Matchday Thread Inverness CT -V- Dumbarton

[Jaggernaut 117]

I thought some of the combination play between Vigures and Polworth was outstanding. They are two players who are on the same wavelength and know instinctively where each other will be. I hope that Polworth can step up as playmaker when Vigures is suspended.  Great work from both today.

[givmeaccccc 162]

Big George outstanding today even although the obvious choices for MOM was either Vigurs or Austin.

[+jagster 419]

Some strike by Aaron as well.  Great team performance all round 

[+IBM 677]

Its all been said already great team effort today we will have to watch on Tuesday night but should be able to get another 3 points and I hope Brechin get their first win 

[DoofersDad 3,278]

After a really well worked Dumbarton goal I feared we might be in for a difficult afternoon, but a great strike soon after from Doran and a very well taken first from Austin before half time settled the nerves. 

Fair play to Dumbarton, they came here to play a much more open game than in the cup final. In the end it didn’t work and they were exposed time and time again. It will be much a much stuffier Dumbarton we face on Tuesday so we may need a bit of patience in working for the opening. 

 

[+caley100 492]

2 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

I thought some of the combination play between Vigures and Polworth was outstanding. They are two players who are on the same wavelength and know instinctively where each other will be. I hope that Polworth can step up as playmaker when Vigures is suspended.  Great work from both today.

Yeah, they play some nice stuff together but Polworth sometimes lets himself down with some bad decisions, ie the ball back in face situation where he did so well to get where he did and then delayed his pass across the box, this gave the defender time to close him down, Dumbarton got their goal from exactly the same place only the winger squared the ball earlier.   

Polworth had another great run across the box, beating two defenders then missing the goal completely,  I'm just a wèe bit disappointed with him just now,think he can do better.

But overall today the team were excellent, just wish we had started this run two games earlier.

[DoofersDad 3,278]

Just a word about Zak Elbouzadi. We’ve seen very little of him this season but he got a bit of game time today and I thought he did really well. There is genuine competition for places now and lots of options for changing things from the bench. Very encouraging indeed. 

[Robert 295]

Just home after being out on the town after the game.

A great performance and result. I agree, Vigurs was immense, Austin took his goals well, Doran scored a great one and set one up, Polworth gets so much undeserved stick, the defence was solid, and Oakley put in an incredible shift.

Clearly the substitution of Austin should have been Oakley judging by the bench, but it did not change anything.

A very satisfying afternoon (and evening) and we can look forward with optimism.

Tuesday will be interesting. Dumbarton need to win so should chase the game, so that should suit us.

We will have Tremarco, Donaldson and Trafford available. I would start the first two, but Calder deserves a run, so an interesting decision for Robbo.

Good to see Elbouzedi getting some game time, and he looks promising too  

Lets keep the run going guys!

[rossfm 5]

Vigurs master class with liam Polworth creating most of our best play also.  Great overall. 

 

[Scarlet Pimple 837]

Wow,  I was on here very early this morning and have returned to base now at 5 p.m.. Feels really good to read such positive and informative postings as above.

When I first saw Polworth some years ago I felt he had the fire and desire in him to  make it.  Apart from the one criticism , above, about him it seems as if he is doing  the best he can and has become a very useful,centre-man. Great and good luck to him.

I am sure that Robbo will underscore the necessity to not take Dumbarton  lightly during our next meeting. Score a few and then they will again  be on the back foot. A wounded animal is dangerous so no complacency please. From now on every game must be a play-off game with no sense of cantering to the finish line.

This team seems to be really dynamic in it's development now and remember Guys, it's....... "home, James, and don't spare the horses"   time

Yess!

 

[Scarlet Pimple 837]

Scottish Championship  ..current update.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/scottish-championship/table

[CableGuy 190]

 

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER 3,832]

Ridgers  😀😀😀  Must have appreciated the rest. No chance with the goal which was a screamer 

Seedorf 😀😀😀 some nice touches, especially one showboat that Clarence would have been proud of. But a right back or wing back he is not. And I suspect that his attacking capability is stifled.

Warren 😀😀😀Solid but he is no playmaker

McKay 😀😀😀 Again solid but again not a playmaker and clear why we missed Donaldson. Fortunately Gary and Brad usually had Polly or Vigurs in space.

Calder 😀😀😀 Not a defender either and dived in completely in the run up to the Sons opener. Unlike Seedorf he has attacking flair and was always ready to take on the defender and hit the line in an old winger style that I still appreciated 

Polworth 😀😀😀 Gawd does that poor lad get some stick or what ? He ran and ran and ran, some of his touches were sublime. He has got bad press for two second half errors. From my perspective if he had completed the final touch on both occasions it would have been a goal of the season contender and he would have walked off with the MOM.

Chalmers 😀😀😀 The man with the sweet left foot also appears to be the boo boys target. He basically sat and covered for Vigurs and Polly.I would have said that he was quietly effective.

Vigurs 😀😀😀😀 Provided a master class for an hour, pinging balls accurately all over the pitch. I thought he could have been carded for one horrendous follow through tackle in the first half and he clearly tired at the end

Doran 😀😀😀 Has lost a bit of pace but he is another with a high skill ability. Cracker of a goal.

Oakley 😀😀😀 I thought he had a lazy, lacklustre first half but a real old centre forward second half display. Appears to Be the boo boys favourite as he made more errors than Polly. But he would have been in my top three 

Austin 😀😀😀😀 Well we have been asking for a goal scorer and he certainly fitted the role. Good turn of pace of the mark and good finisher to boot. I was surprised the he was hooked but I was told that it was a mistake and it was supposed to be Seedorf. Amateurish if correct.

As DD alluded to Elbouzedhi looked sharp and I would like to see more. Disappointed that Robbo sent on Bell and not young McKay. Some of the refereeing decisions were bizarre. Good crowd and the Young Team were a credit. My first home game of the season and I can't understand what everybody has been complaining about 😛

 

 

 

[Eagle4Caley 383]

What a win! Loved the highlights (and the crowd came across really animated, in a good way!).... and thanks for your marks IHE. Polworth could have scored a least two GOTS there, and what a goal by Doran. It was probably a good move to sub Austin (who is starting to look like a proper goal poacher), to give others a chance and save him for Tuesday, I thought Bell looked lively when we came on. Gosh, if we could only afford to keep Doran, Bell and Vigurs (and Trafford) for next season, because I feel we are on the cusp of something good.

It's been a perfect weekend football-wise for me with my local team beating our big rival Brighton (yes really, rivals!) to stay ahead of the relegation battle, I am super-excited for next Saturday's trip up  (the weather is looking good too), we just need to get the win, in whatever way in the return against the Dumbo's, to set up a really big match for Saturday.

Not wanting to get ahead of myself but with Livingston now securing their play-off place, it could work in our favour when we play them (if we are still in contention)

[+jingsmonty 309]

15 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

I thought some of the combination play between Vigures and Polworth was outstanding. They are two players who are on the same wavelength and know instinctively where each other will be. I hope that Polworth can step up as playmaker when Vigures is suspended.  Great work from both today.

It was noticeable how the game petered out, once Vigurs was subbed. One of our most important players.

Definetly agree that both Polly & Vigurs were excellent Yesterday.

[Kingsmills 3,803]

18 hours ago, caley100 said:

Yeah, they play some nice stuff together but Polworth sometimes lets himself down with some bad decisions, ie the ball back in face situation where he did so well to get where he did and then delayed his pass across the box, this gave the defender time to close him down, Dumbarton got their goal from exactly the same place only the winger squared the ball earlier.   

Polworth had another great run across the box, beating two defenders then missing the goal completely,  I'm just a wèe bit disappointed with him just now,think he can do better.

But overall today the team were excellent, just wish we had started this run two games earlier.

Polworth is the second best player we have ever produced through our own youth system and although, like much of the team, his form has dipped on occasion this season, he is always fully committed and the team tends to do much better with him than without him.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion but I really don't understand the abuse that Liam gets from the stands and, far too often, on this forum.

[+Tree 145]

47 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

Polworth is the second best player we have ever produced through our own youth system and although, like much of the team, his form has dipped on occasion this season, he is always fully committed and the team tends to do much better with him than without him.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion but I really don't understand the abuse that Liam gets from the stands and, far too often, on this forum.

Agree!

[Robert 295]

6 hours ago, jingsmonty said:

It was noticeable how the game petered out, once Vigurs was subbed. One of our most important players.

Definetly agree that both Polly & Vigurs were excellent Yesterday.

I agree. Reported on here a few days ago that we are without Vigurs for the Dunfermline and Livingston games due to suspension.

[Yngwie 3,399]

4 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

Polworth is the second best player we have ever produced through our own youth system

3rd best. Assuming you put Ryan Christie first, Grant Munro was a very solid, reliable and consistent performer in the top flight for several seasons. Polworth is good and has potential to be better, but hasn’t exactly stood out in the 2nd flight.

[+jingsmonty 309]

4 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

Polworth is the second best player we have ever produced through our own youth system and although, like much of the team, his form has dipped on occasion this season, he is always fully committed and the team tends to do much better with him than without him.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion but I really don't understand the abuse that Liam gets from the stands and, far too often, on this forum.

Me neither...Polly & Vigurs seem to get the brunt of the critism. Constructive & justified critism is fine - the constant barracking that they get isn't. 

[standbydave 68]

Players are only human and make mistakes,they also produce things of pure magic,even the best have off days as we all do, but contant sniping does nothing but undermine confidence. Has it not happened to people on here,so lets cut these guys some slack because they do there best. Remember point a finger in the mirror and it points back at yourself. So lets get the last four games won , then they are all heros.

[forresjags 272]

 Vigurs is a top player and at the peak of his career and is to good for the level he is currently playing at. Really hope we can convince him that his future lies with us but as a Championship club this could prove evermore difficult.

 

[bdu98196 766]

TBH at this level and a home game against a team like Dumbarton who are part time and always going to be lower end of the Championship, then for Vigurs & Polly to run the game and cigar through it is the least that should be expected. These are 2 players with a wealth of experience at Premiership level and are both along with Doran going to be high earners - too often this season we haven't seen performances at this level from these guys. While credit should be given for Saturday it'll be more worthy if this level is maintained in the final 3 games against higher quality teams. 

Credit to the players for the performance on Sat but this does not exonerate them the criticism levelled for abject performances & results earlier in the year. 

[Eagle4Caley 383]

9 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

TBH at this level and a home game against a team like Dumbarton who are part time and always going to be lower end of the Championship, then for Vigurs & Polly to run the game and cigar through it is the least that should be expected. These are 2 players with a wealth of experience at Premiership level and are both along with Doran going to be high earners - too often this season we haven't seen performances at this level from these guys. While credit should be given for Saturday it'll be more worthy if this level is maintained in the final 3 games against higher quality teams. 

Credit to the players for the performance on Sat but this does not exonerate them the criticism levelled for abject performances & results earlier in the year. 

Fair point...but only up to a point, good players usually remain good players, but the mental side of things is harder to understand. I would imagine however that after the trauma (in footballing terms) of last season and the upheaval of the close season, with new players and management coming in, that it can be quite easy to lose your mojo, in particularly for Polworth, who after all is still only 23, and hasn't been a first choice pick in previous seasons and does get constant criticism from certain sections of our fan base, who look for the negatives first in a display.

As for Vigurs, sometimes being to 'go to guy' who is supposed to direct and create something every match, can become a bit much,  but if Austin turns out to be the goal poacher we have been looking for all season, then the effort/passion used in previous games will get a more effective return. Let's face it if football was that easy, guys like Raheem Sterling wouldn't miss the chances he gets, nor would Man Utd lose to the bottom team at home when the week before they had beaten the Champions-Elect away.

[DoofersDad 3,278]

1 hour ago, bdu98196 said:

TBH at this level and a home game against a team like Dumbarton who are part time and always going to be lower end of the Championship, then for Vigurs & Polly to run the game and cigar through it is the least that should be expected. These are 2 players with a wealth of experience at Premiership level and are both along with Doran going to be high earners - too often this season we haven't seen performances at this level from these guys. While credit should be given for Saturday it'll be more worthy if this level is maintained in the final 3 games against higher quality teams. 

Credit to the players for the performance on Sat but this does not exonerate them the criticism levelled for abject performances & results earlier in the year. 

I disagree with much of that. Whilst Vigurs yet again controlled the game, both he and Polworth have often played significantly better than they did against Dumbarton on Saturday.  The difference was that against a rather more open Dumbarton side, we found a bit more space in front of Vigurs and Polworth,  we created a few more chances and took them well.  Oakley pulled the defence all over the place on Saturday whilst Austin found the space and the composure to score 3 goals.  The big win was because we had far and away the best performance from the front men that I have seen all season.