Simo Valakari’s Post-Match Comments Following St Johnstone’s 2-1 Defeat to Hearts

Following St Johnstone’s 2-1 loss to Hearts, head coach Simo Valakari addressed the team’s performance, emphasizing the “basement club’s” critical need for wins. St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari offered his assessment of the match, stating: “Tough 90 mins, a lot of ups and downs.” He continued by acknowledging the opponent’s strength and his team’s initial struggles: “We did not start the game very well but this time the opponent was very, very good, they put us under so much pressure.” Valakari noted the team’s effort despite being “one yard short everywhere,” managing to reach half-time only one goal down and starting the second half strongly. The coach expressed his disappointment regarding the inability to maintain the equalizer: “What hurts me most is we could not hold the 1-1 for a longer time to stay in the match. We let their second goal come too early and it was difficult after that.” He concluded by stressing the critical need for victories and a change in mindset: “We need to win football matches, simple as that. We have put ourselves in this position so no time to feel sorry or make excuses.” Valakari added, “It’s almost like a reset moment, there’s no one below us, we can only look up.”