tm4tj

Back to our roots After getting back to winning ways last Saturday, Inverness travel to Pittodrie to take on a stop-start Aberdeen who have yet to get up to speed in their Premiership campaign. It was at Pittodrie that Inverness started their SPL life before we managed to change the rules, and where we recorded our first win. Oh my, how times have changed as we sit at the top of the table some ten years on from Stuart Golabeck's goal that started it all. Ach well, nostalgia; it's not what it used to be. The Dons breezed past Livingston in the League Cup in midweek thanks to an Adam Rooney hat-trick, but the gloss was taken off that win when Ryan Jack was stretchered from the park after 70 minutes with a serious looking knee injury. Inverness had the week off after losing to The Rangers the previous week. Aberdeen's league form has been consistently erratic. LWLWLW, which means they are due a loss this weekend. If only it were as simple as that. They are seven points behind Inverness, having played one game less. In terms of goals scored and goals conceded, there's not a lot between the sides. Aberdeen trounced Loss County last Saturday, scoring three going on eight, whilst Inverness were getting the better of St Johnstone after a rather lethargic first half. Aberdeen's big signing coup over the summer was David Goodwillie's return to Scotland after a less than auspicious spell over the border at Blackburn and Blackpool. Goodwillie was back on loan at Tannadice where he scored six goals in twenty two appearances last season. A mini exodus at the end of last season saw Josh Magennis go to Kilmarnock, Scott Vernon leave for Shrewsbury Town and Calvin Zola head for Stevenage. Others no longer at Pittodrie are keepers Nicky Weaver and Craig Burns, defenders Scott Rumsby and Joe Shaughnessy (loan to Falkirk), and midfielders Matthew McMahon, and Alan O'Sullivan. Defender Alan Tate has returned to Swansea. To counterbalance those departures, in came goalkeeper Scott Brown from Cheltenham, defenders Ash Taylor (Tranmere), Shaleum Logan (permanent signing Brentford) and midfielder Jeffrey Monakana (Brighton). Who's turning it on for the Dons: A trio of former Inverness hero's are playing a big part. Adam Rooney scored his second Dons hat-trick in the game against Livingston, that's four goals in two games and is worth keeping a close watch on, along with wide player Jonny Hayes and the evergreen Barry Robson who exudes class and can strike a dead ball as sweet as anyone. David Goodwillie is starting to return the faith shown in him by Derek McInnes and has scored a couple of goals this season as he gets up to full speed. Crocks Corner Aberdeen will be without experienced defender Russell Anderson who had minor knee surgery a few weeks ago and is not ready to return and fellow full back Clark Robertson. Ryan Jack is out after his injury in midweek and Niall McGinn is doubtful, but will be given every chance to make the squad. Jack's injury is not as serious as initially thought although he will be out for a few weeks, Inverness are still without the services of Richie Foran. Aaron Doran has been treated for a slight knock, but is expected to be fit enough for the trip this weekend. James Vincent could be added to the squad. Derek McInnes looks forward to the game............... tm4tj Prediction:- It's another tough one to call this week but Inverness could get the better of Aberdeen as the Dons struggle to put two results together which leaves them seven points behind their Highland opponents. Our passing game has been our strength this season and if we can cope with the Aberdeen strikeforce which has scored seven goals in their last two games and get Billy McKay back amongst the goals then it could be a good day out on Saturday. 1-2 is my my best guess.

Oh No ! Oh yes. Big news this week as a yes vote at the home of golf ensures that women will be allowed to join the once men only domain at St Andrews. It was a week where voting was all the rage. Despite the battle for Independence being lost, the war has been won by the people of Scotland who stood up for their country and ensured that changes will be made to the way that not only our country is being organised, but the whole of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, football still goes on, and Inverness will be looking to get back on track after two defeats in a row, both away games in Glasgow, and both tricky ties in their own right for different reasons. Perth are the visitors this weekend and that should provide Inverness with the ideal opportunity to bounce back after the disappointment of Ibrox where a deflected strike by Lewis Macleod was the difference between the sides as Inverness offered too little too late in the League Cup. Our last Premiership game was at Partick, and we surrendered our unbeaten start to the campaign and with it our first goals after a great start to the season. One encouraging aspect was our ability to create chances, but the downside of that was our inability to take them with Billy McKay firing blanks once again although it's good to see Aaron Doran scoring freely. St Johnstone without Stevie May is like Yes without No, Marks without Spencer, Laurel without Hardy, Vodka without coke, mince without tatties; I rest my case. It's no coincidence that they have been somewhat erratic since the young striker departed for the English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday. May has scored twice for the Owls since signing in the summer. With May gone, Tommy Wright has acquired the services of Brian Graham on loan from Tayside rivals Dundee United. Graham has plenty of aerial presence and will be a useful addition to the Perth squad. Former St Mirren midfielder Simon Lappin has signed a two year deal after leaving Cardiff City where he never made a first team appearance. Three wins and three defeats for St Johnstone see them sit in seventh place with nine points having scored just four times in six games. Their three victories were impressive enough, away to Ross County and Motherwell and at home to Aberdeen. Their last match was a 0-1 home defeat to newly promoted Dundee. It is also worth noting that St Johnstone will be fined around £14.5k after a fan was reportedly waving a Palestinian flag at their recent UEFA Cup game against Spartak Trnava. That's a lot of dosh for provincial clubs to fork out for something outwith their control and maybe a lesson for all clubs and fans to ensure it is not repeated at other stadiums. Who's throwing a sickie this week Inverness will be able to recall captain Graeme Shinnie and powerful midfielder Ross Draper after both missed the cup game through suspension. Richie Foran will be out until around Xmas time and James Vincent is not fully fit. Draper was also carrying a knock after the Partick loss and will be assessed prior to the game. Tam Scobbie and Steve MacLean will be out long term, possibly three to six months, both players suffering serious knee injuries and requiring operations to repair the damage. Good luck with recovery for both players. In MacLean's absence, Tommy Wright is hoping youngster Adam Morgan can push into the first X1 while the gaffer tries to secure another striker to help out. The unfortunately named Scott Brown is out after twisting his ankle against Dundee last week. Murray Davidson has not been to the barbers yet so I doubt he is fit enough to start, although he did play and score for the u20's against Hamilton this week. Perth's Alan Mannus is confident St Johnstone can get something from this game tm4tj Prediction:- It's not been the best of weeks for various reasons. Losing our clean sheets, unbeaten record and tumbling out of the League Cup to a team from the Championship makes for grim reading. But wait, it's not as bad as it looks. We were always going to concede and lose at some stage, so that particular monkey is off the back. We could have had a different outcome at Partick but need to take our chances as they come along. The Rangers was always going to be a tough game and so it proved, but there was very little between the sides and in fact it took a wickedly deflected shot to beat Brill and send us tumbling out of the cup. So, here we are now awaiting the presence of Perth, a side we will be vying for a top-six place with come the end of the season one would have thought. Given their loss of personnel in the shape of marksman Stevie May and our continuity, then I will be looking for a decisive win over injury hit St Johnstone. Anything else will be a disappointment. I'm looking for at least a 2-0 home win.

Yes or No? The Yes No debate gets into full swing on Tuesday night when Scotland take on England at Ibrox. The Saltire versus the Union Jack, the Highlanders versus the Lowlanders, Charles Edward Stuart versus William Augustus or simply Inverness Caledonian Thistle versus The Rangers. Scottish League Cup action as Inverness travel to Ibrox on the back of a 3-1 pumping from the Kelvinsiders at the weekend, whereas The Rangers managed to overcome Kirkaldy by a whopping 4-0. Inverness suffered their first defeat of the season at Partick. A rather untimely one with this league cup game at Ibrox coming along just three days later, and with Rangers on a high after moving to within one point of the top of the Championship table. I suppose the monkey is off the back though after we lost our unbeaten start to the season and conceded our first goals of the campaign into the bargain. Make no bones about it, this is a tough encounter at the best of times, but more so after the weekend results. The Rangers are starting to click and will be a threat with their throngs of fans baying for the blood of a Premiership scalp. One disappointing aspect of our defeat at Firhill was the inability of Billy McKay to hit the target once more, a rather worrying trend to be honest. Coupled with our poorest defensive display of the season and a lack of domination in midfield, then maybe Yogi will be looking to freshen things up a little. The league cup is not the most glamorous of competitions until the semi's and finals when all of a sudden it becomes worth winning. We enjoyed our run last season and it would be fun to emulate that again, but it won't be the end of the world if we fail to progress. We managed to get out of Ibrox with a result last year, but The Rangers are a different beast now, tailoring their squad to suit their predicament. The bad boys of Govan are still in financial turmoil off the park and the Sons of Struth were voting to boycott Ibrox with Interpol connections and the naming rights for Ibrox being sold at Poundland not best pleasing the 'Bears'. Former commercial director Imran Ahmad is off most Gers fans Xmas card list but better news at the end of the week as they raised £3.13m from share issues. Aye, it's no easy running a big club, but Inverness will get by on a shoestring. Unfortunately for Inverness, The Rangers are in better shape on the park. Their bench against Raith Rovers would be the envy of most Premiership clubs with players such as Jon Daly, Marius Zaliukas, Dean Shiels and David Templeton able to assist first choices like Lee McCulloch, Lee Wallace, Nicky Law and Nicky Clark, and in Kris Boyd one of the most lethal strikers in the Scottish game. Let's not forget they also have former Inverness scallywag the tough tackling hothead Ian Black in their engine room and the size of the task can not be underestimated. Get past these players and the formidable Cammy Bell has to be beaten for us to make the next round, so it's not going to be a stroll in the park by any means. Yogi and David Raven looked back to the defeat at Partick and ahead to the cup tie at Ibrox Latest team news Inverness:- Ross Draper and Graeme Shinnie are both suspended for this cup game. Richie Foran is out and James Vincent is struggling to recover. Better news for Danny Devine though. He has played in recent development league games and could step in if selected. The Rangers:- Retired International striker Kenny Miller is out of this game along with Cammy Bell who won't be risked as he recovers from a shoulder injury. Simonsen will continue between the sticks for the Glasgow club. tm4tj Prediction:- Not an easy game to predict as the teams are playing at different levels, and the weekend results favoured the Ibrox club. Inverness will have to re-jig with big Ross Draper and captain Graeme Shinnie suspended. Billy McKay needs to get his boots on the right feet and he still looks as though he needs an assistant to help him out at times. Carl Tremarco will fill Shinnie's boots and possibly the more defensive minded Devine might be the preferred option to replace Draper for this tricky tie. Lewis Horner is another option for a place in midfield. We will need to keep Kris Boyd quiet as he does not faff around in front of goal and Lewis Macleod is proving to be an effective wide player. Bilel Mohsni has shown to be culpable at times and the fiery Ian Black can be a liability and maybe we can put some pressure on these players looking for a chink in the armour. This might take penalties to separate the sides and it would be a braver man than me to suggest we might go through after 90 minutes. Scoring draw and penalty shoot out win for the big team.