dead_ball_specialist

I can't believe what I'm reading from some of the moaners on here. Dunfermline are the best footballing team I've seen up here and a 1-1 draw was a fair result. We played far better than we did against Partick and QOS and can take numerous positives from the game. I've never seen Foran and Stratford play so well, same goes for Proctor. We competed well in midfield (where we've been outplayed in most of our home games so far) and the back line looked fairly solid and in control. They all played well IMHO although Tokely clearly isn't fit. The only criticism I would make of the performance today was our inability to create goalscoring chances. For the most part our full backs were non existant as an attacking force, I can only remember Golly making a decent run up the flank once (for our goal) and Tokely wasn't particularly adventurous either. In a similar vein, Cox simply isn't an attacking midfielder, he and Stratford were both doing the same job most of the time. The only midfielder who managed to get himself into dangerous positions was Proctor (with a bit of luck he would have had a hat trick today) we need more of the same. Goals win games. If we don't get bodies up the park into dangerous positions, we aren't going to score many goals, end of story. Todays performance was a step in the right direction but I still think we need to adopt a much more attacking philosophy if we're going to achieve anything in the league this season.

I fully expect Lionel to bounce back from his recent meltdown stronger than ever before, and earn himself a move to the Premiership.

IMHO Cox and Duncan aren't working together. They're both defensive minded midfielders who struggle in the final third. This is why so many of our moves seem to break down when we get to the edge of our opponents box. We need an attacking number 10 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playmaker) who'll link up with our front 2. I would go with... ----------------Esson------------------ Tokely--Bulvitis--Munro--Djebi Zadi ----------------Cox-------------------- Ross----------------------------Hayes ----------------Imrie------------------ ------Odiambo--------Foran----------

If the Old Firm left the SPL, we'd possibly have the most competitive league in europe. If you remove Celtic and Rangers from the league table, in just the past 10 seasons we'd have had 6 different clubs finishing top. Hibs, Hearts, St Johnstone, Livingstone, Aberdeen and Motherwell. Each season would be completely unpredictable and almost every team in the league would fancy their chances if they had a half decent run. Even clubs like Inverness could put together a title challenge once every few years. Surely that'd be far more exciting than the current set up? As for those laughing at John Hughes, I think you over-estimate the Premiership. Just look at some of the teams in that league... Stoke, Hull, Pompey, Burnley, Wigan etc. OF COURSE Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen could compete at that level, especially if they had access to the same revenue streams (Sky TV money for example) that these clubs have. They'd be able to sign better players and coaches, play better football, and attract much larger crowds. Within a few years they'd easily hold their own.

makes no difference to me as im paying mine up monthly. ill have no hesitation whatsoever to chuck it if this (not so much a spiral as a sheer drop off a cliff) doesnt stop and stop withing the next week or so Well if there will be a few others doing it, me and a few of the other Dornoch boys are up for it. Even if i end up keeping the ticket, aslong as we make a scene so the board can see the real feeling of us. It cant be often that people throwing away their season tickets has happened at ICT. Why don't you just take the tickets out first and throw away the empty book. No one will notice the difference.

1) In an interview for the Inverness Courier, Terry Butcher expresseses his dissapointment with recent results but assures readers that he and the players are working incredibly hard behind the scenes. He encourages ICT fans to 'get behind the boys' afterall, they are only a couple of decent results from 'turning the corner'. 2) Fans become increasingly agitated as our season continues to flatline. Criticism of Butcher's team selections become more vocal as local youngster Nick Ross is inexplicably frozen out of the first team squad and released on a free along with Roy McBain to sign for Ross County. 3) As the transfer window opens Ryan Esson moves to Motherwell in a swap deal for Michael Fraser. 4 unknown free agents from the Vauxhall Conference are brought in on trial along with an un-named 7 foot tall Lithuanian striker. 4) Following a humiliating 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Ayr United Terry Butcher defiantly vows to 'fight on' claiming that he underestimated the scale of the 'rebuidling job' that he'd undertaken when he joined the club. 5) With 5 games remaining, ICT appear to have achieved safety sitting 9 points above second bottom Morton in the relegation play off position but Butcher inexplicably starts to play Richie Foran at centre half (only 14 goals short of his 20 goal target) and a late collapse leads to relegation. 6) The ICT board releases a statement promising a 'bounce back' policy for 2010 2011 and promptly fire Butcher. In a display of intent and ambition, Charlie Christie is unveiled as the new first team coach. In his first press conference he states that he feels more prepared for the ICT post than first time around as he'd used his time outside of the spotlight to deepen his knowledge of the game and even answers a question in fluent Italian. Not sure afer that :angry:

He must be Butcher's talent scout.

Get Djebi Zadi back in there. He was scapegoated to high heaven for our defensive woes by some, but since he's been dropped things have gone from bad to worse. With Lionel at left back and Tokely at right back both supporting the wingers, we'll tear most teams in this division to shreds. And even if I'm wrong, so what? We're already conceding 3 goals a game. At least we'll get some entertainment, and perhaps some goals of our own in the process.

---------------------Esson-------------------- Tokely-----Bulvitis-----Munro----Djebi Zadi -------------------McBain---------------------- Ross----------------------------------Hayes --------------------Cox--------------------- -----------Imrie------------Foran---------

Some of our best ever players came from the Highland league. Iain Stewart, Brian Thompson, Charlie Christie, Ian McArthur, Richie Hart, Barry Wilson, Roy McBain, Ross Tokely, Stuart Golabeck etc etc etc. I would take all of them ahead of almost any equivalent member of our current squad. I would far prefer we gave talented young highlanders a chance rather than trawl the lower divisions in england.

Can't believe we are playing worse football and getting worse results in the SFL under Butcher than we were in the SPL under Brewster. Not impressed by Butcher turning round and telling the home fans to "f*ck off then!" for not cheering enough :( very poor show big man. If I were you I'd be more concerned with the fact that Derek Holmes, the slowest, fattest b@stard in the SFL, just scored a hat trick against the defence you coach all week. What the hell are you doing on the training pitch? Agree 100% with the first poster, if Steve Paterson is available get him back ASAP. He might have been out of football for a while but I have no doubt whatsoever that he would build a squad of grafters, get them playing football, and get us back into the SPL.

When he came back to TCS with Livi he volunteered to take a penalty against us and celebrated like he'd won the world cup. Expect the same tommorow.

I don't think the team deserves any criticism today. Overall the performance was a vast improvement on our previous encounter with county. Can't agree with the harsh criticism being bailed out to Robert Eagle, thought had a decent game. Our wingers were starved of decent service as they were in the first half against Plastic Thistle. Another case of far too many aimless punts down the middle, far too few well crafted moves down the flanks. When he was on the ball he looked a threat, and he pressed the county wide men all day when we lost possesson, winning more than his fair share of challenges throughout the 90 minutes. Bulvitis also didn't have a bad game IMHO, his distribution is a little dodgey at times but at least he tries to pick out a pass rather than just hoof the ball straight back to the opposition. He's still a youngster so cut him some slack, he'll be a good centre half for us.

John Robertson and Steve Paterson. The dream team.

Agree that Foran is totally over-rated. He doesn't exactly put himself about. Imrie and Obiambo probably covered 4 or 5 times more ground than him when they were our front 2 (coincidentally, our best spell of last season). His trademark move is to stand with his hand in the air waiting for a high ball. Pish. Fair enough, he never shirks a tackle but only if it's within a 2 metre radius of where he happens to be standing. 20 goals a season? What a joke. There's more movement in a morgue than there is with out current front pairing, as soon as Imrie and Eric are fit they should replace Foran and Barrowload.

-------------------------Esson---------------------------- Tokely----------Duff------------Munro--------Golabeck -------------------------McBain--------------------------- Ross----------------------------------------------Hayes --------------------------Cox---------------------------- ----------Sutherland-------------Foran-----------------

Utter mince Butcher. That first half was perhaps the worst I have ever seen from an ICT team in our history. Partick Thistle were absolutly garbage, but they were made to look like world beaters such was the level of disorganization and incompetence. Our defending was a joke. If it weren't for Esson we would have conceded 5 or 6 today. And we were no better at the other end. What the f*ck is the point in playing with wingers if you never give them the ball and simply keep pumping aimless high balls to the static duo of Barrowman and Foran? We only started to create chances when we reverted to the 3-4-3 and actually gave Johnny Hayes and Nick Ross the ball. Too little too late. And even then, Butcher took Ross off while he was tearing Partick apart, and stuck Djebi Zadi out on the wing, cold off the bench. We have to start our next home game playing the same way we finished today. I really hope Butcher realizes the problem. The only players who earned pass marks today were the goalie and the wingers. If Barroman or Duncan start next week it'll be a disgrace.

Duncan dived in completly different circumstances. Falkirk had been cheating throughout the game. Late challenges, hitting an ICT player off the ball, diving to win a penalty and get a man sent off, and constantly feigning injury to waste time. If your opponents are cheating then I see nothing wrong with fighting fire with fire.

How about Marco De Barros? What a legend. Some of the tricks he pulled off wouldn't have looked out of place in La Liga. Shame he didn't get a regular game.

This whole situation sheds light on why Arsenal haven't won anything for years. Arsene Wenger has a great eye for individual talent, but not for team players. Adebayor, like lots of Arsenal 'stars', is a repulsive human being with the mentality of a spoiled child. He wouldn't last 5 minutes at Man Utd without Fergie giving him a black eye.

Burley is a clown. Anyone who thinks the (chuckle) Caldwell brothers are good enough for international football is a muppet. As for selecting Chris Iwelumo ahead of Chris Boyd? Absolute tosh. Get him out. We played well against Holland at home but it was too little too late, GTF Burley.

The business? Nah, nae chance. How many top sides would Defoe or Barry get a game for? It's all very well humping Croatia, but put them up against Germany, Holland or Brazil and their @rses will collapse. There's more chance of Caley winning the Scottish Cup than a repeat of 66. Don't believe the hype.

Could't care less about the cups. The league table never lies.

I'm proud to say that the award for the worst tackle ever belongs to a Scotsman. You can probably guess who. :025: Fast forward to 1.55

Didn't see this one coming. :009: Hastings was dreadful last season and hasn't produced any performances of note in an ICT shirt for quite some time. If we were offered a fee for him then fair enough, we'd be crazy to turn it down IMHO. But Golabeck??? A bit of a 'creative' signing there to say the least. Would we not have been better off giving Richie Byrne a chance?