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Actually what we're needing Mahonio is not a second striker, but a taller stronger character than Mckay. Can't get my head around signing this guy at all really.

Strange thread this. Is there really a need for a positive/ negative thread when none of us has really seen enough to make an informed judgement about the season (which has yet to start) I'd like to think that the OP is simply venting a bit of frustration. This isn't the OF, you are allowed to dissent from the "official" view in as many ways as you like. You can express any opinion you like and as far as I'm concerned do it without being labelled as anything other than an ICTFC fan. Labels like "happy clapper" or "negatives" are unneccessary, as is sniping at individuals by name because you don't agree with them. One thing I would take issue with is that I don't think that any other fans forum (under these circumstances) would have a considerable body of fans baying for the manager's head. Deila seems safe, nothwithstanding it's probably the UEFA league for Celtic. MacNamara seems safe, despite losing a cup final that he was widely expected to win. You can't legitimise an individual point of view by spreading it out to unconnected bodies of people. Even McCoist seems safeish, despite his early and pre season lack of success. Perhaps Hibs or Hearts might have been calling for blood by now, but that's about it. I look forward to this season with the same anticipation that I do every year and if there are judgements to be made they will be made in light of the facts which probably means Christmas time. I've got the same doubts, hopes, fears and aspirations under Hughes as I do every year and did under Butcher but I'll suspend negatives until they really are required. I think we'll finish 4th and I reckon that Killie will go down. But then again, I think that Abedeen might win this league this year so what do I know! Just bring it on.

I don't see where all the pessimism is coming from. I went to the Fleetwood game and was impressed by the way we controlled the game - if we can do that we will create chances and score goals with Doran's and Christie's in the team. I am unimpressed by rival clubs transfer business - whereas we've retained our key players. I can see another successful year ahead - and hopefully a trophy! But I suppose you morbid souls will think I've been on the happy juice!!! 1.Celtic 2.Aberdeen 3. St.Johnstone 4.ICT 5.Dundee United 6.Motherwell 7. Dundee 8.Kilmarnock 9. St Mirren 10. Ross C**nty 11. Partick Thistle 12. Hamilton

You just described Ryan Christie. So John Hughes is doing his transfer business right then? He hasn't had to do any transfer business to get right or wrong. I take faith from the fact that a good number of players have signed extensions since he arrived (and I suspect more will) and if/when we have need to replace players then he can be judged on how that goes. Our squad is small, but it's fairly versatile. There's good argument for a second experienced striker, but can we afford to have that and either them or Billy passing time sitting on the bench? If we could, then I imagine we'd have brought someone in already.

Unfortunately, the window for getting serious money for Billy has gone: he's stopped scoring for several reasons and he's in the last year of his contract. This is, however, the worst time to lose somebody of his calibre - no time to replace with quality. So, we need to hold out for big bucks. Better to lose him for free next year and be able to plan than go a full season with no striker!

IMO, I think there was a point in time when we would have received some interesting money for Billy but until he starts scoring regularlyagain that time has gone.

We'd be lucky to get half of what May is going for. We are still perceived as a wee team and as a result our players are undervalued. Look at Robertson going to Hull for near £3m... I think we'd deal on Shinnie for 10% of that, even though Shinnie isn't '10% the player Robertson is'.

I seen that Sheffield Wednesday have made a £700K bid up front for Stevie May and St Johnstone are still looking for a bit more. Would it be accurate to say Billy Mckay is worth the same as Stevie May or bit more?

Well, not everyone is a happy clapper just because they favour the positive viewpoints rather than the negative ones which usually end up irritating or depressing us standard balanced folks, The jolly Joes in raincoats having reserved personalities and possessing reserved judgements no doubt are , in the eyes of the critics, also happy clappers but why any fan at all should be objected to because he claps his hands and are happy is a complete mystery to me. Are we all supposed to be miserable until the Great non-happy clapper Chief gives a signal ...? The old saying ''Oh,wid the guid lord the gift tae gie us tae see oorselves as ithers see us"springs to mind as something the non-happy clappers and negative criticisers could ponder over.

Ah, the incomparable Stimpy . . .

The comparison with other club fora is very valid. It is true that there are a number of posters, perhaps even a majority, expressing frustration and concern over the tactics and results since Yogi took over the team but there are very few indeed calling for the manager's head most wiling to give him further opportunity to turn round what cannot, no matter how 'supportive' of the club you are, be viewed as anything other than a sharp decline in fortunes since his appointment. From brief visits to other club fora, almost every other forum in the land would have a substantial body of fans calling for the manager to be sacked in similar circumstances. In my view, the majority of users on this site are considered and restrained with the views offered whilst being critical also generally measured and proportionate. If the tenor of the forum upsets you so much just now why, rather than closing the site for six months, don't you take a break from it for six months ? Anyway, without this site, Caley D would have to resort to Twitter to make sarcastic comments about any posts remotely critical of the club or the team....

Pretty + Ineffective = pretty ineffective. I think this is going to be a theme this year! Our possession stats will be brilliant, but we'll continue to leak sloppy goals and will struggle to score because a slow build up is not playing to McKay's strengths. It's a goals business, JH....please prove me wrong!

Well here I am in the sober light of a new dawn and I am afraid that my angry impression post match has changed little. I am not going to bother with the smileys as they would have been paltry and Shinnie and Tansey would have been the only two who may have sneaked 3/5. I take it that Brill has been told not to kick the ball out. To be fair there would be little point as McKay is the only one to aim for and Watkins is not much use in the air. But that just cries out fer the option of the big man up front. So instead we were treated to 90 minutes of the ball being rolled out and 7-8 passes across the back line. Our back four tried to stroll about like Beckanbauers and the final pass was usually to a retreating midfielder. And we made four big mistakes doing that and were lucky not to have conceded more. Our defence also was very square and that is crazy against pacy forwards. There was one moment late in the second half when Shinnie must have been in 30 yards of space hugging the touch line, steaming fer the ball, and guess what. We had five players across the middle and I couldn't make out what formation that they were playing in. At times it appeared that they were attempting to be interchangeable and it didn't work. At times it was embarrassing. Shure wee Christie,, Ross and company displayed some fine touches but never looked like playing a killer ball. Tansey may well have not abided by orders becos he at least put his foot on the ball and looked around to seek out forward movement. And what have we done to Billy McKay. Where has his movement gone ? The old saying of the centre half having him in his pocket was spot on. Every time he got the ball one of the big centre backs was towering over him. It was not much of a surprise that our goal came from a dead ball position. And in the end we could have sneaked a draw and then came another reminder of last season. The simple ball through the middle of our standing defence and a goalie who has no pace leaving himself in no one land. I presume the tactic is to lull teams out but we are talking about Scotland and not the humidity of Spain or South America. We will get murdered at Parkhead and most other away grounds. I was hoping to see more width but got congestion. If I was boss of Hamilton I would have sussed us out by now. I was looking at optional systems and again was disappointed. We may well not concede many but I can envisage a lot of 0-0, 0-1 this season with the occasional hammering. Let's hope that I am wrong. What I have just written was the feeling of many yesterday. please correct me otherwise. The only fan that took positives out of yesterday must have highly tinted spectacles.