This piece is an extract from yesterday's McDiarmid Memo newsletter, which is emailed out at 6pm every Thursday.

To receive our full, free St Johnstone newsletter including this type of quality discussion and analysis straight to your email inbox, click here.

The Scottish Premiership winter break is upon us, so with football shutting down for a few weeks, let’s take a look back at St Johnstone’s campaign so far and where the club will now be looking to improve when they return to action.

A reflection

It has very much been a season of ups and downs for Saints. When Steven MacLean was given the role of manager permanently and he subsequently built his own team over the summer, there was certainly a feeling of optimism and excitement amongst us fans. Unfortunately, it did not work out for the Perth hero and after a nightmare League Cup campaign and a stuttering start to the Premiership, his short stint as manager came to an end. The Saints board acted quickly and astutely to make this call and they deserve huge credit for it, especially given the upturn in fortunes in recent months. MacLean and Liam Craig should and will be remembered as legends for their time at the club and I am sure both will be back in football in quick time. MacLean also deserves huge credit for areas of his recruitment, which we will revisit later in the newsletter.

After Macca’s dismissal, the club opted to appoint Craig Levein as manager and it is fair to say the selection raised a few eyebrows. Personally, at the time, I thought the appointment of the former Dundee United, Hearts and Scotland man was exactly what was needed. An experienced figure who knows what it takes to be successful in the Scottish Premiership and I think he has shown that already in his short time as boss. Saints were leaking slack goals on a weekly basis under MacLean, but now we are looking like a solid unit who genuinely look hard to play against. Grabbing goals is still a problem, especially when Nicky Clark is out of the team, but hopefully with reinforcements in the final third this January things can start to look up in that regard. Levein has often admitted that safety is the initial target for Saints, but he has also shown his ambition by stating he wants to see the club back in the top six. As a fan, this desire is what we want to hear and here’s hoping in the second half of the season Saints can build on the already strong foundations in place.

Where the team stands

I’ve always been a huge fan of Luke Robinson, so to hear the news that he was heading back to Wigan was obviously a big disappointment. Saints haven’t given up hope of the Scotland youth international returning to Perth one day, but for now they will need to deal without him.

The club have acted swiftly to bring in defensive cover with the arrival of Kerr Smith from Aston Villa on-loan. The former Dundee United man looked an impressive talent before he headed down south, so if Saints can get him up to speed at McDiarmid Park he could be another impressive young talent. Liam Gordon, Andy Considine and Ryan McGowan have all been in fine form recently, so the defence currently looks in good shape with Smith adding to that.

As previously mentioned, it has been the final third of the pitch where Saints have struggled all season. Over the course of the past few seasons, we have been through a raft of strikers, but nobody has banged in the goals on a regular basis. Nicky Clark has been our best option, but he requires support at the top end of the pitch. Saints confirmed the signing of Benjamin Mbunga Kimpioka from Swedish club AIK on Saturday and he looks an exciting proposition. At 23, he is still young and there is probably plenty of improvement that an experienced manager like Levein can add to his game. Kimpioka has already played at some big clubs in his career, so here’s hoping he can hit the ground running in Perth and show what he is capable of.

Talking about hitting the ground running, it has been refreshing to see Saints pounce early right at the beginning of the January window and let’s hope that continues with another couple of players coming in. Another central midfielder and possibly another wide player would be welcome additions.

Conclusion

Saints are certainly moving in the right direction under our new management team and there is a base of a young and exciting team now at McDiarmid Park. A huge second-half of the season is ahead, and as supporters, hopefully, we are looking up rather than worrying about a potential relegation scrap come the end of May. Happy New Year and here’s to a successful 2024 for Saints!