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Regardless of views on ability of players coaches and management we are where we are and don't have the means or resources to change it. People are entitled to express their displeasure at poor performances but they need to check their expectations and appreciate that negativity may not help. As a side note I didn't hear anything which I would have said was abusive. I also didn't see any players not trying but a few did seem to go into their shells a bit. Not saying we should be heaping false praise on them but perhaps a positive and understanding crowd would be more encouraging to get them out of it again.

Credit where credit is due. Cove came with a game plan and executed it brilliantly. They knew that we would come out looking to be positive and they pressed us really hard giving us very little time of the ball and forcing errors. Our approach left us a little short at the back and this was exploited by quick, well supported breaks. It was a high energy, high risk strategy and with just 5 subs on the bench it probably took us by surprise. It paid off for them with 2 early goals helped by some rather panicked defending. Their high energy pressing game was not sustainable and they were happy to sit a bit deeper and soak up pressure after the 2 goals. We pulled one back and had we been a bit more clinical we could have got an equaliser before half time. Had we done so, I would have fancied us to win. Alas it was not to be. We then conceded a very soft 3rd goal early in the 2nd half which knocked the confidence out of the team. Just when the team most needed the support of the home fans, many of our "fans" turned against the team, further denting the confidence. Time and again players would simply pass square, or back so that the responsibility for trying to do something positive was passed on with the ball. Only Longstaff was showing any real attacking intent. Meanwhile Cove continued to press aggressively whenever we did find a bit of space. They also deployed the tactic of feigning injury whenever they were tackled which allowed the rest of the team to have a minute or two to catch their breath. Their attitude was exemplified by Doyle who went up for a set piece late in the game with them with a 2 goal advantage. The ball went out for a goal kick which Musa was looking to take quickly. Doyle got his head down and literally sprinted back into his own half, shouted instructions to his team mates and then won the header from Musa's long kick. We were far from our best today and the way Cove out-thought, out-fort and out-played us will have damaged the players' confidence. As Charles so rightly says, these young players desperately need the support of the fans in this particularly difficult time for the club. Late in the game one of our lads got behind the defence and put a ball into the box. It wasn't a great ball and the keeper comfortably gathered it, but at least the lad had got into the good position and played the ball into the box. Next time, a better ball might result in a goal. Some of us applauded his effort but one loud voice several rows down shouted "You're f***ing useless" at the young lad. How the hell is that going to help anyone? Next time the lad might not run into the space or will look for a safer ball to play so he doesn't get abused like that. If you are moronic enough to abuse your own players, at least have the decency to do it from the South Stand. After all, it only helps one team - and it is not ICT.

Rant incoming! I am totally appalled at the complete boneheads in the stand who were booing the team off the park today. And no… I don’t buy into the entitled “we’ve paid our money so we can do what we want” nonsense. Sorry, if you have a self esteem problem or similar, creating some fundamental need for the regular gratification of witnessing sporting success that prompts the need to boo when you don’t get what you want… then please go and watch American Wrestling or something else where booing is considered to make a contribution. This is a football club that is fighting for its life and the team and management have been doing a damned good job of helping to rescue it from a situation that isn’t of their making and was created by persons now mercifully no longer here. Sure, today’s performance was very poor and that was willingly acknowledged during post match interviews - where one interviewee, without being prompted, volunteered that the squad had found this idiocy very unsettling. If these clowns claim to be genuine supporters of this club, as opposed to entitled glory hunters, then they need to get a grip and realise that the only thing behaviour like this is going to do is to demoralise and undermine this young, progressing side - to the detriment of the club. OK… that’s my say on this appalling nonsense which is putting this club in danger of slipping back in its gallant fight against oblivion, and if anyone is offended at what I’ve said or would seek to justify what happened, I would reply “Tough… and maybe take a damned good look at yourself.” (And please desist from spouting cliches about Happy Clappers.) These players and coaches need all the constructive support they can get.

A bad day at the office. It always happens. Regroup and move on.

Here we go again!! Simply devoid of the football facts. I will continue to refute any excuse that the current management and players had no part in the club being relegated last season. It is delusional to spout - ‘It was all the fault of the previous managers, RM, SG and Board’. The sooner we stop feeling sorry for ourselves and coming up with excuses the better I believe we will perform.

This may sound rich coming from me so feel free to call me out as long as it's respectful but anyone questioning the management really need their heads examined because Kells has been our best manager in a very long time so really should be backed by us even after results like yesterday and I for one am going to give him the benefit of the doubt too . I think he knows as well as we do that yes we are probably in desperate need of reinforcements but, unless Alan Savage backs him then these signings will be few and far between so we have to accept that! Anyway, it's good to see youngsters such as Robbie Thompson and Ben Gardiner (to name only 2) get more opportunities than they got under the previous manager . 2025 is a new year so let's hope it's a successful one for us . Happy New Year to fellow fans for Wednesday morning, it's a privilege being part of this forum even when we disagree with each others opinions etc , I wouldn't want to be a member of any other forum and tbh that's compliments to the mods etc .

The current management team had no or virtually no influence over the dire situation that prevailed across the club when the administrators took over in October. On the football side, the buck stopped with Duncan Ferguson as manager, and since his departure there has been a marked overall improvement in performance, despite the loss of a number of players. Then in turn, Ferguson’s very probably wrong appointment was the responsibility of the Board and specifically of Scot Gardiner who went out of his way publicly to claim “credit” for that appointment. However, in the grander scheme of things, I don’t believe that more technical football factors are most responsible for the mess this club got into. Results were simply the end product of a chain of incompetence. From a point years ago, not all that long after winning the Scottish Cup, this club was seriously corporately mismanaged, and in a manner that got progressively worse under the Morrison-Gardiner partnership. I’m not again going into stuff like the unbelievable manner in which the directors and CEO sat for years and watched debt accumulate as the club descended into administrative torpor, but that’s the root cause of this entire disaster. However now that Gardiner, Morrison and, less fundamentally, Ferguson have gone, new club management and governance from top to tail needs to be given every chance to try to rescue a situation that, we hope, is not beyond salvation. A mercifully small rump of idiots in the stand booing a group of people who are doing their best to play their part in sorting this - simply because said “fans” haven’t received their necessary dose of self-gratification - isn’t part of this worthy effort.

Fans turned up, pity the players did not. Seen some really good performances in the last couple weeks at Cove ,Montrose and Stenhousemuir but that was just woeful. Feeble defending set the tone for a terrible afternoon in a game we were never in. Hope it's just a bad day, but said that after Arbroath turned us over a couple of weeks ago.

Halfway through our season, we are 9 points behind Annan. If we hadn't had 15 points deducted, we'd be 6 points ahead of them. Survival in League One must be our main goal this season. So, assuming that Annan's form remains the same, in the New Year we need to be a bit better than we were in the first half of the season, if we are to reach safety in 8th spot. Just a wee bit better - not a complete turnaround, about half a point a game better. Given that we no longer have Ferguson holding us back, I think that there is a fighting chance of achieving that!

Nae defence (literally), nae attack, nae bovril!! Positives # Dibaga - saved us from a thumping. # Longstaff - our only real threat. # Didn't rain. We had some spurts of nice passing in non-threatening areas, but that was it. Outfought, outclassed and out-thought. Put down to a bad day. Move on!

Simple football facts. Ignore them if you wish. No virtual about it, 18/5/24 ICTFC 2 Hamilton 3. Certain Billy McKay and L Longstaff were keys players that day I understand. Scott Kellacher was as I understand part of the coaching and trading since 2010, so directly has been influential in the quality, standard and strength of the players over the period. (Happy to be corrected). Sorry you say this but the Earth is not Flat! You continue to punt your line and I will stick to publishing and face the facts. bc

I shall try again with phoning the club tomorrow!

And would have been even lower without the seasonal yellow card bonus points!

We have had our names put on seats twice. The first time was when the North and South stands opened and as stated it was £10 I think. We had to move seats when our children became too old for the KB family area and we got it done again. This was years later, and it was still £10. It is lovely to see your name on your seat and would be a great gift to buy for any fan. The names seem to last forever and I would probably pay more now to get this. Maybe the club could make more of it (it must be even easier to do nowadays with technology that could use different fonts and colours etc), and it could be a good little earner for the club if it was well publicised (mony a mickel maks a muckle and all that).

The only thing that went in our favour was that Annan lost too. January is going to be critical for our season as we have our game in hand against Queens, and we also play Dumbarton and Annan - all 3 are must win games.

Sorry, but no. We were beaten 4-1. End of.

Oh dear!! Onwards and upwards lol

Jeez, If there was ever a team that didn't turn up, That was it today! Way too much turkey lads. Looked off the pace, slow to every ball / second ball, Created zilch, defence was sloppy ( Diagba saved us from a real humping). And once again the home fans suffer.. why? Reality check today and back to earth with a huge bump and to make matters worse a veritable 6 pointer with Dumbarton next week FFS. Longstaff MOM for going sideways and one shot to the back of the north stand.

I don’t know what strength and conditioning they do, but certainly the players seem to be lasting the 90 minutes a bit better now than they were a couple of months ago (which is a different issue.) To achieve strength gain, you really need at least two specific strength sessions a week. It’s maybe also worth remembering that many of these players are still young boys who won’t yet have reached their full strength capacity.

Today’s performance was as bad as I’ve seen in a very long time! Hopefully it’s just a blip on the radar. If it wasn’t for Musa that could have been 6 or 7. Ethan Cairns did well when he came on, hopefully he gets a run in the team. Serious question. Do our players do gym work? Keith Bray, Adam Mackinonn and Robbie Thompson to name a few get nudged off the ball far too easily. Surely the club should be putting these guys through strength and conditioning programs.

Everyone can / should have a rant! That’s part of the joy of attending matches. Yes the team/club is fighting for its life, but let’s not condemn any criticism from what was a rotten performance today with very few exceptions. It was a no-show by our team today and that happens, so let’s recognise that and hope we learn and move on. Big game coming up next week. If I have a choice I would take loosing today against Cove if we win next Saturday. bc

Get what you are saying, but rightly so, fans have a right to be angry. OK maybe some have gone over the top, but that was 4 going on 5 or 6 today. FFS we were completely battered at home by Cove, a team we completely dominated only a matter of weeks ago in the last league fixture.

FT 1-4 and Cove should’ve scored a couple more. They were just better than us all over the pitch and our players looked a bit lost and aimless at times.

Sharpie

That's got to be the lowest points return since the NPL began!