Valakari’s Fearless Philosophy Boosts St Johnstone’s Confidence

Simo Valakari has stated that the fearless approach adopted by his St Johnstone players instills “confidence” in their potential achievements. Since his appointment in October, the Finnish manager has observed a notable enhancement in the team’s performances. Despite a modest win record of only two victories in Valakari’s initial seven matches, he remains content with the collective mindset within the squad. The Perth boss conveyed: “The very first day we made a promise to each other that we go without fear because if you start playing football with fear you start being afraid of the mistakes, it doesn’t take you anywhere.”How much they have changed I cannot say, but I can say I see them every day in training and there are hungry boys who want to improve as individuals and as a team. If I see that, that gives me confidence.”I have said it to the boys that if you don’t prepare as well as we can, if we don’t do the things we have tried to do during the week in a match, if you don’t work hard for the team, then after the match there is no point in being disappointed because we didn’t do our job.” On Saturday, ninth-placed Saints are scheduled to host St Mirren, a team currently positioned four points ahead of them, at McDiarmid Park. The Perth squad approaches this fixture with optimism, following a commendable 1-1 draw against Aberdeen in their previous outing. Valakari further stated: “It is all about getting these wins because three points is so massive.”We know our weaknesses, we try to hide them as much as possible, but at the same time we know what we are very good at, so we try to play with our strengths as much as possible.”We need a result but we can’t focus too much on the results. We need to focus on the performance then the results will follow.” Sandi Toksvig is joined by Gyles Brandreth, Lulu, Emmanuel Sonubi and Alan Davies Grab the mic for Queen, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry and more… Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are back for the festivities at Longleat Safari Park From micro plastics in our air, soil, and waterways, to the extent of food waste at this time of year © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.