Rutkiewicz, a dominant force in the centre of St Johnstone’s defence in this hugely entertaining game, has settled into a reliable performer and one who, as a kid at Aberdeen, didn’t feel the need for diligence and dedication.
Indeed, while his move to Perth five years ago, allowed him to assess where it all went wrong at Pittodrie, it wasn’t until Owen Coyle’s arrival as manager at McDiarmid Park that the 29-year-old began to see the error of his ways.
Then, when Derek McInness assumed control and the captain’s armband was handed to Rutkiewicz, he recognised the advances he had made since his more hedonistic lifestyle while with Aberdeen.
“It has been a good mix of manager that I’ve had, managers who have understood me. It could have been so different; I could have had managers who would have washed their hands of me.
“Owen is a reasonable guy. If you work hard, he’ll give you your chance. I’ve had other great guys to learn from – Jim Weir and Sandy Clark among them. The two coaches I have now, Derek and Tony Docherty, his assistant, are just the icing on the cake.
“I never used to look after myself and a lot of players fall into that trap and I would love to sit a few of them down and spell out the chance they’ve been given. Had I performed when I was nineteen and twenty the way I’m playing now, I would maybe have gone on to earn a very good living at a decent level having learned the game at the rate I continue to learn today. It’s important to listen and learn from your coaches and to dedicate yourself and to make sure you’re at training every day and not taking sickies if you’ve been out drinking the night before.”
Rutkiewicz was a tower of strength in the St Johnstone defence as Collin Samuel fired them into a second-minute lead, allowing them to settle quickly, and while Carl Finnigan’s goal four minutes after the interval, threatened a revival for the Bairns, goals by Chris Millar and Murray Davidson just after the hour, sealed the Perth side’s first home league win of the season.
“We saw the game against Falkirk as a real opportunity to grab out first home win,” McInnes said. “But we knew we weren’t going to get it easy, with them scrapping, too, for the victory.
“They made us really nervy at times but we have to realise we’re not going to get things all our own way in games.
“We showed a lot of quality in the second half to win the game and overall we deserved it. We worked really hard in the second half and every time I leave Chris Miller out he comes back and makes you question your decision on omitting him from the starting line-up.”
Eddie May, the Falkirk manager, chose not to speak to the media after another disappointment.
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