Team : Brill, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Tremarco, Draper, Shinnie, Vincent, Williams, Watkins, McKay.

 

Subs : Esson, Tansey, Doran, Ross, Polworth, Ferguson, Rennie.

GOAL!

 

(for them)

 

4 minutes - Craig Gunn puts Elgin ahead.

Goal by McKay !

 

@ICTFC : Neat run and cut in from the left by Shinnie who tee'd it up for Mckay to slot past the keeper at the far post.

Half time

1-1

@ICTFC : Looks like Esson, Tansey, Doran, Polworth & Ross all coming on for second half.

Midway through the 2nd half, it's still 1-1.

Watkins heads in to make it 1 - 2

Stephen Rennie  mentioned (on twitter )  any info on him ??

All over, 1 - 2  Hope it was more convincing than it sounds.

 

Comments on our style of play would be useful please

Stephen Rennie  mentioned (on twitter )  any info on him ??

Signed to U-20's a few weeks ago. 17 year old left mid

Thanks Alex

A win's a win!

Flat first half followed by a flatter second half. Passed and kept the ball well but posed little threat. Plus points: Draper cruised through at CB in the 2nd half and Meekings at right back was our most attacking player. Negatives: Vincent is still struggling in mid field and we seem to want every player to touch the ball before putting it in the box.

Played with 8 recognised midfielders in the second half, with Esson, Tremarco and Meekings the only exceptions.  Draper excellently made up a 3 man defence and Meekings was excellent going forward from the right back position.

 

Sadly, nothing else really to say about  game at all.  Shinnie played in midfield throughout and did well, Billy scored a tap in and Watkins a header.  More passing around at the edge of the box than I'd like to see and shooting was poor.  Oh, and Michael Fraser was their keeper!

 

Would have been nice to see more "new" players get a but of time of the pitch but Hughes appears to be sticking to his word about not making any changes, with the only guys on the pitch who I've never seen playing for us before being Ferguson and Rennie, neither of whom got any significant time although Ferguson certainly looked hungry for it and we were desperately needing a striker by that time.

 

Given that we started the game with basically our first team, and all those who came on at ht were recognised and regular first team players too, it was somewhat uninspiring overall.  But hey ho, let's get the rustiness out of the way before the season starts!

 

Would have been nice to see more "new" players get a but of time of the pitch but Hughes appears to be sticking to his word about not making any changes, with the only guys on the pitch who I've never seen playing for us before being Ferguson and Rennie, neither of whom got any significant time although Ferguson certainly looked hungry for it and we were desperately needing a striker by that time.

What "new" players would you like to see, we have only signed one player. 

Played with 8 recognised midfielders in the second half, with Esson, Tremarco and Meekings the only exceptions.  Draper excellently made up a 3 man defence and Meekings was excellent going forward from the right back position.

 

It wasn't a back three.  It was Meekings-Draper-Tremarco-Shinnie in the second half.

 

Played with 8 recognised midfielders in the second half, with Esson, Tremarco and Meekings the only exceptions.  Draper excellently made up a 3 man defence and Meekings was excellent going forward from the right back position.

 

It wasn't a back three.  It was Meekings-Draper-Tremarco-Shinnie in the second half.

 

Ooops, I hadn't realised that Shinnie had dropped back, although I did think that one fantastic saving tackle by Tremarco was wildly out of position for a left back, brilliant as it was!

 

As for "new" players, I would have like to have seen a bit more blooding of some of the guys who have made the step up to the first team squad.  Hitting the ground running with a settled team - like we did last season - is undoubtedly a good thing, but early games like this is surely an opportunity to give players a chance to challenge for more frequent starting places by seeing how they fit in alongside experienced players.

I wasn't convinced by our forward play at all today. Several times there were perfect opportunities to have a go at goal but we continued to just pass around. I also lost count of how many short corners were taken that lead to nothing in the second half! I feel one or two new faces are needed or it will be a long and very hard season ahead. Having said that today was the first time I've seen Callum Ferguson play, he looked very sharp and he seems to have a good eye for goal, would  like to see more of him!

I wasn't convinced by our forward play at all today. Several times there were perfect opportunities to have a go at goal but we continued to just pass around. I also lost count of how many short corners were taken that lead to nothing in the second half! I feel one or two new faces are needed or it will be a long and very hard season ahead. Having said that today was the first time I've seen Callum Ferguson play, he looked very sharp and he seems to have a good eye for goal, would  like to see more of him!

 

That is how Yogi's teams play. I fear for the season ahead.

 

 

Played with 8 recognised midfielders in the second half, with Esson, Tremarco and Meekings the only exceptions.  Draper excellently made up a 3 man defence and Meekings was excellent going forward from the right back position.

 

It wasn't a back three.  It was Meekings-Draper-Tremarco-Shinnie in the second half.

 

Ooops, I hadn't realised that Shinnie had dropped back, although I did think that one fantastic saving tackle by Tremarco was wildly out of position for a left back, brilliant as it was!

 

 

 

That is how Yogi's teams play. I fear for the season ahead.

 

IMO centre-back is Tremarco's best position.

 

I like a couple of others am starting to get concerns over Hughes's philosophy for the coming season.  I remember when he got the job, he said words to the effect of "Go out there and express yourself", well that's not what's happening.  There seems to be parts of the game now, where certain things are banned.  Crossfield balls, crosses into the box and long distance shots seemed to be banned.  We keep trying to score a goal that's a pass into the net.  That worries me.

 

 

 

Played with 8 recognised midfielders in the second half, with Esson, Tremarco and Meekings the only exceptions.  Draper excellently made up a 3 man defence and Meekings was excellent going forward from the right back position.

 

It wasn't a back three.  It was Meekings-Draper-Tremarco-Shinnie in the second half.

 

Ooops, I hadn't realised that Shinnie had dropped back, although I did think that one fantastic saving tackle by Tremarco was wildly out of position for a left back, brilliant as it was!

 

 

 

That is how Yogi's teams play. I fear for the season ahead.

 

IMO centre-back is Tremarco's best position.

 

I like a couple of others am starting to get concerns over Hughes's philosophy for the coming season.  I remember when he got the job, he said words to the effect of "Go out there and express yourself", well that's not what's happening.  There seems to be parts of the game now, where certain things are banned.  Crossfield balls, crosses into the box and long distance shots seemed to be banned.  We keep trying to score a goal that's a pass into the net.  That worries me.

 

 

Even the teams who had the players to play that way and who were good at it have now been overtaken. We were hugely successful in the first half of last season playing the more direct way we were.. We still have every single player who achieved that success available to us I really can't understand why the man who promised to change little still seems hell bent on changing everything especially when it proved so utterly unsuccessful in the second half of last season.

Where has the Hughes out thread gone to ? Fer fecks sake it is pre pre season !!

That is the 3rd year running we have been poor in Elgin and with it only being pre season it never concerns me. My only concern so far is the lack of signings.

These matches are arranged to give players game time so I don't think people should read too much into the results aspect. Having watched endless world cup games, you can see where Yogi is coming from regarding ball retention but we are presently lacking the quality final ball into scoring areas. We will no doubt have to wait and see if we are capable of making this happen but the longer we go without creating scoring chances the more difficult it is going to get.

Marcotti summed up my thoughts quite well in the Sunday Herald basically saying that possession for possession's sake was fun while it lasted but now it's just another option rather than a tactical imperative.

This is how I see it. Football has moved on and adapted. Germany now play an exciting mix of possession play but attack with ruthless pace when the opportunity presents itself, especially on the counter. I'm not saying we're as good as Germany but Hughes needs to have a think about what he's trying to do at ICT if we are indeed going to go down the retain the ball at all costs approach we seem to be utilising for the most part these days.

Last season we looked far more dangerous to the opposition when we were more direct. When we tried to play possession football, we looked more dangerous to ourselves.

 

I am not saying that we need to lump the ball forward a la Wimbledon in the late 80s/early 90s, but when we try to pass the ball to death, we either look like we are about to give the ball away in a dangerous place, give our goalkeeper a hospital back pass, or allow the opposition to reorganise behind the ball.