Skip to content

Articles

Our website articles
Show all categories

Player of Year Update

Teaser Paragraph:
Ryan Leads the Pack ....
As the 2010/11 season rumbles on towards its end and with Caley Thistle seeking a top six finish for the first time in our history, its that time of year again .... Player of the Year update time !
Started in season 2000/01, and recognised by the club as one of only two 'external' awards recorded in the official statistics of the club (supporters club award is the other), the CaleyThistleOnline Player of the Year award has been handed out to 10 different recipients in 10 years.
Bobby Mann was the first ever recipient and Johnny Hayes walked away with the title last season. In between those years future internationals Barry Robson, Don Cowie and Ian Black have also won it and of course club legend Ross Tokely won it in our first SPL season, a year in which he won every single player award at the club !!! However, in all that time, and despite some great performances between the sticks from various holders of the #1 shirt, no Goalkeeper has ever got his hands to it ! Could Ryan Esson be the first ?
Ryan currently leads the standings (to end of February) and his performances since coming to Caley Thistle at the beginning of the 2008/09 season show he would be a more than worthy winner of the trophy. It has taken Ryan just 3 seasons to rack up more than 100 appearances for ICT, a feat that took him nearly 10 years at Aberdeen !!!
Player Pts Ryan Esson 56 Nick Ross 50 Adam Rooney 41 Ross Tokely 26 Johnny Hayes 26 Eric Odhiambo 19 Grant Munro 16 Stuart Duff 9 Richie Foran 8 Graeme Shinnie 8 Aaron Doran 7 Kenny Gillet 6 Dani Sanchez 6 Lee Cox 6 Russell Duncan 5 Jonny Tuffey 3 Chris Hogg 1 Kevin McCann 1 Shane Sutherland 1 Also in the hunt alongside Ryan are Nick Ross and Adam Rooney in second and third spot respectively.
Its a no brainer that Adam would be up there in the top 3, he's a striker, and strikers always get votes, but he is also one who can earn them with his goals !!! With 27 goals in 46 appearances last season, he was close to this trophy a year ago, and he is once again in the hunt with 19 goals from 34 games in 2010/11. A total of 52 goals in 116 appearances for the club mean he is now 5th on the all time scorer list behind Wyness (101), Wilson (83), Stewart (82) and Ritchie (63).
Perhaps a little surprising - but in no way undeserved - is the emergence of Nick Ross as a potential Player of the Year. Last season Nick started 4 games for the club and came on as a sub a further 8 times ... a typical progression for a young 'prospect'. He has however been an almost ever present this season with 28 starts and three sub appearances and he is in the team wholly on merit. His performances in most games has been excellent and he was rewarded for this in November when he made his debut for the Scotland U-21 team in a match against Northern Ireland at Pittodrie, a match in which he also scored for his country. If Nick continues to progress as he has done already he has a huge future in front of him and maybe ICT fans will be able to say, "yeah we had him as a player of the year long before he was well known" ... just like we can with Barry Robson and Don Cowie !
Month Player of Month Jul / Aug Eric Odhimabo September Nick Ross October Johnny Hayes November Adam Rooney December Ryan Esson January Nick Ross February Aaron Doran March ??? April ??? May ??? Rounding off the top 5 in the current standings are two former winners of the trophy. Ross Tokely and Johnny Hayes. Johnny won it last year and given his exciting performances then its not inconceivable he could go on a tear and finish at the top. Rossco has been steady this season and frequently the most solid of what has been a shaky defence at times. Both are long shots to be the first repeat winners of the trophy, but with votes from March, April and May still to be added to the current totals once each month's fixtures are complete, then anything is possible !
Hand in hand with our Player of the Year polls, we also calculate a "Player of the Month" for each calendar month. This is separate to the overall standings and is based on the number of individual votes a player received each month regardless of whether they were 5,3, or 1 point votes. (this is explained better on the Player of the Year page : HERE)
Not surprisingly, our top three dominate the proceedings by being named Player of the Month in 4 of the 7 months so far but there are also appearances from Jonny Hayes, Eric Odhiambo, and loan signing Aaron Doran .....
So keep voting in the forum Player of the Year polls (if you were at the game), there is still a lot to play for.
Finally - We must give a huge thank you to site member Hislopsoffsideagain for his help in compiling the points for this season. We did mean to update this every month but unfortunately it slipped down the priority list .... so he took the bull by the horns, grabbed the data and worked out all the numbers for you. We appreciate the help, and I am sure you do too !
By Scotty in News 2010-11 ·

Inverness CT 1-2 Celtic - Scottish Cup

ICT v Hideous Green Orc Army
Celtic squeezed past Inverness to earn a semi-final spot against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup.
Adam Rooney converted a penalty just before half time but Joe Ledley capitalised on some hesitant defending in first half stoppage time to level the scores.
In the second half Shane Sutherland was unfortunate with a sweetly struck drive which Forster turned away but Inverness were caught out from a dead ball situation as one of the smallest players on the park nodded the ball home unchallenged, without having to get off the grass, soft goal to lose and that left Inverness with a mountain to climb, one which they fell just short of reaching the summit, good effort though.
A serious of baffling decisions from Mike Tumilty incensed the home fans more than the away support and Terry Butcher vented his displeasure at the officials inability to officiate in the true spirit of the game, with the home support chanting for the foreign officials to be returned to Scottish Football, here here.
Inverness started this cup tie with Ryan Esson restored to the starting eleven for his first Scottish Cup game this season, but there were no places for flying wingers Jonny Hayes or Aaron Doran. A back four of Duff, Tokely, Hogg and Munro were to be put on overtime and Duncan and Cox supported them from defensive midfield. Sutherland retained his place after his spectacular goal against Motherwell with Ross and Foran joining him across the middle offensive positions and Rooney being the loner up front. Hayes and Doran were introduced after the horse had bolted and made little impact as Celtic closed out the tie.
16th March 2011 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CT 1 - Rooney (pen 44)   TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Munro, Hogg, Duff, Cox, Duncan, Ross (Doran 84), Foran, Rooney, Sutherland (Hayes 73) SUBS: Tuffey, Innes, MacDonald Booked: Duff (68) Sent Off: none CELTIC 2 - Ledley (45), Ledley (68)   TEAM: Forster, Izaguirre, Juarez, Mulgrew, Loovens, Ledley, Ki Sung-Yeung, Baram Kayal, Samaras, Commons (Forrest 65), Hooper SUBS: Zaluska, Rogne, McCourt, Stokes Booked: none Sent Off: none Referee Mike Tumilty Attendance 6064 Celtic had Forster in goal, and Mulgrew and Izaguirre at full back, with Loovens covering for the injured Majstorovic. The rest of the team seemed to be playing as strikers as they flooded forward at every opportunity, with Izaguirre darting down the flank like an Olympic sprinter. Stuart Duff will be having recurring nightmares about this fellow as he tore him a new one time and time again through no fault of his own, other than being asked to play at right back. Tough task Stuart, you're on your own there mate.
Hapless ref Mike Tumilty, (I think that's the right word), seemed keen to endear himself to one of the ruling bodies of Scottish Football by awarding the visitors a series of free kicks, but strangely enough, the home side were not afforded the same luxury. Hold on a minute, I hear you say, we did get a penalty; but he found that difficult to judge until the far side linesman helped him out. Still, no sour grapes from me, Celtic did their talking on the pitch tonight and looked a quality side and edged out their Highland counterparts, just. Our sheer endeavour was not quite enough to pull us into the semi-finals although it could have been different had Forster not made a tremendous save from Shane, seeking his second goal in as many games.
Alas, despite the best efforts of the God's to ensure a safe passage into the semi's, there was to be no repeat of the supercaley signature headline or the Wyness inspired victory of three years later. Maybe Jupiter was not quite lined up with Mars after all. Not even Richie Foran could prevent Celtic waking up to a St Paddy's day rush after giving his all in defence and attack. For him and the rest of the shamrock contingent at Inverness, it's a St Patrick's day hangover. Did someone kill a robin redbreast? And four leafed clovers are not for me, not even a kiss of the blarney stone, anyway, superstitions, who'd have them. Now then, where's my leprechaun gone.
Davie will tell us what happened in more detail after he gets the lights on his bike sorted
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looks like he managed to get home in the dark after all and here is his report
Deadly Ledley Kills Off Thistle
Sunday’s horizontal rain and howling gale was replaced last night by an altogether more benign TCS that welcomed Celtic in the Cup Quarter Final. We also welcomed the green and white hordes that follow them, singing tales of rebellion, an infallible man and dead heroes. All very west coast. The respective line ups looked up for the fight from the off, but there was a residual fear of the pace of Izaguirre and Commons that might overwhelm what is still a makeshift back line. Cox versus Kayal in midfield looked tasty and so it proved.
The game started at a fair rate of knots (unsurprising for a cup tie) and without either manager anywhere near a dug out. There were so many paparazzi snapping Lennon in the stand, I thought Jordan had turned up. Maybe it was Terry they were after. Once attention was focussed on the game, however, a contest was brewing. Celtic, as anticipated, played the neater football but early chances were squandered (by Loovens) and defended well (from Commons, Samaras and Izaguirre) before a heartstoppingly brilliant chance for Foran was manufactured in 25 minutes by Shane Sutherland. Don’t know how you missed that one Richie. That Celtic were limited in clear chances thus far was in no small measure due to the midfield, Russell Duncan in particular who harried, chased and snapped into tackles. The louche Samaras - Captain - headed a good chance into Esson’s arms after Ledley crossed. In between all of this, Foran had hoofed a clearance off the line, and the Glasgow side were menacing. All, however, changed in 44 minutes, just as tea and a chat with big Terry loomed. The aforementioned Foran connected with a Duncan lobbed pass shortly before Loovens connected with him, and Mr Tumilty pointed to the spot after being told not to be a softie by the far side Linesman. I hope they got their stories right, Jordan must have been going ballistic. ROONEY smacked the ball past Forster for a hardly creditable 1-0, and a handy half time lead. Nice. Celtic then did what Celtic do and pressed savagely, but there was a couple of minutes to resist and surely ICT would manage that? Answer negative, as LEDLEY collected in the box from the seriously rapid Izaguirre, birled and whacked an effort past Ryan Esson. Cue crushing disappointment from ¾’s of the ground, an infernal racket from the rest and a real sense of the continuing fragility of this back four.
Half Time:- ICT 1 Celtic 1
Half time was spent dissecting all of two minutes of the first period over a Bovril. Should Loovens have been sent off? Could Granty have caught yon speeding Honduran? In any event, Inverness seemed fired by the equaliser, and Ross and Sutherland came more into the game. No doubt Ross will again be criticised for his lack of physical presence, but his change of pace and direct running are worth more than the occasional outmuscling. If only he could finish, he'd be worth a fortune. Sutherland, on the other hand is a pocket battleship who is coming on to some real form, illustrated by his latching on to a Hogg free kick in 51 minutes that he lashed at Forster’s left corner. Justice was only partially done by the brilliance of the diving save, but the strike deserved a goal. Pressure was building, as evidenced by Forster and the mulish Mulgrew getting in a tangle with Foran loitering with intent. Pressure wasn't getting converted into chances, and how much we would regret that was shown by Izaguerre selling Mr Tumilty a quite beautiful dive, which resulted in a free kick out left for Celtic. The world’s tallest South Korean took the freeby that was met in splendid isolation by LEDLEY, who powered a header past an incandescent Esson. A collective nap resulted in marking being conspicuous by its complete and utter absence. Nicky Ross then scorned a great chance to equalise that pinged wide and in 72 minutes Hayes replaced the manful Sutherland. There is always hope where Jonny is concerned, but in truth his lack of games showed last night but he was honoured by the mob handed marking. Doran was less rusty, and there is promise in this line up. In truth, after Celtic's second the game was over bar the shouting and Esson’s customary world class save (from Ledley – again) and clawing back the deficit looked beyond us.
Full time:-  Inverness 1 Celtic 2
Who gave Grant Munro MotM? Russell Duncan got this one by a distance from Foran, closely followed by Sutherland and others. I felt genuinely sorry for the absent Tuffey, and wonder how long he can put up with constantly being second in line;  it's that prince Andrew feeling. If you read the west coast press (not advisable) today, Celtic were sloppy and poor and that is why the scoreline was what it was. Rubbish, the game was closer than they will ever let on and TB was right – we deserved more out of the game. The ref was a bit of a mystery last night, allowing challenges that were “robust” in some instances and penalising the slightest contact in others. His rule book is a strange one. Roll on Saturday in Arabia.
 
Cheers davie, how's the bike?
By tm4tj in Reports 2010-11 ·

Inverness CT -V- Celtic - Preview - Cup QF

Teaser Paragraph:
Scottish Cup Quarter Final Action This Weekend Wednesday, 19:45
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Deja View:- The omens are certainly doing their best to help Inverness.  There are many parallels with a certain date in February 2000.  The same two teams drawn together for a Scottish Cup game.  First game cancelled because of the weather. Game to be played in midweek, three days after original date.  St Mirren and Aberdeen drawing 1-1 in the same round, 0-0 at half time and Saints took the lead for a short time. I'm not superstitious, but I think Jupiter may have aligned with Mars, and, just in case, my fingers are crossed, and I bought some lucky white heather, I found a four leafed clover, my path was crossed by a black cat and I saw a rabbit with only three feet.
I'm off to kiss the blarney stone to be sure, to be sure, and I won't be stepping on any cracks on the pavement or getting on a number 13 bus.
The God's are with us I tell you.  As I said, I'm not superstitious, so let's get stuck in.
Heavy overnight snow and sleet meant that the original Sunday afternoon date was put on hold as the pitch was deemed to be waterlogged and unplayable by the match official.  With the game being rescheduled for Wednesday evening, it now looks unlikely that there will be live TV coverage at the moment and this will mean a cash blow in excess of £80K for both clubs, although I'm sure it will only be loose change for Celtic, whereas Inverness will find it harder to balance the books with the loss of this revenue.
The draw has now been made for the semi-finals and with eight teams still in the pot, then it's a little complicated.
Scottish Cup semi-final draw:
Dundee United or Motherwell v Brechin or St Johnstone
St Mirren or Aberdeen v Inverness CT or Celtic
The semi-final ties will be played on the weekend of 16-17 April, (weather permitting) at Hampden Park.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The omens have once again paired Inverness against the might of Glasgow Celtic in the Scottish FA Cup.  Celtic managed to battle their way past Rangers, literally, after a turbulent replay at Parkhead saw them defeat their Glasgow rivals 1-0, Mark Wilson netting the decisive winner with a mishit shot that eluded McGregor and Bougherra as it bounced upwards into the net.  This game though was more notable for angry scenes during and after the match, with three Rangers players red carded and McCoist and Lennon squaring up as tempers frayed in the aftermath.  Such was the animosity and fury displayed, MP's were debating the right's and wrong's of the whole fiasco in Holyrood and Strathclydes' finest were taking a closer look at the events of that evening.  In truth, such incident's have been brewing for a long time and it all reached boiling point for a variety of reasons.  It's not for me to judge these incidents, but in my opinion it's about time these two clubs returned to playing football and show a little respect for each other, the referees, and the organising body, not to mention fans of other teams.  It's no wonder the fans get into bother when managers and players are behaving like shell-suited Burberry wearing street brawlers.  For their troubles, Mr McCoist and Mr Lennon have received dugout bans for their part in the rather unsavoury scenes.
Inverness on the other hand played out a more gentlemanly affair against Greenock Morton and meandered into the quarters with a clinical display, routing the Cappielow side 5-1.  This result was a refreshing change from the turgid displays being dished out whilst on SPL duty, although a clear the air meeting seems to have lifted some of the gloom surrounding recent SPL performances.
It's not quite a western, but I'll let you make your mind up who The Good, The Bad and The Ugly were.
The Scottish FA Cup:- This is the oldest national cup competition in the world and the first winners were Queens Park in season 1873-1874.  In fact, the Spiders are still the third most successful side in this tournament with 10 wins to their credit, the last being in 1893, I think Scarlet Pimple and Johnboy still have their programmes from that game.  Celtic top the list on 34, Rangers next on 33 and in fourth equal come Aberdeen and Hearts with 7 triumphs.  Vale of Leven, Clyde, St mirren and Kilmarnock all have a hat-trick of wins, Vales dominance in the early years includes consecutive wins from 1887-1889.
Cup shocks:- there's been a few, but then again, too few to mention ................................ Crikey!  I don't know what came over me there, I almost burst into song.  Aye, cup shocks are what makes it all worthwhile.  It does seem like a long time now since Berwick Rangers humbled the mighty Glasgow Rangers, 1-0 in 1967, but let's not worry about them.  This century alone, Celtic themselves have been on the wrong end of cup scalps.  In 2006, Clyde took down high flying Celtic 2-1 with a patchwork side.  That was the introduction to Scottish football for one Roy Keane, and his debut saw Celtic humiliated by the Bully Wee.  It could have been much worse as an inspired Clyde were by far the better side in that game and had a couple of goals ruled out for offside and keeper Boruc kept the score down.  This brings me on nicely to March 2003, when Dennis Wyness sent Celtic crashing out of the cup in front of 6,050 fans in Inverness, rounding off a neat passing move with a clinical finish just before half time.  That of course, was not the first time Inverness had upset the big bhoys.  Who can forget supercaleygoballistic................ you know how it goes, Feb 8th 2000, John Barnes etc.  That was the game that announced the arrival of the wee team from the Highlands to a global audience.  In fact, talking about wee teams from the Highlands, Celtic had an uncomfortable time last season, when the team from the market town of Dingwall upset the odds to reach the final, much to the chagrin of the Inverness support, how dare they.  So, miracles do happen, let's see if there are any more miracles left in the world of football.
***Note, the kick off time for this re-arranged game is Wednesday 16th March 19:45***
Ginger Jaggy will describe the pros and cons of this cup tie for us, so read on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is happening at 3.30pm on Sunday afternoon?  (Nothing I'm afraid, it's slushing). Is it time for Super Caley to go ballistic again as the Bhoys of Celtic travel Northwards for a massive Scottish Cup quarter final? For the winner a trip to Hampden awaits with a realistic chance of winning the competition as a whole. It is a huge ask for Inverness to pull off another cup shock and become heroes of the highlands again. Celtic is the current SPL leaders with a staggering 31 point difference between the two clubs, but Sunday is a cup game and the boys in blue and red stripes will stand toe to toe with Celtic, there are no advantages.
Fixture History
This season, Celtic has beaten us twice with one draw between the two clubs. Celtic won the opener 1-0 thanks to a fantastic goal scored by Paddy McCourt even though Inverness matched them stride for stride during long periods of the game. The second was a Co-op Cup tie at Parkhead when Celtic hammered a weakened Inverness side 6-0. But the high point for us was grabbing that valuable point at Parkhead back in November when 2-0 down we clawed our way back thanks to Richie Foran and Grant Munro, to see us go unbeaten for 12 months on the road.
That is this season but there have been memorable clashes between the two clubs in this very competition. The last Scottish cup game in this fixture was only played 3 years ago when Celtic triumphed thanks to a late Man Utd style come back. In a game which I remember attending Caley Thistle took the lead thanks to some brilliant wing play by Barry Wilson, he slotted the ball across to the unmarked Graham Bayne who put us ahead. That remained the only goal all the way up until the 89th minute, as Celtic huffed and puffed for an equaliser. First a deep corner was nodded back by Stephen McManus onto the head of Stephen Pressley to equalise. But a replay (which was the least we deserved) was cruelly snatched from us by KennyMiller as he hit a decent curling shot from just on the 'D' to send Celtic through in a game they barely deserved to win. I remember the gut wrenching feeling afterwards which I'm sure was felt by every other Inverness supporter in the ground that day.
It hasn't been all doom and gloom though, with far happier tales to tell. I unfortunately wasn't there that day but there were a fair few who were at Parkhead on the 8th February 2000. This has to be the greatest day in the clubs history. Then we were just another first division team, and we had progressed through the divisions within our own means, but no one gave us a prayer of progressing in this tie. Who would have expected a newly promoted side to division one to come up against the likes of Ian Wright, Lubo Moravcik, Paul Lambert, Mark Viduka etc and triumph. Probably no one, but the impossible happened as
thanks to goals from Barry Wilson, an own goal by Moravcik and a Paul Sheerin penalty. These names will never be forgotten but other major contributions were made by, Charlie Christie who was in charge of the midfield, goalkeeper Jim Calder, who had a stunning display in the Caley Thistle goals, Bobby Mann, who really scored that 'goal' and none other than legendary manager Steve Paterson.  In fact, they were all heroes that evening. Finally another cup upset as we knocked out Celtic again this time in Inverness thanks to a Dennis Wyness goal. Again Celtic was full of star names with the likes of Henrik Larsson, John Hartson, Chris Sutton and Neil Lennon etc and had actually beaten the likes of Liverpool and Stuttgart on their route to the UEFA cup final. What a couple of victories they were.
Form Guide
We come into this match in a period of inconsistent form. Poor performances blighted our chances of a top six spot with consecutive 2-0 defeats against Hibs and Dundee United. But last weekend the supporters saw a much improved performance in the 3-0 victory over Motherwell. The players looked hungrier and more determined which has got expectation levels rising that we can pull off another shock against the SPL leaders.
As for Celtic there is not much to say. They have been in great form since our last meeting in November when they have beaten Rangers three times. The two league victories have helped them scale the summit of the SPL table with them being five points clear even though the blue half have two games in hand. The other victory was a Scottish Cup replay which has set up this tie. Celtic looked invincible sweeping aside all challengers but were beaten at Motherwell 2-0 to show that they are not as invincible as everyone thought.
GingerJaggies thoughts
I don’t think any supporter of Caley Thistle will question Celtics tag of being favourites, but all I will say is if you have  read this preview, then you can see that the impossible can become reality. Besides there is a much smaller gap between the clubs now which should hopefully show them not to underestimate us. I also think that we can do it. Richie Foran has shown his quality in the SPL so far and will be key if we have any hopes of progressing. Hopefully Hayes will be fit again to tear the Celtic full backs to pieces, he will be a vital cog in our attacking midfield. I feel that if the players can get stuck into their players then we can really dare to believe that we can become Celtic’s nemesis for a third time. I have also added a hyperlink to the 3-1 win. Im sure everyone has seen it before but it is a bit extra to get the fans pumped up for Sunday.
***Latest Team News***
Inverness received a boost with the news that Hayes and Doran were both ready for a comeback, should Butcher re-shuffle the pack.  Hayes will require a minor operation on his ankle after the season finishes, but would be able to play should he be deemed fit enough.  David Proctor is still out and Graeme Shinnie is recovering at home after a stomach problem hospitalised him.  Better news of Kenny Gillet, the left back is training hard but will not be ready for a week or three.  Dani Sanchez is also healing well and is stepping up his leg work, which may see him return sooner than expected.  The additional three days will have given Hayes and Doran more recovery time and could work in our favour.
Celtic were dealt a blow with the news that Daniel Majstorovic could be out for eight weeks with a fractured toe.  He was injured during the 2-0 home win over Accies.  Skipper Scott Brown and scorer from the last round Mark Wilson are suspended for this game, but striker Gary Hooper is recovering quicker than expected and has a chance of making this one.  The former Scunthorpe United player has been in fine form since joining Celtic.  Hooper was scoring a goal every other game for Scunthorpe and has even bettered that with Celtic, scoring 13 SPL goals in 17 appearances.  Likewise for Celtic, Hooper has had an extra three days to recover and could be in contention for a start.
 
Other Quarter finals
St Mirren 1-1 Aberdeen (Sat 12:15):-  Paul McGowan opened for Saints, but a Rory McArdle injury time strike keeps this tie alive, replay Wednesday evening.  The game sparked into life in the second half, especially after the introduction of Michael Higdon.  The Buddies may regret not completing the task at the first time of asking given the chances spurned in the second half, but fair play to the Dons for digging deep and securing the draw in the 93rd minute.
Brechin 2-2 St Johnstone (Sat 15:00):-  A Rory McAllister double earns second division Brechin a replay.  Chris Millar and Danny Invincible had put the Super J's back in front before ex-ICT man Rory made it all square.  Another ex-ICT man playing for Brechin is Kevin Byers.  Replay Tuesday 22nd March.  Well done Brechin who more than matched there SPL opponents.
Dundee Utd 2-2 Motherwell (Sun 13:15):- Just to round off the Quarter Finals, United and Well played out a 2-2 draw, which leaves all eight sides still in the competition.  John Sutton continued his recent good form and put Well ahead in the first minute.  Goodwillie equalised before half-time, but Sutton again put the Steelmen ahead, alas that only lasted for a minute before Daly took the tie to a replay in the 73rd minute.
SPL game:-  Rangers have the chance to narrow the gap at the top to two points as they take on Kilmarnock at Ibrox , 15:00 kick off.  Update:- Celtic's weekend just got worse as a very late OG earned Ranger's all three points in the SPL game against Killie, 2-1 being the final score, so that's two points behind with one game in hand.


By tm4tj in Previews 2010-11 ·

Inverness CT -V- Motherwell - Report

Steelmen smelted by Inverness urgency. 
Inverness turned the form book upside down by cruising to victory against Motherwell after eventually getting on top of the Lanarkshire side.  Shane Sutherland opened the scoring with a blistering shot after turning the defender and cutting into the box, the ball exploding high behind Well keeper Randolph.  Foran extended the lead after Ross and Rooney combined to set him up from six yards and substitute Macdonald completed the scoring with his first touch of the ball.
An important win for the North side who had only won once in fourteen games, but this win keeps the top six dream alive, given that Aberdeen and St Johnstone drew although Kilmarnock also threw a spanner in the works by dumping the Jambo's at Tynecastle by a convincing 0-2 scoreline.
Jonny Hayes and Aaron Doran were missing as were Shinnie, Gillet, Proctor and Sanchez.  Shane Sutherland was to start and he played a major part in the proceedings, as did Nick Ross, who was not an immediate threat but he had a big hand in the second goal.  Substitute Alex Macdonald made an instant impact by scoring on his first touch, his second touch was not so good, he fresh aired in front of goals, but who cares, we are on a roll, one in a row and we could even afford a Cox up, as young Lee bore in on goal but could not produce a finish.  Still time for Well to try and get their consolation, Esson and the woodwork denying them on a couple of occasions but we broke their resistance and finally got our rewards, well done Terry and the boys for turning our fortunes around, let's hope it's for more than one game this time.
 
5th March 2011 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CT 3 - Sutherland (18), Foran (64), MacDonald (72) TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Munro, Hogg, Duff, Ross (Odhiambo 83), Cox, Duncan, Sutherland, Foran (Morrison 89), Rooney (MacDonald 71) SUBS: Tuffey, Golabek, Innes, McBain - Booked: none 
MOTHERWELL 0 - TEAM: Randolph, Hammell, Hutchinson, Jennings, Lasley, Gunning, Murphy, Forbes (Humphrey 54), Hateley (Saunders 57), Jeffers, Sutton SUBS: Bradley, Craigan, Page, Casagolda, Pollock - Booked: none 
Referee Iain Brines Attendance 3563  
Ginger Jaggy will fill you in later.................And here he is...
Well where did that come from?  We all knew the management team and players had a pow wow after the United debacle, but my god whatever was said certainly did the trick. I never attended Tuesdays match but was at Easter Road last weekend, both awful performances which never allowed us to put pressure on the opposition. The players have been vilified by supporters for the direct longball in the last few games which has not worked at all and been in my view a constant factor in our last two defeats. But yesterday the 3,500 fans saw a display of courage and quick direct counter attacking play which for once saw us keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. Yes there was still the occasional long ball being played but overall a much better performance which has given a faint renewed hope of top six football come May time.
To the game itself and it was Inverness, missing both Hayes and Doran, who started off the brighter on a lovely sunny Highland afternoon. It was the man of the match Richie Foran who created the first meaningful chance of the game with a lovely little knock back to find Russell Duncan loitering with intent. Unfortunately, his left foot strike from just outside the area was comfortably saved by Darren Randolph in the Motherwell goal. Caley continued to put pressure on Motherwell and that finally told in the 18th minute. Thurso lad Shane Sutherland was played down the wing by Cox and took the ball neatly in his stride, as he ran at Steven Hammell before cutting inside and releasing an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. This was Shane's first goal for the club and his first in the SPL, what a way to open your account. Being in the same year as him at High school I was very pleased for him as he is a talented player.
After the goal it was Motherwell who took control of the possession for the rest of the first half with Inverness making attacks on the counter. One of these counter attacks almost resulted in Sutherland getting his 2nd goal. Caley Thistle broke up the pitch quickly and it was Foran with a great ball into the box which Sutherland got a head flick to, but saw the ball agonisingly drift wide. Motherwell by stark contrast saw lots of the ball but didn't test Ryan Esson at all until just before half time. Keith Lasley found a bit of room in the the middle of the Caley Thistle half and played through a nice weighted ball. John Sutton managed to get a run on Ross Tokely but the striker who scored a double in last week's shock victory over Celtic was thwarted by Esson who was quick to react. Motherwell created one final chance before the break with it being Sutton again, but he headed a Ross Forbes corner onto the roof of the net.
Ht 1-0,  Sutherland
The second half started like the first ended. Motherwell still had plenty of the ball but this time they looked more dangerous creating a very good chance which saw Esson tested. Francis Jeffers at point blank range had an opportunity to score but his shot was blocked by Esson in the six yard box. Motherwell continued to press with a bit more urgency than in the first half but almost came unstuck. An Inverness counter attack saw Duncan playing a brilliant through ball to Nick Ross who ran through but was forced wide by a Motherwell defender and tamely shot straight at Randolph. This warning though was not heeded by Motherwell as this time Ross turned provider as he played in Adam Rooney down the left channel of the box. Rooney at first looked like he aimed to shoot but instead squared the ball to Foran who capped off his excellent display with a goal from six yards.
Motherwell had a great opportunity straight after Foran's goal to get back into the match. The ball was bobbling about the Inverness penalty area, and it was taken down by second half substitute Chris Humphrey who first of all shot straight at Esson before having a second shot cleared off the line by Tokely. That proved to be a key moment in the game. Caley Thistle had a chance to stretch the lead further as Cox was played through on goal but he shot straight at Randolph and the chance was gone, but in the 71st minute Caley Thistle sealed the game and it was Alex MacDonald's first contribution that ended the game. Seconds earlier MacDonald replaced Rooney with Terry Butcher having next week's massive cup Quarter final in mind. The goal came from a throw in which was well worked between Munro and Foran before the Caley Thistle captain swung in a devilish ball which MacDonald just tucked into the corner. Motherwell after that looked shot on morale and it was no coincidence that the game just petered out after that. They did create one last chance for a consolation with Jamie Murphy having a shot tipped onto the bar by Esson. The final whistle was blown and the reaction was one of joy after claiming our 4th home win of the season with a comfortable win, which was in contrast from Tuesday when the players were booed from the field. A morale boosting win which has given everyone connected with the club a little smile after a lovely day in the Highlands.
FT 3-0,  Sutherland, Foran, MacDonald
By tm4tj in Reports 2010-11 ·

Inverness CT -V- Motherwell - Preview

Teaser Paragraph:
Inverness need to show their mettle as Steelmen come North
A disastrous run of form has seen Inverness drop out of the top six after the midweek games. One win in fourteen games seems to have disheartened the players, and the fans can sense the tension within the squad.  It's a catch 22 situation, poor performances mean poor results, poor results mean few points, few points mean unhappy fans, unhappy fans mean unhappy players, unhappy players mean poor performances............. and so it goes on.
In midweek, another home game and another defeat has surely set alarm bells ringing at the Caledonian Stadium.  Sure, relegation seems unlikely, but unless things improve dramatically, then top six looks like a lost cause.  Us fans of course are fickle folk, and have short and selective memories at times.  However, it seems like a long time ago that we were on a fantastic unbeaten run away from home.  We were riding along on the crest of a wave, even contemplating European football.  Right now we can't buy a win, although St Johnstone did eventually surrender a couple of weeks ago. 
What has gone wrong?  Is it just injuries, or injuries to specific players, or have we been found out, maybe lacking that extra quality to stay in the top six?  Is the management team selecting the right players?  Are our tactics right?  Other than injuries and suspensions, not a lot should have changed from that winning feeling we had earlier in the season, so where do we go from here?
For me, injuries to key players, combined with defensive punishments are major factors in our demise.  Jonny Hayes Dani Sanchez Kevin McCann and Kenny Gillet/Graeme Shinnie left us struggling for adequate cover along with Munro and Tokely being suspended recently.  That has meant a reshuffle of the pack at the back and with the introduction of the new boys, then our strongest link is in total disarray at the moment.  There is of course another mystery to be resolved.  Russell Duncan is not guaranteed a start, but surely his drive and passion would be more welcome than some of the tame excuses offered in his place.  Adam Rooney has not exactly been bulging the nets recently, and a couple of 'taxi for Rooney' misses must have dented his confidence a little.  Youngsters in the squad are being asked to fill the boots of men, and some are not ready for that, although they give their best, but it's not always enough.  Let's hope Terry and Mo get to the root of the problem sooner rather than later, as the fans, especially the home ones are getting a tad restless with the performances of late.  Defeat is one thing, defeat in the manner we have become accustomed to is a different kettle of fish altogether.
Motherwell are here on Saturday and they must be hoping our poor run continues.  They come north on the back of a tremendous result last weekend when the beat the Hoops 2-0.  That result, albeit fantastic for Well, dented our top six aspirations and we compounded that by losing at Hibs and at home to United.  All is not lost yet, Motherwell are only four points ahead of us, but unless we have a magic potion, then it looks to be a difficult task for Butcher to lift his beleaguered troops for another stressful home fixture.  I don't know about the players, but the fans are now starting to dread these fixtures. (Hold on, I think I am watching paint dry this Saturday, or, my hair's wet, or, I'm shopping at Tesco's).  All valid reasons to not turn up I suppose, but we are all gluttons for punishment as well, so I'll be there.
Ginger Jaggy will talk you through this weekends fixture, and hopefully report on a positive result.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well hasn't 2011 been a big disappointment so far. After all the jubilation and plaudits that Caley Thistle has received over a fantastic 2010 we have failed, to even come close, to hitting the heights we did. One win in fourteen is not good enough and after looking pretty comfortable to finish in our highest ever position we now face an uphill task to get there. Our opponents on Saturday are Motherwell who, although 4 points clear, still can be caught by us but a victory on Saturday is essential. The performances in our last two matches have led us to believe that finally the top six is over as an ambition. But it isn't over, five games to go including a massive cup quarter final vs Celtic the week after and the season is still well and truly alive. If we can win this one then we still have a chance but performances must improve dramatically if we are to go on a mini run of form until the split.
A bit on Our opponents
Motherwell has been erratic since Stuart McCall took charge of the Lanarkshire club around New Year. This last week has summed up their form with a 1-0 defeat to St Mirren last Wednesday at Fir Park, only for them to beat Celtic at Home on Sunday. But the upshot is that Motherwell lie 5th in the table 4 points above us in 7th.  They still play excellent football under McCall and try to get the ball down and pass like we should have done in our last two games.  Nick Blackman didn't return on loan, he followed Manager Craig Brown up to Aberdeen, however Motherwell still have dangerous players that can win them matches. Since Blackman departed it has been John Sutton filling in with the goals with 11 from this season so far. Other dangerous players I consider to see as a great threat, especially with a slow backline like ours, is the pace of Jamie Murphy and Chris Humphrey. They can also chip in with some important goals as well, helping to close the massive gap Blackman left behind. But the threat is there and performances like the win over Celtic shows that this will be a tough test (especially given our current form)  and that Motherwell could be the biggest game now at this stage of the season.
Form Guide
This part is hardest to write. The players gave us a ray of hope when they picked up 4 points from 2 matches against St Mirren and St Johnstone. But that was just a red herring as we have lost our last two matches 2-0, each game producing a woeful performance. In fact Inverness' run of form is actually relegation form and nowhere near what we need to get us into the top half of the league. Teams like Hibs and Aberdeen who were both so far behind are now rocketing up the table and both now have realistic chances of finishing above us. As for Motherwell they haven't been spectacular but have picked up victories and have stayed in one of the top six spots. The most unexpected result was there 2-0 victory over Celtic at the weekend but of course they also lost at home to St Mirren last week so they are inconsistent. They have though picked up a fairly decent 9 points from there last 15 which is the sort of form we would need to finish in the top six. So the upshot is a good side but not invincible.
Head to head in Inverness, (SPL) Motherwell have a massive advantage over ICT.  Eight wins for Motherwell, with only two for the hosts and a solitary game drawn.  Well also have the best result, a 0-3 scoreline in November 2007, and they lead the scoring by 9-14.  The visitors have won the last four SPL games in the Highlands outscoring the homeside 6-9 during those games.  Our away record is much better in this head to heads, however, this is a home game, so the omens are not great then.
GingerJaggies thoughts
Huge game no doubt about it, huge week in fact. This week will make or break our season starting with this game. If we have any chance to stay with the elite then this game on Saturday has to go our way. Two defeats in our next two games and our season could be well and truly over. I really can't say how this one will go. I would like to say that we will come out and play well and win but we were told that would happen on Tuesday and it didn't. Hopefully the players will perform and why shouldn't they, the pressure is off us. We are unlikely to get into the top six now so the players just have to go and give there all. A win and we still have a chance but defeat and it is all over with the fixtures to come. So hear is me giving one last bit of encouragement to get behind the players on Saturday and hopefully we can turn it around give ourselves a fighting chance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***Latest Team News***
Aaron Doran looks likely to miss out with a hip injury, but Jonny Hayes showed no adverse reaction after his return in midweek, although he lacks match sharpness.  Proctor, Shinnie, Gillet McBain and Sanchez are all missing.  Terry Butcher had his squad in for extra training this week after a dismal display against United.  A forty five minute discussion session was held with the players airing their views on what is going wrong and the managers taking on board the suggestions.
For Motherwell, Steve Jones will sit this one out, but Stephen Craigan will return after suspension and Steven Saunders is pushing for a start.  Consistency is Motherwell's problem, and they realise it's no use beating Celtic then struggling against teams in the bottom half of the league, so they will be out to consolidate their position and will be a difficult side to get the better of.
tm4tj Prediction:- It's not looking good for us at the moment, but that's what supporting Caley Thistle is all about, a massive roller coaster of a ride.  On paper we would appear to be on a hiding this weekend and Motherwell must be clear favourites to win.  But, we are at our best when given the underdogs tag, it sits much better than the expectation of winning three points and maybe, just maybe we can poach something from this one.
1-0 for the Jags..................maybe.


By tm4tj in Previews 2010-11 ·

Inverness CT -V- Dundee United - Report

Inverness plumb new depths of ineptitude.
Inverness reached an all time low performance tonight as they drew another blank at home against a spritely Dundee United.  The Arabs never had to get out of second gear as a hapless Caley Thistle looked more like a highland league side and relinquished the three points all to easily for my liking.
Second half goals from Prince Buaben and David Robertson left the home fans frustrated by the punchless performance from the Jags, and not even the surprise appearance  of Jonny Hayes could light up the dour atmosphere summed up by top scorer Rooney missing a sitter with the score at 1-0 to United.  Let's hope he kicks this habit and returns to scoring form soon.
Esson started his 100th game and Tokely was at right back with Munro on the opposite side.  Innes and Hogg paired up in central defence.  Hayes, Cox, Duff and Doran were the midfield with Foran backing up Adam Rooney in attack.
This defeat sees Inverness drop out of the top six and we can have no complaints given our performances of late, and Hibs, Aberdeen and St Johnstone are all queueing up to leap frog us as well.
 
1st March 2011 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CT 0 - TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Munro, Innes, Hogg, Duff, Cox, Hayes (MacDonald 73), Foran, Rooney (Sutherland 84), Doran (Ross 28)
SUBS: Tuffey, Golabek, Odhiambo, Duncan - Booked: Tokely (8), Innes (39) 
DUNDEE UTD 2 - Buaben (75), D. Robertson (90) TEAM: Pernis, Dillon, Douglas, Watson, Dixon, Conway, S Robertson, Swanson (D Robertson 77), Gomis, Armstrong (Buaben 72), Goodwillie
SUBS: Mentel, Shala, van der Meulen, Russell, Dow - Booked: none 
Referee Steven McLean Attendance 3392  
Davie has the task of reporting on this setback and he will give us his thoughts when he chills out.
This was supposed to be the kind of fixture that players and fans alike relish. A still, calm but cool evening under the floodlights on a pitch that had stood up well to Friday’s rugby match it was perhaps surprising that no more had come out to watch ICT’s push to consolidate a top six place. In the end, the moribund sounding announcer claimed 3,300 or so souls had witnessed Inverness sink without a trace.
There were murmurings before proceedings got under way, especially concerning ICT’s back four. It was thought obvious by wags and wise men alike that a Tokely, Innes, Hogg and Munro combination would be ponderous and vulnerable and so it proved. If ICT have the rapier thrust of Doran and Hayes, United countered that with Conway and Swanson. Goals were inevitable. United’s own rear-guard were likewise patched together with a noticeable lack of height. Surely Rooney and Foran would profit.
Almost straight from kick off, flaws became apparent when Tokely yellow carded for launching Conway into near earth orbit (more of this later) but there was hope, and these feelings were bolstered by a bullet header from Foran on 10 minutes that was kept out by a superb save from Pernis. Hayes had flayed Douglas on the left to supply the ammunition, and hope sprung again. Duff flashed a comment worthy volley just wide in 20 minutes and although United were having more possession and play, ICT were creating better chances. Clouds began to gather when Aaron Doran pulled up in 25 minutes with what looked like a groin strain to be replaced by Nick Ross. With the attacking focus disrupted, the crucial battle was switched to Cox and Gomis in centre midfield. Even stephens there. United created a couple of chances that were easily dealt with but the nip and tuck nature of this game persisted until half time, interrupted only by the second yellow of the game for Innes for carping at the frankly miserable Mr MacLean on account of another baffling decision. Both MacLean and the stand side assistant were dreadful; indecisive, inconsistent and inattentive. Someone had to say something.
Half Time: Inverness 0 Dundee United 0
The second half opened as a carbon copy of the first, the majority of possession going to United without any real threat. Swanson and Gomis threatened, but the vaunted Goodwillie was, for the most part reduced to the status of niggling irritation. Conway came more and more into the game, but blotted an otherwise good copybook with a ridiculous dive (bought by the referee, no surprise there) which was designed to see Tokely ordered off. ICT created chances for Cox, who smacked a diving header just over; Munro, who screwed a volley wide and Nick Ross caused a collective intake of breath with a corner kick. That was about it, and it was now glaringly obvious that whoever scored first was going to win this game. The pivotal decision came in 70 minutes, Armstrong being replaced by Bauben. Combining him and Gomis in the midfield marginalised the now struggling Hayes and Ross lacked the physical presence to cope with either of them. Hayes was replaced by Alex MacDonald, but Bauben opened the scoring after 3 minutes of being involved, slapping a shot past Esson after Innes slipped and was subsequently skinned on the wing and Goodwillie cut the ball back. The deflation in the Inverness side was visible at this point, and a comeback never on the cards. Sutherland somewhat bizarrely appeared again in place of Rooney, (who earlier had wished the ground would open up and swallow him after spurning a glorious chance from five yards with the head), but to no avail. It came as no surprise when, in 89 minutes David Robertson administered the coup de grace. It couldn’t finish quickly enough after that.
Full time: Inverness 0 Dundee United 2
There were so many things wrong with this performance that the final score pales into insignificance. Tactically, the team was set up with a slow back four and a lightweight midfield that almost guaranteed the long ball game that we have come to know too well, and despair of. It was compounded by Ross Tokely having what was frankly a nightmare. Had he been sent off (as he should have been) in the first half it might actually have done us a favour and forced a bolstering in the middle of the park. It never came, and the countering of the United Prince Bauben substitution with MacDonald was ludicrous. We needed a holding midfielder at that point and the result was inevitable. By the end, Rooney’s fight had simply disappeared after chasing down innumerable aimless long balls and redirecting them to colleagues who were somewhere else, Foran’s anger became visible at Tokely at least and the shortcomings of Innes and Munro ceased to matter. The result was all the more concerning as this was a United side that was no great shakes on the night, and their manager admitted as much. Our own manager would do well to share in the culpability of this result instead of railing against his “wretched” players that he has (by his own admission) failed to motivate. That there is a crisis of confidence is obvious, and how Butcher deals with it may define his managership. It’s not Brewsteresque by any means, the boos were faint last night, but it mustn’t be allowed to become that.
It is becoming obvious that there are players who we fans cherish that are past or getting past their SPL sell by date. At least in Chris Hogg we have a central defender who can use the ball and we can build around, but midfield needs urgent attention if Rooney is not to leave with an overwhelming sense of relief. 9 points from a possible 41 is lamentable as the man on the radio said, and the streams of fans leaving early told a story of the season they have been forced to endure, at least at home. There is an air of hens coming home to roost, and we can only hope that the turning point comes sooner rather than later in this season at least. We'll not go down, but we may yet have reason to thank God for Hamilton.
Thanks davie, you almost made it sound entertaining, incredible piece of journalism and wordsmithery.
By tm4tj in Reports 2010-11 ·

Inverness CT -V- Dundee United - Preview

Teaser Paragraph:
McGonagall revisited as United head north.
This twice postponed match will surely go ahead this Tuesday evening (19:45) barring a disaster of McGonagall sized proportions.  The weather has wreaked havoc with United's schedule this season, more than most others, and it will be a welcome relief all round to get this fixture out of the way.  A waterlogged pitch a month ago caused a bit of a splash as a late call off meant a wasted trip for many supporters and the United team.
However, blue skies overhead and no snow underfoot should see this fixture completed, fingers crossed, in fact you might need to bring your sun glasses.
Inverness will look to bounce back after a poor showing at Easter Road with the capital side running out deserved winners against a lack lustre Highland squad, full of strangers, if Butcher's comments are anything to go by.  The performance in Edinburgh was in sharp contrast to the  battling display against St Johnstone the week before which gave the support some false hope that we had turned the corner, despite a depleted squad taking to the field.
The Arabs are a bit erratic as well, two defeats and two draws in their last four is not the sign of a team firing on all camels.  They served up a goalless draw in the Tayside derby; the pitch, the pitch, and an even worse draw against bottom club Hamilton where they had to come from behind to take a point.
Hot shot stopper Ryan Esson will hit the ton tonight as he will make his 100th appearance for the Caley Jags since signing in July 2008.  He has made 84 league appearances and 15 cup games since coming to Inverness and the United game will see hime reach his century.  Ryan has been the most consistent performer for Inverness this season and the only surprise is that Craig Levein continues to ignore him for a call up to the national squad.
Davie bumped into McGonagall before the last scheduled game against the Arabs and lo and behold he met up with the master of disaster once more to bring you this preview from beyond the grave.  Think outside the box, (not the penalty one), and you will find a preview in this meeting with Sir William, good luck.
 
Pert Twa
WHAT IS IT NOW? Will you leave that Ouija board alone?
Sorry Sir William, I had something else to say.
Crivvens, can a poet no get any peace, even if he’s deid? It’s bad enough up here wi aw they harps and lyres. So what is it?
Sorry Willie, I mean Sir William, I just thought I’d interrupt the heavenly reverie and all that ‘cause the last game got postponed.
Postponed, how?
A Highland flood of biblical proportions that made the ba stick like nae nails tae a blanket in the penalty box, apparently. Pitch had less bounce than a silicone boob job. Ironic, since we’ve been playing fitba when everyone else has been in the deep freeze and Tannadice looks like the kind of arctic tundra that Bruce Parry would love, meet natives and drink stuff that tastes like brake fluid. Hang on, that could be Dundee...
Aye said McGonagall, I think I remember something about that - a danger to the fine citizenry of Dundee travelling o’er hill and dale to the Sneck. Terrible country - I wrote about Loch Ness once;
“Your scenery is romantic,
Wi rocks and hills gigantic,
It’s enough to make you frantic”¹
He sat back smugly as I choked on my tea. Is that with or without the A9, I enquired splutteringly, but he just looked at me. The A9 makes me frantic anyway.
I thought we were here to talk fitba.
Oh aye right then, what happened at Hamilton? I only saw a wee bit with yon gadgie MacLean on sportscene doing reminiscence therapy wi a pensioner, but it looked worse than the stuff we saw at Easter Road. What’s going on?
Dunno, Davie, it’s a tangerine mystery to perplex the heavens – serial underachievers whose league position is out of kilter with their talent. I’m told. Still, could have been worse if Casaluinovo hidnae fallen over his own feet, what wi Russell missing a sitter or Robertson blootering it fae a yard oot, ach never mind. It’s injuries you know – we miss Garry Kenneth. And Dods and Kovacevic, and Daly. Nae height. Houston says “We have to take one game at a time," and "We have a small squad due to injuries”. If the fixture list gets any worse, we might end up playing two games at a time, all with people under 5'6". Not easy.
Same old story with United then? Mind you, we wernae much better on Saturday in auld reekie Willie – we wouldn’t have scored if we were still playing now. Butcher says we didn’t turn up but something in blue n’ red did. I just don’t know what it was. Butcher claimed that he might have picked up 14 strangers on the A9, so they might have been Angus or Boab or Andy from Dalwhinnie and his mates – they played like them. Hogg certainly showed his lack of acquaintance with his fellow defenders, Cox was underwhelming in midfield and the forwards were no better. I’m sure that was Adam Rooney up front , but maybe not, Dalwhinnie is full of 6’2” ginger topped ghillies and distillery men.
Oh. You’re a bit disgruntled Davie. That bad?
It’s injuries again you know Willie, or rather its one injury. Forget Gillet or Blumenshtein or Royster or anybody else - we miss Jonny Hayes. We’re like a three legged dog trying to pee on a lamp post without him – we just keep falling over.
Shame that, could be messy.
I know, it’s pish.
Sir William refused to rise to the (admittedly malodourous) talismanic bait. I could sense he was distracted now. I searched for facts:
We’ve met the Arabs 19 times so far in the SPL and its remarkably even – 5 v 6 wins, and 8 draws. They have hardly any points from their last three games (D, D, L), we at least have one win to crow about (L,W,D) ominously being against Taysidish opposition. They are on 31 points, we are on 33. We’re both still in the Cup. A quick website trawl reveals no fresh injury news from either team (Monday) amid the general air of gloom. It’s the lack of daylight I tell you. If we could replicate the balmy days of August where we crushed these “fiendishly grinning arabs²” as Willie would put it, all would be riotously well. It seems a long time ago since that 4-0 victory and it can’t come round quickly enough again. McCann’s gone so Russell Duncan, grab some sunshine - this is your hour.
Okay Mr. McGonagall, I’ll go now. It seems a bit inconsiderate all this continually waking the deceased, but a month’s a long time in this life so I promise not to invoke you again until at least the 19th of next month….
He looked disgusted at that and asked if I knew what “rest in peace” actually meant, then he leaned over his chair shouting at someone I couldn’t see “Is MacLean here yet?”
I’d given up the ghost.
¹ Loch Ness. More Poetic Gems, 1962. Sandwiched between “The troubles of Matthew Mahoney” and “The avenging Angel”
² The rebel surprise near Tamai, Poetic Gems, Dundee 1896. Neatly confined between “The Clepington disaster” and “The burning of Exeter Theatre” Utter quality.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks davie, so that was the verse from the hearse, let's hope it turns into a rave from the grave; for ICT anyway.
Prediction:- With both sides dishing out disgruntlement in copious amounts, it would be prudent to stick your money on a point each.  Of course from an Inverness perspective, the result could hinge on whether we get a glimpse of Jonny Hayes, or possibly no glimpse of Eric Odhiambo, who is having a tough time convincing the fans with some less than accomplished performances.  A dull draw is my best shout.
***Latest Team News*** 
Inverness are set to continue without Jonny Hayes as the wide player is struggling to recover from his ankle/foot injury, although once again Butcher will give Jonny every chance to prove his fitness before kick off.  Proctor and Sanchez will be out for the forseeable future but Kenny Gillet has returned to training.  Left back position is proving difficult to fill at the moment, and Graeme Shinnie is still out with stomach problems.
Dundee United will not have the services of Jon Daly and Gary Kenneth for the next couple of weeks, and Severin, Dods and Kovacevic are still receiving treatment for long term injuries. Peter Houston has bemoaned the amount of draws United have amassed and is looking for a positive result, ahead of a hectic schedule coming up for the tangerines.


Other SPL news
Hamilton's Simon Mensing has revealed he was banned for a month after taking the substance methylhexaneamine after believing it to be ok.   http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hamilton_academical/9407839.stm
Rangers took advantage of Celtic's first defeat in 17 games after thumping St Johnstone 4-0 on Sunday.  Neil Lennon's side were Well beaten, 2-0 at Fir Park.
St Johnstones Michael Duberry could be out for a few weeks after injuring his groin against the Gers.
Ricardo Vaz Te has signed for Hibernian until the end of the season.  The former Bolton forward has impressed Colin Calderwood in trials last week.  He has represented Portugal at u21 level.
Hamilton v Hibs are also playing on Tuesday night, and Wednesday night sees St Johnstone play Aberdeen, so top six places in the balance by the end of this week.
Inverness CT will know which side of the Old Firm will visit the Highlands on Scottish Cup duty after Wednesday nights 5th round replay at Celtic Park.  The first fixture was a thrilling encounter and Celtic seemed to be gaining the upper hand over their Glasgow rivals, but league results last weekend has thrown a massive spanner in the works with the Steelmen denting Lennon's pride and jhoy and Rangers title aspirations back on.
In the smaller leagues, Jimmy Calderwood will be looking for his first win as Ross County manager when they visit Stirling Albion.  Surely this time Jimmy?  Last seasons "team of the first division", ahem, are struggling badly and a defeat tonight could see them slip into the relegation play off position and only two points above the bottom club.
Elsewhere
Alex McLeish has become the first Birmingham manager to lift a major trophy since 1963.  City surprisingly defeated Arsenal 2-1 to win the Carling Cup with the decisive goal coming in the 89th minute, Obafemi Martins seizing on a calamitous error to stroke the ball into an empty net.  So, miracles do happen.


By tm4tj in Previews 2010-11 ·

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. : Terms of Use : Guidelines : Privacy Policy

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.