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Think there's a lot of knee-jerk reaction to todays result....and still a bit of bitterness from those who seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to stick the knife in (again) about the loss of Munro and Duncan....move on people, all the bitching in the world isn't going to change things in that regard. I actually thought we played not too bad in spells today and our biggest problem was that we were a bit too stand offish when defending. The scoresheet might say 3-0 (and I know that's what counts) but I didn't witness a 3-0 performance from ICT. Hit the woodwork 3 times...on another day they would all have gone in and it would have been 3-3 and been a lot more representative of the match as a whole. Proctor didn't give a good showing, but don't think any of the rest of the team had (individual) bad games. The difference between the teams today was that one team knew each other and were used to playing together and the other seemed a little rusty at times. All in all, I saw nothing that can't be fixed. Give the guys a little time to gel as a team and I think we could be in for some very interesting and exciting football from ICT this season.

Welcome aboard the HMS Sneck - star date 24/07/2011 - the crew are given permission to make a FINAL comment about our two PAST servants - GRANT MUNRO and RUSSELL DUNCAN - who have walked the plank and enlisted in a fishing fleet based in Avoch. Thank you very much for years of loyal and diligible service. Isnt it strange that people are more likely to notice your positives when you are gone. But gone you both are and you aint coming back. AMEN.

Well at least Dougal was in Glasgow yesterday and really could have rushed across town to take in two matches. As for the cretins I have to agree with Dougal. They have been a total embarrassment, not only to our club but Scottish football in general. Their behaviour has been churlish, offensive and infantile at times. They blatantly show off to their mates and have really no respect for anybody around them But yesterday I thought that the stewards were great.

The game's not played in the past unfortunately, the game is played in the present. I used to rate Proctor - not any more.

Dont really give out many green dots but that is as close to what I was going to log as it gets although I also agree with Caley D's points as well. As I alluded to in the Englandshire threads we have a relatively young, talented, pacy, football playing but inexperienced squad who play pretty patterns with no visible goal threat - but I was concerned about how they would adapt to the hurly burly and experience of the SPL and worried that losses early doors would have an effect on the general confidence. We played a similar system to yesterday at Aldershot where I felt that the midfield was disjointed and we wasted the talents of Ross, Foran and Hayes. At Aldershot our midfield played as four individuals and did not appear to understand each others roles. I have to admit that I was confuesd as well as players also appeared to switch roles as well. For the first time in seasons we had little width or drive down the wings, our full backs were left deserted on many occasions and the central defenders, although solid, were susceptible to balls played down the middle becos of the space they left between each other. It was to my utter dismay that Terry and Mo followed the same tactics yesterday and Hislop describes what is deja - vu to me. Put it like this - me and feckin Dewsbury Dude could have double teamed and squeezed through the chasm between Aldred and Tokely at times - where was Hayes playing ? - and it wasnt really a diamond in midfield, it was a parralel feckin line - a bit of the when they get the ball lets get two lines of four behind the ball - fair enough but arent you suppose to watch the wings and the feckin holes down the centre at the same time. Tade works his socks off and may well come on to a game if he gets a few goals behind him but - I ahd to rub my eyes at times, especially in the second half and the strike on the run - as I was sure that it was feckin Lionel smiling back at me !! Did we miss Grant Munro ? - well no. Aldred is as good if not potentially better all round. Did we miss Russell Duncan - well no. He wouldnt have had the legs. But we did miss a leader on the park - somebody sitting in the hole in front of the centre backs and somebody bawling at the others. Foran needs to drop back if he can have that type of influence. But - hey - lets not take it away from them - Muversmell are a good team and play the ball around well and do look like scoring when they attack. They had width and two attackers who are more in the old fashioned predatory style. Their first goal was beautiful football and the third was a screamer. We will not play many better outfits this season so lets hope that big lessons were learned. Many at the game appeared to be taken aback at my positivity and I still think that we can turn it around but mid table safety is all I am now looking fer this season. If the Tansy free kick had gone in or he had taken the half chance moments later then PERHAPS the confidence boost would have changed things - but sorry playing the same system and we would have ended up getting beat anyway. So I would stick with the team - apart from poor Proctor, who's confidence looks shattered. Put him on the bench as he covers a variety of positions. We have two winnable games coming up - against a poor Hibs outfit, in disarray and never good travellers and then Dumbfarmlife, who will be difficult to beat at home. If we get 4 points out of that then I will be happy and it will give the players and the fans a much needed confidence boost. So in may ways it is over to Terry and Mo. I know it is a bit armchair managerish but surely they can see that the system aint working and needs to be adjusted. My only fear is that their professional pride leads to them persisiting. And can anybody remember a certain opening day at Livingstone ?

If mine is one of the posts you're referring to here then, with hindsight and the benefit of a night's sleep, you're correct that it was too much of a knee-jerk reaction, born I suppose of disappointment at the result and performance. You're wide of the mark in your comments about 'bitching' and 'waiting for an opportunity to stick the knife in (again)' in my case at least, but I do agree with you and Alex that it would be pointless to keep referring to the loss of Duncan and Munro, as we need to move on. However, in trying to put together some sort of match report for this first game, I do think it's going to be necessary to weigh up what we have lost - with reference to all the departed players - against what we appear to have gained on first impressions of the new players. Briefly, as I will need to develop this in more detail later anyway, what concerned me most yesterday was that we appear to have lost a few players who are capable of reading the game and anticipating opponents' moves. Duncan, Munro and Rooney were all particularly strong in this area and thus tended to be in the right place at the right time more often than not. This is why I'd always preferred Duncan to Cox as deep-lying cover for the back four, although I suspect that once he has recovered, this is where Cox will be played. I thought Aldred, despite his undoubted strengths, looked a little prone to be pulled out of position - he reminded me a little of Bulvitis in this respect. Tade, too, didn't always seem sure of where he should be - there was no doubt about his hard work and the amount of running he did, but it did look a little aimless at times. Hopefully, however, this was down to over-enthusiasm and as the team gels and the new players settle into the SPL, their abilities to read the game will emerge and they will hold position better - it was, as several people have correctly pointed out, just the first game of a long season. Tansey, incidentally, looks an excellent signing - with his vision and range of passing he might be a replacement for Ian Black, a player we have missed badly IMHO.

C'mon everyone, Proc has his uses, bullet header against Celtic and, and well he must have something, after all he is a utility player so give the guy a break............Thomas, maybe he is great, maybe not, I'll wait a bit to make my judgement.

Anything can happen in football but if that happened it would be a disaster--for Terry , not Caley Thistle. I think his patience would run out and he would lose his rag more quickly than ever before. Very sad downward slide for a once great footballing side. Verdict?--no chance of that happening.

Do we not already have a 'new' right back signed (subject to International approval) as well as a striker (subject to fitness following injury)? What is with the sudden constant slagging of Proctor? A couple of poor early season games suddenly deletes the fact that he has been pretty solid in previous seasons (aside from his short spell as centre half under Brewster)? The team both tactically and match fitness wise will take a few weeks to gell. This is the same for a lot of teams and I recall Pele always used to say that knee jerk reactions for the first few games may be misleading. I also seem to recall we started on fire in the first quarter last year before showing relegation form for the November to March period.

Hopefully just a rumour but big rumours about CC going to Forest. Cant see Butcher going to Hibees or leaving after he has put together HIS squad here.

I suppose there are two ways to look at this result and performance. Positive - Well are a good side, top six last season and cup finalists. They haven't really been weakened in the close season and beating them away was always going to be a difficult one for us. Even so, we competed well and with a bit more luck (two shots hitting the woodwork) could have got something out of the game. We have a few injuries and haven't finished close season shopping yet. Despite the result Greg Tansey looked good and Richie Foran ws sharp, showing he's benefitted from a full preseason. Negative - We were easily cut apart, our defence looked brittle, Tokely and ALdred aren't a partnership, Proctor isn't a right-back, Andy Shinnie was completely anonymous, tactically Butcher got it wrong so we ended up with Hayes and Ross getting the ball too deep, Tade and Foran didn't have much of an understanding and frequentlyh went for the same balls, we were left with a bench consisting entirely of kids, our rivals this season have signed experienced players whereas we have gone for kids and we are all doomed.

Good work Agent Munro!

Ross County 1 - 2 Elgin City Amen

I thought we started rather well but then Motherwell found their stride and started to boss the game. Their first goal had a touch of good fortune but they could have been ahead several times prior to that. The defence was very shacky and Proctor had a poor game and was responsible for the first goal and possibly the second. Their third was a peach but we had the chance to clear well before the ball reached Lasley. We did play some neat stuff at times but there was no cutting edge up front. We seemed to make pretty patterns on the edge of the box but Randolph was never really troubled that much and could really have stayed on the beach. The new boys will settle in time. Tansey and Tade would be my pick of the newcomers on this showing. Tade was making some great runs and seemed to have fun turning on the defence with his back to goal. He will score goals when he finds his shooting boots. The stats showed we had 11 strikes on goal..9 of these were off target. We hit the woodwork twice and Randolph made a point blank save which he knew little about so it is clear we can create chances. Yes, a 3-0 defeat is a bad start but I'm sure things will improve in time. Lets hope we have enough of that.

Did we play 4 times at Ibrox last year?

Bring Back Duncan!

That was brutal. For a start, we were a tactical shambles. Butcher sent the team out with some sort of narrow diamond midfield, with A Shinnie at the top...which meant Hayes was sitting much deeper and tended to be getting the ball nearer his own goal than Motherwell's. Well simply pushed their full backs on and annihilated us that way. The first goal came after Gillet was isolated two-on-one and Proctor failed to track the man at the back post. The second was a smashing passing move, but Proc (there's a theme here) lost Murphy and Tokes was dragged out of position by Higdon, leaving acres in behind. TB then brought Ross into centre mid and stuck Shinnie out on the right, but the words 'stable door', 'horse' and 'bolted' come to mind. We did have chances of our own - Tansey especially unlucky after hitting the post with a free kick and then being denied by a point blank save, while I think Foran hit the post as well. In the second half they just sat on their lead and we couldn't break them down. Their third was a screamer from Lasley but I want to know why he had the chance to take two touches before hitting it, with no one closing him down. Pass marks to Esson, who made a good save in the first half, and Foran, who worked hard. In contrast our back four were rank, but particularly Tokely, who was owned by Higdon, and Proctor. I've never seen anyone trip over the ball as much as Andrew Shinnie did. As for Tade, his attempts to shoot were just comical. He tries, I guess. I know we still have 37 league games left, but we were so poor st the back and so tactically inept that I'm struggling not to panic.

we didnt miss duncan we missed cox

First time I have awarded two green dots in a day far less a feckin month - Jhesus am I becoming soft ???? Any of the previous "whingers" wish to ammend their entries ?? On second thoughts - lets wait until 17.00 on 06/08/11

i've heard john terry is quite good at sticking it in the box.