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A few younger/less experienced guys out there today who will never have played such a big team as celtic, so obvious there was going to be some nerves. Not helped by the absence of the captain who's job it would have been to calm the nerves and get players settled in to the match quicker. Just another example of how his actions in being red carded have effected us. Yeah, not the best display, but as I said above, think that was down to a lack of leadership on the park. However, don't think it was as bad as some are making out. If this was last years squad then the heads would have gone down after two goals and we'd have shipped 6 or 7. I actually think at two down the team became more determined, and in their efforts to get forward and score we left ourselves open at the back and shipped another two goals. I also do not think we scored because celtic switched off, I don't actually think they did switch off, I just think at 4 goals down there was no reason for us to be nervous any more and we saw ICT doing what they have done in the first three games. Say what you like about the performance, but I do not think it was in any way gutless, pathetic, embarrasing or any of the other things people have called it. We were simply outplayed by a better team for the most part and our guys deserve credit for not giving up and fighting it out to the end. Better to get -2 on the goal difference than -4.

Celtic may have beaten us 4 -2 on the park but their supporters beat us 10 - 0 on the terraces. Surely we must have the worst home fans in the league and you can see how badly it affects the team; they are scared stiff of making mistakes and receiving a torrent of abuse from the so-called support. In the match thread I said I think the players lack confidence and to be honest, a significant part of that is that they are worried about getting abuse when things don't go right. The crowd do precious little to lift the team but plenty to let the team know that they do not meet the fan's often unrealistic expectations. Take two examples from today. One of the guys sat next to me got to his feet after Celtic's 2nd goal and let rip with a tirade of vitriolic abuse aimed at Terry Butcher. When we scored our goals he simply sat in his seat and didn't even clap. He generally mumped and moaned about what was on display and never once as far as I was aware clapped or uttered any words of encouragement. And amongst the general moaning behind me were comments during a passage of play when we were keeping possession well but not making progress. "F***ing do something with it" was the shout from behind. No sooner had that advice been given than Morrison, I think it was, tried to put the ball over the defence for Andrew Shinnie to run on - it nearly came off but was well cut out and the same voice shouts out, "for f***'s sake don't give it away!" Just what do these people want and expect? We're not Barcelona and if we try anything other than the safe ball it will come off less often than it doesn't. Today we were up against the league champions and their side is stuffed with internationals and sometimes balls don't find their intended target because very good defenders read the situation and do their job well. Let's give them credit for that. And let's give our team credit for trying to play football against Celtic rather than being boring like County and simply stopping them playing and having no ambition. Do these people ever stop to think about what the impact is on the players? Presumably not. How do they think that players feel when they hear more noise in shouts of frustration and abuse when they make an error than they hear in applause and shouts of encouragement when they play a 30 yard pass inch perfect to a team mate? Well, it doesn't make them feel confident and appreciated that's for sure. Believe me, I get just as frustrated as anyone, even angry, when players make basic errors but I respond by silently cursing to my self, rolling my eyes or shaking my head or the like - I don't voice my feelings at the player but will make a point of clapping and shouting encouragement when they next get the ball and use it well. This thread is about small crowds and the concern that some folk no longer come to watch the team. To be honest, it would be a good thing if some who still come along on a Saturday afternoon started staying away. That might mean that those who actually support the team might have more of an influence on the mood of the crowd as a whole and the team will respond to a more positive atmosphere in the ground. That in turn might encourage others to start supporting the team and take the place of the moaners. Now I expect there will be those who will have a go at me saying that they pay good money and can expect to see better entertainment and have a right to make their views known. I would agree with that but the way to do that is to express your views on this forum or directly to the club if you are that angry. On match days, the players really need the support and encouragement of the fans and it really makes me angry that so many who turn up seem to do their best to abuse and discourage the team. They fail to understand that far from venting their anger at what they see as the problem, they are actually part of the problem themselves. I think I am right in saying there are signs at the gates referring to "home support". That is for peope who will support the home team, not people who apparently want the home team to win but who abuse rather than support them. Perhaps there should be signs at the gates directing those who are going to shout abuse at the home team to the South Stand because the only team that benefits from the way some of the paying customers in the main and North stands behave is the away team. Apologies for the length of this rant but I really am getting well and truly p***ed off by the behaviour of some of the people who pay to watch our team but who undermine the confidence of the team and ruin the matchday experience for others. By all means criticise the team as much as you want on this forum but for Christ's sake, on a match day give the team what they so desparately need - support! How f***ing difficult is that?

HI EVERYONE , IT`S JUANJO CARRICONDO HERE .... LIKE I TOLD MARK A FEW DAYS BACK WHEN HE MAKE ME AWARE ABOUT THE NEWS OF MY NAME IN YOUR GROUP I TOLD HIM STRAIGHT AWAY THAT IT'S AN HONOUR FOR ME THAT YOU PUT MY NAME AS THE AWAY FANS SUPPORTERS GROUP. I HAD MANY,MANY GREAT MEMORIES IN MY TIME IN INVERNESS AND TO HAVE MY NAME IN YOUR GROUP IS SOMETHING THAT MADE ME VERY HAPPY AND PROUD. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS HONOUR AND I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IN THIS NEW SEASON I HOPE OUR LIVES COME ACROSS SOMEHOW IN THE FUTURE UP THERE IN INVERNESS. SPEAK SOON GUYS THANKS

Today, in the North Stand, only reinforced my belief that the away games are so much more enjoyable. Moans everywhere today, from those who only turn up for games once in a while. Where's Grant Munro, where's Rossco - please people, these players are gone, and however you moan they are not coming back. Even when Draper scored his two goals there were the moans, its too little, too late etc etc (and half of them couldnt even get his name right, even though he has played quite a few games for ICT now). Its got to the stage when I now enjoy the away games so much more, the craic and the singing but, unfortunately I seem to "endure" the home games, because of the constant sniping against the team. I am not a happy clapper, but want to enjoy the games I go to, not listen to the abuse I have to suffer today - its enough to drive me to drink (especially the (one) cocktail I enjoyed in Dows today before the game!). Please note, I had no other alcohol before the game, or since.

Those two late goals, when Celtic had stopped playing, should not be allowed to detract from the fact that, for the first eighty minutes, we were an absolute embarrassment. First up, the team selection was dreadful. We know Raven has struggled at right back. We know Sutherland has contributed nothing on the wing. Yet both started, while Nick Ross was stuck in a deep midfield role instead of on the wing. What does Morrison have to do to get a start? I've no idea what the tactics were today. We appeared to be playing a shambles-0-1 formation from what I could see. Anyone who has watched Celtic the last 2 years knows Hooper drops deep into the space between midfield and attack - so most teams sit someone in front of the defence to counteract that. We didn't. So when he came deep, either our centre-half let him go, meaning he got the ball into feet and had time to turn and run at us, or the centre-half went with him, leaving Watt one on one with his partner (as for the second goal). The contrast to Ross County's performance against Celtic last week was striking. Derek Adams clearly had a tactical plan on how to make things difficult for their opponents. Terry Butcher just thought he'd put 11 players on the pitch and see what happened. The third goal summed it up. Presumably the players got a bollocking at half-time, but none of them were switched on enough to interfere with what was a pretty simple set-piece trick. Frankly, I think it's because most of them didn't really care about whether we won or lost today. Aside from Aaron Doran, none of our players looked like they wanted the ball...and Doran didn't use it that well when he got it. McKay was isolated as usual, but he failed to hold the ball up even when he got it into the channels or in to feet. The one time he got in behind, he wasn't quick enough to hold off the defenders. He's too small, he's too lightweight, he's not quick enough and he can't score...but apart from that, he's a top player. Ross and Doran tried hard, at least; the former was clearly out of position. Andy Shinnie barely touched the ball, and had one of those days where it seemed like every decision he made was the wrong one. Is Sutherland blackmailing the manager with dodgy photos or something? I can't think of another reason why he is in the team. Draper might have got two goals, but for a big unit he was outmuscled and outfought a lot. He wasn't the only one who couldn't manage to complete 5 yard passes to unmarked teammates - there were a lot of others (what the hell do they do in training?) - but he was the most culpable. He also has the turning circle of a bus, and Celtic just passed the ball around him. Our backline was so bad that they might have given me Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Raven was a catastrophe. He kept giving the ball away easily, kept being caught out of position, and kept being skinned. The centre-backs were also calamitous, particularly King, who was nutmegged within a minute by Hooper, and then was totally culpable for the second Celtic goal. Graeme Shinnie was the best of a bad bunch. Esson looked shaky at times, but I don't think he was culpable for any of the goals. The only positive I can think of was the perfomance of Pepper as a sub, who was lively and keen to get involved...and whose through ball for Draper's second was the only piece of quality football we produced all day. Lastly, Butcher should be censured for turning round and having a rant at the fans when we went 2-0 down. At that point we hadn't even managed to put three passes together, and there had been absolutely nothing to cheer - what does he expect? He should just be grateful that some of us (fewer and fewer by the week) are dumb enough to still pay through the nose to watch this utter dross. Can you tell I'm angry?

King had a shocker today. And dave the rave just doesn't look good enough, surely meekings should be 1st choice rb. Its early days but terry needs to be shaking up his starting eleven.

For me A Shinnie and Doran get pass marks, with Warren being the best of a bad lot in defence. Nick Ross did OK too - but seems to have disclocated his shoulder :(

Raven makes Proctor almost seem component. King having a mare as well

I would say that getting to matchday four before losing is quite an achievement.

Didn't see any Celtic fans in the North stand but there were plenty who weren't supporting ICT.

Poorest performance against Celtic in a long time, I know he's taking pelters but Raven is just not up to it. Meakings or hurry back Cooper. Okay I apprecaite it can be difficult to get a decent striker, we bought in all these lower league defenders, could we not have found some sort of semi decent striker. I feel sorry for Billy Mackay, he puts a hell of a shift in but with little or no return. I'm for giving Gavin Morrison a few starts as he puts himself about a bit, also give Pepper more of a runout on the wing, with Nick Ross looking to be out for a few games.. Cant get to down as many have said we dont expect much from a game against Celtic, but we made it so easy for them today. Stronger Celtic teams have been beaten by us or struggled to beat us (last minute winners etc)

SIMPLES - Play him as "sweeper" next time round and drop KIng.

Not going to read any of the previous posts but this is how I saw it : Positives / Excuses : Draper will play fer the shirt and so will Warren of the new boys - that is a goal difference of minus 2 rather than minus 4,5,6 or even 8. Pepper is one who will progress. It is still early days and perhaps some of the so called experienced newbies were taken aback by the experience. Perhaps "lessons" can be learned ?? CRITICISM: Neil Lennon must be laffing his feckin socks off at our predictability. His tactics tore us apart. Lets face it Butcher has till got the tactics, the selection and the formation WRONG. Why oh why would you ever put out a team at home to play a defensive 4-5-1 against Cellic and hold back - even Tinkervilee got the message to feckin press, feckin press and feckin press - we did the feckin usual against the Old Filth of losing goals at the feckin kick offs instaed of playing it ultra feckin tight - the goal at the start of the first half was ridiculous - and I wonder if ya noticed if we changed the feckin 1:1 marking at the next feckin corner kick. Why the feck play Raven for an hour and then put on Meekings ???????????????????????????? What the feck were Warren and King defending like in the first half - was Warren actually asked to play well in front ?????????????? Where the feck was Nick Ross supposed to be feckin playing - he made space time and time again but never got a pass and why was he played so feckin deep ???????????????? Why oh feckin why do we sacrifice Shane as we do - he clearly aint a winger and he constantly lost position by his natural instinct to go inside ???????????? What role was A Shiñnie played in today as he should have had far more an offensive role ???????????? What a shift and effort from McKay but what a feckin waste as well. I apologise to any happy clappers but if I (and others) as armchair managers can see these errors from game to game ???? Did Gavi have an Icelandic shirt on today - MORRISSON ?? Cant actually be fecked with the Smileys but what the feck was Esson doing at the second goal ?? And SORRY - but would it have been different with Tokely and Munro in centre defence and Draper and OTJ in front of them ??

I can't believe there's people trying to tell us that that was anything less than an embarresment. To me the result was not an important factor in the game and I'd have felt okay if the players had put the effort in and put some heart into the performance. They didn't. I've seen better Celtic teams come here and lose, but ICT were akin to a Third Division side today, meeting Celtic in the lower rounds of the cup. Out of the whole squad, only really Pepper, Doran and Warren weren't hopeless, while a special mention must go to David Raven who was quite simply awful. We've got a long hard season to endure ahead of us at this rate.

It it makes anyone feel any better, County took 82 to Dens today. Just thought I'd add this.

Gavin Morrison?

I think he was just gesturing the fans to make some noise. Well done to the family section, they made more noise than the whole of the main stand and the standing section, for the last 10 mins.

Raven's passing is utter pish.

If the team perform week in week out, like they did against Hearts, then fans will want to watch. I was thoroughly entertained and very proud of the effort and determination that earned another vital point. The small crowd of loyal supporters will surely increase ,if the doubters can be convinced of a genuine desire to win.

Have you considered that if you had actually paid to get into the game it just might go some way to improve things on and off the park. The club needs every penny it can get its hands on this season. We as supporters must do everthing we can to maximise its income.