dead_ball_specialist

Yesterday was like the Challenge Cup Final debacle all over again. For me the biggest weakness in our team is a lack of defensive cover from midfield. The best anchor man in our squad (imo) is Gavin Morrison. I would put him in as the holding midfielder next week to help support our back 4. Also agree with shouts to give Jonny Tuffey a start. Esson shouldn't be made the scapegoat for our shocking goals against tally, but his performances this season haven't been up to his usual standards. Tuffey deserves a chance.

Fancy a change

Agree. Esson is a good keeper but you have to admit he has conceded some soft goals this season. Motherwell at home is one example. Tuffey is also a top class keeper who's been biding his time waiting for a chance. If 18 games without a clean sheet isn't enough to give him a shot what is? It's not just about shot stopping. Tuffey is much more vocal in organising the defense, which is exactly what we need.

The other teams are more streetwise than us when it comes to these matters. None of us complained about all the penalties and free kicks Barry Wilson won when he went to ground after minimal contact. If you're fouled GO DOWN, if it's a bad foul STAY DOWN. It's not cheating, it's common sense.

Also heard the entire Celtic end chanting 'fenian army' a few times. I bet these same people would cause a huge stink if they heard anyone else using the word. Absolute morons, every single one.

The Fenians (English pronunciation: /ˈfiːnɪənz/), both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century... Fenianism, according to O'Mahony, was symbolised by two principles: firstly, that Ireland has a natural right to independence, and secondly, that that right could be won only by an armed revolution.

What in the heck does any of this have to do with Scottish football in 2011? How many in the Celtic end are actually Irish? They're Scottish born and bred, so are their parents. They have absolutly nothing to do with any Irish paramilitary organisation. They're just a bunch of losers living in a fantasy world. These are the same kind of people who join gangs and cults, who need to be part of a group to compensate for their low self esteem. They all need to grow up and get a life.

Oh, and what on earth was the deal with that 'Famine and Oppression' banner in the Celtic end? Judging by the waistlines of the away support, there ain't been no famine anywhere near them.

Can't fault ICT today. The Celtic players were a disgrace, just a bunch of diving, cheating, injury feigning b******s. Their constant nagging of the referee to book ICT players was also pathetic. They couldn't have picked a better referee to con, absolute tube.

I really like Dunfermline. Quite a beautiful city, as is the Kingdom of Fife.

So who is the King of Fife?

Are you watching Craig Levein?

With all the negativity around at the moment I thought it was worth starting a thread to highlight one of the positives thats emerged this season. Over the past few weeks Andrew Shinnie has established himself as a first team starter with some impressive displays. In particular his technique, close control, composure and vision with the ball have stood out. I would say he's one of the best youngsters ICT has ever had. I can't think of many 22 year olds playing in the SPL who are better prospects than him. There's every chance he could develop into a full Scotland international (something Charlie could and should have achieved imo) does anyone else agree?

Good performance from the team today. Meekins, Sutherland and Hogg made a big difference. Foran was much more effective out on the left. We deserved 3 points imo but thats football. 9 times out of 10 Lasleys long range punt ends up in the stands and Hatleys free kick comes back off the wall. Just not our day.

--------------Esson----------------

Meekins--Tokely--Golobart--G Shinnie

----------------Cox-------------------

Ross-------------------------Gillet

------------A Shinnie---------------

---Sutherland--------Tade----------

But I see us as the Beverly Hillbillies. We won the jackpot, we moved into the SPL and we are here to stay. If it upsets you, tough.

Tade, Esson, A Shinnie and our 3 substitutes all played well. Everyone else was either terrible or anonymous. Piemayr, Foran and Tansey all need to be dropped next week. Just not good enough. End of. I suggest...

1) Meekins in for Piemayr.

2) Sutherland in for Foran.

3) Ross in for Tansey in centre midfield and Gillet filling in on the left flank.

It ain't working Butcher, you gotta change it man.

Whats wrong with the club and why is it David Sutherlands fault???

Leveins cry of progress bears little hard evidence, Stephen Halliday

PROGRESS, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is development towards an improved or more advanced condition. According to Craig Levein, it is what Scotland have achieved under his guidance during the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

But this morning, Scotland find themselves in a place which looks and feels depressingly familiar. Third place in Group I, with just three wins from the eight matches played, can hardly be regarded as firm evidence of the kind of improvement and advancement suggested by the manager.

George Burley also oversaw three victories from eight games during the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign as Scotland limped to a third place finish in their group behind Netherlands and Norway. In trailing behind Spain and the Czech Republic this time around, albeit with a point more than two years ago, Levein can scarcely be said to have done significantly better than his predecessor.

Like Burley, he went into the last match of the campaign hoping for an unlikely victory against the top seeded nation in the group to salvage a place in the play-offs. Last nights 3-1 defeat in Spain was no less surprising and no more deserving of criticism than the 1-0 Hampden loss suffered against the Dutch.

Scotland were predictably outclassed by the world champions who have dissected the defences of far better teams in the manner they did with David Silvas superbly struck double and David Villas equally deadly finish.

But although it took until the finale of Group I for Czech Republic to confirm their presence in tomorrows play-off draw in Krakow at Scotlands expense, the most telling damage was sustained at the outset. In dropping five points from their first three games, Scotland were left playing a game of catch-up which was always likely to prove beyond them.

Leveins assertion that he didnt know the players at his disposal well enough, or what system to deploy them in, during those opening assignments is more than a little bewildering. One of his staunchest defenders in the media even offered the curious view recently that had the SFA dispensed with Burleys services sooner, rather than allowing him to oversee the friendly defeats against Japan and Wales in autumn 2009, then Levein would have been better able to lay the foundations for a successful Euro 2012 campaign.

But Levein, appointed on 23 December 2009, had more than eight months to prepare for the task ahead. Notwithstanding his own decision to play just two friendly matches in that time, the 1-0 defeat of the Czechs at Hampden in March 2010 and the somewhat shambolic 3-0 defeat in Sweden five months later, it is difficult to credit he was so uncertain of his squads capabilities when Group I got underway.

It was not, after all, as if he radically reshaped the pool of players used by Burley in the previous qualification campaign. Seven of Leveins starting line-up in Alicante last night were all regulars under his predecessor Allan McGregor, Alan Hutton, Gary Caldwell, Christophe Berra, Darren Fletcher, James Morrison and Steven Naismith. But for injury, two more of Burleys mainstays, Scott Brown and Kenny Miller, would also have been named by Levein against Spain.

The qualities of all of those players, their strengths and weaknesses, have surely been apparent to anyone involved in coaching or management at the higher echelons of Scottish football for several years now.

It is why Leveins lack of boldness at the start of the Group I journey constitutes such a lingering stain on his tenure. The insipid 0-0 draw against Lithuania in Kaunas was the first evidence of the lack of conviction which underpinned his almost universally derided decision to deploy the cringeworthy 4-6-0 formation in Prague the following month.

The powerful sense that the 1-0 defeat against a demonstrably mediocre Czech side would haunt the Scots has proved correct. Levein, who remains defiant in his belief the tactics used in Prague were justifiable, will instead point to last months 2-2 draw at home to the Czechs as the pivotal stage of the campaign.

Jan Rezeks double for Michal Bileks side in their 4-1 win against Lithuania in Kaunas last night would only stoke the sense of injustice burning within Levein who felt the striker should have been serving a suspension for his act of simulation which earned the penalty at Hampden which denied Scotland victory.

Dutch referee Kevin Blom, who also refused Scotland a stoppage time spot-kick in similar circumstances when Christophe Berra tumbled theatrically at the other end, is another convenient scapegoat which it comes to apportioning blame for failure to progress to next summers finals in Poland and Ukraine.

When the action kicks off in Warsaw on 8 June, Scotland will be on the outside looking in for a seventh successive major finals. While many Tartan Army foot soldiers will still be cursing Rezek and Blom, there is an equally sizeable contingent who consider Levein just as culpable for the national teams latest disappointment.

The trio of wins yielded from his first campaign were all achieved by a single goal margin. Two of them were against tiny Liechtenstein, the first in excruciating fashion at Hampden with a 97th minute winner; the other at home to a low-grade Lithuania.

Ahead of a 2014 World Cup qualifying group which sees Scotland pitted against Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Macedonia and Wales, Leveins definition of progress, which he described as enormous improvement last night, is not easy to share.

Source

I've said it before and here I go again. Until we get a decent experienced central controlling defender in we are going to struggle big time. I can't believe how our management team of ex international defenders couldn't see this and continued to attract a load of lightweight mid fielders to the club. All this being done whilst off loading a tried and tested central defender whose new club now top the 1st division.

Next week now becomes a relegation battle.

Pavels Mihadjuks?

1) Paterson

2) Butcher

3) Robertson

4) Brewster

Charlie inherited a good team and walked out when he had us bottom of the table below Gretna with zero points. Can't put him on the list.

Baltacha, too long ago to remember. Did ok considering it was our first season in senior football, gubbed County to stop them going up. Probably better than Christie imo but nothing special.

For me, in no particular order ....

Celtic 1-3 ICT - (Feb 8th game of course)

Hearts 1-3 ICT - another cup upset

ICT 4-3 Ayr - what a game, 0-3 down at HT

ICT 7-3 Ayr - another classic with Denzil on top form

Livi 4-3 ICT - an iconic game and lives long in memory because of Bill Leckie's article about it. Also remeber the contrast with the OF game the next day where Dallas was hit with a coin. The good and bad of Scottish football all in one weekend.

As site admin, going to squeeze another one in .....

ICT 0-3 Rangers @ Tannadice in the cup. We may have lost but I think this was the day where many ICT fans realised we were in the big time ... Goram, Gazza, Laudrup, McCoist playing against the wee team from the sneck in a proper fixture not just a friendly !!!!

All of those, plus

6) The 3-2 home win against Livi in the Scottish cup at a snowy Telford Street Park. Some of the best attacking football we ever played. Thommo, Christie, Teasedale and Daisy all playing a blinder. And a last minute winner from Alan Hercher at the Howden end.

7) The Inverness Cup final in 1995 when we humped County 5-2 at Clach Park. Great atmosphere in the segregated Wine Shed, Teasdales debut and a goal, Ian Stewart hat-trick, the faces on the County fans on the other side of the fence - brilliant. Even Daisy Ross played like Ronaldo.

1) Barry Wilson

2) Roy McBain

3) Charlie Christie

4) Paul Sheerin

5) Richie Hart

1) Paul Ritchie

2) Dennis Wyness

3) Adam Rooney

4) Ian Stewart

5) Craig Dargo

1) Ian McArthur

2) Bobby Mann

3) Darren Dods

4) Stuart Golabeck

5) Ross Tokely

1) Tokely (has never conceded a goal)

2) Calder

3) Esson

4) Brown

5) Tuffey

honourable mentions also to Les Fridge and Zigi Malkowski.

Why should anyone care? Not being sarcastic, just wondering if you can explain what the diffences are between the 2 and their plans for the future of the club?

Who on earth could we realistically bring in that could achieve any better?

Maybe.