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I was out all evening and not able to sneak a look at my phone at all. My first reaction on seeing the score just now was, "I'll take that". But despite maintaining our 7 point lead over Utd, this thread seems full of doom and gloom. Ok it is disappointing to lose Warren, and it is another game where we haven't capitalised on our possession. But, lighten up folks, we're still unbeaten this year. Wouldn't we all have settled for this position at the start of the season? It is still in our own hands. Believe!

Dunno why you're all so angry about the ref, according to the The Sun he had a cracking game! Seriously though, that'd be funny if it wasn't so tragic.

So Warren got flattened, went head to head with Ciftci and only Warren got sent off? Anyone would think Scottish officials were shight.

Having been at the game, got home late (approx. 2am) and had to be up early (6am) for work, I was thoroughly cheesed off reading the comments of those on this forum who seemed to believe the rubbish spouted by the commentators at the game - utter tosh for the most part. Surely, by now, those who listen to radio commentary, must know the bias against ICT. We, at the game, were very vocal regarding a referee (usually reasonably good) who (as Yogi saw) seemed to believe every United player who play-acted, moaned, waved their arms, complained, whatever. Ciftci, for example, should have an Oscar for his play acting - he was involved in virtually every incident - he is a cheat, (remember the day he nearly throttled Graeme Shinnie but got off with it later), and will always be a cheat. Leopards don't change their spots and unfortunately Gary Warren is now red-carded for this United players actions. Surely it is time that the "high heid yins" in the SPFL were brave (as if) and made a stand (huh, again as if) to stamp out these actors/histrionics. They are a disgrace and have no place in football. Sorry for this rant - overtired due to lack of sleep, but......ever an avid ICT supporter, despite Ciftci and Dundee United. Onwards to Mudderwell on Saturday and then stopping any dancing in the streets of Raith!! the following Saturday.

Believe it or not, I'm only just home from this so I've had time to think about it and discuss it with my arab mates through gritted teeth. Calum Murray lost control of the game quite early on but got seriously caught up in things in the second half. Such was his lack of control that someone could easily have been seriously injured such was the level of challenge that was escalating throughout. Greg Tansey was right - it was a fight, not a game of football and we shouldn't have got drawn into it far less match up in the way taht we did. It was a gluepot of a pitch that lent it's self to that type of game - you couldn't pass a ball on that pitch. we didn't neither did they. As the team seven points behind us they had to fight and they did. Their goal came as a result of a bobbling ball in the box and it was diifficult to create clean cut chances for either side. A draw was a fair result, and maintained the status quo (i.e. we are better than them by virtue of winning more points) to this point. So where is the vast problem that has led to some of the utter cr*p above? We have no right (and neither does any other team) to turn up anywhere and expect the three points, never mind a venue as difficult as tannadice. it was a hard fought draw on the way to where we want to finish, and that point might be the crucial one that gets us into europe as much as it might be the one that denies us the chance.

There have been a few fairly daft and unrealistic comments on here since full time tonight but this one really must take the biscuit for its utterly crass cluelessness. In a sentence, there are some people complaining that a club with a turnover of less than £4 million (which would fund just over 34 minutes of the EPL on Sky/BT) but is still now enterting a third month unbeaten in all competitions, isn't consistently churning out victory after victory in the upper reaches of the SPFL Premiership against rivals with player budgets often several times as large. Does Brian have the remotest scooby about the board's strategy to fund a team which is now heading for its third season in the top six on gross revenues of less than £4 million derived from crowds which fail to hit 3000 with alarming frequency? Clearly Brian does not.

There were two dangerous incidents involving Cifti - neither involved him grabbing the linesman by the throat as we clearly saw in Inverness (it was right in front of me) and for which he got off amazingly lightly. The first where he blatantly shoves Shinnie into Meekings. That had real potential for injury and went unpunished. The second is clearly leading with the elbow on Warren.

Cheaty was at it all night. It was reminiscent of Magennis on the Saturday. Two players committing numerous fouls and the referee picking on those committing one foul. Christie booked for a shirt pull and others tripping him quite dangerously and not even getting a lecture. Ciftci did significant refereeing himself. Warren's first booking was like a mob attack on the referee by the United players. Murray clearly had not seen the offence or else he would have taken action had there been reason. I would love to see his report ...'Booked Paton and then after pleas from the United players I decided to book Warren as well. Not sure why. I did not see any offence.' I always feel refereeing is a difficult job but Murray last night did not have things under control.

The quality of reporting on BBC is utter sh!te, as is the quality of most of the pundits and football programmes that are produced (Sportscene, Sportsound, OAM, off the ball etc). Some of the commentators are OK, but most are amateurs. Unfortunately, the BBC is the window onto Scottish football and the weak presenting reflects on the product they are presenting......the last thing that Scottish football needs!

That's a horror from Cifci - he'd better get cited for that. I suspect it was difficult for the officials to see because the action was elsewhere (and another foul and flashpoint). Hopefully a ban for Cifci - he's always a danger for them.....in more ways than one!

Maybe so and it looks like both should have been sent packing. But this is where the thought of "Keep the Head", smile and walk away comes in to play. Not easy to do for most but should be the instinct of a professional footballer playing for a team in great need of discipline, example and togetherness. Surely one for the compliance officer to look at closely. From that clip it was clear that Ciftci pole-axed Warren with a forearm smash to the back of the head.

Hell, don't tell me Raven has signed a pre contract with the Dons as well....

The quality of stuff coming out of the BBC when it comes to Scottish football has been annoying me for some time, but tonight really brought things to a head. To say that the commentary lacked impartiality would be an understatement. At one point that fat erse Preston was suggesting that Utd players should go down so that the ref could even things up red card wise. Then after Raven's lucky escape, Nob Maclean said that Raven walked away sheepishly, which wasn't surprising given the club he plays for. Feck the lot of them.

Absolutely right. I'm starting to get quite bored of this constant "they hate us", "the commentators/press/referees are biased against us", "we were last on Sportscene cause they hate us" clap trap that permeates from ICT fans whenever something doesn't go our way. Some people are starting to sound like OF fans and it's fast becoming cringeworthy and tedious in the extreme.

How about we forget all this paranoia about the media being biased against us and get on with trying to win matches and qualify for Europe ? The sheep reference wasn't particularly funny but nor was it the insult of the century. We may not get much coverage the central belt media but when we do it's generally favourable.

Not sure what to make of this, but I see on BBC website the match highlights are under the heading "Rugby Union"

Fair point, I really can't think why didn't use the actual home of Haig!

saw Richie foran at inverness leisure pool tonight. was with his son in the kiddies pool, walking about. he has a brace on from his thigh to his ankle, keeping his leg straight and looks like the sides of it are screwed into either side of his knee. didn't recognise him at first, only when he said something to his son I heard the irish accent. not being active he has put on " a bit of weight " cant see him returning this year, but hopefully sometime after.

I doubt the initial incident was seen - presumably Cifci's yellow was also to do with the afters. If so, I'm sure he can still be dealt with retrospectively...but will he be?

Pure Viz classic :-) My wife is from Liverpool and will have nothing to do with the Sun. This illustrates why.

Maybe what Yogi means is that after a long look at the players, on and off the pitch, 1 or 2 may fit into our squad both in terms of talent and getting on with the rest of the squad.

Pure Viz classic :-)

Brian's comment was this:- "Again Board no conviction too scared to give decent contracts to all players so we lose players and do NOT replace them" This breaks down into three sections. Again Board no conviction - given the number of interpretations this could create, it's actually quite difficult to know what it's meant to mean. But if Brian means that he is not convinced by the Board then perhaps he should have elaborated. However in the context of what he seems to be saying, might he actually (but misguidedly) have meant to use the word "commitment" rather than "conviction"? too scared to give decent contracts to all players so we lose players - Brian seems to think that the solution to the problem of losing players is simply the macho, gung ho policy of offering sufficiently lucrative contracts to make them stay. He doesn't appear to grasp the financial realities of such a strategy, given ICT's very limited income streams, nor the consequences of attempting to match the kind of arrangements which the likes of Aberdeen and Wigan are in a position to offer. Perhaps a study of the lower leagues would help illustrate the consequences of clubs living beyond their means. and do NOT replace them - this is the issue which is being talked about most. The manager emphasised that he would only want to spend money on a player who could come straight into contention for a meaningful place and would not buy for the sake of doing so. With the kind of money available, it would not surprise me to learn that such a player did not materialise in the short window time involved. Clearly none of us knows the detailed current financial situation, but what we do know is that for the last several years, ICT has had to rely on one-off windfalls such as selling the Social Club, share investments and cup runs to keep its head above water. Consequently the Mckay transfer fee and the consequent saving of wages may well be a vital element in efforts to ensure ongoing solvency. The following three questions (with their answers) are also relevant. Do the board and manager need to take extra action to:- * avoid the catastrophe of relegation? (Obviously not) * ensure a top six finish? (Very probably not.) * expose the club to financial losses, as St Johnstone and Motherwell reportedly have sustained in the recent past, as a result of becoming obliged to play in Europe? (I would suggest they do not.) I obviously have no detailed personal knowledge of the Board's deliberations. But given the poor financial reputation that a limited European run has acquired and the consequences for the close season, it is not entirely inconceivable that the optimum area of the league to finish may be 4th - 6th (ideally 4th) where the only down side of missing the top 3 is the loss of the somewhat modest marginal SPFL prize money. Two things I do know, though. There is only a very narrow financial route which allows a club with ICT's income streams to stay in the Premiership at all. And historically from before day 1, ICT has been phenomenally successful in passing through various marginally navigable channels so has plenty of experience of that.

Seriously speechless! You know me that doesn't happen often.....lol

But SPFL clearly also shows that Raven should have got a second yellow as well - but how did the ref miss the blatant Shift push on Shinnie in the first half. A clear yellow. And if Marley had left is leg in instead of hurdling there would have been two Arab keepers dismissed.

That's not a foul by Ciftci, that's assault. Given the action elsewhere on the park one can understand how the officials only saw Warren's reaction and therefore you cannot fault them for sending Warren off but not Ciftci. What the authorities do is perhaps another matter. It is the sort of behaviour which should result in a very lengthy ban indeed.

Sneaky and should have been punished but at the end of the day it was what the ref and linesman saw that counts. Retaliation gets punished too. Warren was clearly set up but also reacted.

Maybe so and it looks like both should have been sent packing. But this is where the thought of "Keep the Head", smile and walk away comes in to play. Not easy to do for most but should be the instinct of a professional footballer playing for a team in great need of discipline, example and togetherness. I agree, but often easier to say than do. Having said that, if one of the green erse-cheeks goes right through Ciftci during one of their games, I won't be too upset.

Its all very well finding players but finding players that;ll fit into our system and budget is probably a different proposition. If the right person isavailable then get him on the books. If he's not then do the best with what we have. Under other managers we had a habit of paying wages forpeople who didn't have what we needed. Lets steer clear of doing that again. Yes agree Alex but I think that is what Butcher did well , finding players that fitted in and were within budget, our current squad is most made up of these type of players that he found

DU home to Partick, away to us and Celtic, home to County then a derby and home to Hamilton. Going on their current form I can see them only picking up 8 pts from those games. ICT away Motherwell, home DU, away Partick, home Dundee, away Aberdeen, home Celtic. Realistically I see 8 pts from these which would put us into the split still 7 above DU. For me third is what we hold onto and anything else is a bonus.

Can't remember why I didn't risk embarrassing myself with a prediction, but I see that Dougal predicted we would be 10th behind County and Hamilton would be bottom. Perhaps that is why he has been so quiet recently.

It's tough at the top! By definition, being in the top 6 means we'll have a hard set of fixtures coming up - the fact that we end the pre-spit fixtures with United, Aberdeen and Celtic just adds spice to the mix. What it means is that where we finish is entirely in our own hands - win them all and we might well be champions!

Yip. As the OP I have cause to be more embarrassed and more surprised than most.

If we had had a viable contingency plan to replace Billy there is every chance that we would be battling it out with the Dons for second place and the kudos, extra place money and starting a round later in Europe that goes with it rather than trying to fend off United to stay in third. As I said earlier in this thread, difficult to be too critical this season but nevertheless disappointing.

Bump! Well, this is embarrassing! I'm sure I'm not the only one that totally underestimated Hamilton. I also had County as having a comfortable season. Plenty can happen yet, but it's always interesting to look back at your predictions! but, happily, I'd forgotten I had us for a top-six finish, but I didn't see the demise of Motherwell. Scrolling down, I think most folk would have been stunned at 'well not being top 6, let alone in a relegation battle!

It's not the number of cautions, I think. Each caution attracts a number of points, and you get suspended when you pass a threshold. I thought that cautions were 1 or 2 points and you got suspended at 12 points (most cautions are 2 points) so 6 bookings usually sees you banned, but if Marley was banned after 5 maybe they have changed the rules again. You used to be able to get all this stuff off the sfa website, but I'm darned if I can find it now. So much for transparency!

Dundee Utd 1 ICT 1 Composure 0 Sour grapes from Tansey? Ref did have one of those nights but , given how the match started, we should have put it to bed. Credit to Dundee Utd. I thought they played really well. Not a disaster by any means but games like that will take their toll.............in tiredness, injuries and disciplinary points. Onwards and upwards. Mre Naelifts makes her seasonal debut at 'Well. She is renowned for attending 0 0 matches ....................but I have promised her that won't happen this time Good crowd tonight

There have been a few fairly daft and unrealistic comments on here since full time tonight but this one really must take the biscuit for its utterly crass cluelessness. In a sentence, there are some people complaining that a club with a turnover of less than £4 million (which would fund just over 34 minutes of the EPL on Sky/BT) but is still now enterting a third month unbeaten in all competitions, isn't consistently churning out victory after victory in the upper reaches of the SPFL Premiership against rivals with player budgets often several times as large. Does Brian have the remotest scooby about the board's strategy to fund a team which is now heading for its third season in the top six on gross revenues of less than £4 million derived from crowds which fail to hit 3000 with alarming frequency? Clearly Brian does not. I am fairly sure Brian is not suggesting that we sign RVP or Harry Kane but a lower league striker with a bit of experience , the fact that we have a couple on trail now means we intend to sign one , why now one month after Billy left when it was fairly obvious that he would be leaving. As Kingsmills said we are the only side in the league without a recognised striker, yes the club are doing brilliantly on the the field but it's a very fine line , look at Motherwell flying high for seasons and now facing relegation if we don't replace players we lose we could head the same way. As you seem to know more about the boards strategy than most , what is is, lose our players and not replace them ?

Don't think Brian has looked in to that side of it too deeply. I think he's just psssed off that we didn't win a game that was there for the taking!

That was the most frustrating and bizarre game I have seen in a while. Apart from the first 10 mins I thought we looked disjointed and didn't know where too pass. The old hoof it up was in place rather than Hughes' sexy passing game! Ref was card happy but some challenges deserved it and maybe should have been more while some United tackles same as ours went unpunished. Who knows what will happen next week.....

I cant help thinking we need a very strong Captain to lead us we are losing the grip.