dead_ball_specialist

Agree with most of that, although perhaps a bit harsh on McAllister, he was no worse than Wyness. Neither of them got any decent service but were equally guilty of failing to hold up the ball when they got it, it kept going straight back. It was a very poor result but compared to last seasons St Midden debacle, it wasn't a disaster. Points against the OF are always a bonus, we shouldn't be unrealistic with our expectations. Last season's 7 out of 9 against the Huns was a once in a blue (excuse the pun) mooner, it isn't going to happen very often! Have we ever had a GOOD start to a season? Even back in the 3rd division it took us a while to get going. When we won the 3rd division by 20 points, only 6 games in we weren't even on the radar screen as far as the bookies were concerned. The difference now I guess is the fact that the club shells out for top of the range training facilities and foriegn excursions. We've all read Charlie and co in the Courier and the Snooze banging on about how well the Italian trip went and what a worthwhile exercise it was - yet come our first fixture we're still caught with our trousers down. Today our passing was slack (we reverted to aimless punts), we were toothless in attack and like a sieve at the back. (our marking was non-existant) It looked like we were trying to play the offside trap and we got caught out more than once. A very dangerous game. We were better off when we defended deep - at least it made us hard to break down. Today we could easily have conceded 5 or 6, and had the game lasted another 15 minutes we probably would have. The most dissapointing thing IMHO was the fact that Sutherland was overlooked. He was our best player in pre season by a country mile and I'm sure he would have made a difference if he'd gotten a run out, even from the bench. Any positives? Richie Hart and Don Cowie were superb. I reckon they, along with Sutherland, Paatelinen and possibly Marius, can push on and make a big impact this season, especially if the other players are as pants as they were today.

Hows it a Freudian slip Bannerman? A Freudian slip, or 'parapraxis' refers to when the unconscious id overrides the conscious ego causing an individual to unintentionally verbally expresses a forbidden desire. What does mixing up John with Ian have to do with psycho-sexual conflict? Stop trying to show off with big words you don't understand you pretentious so and so.

Can't remember ever playing Dumbarton. We lost against Berwick away on Penalties in a coca cola cup game (peles first game I think) don't think we've played them since. And Gretna obviously.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The world's gone mad. Even the Cheeky Girls (also Romanian) got a work permit.

He's garbage, all brawn and no brain. :023:

Bobby Mann is still class. There's no-one better in the air, at reading the game, at organizing and motivating, or at starting moves from the back. All he lacks is pace, but the way we defend (deep) it wouldn't matter. Dodds wasn't exactly the quickest was he? If we got him back I truly believe it'd be a bigger coup than any of our other signings this summer.

Surely your man David Stewart can pull some strings.

If Rories problems are psychological maybe he'd benefit from a session with a hypnotherapist or a sports psychologist?

It's not too late to bring back Bobby Mann!

Agree that the guy that was doing all the shouting, with the high pitched, slightly tuchtory, slightly camp voice did start to get on my t1ts after a while. You're not funny mate! That apart most of the banter was pretty good. I can see the "Richie, give us a light" song becoming a regular fixture. The contrast between the ultra-liberal County stewards and the TCS thugs was quite refreshing. If we manage to turf out the few rotten apples in our ranks like that t0sser yestarday there would be no justification for their antics any more.

He'd be a decent addition to our squad.

What game were you watching? He was getting under the ball and heading it straight up into the air time after time! And McBain only 5 out of 10? He was one of our best players, grafted out on the left for 90 minutes and never wasted the ball once.

We were shockingly poor for the first 70 minutes. County looked like the SPL team. The highlight of the afternoon was Sutherland, as usual he was awesome - the whole rhythm of the game changed when he came on. He has to start against Rangers! A shame Paatelinen didn't get a run out, why does Charlie always seem to overlook him? He's always impressed me when he's got the chance. Rankin and Wilson were guff today, and McAllister looked like he was having a nervous breakdown. He badly needs a loan spell.

He was in the thick of the action for our 2 goals but at the other end of the park he didn't impress. For a big guy he goes down awful easy, and he amusingly shouted 'Fole'! when he got a tasty challenge. A few of his headers were poorly timed. He might get better with some match practice, but he hasn't proved himself yet.

Duncan is not under-rated. When he's good, he's pretty good. But when he's bad he's VERY VERY VERY bad. Grant Munro is the most under-rated IMHO. He's as solid as **** at the back week in week out, and going forward he gives our attacking game another dimension with his long throws. He must have had about 15 in one game against Hearts last season. Every time the ball goes out of play in the oppositions half of the field we get all our big men up.

Barry Ferguson, his dive for that penalty was sickening. :rolleyes02:

McManus is a terrific player, with the right managment (as Steven Kenny showed) he has the potential to be better than Dargo.

It's got to be Ross County. He could play a half for each team. If you want a sell out and a bit of atmosphere then its the best bet.

1. Hibs 2. Celtic 3. Aberdeen 4. Hearts 5. ICT 6. Kilmarnock 7. Rangers (Smith sacked before Christmas) 8. Dundee Utd 9. Motherwell 10. St Mirren 11. Falkirk 12. Gretna Always a bit dangerous to count your chickens. Remember the league table on the back of our match programme in our first season? Didn't turn out that way did it. :024:

I'd rather we brought back Bobby Mann.

Gretna? :rolleyes02:

What about Liam Fox? His performance agaisnt Plastic Thistle at home was one of the worst ever.

Jim Calder :allhail:

You must be joking! Marco deBarros was one of the very best HL players of recent decades, and for the little time he actually spent on the park for us, he had some flashes of brilliance. I remember one time at Victoria Park he came on as a sub and did a textbook double dragback (a bit like Gabriel Amato for Rangers agaisnt Parma) taking 2 defenders out of the game and unleashed a stunning 25 yard piledriver that was tipped over the bar. If that had gone in it would be up there with the best ICT goals ever. The problem with Debarros was that he thought he was archie. He was always trying to take on defenders or pull off a fancy trick when a simple pass would do. It worked in the HL, but it was a luxury in the second division. Vetle Anderson probably doesn't deserve all the stick he gets considering the fact that he was well past his best when he signed for us - he might have been a decent player at his peak. And he did have a couple of good games - away against Motherwell in the Coca Cola cup (when we lost on Penalties) he was one of the best players on the pitch, and at home against Dundee Utd in the Scottish cup he got a standing ovation when he came off. He had the same issues as Debarros - he tried to show boat all the time. You shouldn't really be trying to pull off Cruyf turns on the edge of your own 18 yard box! We've been quite lucky. Sergi apart, our managers have been pretty shrewd. I'm sure some of the players listed on this thread could quite easily walk into the Ross County first team squad! If I had to pick one, I'd say Grassa Bennet was the worst player we ever had. He was slower than an old wifie in front of you at the check outs at Tesco. His defending was comical, he had a habit of pretending to fall over into the path of attackers when they skinned him - what can I say, he was perhaps the only defender in history to turn the game on its head and use the dying swan dive to cheat against attackers! With that creativity alone, perhaps he redeemed himself.

There's a 6 page special about the Lisbon Lions in this months 4-4-2... "When he (Jock Stein) became Celtic manager in March 1965 he inherited a nucleus of homegrown players, many of whom he had worked with as the club's youth and reserve coach several years earlier. With a few choice buys, a little judicious tinkering and plenty of tactical nous, Stein fashioned a side of world-beaters from this group of local lads, all of whom were born within 30 miles of Celtic Park."