Renegade

Ever had those questions you were too afraid to ask? Ever wondered about something but been unsure whether you dreamt it or not? Ever been too afraid to ask something due to fear of ridicule and abandonment by your peers? Well have I got the thread for you. Here's a place to ask those weird ICT related questions no-one else thought of. I'll start us off with two that have been on my mind lately - About ten years ago, did they netting in the goals at the Caley Stadium have "ICTFC" woven into them? I seem to remember that it did, but am not entirely sure. Now this one really is weird - I seem to recollect that there were rumours in the late 90s in the local media of Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao coming to play in two pre-season friendlies. Was this really on the cards or was it just in one those weird ICT related dreams that I sometimes have? Someone please put me out of my misery!

Leaving petty squabbles aside, I see Lothar Mattheus has applied for the job. Great player and international managerial experience. Rather mixed record though.

Incorrect. I did not say "training doesn't count for anything", I said that you can grasp a lot more about players in a competitive full side set up. That's not saying that because a player is great in an U20 game means he'll be great in the first team (see Rory McAllister's goal scoring exploits at that level), but you can grasp aspects of players in ways that you could see benefitting the first team. These are games that are played in a competitive league against opposition teams, with players they've never seen or played against before. These are not "training games" at all. Both teams are trying to win and from all the ones I have been to have been fairly competitive affairs. More can be gauged from these games than from playing against teammates and plastic cones. Calling it a training game is like diminishing Andrew Shinnie's Scotland call up by saying "ach, it's only Luxembourg and it's only friendly. Nothing more than a training game". But it isn't though is it? I have seen every game Roberts has ever played for ICT live bar one (the Dundee game where I watched the full 90 minutes on Alba) and have seen a good chunk of Brislen-Hall in these U20 games. Brislen-Hall seems fitter than Roberts, faster than Roberts, more dangerous going forward than Roberts and certainly harder working than Roberts. He deserves a chance.

I see as well as it was one ticket per person, if you wanted to sit next to someone you couldn't as they just put your ticket as the next one along from the previous sold seat. Not exactly an ideal situation IMO.

This idea of "well he's great in training" doesn't wash with me. I remember a few seasons ago, Charlie Christie raved about how good Rory McAllister was in training, and even other players (Richie Hart for example) coming out and saying that he was "going to set the SPL on fire". And then when it came to actual games he was rotten. The same goes for earlier in the season when Butcher said how Sutherland "was the man to replace Hayes and has all the attributes to be a good winger". And then it comes to games and Sutherland shows he has none of these "attributes" at all! Since the Ross County game, Roberts has started every week and has shown very little. The times has now come for him to be out of the side. Is he injured? Is he fully fit? Is he bothered? If the first two are correct and I think they are, then surely he'd be better off the bench? I've seen enough of Brislen-Hall (also former Arsenal youth) to suggest that he warrants a start over Roberts. He may be a "defender" (technically correct, but irrelevant in this case) but he is more of an attacking wing back. He has yet to make his full club debut, but I hope his time will come (remember his contract is up very soon). He's faster than Roberts, seems sharper than Roberts and much harder working than Roberts. His time should come.

I've seen enough of Brislen-Hall to suggest that he'd be a better starter than Roberts, who in my opinion has offered very little in his last few games.

I've seen Brislen-Hall play a few times, and so far I've been pretty impressed. He certainly closer to Hayes than Sutherland that's for sure. He's quite a stocky kind of bloke, but is very fast and very hard working. Think a rougher version of Conor Pepper who can also play at left back and that's what you've got.

Not a fan of McKay up top at home on his own myself. So an attacking 4-3-3 for me - Reguero Raven Warren Meekings G.Shinnie Jones A.Shinnie Morrison Doran Foran McKay Subs - Esson*, Roberts, Pepper, Cooper, Sutherland, Brislen-Hall, Oswell * - Mathieson if Esson's out.

I was impressed with Polworth and Brislen-Hall. Andre Martins wasn't really in the game though IMO, and no better than that Georgian boy playing the other week. Starting line up was - Mathieson ?? Cooper Murphy Mackenzie Pepper Polworth Laing Brislen-Hall Martins Oswell Or something like that!

Why are these Third Divisions new boys included in the plans?

I suppose this deserves a thread of it's own, but was anyone else surprised to open the squad list page in Saturday's programme to see a new name on there? Apparently, ICT have signed Portugese winger/striker Andre Martins. I remember he was on trial a few months ago and I think I spotted him at an U20 game a few weeks back (see a post about a man with a funky hair do!). Was anyone else totally unaware that he had signed? Previously he's been at Fulham, Club Bolivar in Bolivia, Caracas in Venezuela and Syrianska in Sweden, where going by my information has made a grand total of one appearance in that time. He was also on trial with Dundee United at one point but deemed not good enough. A few months ago Butcher said the signings were over for this year and the pot was empty, but we'd now signed two players since then (George Brislen-Hall as well who's never played and Roberts and Blackman on loan [these two though both cost nothing]). So here's my questions; What type of player is he? Do we need him? And most importantly, is he any good?

Disagree. OTJ goes to hoof the ball away and the Hearts player jumps into him. No more than Hearts deserved though after their second half performance.

I see Craig Gordon reckons it was a "definite penalty". What planet is he on?!

My key points - Defensively ICT seem fairly solid and Dave the Rave had an excellent game. This idea, to quote Butcher that we should "weather the storm" is nonsense. Hearts were there to beaten and trying to hold on to a 1-0 score at home for a whole half is a bad idea. Jones, Foran and Doran played well in the first half, yet were anonymous in the second. Philip Roberts is Claude Gnakpa MK2. McKay tries hard, but has nothing to work with. A 4-4-2 diamond with Foran up top and Jones in-front of the back four would've been far better. Andrew Shinnie had a poor game. All in all it's not a bad result, but Hearts were there for the taking and should have been beaten.

Was anyone else unaware this Andre Martins had signed? That's one way to bamboozle the opposition. Sign players and don't announce it!

And get him up top in a 4-4-2 diamond. We don't need two holding midfielders in a home game.

This is not a rumour. This is a well known fact.

Playing it at Easter Road isn't much different to the SFA deciding to hold the game in Dingwall. And imagine the uproar their would be from the Hearts fans, if that's way it was.

Perhaps we should look at some of Roma's signs in the 80s for inspiration - Have a look at the yellow one third on the left, next to "God Curse Dundee United". That's what you want. Blunt and to the point. Maybe something along the lines of - "Adams Go Away" (he doesn't like swearing of course) or something like that is what we want. They don't like it up them and such a slogan will strike fear into the Dingwallian crowd from the very first minute!

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-rangers-star-andrew-shinnie-i-couldnt-1412512 Interesting comments from Mr Shinnie there. Apparently he felt it would be "disrespectful" to celebrate. He didn't seem to think so the last time he scored at Ibrox!

He always was an attacking midfielder who could play in the centre, up top or wide, I believe. I remember a Sevco fan telling me that when ICT signed him. As good a player as he is though, I can't see how Rangers thought of him as a winger at all.

Indeed, even more so when you consider that County might not even be in the SPL next season!

Caley Jags Together are reporting that it will be live on the BBC.

What's the deal with George Brislen-Hall? He's only on a six month deal and I've been impressed with him in the U20 games so far.

Pepper. Though I also wouldn't mind seeing McKay tried out wide - he'd be better than Sutherland is there IMO.