THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Partick Thistle -V- Inverness CT PREVIEW 14th December @ 3pm, Firhill Stadium, Glasgow Follow us on Twitter   Follow us on Facebook Media Coverage   AUDIO COVERAGE BBC Sportsound BBC Sportsound [UK Only]   LIVE TEXT (ONLINE) Sporting Life BBC    VIDEO SPFL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel   TEAM LINEUPS TO FOLLOW   Tweets by @ICTFC Tweets by @ICTFC

So, that's the title gone a bollock then...as if it wasn't prior to this game anyway.

Oh, title long gone, Untied are over the hill and far away.

Annoying thing today was Practical Bristle were quite clearly not very good but didn't need to be.

And, aye, the triple sub; don't often see that outside July friendlies.

Be a tough game next week. Dunfermiline will be missing kiltie due to red card however they nearly got it back today.  Consolidate second place and if  dundee Utd slip up take advantage. You know it makes sense. ?

 

1 hour ago, jed5697 said:

Be a tough game next week. Dunfermiline will be missing kiltie due to red card however they nearly got it back today.  Consolidate second place and if  dundee Utd slip up take advantage. You know it makes sense. ?

 

Congratulations - You have been added to the Happy Clappers Squad.

Interesting how we can hold off our nearest competition last week, but get thumped by one at the pretty much mirror end of the table...

They have been a jinx team for a while. They had the better of us when we were both in the top league, which seems a lifetime ago. 

I had a bad feeling about today. I should have gone with my gut on Gringo as I predicted 3-1 for us, more in hope than expectation, and as it always feels wrong to predict we will lose. I should have gone with 3-1 for them!

Good point Jack - To me it is when other teams try to play football that we play football against them - and our defence and midfield relish. When we face teams that are defensive and encouraging US to take the initiative - we simply do not have the ammunition to blow the bestards away. Lets face it - Plastic Whistle were there for the taking. We simply have NOTHING up front. It has to be time to ditch White, Storey and Doran ?

Oh and introduce Todorov, McGregor and Walsh (when fit)

Perhaps the players were too busy thinking about their Christmas bash in Dublin, which they set off for after the game. Once they have that out their system here's hoping it's back to winning ways next Saturday.

Not buying into this "Partick are our bogey team" excuse. For the last couple of seasons we had only lost one game (maybe two) against them. This season however McCall absolutely has our number despite barely laying a finger on us with a much better Ayr team.

As I think Manny is unavailable I will post the report here:

Ok I have slept on it and my “report” will be more considered, less emotive but still very critical. I suspect that after savouring the win and performance at Alloa and the positivity following the Dundee game I may well have underestimated Plastic Whistle and I feel that the team did as well. We have been crying out for a Plan B and that has been recently been delivered and in some style. There may be a load of armchair managers on this forum but there were a few things tactically that Robbo was blinded to yesterday. You can play the tippy tappy football on 4G or well cared for surfaces in cold and frosty conditions. Robbo has introduced that recently but – when you are faced with a boggy pitch, it Is feckin freezing cold, added to by a strong, swirling wind and driving rain (especially in the second half) then the “hoof” is a more sought tactic. McCall sussed us yet again. He played two lines of four playing deep in defence. They only pressed when we were in the final third. They were only too happy to sit back and let us play meaningless passes across the pitch and often played backwards as well. And did we do just that !! And then we did not use the width. When we did go wide we looked more threatening. How many times did Storey run forwards but then stop and play the ball backwards or sideways. Doran simply does not have the stamina and pace in such conditions and defensive set up. But then again we do not have a holding forward or a striker with the “poacher” penalty box instinct. I would also criticize Doran and Storey for not channeling back and that increased the workload on Carson and Trafford. Plastic Whistle had the old head in Kenny Miller (playing in central midfield) and pace up front which made them always dangerous on the counter. BUT we did not revert to the hoof and Robbo stuck by the starting X1 until it was too late. Our following was bellowing for the changes eventually made since the hour mark and then it was too late.

We were always “chasing” the game which again wholly suited Partick. Alex Jones, who had been wholly ineffective, popped up early in the second half to put the Whistle ahead. KEATINGS pulled one back and , at that stage, you felt that we would take over. Well we did possession and territory wise but always looked susceptible to the counter. Saunders put those thoughts to bed and Zanatta scored a third with the last kick from an incredible angle. Lets just sum things up as “so disappointing” and three valuable points chucked away.

For once I can see the comments made by both managers afterwards. McCall said – “I was really pleased, I thought it was terrific entertainment. "It could have been 5-3 to us but yes a big three points and takes us above Morton. You are only four or five points off fifth place now so we've another big game next week." It was terrific entertainment for the home fans !! Our three would have come from goalmouth scrambles and/or from dead ball situations.

Robbo replied - "It was a good game, both teams obviously had chances. I thought we were the better team in the first half, a couple of great saves from Scott Fox, a couple of great chances from set plays. And you need to take those chances." We had at least double the “chances” but they took theirs. We were the better of two bad teams at half time. I would have at least doubled our chances from set plays. And Ridgers kept us in the game in both halves with two sensational saves in both.

I am shure that there will be a Happy Clapper stating IF we had gone 2-1 up or IF we had taken one of those second half melee chances. There are no feckin Ifs in football. And as for McLean and the stand side linesman it is more shocking proof of the deterioration in standards this season. Although they gave strange and bad decisions against both sides. I am looking forward to seeing the replay of the alleged White “dive” which did look more like a penalty from our distant viewpoint.

Apologies if this Smileymometer is insulting and aggravating but it is a personal perspective and I dare not give points !!.

RIDGERS – May have fecked up the third goal but he kept us in the game and is the only player close to being a MOM candidate, far less a MOM

ROONEY  ? – Wish that he had been playing wide right instead of Storey. He was the one player looking to drive forward instead of the incessant “Ray Wilkins” passing tactics.

TREMARCO ? – Looked shaded but does not exactly get much defensive support from Doran. Is Carl hitting the end of his playing days ?

DONALDSON ?– Appears to be trying to play in the Virgil Van Dyke mode. Unfortunately looked more like Dick Van Dyke at times yesterday.

McCART ? – Probably came the closest to scoring from the dead ball situations. Defensively and passing wise he was the Julie Andrews beside Dick Van Dyke. Perhaps he should have retrieved Red Cards brolly.

STOREY ? – My high hopes blew away in the Maryhill winds. Why did he not run at the defenders ? I lost count of the times that he stopped, back tracked and passed back !!

CARSON  ? – I thought that he played well and gave his all. Again he rarely got forward and tended to be another Ray Wilkins impersonator.

TRAFFORD ?– Bad day at the office. Gave his all but his distribution was poor and he made no impact.

DORAN ? – Hugged the touchline for most of the game. Did not defend at all. Most of our good stuff came down the right and even Aaron resorted to the back pass.

WHITE ? – I have really tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but he did not win anything in the air and why did we relent with trying to play the ball into his feet. In his defence who was there to play it off to ?

KEATINGS ?– If that was playing number 10 then why was he so deep ? You cant be a playmaker and a No 10. He was deep playing balls into the feet (mainly White) but then who was playing off White. Answers on a small piece of toilet paper.

ROBBO  ? – You should have changed the tactics and McCall sussed that.

Excellent report IHE. Thanks. Enforced absences have meant that it is a goodly time since I attended a game but I am getting a bit tired of hearing the same old thing. There is a consensus amongst those posting here that the issues facing our team are obvious and have been for some considerable time. Why oh why are the management persisting with what appears to be not good enough. Frustrating. Once again the play offs look like our only hope ( and it is still 2019!). Thanks to all the contribuors here  for keeping folks like me in the loop.........its a great service

Robbo found wanting again with the lack of a Plan B. Partick changed at HT and we never, that was the difference yesterday.

He was in the papers recently saying he his happy with the squad he has, so he can't blame quality of players.

3 hours ago, Buster said:

He was in the papers recently saying he his happy with the squad he has, so he can't blame quality of players.

What else can he say when there is no money to strengthen?!

22 hours ago, Gringo said:

So, that's the title gone a bollock then...as if it wasn't prior to this game anyway.

We are now 13 points behind Utd.  We may be 2nd in the league but we also only 13 points above Morton in the relegation play off spot.  It's a very competitive league and with better resourced teams likely to strengthen in the January window, we  will do well to hang on to a play off place.

We need to be more clinical up front.  It's maybe a shame Nathan Austin left us.  He scored 4 for Kelty yesterday and I believe is averaging about 2 goals a game for them!

It's a very important game next week.  If Dundee Utd beat Ayr and Partick take something off Dundee, then a win against the Pars would see us with a wee bit of breathing space in second.  But if the results go the other way then the the fight for the play off places closes up quite a bit.

Excellent report IHE I am sure the travelling support feel let down yesterday.  The next two home games are must wins if we are hoping to achieve even the play of places.

1 hour ago, Yngwie said:

What else can he say when there is no money to strengthen?!

Maybe he could have said just that?

3 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

We are now 13 points behind Utd.  We may be 2nd in the league but we also only 13 points above Morton in the relegation play off spot.  It's a very competitive league and with better resourced teams likely to strengthen in the January window, we  will do well to hang on to a play off place.

We need to be more clinical up front.  It's maybe a shame Nathan Austin left us.  He scored 4 for Kelty yesterday and I believe is averaging about 2 goals a game for them!

It's a very important game next week.  If Dundee Utd beat Ayr and Partick take something off Dundee, then a win against the Pars would see us with a wee bit of breathing space in second.  But if the results go the other way then the the fight for the play off places closes up quite a bit.

Jeez.. Austin was garbage for us, he's found his level.

We don't have a striker.  We can't afford to replace  1/5 Jordan.   That's the sad thing .

1 minute ago, caley100 said:

Jeez.. Austin was garbage for us, he's found his level.

We don't have a striker.  We can't afford to replace  1/5 Jordan.   That's the sad thing .

The team he scored against yesterday are not much better than Fort William.

Hello Stattos. I would love to know if it was recorded how many times Donaldson and McCart passed and percentage of successful passes.

10 hours ago, caley100 said:

Jeez.. Austin was garbage for us, he's found his level.

We don't have a striker.  We can't afford to replace  1/5 Jordan.   That's the sad thing .

Robbo was desperado to hang on 2 White St Mirren wanted him! We could've replaced him the budget was wasted on a Striker he doesn't play and a striker he plays onthe wing!

Storey is pretty guff. He has had about  1 or 2 decent games. Please accept it. He runs fast in a straight line. He started a game up front against Dundee and apparently was ineffective. He has been on the wing since, and has been largely ineffective there. If we had a stronger squad he wouldn't be near the team but we don't. But don't claim he is some sort of Messiah and being unfairly treated by playing on the wing. 

After the last home game I thought at last a football team. How wrong I was.Not being  at the Partick game maybe I have no right to slang them off, from the comments  I have read it would appear we are back to no leader on the park or off for that matter.

It may well have been a stutter. McCall outthought us and Robbo did not play to the conditions. Have we learnt from it ? As for not having a strong squad and constant bemoaning of certain individuals why don't we play McGregor, Harper and Todorov. We also have to decide how to get the best out of Keatings. As I said earlier he cant be a playmaker and a number 10.

We can be very good but we lack consistency and adaptability and we lack a striker who can score regularly.  Our top scorers in the league are Doran and White with 4 each.  This, along with Partick is the lowest tally for top scorers for teams in the Championship.  However, we have had 12 different players scoring which is more than any other side.  There must be a message in that.  

On 12/14/2019 at 11:50 PM, Jack Waddington said:

Interesting how we can hold off our nearest competition last week, but get thumped by one at the pretty much mirror end of the table...

Sounds like we did underestimate them - we've seen before that any team can take points off any other in this league, so if you have an off day yer likely to get a stuffing - can't afford complacency in any of these games, they all need 100%...