Renegade

Maybe everyone was at church?

Could County not have made it general seating? That way if you were that keen to sit somewhere/with someone you'd get there early and be able to do it.

I was informed at the weekend that apparently Roberts was phoned by Arsenal prior to the game and told that they wouldn't be renewing his contract. This obviously led to him feeling depressed right before the game. Don't know how true that is, but maybe it would explain his rather under par performance.

Remember, they've got a midweek game in Portugal before this fixture. We need to take the game to them. Get the ball forward, get it in the box, get in their faces and put them under pressure!

What I can't understand is, about a month and a half ago, about 4,500 ICT "fans" were at the Highland Derby. Did 2,000 of these people not enjoy themselves? The match was one of the most exciting we've had for years and the atmosphere was what we've always wanted it to be. Did these people not notice this? Did they find it boring? Did they find the atmosphere rubbish? It didn't seem like that at the time. I know some are still feeling disillusioned by the rubbish served up last season, while tougher economic times are also playing a part. I think the real problem is that the town doesn't love the club. County seem to have been able to market themselves quite well to their catchment area, but ICT haven't. And I don't know why that is.

An attacking 4-3-3 for me. Foran only seems to play when played up top. With that in mind I'd play - Reguero Raven Warren Meekings G.Shinnie Draper A.Shinnie Jones Doran Foran McKay Subs - Esson, Roberts, Pepper, Sutherland, Morrison, Brislen-Hall, Cooper If Draper is still out, put Morrison in his place.

When ICT first went on this run and prior to it, Andrew Shinnie didn't seem to be on form. Foran gets injured and all of a sudden he comes alive. Coincidence? I think not. Foran gets injured and ICT play more and more as a team - something we've not seen for a couple of seasons. Foran comes back and all of a sudden it falls apart. Coincidence? I think not. Foran comes back and Andrew Shinnie, who was on great form, becomes rubbish again. Coincidence? I think not. Whatever good attributes Foran may have, he seems to have a detrimental affect on the team as a whole, particularly the skills of Andrew Shinnie. Some call it passion, to me it looks more like bullying. The team as a unit are better without Foran in it. And that's worth dropping him for, no matter how many good attributes he might have.

Bit like most of the players and the manager then. Nice to know that you had a nice time though despite the embarrassment that was on the field.

This my sound stupid, but there really was a mascot called Angus the Stag wasn't there? Whatever happened to him? Where is he now? Will he ever come back? Younger posters probably won't remember him, but he was far better than chancers like Nessie and the ICat! Was he not joined for a while by another one for a while? Caley the Croc or something?

Nice to know Terry thinks it's funny. No-one else did.

*Stand back lads, I'll handle this* That was garbage, utter garbage. It's a sad state of affairs when you concede five goals and Reguero and Raven are your only decent players. The tactics were all wrong and ICT seemed spooked by Murphy and Humphrey. Their attacks were like a hot knife through butter. Is it just a coincidence that the team are playing well, playing good football and playing as a team until Foran comes back and all of a sudden normal service is resumed? Can Andrew Shinnie and Foran play in the same team? The former was on great form in recent weeks, and as soon as Foran comes back, is rotten? Foran has some good attributes, but I'd sacrifice them for what Andrew Shinnie has brought recently, any day of the week. Ross Draper was also hugely missed and you'd be forgiven for forgetting that Morrison was on the field. Sutherland coming on as a winger. Has that ever worked? And the second half formation of the 4-4-2 diamond with one winger and Andrew Shinnie moving wide beggared belief. From the very beginning Motherwell seemed sharper and more up for it. ICT seemed all out of ideas and had body language that didn't suggest a happy team. ICT were gubbed by the better team, but it was a crude and embarrassing performance. No wonder there was people laughing when Foran was announced as MOTM.

HT - ICT 1-1 Motherwell FT - ICT 2-1 Motherwell ICT 1st scorer - McKay Motherwell 1st scorer - Higdon Attendance - 3,108

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?!