Ayr Pressure

 

With our Premiership aspirations hanging by a thread, we entertain Ayr United on Saturday with our winless run having been extended to eight games after the 3-3 draw with Partick Thistle, albeit an improved performance, but the end result all too familiar recently. The game is scheduled for 3:00pm on Saturday, weather permitting, with storms due in midweek. Dudley seems to have bypassed Inverness, but Eunice is coming, so fingers crossed it misses us as well, however, snow is forecast so beware. Storm Ayr are coming North fresh from retaining the bragging rights after their excellent derby win over Killie; no pressure then.

MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO

Venue - Head2Head

Pld

Won

Drn

Lst

For

Agst

+ / -

Home	21	10	10	1	35	20	+15
Away	22	10	5	7	42	28	+14
Neutral	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	43	20	15	8	77	48	+29

Last 10 Competitive Meetings

2 - 2 (A)

1 - 0 (H)

2 - 2 (H)

2 - 0 (A)

1 - 1 (H)

0 - 1 (A)

2 - 0 (H)

2 - 0 (A)

1 - 1 (H)

3 - 1 (A)

Loaded heavily in our favour, the stats don't lie, or do they? Only one defeat to Ayr at home on all competitions would seem to make Inverness odds on favourites to win this one. Unfortunately, we, the fans, know better. Our recent form has been poor and we are winless in eight.

The previous encounters this season show a 1-0 win towards the end of August during our opening gambit of the season.

CTO summary: Walsh nicks it: A slightly damp morning opening out into a muggy but calm afternoon in the Highlands made for near perfect conditions for this game. However, the football did not match the weather in a dour first half and it was goalless at the interval. Ayr rattled the top of the stand at the start of the second half as the game came to life. Tom Walsh looked to have opened the scoring when he bundled an inviting cross from Manny Duku behind the keeper after 54 minutes with Sean McGinty in close proximity trying to clear the ball. Joe Chalmers put a shot across the face of the Inverness goal that went narrowly wide. Walsh missed a glorious chance to double the lead moments later but pulled his shot across the face of the goal as well. Robbie Deas also missed an opportunity for a second goal, firing the ball over the bar from a great position inside the box. The game was more open but Inverness held on for their third 1-0 win of the season and top the league jointly with Killie.

In the return fixture at Somerset Park we threw away an early advantage to draw 2-2, the slump was well and trully on. 

Another opportunity missed! At a windy Somerset Park, Inverness took the lead early on when Sean Welsh met a Tom Walsh cross at the back post unchallenged to head into the net. The lead only lasted a couple of minutes as Joe Chalmers scored after a corner with a couple of defenders being grappled to the ground as Chalmers slotted home. Gardyne was causing all sorts of problems and his next angled cross into the box was missed by Mckay but it bounced through and into the goal to give the visitors the advantage at the break. Reading levelled with a low shot eight minutes into the second half, Ridgers not covering his near post sufficiently. No more scoring partly due to Aidan McAdams in the home goal and another great opportunity to get back on top went abegging with Partick winning 1-0 at Rugby Park.

Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Dunfermline v Partick Thistle postponed 1. Arbroath 24 12 9 3 38 18 45 2. Kilmarnock 25 13 4 8 31 19 43 3. Inverness CT 25 10 9 6 33 23 39 4. Raith Rovers 25 9 11 5 34 27 38 5. Partick Thistle 22 10 7 5 37 22 37 6. Morton 24 6 9 9 29 34 27 7. Hamilton Ac. 25 6 9 10 27 40 27 8. Ayr United 25 6 8 11 23 38 26 9. Dunfermline 25 4 11 10 24 40 23 10. Q.O.S. 24 4 7 13 25 40 19

FRIDAY 18th FEBRUARY

Dunfermline P v P Partick Thistle

SATURDAY 19TH FEBRUARY

Hamilton v Morton   

Caley Jags v Ayr United

    Kilmarnock v Raith Rovers

Queen Sth v Arbroath

Last time out

Inverness came from behind three times to secure a point against an impressive Partick Thistle. Brian Graham was a thorn in our side again, claiming a hat-trick although the first one appeared to come off the shins of Wallace Duffy. We hit back through Billy Mckay, Shane Sutherland and a last gasp header from the enterprising Kirk.

Ayr United won the Ayrshire derby as they came from behind to beat Kilmarnock 2-1 at Rugby Park to stun title favourites Killie. Fraser Murray had opened the scoring early in the first half but Ayr levelled soon after through Sean McGinty and he scored the winner with ten minutes left to stun their hosts.

Latest Team News

Billy Dodds will definitely be without Scott Allardice and Danny Devine. Somehow, Roddy MacGregor has disappeared from earth, possibly been abducted by a Chinese tennis player. If anyone spots him, can they call MacGregors Bar to let us know that he's safe and well. Thanks in advance. Aaron Doran has missed the last month but is back in training and Tom Walsh has thrown his hat into the injured squad over the last couple of weeks. Thankfully we are covered up front with Sam Pearson looking good last week, but for some unknown reason we never looked at bringing in defensive cover from the start of the season, we'll soon be going with one at the back.

New Ayr manager Lee Bullen will be looking for more of the same attitude displayed in the derby win over Killie. Here's his starting XI from the Killie game played in front of 7,560 fans. Adeloye and Rowe came on as second half subs, with Ayr playing a 4-4-1-1 formation.

1McAdams

2Houston4Muirhead5McGinty3Reading

22McKenzie6Murdoch8McInroy14Maxwell

18Dempsey

19Ashford

There's been a lot of changes at Somerset Park since we last played Ayr. Our own Eric has been busy checking out their latest coming and goings. So, basically, a new look Ayr United will be here looking to improve their poor record at Inverness.

Departures

Cameron Salkeld - forward -has left the club due to long term injury

Nick McAllister - back - on loan to Clyde FC until end of season

Michael Miller - midfield - on loan to Stenhousemuir FC until end of season

Joe Chalmers - midfield - Transferred to Dunfermline FC.

Jonathon Afolabi - forward - was on loan from Celtic recalled and now at Airdrieonians Fc

Steven Bradley - forward - was on loan from Hibs recalled and now at Dundalk FC

 

Arrivals

Blaine Rowe - right back - on loan from Coventry FC U23 until end of season.

Kerr McInroy - defensive midfield - on loan from Celtic FC until end of season

Ben Dempsey - attacking midfield - on loan from Charlton FC U23 until end of season

Ryan Gondoh - left wing - the Ghanaian has signed from Wealdstone FC until May 2023

Paul Smith - centre forward - has returned after loan spell at Cumnock Juniors FC ( that should have toughened him up a bit )

Sam Ashworth - centre forward - signed from Crawley Town FC until May 2023

Fraser Brydon - centre forward - has been promoted to first team from Ayr U18s

 

Manager

Lee Bullen has had several spells as Caretaker manager of Sheffield Wednesday FC and was recently manager or their U23 side

Age: 50 Years 
Appointed: Jan 7, 2022
Contract expires: May 31, 2024

 

 

 

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8 minutes ago, forresjags said:

No idea where you thought I was having a go at the goalkeeper. Maybe go back and re read what was said.

Sorry, my bad.  I quoted your "only positive of the day" because I was trying to say that there was another one - Cammy's performance.  That's all.

I can see why you thought what you did.  Apologies again.

No problems, just from where I was sitting it looked like who can we take off and replace, just for the sheer hell of it. No game plan, just desperation.

 

On 2/17/2022 at 9:06 PM, Robert said:

I can’t explain why, but I’ve a good feeling about Saturday’s game and am looking forward to a home win.

Well my hope was seriously misplaced!

Another very disappointing performance and result. Ayr scored with their first attempt when we allowed a free header. Until then we’d had plenty possession and territory, but not troubled Ayr, who themselves looked abject.

The game was over when we lost the second and thereafter it was desperate stuff and our formation went out of the window after Carson’s red card.

For me, only MacKay, McAlear, Chalmers and Pearson get pass marks of the starting 11. Some of substitutions were strange. We should have gone three at the back with Duffy, Broadfoot and Deas after the red, but we subbed the two players who looked like they could create (Chalmers and Pearson) and at times McAlear seemed to be our only defender!

We had some woeful passing, and too often just played a hopeful ball forward, forgetting we don’t have an obvious target man when the ball is in the air.

I don’t like being critical of our home grown youngsters, but Harper had his poorest game and I think it highlighted the lack of confidence amongst him and many in the team.

Yes we were missing a lot of players (presumably Ridgers and Welsh injured?), but that’s no excuse. That was a very poor Ayr side we were playing, and the Ayr fans summed up the afternoon for me when they were chanting “it’s so fxxxing easy”.

Two TV games next. We normally do well in them. If we do, in my opinion it will be due to players trying to show other Managers what they can do in order to get a move, rather than the management team suddenly motivating them and coaching them right.

4 wins since the start of October, no wins in 9. It says it all. 

Edited February 19, 20224 yr by Robert

It's really quite astounding that despite our current dire form we're still 3rd in the league table.

I just wonder if 39 points is sufficient to avoid the play-offs, as I don't see us getting any more points on the board!

 

The most disappointing aspect today was that it was all very predictable...if we can predict what is going to happen surely something is just no right ?? I don't personally have the answers but then again I'm not on the payroll. It is entirely up to everyone who is on the payroll.

Any of the statisticians on here know when we last went 9 league games without a win? Did it happen in our relegation seasons?

Edited February 19, 20224 yr by Robert

Yes, 10 in our first relegation and 14 in our second. Those bad runs were also over the winter months.

Look at our next 4 league games:

Away - Hamilton

Away - Partick

Home - Arbroath

Away - Raith

If we still have the same management team in place for these games then we're not winning any of them. 

Can anyone seriously see where are win in all that comes from?

Answers on a postcard unless you're Billy Dodds, he'll have us down to win them all.

Think i'll pass on this season. It really is embarrassingly depressing stuff.

I think we are slightly better off then we were last season aren’t we ?!

1 minute ago, GoliathGrunt said:

I think we are slightly better off then we were last season aren’t we ?!

Not sure that matters tbh? Only our early points on board is saving us here. At moment results are relegation form. 

 CTO REPORT

 

 

1850 attendance? Knock the 1 off and you would get the actual figure. Quite worrying actually!

Quite simply, Dodds has to go. I didn't think he was the right man for the job when appointed and said so on this forum. I also said that while I would give him my support, I thought he was poor tactically and have sadly been proved correct. It has been obvious for weeks that our formation, two men playing wide, wasn't working and left the midfield exposed and overrun at times. The formation worked when we had our strongest team on the park, including Gardyne, who saved us in a lot of the early games. We haven't had our strongest team available for a long time due to injuries and the Gardyne situation but the tactics have remained the same despite results showing it wasn't working. 

There also appears to be a total lack of leadership on the field at times from the experienced players similar to a lack of leadership from Dodds perhaps. The club took the lazy, and probably cheap option, in employing Dodds and our board and CEO are culpable on this. Do we actually still have a board/CEO by the way as they seem totally invisible at the moment. If no visible signs of improvement in the next two games, I have to seriously consider attending any more games this season, and as a season ticket holder for over 20 years, this would be hard. I honestly think our club has become a complete shambles and we need a long term plan on how we change things. 

Well I'll be damned, adding insult to injury...

57' | DUKUUUUUU!

Duku steals it off the back line, drives towards goal and slots it past Moulden!!!!

2-1 pic.twitter.com/OPzXGnAF92

— Havant & Waterlooville FC (@HWFCOfficial) February 19, 2022

Watching the “highlights”, Carson was lucky not to get a straight red rather than a second yellow for his challenge.

Credit Cammy MacKay for his saves and there was nothing he could do about the goals.

Like others, I’m finding our current performances soul destroying.

The only positive I took from yesterday was the further confirmation that we have two capable and reliable goalkeepers on our books.

Pity we can't say the same about the outfield players.

Was not at the game or able to watch the stream, but this is depressing reading on here. Not very optimistic for next games lined up.

Do we have any info yet on Ridgers and Welsh being missing yesterday, and whether they they are likely to be back next week?

2 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Do we have any info yet on Ridgers and Welsh being missing yesterday, and whether they they are likely to be back next week?

Ridgers out with illness so fingers crossed. Not sure re Welsh 

That’s all I could find too. Is it odd that the club captain is unexpectedly not in the match day squad and there seems to have been no explanation?

24 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

That’s all I could find too. Is it odd that the club captain is unexpectedly not in the match day squad and there seems to have been no explanation?

Another example of how well the club communicates with fans……

The club’s report:

https://ictfc.com/match-report-ictfc-1-2-ayr-utd-19-02-2022

Edited February 20, 20224 yr by Robert

Deaie me - just watched the Dodds post-match interview. What conclusion can we draw from these latest comments other than establishing that the guy is completely delusional and incapable of arresting our ongoing downward spiral. The very least he can do is hold his hands up and be honest with us, instead we get the same meaningless platitudes every week and frankly disingenuous analyis of a performance which was rank rotten for all to see.  

Meanwhile we have the usual deafening silence from Gardiner and the board. The level of communication and transparency, at a full-time club which has spent significant time in the Premiership, would genuinely embarass most Highland League sides. Grim times.

Edited February 20, 20224 yr by ymip

Just out of curiosity, is there anyone on this site who still wishes BD to continue as head coach?

1 hour ago, Robert said:

Another example of how well the club communicates with fans……

The club’s report:

https://ictfc.com/match-report-ictfc-1-2-ayr-utd-19-02-2022

tm4tj has a far superior report above!