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Inverness CT -V- Partick Thistle


Scotty

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On the positive side, that was a good point and it's a clean sheet. On the other hand we were dreadful and Partick should be disappointed they didn't take all three points.

We started with a different shape, 4-4-2 with Doumbaya and Anier up front and a midfield of Cole, Tansey, Draper and Polworth. I can see the logic in that line up, narrowing the midfield, try to get width from the full backs and a partnership up front with one powerful and one pacy forward. The problem was that Doumbaya simply had no idea what he was doing, a shockingly bad performance from him. He has no idea what runs to make, where to go in the pitch, how to link with Anier. It was embarrassing to be honest and, after a tactical change which put Doumbaya on his own front, Vigurs was subbed in for Doumbaya before half time. We then reshuffled to have Draper playing pushed up, Vigurs and Tansey deeper with Anier in his own up front and Polworth and Cole wider. 

While all this was going on, Partick were far more threatening and used the ball well - Azeez was denied by Fon Williams from a couple of yards out, a shocking miss really. Fon Williams had another couple of great saves in the first half.

Clearly with all these changes we had zero fluency, I don't think we put together a decent passage of play once in the entire game. We hit long balls for Anier to chase or contest and got nothing out of it really.  For most of the game we didn't look as though we knew where out players were supposed to be, we didn't have any decent outlets, we didn't look like we had any plans for attacking the opposition or getting the ball to dangerous areas. The only time we looked threatening was when we subbed on Aaron Doran, who had a couple of opportunities including one shot from the edge of the area that inched past. Its puzzling that Doran was dropped after being one of our best players last week and he will surely have played himself into contention for the Accies game.

It comes back to what I said earlier in the season - it's as if we just throw players into the team without really thinking about what we want them to do. We change players in the midfield all the time, we don't have any thought about what we're wanting to do. Liam Polworth had his position moved repeatedly yesterday, right to left to right. No wonder the guy hit some misplaced passes. Larnell Cole was one of our best players recently and he was moved about and then subbed off. Mulreany came on and had a couple of successful moments against their full back but his passing and crossing is poor. He can be a valuable player but needs to smarten up and learn to play properly.

Anier didn't really do much but he had little service. We hit balls up to him and he tried but looked more interested in trying to win a foul than anything else. He got away once and looked to have been fouled but nothing was given. 

Defensively we kept a clean sheet but we've got OFW to thanks for that, some very poor use of the ball around our own box and organisational failures were on display, especially in the first half. Apparently Gary Warren had been ill during the week which may explain that. 

The game in midweek is massive and it's hard to see from that performance how we can win. Hopefully it comes together but I'm saying that more in hope than expectation

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20 hours ago, Caley Mad In Berks said:

I think we all knew that appointing Foran was a risk, but I also know that the financial constraints we work under probably made him the only viable option at the time.   But why a 3 year contract? Surely a 1 year rolling contract would have been more sensible.  And now we are seeing that his inexperience is a real problem for us.  These interviews he gives are cringeworthy.  Can he really be that naive?  He doesn't look the part, sound the part, or act the part of someone who knows what they are doing.  I fear the worst, and can only hope that I am wrong.

Hard to believe he was the only viable option I am sure at the time we were quite an attractive proposition coming off our most successful period.

To me it was the easiest option for the board to make and the cheapest.

If things go from bad to worse for us they need to carry the can and really need to answer some big questions like ,

How come they thought appointing a former player on a 4 year deal who has no managerial experience be a good move.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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13 hours ago, forresjags said:

 

......How come they thought appointing a former player on a 4 year deal who has no managerial experience be a good move.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, it looks clear now that RF should have gained his managerial experience by serving his time in the lower Scottish leagues.   The way things are going currently, that is exactly what he will be doing from next season, and sadly, we'll be with him.

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Smashing post from Chris. Not really much else to add other than something he said at the game about ICT lacking any real control of the ball. Each time the ball fell the way of one of our players we seemed to aimlessly blooter it forward. Partick on the other hand seemed more inclined to take a touch and try and start some kind of passing move to lead to an attack. ICT were exceptionally direct by contrast thumping long balls to Anier to chase.

The tippy tappy stuff under Hughes was boring but at least the side under him had a degree of control about it albeit quite toothless with no end product. Under Foran we are almost trying too hard to get the ball forward to get a chance when we might be better served by trying to be a bit more patient and take a touch instead of battering it high and long every time the ball comes near one of our players.

I am getting very, very worried.

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Have to agree under JH we made pretty  triangles and took 5 touches when 2 would have done, but now we just batter it forward more in hope of a defensive error than creating anything ourselves. Good players seemed to have regressed playing in this direct system, some even look pretty disinterested. 

  

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One of the areas where we are poor is the movement off the ball.   One of the things that bugged me about Hughes was the obsession with possession such that nearly every pass had to be into feet and we created very little because the ball was rarely played into spaces behind the defenders.  That also meant we were slow coming forward and opponents had plenty time to regroup. It seems that this mindset has become ingrained in some players and players are not looking either for the space for the ball to be played into or to take defenders away and create space for others (Billy Mckay was great at doing that).  As a result the only forward option is often the long punt.  There's nothing wrong with the long punt from time to time, but it is not a game plan.

We are too predictable and therefore easy to defend against.  We need to be quicker coming out of defence, we need attacking midfielders to use the width of the pitch and the front men to move opposition defenders around creating uncertainty and space.  We then need our central midfielders to be more positive in moving into the space created.  

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Agree with much of what DD has said.

I was going to post on Saturday night along the lines of the worst performance of the season, team was very flat etc but then discovered that several players were suffering from illness and some players were not a 100% fit. That may explain the display in part. We may have suffered from bad luck in previous games but that was repaid in a large part on Saturday as if Partick had a decent striker, we would have lost. We did get a much needed clean sheet but this was as much down to luck that a truly great defensive performance.

Of the team, Fon Williams did have a better game but still does not command his box as he should. Raven was obviously not a 100% fit and was pretty poor until late on in the game when he surprisingly started to get forward more. Warren and McKay did okay but Warren's booking was needless although I can sympathise with his frustration with the referee. They were certainly not a solid defensive partnership however. The midfield was poor and while excuses could be made for Tansy and Draper due to injury/fitness, Cole and Polworth need to contribute much more for 90 minutes than they currently do and they both need to improve on their defensive work. Doumbouya was poor although I do have some sympathy for him as he constantly gets fouled by defenders and receives little protection from referees. Anier was a bit rusty but think he could come good for us but only if we can get another forward for him to play off. Of the substitutions, Vigurs made a difference but how Mulraney got on before Doran is mystifying. Why Doran was dropped in the first place was also a mystery. Mulraney really needs to work on his final ball as I have yet to see him deliver one of any value. Until he does, I would be tempted not to play him ahead of other players.

Therein lies the problem perhaps with the team, not so much the personnel but the tactics/formations used by RF. I don't think he knows his best team/formation but now needs to decide on his best team, starting tomorrow and the formation to get the best out of that team. Chopping and changing a couple of players each week is not working and consistency of selection, barring injuries of course, is badly needed.

Finally the board, I think they are very much like rabbits caught in the headlines at the moment. I think they need to be more proactive and vocal in their support of RF and if they are not because they want to ditch him if things don't go well in the next few games, this may well mean they are too late to change things. I genuinely don't have any knowledge of how they view the situation but to me Ritchie needs some help from an experienced manager at the moment.

Apologies for the long post but this may well be a defining week for us this season.

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2 hours ago, Huisdean said:

 

Finally the board, I think they are very much like rabbits caught in the headlines at the moment. I think they need to be more proactive and vocal in their support of RF and if they are not because they want to ditch him if things don't go well in the next few games, this may well mean they are too late to change things. I genuinely don't have any knowledge of how they view the situation but to me Ritchie needs some help from an experienced manager at the moment.

Apologies for the long post but this may well be a defining week for us this season.

I hope you don't want the Board to give RF the dreaded vote of confidence because the media will have fun with that.  I think a four year contract says it all at the moment.  The Board is also being proactive in giving funds for RF to bring in more players.

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