Matchday Thread Ross County -V- Inverness C.T.

[Alex MacLeod]

Yogi has been saying for weeks that he wanted to find a balance between the old style of play and his ultimate vision for the team...last night he managed that.

 

I don't think he's deliberately abandoned the use of wingers in previous games...you need two of them fit to play that system for a start...and I also don't think we played them in the same manner as we did under previous stewardship.  Aaron & Marley did a lot of squeezing in towards the middle which gave Carl & David ample opportunity to get down the flanks....often unmarked, with space and time to pick their final ball in to the area.

 

The biggest plus for me last night was how well we coped without Ross & Richie in the middle of the park.  I'm an advocate for having a couple of bigger guys in there to break up the play and win the physical midfield battle, but Greame and Greg did a fantastic job and offered pace from the middle which caused C*unty real problems....actually think Graeme may turn out to be a better central midfielder than he is left back, and he's one of the top left backs in the country.

 

Billy was still dropping back a fair bit during the game, but when he did someone else was pushing up to take his place and preventing the C*unty back line pushing out on us.  What's more, as a team we were constantly pushing further up the park and breaking from defensive situations in bigger numbers.

 

Huge confidence boost for the squad and manager to finally get some just reward for all the effort.  No idea where the lads found the energy from to go at the pace they did for 93 minutes, I'd be surprised if any of them moved far from the sofa this weekend.  Two week break from matches (for most), but they'll be back in for training on Monday and with some time to get practical sessions in I can only see us going from strength to strength in the final 5 games of the season.

Well around twenty of them managed to get up early and catch 09:45 train to Glasgow. Only Marley looked knackered.

[+DoofersDad]

Wasn't able to get to the match but I am hugely encouraged by the reports and the little one sees on the highlights.  The previous week was one of rather alarming developments with both what we saw on the pitch and heard off it.  I don't think I have ever been as exasparated about the way a team has been instructed to play as I was against Motherwell midweek.  It does sound as though Yogi has listened to criticism and hopefully he will be comitted to using width as an essential part of an exciting passing style of play.  Clearly Doran was hugely influential yet again.  IMHO Doran is the player around which the play revolves when the team play well.  The more I see of Watkins the more impressed I am with him and have long been an advocate of Shinnie as a central midfielder.  Comments about Billy being burnt out seem to have been found to be misplaced, with a bit of width and drive the chances were coming and Billy looked pretty sharp for his goal. 

 

With Draper back and Tansey replacing Vincent further forward I think we have a line up capable of playing a style of play which is perhaps, as CaleyD says, a compromise bewtween the Butcher style and the vision Hughes has.  This balance seems the right style for the very talented squad we have available for next season and all the ingredients are there for a really exciting end product.  It will be interesting to see whether Hughes sticks to this for the rest of the season or tries to add in other elements of his longer term vision too soon. 

 

 

[CaleyD]

It still irks me that people continue to criticise the lack of wingers in past weeks and blame Yogi for not using them when one, other or both have been injured for spells during that period.

[ICTRoughi]

It still irks me that people continue to criticise the lack of wingers in past weeks and blame Yogi for not using them when one, other or both have been injured for spells during that period.

Yeah but surely you could understand when Nick Ross, Danny Williams and Marley Watkins were all on the bench last Tuesday vs Motherwell and the former 2 weren't even used.

[+DoofersDad]

 

It still irks me that people continue to criticise the lack of wingers in past weeks and blame Yogi for not using them when one, other or both have been injured for spells during that period.

Yeah but surely you could understand when Nick Ross, Danny Williams and Marley Watkins were all on the bench last Tuesday vs Motherwell and the former 2 weren't even used.

 

...and the full backs had clearly been instructed not to venture into the wide open spaces in front of them.

[CaleyD]

 

It still irks me that people continue to criticise the lack of wingers in past weeks and blame Yogi for not using them when one, other or both have been injured for spells during that period.

Yeah but surely you could understand when Nick Ross, Danny Williams and Marley Watkins were all on the bench last Tuesday vs Motherwell and the former 2 weren't even used.

 

 

Being on the bench does not always mean a player is fully fit.

[Alex MacLeod]

There is another point being missed but one that was mentioned by the players being interviewed on Alba after the game. They both mentioned the difference with using width at Dingwall but stressed that the pitch there allowed them to play that style whilst the state of our own pitch is a hindrence. Its sad to admit but the Dingwall pitch was in far better condition on friday night than ours was last saturday.

[ICTRoughi]

It still irks me that people continue to criticise the lack of wingers in past weeks and blame Yogi for not using them when one, other or both have been injured for spells during that period.

Yeah but surely you could understand when Nick Ross, Danny Williams and Marley Watkins were all on the bench last Tuesday vs Motherwell and the former 2 weren't even used.

 

Being on the bench does not always mean a player is fully fit.

Of course not but there's been no suggestions that Nick or Danny aren't fully fit. I am a big fan of Nick Ross and I am just frustrated he isn't featuring much at the moment.

[CaleyD]

Why would a club/manager give more info to the opposition than they had too?

[ICTRoughi]

Why would a club/manager give more info to the opposition than they had too?

I never really thought of that aspect of it CaleyD however Nick Ross and Danny Williams have featured for U20s so struggling to see where the lack of fitness is coming into it but it could be plausible they get an injury in training even still I would have imagined it would have been mentioned in some form in a pre match interview they were struggling with something.

[CaleyD]

There is another point being missed but one that was mentioned by the players being interviewed on Alba after the game. They both mentioned the difference with using width at Dingwall but stressed that the pitch there allowed them to play that style whilst the state of our own pitch is a hindrence. Its sad to admit but the Dingwall pitch was in far better condition on friday night than ours was last saturday.

 

You sure you were listening to the right players as our game was on BT Sport, not Alba!

 

Not sure what will happen with the pitch over the summer, but the club are painfully aware that it's not in the condition they would like it to be.

[Renegade]

 

There is another point being missed but one that was mentioned by the players being interviewed on Alba after the game. They both mentioned the difference with using width at Dingwall but stressed that the pitch there allowed them to play that style whilst the state of our own pitch is a hindrence. Its sad to admit but the Dingwall pitch was in far better condition on friday night than ours was last saturday.

 

You sure you were listening to the right players as our game was on BT Sport, not Alba!

 

Not sure what will happen with the pitch over the summer, but the club are painfully aware that it's not in the condition they would like it to be.

 

 

I heard a while back that the groundsman wants to go to plastic.  It might suit the game that Hughes wants to play, but it wouldn't be my preference to be honest.

 

Why's the pitch taking such a battering this year by the way?  I don't remember seeing it look so poor in a long time as it did at that Stranraer game (looking a bit better recently mind).

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I am reliably informed that Terry Butcher sprayed the pitch with insecticide.

[+Tree]

 

 

There is another point being missed but one that was mentioned by the players being interviewed on Alba after the game. They both mentioned the difference with using width at Dingwall but stressed that the pitch there allowed them to play that style whilst the state of our own pitch is a hindrence. Its sad to admit but the Dingwall pitch was in far better condition on friday night than ours was last saturday.

 

You sure you were listening to the right players as our game was on BT Sport, not Alba!

 

Not sure what will happen with the pitch over the summer, but the club are painfully aware that it's not in the condition they would like it to be.

 

 

I heard a while back that the groundsman wants to go to plastic.  It might suit the game that Hughes wants to play, but it wouldn't be my preference to be honest.

 

Why's the pitch taking such a battering this year by the way?  I don't remember seeing it look so poor in a long time as it did at that Stranraer game (looking a bit better recently mind).

 

 

The pitch has been poor the past few seasons with the grass becoming very tufted and bobbly as a result.

[CaleyD]

 

 

There is another point being missed but one that was mentioned by the players being interviewed on Alba after the game. They both mentioned the difference with using width at Dingwall but stressed that the pitch there allowed them to play that style whilst the state of our own pitch is a hindrence. Its sad to admit but the Dingwall pitch was in far better condition on friday night than ours was last saturday.

 

You sure you were listening to the right players as our game was on BT Sport, not Alba!

 

Not sure what will happen with the pitch over the summer, but the club are painfully aware that it's not in the condition they would like it to be.

 

 

I heard a while back that the groundsman wants to go to plastic.  It might suit the game that Hughes wants to play, but it wouldn't be my preference to be honest.

 

Why's the pitch taking such a battering this year by the way?  I don't remember seeing it look so poor in a long time as it did at that Stranraer game (looking a bit better recently mind).

 

 

Top surface of the pitch (about 2 inches) was replaced last summer. As I understand it, when you do that you're advised not to play more than 25 games on the surface over the following season.

 

By playing U20's games on it (and with training on it as TB insisted on doing) it went beyond that pretty quickly.  Moving U20's games to another pitch also means we lose out on money from the SFA as they don't pay as much "development" money if you don't use the same pitch as the first team....something we've had no choice but to do lately.

 

With the advancements in artificial surfaces I don't think it would be a bad thing.  Doesn't really matter what we think of them, it's what the players think.  In terms of cost, I don't think there's much between digging up the complete pitch to re-do it from scratch and putting in an artificial one....but that's kinda academic when you don't have the funds to do either!!!

[dougal]

It's very odd indeed that our pitch has deteriorated so bad this year, could the ground be contaminated?

Coming up to near twenty years at the dump I think it's inevitable that the ground has been affected somewhat by sea water and sea air

Regardless what the cause is it looks like we will have to completely re turf the pitch in the summer and that can't be done on the cheap

Dougal

[+Fraz]

It's very odd indeed that our pitch has deteriorated so bad this year, could the ground be contaminated?

Coming up to near twenty years at the dump I think it's inevitable that the ground has been affected somewhat by sea water and sea air

Regardless what the cause is it looks like we will have to completely re turf the pitch in the summer and that can't be done on the cheap

Dougal

CaleyD gives a sensible and plausible explanation for the pitch which leads you to some strange 'contamination' theory at the 'dump'.

Sounds a bit like something a County fan would come up with. Perhaps you've been spending too much time OTB.

[dougal]

Poor Fraz just back from Easter Road in what seems a right foul mood I wonder why that is?

Dougal

[+Fraz]

Poor Fraz just back from Easter Road in what seems a right foul mood I wonder why that is?

Dougal

 

[CaleyT]

Sounds a bit like something a County fan would come up with. Perhaps you've been spending too much time OTB.

 

Some of us have been affectionately calling it the Dump for years.

And we're not County fans either!

[Alex MacLeod]

 

There is another point being missed but one that was mentioned by the players being interviewed on Alba after the game. They both mentioned the difference with using width at Dingwall but stressed that the pitch there allowed them to play that style whilst the state of our own pitch is a hindrence. Its sad to admit but the Dingwall pitch was in far better condition on friday night than ours was last saturday.

 

You sure you were listening to the right players as our game was on BT Sport, not Alba!

 

Not sure what will happen with the pitch over the summer, but the club are painfully aware that it's not in the condition they would like it to be.

 

Sorry, wrong channel. It was a recording I watched after getting home.

 

 

Artificial pitch would be a great idea. The club could rent it out to the local community for school, street league, amateur/welfare, youth teams and of course us the fans for 5 a side. To good an oportunity to miss imo and with our current pitch being so pump, now would be the time to do it. It may also give us a slight advantage over other sides ;)

Agree. 4G pitch is the way forward. Sadly the league won't allow it yet.

[Alex MacLeod]

Posts about synthetic surface moved to new thread