The January transfer window is almost upon us. What business would you like to see us do bearing in mind our limited resources?

Despite our defences lapses, I actually think we have a decent bunch of defenders when fit and also options in midfield albeit with Tansey and Vigurs both struggling for form.

I would rather see us strengthen up front. I see that Rory Loy has been told he can leave Dundee on a free. While he seems to have lost his way a bit at Dens, I think he is a decent forward who could do a job for us. 

Given the lack of game time he has had, I wonder if there is a possibility of getting Miles Storey on loan as well.

Re the photo, I'm more impressed with Richie having shaved that awful beard off than by the new signings.

What on earth do people expect. Reality check folks. Let's be positive if there's reasonable grounds ... and I happen to think there is. Happy to get shot down at end of season if he shoots blanks but Anier has the potential to be a very decent signing. Appearances at Utd were shared with Mckay and Ofere. Utd may have gone down but had a decent squad on paper, other internal political issues didn't help. We have an exceedingly tight budget and not everyone wants to come to Inverness.

Edited January 16, 20178 yr by cif73

31 minutes ago, cif73 said:

What on earth do people expect. Reality check folks. Let's be positive if there's reasonable grounds ... and I happen to think there is. Happy to get shot down at end of season if he shoots blanks but Anier has the potential to be a very decent signing. Appearances at Utd were shared with Mckay and Ofere. Utd may have gone down but had a decent squad on paper, other internal political issues didn't help. We have an exceedingly tight budget and not everyone wants to come to Inverness.

Thats the way I see it. Lets give him a chance. Think its a good news day on the ICT front..

1 hour ago, Renegade said:

 By no means the worst player in the world, but is he the goalscorer we need to save us from relegation? 

I don't think he's a good enough player to single handedly transform our fortunes, but I do think that if he'd been with us since the summer we'd have a few more points than we currently have.

8 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

I don't think he's a good enough player to single handedly transform our fortunes, but I do think that if he'd been with us since the summer we'd have a few more points than we currently have.

I doubt there's anyone out there on our budget that can single handedly save us ... we need a combination of more goals scored and less goals conceded ... I reckon he can play a reasonable part with one of these aspects ... but nobody can do it on their own.

4 hours ago, Yngwie said:

Hope not, it's absolutely Baltic over there.

I've been to a Baltic Place in Peterhead.

Anier could be a great signing. He only got ten starts at United, the rest of his appearances were off the bench, late in games.

Got injured on loan at Hibs, so it was sub appearances there as well. Sometimes stats do lie.

10 hours ago, cif73 said:

What on earth do people expect

Signing of a player this season who has proven goal scoring history at a decent level, even Championship would have done - there are guys down there like Dobbie, Clark (who were free in the summer), Loy, Andreu (both on loan) or at least a player that would come in and show fight and determination to help drag us up the table - sadly I don't see any of our forward players having these attributes. Perhaps there may be further additions before the window closes but even if not and we stay up then I will still question the signing policy and level of recruitment recently especially in forward and creative areas.

Its almost laughable how we sit at the bottom of the league making mediocre signings yet the majority seem happy and RF or the management can do no wrong, yet in previous windows or seasons much lesser actions would get slated. Too many blinded and naively sitting thinking we are too good to go down - we're not and there's little happening around the club that suggests otherwise.

Edited January 17, 20178 yr by bdu98196

9 hours ago, Yngwie said:

I don't think he's a good enough player to single handedly transform our fortunes, but I do think that if he'd been with us since the summer we'd have a few more points than we currently have.

Could we ever afford a good enough player to single handedly transform our fortunes !! To me the good news here is that it heralds a change of system to a 2 up front approach.

Like others I'm sceptical about his scoring record but I'm pleased that he will at least offer us something different up front. When was the last time we had five strikers on our books?

37 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

Signing of a player this season who has proven goal scoring history at a decent level, even Championship would have done - there are guys down there like Dobbie, Clark (who were free in the summer), Loy, Andreu (both on loan) or at least a player that would come in and show fight and determination to help drag us up the table - sadly I don't see any of our forward players having these attributes. Perhaps there may be further additions before the window closes but even if not and we stay up then I will still question the signing policy and level of recruitment recently especially in forward and creative areas.

Its almost laughable how we sit at the bottom of the league making mediocre signings yet the majority seem happy and RF or the management can do no wrong, yet in previous windows or seasons much lesser actions would get slated. Too many blinded and naively sitting thinking we are too good to go down - we're not and there's little happening around the club that suggests otherwise.

I don't think that any of us are blinded and think we are too good to go down. We are all too well aware of that possibility and the serious implications thereof. However, one thing that we have been calling for is an experienced striker used to the league. In Anier, we now have that. He may who you were looking for personally but for goodness sake, give the man a chance before getting your knife out on him and the management and don't forget, there is still another fortnight until the transfer window closes during which there may be other incomings.

Some comments from United and Hibs fans on Anier from P & B:

Quote

He was for a brief period the vague bright spot in a shit team. Relegated two seasons in a row would be some feat. (United fan)

 

Quote

Had short spell good at Motherwell years ago, since then showed nothing at all. (United fan)

 

Quote

I didnt actually think he was as bad as some made out but will forever be tainted by last season.  Bit of a headless chicken and certainly wasnt as fast as I remember him being at Motherwell.

Saying that, he was MOTM in one of, imo, best away days in years in the cup tie at Ross County. (United fan)

 

Quote

Had 6 months at us as well and I didn't think he was that bad with the little game time he was given. Cummings and Malonga were on fire so was always going to be hard for him. Wasn't againsts him staying at the time. (Hibs fan)

 

Quote

Always liked Anier when he came on as a sub, he was never going to start over Malonga but Hibs could've done with having him in the squad after Malonga left. (Hibs fan)

 

1 hour ago, bdu98196 said:

Signing of a player this season who has proven goal scoring history at a decent level, even Championship would have done - there are guys down there like Dobbie, Clark (who were free in the summer), Loy, Andreu (both on loan) or at least a player that would come in and show fight and determination to help drag us up the table - sadly I don't see any of our forward players having these attributes. Perhaps there may be further additions before the window closes but even if not and we stay up then I will still question the signing policy and level of recruitment recently especially in forward and creative areas.

Its almost laughable how we sit at the bottom of the league making mediocre signings yet the majority seem happy and RF or the management can do no wrong, yet in previous windows or seasons much lesser actions would get slated. Too many blinded and naively sitting thinking we are too good to go down - we're not and there's little happening around the club that suggests otherwise.

 

1 hour ago, Kingsmills said:

I don't think that any of us are blinded and think we are too good to go down. We are all too well aware of that possibility and the serious implications thereof. However, one thing that we have been calling for is an experienced striker used to the league. In Anier, we now have that. He may who you were looking for personally but for goodness sake, give the man a chance before getting your knife out on him and the management and don't forget, there is still another fortnight until the transfer window closes during which there may be other incomings.

im certainly not blinded, and like many probably very concerned that we may well go down.  and echoing what im sure i've said before, if we are to go down, i dont want to do it shouldering a heap of debt brought on by throwing money at some marquee signings, who we probably couldn't afford even if we DO stay up.  RF can and has done wrong, but much like the rest of the squad, thats who we have and thats the route the club is going.  There is a reason he was given a 4-year contract! this was never going to be easy, or an overnight success. it will be a long hard slog, which may take the full 4 years. lets hope the club remains solvent in that time.

or we could just sack RF, throw out the board, get relegated and end up in a financially unsustainable position, somewhere in the middle of league 1 within 2 years, with countless people losing their jobs along the way.  maybe then the 'missing' fans will turn up! 

Edited January 17, 20178 yr by ictfcsince94

The last thing I want to see is this club getting into huge Debt and going out of Business. The appointment of RF was always a big risk but the only one that was financially viable and therefore IMO we will have RF for the term that he signed for. he has admitted that he has made mistakes and that to be expected with a young coach but I am sure he will improve, so having said that when it comes to transfers we are going to be in the bargain basement (who knows what the Irish lad will bring) . In Arnier from what I remember he was fast so think he could be a good signing for us, lets see what if any changes to formation RF makes that may give us a chance of survival in this league

Nobody is suggesting marquee signings or increased debts, I'm aware some of the senior players have new deals so we have little budget left however we have youngsters who don't get a chance like Sutherland and seem to consistently sign players all of a similar level to what we have. Would rather see us bring in one or two of proven quality and give youth a chance (such as names listed previously who I'm sure would have fitted into our budget). Looking at Dunfermline & St Mirren, I have no illusions where we will most likely end up heading if we go down and the fan numbers will likely drop further - the Inverness population doesn't want or have interest in a football team at the top level so it will only get worse (but that's another thread). We need to have a team right now that gets us 10th, where other teams around us have been there and done the relegation battle they have players who show the bottle for it and perhaps the quality too (Moult, Couliabliy)  but I'm not sure we do.

 

4 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

I don't think that any of us are blinded and think we are too good to go down. We are all too well aware of that possibility and the serious implications thereof. However, one thing that we have been calling for is an experienced striker used to the league. In Anier, we now have that. He may who you were looking for personally but for goodness sake, give the man a chance before getting your knife out on him and the management and don't forget, there is still another fortnight until the transfer window closes during which there may be other incomings.

Well said sir

David Raven excellent servant but to extend his contract after completing a handful of games. Where is the logic in that when we are told at every opportunity that the biscuit tin is empty.   

18 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

One of those unenforceable 'options' we seem so keen on.

If they're good enough for Man Utd.....

 

Whilst I have been critical of RF was pleased to hear him say tonight that we are too open and that was his fault and the closed season work concentrated on tightening up the defence. Exactly what is needed, I would take four one nils in the next four games.

I'm rather unclear about what Foran's thinking is.  There does need to be tightening in the defence but I'm not sure how signing 2 new strikers sits with that.  I agree with IHE that the signing of 2 additional strikers to join the 3 we currently have must herald a change to having two up front.  But if we have central midfielders sitting a bit deeper and restrict the forays of the full backs in order to tighten the back, what's the plan for scoring goals?  Are we going to hoof the ball up to the strikers in the hope they will win the ball and play off each other.  If you play 2 strikers and have Tansey and Draper sitting fairly deep, then you can only play two of Polworth, Doran, King, Cole, Vigurs or Mulraney in between.  It rather reduces the options for creativity.  In this scenario I can see Cole becoming the key player for us for the rest of the season.

Would be nice to get speedy  Miles Storey back in,  flashing balls over into the box for Anier to latch onto. In the video the latter player was composed and cool and his goal was a well controlled and precisely directed beauty . Let's give him a real chance and feed him the ball to see what he can achieve.

On a lighter note I thought that a beard didn't really suit Richie--maybe if it had been trimmed instead of being wild and woolly he would have looked  better but, anyway, his face is so fit, youthful and fresh looking that no beard is going to make him look more mature and/or dominating. The board supports him both now and for the future and so should we.

Having a pacy striker up front is very important. We have Boden, a bust, and Doumbaya and Fisher, both big target men. A quick striker can give us better options for through balls, can stretch defences and help take pressure off the team. We can play better on the counter and take pressure off the defence.

Our current best option for pace is Mulreany, who might be the fastest player I've ever seen. Problem is that he's very raw and needs to learn more about playing the game at this level,taking the right option, when to gamble etc. We'll see how Anier does, he has a mixed record in Scotland but I can see the logic to the signing.

Foran said himself he needs a holding midfield player to break up play, yet here we are 3 days before the season resumes having signed 2 more attacking options.

Can only hope he is holding out for the right player, although adding 2 more front players must have reduced his finances somewhat. 

With additional attacking options it means that someone like Draper will not be expected to play further forward as he has done in games this season and he could go back to being  part of the two in front of the defence along with Tansey. I wouldn't be too surprised to see us play something like this:

Fon Williams
Mckay Warren Meekings Tremarco
Tansey Draper
Doran Anier King
Doumbouya

No real change then from the one that has seen us hit rock bottom and shipping over 40 goals.