Renegade

I wonder if the club would be better off building a stand akin to what County have across from their main stand - albeit a standing version. In my opinion, something like that, or a standing version of the North/South stands would look pretty good - the grounds always looked kind of unfinished to me with only three sides.

Apparently though, "safe standing" isn't like what ICT had before. It's this kind of thing - Presumably that would be more costly than taking out the seats in the West Stand.

Esson Gillet Tokely Golobart G.Shinnie A.Shinnie Foran Davis Tade McKay Hayes Subs - Tuffey, Piermayr, Tansey, Sutherland, Meekings*, Ross, Cox An attacking 4-3-3 for me - the defence was good yesterday so keep it the same. I also feel that Andrew Shinnie should start and is better in the middle than Tansey. Keep Foran where he is, with Davis coming straight back in. * - If Meekings is still out, Morrison comes onto the bench.

From the angle I had from when I was there, it was NOT over the line - but was tantalisingly close to being so.

Also for what it's worth, I thought the starting formation was - Esson Gillet Tokely Golobart G.Shinnie Foran Cox ---------------Tansey Hayes-----------------------------------------Tade McKay

It's a sickener. ICT were the better team in significant portions of that game. Particularly just after the goal - every time ICT won the ball, it looked like a goal was coming. Just a shame that Rangers had to score and thus win the game - they didn't deserve it and they and their fans know it. Of ICT, all the players to a man I thought had a good game, though some showed it more than others. Esson really didn't have much to deal with, apart from one excellent save right at the start. I thought Golobart was excellent throughout and is one of the best distributors of the ball in the entire team. Tokely was his normal steady self, while Gillet (the surprise choice at right back) filled the role well. Graeme Shinnie was one of the best player on the park - a real attacking wing back who was getting past the opposing number at times like he wasn't there. Foran is far more suited to a midfield role and Hayes played well on the wing. Tade was not as in the game as he normally is, due to his position of left wing, but he seemed to come more into the game as time went on. McKay I thought had a good shift and was very unlucky with two glorious chances, but I do feel at times that in that system, someone with a bit more force would be better - Shane Sutherland could do the job well. The introduction of Andrew Shinnie changed the game and ICT looked far more dominant in both midfield and attack when he came on. An unlucky defeat, but a lot can be taken from the performance.

HT - Rangers 1-0 ICT FT - Rangers 1-2 ICT Rangers 1st scorer - Jelavic ICT 1st scorer - Golobart Attendance - 41,776

I think I'd be having to watch the game through my fingers if that was the centre-back pairing!

'm sure I heard that Cillian Sheridan's loan deal at St Johnstone is up either at the end of this month or next. Would he be worth bringing in? Would he come? I think he'd be quite a good signing myself.

What a jump from concessions to adult! So if your eighteenth birthday was the Friday, you've gone in a matter of hours of life to having to pay an extra ?14!

If ICT had any other manager, Foran would've been dropped ages ago. He's not even the player he was even last season and his captaincy skills leave a lot to be desired - his pathetic booting of the ball out of the stadium at one point yesterday being a prime example. Sadly though, the fact that he's Butcher's goldenboy means that he'll never be dropped - and if that's not favouritism and poor management, I don't know what is.

Tudur Jones has never played at centre-back as far as I'm aware.

What I find a little baffling about the first half substitution, is Butcher makes far more changes than were necessary. He obviously has to make one change (Hogg comes off), so there's one. He moves Tokely into centre-back that's two and moves Davis out of the midfield and into full back. That's three changes. Perhaps it could've been better had he made more of a "like-for-like" change. Hogg comes off for Graeme Shinnie and Gillet moves to centre-back. Surely that would have been far better. That's all defenders in the defensive line, Tokely stays in his strongest position, Gillet moves to a position where he can play (and apparently did so many times for Barnet) and Graeme Shinnie takes his natural position - that leaves the team with far less disruption and keeps Davis in his strongest position - the midfield. Surely that would've made more sense, but going by Butcher's post-match comments, it never even crossed his mind!

He wasn't. He's supposedly back from injury, but why he wasn't on the bench I don't know. What I found strange is he says "I didn't want to take Davis out of midfield, but who do we play at right-back? Graeme Shinnie?" Is he not aware that the man he brought on, Lee Cox can play at right back?

Not starting Tade would be a mistake.

He played the first half in a friendly against Clach at Grant Street and then came off (supposedly injured at half time) - he was brilliant in that first half by the way, in fact I seem to remember Butcher saying that he could push Hayes for a place. He was then in the squad for another friendly later that week (against Forres IIRC) and got injured in the warm-up. The story of his career up to that point I believe. It's a shame he never signed cause I've always thought he was a great player.

Esson Tokely Meekings* Golobart Gillet Cox A.Shinnie Tansey Tade McKay Hayes Subs - Tuffey, Piermayr, G.Shinnie, Sutherland, Morrison, Ross, Foran No point in damage limitation, an attacking 4-3-3 for me. I think Tokely is a better full back than centre-half and the Golobart/Tokely partnership doesn't work. I also recollect him having a good game there last season, so Meekings comes in at centre-half. Also, drop Foran to the bench - he's well off form and not showing much in the way of leadership. * - If Meekings is still out, Tokely into centre-half with Piermayr coming back in.

The irritating thing for me, is it seems these days, some of the decisions seem more for the benefit of Butcher's ego than for the team. How Foran gets a game, never mind stay on the pitch is beyond me. He was appalling today. The tactics weren't just wrong either - they were just plain stupid. Long ball after long ball towards a man of 5"7 - it beggars belief that Butcher even thought of that in the first place. Why was Tade on so late? In fact, why didn't he start? Baffling. Also, what was the deal with those substitutions? Davis into right back was a waste - why not put Cox straight in there? And where was Piermayr? Also, Dundee United score and everyone in the ground knows that this is the time to put Tade on. What does Butcher do? Bring on none other than another of his favourites, "wonderboy" Nick Ross, who contributed a grand total of zero to the game. Foran should have gone off - he's way off form and his antics don't exactly look like captain material to me. Sadly though, Butcher's ego won't allow for that. That played a big part in getting relegated in 2009 (the whole Fraser/Esson saga being the main example), and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that it will relegate this team again.

Apparently he went with Goodwin at the back to try and mark Tade out of the game.............only for them to come out on the pitch and find that Tade wasn't there!

Esson Tokely Hogg Golobart Gillet Davis A.Shinnie Tansey Tade McKay Hayes Subs - Tuffey, Piermayr, Cox, G.Shinnie, Sutherland, Meekings, Foran Time to rest Foran I reckon. He seems a little out of form and these tirades he does towards other players don't help anyone. Tade comes in for him. Keep McKay as he seems to have something a bit different and I'd like to see how well he'd do with Tade and Hayes along side him.

I enjoyed my first trip to St Mirren Park, but despite the stadium being alright, I can understand when people say that it kind of feels like it could of been plonked there the night before. Of the game, there was no-one that really had a bad game. Davis and Tansey played very well in the middle, though Hayes seemed (apart from the goals), a little quieter than usual. Foran had an okay game, but really needs to lighten up. Going nuts at McKay on his first start over nothing in particular was unnecessary. McKay seems to have something and came into it a lot more as the game went on, but I feel that, as he is more of a Dargo type striker, could do with someone up there with him - he ain't the type to play the lone frontman role. I'd like to see him and Tade start together next week. Andrew Shinnie played well by the way. Of the defence, Esson was his usual steady self, as was Hogg - Tokely is a better full back than centre half. Gillet is a good attacking player, but does seem a little caught out of position at times. Still a decent performance though. I was surprised to see Golobart starting and he seemed to start a little nervously, but like McKay, grew into the game. One thing I would say though, is that at times, particularly in the first half, he seems to suffer from what i would call "Djebi-Zadi Syndrome" ie - "here comes the ball, what do I do with it?!" kind of thing. But as long as he simplifies his game down and cuts down on the dangerous fancy stuff that he did yesterday, particularly in the second half, then he should be alright. Overall a decent performance, especially when one takes into account the conditions at times. Hopefully the club can build on this, but Dundee United should be a much tougher task next week.

HT - St Mirren 1-1 ICT FT - St.Mirren 1-2 ICT St.Mirren 1st scorer - Teale ICT 1st scorer - Foran Attendance - 3,912

Does anyone remember DornochCaley (or DornochCeltic as I used to call him)? Seem to remember him going nuts over the Celtic Poppy fiasco. What about Rosscoe23?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the defence has never been the same since Dods left. There's been good defenders that have come and gone and it's had periods of being better than others, but he obviously did something while he was there because it's still never been as good since.