tm4tj

Passports on standby 　 　 Inverness travel to the City of Discovery on Saturday to discover if they can seal that elusive European spot prior to the Scottish Cup final. A win over Dundee would confirm Inverness as third in the country and ensure us of playing in the Europa League next season. There are other permutations of course but that is the favoured one. A deserved win over Dundee United in midweek has seen Inverness open up a seven point gap over challengers United and Tayside neighbours St Johnstone, who meet on Saturday, with only three games remaining. For Inverness, it's a winner takes all situation. The heavens opened on Tuesday night ahead of our re-arranged game against the Arabs and the pitch condition aided United to an early goal when Danny Devine's passback stuck in a puddle. Ryan Esson could only push the ball forward to around forty yards under challenge and Robbie Muirhead clipped the ball into the unguarded net thereafter. But Inverness went in front before the break and never looked back although a late United flurry produced some arse clenching moments. Eddie Ofere and Danny Williams with a spectacular volley sealed the points as we took a massive step to creating our own bit of history. Dundee played Celtic on the Friday night and were scalped, or should that be skelped by the champions. 5-0 was the final score as the Dark Blues were routed. Paul Hartley explained that Dundee were "at their worst" after the 0-2 defeat by St Johnstone. I shudder to think what he thought of the demolition at Parkhead. Unfortunately, Inverness have never really come to terms with playing at Dens Park and historical evidence reveals that we tend to struggle somewhat to get a result there. In saying that, in recent years we have fared much better, winning three of our last four visits to Dens Park. That included a League Cup win last season. This season our only win over the Dark Blues came at Dens Park, Ryan Christie scoring a late winner in a 2-1 victory. The other two games in the Highlands ended all square. Dundee scraped into the top-six on the last day of open games but they look like ending the season in sixth place. At the moment they sit fifteen points behind Inverness. We did get the monkey off our back with that win over United, our first league win at the tenth time of asking, but an important one at that. Dundee have lost their last four games, twice to St Johnstone and twice to Celtic. One word of warning however. They have scored only three goals less than us. Our defence though is more adept at keeping other teams out it seems and that is why we are third and they are sixth. Inverness have the same guys out long term but David Raven can return after suspension to give Yogi a selection choice after Devine and Meekings played well in midweek. Meekings took over Raven's right back slot and looked ever so comfortable there. Devine will also need game time ahead of the cup final when Gary Warren will be suspended. Paul Hartley may have to use Kyle Letheren in goals with Scott Bain struggling with a knee injury. Naughty boy Paul McGowan and Greg Stewart will return to the squad. They missed the thrashing at Parkhead, they'll be glad of that. Kevin McBride will not be in contention for a place in the squad as he has left the club by mutual consent. He should have used a taxi, meh. tm4tj prediction:- Well, we don't do anything the easy way and I can't see it being any different tomorrow. Dundee will fancy their chances against us and will be stronger than they were against Celtic with McGowan and Stewart returning. Eddie Ofere is endearing himself to the Inverness fans with his ability to score and Danny Williams is packing quite a punch in that left peg of his. If our passing game holds up then we could clinch the Euro slot tomorrow, if not then it will depend on the result in the Tayside derby, or we might need to rely on plan B, C, or D to see it through. I'm optimistic though after breaking our bad run of results and will be looking for a win. Remember there's more information at the Official Facebok page right here https://www.facebook.com/ICTFC?fref=ts

Yogi's joy It's getting rather tight now in the race for third place as St Johnstone and Dundee United close in on Inverness who are doing their best to let someone else take the European place for finishing third in the league. The games are coming thick and fast now and only three days after drawing at Perth, Inverness have another must not lose game to contend with as Dundee United come North. The Arabs looked to be out of the race but as Inverness falter in the home straight, United and St Johnstone lurk just four points behind us with only three games remaining after this postponed game gets played. Things are getting critical for Inverness now as there appears to be no end to the dismal run without a win. In fact it is getting very difficult to see where we can pick up points before the end of the season. Could it be that Yogi is putting all his eggs in one basket and looking to invade Europe on the back of a Scottish Cup win? That's a dangerous game to play, and given our tremendous start to the campaign, the last couple of months have been disappointing to say the least. Four games left. Two home games against United and away to Dundee before completing the season at Parkhead. Celtic will be in no mood to let us spoil their championship parade and Dens Park is historically a tough venue for us. That leaves the two games against United as the ones where we will have the best opportunity to clinch third place, although I'm sure Dundee United will believe they can overtake us. Next Saturday could prove to be the day when things swing our way if we can overcome Dundee. That same day there will be a crucial Tayside derby in Perth as St Johnstone take on Dundee United. It can be done, but we don't do anything the easy way. Where's the fun in that. There was some good news for Inverness fans as John Hughes picked up the PFA Manager of the Year award on Sunday night. Yogi was not everybody's favourite when he took the reins after Terry Butcher left, but he has transformed our style of play and has had an amazing season, guiding Inverness into our first ever Scottish Cup final and hopefully our highest ever league finish, although that has still to be finalised. Rumour has it that Celtic will be writing a letter to the SFA to ask for some clarification over the decision to award Yogi the title. Inverness have Ross Draper back after suspension, but David Raven sits this one out after his sending off at Perth. That should open up the back line for Danny Devine to step in, or the possibility of Carl Tremarco coming back with Shinnie swapping flanks. Richie Foran and Dean Brill are long term casualties. United will be without the injured trio Paul Paton, Ryan Dow and Mario Bilate. Like Foran and Brill, these three will miss the rest of the season. tm4tj prediction. Well, we can't buy a win just now and with United sensing our fear of finishing third it might be prudent to ensure we don't lose rather than try to win it and fail. Could be that Yogi is resting one or two ahead of the cup final, but I'm sure the local fans would like to see us confirm third place sooner rather than later. I will not be too downhearted with a draw considering what's at stake. A defeat will be a disaster and let United and St Johnstone right back into the mix. Score draw for me to keep United at bay.

The Race for Third 　 　 Thoughts of the Scottish Cup final will be on the back burner this weekend as Inverness travel to Perth to take on fast finishers St Johnstone who have clawed their way into the race for third place after overtaking Dundee United last weekend. The Perth side are once more making a late run for the finishing line and are now within four points of stuttering Inverness, having beaten the Dark Blues in last weeks Tayside derby. It is now nine games since Inverness last won a league game, the worst stat in the Premiership. That win was against Championship bound St Mirren. We have only won four points out of a possible twenty-four over the last eight games. St Johnstone have taken fourteen points over the same period which has included four wins, the pick of the bunch being that 1-0 win at Parkhead. It's not the first time we have allowed St Johnstone back into the frame right at the end of the season. They pipped us at the post two years ago as we went down in Dingwall on the last day of the season and the Perth men made a strong run on the blind side, winning at Motherwell to grab the last available Euro slot. Last week, Inverness played well enough but without the clinical finishing, it was always going to be a difficult task to take all three points from a miserly resolute Aberdeen. In the end we paid for some poor attempts at scoring, especially Watkins and Ross and suffered at set pieces. Lady luck deserted us and a Raven own goal got Aberdeen back in the game after a supine Edward Ofere scooped home the opener. McGinn knocked in the second following a corner but we lacked the cutting edge to get back on level terms. Not for the want of trying, and we can't fault the guys, especially after the previous weeks exertions. St Johnstone leap frogged Dundee United after beating their neighbours Dundee 2-0 at Dens Park. Second half goals from Swanson and Wotherspoon were enough to edge them past ten man Dundee, their second win over them in a fortnight. John Hughes has been nominated for Manager of the Year after guiding Inverness to their first ever Scottish Cup final and heading for our highest league finish, all that after persevering with the possession play that got us off to a flier at the start of the season. Tough competition for Yogi though with Championship winners gaffer Robbie Neilson also in the frame, alongside Derek MacInnes and Ronny Deila. All worthy winners in their own right. Good luck with that. After his cup heroics, David Raven has given Inverness fans more reason to cheer by extending his contract for a further year, that's adding to Greg Tansey who had already signed on for another two years. Ins and outs for this week Inverness will be without Richie Foran and Dean Brill for the rest of the season and Ross Draper misses out as he serves the second of his two match suspension St Johnstone can call upon the services of Steven Anderson and Simon Lappin as both are now free of suspension. Brian Easton could miss out after his injury against Dundee. tm4tj prediction:- We do, of course, have that minor distraction of the Cup Final to think about, but securing our highest finish in the top flight should be enough motivation to drive us onwards. However, we have been here before and blown it. Difficult to put the Cup game completely out of the mind and that could be enough for St Johnstone to narrow the gap to one point, but I will be looking for at least one point from this game. Remember, the official ICT Facebook site has more video and audio right here https://www.facebook.com/ICTFC?fref=ts

Joshtice hash been sherved Well, that was the week that was. And what a week it turned out to be. Inverness reached their first Scottish Cup Final, but the shine was taken off that when Celtic wrote to the SFA looking for help. The compliance officer tried a new trick and cited Josh Meekings, offering a one match ban. You couldn't make this up as the spineless suits that run our game took Josh back to Hampden to face the music, despite most of the world including Neil Lennon, Ronnie Deila and FIFA backing Justice for Josh. Even Sean Connery backed him, and said after the victory for common sense, Joshtice hash been sherved. Yes, Josh Meekings is free to play in the Scottish Cup Final against Falkirk. I wonder if we can get Gary Warren off. Saturday has Aberdeen visiting the Highland capital as the top-six games kick off. It looks a foregone conclusion that the Dons will secure second place before the end of the season. In fact, they could even do it this weekend, such is the gap between Aberdeen and Inverness, although the gap between the quality on the park is not so obvious. The Dons are on a great sequence in the league. The last team to beat the Dons in a premiership game outside of Celtic was Hamilton Academicals back in the middle of October. Aberdeen are six games unbeaten since losing 4-0 to Celtic on the 4th of March. They have beaten Inverness in all three games this season, although they have all been keenly contested, only one goal separating the sides on each occasion. Our own form has suffered in the League as we put our efforts into securing a cup final spot. With that achieved, we can look ahead to maintaining our push for third place. No wins in our last seven games is not the best form heading into the final games of the season, but as we showed at Hampden, we can be a match for anyone when we put our mind to it. The previous week we also played Celtic and drew with them on League duty. A fete Aberdeen have been unable to do having lost all three games to the champions, whilst we have taken four points off them so far and ousted them from the cup. Dean Brill and Richie Foran are out injured and Ross Draper is suspended for breaching the yellow card threshold. He also misses the next league game as well. Barry Robson is suspended for the Dons. He had a hard neck appealing against his red card after he elbowed/assaulted Dundee United's Charlie Telfer. Russell Anderson is fit again but will be a bit rusty after his long lay off. tm4tj prediction:- If we can't be buoyed by last weeks performance then we might as well give up. It was a fantastic effort last week and I would expect that to give everybody at the club a massive lift along with the news that Meekings will be available to play in the final. Aberdeen have the greatest depth of squad outside of Celtic and that is the only difference between the teams. Edward Ofere proved he can be a handful for defenders as he led the line well and held the ball up to allow others into play. Marley Watkins is coming back to form and Ryan Christie is the hottest prospect in the land. Aberdeen fans will be smiling to themselves when they see the quality that Graeme Shinnie will bring to their squad. What an engine that boy has. Of course we need to keep old boys Adam Rooney and Jonny Hayes quiet and Shay Logan is adept at surging forward. All in all, I expect another close encounter, but this time I will be looking for nothing less that at least one point, albeit we are good enough to take all three.

Third time lucky Could it be third time lucky for Inverness as we head towards our third Scottish Cup semi-final against hot favourites Celtic, a club that has reached that stage of the competition fifty-four times and won the cup on 36 occasions. Our last two semi's ended in defeat to Dundee and Dunfermline (after a replay at Pittodrie). The competition has opened up this season and one Championship side will be in the final as Falkirk play Hibs in the other tie. Inverness' progress to the semi has been steady if unspectacular. We entered the competition at the 4th Round and drew 1-1 away to St Mirren. In the replay we trounced them 4-0 at home. Celtic hammerd Hearts 0-4 at Tynecastle to book their place in the next round. Another away tie in Glasgow saw us beat bogey side Partick Thistle 1-2 whilst Celtic disposed of Dundee in the City of Discovery by 0-2. In the quarter finals, we struggled past the Rangers conquerors Raith Rovers when a late Danny Devine header put us through, the first attempt to play the game ended in misery when the heavens opened and caused a late postponement to the scheduled tie on the Saturday. Celtic were paired with Dundee United and that sparked a series of ugly clashes between the sides with red cards galore coming over the next couple of weeks. A 1-1 draw at Tannadice was followed by a 4-0 drubbing at Parkhead, and all this amidst playing two league encounters. The sides were sick of the sight of each other but it was Celtic that prevailed in these games. And that brings us up to date as we got the short straw when the balls came out of the hat, Inverness V Celtic and Falkirk V Hibernian. Last weekend we served notice to Celtic that they will have a fight on their hands to reach their 55th final. Not a dirty game but referee Craig Thomson saw fit to dish out seven yellow cards as the sides drew 1-1 in the Highlands. Inverness have now gone four games without a win since beating Raith Rovers a month ago. Not counting that cup game, it would be eight games without a win, not great statistic leading up to this game for Inverness it has to be said. Celtic's stats are somewhat better. Only St Johnstone and Inter Milan have beaten the Hoops in their last 21 games, where 15 of those ended in wins for Celtic. Wow, imagine Inter Milan being mentioned in the same sentence as St Johnstone; the mind boggles! However, it's not statistics that win football matches, it's what happens on the park. Remember February 8th 2000? Have a look on the official Caley Thistle Facebook page and you can listen to some audio interviews from the players in the run up to the semi-final. https://www.facebook.com/ICTFC?fref=ts Celtic warmed up for the cup game by thrashing Kilmarnock 4-1 on Wednesday night. Killie had taken the lead against the run of play but Celtic stormed back and a Leigh Griffiths hat-trick was the highlight. He may be a player of great ridicule, but his scoring prowess is very impressive. Leigh also scored Celtic's goal in the recent draw at Inverness and it would be advisable to keep a tight rein on him. The Hoops came through this game unscathed, although they had the luxury of resting a couple of players with Gary Mackay-Stevens and Stuart Armstrong playing. They are inelligible for the cup game as they were cup-tied with Dundee United. Another hat-trick that's possible to achieve this Sunday would be the third time we have knocked Celtic out of the cup. It's certainly difficult, but it's not impossible. Our near neighbours and good friends did it a few seasons back when they went to Hampden and beat Celtic 2-0 to reach their first ever Scottish Cup final, a milestone that we hope will be attained on Sunday. Dean Brill will be pulling a sickie after that horrific knee injury that will see him out for months. He was due to have a knee operation in London on Thursday and all Inverness fans will wish him a speedy recovery. Maybe Richie Foran will be back before him, but I'm no holding my breath on that. Other than that it's a full squad for Yogi with Ryan Esson taking over once more at No 1. Young Cammy Mackay will be the reserve keeper and that will be a tremendous occasion for him. Celtic have Charlie Mulgrew nearing fitness but will be without the duo of cup-tied Arabs, Thurso's Gary Mackay-Steven and Invernesian Stuart Armstrong. Anthony Stokes is suspended after his red card in one of the United battles. Mikael Lustig is also out. It's immaterial really as Celtic have the luxury of calling on some quality players throughout their multi million pound squad. tm4tj prediction:- Oh dear, I was hoping you would not ask. I'm glad I got it wrong last weekend as Inverness dug deep and kept Celtic quiet for most of the match although the Glasgow giants probably held the upper hand. A good fighting spirit amongst the Highland squad saw them go toe to toe with Celtic in a fairly scrappy match, mainly attributed to the blustery conditions and the bobbly pitch. I would like to think Hampden will be in better nick and that would suit us as we could get back to our possession game which would unsettle Celtic. It's a big ask though and with Leigh Griffiths scoring for fun it wont be easy. Kris Commons is another striker on fire just now, let's hope he burns out before Sunday. I wonder if Yogi will set out his stall looking to contain and hit on the break. That could go ti pear shaped if the hoops score early, although we did get back on level terms pretty rapidly last week. However, it's not often Celtic falter two games in a row. Edward Ofere will be a big player for us on Sunday, but he will need some assistance. Marley has pace to burn and if he is switched on, he will be a threat to Celtic. Ryan Esson will be in goal after Dean's injury but I have no worries over that. It's a big game for our younger stars like Ryan Christie. I hope the game will not pass him by as he has so much to offer, and Aaron Doran could be a match winner if he gets on the park. My heart says Inverness, my head says Celtic, but I will go with my heart, although it might take extra time and penalties to do it. I caught up with a club legend today and this is what Bobby Mann had to say when I asked him if he enjoyed beating Celtic in the Scottish Cup. "Haha which time. When I signed for ICT they were definitely on the up and the club was going places. There was a very good mix of players, some youth with potential and a few experienced players. I really enjoyed myself at the club and met and still keep in touch with many of the squad I played with over the years all good lads and a real family club. Obviously people will always remember the first cup win versus Celtic. Steve encouraged us to play attacking football and as you know over the years there was plenty of goals in our games. He was no different that night wanting us to attack. Even at half time when leading 2-1 he was at us to get at them as there was more goals in it for us. Probably as a one off game that was the highlight, but overall my favourite was winning the 1st division title. John and Donald came in after Steve left and they just made us more street wise, more difficult to beat". When asked for his thoughts about the game Bobby said "Got to hope it goes well. The team are more experienced at that level now compared to us all them years ago". I'm not nostalgic................... but I couldn't resist it!