale's 'tricks' before Saints played Livingston in the Scottish Cup was amusing. Not as amusing as Sky Sports catching the McDiarmid Park ball boys getting a message delivered to them to (presumably) take their time with their ball retrieval work, though. If only more players had been as good at helping Saints see a game out.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Balodis backs Ikpeazu at Tynecastle
St Johnstone's Daniel Balodis backs team-mate Uche Ikpeazu to show former club Hearts what he's capable of when the sides meet at Tynecastle on Wednesday evening. (Courier - subscription required), externalRead Wednesday's Scottish gossip
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hearts' unveiling of McInnes delayed
Hearts' plans to unveil Derek McInnes as their new manager have been put on hold until chairwoman Ann Budge returns from holiday. (Herald - subscription required), externalBeni Baningime says Scots Barrie McKay and Lawrence Shankland have played down fears about long ball tactics should McInnes take charge at Hearts. (Record), externalHearts' new boss will inherit a squad eager to prove this season has been an "anomaly", with the side having missed out on a top-six finish. (Scotsman - subscription required), externalSt Johnstone's Daniel Balodis backs team-mate Uche Ikpeazu to show former club Hearts what he's capable of when the sides meet at Tynecastle on Wednesday evening. (Courier - subscription required), externalRead Wednesday's Scottish gossip
The Courier
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
Uche Ikpeazu: I've won a personal battle now it's time to win a team one with St Johnstone
Completing a full game feels like a personal mission accomplished for St Johnstone striker, Uche Ikpeazu. And now the powerful comeback forward has his sights set on a collective great escape. After five operations and the best part of a year sidelined with knee problems, Ikpeazu only needed two substitute appearances before being ready to start and finish last weekend's Premiership clash with Kilmarnock. Ikpeazu has suffered no ill effects from a gruelling afternoon in the early summer sun at McDiarmid Park. And he's ready for another one, when Ross County are the opponents for a win or bust encounter. 'I feel I have already fought a battle this season,' said the 30-year-old. 'Sleepless nights, worry, stress, when, how, why. 'So many questions. 'To come back in the condition I've come back in, for me, is a winning battle for myself. 'I'm not going to lie, I'm proud of myself. 'Because I had to go into a really dark place and work extremely hard to get myself out of this situation. 'In that gym early morning, late in the evening, sometimes the afternoon. 'No days off. If I wasn't happy, I'd be back in the gym to do more knee strength. 'But no one cares about your story until you win. 'That's why I really want to help the team to an amazing story.' Ikpeazu hitting the goal trail to inspire Saints on their survival mission is the sort of story football can throw up at this time of year. 'That's exactly what I'm holding onto,' he said. I want to be that guy who makes the difference. 'Playing 90 minutes was a personal achievement after being out for so long. 'I left that pitch grateful for that. But at the same time, I was sad. I was really upset. I was disappointed. I should have scored. 'But I'm getting in the right positions. 'If I'm finding the right positions, the goal is going to come. 'But that's just my mentality, my personality. I asked myself: 'Where did I go wrong? Why didn't I score?' 'I've got to take accountability. I always want to do better and be better. But we move forward. 'We have to fight. 'I am not thinking about going down. We are still in there. We need to beat Ross County.' Ikpeazu stressed that, whatever footballing faults can be highlighted, the Perth squad doesn't lack desire to fight for St Johnstone. 'As a player, if you're with a team, you're not trying to do things wrong,' he said. 'A lack of attitude is different. But that's not the case here. 'It's about encouraging because a lot of boys have lost confidence. 'You're bottom of the league with three games to go. It takes its toll. 'It's human nature to feel the way some of those boys feel. We all have doubts. 'I'd always rather someone put the arm around me than shout or scream.'
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Pressure a privilege' for Ikpeazu after injury hell
The pressure of St Johnstone's Premiership survival fight is a "privilege" for striker Uche Ikpeazu after his injury striker joined Saints last summer but suffered a knee injury that led to five operations before he finally made his debut for the club last 30, now hopes to help Saints to a great escape, starting with victory over Ross County in Saturday's relegation showdown."Everything is against us, but unless it's mathematically impossible, I always still believe. That's just my mentality. I wake up every day and I'm just like, I always want to try," he said."I want there to be an amazing story. That's just my mentality. I think pressure is a privilege."It's a privilege because I look and I just think I was in a situation where no matter what I did, I could have never come back because of an infection in my knee that I knew nothing about."But now I'm in the position to help my team solidify themselves."I know St Johnstone have legends who have won the cup within the last 10 years. If you were to escape from this, though, these players would become legends because I don't think too many people actually give us a chance of doing so. It is possible, though."
