No rest for the wicked.



I'm losing the will to live now as Hughes fever hits the forum after our recent drought. Yes it's been a disappointing week, but some folk need to take stock.

Like it or not, we still have a thin squad and the recent deluge of games, whilst giving us something to think about, has taken it's toll on the players and it appears that some of the fans are starting to crack as well.

Gone are the hopes of winning two cups, finishing second in the league and qualifying for Europe. Instead we have cries for Yogi's head and the ritual slagging of everything ICT.

Supporters are fickle things and it seems that ours are no different. No sooner were we rallying behind our team at Parkhead, and three days later we are creating unwanted records and casting aspersions on our squad that make us look like Old Firm fans.

Well, some folk have short memories and to turn your back on the team that got us to this heady heights is just plain ridiculous.

We have a game this weekend and I do fear that we may have to go backwards before we can go forwards, but it's our team and they deserve a bit of support in the least. Remember, for better or for worse, richer or poorer, daddy or chips.

Partick Thistle are the visitors on Saturday as our demanding schedule will see us play our sixth game in 22 days, and by Friday the 4th of April when we play County, we will have played 11 games in 35 days. It may not sound a lot, but for a club with our resources it has massive repercussions, the players visibly knackered at the end of 90 minutes.

So, what can we expect when the Harry Wragg's turn up? Well, they beat us in Inverness already this season in a game better known as cornergate. We lost 2-1 after a bizarre sequence of events saw us score, but not score after our set piece corner routine was adjudged to be illegal and Dean Brill looking less than reliable when he dropped a cross at the feet of an astonished Kris Doolan who knocked the ball into an empty net from three yards; nightmare stuff.

In the reverse fixture at Firhill, we conjured up a now familiar scoreline of 0-0, Partick feeling aggrieved at only taking one point when they had plenty opportunities to record their first home win of the season. That was a mini slump for us at the time as we were in the middle of a four game losing sequence, sandwiched between losses to Aberdeen, Celtic and Ross County.

Our form of late has seen us knocked out of the Scottish Cup, losing the League Cup final, and failing to score in our last five games. We have however secured a top-six place and can now concentrate on bettering our league position. Partick have started to fight for survival now and did record their first home win, and a good one at that beating Aberdeen 3-1 followed by a draw in Dingwall and another impressive 3-1 home win over Terry Butcher's Hibernian. It still leaves them in a dog fight at the bottom end of the table, but with players like Higginbotham and Lyle Taylor scoring goals then they could well steer themselves clear of danger at the expense of St Mirren, County or Kilmarnock, it's that tight down below.

Latest news from both camps has Aaron Doran still struggling to shake off the hamstring injury that forced him to start the League Cup final on the bench and saw him withdrawn against Motherwell. Partick have Stuart Bannigan available after suspension and Aaron Muirhead back after injury. Other than that, for Inverness it's survival of the fittest which may see the very promising Ryan Christie start.

Off the cuff with Yogi and two other bears............



tm4tj Prediction:- I'll take a long shot and go for Yogi's boys to break their recent duck and get all three points, but with Partick battling for survival I can also see this ending up very tense and very tight. Let's hope we can get the monkey off the back and give the players and staff a bit of leeway.