Falkirk -V- ICT

Falkirk Stadium, 3PM

LINEUPS

Audio Coverage

Inside UK: ICT Match http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotlan...dia/falkirk.ram

outside UK: "Open all mics" http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotlan.../sportsound.ram

You have to be honest --when he acomplishes something good he deserves praise

Level on points with Celtic and Rangers.

Looking for 3 points next week against St Mirren and we'll have 10 points from our first 5 games

With the new boys up front, and some changes in tactics, I thought after the Hibs game it might take a while for the players and Brew to find the best combinations. You can't knock Brew for trying out most of the options available over the last few games. And he doesn't seem afraid of hooking players not performing early and switching things around. So he's on a learning curve too. Which I think he deserves some credit for. Let's hope the learning curve goes upwards as we find the best combination of the talent we have. Grounds for optimism, especially after the equivalent time last season.

Edited August 30, 200817 yr by The Long Man

Fair play to Brewster for a.) having decent tactics, b.) keeping the ball on the deck and c.) making timely and effective substitutions

i cant beleive theres 2 people on here prasing brewster i thought everyone thought he was useless,have i been drinking??????

Given some of the comments you've made about Brewster in the past I don't think your in any position to be pointing the finger at anyone else.

People have criticised Brewsters tactics in the past, and with some justification, I'm sure that they will give credit where it's due for getting it right today.

I thought we might get punished with the 4-4-2, but without Higdon, Falkirk sounded like they had nothing to offer in the final third and our back 4, other than what seemed like a slack moment for the opening goal, seemed to cope well with the little Falkirk had to throw at us.

Given Imries reaction during warm-up I'm assuming that the decision to leave him on the bench must have come fairly late on....perhaps the decision to go 4-4-2 came after getting wind of the Falkirk line-up, and if so, well done Brewster for thinking on your toes and starting the game in the right way....which with hindsight and the knowledge of Higdon missing I would have agreed with.

I predicted a 2-1 victory in my Match Preview....only wish I had carried that prediction over to the Predication League :thumb04:

What we need to do now is bring some consistancy to these performances. We've shown against Aberdeen and Falkirk tht we are capable, we just need to be doing it every week.

Brilliant result. Would have been disappointing to lose or even draw because we dominated the match by the sounds of it. A pretty damn good start to the season imo.

Edited August 30, 200817 yr by CaleyJags07

Importantly, that's seven points between us and bottom now. A few more decent results and all the focus can go on top six instead of survival.

Praise to Brew today for what sounds like some very good management. It would be nice if I was writing those words after our next home game as well though!

Given some of the comments you've made about Brewster in the past I don't think your in any position to be pointing the finger at anyone else.

true,but i would be near the end of very long queue,with you very near the front

if anyone wants to get personal, take it to personal messages. please keep the thread roughly on-topic.

if anyone wants to get personal, take it to personal messages. please keep the thread roughly on-topic.

it was on topic,i remarked abouit brewsters fans

well done lads, I was at the game today. thought the youngsters were superb. spot on with the team selection. midfield controlled the game, that would be my midfield selection every week, kept the ball very well. duffers and vigurs are just going to get better and better if given the run of games they very much deserve. well done dougie..great goal.

Fabulous game, well deserved victory and even if at times it seemed like one of those games when a force field is stopping the ball going in, everyone tried and tried and it eventually paid off. Tokely juggling the ball was indeed real and I'm sure he surprised himself Jamie Duff looks very promising and had a great game, but everyone played well (certainly in defence and midfield) so the star ratings should be high today.

And cheers to both Cowie and Imrie who both ran to the fans after scoring. :018:

Best (competitive) game I've been to for ages :thumb04:

thought the youngsters were superb. duffers and vigurs are just going to get better and better if given the run of games they very much deserve.

we need to get these 2 on long term deals,before bigger clubs come sniffing around

if anyone wants to get personal, take it to personal messages. please keep the thread roughly on-topic.

it was on topic,i remarked abouit brewsters fans

Just back from the game. From the outset we looked up for it and looked as if we really wanted the win. Everyone played some nice passing football and we looked the better team for it. Our midfield was outstanding and totally dominated particularly Cowie and Black who who looked very composed and dictated play. Vigurs too was superb and put in some cracking crosses.

We should have been 2-0 up at half time but for some excellent saves from their keeper although Rooney perhaps should have tucked one of them away and not made it quite so obvious as to where he was going to put it. I think he will come good though and just needs to get his first goal to boost his confidence.

Jamie Duff had another excellent game as did Tokely.

Would be hard pressed to criticize anyone today as everyone worked hard although Wood looked knackered and needed to come off in the second half.

We played as a cohesive unit today, as a team, and looked as if we had worked some moves practiced on the training ground.

Really enjoyed it and have come home on a high. More of the same against St Mirren please.

well done!

I knew they would win!

Absolutely brilliant performance from us. We should have won the game comfortably but missed a few chances.

We lined up:

------------------------Fraser-------------------------

---Tokely---------Duff---------McGuire-----Hastings---

---Vigurs--------Mcbain-------Black--------Cowie-----

----------------Rooney---------Wood-------------------

We started brightly and had an early opening when Garry Wood made a break into the box but he couldn't convert. Falkirk came at us but we defended very well indeed - the defence handled everything that they were presented with, with Jamie Duff a particular stand out. Duff read the game well, won headers, blocked shots and tackled well. That's the first time I've seen him play and he was excellent. Going forward in the first half, we looked lively, playing some good passing football. Rooney had a couple of great chances, one where the Falkirk defender (Barr I think, having read the Beeb report) cocked up and let him in and another when he was played in by Rosscoe, after a classic ball juggling class from Tokeldinho. The keeper masde a couple of cracking saves to keep us out then. Falkirk carved out one really clear cut chance whena ball over was headed inches wide, if that had been on target there was no way Fraser was getting it.

Second half and we carried on pushing on. I thought Vigurs was a bit below-par in the first half but he certainly made up for it in the second period, most breaks seemed to come down the right hand side of the park. We forced a series of corners which Vigurs floated in tot he back post - Blackie got his head to one and caused a bit of consternation in the Bairn rearguard. On the hour mark Wood came off for Barrowman and Falkirk scored just after that. A ball in behind Hastings was cut back and Mark Stewart knocked it home, a poor goal to lose, Dick will be disappointed he let himself be turned like that.

Fortunately we rallied and moved forward. Vigurs and Rooney both carved out chances and we seemed to have taken the setback in our stride when a corner wasn't cleared and after some penalty-box pinball Cowie rifled in a low shot to equalise. After that we pushed forward, McGuire had a header cleared off the line and then another just over the bar. Brewster threw on Imrie and Wilson, very attacking, positive play from the gaffer to do that a 1-1 away from home. It paid off hamdsomely when Imrie rattled in a shot to the top corner after Falkirk again couldn't clear their lines.

Overall, I thought we were well worth our win, absolutely superb performance. The only downside was the goal but the way we reacted, the way we passed the ball, created chances, fought for each other and pulled the game back was magnificent. Ian Black was great in the centre of the park, Jamie Duff was cool at the back and Vigurs (after a shaky first half in my view as I said aobve) came onto a great game in the secondhalf. What really impressed me about the young lads was the confidence and composure they had - none of them looked nervous, no-one seemed to require any baby-ing through the match. Falkirk are a decent side, they pass the ball well and have some good looking players but we outplayed, outfought and outpassed them.

As I said on the way back to the town centre, I've seen us play twice this season and win twice. What are you miserable lot all moaning about? Champions League here we come! :thumb04:

Although that was my 2nd game of the season it was my 1st actually watching the team, keep alcohol away from the game kids!!

hugely impressed with the youngsters, as mentioned earlier these guys will attract interest very quickly if they perform like this most weeks. Long term deals should be offered very soon.

Duff was man of the match in my eyes, perfect game and even seemed to be taking control and keeping the others right. Likes to play football from the back which is great to see.

Vigurs looked classy and composed, at ease at this level.

Wood had a solid game, maybe still a bit to learn but is a very handy player to have around.

Everybody got pass marks. I wouldnt say we dominated but we deserved to win on chances created. Mikey didnt have much to do really. Falkirk were pretty blunt up front. Seemed to be a defensive mix up between maguire and hastings who left the responsibility to each other and their guy slid and cut the ball back, easy finish.

That was a revived Tokely in my opinion, really up for it, played a stormer and delighted with the win.

Good strikes for both goals which were hardly well worked but they all count. Decent composure by a couple of players not to just swing at it and hit us with the ball.

Summary - good away win

Quick thoughts from me: Yes, credit to Brew for the tactics today, and making timely subs. Woody had to go off - I thought the lad had a total mare - and Barrowboy made a difference with his physical presence. Also for subbing Roy and Vigurs who were spent. Jamie Duff looks more and more like a great prospect, the new Granty if we can keep him. Hastings gave the back four a more familiar look and even McGuire was pretty good

Blackie excellent as usual, Cowie all over the park and getting back to his old form. Mikey had little to do. Rooney doesn't look fit.

Johndo can do the smileys later.

Falkirk were totally lacking in belief though and if we had scored earlier who knows how it might have ended up.

Superb result against a good side. Well done to the boys and Brew too - is he getting the hang of this substitution business at last ? There's absolutely no doubt that Caley Thistle are a passing side who play their best football with the ball at feet and on the ground. Forget this punting high balls up the park - that's mince.

Once again, very well done.

;) :015: :thumb04: :018:

Are we now seeing exactly what Mr Brewster has always been capable of but hasn't been able to achieve till now. That is to choose who he wants to keep in the squad, get rid of the rest and build his own team. A team of players who want to play for Brewster.

Well done to every one. Dougie, the commentators reckoned you were angry at being dropped. You sat seething on the bench then came on and done the business. True professionalism. To the rest, an hour and a half of hard work and effort brings bonuses for everyone. Keep it up all season.

Great result, i thought we were playing falkirk at the wrong time today but they pulled it off. Disappointed i missed dougies goal and roscoes 'samba skills' (according to radio) but still delighted with 3 points away to falkirk.

This could prove to be a decisive 3 points in our season.

No point in posting a full match report because Chris has already done that and got it pretty much spot on.

The most important and encouraging thing that has to be said is that Brewster got it spot on with tactics and (if this is down to him) motivation from the start. The ball was played on the deck from start to finish, and it was patient, controlled football with the midfielders apparently really in tune with each other. Just as we had at Aberdeen, we looked the hungrier team and closed the ball down well when we didn't have it.

As for individuals... Black was outstanding, seeing passes and making space for himself excellently, Vigurs was always prepared to try to take on and beat players and usually succeeded - didn't look like a player who has only had a handful of starts for us - and I also thought Garry Wood was very effective: decent with the ball at his feet, made a few good lay-offs and passes around the box and got into some good positions, although both he and Rooney were doing an awful lot of the foraging back that Niculae used to do, meaning we didn't always have an outlet up front. Interesting how people see the game, though - Mantis was directly behind me and has said he thought Wood had a mare, so maybe I didn't pick up on some weaknesses or mistakes.

Cowie and Mcbain were both very quiet in the first half, but I don't think there were any failures in the team today. For me, though, the absolute stand-out was Jamie Duff. Every aspect of his game looked solid: he won almost every header he challenged for, intimidated and stuck to his opponents without giving away daft fouls, made several great interventions with his feet and also used the ball well out of defence. Although McGuire didn't do anything wrong today, it was Duff who looked the calmer, more accomplished and more experienced defender, and at the risk of being hyperbolic, I thought it was one of the best performances I've seen by any ICT centre half.

Concerns? Perhaps only that Falkirk looked very lightweight and that made it hard to judge how effective this sort of performance would be against a stronger, uglier team; also that Rooney and Wood, while both hardworking and good users of the ball, don't yet look like instinctive goalscorers. However, I'd be delighted if Brewster stuck by this team for the next match, and even more delighted if he stuck by this style of football, regardless of the line-up, for the rest of the season. Haven't come away from a match feeling this positive for a long time.

Edited August 30, 200817 yr by alternative maryhill

Listen to this

Mantis was directly behind me and has said he thought Wood had a mare, so maybe I didn't pick up on some weaknesses or mistakes.

Jeez, I thought I was in disguise yesterday too :thumb04:

I think you made a lot of perceptive comments so maybe I'm giving Woody a hard time. I've been impressed with him before and I reckon he can go on to do well with us, but yesterday I just thought his touch was awful, he lost the ball trying to beat his man instead of pass, and he was easily brushed off by the likes of Bullen (mind you the FFC fans are saying Bullen was a disgrace for them so what do I know ). I thought he was poor on Wed at Arbroath too.

Listen to this

As we're so entertaining, maybe they can actually show a reasonable amount of highlights for once....

Edited August 31, 200817 yr by alimci

Well, we made it, but no way it should have gone to Penalties and I hope Brewster has his excuses ready for underestimating Arbroath because he's going to need them I think.

I don't see how you think that he was underestimating them by putting out the team he did.

That team should have been more than capable of winning. All the players in the starting 11 are part of the first team squad and almost all have played in the SPL this season.

Because put plain and simply....we did not start the match with the strongest team available.

Did we get lucky yesterday Mr D?, surely going by your logic we did.