It’s been some weekend and Monday for me.
I was delighted to see my old club St Johnstone win the Scottish Cup – and it had everything to do with it being against Hibs!
For a club that size to make history and be double cup winners, it just shows you that with a good squad, you can achieve.
The ability has to be there to do that – but if you have a squad of boys all pulling in the same direction, all good boys and all friends?
I know a few of the guys there and you can see the team spirit they have. I still have a lot of connections there and seeing the fans after the game was amazing.
The only problem now is how do St Johnstone ever better that? I don’t think they can.
But the fact they have Europe next makes it amazing. And the fact that it was against Hibs was even better.
Can you question their mentality in big games after a third Hampden defeat in a year? I’m the wrong guy to ask because I’m always going to say, ‘yes’.
I know Jack Ross and he’s a great young manager. Hibs have shown great levels of consistency over the season in finishing third and you can’t take that away from them. They’ve been brilliant this year in the league.
It’s a bit like the Aberdeen situation under Derek McInnes. They kept getting to cup semis and finals and kept losing. They need to get that monkey off their back because it becomes a bit of a stigma, which it is now.
They’ll be majorly disappointed but if you’d asked any Hibs fans at the start of season about a third-place finish, they’d have taken it.
If Hearts want to break into that top four next season, they’ll be going against Hibs, St Johnstone and Aberdeen under Stephen Glass.
I listened to Robbie Neilson the other day saying getting into the top six is a priority, which it definitely is. Then they need to go from there.
Hearts need to try to finish above Hibs. For me, anything lower than fourth is disappointing. Hearts have got to look at Hibs and make that their aim after they finished third and get to that level next year.
They’ll have to bring in the right players and recruit well. It’s a massive post season for Robbie and the backroom staff to make sure they get the right people in to allow them to challenge for third.
Because the squad right now, I think everyone would admit, would struggle to finish third.
What St Johnstone winning both cups has done is to leave Hearts and the majority of the non-Old Firm clubs without an excuse.
When I went to Partick Thistle, it was about staying in the league and going on a cup run.
And every club in the Premiership to an extent will be looking at a cup run every season.
You need a good bit of luck but clubs such as Motherwell and Dundee United are more than capable.
What St Johnstone have done this year has been absolutely mind-blowing but other clubs have to look at them and try to emulate what they’ve done.
Even me playing for Albion Rovers watched the boys at Hampden with a bit of envy.
I look at Liam Craig and Craig Bryson, who are about my age. Craig Conway is too and he’s a double cup winner now. I look at them and think, ‘ach I wish I could have done that’.
And if you’re playing for Motherwell, Dundee United, Hibs or Hearts, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be targeting that as well.
Kilmarnock probably won’t have to worry about that though. I said Hearts need to finish above Hibs but do Ayr now have Killie in their sights? Obviously!
I took some abuse on my social media the other night after they went down but I’m just delighted I’ve got four derbies next year I can go to, can be in the Ayr end and give it yaldi!
Listen, Ayr just need to try to stay in the Championship.
For Killie, it’s a bit like Hearts in that it’s a massive summer for them.
They will be under no illusions that they have to go straight back up or I think they’ll be in a bit of trouble.
Kyle Lafferty was brilliant for them towards the end of the season and he’s one I’d like to see back at Tynecastle.
He clearly enjoyed his time at Rugby Park. He scored something like 13 in 13 matches for Killie and a couple of quiet games doesn’t make him a bad player.
Boycey (Liam Boyce) has done amazing but Hearts need someone else up there – and him and Kyle up front would be a match for any defence in the Premiership.
