Caley Stan

A month ago i was screaming for Brew to GTF. We were on the worst winless streak i can remember and he seemed to be alienating players and fans with a series of dodgy decisions (both tactical and man-managerial). Aided by the split and the state of Gretna things have stabilised since then and he deserves some credit for that because a month ago we didn't look capable of beating anyone. The 'player-unrest' stories were starting to spiral out of control at that time and if Brew had a hand in sorting that out then well done to him. So from that point of view he deserves the chance to make changes over the summer and we'll see how we get on at the start of next season. He still manages to p1ss me off even after a 6-1 win though. That comment about two more wins giving us our highest ever SPL points total was just stupid. You'd think he would check before saying a thing like that.

Dennis isn't asking for the earth and nor should he be. He still hasn't proven that he can score goals regularly in the SPL. I'd like to see him given a another year or two though, and another chance to play alongside a striker with pace.

Why? We shouldn't assume that just because the man has ideas that they are neccessarily good for the club. Savage wanted to develop the current stadium while the rest of the board (under the influence of Sutherland) felt that a community stadium in the Bught is the best thing to look at in the long term. Savage wanted to "introduce boutique football to showcase other players", whatever the feck that means, but the board rejected the plan. That's why we have a board. I'd be more concerned if they just went along with whatever Savage was suggesting without questioning it.

"I certainly wouldn't say we are about to go through a big transitional period in terms of the playing staff. I think it will just be about the normal change over of personnel" George Fraser It could be a slightly busier summer than normal in terms of players arriving. Craig Brewster Two quotes in the same paper on the same day. Looks like we still have a few communication problems. Get a grip.

Sutherland interview on Sportsound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Based mainly on away matches: FRASER: 6/10 Looks too casual at times and has made some terrible mistakes. However, bearing in mind that it's his first full season, he's been reasonably consistent. Save against Celtic was best moment of the season. Deserves respect for recovering well from disasters against Killie and Aberdeen. ROSSCOE: 5/10 How do we solve the Rosscoe problem? He's really important for us going forward, he drives the team at times with his energy and commitment and is a true ICT legend but without doubt, Tokely's poor positioning and inability to get back down the park when he loses the ball is one of the major reasons we've defended so badly this season. HASTINGS: 4/10 Gives his all and is a good athlete but not a footballer. Needs replaced. PROCTOR: 5/10 The jury's still out on Brew's golden boy. Has been an eager deputy at right-back, centre-half and right-midfield - never letting the team team down wherever he plays. Is he a centre-half? I'm still not convinced and hope Brew doesn't gamble on it. He's a great guy to have in the squad though. MUNRO: 6/10 Has struggled to recapture the form of the last two seasons without Dods by his side. Still our most composed and commanding defender this season but that doesn't say much. With the right partner, Granty can be a great ICT captain. MCGUIRE: 3/10 Had a steady start but lost the plot after New Year. Doesn't win enough in air and suffers from lapses in concentration. DUNCAN: 7/10 Initially picked up from where he'd left off last season in scintillating form before dipping in the last few months. Away from home, the importance of Russell Duncan really comes to the fore as we have less of the ball and he does a great job in stopping teams going forward with it. I do have sympathy for season-ticket holders who watch him giving the ball ayay every weekt though. BLACK: 7/10 I thought this would be the season for Blackie to really shine and show himself to be one of the top midfielders in the SPL. It didn't quite happen that way. He's our best player, the best passer of the ball, the most intelligent footballer and should be the heart of the team. At times though, his heart hasn't been in it. Fair play to him for cutting out the silly bookings but in doing so, his edge has been blunted a little. He's also failed to pose enough of a threat going forward. Early in the season, Brew tried to play him further forward but he didn't deliver there. Has been comfortable since then in the 4-5-1, but doesn't control games as he should. COWIE: 8/10 Outstanding first season. Agree completely with the decision to move him inside. Passes and moves better than most of our attacking players so shouldn't be stuck out on the wing. Would benefit greatly from having pacy strikers in front of him. MCBAIN: 6/10 Victim of most ridiculous team selection of the season when Brew played him on the right against Rangers. "Good players can play anywhere," said the gaffer but he was wrong - Roy is a good player but he can't play on the right. Nor is he at his best on the left. Has performed well recently in the centre of the park and deputised ably at left-back when Hastings was injured. Another good guy to have in the squad. NICULAE: 7/10 Wasn?t fit for the first three months and shouldn?t have been playing. Is coming onto a game now and it?s great to watch such a classy player playing for ICT. WYNESS: 5/10 Started the season so well and hasn?t had a run in the team following injury. A ?confidence player? with no confidence. Needs to play alongside pace. BAYNE: 4/10 Had his chances and didn?t take them. Great effort as always and but doesn?t dominate in the air and can?t score goals regularly at this level. And on the fringes: MARKUS and RORY haven?t done enough to deserve new contracts. BARRY MUST STAY BREWSTER MUST GO

SFA say Blackie's suspension is for the reserve league. BBC don't have him in the squad. As for McGuire, he won't be missed.

Brewster did an interview with Charles Bannerman which is on BBC Sport. The most interesting quote from Brew was this: "I haven't a clue." Well done Craig, it's good to finally hear a bit of honesty from you.

Malky has spoken

"None of the players we watched, judging by their performances on Saturday, would make an impact with Caley Thistle." Brewster in the Courier.

L_G mentioned this recently on another thread. That is NOT the way this deal has been presented. A number of people from the club from Brewster to Grassa have talked about "the chairman picking up most of Marius' wage". If that's not the case then it's yet another example of our board treating the club's fans and players with total contempt.

Colin Hendry, Paul Lambert ad Richard Gough.

No. The whole affair has comprised the ethos of our club. A businessman imposes a player on a manager. The player earns five times as much as the rest of the squad He then plays for months contributing very little while clearly unfit. Over time we see how classy the player is - he improves his fitness and makes more of a contribution, but still it's too late - the club and its supporters have lost more than they have gained from the presence of Marius Constantin Niculae.

George Fraser, managing director of Rokgroup in Scotland and head of tulloch construction.

Savage has a 12% of the shares. Will he still be picking up Marius' wage?

I don't think so. The SFA say: "Suspensions incurred by players shall be served in the competition in which they are incurred".....apart from cases of..... "serious foul play, violent conduct or spitting at an opponent or any other person". So Blackie should be back in the team and the team should play around him: FRASER TOKELY PROCTOR MUNRO HASTINGS BLACK WILSON COWIE MCBAIN NICULAE IMRIE

Munro is available. Duncan is still suspended.

Barry didn't have a great game but it was good to see him back - he definitely still has a contribution to make. What a strange season he's had. He started the season as a first team regular before suddenly dropping out of the squad. When he got back in he looked really sharp and hungry coming off the bench - then he gets loaned out to St. Johnstone. Now he's back and straight into the starting line-up. Is there any rationale behind this method of team selection? Sometimes i think Brewster just picks them out of a hat.

Although this fixture was a meaningless joke, it's still nice to see us win at last. We made hard work of though. Brewster went back to 4-4-2, with Wyness and Imrie up front, Wilson on the right and Markus on the left. Strange then that we spent most of the game punting high balls up to our wee strikers. There was a general lack of confidence and composure througouht the team - most of the players seemed to panic and hoof as soon as they received the ball insted of looking around for a simple pass. In spite of this, we managed to carve out a fair few chances, especially in the first half when Dennis could've had a hat-trick. Gretna came into the game more in the second half, with our defence looking as shaky as ever. McBain and Cowie deserved their goals, they worked well together in the middle of the park and were probably our best players today.

Munro and Duncan are suspended, Bayne's injured and Black's not in the squad.

That's probably the best team available to us WynessShuffle, but Brewster doesn't seem to pick his teams according to ability. There's no chance of Wilson or Wyness starting this game and the team will be worse for it.

Brewster basically confirmed in an interview yesterday that Proctor would play with McGuire in the heart of the defence and that Cowie would play with McBain in the middle of the park.

Don't get side-tracked now Foxy - just who is the fine lady?

The Black story and the general shambles that is our club these days was discussed on Sportsound tonight, including an interview with Brew which can be heard on BBC sport. Gordon Waddell spoke for while about how we managed to go from the SPL team who displayed the most spirit and togetherness to one where every week brings a new story about dressing room unrest. Actually, how did that happen?

That's great Richard, but aren't we talking about Juanjo? And since of you've got Brewster's ear, could you tell him that McGuire is ***** because he doesn't seem to have noticed.