I have very clear ideas - BUT - come on what is the solution - How would you GET us into the play offs ?

With such a tight squad. Injuries to a 3rd of our first team starters is bound to have an impact. Ayr seemed a bit of a freak result due to a crazy 15 min spell. I wouldn't expect results to improve until these injured players start to return. We are a mid table team this season. Let's start accepting it.

On 2/2/2019 at 9:22 PM, Jaggernaut said:

Most successful teams have a way of playing, be it a settled team, formation or tactics. For the last few seasons, it's hard to know which way we are going to play from game to game, is it going to be long ball, play narrow through the middle or stretch the opposition back line by playing wide. 

We had that remember? the fans didn't like it, we sacked a proper football manager (which many on here called for) and appointed a rookie in his place, we got what our actions deserved now we are a skint championship mediocre club, get used to it we have been a lot lower than this.

7 hours ago, wynthank15 said:

get used to it we have been a lot lower than this.

And may well be again, if attendances continue to fall our playing budget will continue to be cut. Hence why as we are pretty safe for another season on Championship football and highly unlikely to get promotion then I feel we need to give more youth time in preparation for next year - otherwise we will cut more experienced guys (even if some are jobbers) and end up throwing in inexperienced youth when circumstances count against us - making us more likely to be at the lower end of the table than the upper. Afterall its not unheard of for full time teams to end up in League 1 where we will be part-time unless we end up at that stage sooner.

8 hours ago, wynthank15 said:

We had that remember? the fans didn't like it, we sacked a proper football manager (which many on here called for) and appointed a rookie in his place, we got what our actions deserved now we are a skint championship mediocre club, get used to it we have been a lot lower than this.

True story never understood the slating of yogi he was a victim of his own success sacking him was the worst thing this club has ever done from a decent mid table at worst prem side to this watching football which is far worse than anything yogi ever served up! Mind u If you listen to some of the stuff written here bout him his budget was bigger than Man City's while Robbo needs to get by on coppers!

I haven't seen another team in this championship outclass the caley team in a game. We have a smaller squad and this comes with it's own problems - injuries, suspensions leave us struggling. However we have a decent group and if they are to perform at their best it is in all caley fans interests to get behind them and support. I am sure the players and management team can take criticism when appropriate. This could be a big second half to the season. Unity of purpose. 

The revisionist versions of how Hughes left the club are astounding. 

 

1 hour ago, Alan Simpson said:

Robbo needs to get by on coppers!

This time, but the previous success he had that wasn't the case and i think many choose to conveniently forget that, with several players being Premiership quality and experience such as Brown, Mann, Duncan, Bingham, Keogh, Mackie. There is no way given the current budget we can afford players near this quality with Polly, Tremarco & Donaldson being the only guys in our squad that could be considered near that level. Realism has to prevail within supporters eventually.

Infact for much of out meteoric rise we had a budget above that of our peers in the lower leagues.

Edited February 5, 20196 yr by bdu98196
Addition of the unpopular truths

47 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

This time, but the previous success he had that wasn't the case and i think many choose to conveniently forget that, with several players being Premiership quality and experience such as Brown, Mann, Duncan, Bingham, Keogh, Mackie. There is no way given the current budget we can afford players near this quality with Polly, Tremarco & Donaldson being the only guys in our squad that could be considered near that level. Realism has to prevail within supporters eventually.

Infact for much of out meteoric rise we had a budget above that of our peers in the lower leagues.

Mann,Duncan, Keogh...i'd class them as hard working, maybe journeyman, not particularly premier league quality. Certainly on a par with some of our current crop.

Remember when Robbo was last here we were a team on the up, going places...and no one seems to mention his assistant.

Donald Park.

It's not always about money...Roy McGregor can testify to that.

Edited February 5, 20196 yr by Satan

We could swap manager wish Chorley for starters ?

We're top of the league and you're no ?

8 hours ago, Fraz said:

The revisionist versions of how Hughes left the club are astounding. 

 

There is nothing revisionist about it, its a hard fact to accept I Know, but If that belief consoled you through our relegation and slump into mediocrity then I'm happy for you. Hughes knew another striker was a must he lost two in 6 months the board chose to appoint an inexperienced yes man in his place and paid the price, the error was confirmed by the resignation of our Chairman, what is revisionist about that?

Hughes got dunted because he lost the plot and started demanding money the club did not have as well as acting like a knobend in every interview he did.

1 hour ago, wynthank15 said:

There is nothing revisionist about it, its a hard fact to accept I Know, but If that belief consoled you through our relegation and slump into mediocrity then I'm happy for you. Hughes knew another striker was a must he lost two in 6 months the board chose to appoint an inexperienced yes man in his place and paid the price, the error was confirmed by the resignation of our Chairman, what is revisionist about that?

Hughes was on a downward spiral which has continued since he left. The mistake was not to sack Hughes who had lost the confidence of just about everybody. The mistake was not even necessarily to give the inexperienced Foran a chance. The mistake was to give him a five year contract and then not terminate that contract as it became increasingly apparent that he was way out of his depth.

Getting back to IHE's original question, very simply learn to defend and be able to win games one nil.  Do this and we will not be far away from the play-offs.

Thing is. Whilst playoffs keep the league interesting, they are disproportionate to the league. You can essentially be a mid table team, miles of the pace and feel like you are in a with a chance of promotion. We almost made playoffs last season after a horrendous start. Half expecting Falkirk or partick to do the same. Essentially we need to tailor our expectations until we improve the squad. Accept we are mid table with no devine right to beat anyone whilst capable of getting results against the top sides occasionally.

2 hours ago, wynthank15 said:

There is nothing revisionist about it, its a hard fact to accept I Know, but If that belief consoled you through our relegation and slump into mediocrity then I'm happy for you. Hughes knew another striker was a must he lost two in 6 months the board chose to appoint an inexperienced yes man in his place and paid the price, the error was confirmed by the resignation of our Chairman, what is revisionist about that?

Yogi did a great job with Butcher's players no doubt. However Hughes was not sacked to make way for Foran, that's simply not true If that's what you believe. The board wanted initially to strongly keep him as he was refused permission to talk to Dundee Utd. Otherwise they would have let him go and made money from it, no? Of course if we had let him go then people would be complaining about that also. 

The issues stemmed from that point onward. Obviously he resented that, dispite being on a pretty good contract with us. He demanded more and more cash dispite having the largest budget we'd ever given a manager and his signings were **** poor. He publicly and repeatedly slated the board and clearly the relationship between them became untenable. If any employee repeatedly berates their employer in the press then there's only going to be one outcome. 

Hughes manuvered his own exit, this was clear for anyone to see, as I'm sure he knew he'd be well compensated and could then get his next gig. 

Which was of course a rousing success.

The disastrous appointment of Foran (both the appointment itself and length of his contract) was the biggest mistake the board made in many years but that's got nothing to do with Hughes. 

I'm bored of reading about Hughes, foran and where it went wrong and who was right. It's done. Let's move on.

18 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

I'm bored of reading about Hughes, foran and where it went wrong and who was right. It's done. Let's move on.

Skip over it then champ, or perhaps furnish us with a list of topics which are acceptable for us to discuss in your presence oh fuhrer. ?

7 hours ago, Fraz said:

Skip over it then champ, or perhaps furnish us with a list of topics which are acceptable for us to discuss in your presence oh fuhrer. ?

Well the subject of this topic was pretty interesting at looking forwards ?

29 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

Well the subject of this topic was pretty interesting at looking forwards ?

Yeah it was. That's why I replied to it earlier in the thread. 

23 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

Hughes was on a downward spiral which has continued since he left.The mistake was not to sack Hughes who had lost the confidence of just about everybody. 

So our current predicament is Hughes fault according to your logic, not Foran's or the board's, now that is revisionism. Where is the proof that Hughes had lost anyone's confidence? As far as I can see Hughes got results we had no right to get during our injury crisis which was serious and after losing our best players. We would not have been relegated under Hughes even with our depleted resources and I had no problem with him trying to get additional funds for the team which was after all his job and with which I agreed. The board displayed a petulance and small mindedness in sacking him. You may not like your employees moaning or whining but if they are central to your company/club you roll with it without necessarily giving ground.

Find another thread for this guff.

Off topic.

Are you a Mod now Satan? 

Nah, I was a punk tho.