Renegade

Whenever people say which English/Spanish/Italian team they "support", it's always one rolling in money! Funny that!

McKay up top alone doesn't work and Sutherland's not a winger - Esson Meekings Warren King G.Shinnie Draper A.Shinnie Ross Doran Sutherland McKay Subs - Reguero, Raven, Morrison, Oswell, Pepper, Laing, Polworth

Men in skirts doesn't really do it for me I'm afraid. Going by your earlier comments though, it sounds like I'd fit in quite well with your mob!

It doesn't matter what Foran does, in Butcher's eyes it seems like he can walk on water. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the relationship between Foran and Butcher makes Brewster and Proctor look like a casual acquaintance!

I would tend to agree. From what I've seen so far, out of all the new signings, I think Oswell could be the shrewdest of the lot.

I think the thing was from what I could see, Kilmarnock seemed to be more capable of retaining the ball when attacking with it - as well as pressing to in it back. This particularly seemed to be particularly effective when their full back (the number five) seemed to bomb forward, usually with loads of space to run into. I know some managers like to be close to the players to shout and stuff, but Butcher seemed to be sat in the dugout predominately for about 80 minutes. Surely he'd have been better off sat in the stand for that time. On this topic as well, as is often the case, the manager, assistant and the coaches (apart from Duncan Shearer doing his media work) were all congregated in the same area and watched from the game from basically the same angle. Would it not be better to have one in the Main Stand, another in the North Stand and others around as well to get an all round view of the game and then find some way of reporting back to the dugout? I seem to recollect when Real Vallodolid came a couple of years back, they had a guy sat about three-quarters of the way down taking notes and stuff. Could this not be something ICT could perhaps consider as well?

After about half an hour or so, ICT were swamped. Kilmarnock had long long episodes of the ball with little pressing from ICT and were able to move the ball around with relative ease. Also, when they did lose the ball, they were very quick to win it back. Now leads to a point no-one has yet mentioned. From what I could see, both Butcher and Malpas were in the technical area for ninety minutes, with Butcher sat in the dugout for most of the game. As anyone who's ever stood pitch-side will tell you, there's no way you can really see what's going on from down there. Perhaps had Butcher (or Malpas even) had been in the stand, something could've been done to try and grab hold of the game once again.

The Tartan Army are nothing but a bunch of kilt-wearing, cringe-inducing, drunken hooligans. what a fanny

The Tartan Army are nothing but a bunch of kilt-wearing, cringe-inducing, drunken hooligans.

They line 1-11 in these games and wore last seasons shirts. I saw there was a camera on the other side, will the highlights be going on the YouTube page?

As these games though, it wasn't bad. ICT played well, keeping the ball on the deck for essentially the whole game, with Laing, Meekings, Polworth and particularly Pepper all impressing. Morrison was alright as well, as was the number 15 putting in a good shift and scored the third goal. Hearts were rather uninspiring, with most of their squad coming down with injuries throughout the ninety minutes. Their goalkeeper though was probably MOTM and had some excellent saves, especially that double save in the first half. All in all, a decent game and there was even some lightning!

An attacking 4-3-3 for me - Esson Meekings Warren King G.Shinnie Draper A.Shinnie Foran Doran Oswell McKay Subs - Reguero, Raven, Sutherland, Ross, Morrison, Pepper, Laing

Some may think this is unrealistic, but this season all the eyes towards Highland football will be towards Ross County. If history has shown us anything, ICT do nothing better than overshadowing it's yokel neighbours. We've not really had any real "buzz" around the club since 2004, bar winning the 1st Division two years ago. This season we have to get to a final. A Scottish Cup semi-final would maybe do the trick, but either of the national cups could well re-generate interest in the club and a great opportunity to get more people on board. And I don't think it's an impossible aim either.

In modern football it's unusual to have players for long periods of time. The night Tokely was confirmed as leaving I posted something on Twitter about it and an East Fife fan replied, saying that they have had two players in their entire history, over 100 years, who played for the club as long as he did for us. If people aren't renewing their season tickets because of that then they must be rather naive about how football is. The problem with releasing these players is that they haven't been properly replaced. When we let Grant Munro go, I thought Butcher had earned the right to make that decision. It was his responsibility to replace him with someone better and he didn't do it. That's the problem - if Grant had been replaced by a player of equal or improved standing then there would be no issue. Yeah I agree with that and how things have gone in the game. On the Munro things as well, remember who replaced him - Aldred. And we all know what happened there (Golobart and Williams came later and Golobart was a man I liked). Of the new group the one I think that does show the attitude and mentality of the ICT of old is Gary Warren. I like the look of this bloke. Perhaps because he hasn't played predominantly as a full time professional, his attitude and style might be a little different, but I think he could be one of the few that maybe the fans could relate to a little more.

Funnily enough, if you look at my first post you'll see there's a positive section this time around! Some people just don't seem to like differing opinions though!

Oh dear looks like I have another stalker! I never said Tokely and Duncan were local (more local than the likes of Gnapka and others mind!), but they were mainstays who the fans felt made the team as recognisable on a weekly basis, season after season - it was almost like you knew them (along with Munro and others who have departed over the last few years). That was also the reason given by a few on here as to reasons they've heard about why some have renewed season tickets. Tiresome to watch as well I'm afraid and I'm not going to change my views on something just because you don't like it, I'll call it as I see it. Incidentally, both Sydney's and Brentford's average attendances dropped under Butcher's reign. The reason given - the long ball. Bore the fans and they'll turn away and so far, they are.

Yeah okay Looked to me to be a straight 4-2-3-1 from the beginning. After about the half hour mark, Draper and Jones seemed to be basically sellotaped in-front of the centre-backs, meaning Killie dominated possession for the rest of the game, also helped by the fact that they were also far better at winning the ball back. They weren't without it for long. In the second half, Sutherland partnered McKay up top, with no-one at right wing! Bit of both, but the game seemed to get somewhat longer as it went on, gifting possession back to Killie. I wasn't impressed I'm afraid. There was even one point where took a throw in on the half way line and threw it straight out! Neither, he was rotten. Sometimes aye, but he was useless on both sides. Shinnie was behind McKay, who pulled wide now and again. Kind of wide.....sometimes. He did.

Oh I don't know, Bobby Mann was a bit on the large side and don't forget Jim Calder!

After the game yesterday, it seems obvious now that 4-2-3-1 at home is not going to work. It's far too cautious, particularly with Jones and Draper both being very defensive minded. Add that to fact that McKay is not a lone striker - there's no doubt he's a hard worker, but he looks totally alone up there sometimes. Terry Butcher seems to be the only man on the planet that thinks that Sutherland is a winger - and in his opinion "the man to replace Hayes and has all the attributes to be a great winger". Utterly baffling. It was quite sad to watch him play there yesterday actually - he's so obviously out of position and so obviously not build for the role that's almost like ICT are playing with ten men. The strike force looks weak to me, so in my view a switch to an attack minded 4-3-3 with Sutherland or Oswell up top with McKay and Doran alongside them is the way to go I reckon. It's often been the other way round in recent years, with the defence being the poorest part of the team, but this time around, particularly the two centre-backs (with Hogg yet to return) look, while not the biggest, certainly fairly solid. We need more attacking power and playing three out and out strikers is the way to go at home this season I reckon.

I've just done some maths there and out of Ross County's squad that played Aberdeen, there was....and wait for it - 1366 Caley Thistle appearances (Out of Tokely, Munro, Duncan, Fraser and Vigurs). Out of all the players that played for ICT at the Caley Stadium against Kilmarnock, there was......478 Caley Thistle combined appearances - 143 of which were Ryan Esson's. Ross Tokely has more ICT appearances that today's entire squad combined, and taking away Esson's appearances, the total for the ICT outfield players was 335. That's less than both Munro and Duncan's respective appearances. And therein lies the problem. People are starting to feel dissatisfied and unattached to the club the once felt a part of - and Terry Butcher is to blame. Long ball football, strangers coming and going and a team playing more not to lose than to win - and we wonder why season tickets are down. It's not the club we once knew and I feel it too. It'll be a long time - if ever, that we have something we can truly believe in happening again and that's not nostalgia talking - that's facts.

What about a "Dear Dougal" page?

I'd always wondered that if ICT upped the programme prices to £3, but made them of a better quality, then they might sell a lot more. Motherwell's last season in particular was £3, but it was excellent. I don't really have any interest in Motherwell, but they'd done it really well, with lots of interesting stuff.

I see you can buy a 50p information sheet now instead of a programme. I prefer the old traditional programmes myself.

I see. Again though, both those angles are from in-front and behind the incident. The side on/North Stand view was the best to see it I reckon, cause I had a completely clear view. On the second part it's not just your post, but the reasons given by others as well - "injury history" (true, but no excuse), "out of character", "high pressure situation", deflecting it towards fans who were quite rightly annoyed at a stupid action that could've cost the game......one even blaming the heat! (I hope he never goes to Dubai or Hong Kong or somewhere, he's have someone's head off!) Seems to me like some people are trying to belittle what was violent conduct and undoubtedly a red card offence.

Incorrect. Where were you sitting? Perhaps Main Stand folk wouldn't have seen it quite so well due to that angle and bodies in the way and what not, but I was in the North Stand had a great side on view of the incident. He did attempt to head butt him - or at least the motion that he intended to. Everyone in my area saw it, so much so there's was a big groan from everyone as soon as he did it. I find quite hard to believe some people seem to be quietly or indirectly justifying and condoning what he did!