The Sprint For Europe


The race for Europe begins in earnest post-split with a visit to Parkhead which could double as Celtic's SPL title celebration party should results go their way after a week which saw league reconstruction scuppered by Stewart Gilmour and Roy MacGregor, with Carlie Green resigning at Ibrox and Maggie Thatcher laid to rest...........not all bad then.  That was the week that was!

Inverness will be hoping to be the proverbial party poopers as they seek points towards a possible first ever crack at European football, which is within their own grasp with only five games left to play.  Celtic, Motherwell, St Johnstone, Ross County and Dundee United make up the rest of the top-six.

On our last visit to Celtic we came away with an unexpected three points as Billy McKay turned in a Phillip Roberts cross for Inverness to record their first ever SPL win at Parkhead.  However, Celtic had dominated the other two meetings up in Inverness scoring seven times in the process whilst conceding three.  We have played eleven SPL games at Celtic Park with one win one draw and nine defeats, the worst of which was a 5-0 drubbing in 2007.  We have found goals hard to come by at Parkhead, with only six SPL goals, however, we can of course point to a certain Feb 8th, a day the underdogs came out on top and a repeat of that would be pleasant.

Inverness are unbeaten in their last seven games, four of which were draws. Celtic were last beaten four games ago, and that was at Dingwall, where County came from behind to win 3-2. Celtic have lost only thirteen goals in seventeen home games, that's just over 0.75 goals per game and Inverness are scoring at the rate of 1.75 goals per away game. Celtic have two home defeats and we have three away defeats. But statistics don't win games, it's all about what happens on the day.

Inverness disappointed somewhat in their last outing, a game which could have gone a long way to securing a Euro spot, but instead left the door ajar with a tentative performance against the dour Perth men, the third draw between the sides this year. Fortunately, results elsewhere were kind to us and no great damage was done and the status quo remained, a healthy five point cushion to our nearest rivals St Johnstone.  Ross County are a further point behind and the last game of the season in Dingwall could yet be an all or nothing game.  Dundee United scraped into the top-six at the eleventh hour and I suspect that they could be the ones to upset the apple cart.  They appear to have carried more threat than Aberdeen, Hibs and Kilmarnock and it only needs a couple of wins on the trot by any of the chasing pack for our lead to become fragile.  Anything that can be taken from Parkhead will be a bonus and it would come as no surprise to anyone if Butcher were to adopt a cautious approach, where hitting on the break will be the chosen ploy and defending in depth the default setting.

If that would be the tactics for the Celtic game, then I would hope that we can get over the finishing line under our own steam, and not rely on results elsewhere serving us well.  It could very well be a nervy end to the season and the sooner we rack up the points the better it will be without having to go to Dingwall for a nail biting finale.

David Raven is the latest player to put pen to paper.  A two year extension keeps the former Liverpool reserves captain here for the next couple of seasons and Aaron Doran is close to agreeing terms as well.  This means that of the regular first team players, only Reguero, Shinnie and Jones have yet to commit themselves to more SPL football with Inverness.  Jones looks to be the most likely to stay with Reguero off to Kilmarnock and Shinnie likely to opt for a job in England.  Butcher is also keen to retain Charlie Taylor at Inverness for next season and is hoping to persuade incoming Leeds United manager Brian McDermott that it would be a good idea.  It's now up to the fringe players to show the gaffer if they have what it takes to remain at Inverness.  The likes of Shane Sutherland and Nick Ross will be hoping to impress should they get the chance to display their wares.

Our own Josh Meekings has been named SPL young player of the month on the back of some tremendous performances in some tough encounters, especially considering he has been without defensive partner Gary Warren recently.  Josh has matured nicely and his power and pace have seen him a match for many an SPL striker.  Congratulations Josh.





***Latest Team News***

Chris Hogg continues his comeback with more game time for the u20's but Simon King, Ryan Esson remain sidelined. Gary Warren could be a surprise inclusion on the team sheet after his recent knee injury

Neil Lennon will serve a three-match touchline suspension after being found guilty of misconduct at a Scottish FA tribunal for swearing at Jim Goodwin the St Mirren captain during a match on 30th March. Who would have thought that, Lennon in trouble with the beaks, naughty bhoy.  Scott Brown, Lassad Nouioui and Adam Matthews remain on the sidelines, but Thomas Rogne has recovered from a leg injury and should make the squad.

tm4tj prediction:- They don't come much tougher and I just want to see this game out of the way with as little collateral damage as possible. We could of course upset the odds and sneak another win but that looks unlikely to happen given our nervy performance against St Johnstone.  We look as though we don't believe in ourselves once more and confidence is not as high as it was before Xmas when we were scoring for fun.  It's all become a bit tense and the loss of Gary Warren at a crucial stage of the season does us no favours, although Daniel Devine stuck to his task well against Perth after a shaky start.  One man who has been a revelation this season is Josh Meekings who looks better and better every game he plays and he will be a key figure this weekend. Richie Foran is also vital in these games and our midfield need to be a bit more creative than of late.  If Aaron Doran can convert some of his great play then that would be a bonus and I believe our best bet on Sunday is to frustrate Celtic for as long as possible and see what happens.  I'll go for a cheeky but important no scoring draw.

  Friday nights game saw Motherwell put a huge dent in the Arabs run in with an excellent 3-1 victory at Tannadice and will now be odds on to retain second place with third spot the one the rest of the teams will be targeting and that is ours to throw away at the moment. Hold on to your seats, it's going to be a bumpy ride.