tm4tj

Oscar for Shinnie After the disappointment of last weeks visit to Glasgow, we now have to get back to business with a trip to Perth in the first of our vital last four games, and every one a six-pointer. This one is a high noon kick off with the lure of European football the main attraction. Last week, Celtic dominated the second half after Gary Warren went off injured and it was no surprise that they ran out comfortable winners in the end although the manner of the defeat frustrated the Caley Thistle manager. We are now at a stage in the season where it is crucial not to drop points to your rivals and every game will be keenly contested. The team with the biggest balls looks like the ones that will fill the last Euro spot available, assuming Motherwell don't go into meltdown and throw away their hard earned position, but that would appear to be unlikely as the Steelmen march onwards and upwards. We do hold a four point gap over St Johnstone; defeat would take that down to a precarious one point so a draw would not be the worst score on this occasion Inverness and St Johnstone have played each other three times this season and there has been nothing between the sides. Goals have been at a premium, with both sides scoring only one goal, the last two encounters producing a dour stalemate where neither side looked likely to produce a winner. Given what's at stake, I don't see this game any different and the team willing to take the bull by the horns could be the one checking their passports depending on results elsewhere, it's that tight. Gary Warren was thrust into action at Parkhead but his season is over after suffering a second half injury and that could not have come at a worse time for Inverness. Danny Devine will replace him and Chris Hogg will come into contention after making a few appearances with the u20 side since his comeback started in earnest. The big debate however is surrounding Andy Shinnie. Some are doubting his commitment lately, especially since his move to Birmingham was outed. Andy is one player you can rely on to come out with the ball in a tight space and in my opinion he is a must to start every game, hopefully he has taken the weight off his shoulders after talking to the press about his move. He has at last spoken about his departure for Birmingham City, a route opted for by Adam Rooney who is now on loan at Swindon Town. For Andy, it's all about the challenge ahead, proving himself to a new fanbase and manager although his brother Graeme has already replaced him with a dog. Family ehh. Andy gained his first Scotland cap this season in a friendly against Luxembourg and it appears that more than Birmingham have noticed his form, for he has been shortlisted for Player of the Year, a fine accolade for the 23 year old who has been instrumental in putting Inverness where they are now. Clinching a European spot is Andy's priority now and he has four games left with us to achieve that. Good luck in the future and thanks for your time with us. Brother Graeme talks about Oscar............. Offers have been tabled to Aaron Doran and Owain Tudur-Jones and both players have responded positively so far with discussions pleasing Terry Butcher although neither have committed themselves to another season with Inverness yet. The lure of Europa football could be key to securing deals for these players and it would be great to head in the right direction sooner rather than later starting at Perth on Saturday lunchtime. ***Latest Team News*** Inverness will have to do without Gary Warren for the last four games of the season. He retired early from the Celtic game, his first after coming back from a month out, and his season is now over. Ryan Esson is still out and Simon King is long term injured (is he still here?). St Johnstone have midfielder Liam Craig available for selection after suspension. Murray Davidson might not make it due to an ankle injury while long-term absentees David Robertson and Jamie Adams remain sidelined. Butcher looks ahead............ And the view from Perth. tm4tj prediction:- Difficult to see past another draw, which would suit us better than Saints although he who dares wins, but with so much at stake I don't see Butcher going gung-ho for a victory. Mehdi Abeid caused us problems in Inverness with his deep powerful runs towards our box and looks to be one to watch. Aaron Doran got a wee lift with a goal last week and I hope that gives him the taste for more. I hope I'm totally wrong here, but I see another draw, scoreless or 1-1, however, St Johnstone need this or their season all but ends here and they will fancy their chances. With County winning at Dingwall on Friday night it makes our job much clearer. A win is the only way to maintain the cushion with the Dingwall club moving to two points behind us and United's chances of making Europe now hanging by a thread. The advert for top-six football took a nosedive as County and United bludgeoned out a grim game on the sand pit with United looking hapless and County using their beach volleyball park to good advantage with Sproule scoring the only goal.

The Sprint For Europe The race for Europe begins in earnest post-split with a visit to Parkhead which could double as Celtic's SPL title celebration party should results go their way after a week which saw league reconstruction scuppered by Stewart Gilmour and Roy MacGregor, with Carlie Green resigning at Ibrox and Maggie Thatcher laid to rest...........not all bad then. That was the week that was! Inverness will be hoping to be the proverbial party poopers as they seek points towards a possible first ever crack at European football, which is within their own grasp with only five games left to play. Celtic, Motherwell, St Johnstone, Ross County and Dundee United make up the rest of the top-six. On our last visit to Celtic we came away with an unexpected three points as Billy McKay turned in a Phillip Roberts cross for Inverness to record their first ever SPL win at Parkhead. However, Celtic had dominated the other two meetings up in Inverness scoring seven times in the process whilst conceding three. We have played eleven SPL games at Celtic Park with one win one draw and nine defeats, the worst of which was a 5-0 drubbing in 2007. We have found goals hard to come by at Parkhead, with only six SPL goals, however, we can of course point to a certain Feb 8th, a day the underdogs came out on top and a repeat of that would be pleasant. Inverness are unbeaten in their last seven games, four of which were draws. Celtic were last beaten four games ago, and that was at Dingwall, where County came from behind to win 3-2. Celtic have lost only thirteen goals in seventeen home games, that's just over 0.75 goals per game and Inverness are scoring at the rate of 1.75 goals per away game. Celtic have two home defeats and we have three away defeats. But statistics don't win games, it's all about what happens on the day. Inverness disappointed somewhat in their last outing, a game which could have gone a long way to securing a Euro spot, but instead left the door ajar with a tentative performance against the dour Perth men, the third draw between the sides this year. Fortunately, results elsewhere were kind to us and no great damage was done and the status quo remained, a healthy five point cushion to our nearest rivals St Johnstone. Ross County are a further point behind and the last game of the season in Dingwall could yet be an all or nothing game. Dundee United scraped into the top-six at the eleventh hour and I suspect that they could be the ones to upset the apple cart. They appear to have carried more threat than Aberdeen, Hibs and Kilmarnock and it only needs a couple of wins on the trot by any of the chasing pack for our lead to become fragile. Anything that can be taken from Parkhead will be a bonus and it would come as no surprise to anyone if Butcher were to adopt a cautious approach, where hitting on the break will be the chosen ploy and defending in depth the default setting. If that would be the tactics for the Celtic game, then I would hope that we can get over the finishing line under our own steam, and not rely on results elsewhere serving us well. It could very well be a nervy end to the season and the sooner we rack up the points the better it will be without having to go to Dingwall for a nail biting finale. David Raven is the latest player to put pen to paper. A two year extension keeps the former Liverpool reserves captain here for the next couple of seasons and Aaron Doran is close to agreeing terms as well. This means that of the regular first team players, only Reguero, Shinnie and Jones have yet to commit themselves to more SPL football with Inverness. Jones looks to be the most likely to stay with Reguero off to Kilmarnock and Shinnie likely to opt for a job in England. Butcher is also keen to retain Charlie Taylor at Inverness for next season and is hoping to persuade incoming Leeds United manager Brian McDermott that it would be a good idea. It's now up to the fringe players to show the gaffer if they have what it takes to remain at Inverness. The likes of Shane Sutherland and Nick Ross will be hoping to impress should they get the chance to display their wares. Our own Josh Meekings has been named SPL young player of the month on the back of some tremendous performances in some tough encounters, especially considering he has been without defensive partner Gary Warren recently. Josh has matured nicely and his power and pace have seen him a match for many an SPL striker. Congratulations Josh. ***Latest Team News*** Chris Hogg continues his comeback with more game time for the u20's but Simon King, Ryan Esson remain sidelined. Gary Warren could be a surprise inclusion on the team sheet after his recent knee injury Neil Lennon will serve a three-match touchline suspension after being found guilty of misconduct at a Scottish FA tribunal for swearing at Jim Goodwin the St Mirren captain during a match on 30th March. Who would have thought that, Lennon in trouble with the beaks, naughty bhoy. Scott Brown, Lassad Nouioui and Adam Matthews remain on the sidelines, but Thomas Rogne has recovered from a leg injury and should make the squad. tm4tj prediction:- They don't come much tougher and I just want to see this game out of the way with as little collateral damage as possible. We could of course upset the odds and sneak another win but that looks unlikely to happen given our nervy performance against St Johnstone. We look as though we don't believe in ourselves once more and confidence is not as high as it was before Xmas when we were scoring for fun. It's all become a bit tense and the loss of Gary Warren at a crucial stage of the season does us no favours, although Daniel Devine stuck to his task well against Perth after a shaky start. One man who has been a revelation this season is Josh Meekings who looks better and better every game he plays and he will be a key figure this weekend. Richie Foran is also vital in these games and our midfield need to be a bit more creative than of late. If Aaron Doran can convert some of his great play then that would be a bonus and I believe our best bet on Sunday is to frustrate Celtic for as long as possible and see what happens. I'll go for a cheeky but important no scoring draw. Friday nights game saw Motherwell put a huge dent in the Arabs run in with an excellent 3-1 victory at Tannadice and will now be odds on to retain second place with third spot the one the rest of the teams will be targeting and that is ours to throw away at the moment. Hold on to your seats, it's going to be a bumpy ride.