Leaderboard

I have created a new video showing Billy McKay's best and most important goals for ICT throughout the last couple of seasons! Feedback would be appreciated, thanks :)

Icarus

Johndo, if you like watching football it might well be entertaining. Dundee parked the bus here, and only came into the game when we got overanxious about it in the last 15 minutes or so. It's not as if we didn'y create chances - Warren, Shinnie and Draper could have scored. Both teams tried to play football, and if we had got Hartley as manager there's a fair bit to indicate here that the end result would look remarkably similar to the Hughes model. I'm not sure about being bored by a passing game (even if it doesn't always come off) but I'd sure as hell rather be bored by that than leathering the ball upfield into the corners and chasing it pell mell. 4 points out of six for the first two games? Happy with that. PS: Hamilton's result tonight puts into perspective how well we did against them on saturday - there's no mugs in this league.

I don't want Yogi to fail. I have never met him but he comes over as an amiable decent character. It doesn't stop me having concerns about his track record and ongoing shortcomings as a manager. I still can't understand why there are those to continue to equate expressing doubts about his ability with an eagerness for him to fail.

In the post-match interview on the BBC, Hughes acknowledged a lack of creativity and imagination in the final third. It's good that he acknowledges this, but isn't it unrealistic to expect that all our opportunities should come from a 'piece of magic' (which is how he put it), based on a patient build-up from the back? Surely there's a place for playing a higher line at some points in the game, pressing the ball more and trying to force opponents into mistakes, as well, of course, as switching the ball out to the wings and trying to get in behind them. We do have the players to mix it up like this, I think.

Not impressed with this style of play. Possession is fine but you have to do something with it. So frustrating watching them pass in to a congested midfield when there was acres of space on the wings. Against better opposition we will struggle. Positives, clean sheet, another point, Marley Watkins creates forward movement.

Not the worst result in the world and a decent start to the season. 4 points from 6 and no goals conceded.

What I was very happy about, was the movement off the ball. Far improved on last season and I was also very impressed on how we won the ball back when we did lose it. We really are putting players under pressure now and hounding the ball now, instead of sitting back and waiting for it to arrive. While I didn't think that we were going full pelt, had we not had the two lucky brakes for the goals, we've have found a way of scoring anyway. We played very well and I thought that Hughes got it absolutely right. If we carry on as we did on Saturday and improve on it still, we should be top six yet again.

Not one to live long in the memory - instantly forgettable. But to be honest, tonight's result is largely unimportant when we take into consideration the bigger picture on this historic day. Exactly 20 years ago (13th Aug 1994) the club played it's first ever league game - a fixture with Arbroath that we won 5-2. Look at us now! Forget tonight - it's of no consequence in the grand scheme of the ICT journey - remember how far we've come in a short time! Happy Birthday ICT. In 5 minutes (from posting) the club moves proudly into its third decade!

The Academy finest

Except maybe County.

I said it many times last season and I will keep saying it until Yogi gets the message, why is Vincent in the team ahead of Watkins? Once again Vincent was ineffective.

Mostly agree with what's being said about tonight's match. I just feel Billy Mckay is being wasted in this system. He'll still score goals but won't be quite as prolific as he previously was. In my opinion, he is one of the best 'off the shoulder' strikers in the league. He is brilliant at running in behind and into the channels. Under Hughes, he is forced to constantly play with his back to goal. We're not playing to his strengths and are simply not going to get the best out of him.

Yawn - if you got 3 points for possession I could understand Hughes philosophy, but you don't........ Second half improved when Watkins came on, we then brought on Doran and I thought yes - two wingers! But no we move them inside and play them behind Billy and Ryan ends up further back where he is less effective. Our formation for the last 25 minutes appeared to be 4-2-1-2-1. Hughes praised Shinnie and Raven for getting down the wing, it's a shame he won't let our wingers play there. Billy had few chances (one I think), I can see this being a long season as I can't see us scoring many goals. And finally, he takes off Raven who kept us in the game and puts on Horner who made no impact - a change in formation to 4-4-1-1 would likely to have been more effective or bringing on Ross for Christie (who I thought had a great game).

Completely agree with what Alex Jones has said players seem to be taking 5 seconds longer to play a pass than we were at the start of last season. The build up play is so slow that a pub side could defend against it. A short spell of 5-10 minutes at the start of the second half the ball was moved quicker when we looked a little more threatening but that soon passed (pardon the pun) and we were back to the slow tippy tappy play.

Don't really know how to sum it up - we weren't bad as such, but we were never really looking likely to score. Got to say, a few decisions near the end in/around the box went in our favour and Dundee wasted a few late opportunities (several of which were gifted to them by us!). It looked as though Vincent went off due to injury, but Marley Watkins without doubt earned a starting place regardless. Nothing worked for Vincent, I genuinely felt sympathy for him as we've seen such an entirely different - superior - player in the past. Can't say Doran offered anything which merited a starting slot, he's going to have a fight on his hands to displace Williams who showed fantastic close control under pressure, even if he faded out of the game as it went on. Shinnie and Raven were the only players who went anywhere near the touchlines. Not conceded and unbeaten, can't complain!

By the time we get the ball into the final third the other team have everyone behind the ball and in position - there's no space to attack. I don't have a problem with building moves from the back, but the current style is just too slow , rigid and predictable. There's no variation. No free flowing moves. No getting in behind. No overloads. Anyone get the impression that Hughes is over-coaching the team? The crazy tippy tappy stuff under pressure in our own third almost cost us the game towards the end. Can't fault the players tonight, bar Vincent who kept giving the ball away. Watkins made a huge difference when introduced. Horner also impressive.

Really frustrating stuff at times tonight. Too many times we take the easy option and pass back or sideways in promising positions. Some nice play at times between 18 yard boxes but no ideas in the final third. I'm all for keeping possession and fighting to get it back (which I admit we did quite well tonight) but there is a real lack of threat in the final third of the park. A better team would have taken the 2/3 chances that Dundee had and made us pay for some very slow and predictable play.

That was grim..very rarely have I seen an ICT side turn away from the wide space when its available and turn into difficult congested areas so much in a game. I know its early days but it is rather worrying.

Well it's going to be long season if that performance is to go by. Pretty passing yes I agree but I'm sure the idea is to go forward and not sideways or backwards most of the time and ultimately put the wee round thing in the back o the net. There was an improvement when we got Watkins on and yes we did have a few chances, but tippy tappy nae for me.

My worry with the Hughes style is that it will work well for us away from home where teams will come onto us and we can counter or capitalise on a mistake like on sat. But at home with the onus on us as the home team to play and put the pressure on we don't seem to get forward quick enough or get enough support to make more chances. I hope as the season goes on maybe we will be braver at home and start to capitalise on chances we create. Still to early to make assumptions and we did have 12 shots on goal so we will have to wait and see what Yogi himself has to say and the fans at the game.

Smee how many have you got in it I can help fill it if you need it

Looks like we need another striker which everybody seems to know apart from Hughes

Yeh! let's get rid of our best player in return for some doughball who can't get a game for Inverness city. I represent the above mentioned Inverness City player and i can categorically state that he is not interested in a move right now. He wants to stay and fight for his place.

Most of the happy clappers on here are more akin to the trolls from what I can see. Most seem to spend most of their time attacking other posters, as opposed to actually going into an in-depth reasoning into what they think, particularly in regards to tactics and new ideas etc.

It makes sense really because Billy is the sort of striker than the Germans in particular tend to favour. Looking at Tomato Terrace's excellent video of Billy's goals I was reminded of the video showing all of Miroslav Klose's record number of world cup goals where his longest range strike was a penalty! Germany previously had Gerhard Muller in a similar role. These sort of players may not be spectacular but they can be very good at winning football matches. The Germans appreciate them and know their worth. If we are talking in the region of £500K then that is the sort of level where the next stage up gets into silly money. Whatever fee Billy may eventually go for (and go he certainly will at some point) it will be important to get a clause which gives ICT benefit from any subsequent move. Another point to make is that whilst I would expect Billy to score a good few if he stays here, the need to get a replacement or back up is probably not as urgent as some folk think. The style of play Yogi is bringing in is a bit more fluid and not reliant on a traditional striker role. We have several players capable of scoring and who, in the style of play, will get into scoring positions. A windfall from selling Billy might be best spent on securing longer term contracts for key players like Shinnie and Christie rather than an out and out proven replacement. Yes we will need to bring at least one more striker in but in my view we should be looking for someone with the potential to develop within the team we have and who won't break the bank - which is what we did when we signed Billy in the first place.

I don't think anyone wants Hughes to fail. I have met Yogi on numerous occasions , before and since he became the manager, and I like him a lot finding him knowledgeable, funny and interesting. I'm just not convinced by the tactics he wants to play but hope above hope that he's right and I'm totally wrong and I think a lot of people feel the same.

Pedant alert: If it's a Bundesliga 2 side it's FSV Frankfurt rather than Eintracht who are Budesliga 1.

I've never been a Negative Nancy. I am a realist.

The press must be reading this. The players all seem happy with the way we play, Hughes is happy with the way we play, we have a near perfect pre-season and a good win that could have been a lot more. It's obvious the press are scared that a "wee team" in their words has another fantastic season so they are trying to unsettle the team by putting him one of the favorites to get sacked, questioning the way he plays. Fact is players are happy, Hughes is happy, we are playing really good football and creating a lot of chances, we are winning so really who cares what the press say they have underestimated us so often and for all i care they can keep doing it but we are just gonna keep making upsets

If he becomes a subject of an exceptional bid before the end of August we will blame it on this video. Having said that, his volley against County is my favourite so leaving that out might keep the likes of Rotherham at bay..

That was quality stuff, well done!!

Great watch he will be a huge gap to fill when he does eventually leave the club whenever that is Still think if Yogi got a decent striking partner in beside Billy you would get even more goals out of him Dougal

Shows just how good an opportunist he is, he must be worth a couple of million to open the bidding.

That was excellent, well done. You even managed to find a penalty he scored!

Where the gherkins was his goal v County in the 3 - 3 Cup game in Dingwall?

Good video, lets hope he gets keeps it going with another tomorrow night!

Great stuff. And it was good to see you wearing your ICT away top on the Monday and the Friday of your holiday 4 weeks ago. Stalker alert! Stalker alert!

I considered making that change, but I thought Williams was good on Saturday and deserves to keep his place.

Good update there from Yogi. Another 3 pts against Dundee tomorrow evening will do nicely :-)

Biggin, how about creating another Head to Head league for those that didn't get in in time? It looks like there's enough people... A Head2Head Championship?!

In the Women's under 20 international match Canada, playing against Finland, brought on two subs within minutes of each other in the second half and both subs scored within 3-5 minutes of taking the field. That brought the score back to par 2-2 and made the game far more interesting. Final score was Canada 3 Finland 2. Good game .

Brill Raven Warren Meekings Shinnie Tansey Draper Watkins Christie Williams Mckay Subs - Esson, Tremarco, Ross, Vincent, Doran, Polworth, Horner