Small Things Make a Big Difference

Of course, we already knew that. But when we were losing out to dross such as St Mirren, Dundee United and Inverness last season it sounded like sour grapes to point out they weren't that much better than us. Indeed one of the reasons Maurice Malpas received so much stick was that we were getting beaten on a regular basis by teams who struggled with football basics yet still triumphed over us.

The early indications are that this season will be different. Against St Mirren we did concede a lot of possession but when we did attack we did so with pace and movement. Even the best defences in the world struggle to cope with that combination at times, so it is no surprise that we are able to carve out chances with that technique in an SPL match.

The match against Inverness showed something slightly different but equally as important; fitness. It is perhaps too simple to say that it was only our fitness that won the game as we scored another two goals that were, from our point of view anyway, superb. How often has it happened in the past that we would go one down late in the game and lack strength in the legs to actually put any pressure on the opposition? Yet this time despite having run all day the old tin man of the team, Phil O'Donnell, was able to surge into the box to head a dramatic equaliser. The boost in adrenaline obviously gave us another lift but it is worth remembering that even before the penalty we went within a foot of winning the game with Ross McCormack's header. Inverness had wilted at the crucial stage while we were still going strong.

It is almost universally agreed that in the lower half of the SPL and even probably into the top half the differences in playing ability between the sides is minimal. That makes it absolutely vital that we are organised, fighting for everything and able to run ourselves into the ground for the full ninety minutes. In matches where there is nothing to separate the sides, being physically strong enough to win more than a fair share of 50-50 tackles can be the difference. Being able to run at nearly full pelt in the 85^th minute when the opposition cannot can make the difference.

Even ignoring the impact Mark McGhee seems to have had on individual players his attention to the basics and the physical side of the game seems to be a world apart from his predecessor. That alone should ensure we enjoy a solid season and from then on we are just in need of a little bit of luck or quality to turn a good year into a great one.