From todays P&J

Craig Dargo fears he will be made a scapegoat for Caley Thistle's barren run in front of goal after it extended to 372 minutes at the weekend.

The Highland side has not scored since Graham Bayne's diving header during the 1-1 draw against Aberdeen at Caledonian Stadium on November 6.

Four matches have passed since then, with three of them, including Saturday's 1-0 loss to Motherwell, ending in defeat.

The 0-0 home draw with Hearts nine days ago has provided Charlie Christie's team with its only point since the stalemate with the Dons a month ago. The run of more than six hours without a goal is the longest Inverness have suffered since they made their SPL debut in August 2004.

Dargo, who is the club's leading-scorer with five goals, is wary of being cast as the man responsible for their dip in form.

Motherwell won in Inverness with an 89th-minute penalty, converted by Richie Foran, after Darren Dods brought down Scott McDonald in the area and was sent off for the foul.

Dargo said: "I am not saying it is the team's fault for not giving me enough service because last season they did well and I felt I did well because of it. But in the last couple of weeks, I have not been getting many chances to score and you can't get goals if you don't get the ball into the penalty area.

"If the forwards don't get any chances, there isn't much they can do and maybe that is why I am getting taken off more than others. I am not saying I am being made a scapegoat and I certainly don't want to be.

"I would hope people are wise enough not to point the finger, because it is not just one individual's fault. It wouldn't be right, for example, to say it was Darren's fault we lost this game because he gave away the penalty. Football is a team game and we are all responsible."

Of the 17 matches he has played this season, Dargo has been substituted in 12. Graham Bayne has finished the 14 games he has started. It clearly irks the former Kilmarnock player, particularly as half the league goals Caley have scored have come in the final 15 minutes of matches.

Dargo added 'it always seems to be me who comes off first, but I don't know why as I'm not the only one not scoring. I am still the clubs leading goalscorer but when we are looking for a goal I am being taken off and I'm not happy about it'

'I have not spoken to the manager about it yet, but it does seem as though it is my number which comes up on the board all the time'

I do feel sorry for the wee man. He is head and shoulders above any of our other attacking options, yet as I pointed out in a previous thread, he's the one who's constantly getting hooked. I thought Saturday was the low point....allowing him just 15 minutes of the second half??? No wonder he's fecked off....

As pointed out, others have expressed their displeasure at being left out of the team etc so I don't see anything wrong with Dargo expressing his opinion.

I fail to see why CC continually takes him off though. If we're chasing a goal in the last minutes of a match the one player I'd put money on getting us that goal would be Dargo....but he's never on the fecking pitch at that time!!

If he has problems he should speak to Christie not the papers... I can understand Hart and Duncan going to the papers because they are just trying to get back into the team.  Dargo has openly criticised Christie to the press there is a difference... he should be fined and told to keep his mouth shut in future IMO

I agree Chipper, who would you go to if you had a problem/query at your work, you would go to your manager.

Stop the posturing Craig and speak to Charlie please.

Can you believe he has been subbed so many times and has not asked Charles why :024:

Doesn't make sense to me.

On the other hand, maybe it's because he has not been scoring goals.

I can see both sides of the argument. Dargo shouldn't have spoken out about being the 'scapegoat' and similarly neither should Duncan or Hart have been unpunished for speaking out at their absence from the team. IMO problems, views or grievances with team selection or tactics should remain within the confines of the club and not be aired through the press.

If it were me in charge, (which thankfully it isn't) i would of reprimanded Duncan and Hart for their outburst and suggested that future grievances be dealt with directly with the manager.

I can understand the players frustrations but looking at the situation from the other side it shows that our players are determined to play for the team which is what we want, however i don't see the benefit of going to the press when ultimately its the manager that makes the decisions and not the press.

One thing that i will always admire about Sir Alex is his ability to control his players with relation to their interaction with the press. You will rarely see a man united player speak publicly about problems with tactics, grievances about being subbed, or team selection etc and i think that is the way it should be done.

One thing that i will always admire about Sir Alex is his ability to control his players with relation to their interaction with the press. You will rarely see a man united player speak publicly about problems with tactics, grievances about being subbed, or team selection etc and i think that is the way it should be done.

Not strictly true, Libero... There has been a few odd occasions over the years when Man U players have spoken directly to the press....

Mind you.... they are usually on their way out of Old Trafford very shortly afterwards...!!  :007:

One thing that i will always admire about Sir Alex is his ability to control his players with relation to their interaction with the press. You will rarely see a man united player speak publicly about problems with tactics, grievances about being subbed, or team selection etc and i think that is the way it should be done.

Not strictly true, Libero... There has been a few odd occasions over the years when Man U players have spoken directly to the press....

Mind you.... they are usually on their way out of Old Trafford very shortly afterwards...!!  :007:

Didnt say never, :004:  i said rarely, van nistelrooy did it and was out of old trafford quicker than rooney could say donut!

On the other hand, maybe it's because he has not been scoring goals.

Neither has Bayne, yet that article says that Bayne hasn't been subbed once this season.

Much as I like Graham for his 100% effort, he's half the player Dargo is.

On the other hand, maybe it's because he has not been scoring goals.

Neither has Bayne, yet that article says that Bayne hasn't been subbed once this season.

Much as I like Graham for his 100% effort, he's half the player Dargo is.

I can distinctly remember Bayne getting hooked late on at Paisley, I was raging 'cause I thought he was playing well !

You know how these things get exaggerated though. All it needs is the reporter coming up to him in the bar and saying 'were you disappointed to be subbed', Craig to say, 'Aye I was a bit pissed off, thought he should have left me on and taken Bayners off' and bingo, there's your story. I suppose the best thing is a 'no comment' but you can understand his frustration, I was gobsmacked myself when they held up the board on Saturday.

Dargs never went to the press,the press came to him after the game.They could see he wasnt happy and could sniff a confrontation. All they got were the facts,he's not happy getting constantly hooked !!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope this will be an isolated incident, all employees of the club need to be conditioned to keeping any discontent or frustration in house, Dargo going public is not good, could be the start of a slippery slope, anybody who follows the club can see and understand how he feels theres no need for him to be talking publically.

I hope we can start getting some results again soon or it may get worse.

we all know what the press are like for building up a good story.  but lets face the facts - dargo has been subbed in 11 of his last 13 games yet bayne (much as i like his effort and comitment) plays the full 90 for all his 14 games. no wonder the wee man is peed off. as undoubtedly our top striker (by far) surely the question that should be getting asked is -  CC -  why the f..k are you subbing him all the time?????????????????????????

I think Dargo on this particular Saturday was chosen as the ICT player to speak to the press immediately after the game.  I suspect he had not got being substituted out of his system and therefore said a little more than he was wise to  do.  I don't see it as being a major issue and a quiet word with Charlie should settle things down.

I would like to see Wyness played in the midfield behind Dargo and Bayne.  This will allow more creativity in the midfield and hopefully result in better supply to the forwards.  Wyness is also dangerous in this position and can create his own chances.

I don't think it's Dargo's fault and I do think somebody had to say something about the lack of service especially at home games.  Every first half at home is the same we never do very much except give Roy or Barry the ball and then they don't do much with it.  Second half we start passing the ball about the midfield a wee bit but for some reason Dodds, Munro and Tokely especially Dodds sees the need to constantly boot the ball from his box to the oppositions even when under no prssure.  This I don't understand our midfield is made up of people under 6ft tall pretty much and Dargo and Wyness aren't gonna win a high ball against a big defence.  Then comes the last fifteen minutes and everybody realises that passing the ball on the ground works a lot better and we start playing some really good football switching the play from wing to wing, using our more technical players like Black and Wyness to link up play and creating chances.

I do however think that every player on the park is giving 100% to the team the effort being put in by the whole squad has been brilliant.  Maybe Santa will bring Roy some boots that make him shoot after one of his mazy runs and Tokely the ability to run up and down the wing the way he used to!  Lol 

Seems like a detailed interview to me Mantis and not just a throwaway line as you mention, I suspect his agent has got a hand in this and Dargo is being shopped around as being unhappy where he is.