Inverness CT -V- Partick Thistle Caledonian Stadium, Inverness 3:00 PM ...follow us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/ICTOnline or on Main Site Front Page ...discuss it during the game in the CHATROOM AUDIO COVERAGE MFR (UK/VPN) BBC Sportsound (UK/VPN) BBC Open All Mics (worldwide) LIVE SCORES / TEXT SKY BBC SportBox TEAM LINEUPS

Edited September 26, 200916 yr by Scotty
added team lines when they eventually appeared !!!!

Georgie, munro is our best player, best defender and our best leader (maybe with the exception of roscoe).

Foran so far has scored one goal and has moaned his way through every match. Just cos he's a loudmouth does not mean he would be a good captain. Foran also has no connection with the fans. Munro on the other hand is a local lad and an ict supporter. There is no contest.

Back on topic. We were pish.

Georgie, munro is our best player, best defender and our best leader (maybe with the exception of roscoe).

Foran so far has scored one goal and has moaned his way through every match. Just cos he's a loudmouth does not mean he would be a good captain. Foran also has no connection with the fans. Munro on the other hand is a local lad and an ict supporter. There is no contest.

Back on topic. We were pish.

Agree that Foran is totally over-rated. He doesn't exactly put himself about. Imrie and Obiambo probably covered 4 or 5 times more ground than him when they were our front 2 (coincidentally, our best spell of last season). His trademark move is to stand with his hand in the air waiting for a high ball. Pish. Fair enough, he never shirks a tackle but only if it's within a 2 metre radius of where he happens to be standing. 20 goals a season? What a joke. There's more movement in a morgue than there is with out current front pairing, as soon as Imrie and Eric are fit they should replace Foran and Barrowload.

Was getting a bit weary of seeing ICT regularly lose 3 goals at home over the last two seasons (after Dodds left). Thought Div One would be a breeze for us - plenty shut-outs, scoring lots of goals. Not so. We lose three goals against C**unty and then three goals again today against Partick. Oh - and two of those six goals were back-heels!

We have been humbled by better teams in the past but what I saw today was truly the worst performance I have ever seen from an ICT side.

Truth is, this was not a genuine ICT team. There was no spirit about this team - no heart. ICT have always been a team that play with passion. This lot just don't have it.

Not much I can say that hasn't been said by others already, so I will try and keep my points short and simple.

1. We passed the ball well and had decent possession for the first 30/35 minutes.

2. Partick were lucky with the first, nobody to really "blame" for that.

3. Duncan screwed up royally at the second, but we should have taken possession further up the field....unfortunately Bulvitis seemed happier to just watch it go by him.

4. Think I'm missing something, or seeing something others didn't with Foran. He might have been worked up and having a go at other players for poor passes/crosses etc, but on too many occasions for my liking that got in the way of his own performance and on a couple of occasions the ball was within 4 or 5 feet of him and he seemed oblivious to it as he was caught up in one of his wee rants!!!

5. Lost count of how many handballs we were denied today....at least 3 of them being in the oppositions box.

6. Nick Ross was totally done in and their was nothing left in the legs....I thought that looked fairly obvious and the reason he was subbed.

7. LDZ had at least two half decent attempts at goal when he came on...more than any other player had in the same period.

8. You can perhaps criticise TB's starting 11, but in doing so you also have to give credit to him for making subs that almost managed to salvage us a point.

Looking beyond just this one game I think our team have a tendency to do one of two things.

A. They seem to allow the opposition to dictate the game pace and level....then they get caught on the hop.

or

B. They start well, get the passing going and keep possession. They then get a little complacent and BAM they lose a goal....or 3 as happened today.

The games where we do well (mostly) are the ones where we get our nose in front early on. We seem to be able to keep the momentum going after that. From that point of view, I would like to see us lining up more offensively to start with and just going for it from the off.

Not much I can say that hasn't been said by others already, so I will try and keep my points short and simple.

1. We passed the ball well and had decent possession for the first 30/35 minutes. same as the second half v Airdrie

2. Partick were lucky with the first, nobody to really "blame" for that.

3. Duncan screwed up royally at the second, but we should have taken possession further up the field....unfortunately Bulvitis seemed happier to just watch it go by him. add Bulvitis x 2 at Airdrie

4. Think I'm missing something, or seeing something others didn't with Foran. He might have been worked up and having a go at other players for poor passes/crosses etc, but on too many occasions for my liking that got in the way of his own performance and on a couple of occasions the ball was within 4 or 5 feet of him and he seemed oblivious to it as he was caught up in one of his wee rants!!! ditto for Airdrie - probably far worse

5. Lost count of how many handballs we were denied today....at least 3 of them being in the oppositions box. no help from any of the officials against Airdrie

6. Nick Ross was totally done in and their was nothing left in the legs....I thought that looked fairly obvious and the reason he was subbed. At Airdrie the players who were fecked were kept on !!

7. LDZ had at least two half decent attempts at goal when he came on...more than any other player had in the same period. Lionel is a replacement left full back full stop

8. You can perhaps criticise TB's starting 11, but in doing so you also have to give credit to him for making subs that almost managed to salvage us a point. My first contriution to this thread

Looking beyond just this one game I think our team have a tendency to do one of two things.

A. They seem to allow the opposition to dictate the game pace and level....then they get caught on the hop.

or

B. They start well, get the passing going and keep possession. They then get a little complacent and BAM they lose a goal....or 3 as happened today.

It was a deffo A at Airdrie

The games where we do well (mostly) are the ones where we get our nose in front early on. We seem to be able to keep the momentum going after that. From that point of view, I would like to see us lining up more offensively to start with and just going for it from the off. Spot feckin on - but Butcher isnt doing that

What we are also lacking in is consistency and confidence. We are not playing as a team.

I said earlier Hayes was my MoM. The reason I never picked Ross was like DooDad says - it took the others 25 mins to bring him into the game, then he went off early. I never really rated him at the Brechin game pre-season but now I'd have to say he's a massive prospect.

I'd like to see Duff get Bulvitis' place next week. I'd keep Duncan in. I think he needs a couple of games to get match fit, plus he'll be hurting after that display. Plus Duncan never hides. Stratford got about 6 games even though it was obvious he was dross.

Also that's twice I've seen Buchanan this season and he's now scored 3 goals plus a penalty against us. They say 10CC turned him down in favour of Patti, is that right?

A large part of Foran's game is trying to show how much he's doing as opposed to all the others. It certainly fooled the sponsors yesterday. Mind you, 20 goals is realistic, given that he's now got 2. Big deal though. Why didn't he say 30 if he's our main striker?

Duff is out for the season Mantis. Which was bad before but now devastating given how poor Bulvitis has been of recent weeks.

Feck me, forgot that.

right, cant be ersed depressing mysel trawling through all the comments on here but will put in my tuppence worth.

very few players can come out of that with pass marks. esson, hayes, shinnie and ross did ok from where i sat.

the rest, well just get a grip please.

there's a distinct lack of bollox on show out there every week, half of them think they just have to turn up to win and the other half just aren't good enough on current evidence.

if they give there all and lose then you can forgive it but the gutless crap i've been watching at home is enough to bring tears to the eye.

ball watching, unchallenged headers, no movement or link up from midfield to attack, defense completely in disarray for two of the goals yesterday,inability to make the most simple pass and most frustrating of all absolutely toothless up front and in midfield.yes we had a lot of possetion in the first half hour, but we did nothing with it.

but then hey presto we're 3 down and the players decide they better take their fingers out of their erses and try and play before they get embarrassed again a la county.

their first was lucky, the second was an error from duncan,but why the hell was he playing centre half with no defender in sight?by the time the third went in we'd totally lost the plot.

theres a real monkey on the backs in repect to our home form, away form is decent on the whole.until we score first and relax a bit that'll continue.

shoot into north stand from kick off please, every little helps as they say.

Oh dear

Nothing was happening, then all of a sudden we are three goals down. Esson made two great blocks or we would have been five down. We had to go for broke and it nearly paid off, I thought we were going to sneak a draw, but it would not run for us in the box. We were static when Buchanan scored the first, only thing he could do, and in it went. We had a similar scenario late on but blew the chance. Second goal was a perfect example of an Iain Stewart lob. The third goal was scored when I was having a break, missed it, but the groans coming from the ICT fans was deafening.

Hayes was my pick as well, fast becoming Butchers only decent signing. Duncan sould have done ok, but had a poor game, but not as poor as Bully. Cox has gone backwards and we now have no midfield creator at all.

A long season ahead I'm afraid.

Thank you Ryan Esson for making the score look respectable. If it wasn't for you we'd have been staring at a 6 or 7 goals against!! Hayes was easily our best player and Foran did ok too. We rallied for the last 10 minutes, as Partick sat back, but truth be told had we equalised it would have been completely undeserved.

WTF has happened to this club? It was only a few months ago we had a squad including the likes of Black, Cowie, Rankin, Wilson, ...... That team has been well and truly dismantled and we've paid the price for that with relegation and now struggling in the 1st division with a team full of fairies !

ICT is now a feckin shambles on and off the park. The only thing holding this club together is TB's PR !

What feckin state will the club be in come the end of the season when TB & MM depart along with half the current squad who's contracts are up? Doesn't bear thinking about does it?

:008: :008: :008: :008: :008: :008: :008: :008: :008: :008: :008: :008:

Agreed, its becoming a bit of a mess down there at TCs, we look and play like a struggling 1st division team.

Agreed, its becoming a bit of a mess down there at TCs, we look and play like a struggling 1st division team.

We ARE a struggling 1st division team, promotion bounce my arse.

I'd like to see Duff get Bulvitis' place next week.

Close call between Duff on crutches and Bulvitis with the way he played yesterday.

Oh dear

Nothing was happening, then all of a sudden we are three goals down. Esson made two great blocks or we would have been five down. We had to go for broke and it nearly paid off, I thought we were going to sneak a draw, but it would not run for us in the box. We were static when Buchanan scored the first, only thing he could do, and in it went. We had a similar scenario late on but blew the chance. Second goal was a perfect example of an Iain Stewart lob. The third goal was scored when I was having a break, missed it, but the groans coming from the ICT fans was deafening.

Hayes was my pick as well, fast becoming Butchers only decent signing. Duncan sould have done ok, but had a poor game, but not as poor as Bully. Cox has gone backwards and we now have no midfield creator at all.

A depressingly long season ahead I'm afraid.

I adjusted it for ya Don

WHat's all this about TB insisting on a Sunday training 'even though some of our players have flights booked'? Are all his English signings commuting from Brentford or somewhere?

Nothing between the teams really until the goals. We couldn't clear a corner and you could see the backheel coming a mile off as it was the only way Buchannan was going to score from that position. A very clever finish. The second goal came about thanks to a woeful piece of defending by Duncan. I don't know if he didn't know Buchannan was behind him but his header back to Esson was woefully short and Buchannan nipped in to lob Esson. Another excellent finish. The third was a fantastic counter attack from Partick with our entire defence going to the right to cover the attack and leaving one Partick player free at the back with Duncan struggling to get back to cover him. As Buchannan cut in past Proctor he played the obvious ball to the free Partick player who easily slotted past Esson. Another great goal.

Second half Esson stopped Partick scoring even more with some smart saves and we clawed a couple back with Hayes being tripped in the box allowing Rooney to score the penalty and Foran got a 2nd with a back post header. The Partick keeper produced a couple of top notch saves at the end to deny us an equaliser. Not really sure if we would've deserved it or not. I thought we were rubbish and that first half performance is one of the worst I have seen in a long time. We are missing a couple of really big players for us and the apparent lack of cover for them is worrying. Partick looked a very good team and Buchannan looks an excellent player. Quite why Christie never signed him is beyond me.

Buchanan wanted to stay in the central belt, at least that's what he said in the press at the time.

Mind you, that could be because he knew he was about to have his car confiscated because it was paid for by drug money (he wasn't involved in anything dodgy himself though, he was given the car).

EDIT - found this article to remind myself what actually happened.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish...86908-20298056/

Edited September 28, 200916 yr by Yngwie

Buchanan wanted to stay in the central belt, at least that's what he said in the press at the time.

Aye, but we had our chance to sign him and waited too long. Here's an old thread that covers the story: Buchanan Wants Caley Chance

He took his goals very well. I didn't see much threat from either team until the first goal which came from a corner moments after i had praised our defending of set pieces since Butcher took over. I won't say much else about this game because the whole first half was a daze - from hearing the line-up to watching Partick slice us open for the third, the whole experience was surreal. I have no idea what to expect from ICT this season because we have performed so differently on each occasion that i've seen us play. I suppose that's to be expected from such a new and inexperienced team but what i've seen on the road suggests we have potential and once things settle down we may find some consistency. For that reason, calls for Butcher's head are premature.

As i stated in another tread, im in Dublin just now and so i have just found out the score...GET TO FECK BUTCHER! I have said it before and i will shout it this time! Feck off. Hes pish. Fecking outrageous and tbh, we would do better with Brewster in this league!

This was my third game of the season, after trips to Buckie and Dens. I was bored through the first half, I thought teams were fairly unspectacular, my main focus of interest was the youngish (16??) guy and his Dad behind me shouting abuse at any given point - when Esson pushed a shot over the bar at 0-0 and was holding his shoulder after, their response was to call him a ****ing fairy!! I've managed to convince my boyfriend to support us (he previously resided at Ibrox) and even he was shocked at the abuse the team was getting from these two blokes. I'm not suggesting that we didn't deserve abuse after the first half but come on! He'd just prevented us going one-nil down!!

As for the goals, the first was like a car crash - you know EXACTLY whats gonna happen, you can't help watching and there's not a bleeding thing you can do to stop it. Second, I thought Esson could have jumped but perhaps that a bit optimistic. Third had disaster written all over it.

Second half I thought we were better, however I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in our dressing room at half time. Ours was the most definite penalty you'll ever see, btw I thought the ref played a blinder, I didn't think we had any other decent penalty appeals.

Overall, I was enouraged by Foran in the second half and agree with others who have commented on Ross's potential for the future and thought Grant was ok. Nobody else was worth commenting on except for Russell Duncan and Narius Bulvitis - and on those two I am lost for words.

P.S. Mrs Paulie Bee was it you that caught my eye at the end of the game, we both rolled our eyes and shook our heads despairingly???

As i stated in another tread, im in Dublin just now and so i have just found out the score...GET TO FECK BUTCHER! I have said it before and i will shout it this time! Feck off. Hes pish. Fecking outrageous and tbh, we would do better with Brewster in this league!

Calm down..calm down, go have some expensive guiness FFS. read the post before yours and count to 199.

Butch is trying get the blend, and to call for Brewster is feckin madness.

As i stated in another tread, im in Dublin just now and so i have just found out the score...GET TO FECK BUTCHER! I have said it before and i will shout it this time! Feck off. Hes pish. Fecking outrageous and tbh, we would do better with Brewster in this league!

Brewster kept playing Barrowman and Rooney up front and stuck with it week in week out because he signed them, Butcher replaced all the midfield and instead of sticking with all of his new signings, he changed things and bar Duncans error which led to one of the goals and Coxs stray shots at goal, the midfield were very good,

I would say that its now goalie, defence and midfield almost sorted,we just need to tune the forwards and were off.

Go and have another pint at the guinness factory,or go and look at the tart in the cart and the flousie in the jacuzzi.

Brewster kept playing Barrowman and Rooney up front and stuck with it week in week out because he signed them, Butcher replaced all the midfield and instead of sticking with all of his new signings, he changed things and bar Duncans error which led to one of the goals and Coxs stray shots at goal, the midfield were very good.

I would say that its now goalie, defence and midfield almost sorted,we just need to tune the forwards and were off.

Go and have another pint at the guinness factory,or go and look at the tart in the cart and the flousie in the jacuzzi.

What midfield were you watching? The midfield I watched wouldn't look out of place at Grant Street.

Thats me just back, i have to get a couple of things of my chest first...

when we were two goals down, id just like to say the stroppy **** that was sitting over towards the bridge that stood up and started telling folk to shut up and get behind them please get a grip, hats off to the singing section for not biting defusing the small group of get behing the team comments, were they watching the same half we were.....

Also Foran.. I watched you today and i feel for you big yin, your goal showed to me how committed you were to us, you threw yourself at that ball, and in my eyes sir if you walked away from us i do not blame you!!!

one last thing......well i'll cover a couple of things... Terry what the **** and why...

I gave Duncan my time and to be honest if anyone who says im wrong in saying he is **** watched him to day, please please get the rose tints off from 4 years ago, he was as exspected ******* USELESS!!!! **** Off

Nick Ross..... You are some lad and as a young one some folk in our team should be watching you close!! my good man you impressed me no end in the second half you ran rings and put some quality balls in to the box too wee man I just hope im not the only one who saw this.... I say this because.....

WHAT THE **** WAS BUTCHER WATCHING SEEING OR THINKING WHEN HE TOOK YOU OFF FOR A LB!!!!! LDZ AND LEFT DUNCAN ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ross was IMO the fire in out belly towards the end and like i said playing the ball down the right which seemed to be the only way to get it in the box..

IM LOSING IT NOW WITH TB's FORMATIONS AND TACTICS!! AND I WILL NOT BE BUYING HIS PUISH IN THE PAPER THIS WEEK!!!! oh we'll do better, I'll be kicking ass.... TB watch out as Foran/Ross/Hayes/Esson/Rooney will be kicking your ass they have every right to!!!

Esson :D :D - dude you did your best, there was 3 reason you had to work your tits off and ill get to it.

Proc - GTF

Munro - Dude, I saw you clap and say come on chins up twice.. dude lead these people!!! stop the pink and fluffy pish and get stuck in to them!!!!! you started to get pissed off looking towards the end and it showed in a good way,

Balvitis - GTF you are the reason we lost today, your a big lad but cant handle players smaller and faster than you.

Golly - Dude i didnt see you much at all.....

Duncan - **** off just **** off!!

Cox - :D Didnt do to bad the day they seemed to play you well and keep you off the ball

Hayes - :D :D :D DUDE you ran your tits off the day and chased every ball you couldnt take, popped up from no where and just got in the way, close to my MOTM but still good show thank you!!

Foran - :D :D :D :D no wonder you get all het up!! you played your heart but didnt get the balls you should have thank you for being my MOTM

Ross - D :D :D :D wee man you are our future i hope and if it is... its blue red and white!! Ran / passed /Ran / Passed chased... what more can we ask for TB you are a fanny for taking him off!!!!!

Sanchez - didnt get on the ball much and at one point infront of goal, chose to stick it out to cox who then had a wild shot.. dude your a striker... STRIKE

Roony - you played well your first touch has gotten better and you are learning it seemed from Foran in the way you conducted yourself today.....

Ahh my lift to Lossies here, im not a happy bunny i might get the chance to finish this later if Ive not been arrested for eating puppys!!

You probably didnt see Golly much as he wasnt playing today

If we can play like that in the second half, then they can play like that in the first. Do not give the opposition a 3 goal start. They were very beatable in the first half - Shinnie ran forward and had a shot, which ended a foot past the post, and got big applause. That is the spirit. There were a few others in the first half, all of which were ineffective. We were playing a lot better than Partick, then it all fell apart. It s the mark of a professional side that they can THINK and come back in the same half from a bad patch. ICt obviously cant, but did so in the second.

Ross and Haynes were wonderful. I too can see why TB subbed Ross, and get the surprise factor with LDZ, which, apart from his Keatonesque first touch, nearly worked. He made a few things work. Foran took his goal well, but flatters to deceive. Sanchez is economical, but always worth a run, unlike Barrowload, who should be 6th choice. Looking forward to seeing what Eric can do here.

Duncan was made to look very bad, but apart from his usual passing put in a decent shift. I thought the sweeper played in front of the defence?

Bulvitis has the mobility of a slug and makes even Tokely look like a Jiving LindyHopper. Shinnie did well, and Proctor is no RB.

I applaud Terry's ambition in starting 433, but I still believe thayt come Imrie, Tokes and Gollies return we will have a winning side. Starting on Sunday. Get intae them travelling people!