The Spoony Chop: A St Johnstone FC Podcast

A celebration of football in the black and white era

For this special edition published on all three of DC Thomson Media’s football podcasts, Michael McEwan and author Steve Finan take a nostalgic trip over the turnstiles, up and down the terraces, and deep into the history of those most holy places: the nation’s football stadiums.
Steve’s new books show 700 never-before-seen photos of everything from the giant stadiums of Glasgow, right down to the smaller but no less revered shrines of football around the country – especially on our home patches in Tayside and across the north of Scotland.
Michael leads a conversation that touches on why Ibrox once had a paddling pool, and fears of forky-tailies at Tannadice, by way of Firhill vegetable patches and tips on how to find Scotland’s incredible (but secret) store of football knowledge.
You can get £5 off the Lifted Over The Turnstiles 2 & 3 books using the code PODCAST5 at checkout at https://www.dcthomsonshop.co.uk/ until November 22, 2021.
For more sport podcasts from DC Thomson Media, tap the links below!
⛳️ The Bunkered Podcast: https://podfollow.com/bunkered⚽️ The Courier Talking Football: https://podfollow.com/ctf⚽️ Northern Goal: https://podfollow.com/northerngoal⚽️ Twa Teams, One Street: https://podfollow.com/twateams

Dundee and James McPake in a crisis of ‘horrible familiarity’

Dundee manager James McPake is facing up to the fall-out from the horror show against Ross County.
Fans are calling for him to be sacked, one of his star players was substituted before the first half was over and he has a big central midfield problem.
In this week's Talking Football podcast, Jim Spence, Sean Hamilton and Eric Nicolson reflect on a traumatic night for Dundee supporters at Dens Park and assess whether it is a retrievable situation for the under-fire boss.
There is also build-up to Saturday's clash between Dundee United and St Johnstone, as well as a tribute to Scottish football legend Walter Smith.

Charlie Adam still has star quality oozing out of him at Dundee. So far, Leigh Griffiths doesn’t.

Dundee are in desperate need of star quality against Aberdeen on Saturday, with comeback men Charlie Adam and Leigh Griffiths their two players with the highest profile.
Only one of them has looked capable of providing the spark James McPake requires for such a crucial match between struggling sides - and it hasn't been the on-loan Celtic striker.
In this week's Talking Football podcast, Jim Spence, Sean Hamilton and Eric Nicolson get stuck into the talking points ahead of the weekend Premiership clash at Dens Park.
Also up for discussion are the prospect of Dundee United leapfrogging Hibs and St Johnstone picking up where they left off against Livingston.

Dundee’s bonus battle, Dundee United’s cult hero in-waiting and Callum Davidson’s coaching masterclass

The Dundee players aren't happy that their bonus payments haven't been settled and the Dundee fans aren't happy with what they saw at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.
In this week's Talking Football podcast, Jim Spence, Sean Hamilton and Eric Nicolson assess the implications of the two Dens Park news-lines.
Also on the agenda - have Dundee United found the missing piece of the jigsaw, are St Johnstone about to put the foot down and what on earth is happening at East End Park?

Tam Courts distances himself from Micky Mellon era as Dundee United players buy into his vision - plus another ”Tayside derby”

Tam Courts is putting a Dundee United team on the pitch that the fans are enjoying watching.
And he's also showed the confidence to distance himself from the manager whose team he inherited at Tannadice.
In this week's Talking Football podcast, Jim Spence, Sean Hamilton and Eric Nicolson discuss the United boss's growing stature and the exciting team he and Tony Asghar have assembled.
Also on the agenda are Dundee's continuing striker crisis and the opportunity that has presented itself against a new-look St Johnstone central defence this weekend.

The fans are back – an audio experiment

This isn’t a normal episode of The Courier Talking Football. Football’s been away for so long, and getting fans back into the grounds for the derby last weekend felt like an important moment to celebrate. We wanted to capture the magic of getting football back, and so we clipped a mic to a fan as he headed into the ground for this most special of city club clashes. He happens to be a United fan, and we all now know what the result was by the time the final whistle blew – but this little quarter-hour experiment is not about United, or Dundee for that matter. It’s about all of us as football fans, and about what the game means to us, to our families, our friends and to our city.
Put on some headphones. Have a listen. Share with your pals. Let us know what you think. Normal service will be resumed shortly. 😏
And our huge thanks to Phil, Luke and Michael for letting us share such a special day with them.

The Dundee derby and Peter Grant’s Dunfermline D-Day

Can Dundee’s team of maverick attacking talents get a rare Tannadice victory?
Is James McPake winning the pre-match mind games?
And will Tam Courts try to take the emotion out of the occasion and turn it into a tactical battle that suits his strengths?
All these Dundee city derby issues and more are on the agenda in this week’s podcast with Jim Spence, Alan Temple, Sean Hamilton and Eric Nicolson.
We also delve into the calamitous start to the season for Dunfermline and whether Peter Grant should already have been sacked.
And are St Johnstone getting Aberdeen at the right time?

Griffiths & Niskanen excite in Dundee/Saints in a post-McCann world/Peter Grant under pressure

In Leigh Griffiths, James McPake made a signing for Dundee that has raised expectations.
In this week’s Talking Football podcast, Jim Spence, Sean Hamilton and Eric Nicolson discuss the extra pressure recruiting the division’s most talented goal scorer puts on his manager and the importance of beating bottom side, Livingston.
The games before the Dundee derby for the Dark Blues and United are on the agenda, as is the price of a ticket next weekend.
Also, can St Johnstone banish the deadline day depression and is Peter Grant already doomed at Dunfermline?

Transfer Special: Saints fan fury, Griff‘s Dee return, United emerge stronger

St Johnstone fans woke up with a footballing hangover they've not been used to for a long time.
Ali McCann and Jason Kerr have been sold and many supporters reacted furiously to the combined transfer fee.
In this week's Talking Football podcast, Jim Spence, Sean Hamilton and Eric Nicolson assess whether any damage beyond the inevitable on-pitch loss has been done.
Also on the agenda is Dundee's recruitment of one of their favourite sons, Leigh Griffiths and Dundee United's refresh.

Strachan to Celtic, Shankland to Beerschot and Saints v Galatasaray

Gordon Strachan is now in the unique position of having jobs with two different Premiership clubs - Dundee and Celtic.
In this week's Talking Football podcast, Jim Spence, Sean Hamilton and Eric Nicolson discuss whether this is a conflict of interest.
Also on the agenda is Lawrence Shankland's departure and the possibility of Dundee United improving without him, St Johnstone's clash with Galatasaray and the weekend Premier Sports Cup last-16 ties.