CaleyD

And perhaps if Brewster played them in their correct positions, didn't have them all sitting in each others pockets and gave them some room to play then it wouldn't be an issue in the first place!!! With it being a lower crowd last night I could have sat just about anywhere I wanted, but I chose to sit in the seat I was allocated behind the home dugout so I could try and get a feel for whether or not any truth existed in the claim that it's all the players faults as they obviously aren't playing the way Brewster wants them to etc. What I witnessed first hand was Brewster ushering them all back for set pieces and corners, then giving them grief because we had nobody forward to create chances on the break!!! So, if the players aren't doing what they are told, it's because it would be near impossible for them to do so. Seriously, if I wasn't an ICT fan then sitting watching/listening to the dugout in conjunction with the game last night would have been pure comedy class.....it was that bad. I'm not saying the players were entirely without blame, but I don't think it's fair to lump criticism on any of the lads who were being played out of position for having a poor 45 minutes when the impossible was being asked of them, and when the instructions they were receiving from the management only served to cause confusion and disarray. Vigurs wasn't the only one to have a poor first 45 minutes, practically everyone in an ICT shirt did. Things only get better after the break when players were moved into natural positions and we gave up on the "every man behind the ball" tactics. When you see 11 men go from doing nothing to a vastly improved second half performance then it's blatantly obvious what the cause is. Hooking Vigurs and Wood didn't make the other 9 players play better (ok, 8 players as Hastings didn't improve).

I saw that their was some two-way dialogue but couldn't tell you what was said. However, from the body language and reaction from a number of players on instructions being shouted at them it looked to stem from confusion and frustration as to what was being asked....one minute they were being ushered back to defend, the next they were getting grief for not being far enough forward, if I had a boss/manager who expected me to be in two places at once and was giving me grief for not doing it then I'm sure I would have been inclined to let let my feelings be known too.

I don't think it's possible for anyone to give a clear indication on which of our Strikers is "the best". Rooney has looked good because he has been brought on in games where Brewster has finally clicked late in the game that things aren't right and is making changes which can only improve the situation, or where we are already down a goal or two and chasing so all effort is being made to go forward and, as a result, he gets more service/action than the striker he has replaced who's had to suffer from the fact that up until then the tactics were "everyone behind the ball". Woods did little last night, and it's not surprising as he got ZERO service due to the tactics employed in the first half. He was having to drop back into his own half to get the ball at times and was being ushered back to defend at set pieces and corners. How on earth can he be expected to do anything or show his true worth under those circumstances? Until we settle on which striker/s we want to use up front and start setting up the team to give them more consistent service (some service would be a start) then I think that it's impossible and unfair to say who's likely to be most effective. Rooney's performances so far, although welcome, only shine a little more than the others due to circumstances, and not because he is necessarily any better than the others.

Your view on last nights game and what turned things around for us really scares me, tokelyisvictorious. It scares me because if one person is capable of thinking like that then there's a chance that Brewster might be thinking the same thing and if that's the case then there's little to no hope for any progress under him.

Their was definite positives to be taken from last nights game, but it also highlighted and through up some of the same old questions. The positives being....The players showed in the second 45 that they are capable of going out there, getting stuck in and giving the fans something to shout about (for the right reasons). One or two players didn't have the best first half, but when unshackled in the second half we saw glimpses of what got ICT where they are today. Another positive was that Brewster made the changes that needed to be made at half-time to allow the players to go out and step things up in the manner they did. Unfortunately questions and doubts still remain in regards to why he started out the way he did in the first place. Why can so many other people see what he can't?

I won't write too much here as most of it will appear in my match report. Just a couple of quick observations..... 1. Brewster really shouldn't use a dice shaker for setting the midfield formation. Wide players on the wrong sides and a player with the creativity going forward that Vigurs has shown to be being shackled in the middle of the park whilst the best "holding" players are played either side of him when we're playing so deep that our erses are just about in the firth is only going to lead to exactly what we saw in the first half....total confusion and everyone tripping all over everyone else. 2. I would have fancied my chances at a better performance than Hastings these evening....and I can't play worht a chit. 3. A lone striker isn't going to do anything when he's having to come back into his own half to see anything of the ball and when he's dragged back to defend set pieces and corners. 4. The Assistant Manager having to turn to the rest of the dugout to ask if anyone has the time is just too frightening for words. 5. Much improved second half, and it shows just what these lads are capable of when you cut them loose, let them play in their best positions and do what they do best....and that's get their heads down and get stuck in. Rossco went from zero to hero when he was allowed to start making moves down the wing...Hastings, well he didn't get much better, Proctor improved when he didn't have the midfield sitting on his lap, Black started to control the middle of the park and Wilson demonstrated just how much more effective we can be when you have someone playing on their correct side with the ability to ping a ball into the danger zone. 6. I was sitting in the line of Higdons shot for the goal and Esson looked to be totally unsighted and wouldn't have seen a thing until the ball passed him. 7. It was feckin cold. 8. It was feckin wet. 9. I think the players deserved the draw (if not more). 10. I'm convinced now more than ever that it's tactics and formation that are dragging us down.

Meanwhile, in the other dugout....Malky turning to the dugout after the first 35 minutes and asking if anyone has got the time!!! If it wasn't so frightening it would be quite funny.

At the Match? Vote for your top 3 players in the SPL game versus Falkirk Please make sure you vote for 3 separate players. If you make an error, let us know so we can fix it. Anyone caught trying to cheat the system WILL be banned from voting in polls...this is your only warning.

I've not read most of the thread as I imagine it's pretty much following the same route as a couple of others. But in answer to the original thread title.....what exactly do we have to "enjoy" right now? I enjoy watching/listening to ICT playing well, giving it their all and it's all the better if we can get a result from a game. I get no enjoyment watching/listening to teams around us hoping they do worse than we do, and I certainly don't follow ICT because I get enjoyment from looking at a league table....no matter how bad/good we are doing. As I said to someone else today when we were talking about ICT. I don't really give two hoots about league position at this time of the year, it can (and does) change so often that it can be a very poor indicator of the current state of the team. Other teams playing worse than us or being in a worse position is no cause for enjoyment, and still wouldn't be if we happened to be sitting at the upper end of the table....it certainly isn't any justification for keeping someone in a job. Yes, it could be worse, but it could (and IMO should) be a hell of a lot better. That's not an attitude born out of any arrogance about thinking we should be winning games by just turning up, or that we are any better than anyone else, it's born out of the fact that we're not seeing ICT playing to their potential. Can anyone put hand on heart and say that they honestly think ICT have given the best, or even close to best, account of themselves this season (or even last season)? If you can't, then I fail to see how you can continue to back the status quo, or preach to anyone that they should "just enjoy it".

I'm glad to see Brewster has a sense of humour.....he's certainly hooked a few people with this one

He's been struggling to pick his "best 11" since the day he returned.

Reason 1 is a Myth.......our post split results 07/08 - W L W L D 06/07 - W D L W W 05/06 - W W W W W

I couldn't say that there's any other team that I might end up supporting if ICT were to go out of existence. I only ever followed Caley and then ICT and wasn't one of those who had a "big team". I'm also not the kind of person who sits down to watch football just because there's a game on unless it's Scotland or ICT....although I might occasionally watch other Scottish games to get a look at the opposition.

Can't say that I thought it was a penalty from what can be seen on the highlights.

Meanwhile, back on topic!!!!!

Right....so we're only allowed to look at the good performances when judging a Managers ability?

What did he think his gesture was going to achieve? His actions were antagonistic and disrespectful to the family and if he was playing for my club then I'd be making certain he was punished for bringing the clubs name into disrepute.

A few ugly beggers in the away support yesterday............

Given the width of our pitch then, at home, we should definitely be playing players on their natural side so they can run the flanks, stretch the opposition defence and then swing balls in from the wide positions.

I don't think Brewster gives two hoots about Caley (or Thistle for that matter).

Lose Duncan, put Wilson on the right, Black in the Middle and Imrie on the left then have Vigurs and Cowie playing just in front of that to support the striker and/or bolster midfield as necessary. This allows us to exploit the width of the pitch with wide players (please play them on their natural side too) and play to our strengths....which mostly come from midfield at the moment. As much as I would like to see 2 up front I don't think we have a pairing that has proven itself in the position, especially at home, and even when we have gone 2 at the front we inevitably end up with one of them dropping so deep they aren't effective as a forward. If we are going 4-4-2 then it would need to be Cowie, Black, Vigurs and Imrie in the midfield for me with Wood and Rooney up front.....but I think that would hinder Vigurs creative forward moves and leave Black with far too much space to cover when he did.

I've twice (at least) said that Brewster might have got it right, although I did qualify it with a "perhaps he just got lucky".

Mate ? Free ticket ? what are you on about ? Just making the point that there's some people on this site who won't see a bad word said about certain people at the club because they are buddies and not because they think that person is actually benefiting ICT. In much the same manner as certain people only have jobs/positions at the club because of who they know and not because of what they know or what they can do. All of the above is, of course, purely opinion!!! Opinion based on what? Buddies, mate, what are you saying ! You don't know me or are you just listening to your buddies and mates ! Did I say you? Some might think you were being a little paranoid though

Mate ? Free ticket ? what are you on about ? Just making the point that there's some people on this site who won't see a bad word said about certain people at the club because they are buddies and not because they think that person is actually benefiting ICT. In much the same manner as certain people only have jobs/positions at the club because of who they know and not because of what they know or what they can do. All of the above is, of course, purely opinion!!!