THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Inverness C.T. -V- Hearts PREVIEW 26th Jan, 2013 @ 3:00PM, Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO LINKS BBC Sportsound LIVE commentary [UK Only] BBC Sportsound Open All Mics [UK Only] Moray Firth Radio Live commentary [UK Only] TEXT LINKS ESPN BBC SKY Sporting Life VIDEO LINKS SPL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS

 

Disappointing result and performance but semi finals are no ordinary game (ask Stuart Pearce, Chris Waddle etc). We certainly weren't outplayed and really should have won. Oddquine's comments are embarrassing for her - I was going to have a mini rant about what local youths etc but what's the point, it's her opinion and I am sure she can explain why Ross County's famed youth system has led to them signing foreigners instead of using home grown youth players. Also, it took great courage for the young lad to take a penalty and someone had to eventually miss. David Raven was 11th for goodness sake and he is a grown man.

Glad most people are disappointed but not losing the plot - still a long season ahead of us and many more potential glory days ahead.

Goliath Grunt is a County supporter, don't rise to his poor attempt at baiting

Disapointing result, but the commitment from the starting 11 and the effort even though the passages of play and way we played hasnt been as good as other games. Hearts set out to make us play in a certain way and it worked but we were never going to be sucessful with a long ball game against the Hearts back line.

Credit to McGlynn on finding Ngoo, was a proper handful, but the referee should have acted on the persistent fouling and constant climbing and elbow movements.

Shinne for me was a shining light, when he scored you could see what it meant, then when Roberts took the ball from him towards the end of extra time the response from Shinnie showed a player who really cared for the cause. He put himeslf about everywhere and tried some very good touches of class - whether he stays or goes, to me he is a player that gives his all and I hope we can hang onto him another year.

Its hard for subs to get involved but I though Shane did ok in patches but Roberts looked off pace whether its the occasion or lack of match time. Whether he was the right man for the pen, but he didnt look confident and hd we still got Doran & Foran on the park it may have been a different outcome.

We have to remember that although most of the Hearts team wasnt as strong as it used to be they had 2 Scottish International defenders and a Lithuanian International in theri back line yet we caused them a lot of problems. Lets hope the experience in such a hostile atmosphere for the shoot out and the occasion acts as insperation and motivation to push on in the Scottish cup and try for another Semi oppertinity.

If someone had offered a cup semi at the start of the season - I'm sure most will have taken that, so disapointed but happy at the direction of progress this year.

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet but Hearts diving was absolutly shameful yesterday. One of the worst displays I've ever seen. Their goal came from a free kick which they dived to win. They were playing to get Foran sent off, feigning injury any time he went near them. Their fans are a bunch of drama queens, stamping and screaming every time. Hope they get pumped in the final.

gutted i said billy's miss was an open goal but someone next to me said the ball was played behind him but nope it was as bad as you are likely to ever see. The performance was not there and even against 10 men we still resorted to desperate hoofs instead of pushing them back and exerting really pressure like they did after we scored. All in all a missed opportunity but remember these players have been exceptional this season apart from a select few games so we just get on with it continue to maintain our league form and see if we cn progress to hampden and another semi and hopefully final in april and may

Just woken up from the long day out.

Hearts were there for the beating. We lost that . Pumping high hopeful balls up ? Didn't work over and over again..

Where are the highlights ?

In some masochistic sort of way I d like to see how the f3ck billy missed the OPEN goal . Was at the wrong end to get a good view of it. Hopefully it wasn't as bad as it looked from our end !!!!

 

No I'm afraid it was worse!!!!!!!! After watching highlights think you are off the hook Robert's !!!!

The phrase 'rubbing salt in the wounds' was invented for what I'm just watching on BBC 'tisnow...looks like St. Mirren are going to set up a Final with Hearts!

Ach, second rate tournament - Hearts v. St. Mirren - it gets the final it deserves!! Haha

First thing to say is that Hearts deserved their victory even if they were lucky to get it.  I know that sounds contradictory but let me explain.  Hearts players and fans were really up for this and at times there was a wall of sound coming from the main stand.  Our fans were great but the Hearts players couldn't help but be motivated by the level of support they were getting.  And their manager out thought ours.  The tactic from the outset was to stop us from playing and they did that very effectively even if it was also often very unfairly.

 

But for me, what beat us yesterday was not the opposition but the referee.  Hearts laid their stall out early and the referee did nothing about it.  Ngoo could have been in the book in the first couple of minutes and his persistent fouling should have had him off before the end of the first half.  Billy MacKay was being constantly fouled but never getting free kicks awarded.  Foran may have been lucky not get a second yellow but he was unlucky to get the first.  Hearts were committing more obvious fouls than that and not even being penalised.  The referee was correct to turn down Hearts' early penalty appeal but why no yellow card for simulation?

 

Three Inverness players were yellow carded knowing that if we were to win, they would miss the final and all three were yellow carded when Hearts players who committed more and worse fouls got off scot free.  How we could end up with 2 more players in the book than Hearts simply beggars belief.  It is surely difficult for the rest of the team to be fully fired up in the knowledge that should you reach the final an incompetent official has seen to it that 3 of your best players will not be there.

 

Despite all this, we should still have won.  Billy's miss in extra time is inexplicable but hopefully he can put it behind him and carry on in the league where he left off.  Hopefully he will learn that if the ball is there to be hit - hit it.  It seems that everything conspired against us yesterday but still we lost only by the narrowest of margins.  But let's take the positives from this.  To have come into the match expecting to win and then losing so narrowly despite everything conspiring against us is a measure of how far we have come this season.  It's been a good season and it is important that this disappointing result does not stop our momentum in the league.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think it's worth mentioning that Ross has been out most of the season with a shoulder injury. Not match fit by a long way, so can see why he wasn't brought on. Can't remember him ever taking a penalty either. Roberts has and did well. I'd say that he was the better man to trust from inside the box. It didn't work out but I'm not sure Ross would even have taken a penalty if he was on. That leaves a non-forward player (not that Ross is a goalscorer himself). Again, far less trustworthy.

Penalties are a lottery, especially when only one is missed. Debating the manner of the game is fine but blaming Butcher for ICT scoring 4/5 penalties or Roberts for taking a penalty, whilst ignoring that he's done well from the penalty spot before is plainly ridiculous.

If only we'd got an easier time like Celtic! Saints were lucky to draw them.

IMO young Roberts needs to be handed the ball the next time we get a pen, scoring from the spot will do him the world of good.

Oddquine you are entitled to that opinion but I don't agree with it. If we had won I doubt this would even be getting a mention tbh

Likely not...but we didn't win and the 18 year old who lost it for us was a Marsella pick, endorsed by Terry,,,and not one of the homegrown youth players.  I feel for Roberts because I think that losing a match as a result of his failure is going to do bugger all for his confidence going forward....but I do wonder why he was picked to take the penalty  in the first place......I really do!

 

Shame on you!  We did not loose the match because of his failure.  It was great work from him that set up the chance for MacKay in extra time.  We lost because Billy failed to tap in the easiest of chances  and because Andrew Shinnie missed a less easy chance a little later.  Had either scored then there would have been no penalties.  Even then, had more experienced players such as Draper and Warren demonstrated the same willingness to take a kick as he did then maybe he would not have been put in that difficult position.

 

You say "I feel for Roberts because I think that losing a match as a result of his failure is going to do bugger all for his confidence going forward".  What will do bugger all for his confidence is people like you blaming him unfairly.

I feel Oddquine is a touch away from '...and Butcher should never have let Munro, Tokely and Duncan go'

What does Marsella know about player ability?

And when has Butcher ever played players from the youth ranks like Ross, Sutherland and G.Shinnie?

Why did Butcher rely on the players that got us to second place and a semi-final instead of someone out with a long-term injury? The clue's in the question.

Goliath Grunt is a County supporter, don't rise to his poor attempt at baiting

 

 

Although Nolin/bughtmaster have certainly giving me a chuckle, I of course was not being serious, as I am sure most would have noted a touch of humour

without smileys!

I'm just trying to think about who took a penalty in the Stenhousemuir game.  I know Foran missed one, but I think Draper and Warren took one as well (might be wrong though, but I'm pretty sure the former did).

 

I've no problem at Roberts taking a penalty per se, but perhaps having him take one of the earlier ones would have been a better option.  He is a more forward player after all (doesn't always make a good penalty taker mind, hence why I never wanted to see Tade taking one) and must have volunteered.  Perhaps having a more experienced player like Jones or Andrew Shinnie would have been better off saving for the fifth, particularly with the pressure that came with the pivotal final penalty.  

The pressure got to Roberts but I don't blame the lad himself.

 

Fifth penalty taker in a shootout is always likely to be crucial and heap pressure on the player. Young Philip wilted under that pressure but the blame lies with whoever thought it was a good idea for our youngest and least experienced player to be put in that position in the first place.

 

Feel great sympathy for the boy.

Just seen the highlights too, I think Billy's miss in the first half was worse! 

 

He's running through with a nice bouncing ball in front and the goalie off his line, how easy should that have been to chip him, oh dear oh dear.

 

Anyway, the bonus is all the watching scouts will have chilled on him and he'll be here for a while.

I m busy on the 17th March. Couldn't have made the final.

Wasn't that lucky !

We didn't win the game. We now have SPL and Scottish Cup business to attend to this week. Lets move on.

oh billy billy billy

tap that one in and we would really have fancied our chances of first ever silverware against st mirren.

all the crap about diddy cup would be out the window.

I'm just trying to think about who took a penalty in the Stenhousemuir game.  I know Foran missed one, but I think Draper and Warren took one as well (might be wrong though, but I'm pretty sure the former did).

 

I've no problem at Roberts taking a penalty per se, but perhaps having him take one of the earlier ones would have been a better option.  He is a more forward player after all (doesn't always make a good penalty taker mind, hence why I never wanted to see Tade taking one) and must have volunteered.  Perhaps having a more experienced player like Jones or Andrew Shinnie would have been better off saving for the fifth, particularly with the pressure that came with the pivotal final penalty.  

 

For the record, the penalties vs. Stenhousemuir were:

 

Foran - Missed...!

G. Shinnie - GOAL!

Morrison - GOAL!

Doran - GOAL!

A. Shinnie - GOAL!

----------------------------

 

Sudden-Death

 

Draper - GOAL!

Roberts - GOAL!

Edited January 27, 201312 yr by Sneckboy

In front of a few hundred fans. Yesterday was a very different set of circumstances.

I have one question.

 

Why did we let an Englishman take a penalty? Look at Englands records in penalty shoot-outs.

 

 

I have one question.

 

Why did we let an Englishman take a penalty? Look at Englands records in penalty shoot-outs.

 

 

 

Well Draper netted a penalty again against Stenny! And by the way, Philip Roberts isn't English! He plays for the Republic of Ireland!

He's English through and through. Like most Republic players.

Havent got the time to look through all the posts on here but I will proffer my words of wisdom. That has to be biggest disappointment that I can recall experiencing. I rarely feel "gutted" but did at the final whistle. I started having bad vibes the day before and kept on slapping maself cos I was having wave after wave of confidence and expectancy. I agree that there are loads of positives in that we got there, we are entertaining this season, we are in a great league position etc., etc.

 

Here goes fer a bollicking but I dont blame the players - I blame Terry and Mo who got the tactics and the selection all wrong. I felt that the players gave they had and here is the smileymometer - and it is based wholly on the semi final and nought else.

 

REGUERO :smile: The only thing that really baffled me was how he "behaved" during the penalty shoot out. After the second I wanted him to change but had NO confidence that he would save any kick. To me it was a PTSD flashback and there was a Fridge facing Alloa at Airdrie. Now I can appreciate that if ya stay on the spot you may have a chance of saving the down the middle attempt but even I had sussed that by penalty number two. Why didnt we have the eccentric Spanish antics - that must have been discussed prior to the game - NONSENSE

 

RAVEN       Made a few mistakes but they werent punished. Thought that he was carrying an injury late on or perhaps he was knackered.

 

MEEKINGS           My MOM

 

WARREN         Again I felt that he did little wrong and looked the most likely from dead ball situations.

 

G.SHINNIE         Thought that it was one of his best attacking games in an ICT shirt.

 

A.DORAN       Huge disappointment. Had an off day when he could have been a match winner.

 

TUDOR JONES         Again worked his socks off and tried to play football. Why doesnt he put his frame in the box fer corners - even if it is front of the keeper.

 

DRAPER       Thought he was subdued and did not go forward as much as I would like him to

 

FORAN       Was he carrying a knock or did he pick one up. He was so, so lucky not to be red carded and sometimes he was more interested in berating than watching the ball. He should have been hooked a lot earlier.

 

A.SHINNIE         Thought that he could have been utilised a lot more effectively when they went down to ten men.

 

B.McKAY     Well he probably cost us the game in the end.

 

ROBERTS     I suppose that theoretically he cost us the game. He was having an absolute mare apart from the through ball to Shane. But as soon as he strode up the pitch I had that negative gut feeling. WHY THE FECK WAS HE CHOSEN BY TB - It was OBVIOUS that he was having a bad day. AND WHY DIDNT THE LIKES OF RAVEN, WARREN, DRAPER take on the responsibility

 

SUTHERLAND       When he came on I though - good sub - stick him right up front alongside McKay and Shinnie in the hole and lets go fer it. And then we get him in the wide rite feckin TB stubborness nonsense.

 

I thought that we shaded it as the better team on the day - I thought that we should have won this in 90 minutes. BUT Terry and Mo simply do NOT have a Plan/System B and the continued "loyalty" to some players cost us a Hampden experience IMHO. Personally the game was shouting out fer a 4-3-3 and Nicky Ross.