Huisdean

Have to disagree. He is a big miss and would/should be one of the first names on our team sheet and he was part of our recognised starting 11 before his injury.

Totally agree with the full backs as, to me MacKay is simply not a full back. For me, an interesting centre back paring would be McCart and Meekings. Warren only needs to be played if no alternative as he is off form.

The simple fact is he did track back and as the ball hit him rather than him deliberately using his arm/elbow, what has that got to do with anything. Vigurs is not the only player who has not always performed for us this season but seems to be getting all of the criticism from certain quarters which is wholly unjustified. I will say it again, the booing of any player by the home fans is simply not justified in the circumstances it was done on Wednesday and should not be condoned by any ICT supporter.

Haven't read anything but page 4 of this topic but that is enough to get the flavour of what is being said. Realistically, if we had got a draw last night, that would have been a fantastic result but I suspect most of us thought we would get beaten. Defensively, in the first half, we were good but we were helped by Celtic trying to get as many crosses into the box as they could which is easier to defend than them trying to play through us. First goal was always going to be crucial and not a lot we could do about the finish from Sinclair. Of the next 3 goals however, they were all preventable to a greater or lesser degree. Nothing to add to what has undoubtedly been said about the second goal but for the third, it was obvious where the ball was going to go and our wall was not very tall. This was partly due to our bigger players trying to match up with their opponents but still preventable. Fourth goal was where we were caught on a counter attack yet again and we had no organisation in defence to counter this. Having said all this, even if we stopped these 3 goals, Celtic created some even better chances that they should have taken. Not having seen Celtic live this season, I was a bit surprised at the physicality and height in their team. They were a big team and in Dembele, a player who can definitely play at a much higher level as can Sinclair. Anyway, this was not the match that will define our season. We missed key players last night in Tremarco, Doran, Mulraney and Meekings and that impacted on how we played. It is critical that we get something from the Partick game both in terms of points and performance. Personally, I would bring back McCart for Warren and drop Brad MacKay for Tremarco is fit. If Doran or Mulreaney are fit, one of them replaces Cole or Polworth. On the subject of Polworth, I am trying to think of an adjective to describe his performance last night. He is capable of genuine moments of skill but his attitude was wrong on so many occasions last night. In one instance, we were up near the Celtic penalty area, he lost the ball and showed no urgency to get back. This was not the first time. The sponsors making him MOM was pretty shocking although I understand how the MOM award works and can have no bearing in reality. The booing of Vigurs was disgraceful and it seems some of our so called fans have lost the plot on this as have some posters on this forum. Vigurs regularly gets slated on this forum, sometimes deserved but often this is not the case as he is by no stretch of the imagination our worst player this season. Fans need to call out these idiots when they do this as I have done in the past as this is a form of bullying as someone has already alluded to. Some of our fans need to take a good look at themselves over this.

What exactly would constitute fancy dress for IHE. The mind boggles

Move Doran in for Anier and Cole in Midfield and I think we have it.

It should give us more than hope as Rangers are definitely beatable and we need to go for it on Friday. If we can get the three points, what a lift that would be and we could be off the bottom of the league as well.

I think the distinction with what is said to the press and what is said to the players needs to be drawn. You would not expect the manager to come out and say " we are going down and there is little I can do" (even if it may be true) to the media.

Not so sure this is the case. Better to get Jason Brown playing competitive games in a competitive league for experience than playing the odd game for us and sitting on the bench. If he progresses and learns during this loan period, he could well claim a starting place next season.

Haven't read all previous posts but can guess at what has been said. For sure, yesterday was a sore one and especially as it was live on TV. Better teams than us have had similar hammerings at Parkhead this season so let's have some perspective on this. What was clear yesterday was that wee have problems in central defence and possibly with our keeper although, apart from his one mistake, Fon Williams did not have an awful lot to do (apart from pick the ball out of the net) but did what he had to do. No Warren or McKay against Hearts as both suspended so it will be McCart and someone. It will be interesting to see what RF does as Hearts are not invincible and were not very good today. Need to start Doran if he is fit as he was badly missed on Saturday.

Of course relegation would be bad as there would be no guarantee of an automatic return to the Premier League. This would involve major changes then having to happen at the club and would set us back several years no matter how nice the scenery

What I meant was we did not fall further behind these teams. A win would hav bern better but we have to avoid the gap between us hetting bigger.

Que?

Like most posters, delighted to get a point out of that game. Thought we started well but defensively we were weak throughout the game although this improved as the game went on. Warren, Raven and McCart were poor in the first half although McCart will, I thgink improve considering this was his first game. Apart from his dead ball kicking, which improved as the game went on, I thought Esson did okay. The midfield and forwards were so much better than previous games and this was purely down to Billy. His runs create space which gives our midfield something to aim at. Not sure about Anier as he was good and bad in equal measure. In his favour, he has good experience which should help the cause. I thought Draper was terrific today playing as an auxiliary striker at times but as others have said, given our defensive frailties, he may be better utilised protecting our defence. Anyway, we didn't lose any more ground on Hamilton/Dundee so we still have every chance to avoid relegation. Finally, as others have said, why was Billy taking the penalties again especially the second one. I am a great believer in having a different penalty taker for a second penalty award in a match as this gives the keeper something to think about. If I was the captain, I would have made sure someone other than Billy took that second penalty.

We will need to battle against Dundee so, for me , this midfield is too lightweight and no real support for Billy. Tansey of for Cole and Anier/Fisher in for Polworth. Is Mekings not supposed to still be out so would expect Raven to play.

Of equal importance is getting the formation and tactics right for the Dundee game. That will determine as much as anything who is dropped. Doran has to start however.

Given RFs comments post match, the team selection for the Dundee game will be very interesting, Realistically, the only changes can be made on midfield/up front as no scope for changes in defence where, arguably, most change is needed.

Agree with much of what DD has said. I was going to post on Saturday night along the lines of the worst performance of the season, team was very flat etc but then discovered that several players were suffering from illness and some players were not a 100% fit. That may explain the display in part. We may have suffered from bad luck in previous games but that was repaid in a large part on Saturday as if Partick had a decent striker, we would have lost. We did get a much needed clean sheet but this was as much down to luck that a truly great defensive performance. Of the team, Fon Williams did have a better game but still does not command his box as he should. Raven was obviously not a 100% fit and was pretty poor until late on in the game when he surprisingly started to get forward more. Warren and McKay did okay but Warren's booking was needless although I can sympathise with his frustration with the referee. They were certainly not a solid defensive partnership however. The midfield was poor and while excuses could be made for Tansy and Draper due to injury/fitness, Cole and Polworth need to contribute much more for 90 minutes than they currently do and they both need to improve on their defensive work. Doumbouya was poor although I do have some sympathy for him as he constantly gets fouled by defenders and receives little protection from referees. Anier was a bit rusty but think he could come good for us but only if we can get another forward for him to play off. Of the substitutions, Vigurs made a difference but how Mulraney got on before Doran is mystifying. Why Doran was dropped in the first place was also a mystery. Mulraney really needs to work on his final ball as I have yet to see him deliver one of any value. Until he does, I would be tempted not to play him ahead of other players. Therein lies the problem perhaps with the team, not so much the personnel but the tactics/formations used by RF. I don't think he knows his best team/formation but now needs to decide on his best team, starting tomorrow and the formation to get the best out of that team. Chopping and changing a couple of players each week is not working and consistency of selection, barring injuries of course, is badly needed. Finally the board, I think they are very much like rabbits caught in the headlines at the moment. I think they need to be more proactive and vocal in their support of RF and if they are not because they want to ditch him if things don't go well in the next few games, this may well mean they are too late to change things. I genuinely don't have any knowledge of how they view the situation but to me Ritchie needs some help from an experienced manager at the moment. Apologies for the long post but this may well be a defining week for us this season.

While not overly happy with the kick off time, this is dictated by the TV companies. I think the kick off time will hit the crowd size for both clubs and to be honest, the Old Firm do not get as big a crowd as they used to until they reach the semis and even then not always. If we were drawn at home, would we be complaining at a 1215 kick off despite any inconvenience for Celtic fans. If the club could subsidise the cost of travel then this would be helpful but having the opportunity to watch the game at the stadium with fellow fans is the next best thing for fans who cannot attend.

Wasn't at the Elgin game but if Cole played as well as reported, a bit harsh to drop him. He does give us something different when he runs at people with the ball but can go missing when the game is physical. May be an option to give him 45 minutes and if he is not performing, then sub him at half time.

Well said IHE. The man is a total joke.

Didn't know we had so many behavioural analyst experts posting on this site.

AS per usual Dougal, what utter nonsense

I have to say there has been some incredibly negative postings on this. Obviously results have not gone our way recently but while some of this has been down to poor play, I think it is fair to say we have carried little luck this season and suffered from some poor refereeing decisions. We should have won against Motherwell as we should have won against Hamilton and possibly should have drawn/won against Sevco. The margins in the league are just so tight this season that having that little bit of luck can make a huge difference. I also have to agree with other posters who have criticised the booing of the MOTM award for Vigurs. Everyone knows that the award is sponsored and some sponsors obviously have their own agenda for the award but to boo one of our own players for this is totally wrong. This forum seems to have a tendency for posters to pick on certain players when things go wrong and blame them for all our ills. The continued criticism of Tansey and Vigurs is totally unjustified. Sure Tansey may not be playing at his best but for some to suggest he is not trying is crazy. The criticism of Vigurs seems, to me, to be a case that many supporters don't like him because he left us for County and not on his actual football ability. These two players are not the reason we are where we are this season as football is a team game. I do genuinely think we are one win from turning the season around, and wouldn't it be good for that to start at Dingwall. Call me a happy clapper if you want but some of the posts on this game have really saddened and depressed me as a supporter.

But will IHE appear as Peter Pan