STEVE LOMAS spent his weekend watching quietly from the sidelines as his squad prepared for the visit of Aberdeen.
The new St Johnstone manager will likely be a little more vocal tonight.
The Northern Irishman was appointed at the Perth club last week and has endeavoured to garner as much information on his new side as possible in the interim. There was at least one familiar face jogging around the pitch and darting between the cones, though.
Jody Morris, the McDiarmid Park captain, faced Lomas while at Chelsea, with his new manager occupying a midfield berth for West Ham United. It was often a frenetic contest -- the clubs are London rivals after all -- but it has instilled a mutual respect between the pair which will only help Lomas to settle in.
“I played against him a couple of times in his West Ham days,” said Morris. “They were London derbies so there was a bit of spice and in midfield you would see a few tackles flying in. Despite what he says, I’m sure he kicked me more than I kicked him.
“I know what type of player he was. He was a winner, a good footballer and he was captain of a club like West Ham at a time when they had some big characters in the dressing room. That tells you what the gaffer was about as a player.
“There are people you can tell straight away are captain material, even at a young age. Harry Redknapp obviously saw it in him when he first arrived at West Ham.
“He was a natural leader so being a manager can be an extension of that. We have a couple of mutual friends and in conversation they said words like leader and honest spring to mind when they think about him.”
The arrival of Lomas will have a benefit to Morris. The midfielder had assumed temporary charge of his side following the departure of Derek McInnes to Bristol City alongside Alec Clelland, with his side drawing once and losing the other match in their brief tenure. There was a sense that combining the roles of coach and player was limiting Morris’ influence on the pitch, though, but now he can keep his focus simply on the playing side.
“It’s good for everyone that it’s all done and dusted now and we can get our heads down,” he said. “The board had to take their time to get make their decision and be confident it was the right one.
“It’s never ideal being in a temporary situation but it wasn’t a problem for the players. We didn’t play well against St Mirren but that wasn’t an excuse. Now we have a new manager in and we can’t wait to kick on and get a game going.
“It’s early doors, obviously. We had a chat and the gaffer spoke to the lads when he came in, before taking the Saturday and Sunday sessions. Maybe as captain he will want to lean on me with certain things. That’s the relationship I had with the previous manager so if that’s what the gaffer wants to do I’m all for it. That’s not a problem.
“On the other hand he might want a clean slate. But whatever the manager wants from me I’m happy to go along with it. In whatever walk of life, when you go into a new job or a new place it takes time to get to know people and form opinions. I’m sure a lot of lads have been out to make good first impressions. We all do when a new boss comes in.”
Lomas would be wise to invite Craig Brown for a chat after the match tonight, with the venerable Aberdeen manager a well of advice and coaching knowledge. It may also prove somewhat cathartic for Brown, who believes the fixture schedule is proving to be rather demanding on the Aberdeen supporters.
His squad have had to adapt their preparations over the weekend to suit the fixture -- which had been rescheduled to accommodate live television -- but it is the travelling fans about whom Brown is most concerned.
“We are getting used to playing at what I would call non-traditional kick-off times,” said the Aberdeen manager. “We have had a Friday night kick-off against Dunfermline and a lunchtime kick-off against Rangers and now we have a Monday night kick-off.
“It doesn’t matter to the players but I feel sorry for the fans. This is one of the closest away grounds to Aberdeen but still the fans won’t be back home until midnight. But if we take the TV money we have to put up with it.”
The testimonial dinner for Darren Mackie is scheduled to take place this week, but Rory McAdle is acutely aware that his side must be fully focused on taking the three points from Perth. “When a new manager comes in a club usually gets a lift, but it is not always the case,” said the defender.
“Lomas will want to get off to a winning start but there could be a bit more pressure on St Johnstone from their supporters.”
