St Mirren's Rising Threat in the Premiership
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari believes St Mirren are quietly assembling one of the most dangerous stories of the early season – and doing it largely out of sight.
Craig McLeish’s side opened their Premiership campaign with a sharp, controlled 2-0 win over last season’s surprise package Falkirk, a result that backed up an eye-catching League Cup group stage. Three wins from four, 12 goals scored, and safe passage into the next round as holders: it is the form of a team that already knows exactly who it is.
Valakari has been paying attention.
“I’ve been very impressed,” he admitted, reflecting on a club that spent last season clinging on through the play-offs but now looks anything but fragile. St Mirren, in his eyes, used that brush with relegation as a reset, a chance to rebuild their game and sharpen their identity.
He sees a side that has added quality on the ball without losing the edge that has long defined them.
“They brought in good footballers,” he said, “but they still have this… the old DNA of St Mirren, that they are very, very tough. They really want to bully you.”
That blend is what worries – and intrigues – him. St Mirren carry Premiership experience, but not the weight of expectation. No one has them down as title contenders or headline-makers. That suits them.
“No one expected anything from them and that’s why they’re going a little bit under the radar,” Valakari pointed out.
He has not allowed them to slip from his view. He has watched the pre-season games, tracked the tweaks, noted the patterns. To him, the opening league win at Falkirk was not a surprise but a confirmation.
Falkirk is not an easy assignment: artificial surface, awkward stadium, a home side riding the energy of last season’s exploits. St Mirren went there and stripped the occasion of drama. They managed the game, controlled the tempo, and picked their moments.
“They went there and they played a very solid game,” Valakari said. “They were able to, in the right moments, hold the ball, in the right moments they were very vertical with dangerous running behind.”
That switch – from patience to penetration – is what stands out. St Mirren can slow a match down, then suddenly tear through it. It is calculated, not chaotic.
Now they return home with a first league win already banked and their cup defence still alive. Confidence is growing. So is the sense of opportunity.
“They see this opportunity now as, ‘we won the first match, now we play home’ so they are building up the momentum there,” Valakari said.
St Johnstone arrive as a club freshly promoted back to the Premiership at the first attempt, still shaping their own story after the jolt of relegation. For Valakari, that makes the meeting with McLeish’s side more than just another early-season fixture.
“It’s a tough challenge for us,” he said, “but it’s an exciting challenge for us.”
If St Mirren really are moving under the radar, this is the kind of afternoon that could drag them into the spotlight – or prove that they’re at their most dangerous when barely anyone is looking.
