Source: Team_Talk
MacPherson disagrees with Mowbray
In what proved to be a valedictory comment following Celtic's 4-0 thrashing at St Mirren Park on Wednesday, Mowbray pondered that the more cautious tactics employed by Rangers may be the way to go.[LNB]Mowbray said: "Maybe it isn't a league for trying to force the game and be expansive - maybe it is a league for playing defensive, negative football and having quality up front to counter-attack."[LNB]However, Saints boss MacPherson feels Mowbray had already achieved what he was trying to accomplish at Celtic.[LNB]"Falkirk did it," said MacPherson, whose team face Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday.[LNB]"Hibs did it under Tony Mowbray. They were probably the most exciting team in the SPL at that time.[LNB]"So it can be done, there is no doubt about that. It can be done but everyone has a different opinion. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.[LNB]"That's the way football is and it doesn't matter what level you are at. We all set our teams up to play with the players you've got at your disposal.[LNB]"That's our opinion, you play with what you've got at your disposal."[LNB]MacPherson tried to introduce a more attacking ethos after avoiding the drop in St Mirren's first season back in the top flight, but his team still find themselves in a relegation battle.[LNB]"It's just a very, very tough, competitive league," the Saints boss added. "Scottish football is physical and demanding.[LNB]"We have tried to be as positive as we can. We play with two strikers.[LNB]"Any manager within Scotland, if you play with one striker, you get criticised.[LNB]"You've only got to look at a lot of leagues around Europe, when they play it people spin it and say it's 4-3-3, but invariably it's 4-5-1.[LNB]"But it's the quality of player that you have at your disposal.[LNB]"Everyone said after the final, for 75 minutes we got our tactics spot-on. Tactics mean nothing, it's just down to the players you get on the park.[LNB]"Players influence games more than a manager and that's the most important thing."[LNB]MacPherson's biggest job ahead of the Aberdeen game will be to ensure his players are focused after an incredible week which saw them bounce back emphatically from their Co-operative Insurance Cup final defeat by nine-man Rangers.[LNB]"You have to move on to the next game," MacPherson said.[LNB]"On Tuesday we said the cup final was forgotten about and we focus on the Wednesday game. Now Wednesday is forgotten about.[LNB]"We got three points but now your attention turns to Aberdeen.[LNB]"The players are not daft, they understand the importance of every remaining SPL game.[LNB]"It's about making sure we get enough points to stay at this level.[LNB]"Things can change very quickly. Everyone thinks you've won a game and will be fine but you can't switch off. We all know that, after the split, anything can happen."[LNB]MacPherson felt the victory over Celtic - their first win in 11 games - was simply down to taking their chances and Steven Robb, who returned after missing out at Hampden, never feared the final disappointment would affect the squad.[LNB]"The boys were still upbeat on Monday because they played well," Robb said.[LNB]"Obviously it was a disappointment but I think the boys knew if we could take that performance into league games, we would do all right."[LNB][LNB] Aberdeen v St Mirren. Click here to bet.
