tm4tj

Steelmen smelted by Inverness urgency. Inverness turned the form book upside down by cruising to victory against Motherwell after eventually getting on top of the Lanarkshire side. Shane Sutherland opened the scoring with a blistering shot after turning the defender and cutting into the box, the ball exploding high behind Well keeper Randolph. Foran extended the lead after Ross and Rooney combined to set him up from six yards and substitute Macdonald completed the scoring with his first touch of the ball. An important win for the North side who had only won once in fourteen games, but this win keeps the top six dream alive, given that Aberdeen and St Johnstone drew although Kilmarnock also threw a spanner in the works by dumping the Jambo's at Tynecastle by a convincing 0-2 scoreline. Jonny Hayes and Aaron Doran were missing as were Shinnie, Gillet, Proctor and Sanchez. Shane Sutherland was to start and he played a major part in the proceedings, as did Nick Ross, who was not an immediate threat but he had a big hand in the second goal. Substitute Alex Macdonald made an instant impact by scoring on his first touch, his second touch was not so good, he fresh aired in front of goals, but who cares, we are on a roll, one in a row and we could even afford a Cox up, as young Lee bore in on goal but could not produce a finish. Still time for Well to try and get their consolation, Esson and the woodwork denying them on a couple of occasions but we broke their resistance and finally got our rewards, well done Terry and the boys for turning our fortunes around, let's hope it's for more than one game this time. 5th March 2011 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CT 3 - Sutherland (18), Foran (64), MacDonald (72) TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Munro, Hogg, Duff, Ross (Odhiambo 83), Cox, Duncan, Sutherland, Foran (Morrison 89), Rooney (MacDonald 71) SUBS: Tuffey, Golabek, Innes, McBain - Booked: none MOTHERWELL 0 - TEAM: Randolph, Hammell, Hutchinson, Jennings, Lasley, Gunning, Murphy, Forbes (Humphrey 54), Hateley (Saunders 57), Jeffers, Sutton SUBS: Bradley, Craigan, Page, Casagolda, Pollock - Booked: none Referee Iain Brines Attendance 3563 Ginger Jaggy will fill you in later.................And here he is... Well where did that come from? We all knew the management team and players had a pow wow after the United debacle, but my god whatever was said certainly did the trick. I never attended Tuesdays match but was at Easter Road last weekend, both awful performances which never allowed us to put pressure on the opposition. The players have been vilified by supporters for the direct longball in the last few games which has not worked at all and been in my view a constant factor in our last two defeats. But yesterday the 3,500 fans saw a display of courage and quick direct counter attacking play which for once saw us keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. Yes there was still the occasional long ball being played but overall a much better performance which has given a faint renewed hope of top six football come May time. To the game itself and it was Inverness, missing both Hayes and Doran, who started off the brighter on a lovely sunny Highland afternoon. It was the man of the match Richie Foran who created the first meaningful chance of the game with a lovely little knock back to find Russell Duncan loitering with intent. Unfortunately, his left foot strike from just outside the area was comfortably saved by Darren Randolph in the Motherwell goal. Caley continued to put pressure on Motherwell and that finally told in the 18th minute. Thurso lad Shane Sutherland was played down the wing by Cox and took the ball neatly in his stride, as he ran at Steven Hammell before cutting inside and releasing an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. This was Shane's first goal for the club and his first in the SPL, what a way to open your account. Being in the same year as him at High school I was very pleased for him as he is a talented player. After the goal it was Motherwell who took control of the possession for the rest of the first half with Inverness making attacks on the counter. One of these counter attacks almost resulted in Sutherland getting his 2nd goal. Caley Thistle broke up the pitch quickly and it was Foran with a great ball into the box which Sutherland got a head flick to, but saw the ball agonisingly drift wide. Motherwell by stark contrast saw lots of the ball but didn't test Ryan Esson at all until just before half time. Keith Lasley found a bit of room in the the middle of the Caley Thistle half and played through a nice weighted ball. John Sutton managed to get a run on Ross Tokely but the striker who scored a double in last week's shock victory over Celtic was thwarted by Esson who was quick to react. Motherwell created one final chance before the break with it being Sutton again, but he headed a Ross Forbes corner onto the roof of the net. Ht 1-0, Sutherland The second half started like the first ended. Motherwell still had plenty of the ball but this time they looked more dangerous creating a very good chance which saw Esson tested. Francis Jeffers at point blank range had an opportunity to score but his shot was blocked by Esson in the six yard box. Motherwell continued to press with a bit more urgency than in the first half but almost came unstuck. An Inverness counter attack saw Duncan playing a brilliant through ball to Nick Ross who ran through but was forced wide by a Motherwell defender and tamely shot straight at Randolph. This warning though was not heeded by Motherwell as this time Ross turned provider as he played in Adam Rooney down the left channel of the box. Rooney at first looked like he aimed to shoot but instead squared the ball to Foran who capped off his excellent display with a goal from six yards. Motherwell had a great opportunity straight after Foran's goal to get back into the match. The ball was bobbling about the Inverness penalty area, and it was taken down by second half substitute Chris Humphrey who first of all shot straight at Esson before having a second shot cleared off the line by Tokely. That proved to be a key moment in the game. Caley Thistle had a chance to stretch the lead further as Cox was played through on goal but he shot straight at Randolph and the chance was gone, but in the 71st minute Caley Thistle sealed the game and it was Alex MacDonald's first contribution that ended the game. Seconds earlier MacDonald replaced Rooney with Terry Butcher having next week's massive cup Quarter final in mind. The goal came from a throw in which was well worked between Munro and Foran before the Caley Thistle captain swung in a devilish ball which MacDonald just tucked into the corner. Motherwell after that looked shot on morale and it was no coincidence that the game just petered out after that. They did create one last chance for a consolation with Jamie Murphy having a shot tipped onto the bar by Esson. The final whistle was blown and the reaction was one of joy after claiming our 4th home win of the season with a comfortable win, which was in contrast from Tuesday when the players were booed from the field. A morale boosting win which has given everyone connected with the club a little smile after a lovely day in the Highlands. FT 3-0, Sutherland, Foran, MacDonald

Inverness need to show their mettle as Steelmen come North A disastrous run of form has seen Inverness drop out of the top six after the midweek games. One win in fourteen games seems to have disheartened the players, and the fans can sense the tension within the squad. It's a catch 22 situation, poor performances mean poor results, poor results mean few points, few points mean unhappy fans, unhappy fans mean unhappy players, unhappy players mean poor performances............. and so it goes on. In midweek, another home game and another defeat has surely set alarm bells ringing at the Caledonian Stadium. Sure, relegation seems unlikely, but unless things improve dramatically, then top six looks like a lost cause. Us fans of course are fickle folk, and have short and selective memories at times. However, it seems like a long time ago that we were on a fantastic unbeaten run away from home. We were riding along on the crest of a wave, even contemplating European football. Right now we can't buy a win, although St Johnstone did eventually surrender a couple of weeks ago. What has gone wrong? Is it just injuries, or injuries to specific players, or have we been found out, maybe lacking that extra quality to stay in the top six? Is the management team selecting the right players? Are our tactics right? Other than injuries and suspensions, not a lot should have changed from that winning feeling we had earlier in the season, so where do we go from here? For me, injuries to key players, combined with defensive punishments are major factors in our demise. Jonny Hayes Dani Sanchez Kevin McCann and Kenny Gillet/Graeme Shinnie left us struggling for adequate cover along with Munro and Tokely being suspended recently. That has meant a reshuffle of the pack at the back and with the introduction of the new boys, then our strongest link is in total disarray at the moment. There is of course another mystery to be resolved. Russell Duncan is not guaranteed a start, but surely his drive and passion would be more welcome than some of the tame excuses offered in his place. Adam Rooney has not exactly been bulging the nets recently, and a couple of 'taxi for Rooney' misses must have dented his confidence a little. Youngsters in the squad are being asked to fill the boots of men, and some are not ready for that, although they give their best, but it's not always enough. Let's hope Terry and Mo get to the root of the problem sooner rather than later, as the fans, especially the home ones are getting a tad restless with the performances of late. Defeat is one thing, defeat in the manner we have become accustomed to is a different kettle of fish altogether. Motherwell are here on Saturday and they must be hoping our poor run continues. They come north on the back of a tremendous result last weekend when the beat the Hoops 2-0. That result, albeit fantastic for Well, dented our top six aspirations and we compounded that by losing at Hibs and at home to United. All is not lost yet, Motherwell are only four points ahead of us, but unless we have a magic potion, then it looks to be a difficult task for Butcher to lift his beleaguered troops for another stressful home fixture. I don't know about the players, but the fans are now starting to dread these fixtures. (Hold on, I think I am watching paint dry this Saturday, or, my hair's wet, or, I'm shopping at Tesco's). All valid reasons to not turn up I suppose, but we are all gluttons for punishment as well, so I'll be there. Ginger Jaggy will talk you through this weekends fixture, and hopefully report on a positive result. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well hasn't 2011 been a big disappointment so far. After all the jubilation and plaudits that Caley Thistle has received over a fantastic 2010 we have failed, to even come close, to hitting the heights we did. One win in fourteen is not good enough and after looking pretty comfortable to finish in our highest ever position we now face an uphill task to get there. Our opponents on Saturday are Motherwell who, although 4 points clear, still can be caught by us but a victory on Saturday is essential. The performances in our last two matches have led us to believe that finally the top six is over as an ambition. But it isn't over, five games to go including a massive cup quarter final vs Celtic the week after and the season is still well and truly alive. If we can win this one then we still have a chance but performances must improve dramatically if we are to go on a mini run of form until the split. A bit on Our opponents Motherwell has been erratic since Stuart McCall took charge of the Lanarkshire club around New Year. This last week has summed up their form with a 1-0 defeat to St Mirren last Wednesday at Fir Park, only for them to beat Celtic at Home on Sunday. But the upshot is that Motherwell lie 5th in the table 4 points above us in 7th. They still play excellent football under McCall and try to get the ball down and pass like we should have done in our last two games. Nick Blackman didn't return on loan, he followed Manager Craig Brown up to Aberdeen, however Motherwell still have dangerous players that can win them matches. Since Blackman departed it has been John Sutton filling in with the goals with 11 from this season so far. Other dangerous players I consider to see as a great threat, especially with a slow backline like ours, is the pace of Jamie Murphy and Chris Humphrey. They can also chip in with some important goals as well, helping to close the massive gap Blackman left behind. But the threat is there and performances like the win over Celtic shows that this will be a tough test (especially given our current form) and that Motherwell could be the biggest game now at this stage of the season. Form Guide This part is hardest to write. The players gave us a ray of hope when they picked up 4 points from 2 matches against St Mirren and St Johnstone. But that was just a red herring as we have lost our last two matches 2-0, each game producing a woeful performance. In fact Inverness' run of form is actually relegation form and nowhere near what we need to get us into the top half of the league. Teams like Hibs and Aberdeen who were both so far behind are now rocketing up the table and both now have realistic chances of finishing above us. As for Motherwell they haven't been spectacular but have picked up victories and have stayed in one of the top six spots. The most unexpected result was there 2-0 victory over Celtic at the weekend but of course they also lost at home to St Mirren last week so they are inconsistent. They have though picked up a fairly decent 9 points from there last 15 which is the sort of form we would need to finish in the top six. So the upshot is a good side but not invincible. Head to head in Inverness, (SPL) Motherwell have a massive advantage over ICT. Eight wins for Motherwell, with only two for the hosts and a solitary game drawn. Well also have the best result, a 0-3 scoreline in November 2007, and they lead the scoring by 9-14. The visitors have won the last four SPL games in the Highlands outscoring the homeside 6-9 during those games. Our away record is much better in this head to heads, however, this is a home game, so the omens are not great then. GingerJaggies thoughts Huge game no doubt about it, huge week in fact. This week will make or break our season starting with this game. If we have any chance to stay with the elite then this game on Saturday has to go our way. Two defeats in our next two games and our season could be well and truly over. I really can't say how this one will go. I would like to say that we will come out and play well and win but we were told that would happen on Tuesday and it didn't. Hopefully the players will perform and why shouldn't they, the pressure is off us. We are unlikely to get into the top six now so the players just have to go and give there all. A win and we still have a chance but defeat and it is all over with the fixtures to come. So hear is me giving one last bit of encouragement to get behind the players on Saturday and hopefully we can turn it around give ourselves a fighting chance. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***Latest Team News*** Aaron Doran looks likely to miss out with a hip injury, but Jonny Hayes showed no adverse reaction after his return in midweek, although he lacks match sharpness. Proctor, Shinnie, Gillet McBain and Sanchez are all missing. Terry Butcher had his squad in for extra training this week after a dismal display against United. A forty five minute discussion session was held with the players airing their views on what is going wrong and the managers taking on board the suggestions. For Motherwell, Steve Jones will sit this one out, but Stephen Craigan will return after suspension and Steven Saunders is pushing for a start. Consistency is Motherwell's problem, and they realise it's no use beating Celtic then struggling against teams in the bottom half of the league, so they will be out to consolidate their position and will be a difficult side to get the better of. tm4tj Prediction:- It's not looking good for us at the moment, but that's what supporting Caley Thistle is all about, a massive roller coaster of a ride. On paper we would appear to be on a hiding this weekend and Motherwell must be clear favourites to win. But, we are at our best when given the underdogs tag, it sits much better than the expectation of winning three points and maybe, just maybe we can poach something from this one. 1-0 for the Jags..................maybe.

Inverness plumb new depths of ineptitude. Inverness reached an all time low performance tonight as they drew another blank at home against a spritely Dundee United. The Arabs never had to get out of second gear as a hapless Caley Thistle looked more like a highland league side and relinquished the three points all to easily for my liking. Second half goals from Prince Buaben and David Robertson left the home fans frustrated by the punchless performance from the Jags, and not even the surprise appearance of Jonny Hayes could light up the dour atmosphere summed up by top scorer Rooney missing a sitter with the score at 1-0 to United. Let's hope he kicks this habit and returns to scoring form soon. Esson started his 100th game and Tokely was at right back with Munro on the opposite side. Innes and Hogg paired up in central defence. Hayes, Cox, Duff and Doran were the midfield with Foran backing up Adam Rooney in attack. This defeat sees Inverness drop out of the top six and we can have no complaints given our performances of late, and Hibs, Aberdeen and St Johnstone are all queueing up to leap frog us as well. 1st March 2011 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CT 0 - TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Munro, Innes, Hogg, Duff, Cox, Hayes (MacDonald 73), Foran, Rooney (Sutherland 84), Doran (Ross 28) SUBS: Tuffey, Golabek, Odhiambo, Duncan - Booked: Tokely (8), Innes (39) DUNDEE UTD 2 - Buaben (75), D. Robertson (90) TEAM: Pernis, Dillon, Douglas, Watson, Dixon, Conway, S Robertson, Swanson (D Robertson 77), Gomis, Armstrong (Buaben 72), Goodwillie SUBS: Mentel, Shala, van der Meulen, Russell, Dow - Booked: none Referee Steven McLean Attendance 3392 Davie has the task of reporting on this setback and he will give us his thoughts when he chills out. This was supposed to be the kind of fixture that players and fans alike relish. A still, calm but cool evening under the floodlights on a pitch that had stood up well to Friday’s rugby match it was perhaps surprising that no more had come out to watch ICT’s push to consolidate a top six place. In the end, the moribund sounding announcer claimed 3,300 or so souls had witnessed Inverness sink without a trace. There were murmurings before proceedings got under way, especially concerning ICT’s back four. It was thought obvious by wags and wise men alike that a Tokely, Innes, Hogg and Munro combination would be ponderous and vulnerable and so it proved. If ICT have the rapier thrust of Doran and Hayes, United countered that with Conway and Swanson. Goals were inevitable. United’s own rear-guard were likewise patched together with a noticeable lack of height. Surely Rooney and Foran would profit. Almost straight from kick off, flaws became apparent when Tokely yellow carded for launching Conway into near earth orbit (more of this later) but there was hope, and these feelings were bolstered by a bullet header from Foran on 10 minutes that was kept out by a superb save from Pernis. Hayes had flayed Douglas on the left to supply the ammunition, and hope sprung again. Duff flashed a comment worthy volley just wide in 20 minutes and although United were having more possession and play, ICT were creating better chances. Clouds began to gather when Aaron Doran pulled up in 25 minutes with what looked like a groin strain to be replaced by Nick Ross. With the attacking focus disrupted, the crucial battle was switched to Cox and Gomis in centre midfield. Even stephens there. United created a couple of chances that were easily dealt with but the nip and tuck nature of this game persisted until half time, interrupted only by the second yellow of the game for Innes for carping at the frankly miserable Mr MacLean on account of another baffling decision. Both MacLean and the stand side assistant were dreadful; indecisive, inconsistent and inattentive. Someone had to say something. Half Time: Inverness 0 Dundee United 0 The second half opened as a carbon copy of the first, the majority of possession going to United without any real threat. Swanson and Gomis threatened, but the vaunted Goodwillie was, for the most part reduced to the status of niggling irritation. Conway came more and more into the game, but blotted an otherwise good copybook with a ridiculous dive (bought by the referee, no surprise there) which was designed to see Tokely ordered off. ICT created chances for Cox, who smacked a diving header just over; Munro, who screwed a volley wide and Nick Ross caused a collective intake of breath with a corner kick. That was about it, and it was now glaringly obvious that whoever scored first was going to win this game. The pivotal decision came in 70 minutes, Armstrong being replaced by Bauben. Combining him and Gomis in the midfield marginalised the now struggling Hayes and Ross lacked the physical presence to cope with either of them. Hayes was replaced by Alex MacDonald, but Bauben opened the scoring after 3 minutes of being involved, slapping a shot past Esson after Innes slipped and was subsequently skinned on the wing and Goodwillie cut the ball back. The deflation in the Inverness side was visible at this point, and a comeback never on the cards. Sutherland somewhat bizarrely appeared again in place of Rooney, (who earlier had wished the ground would open up and swallow him after spurning a glorious chance from five yards with the head), but to no avail. It came as no surprise when, in 89 minutes David Robertson administered the coup de grace. It couldn’t finish quickly enough after that. Full time: Inverness 0 Dundee United 2 There were so many things wrong with this performance that the final score pales into insignificance. Tactically, the team was set up with a slow back four and a lightweight midfield that almost guaranteed the long ball game that we have come to know too well, and despair of. It was compounded by Ross Tokely having what was frankly a nightmare. Had he been sent off (as he should have been) in the first half it might actually have done us a favour and forced a bolstering in the middle of the park. It never came, and the countering of the United Prince Bauben substitution with MacDonald was ludicrous. We needed a holding midfielder at that point and the result was inevitable. By the end, Rooney’s fight had simply disappeared after chasing down innumerable aimless long balls and redirecting them to colleagues who were somewhere else, Foran’s anger became visible at Tokely at least and the shortcomings of Innes and Munro ceased to matter. The result was all the more concerning as this was a United side that was no great shakes on the night, and their manager admitted as much. Our own manager would do well to share in the culpability of this result instead of railing against his “wretched” players that he has (by his own admission) failed to motivate. That there is a crisis of confidence is obvious, and how Butcher deals with it may define his managership. It’s not Brewsteresque by any means, the boos were faint last night, but it mustn’t be allowed to become that. It is becoming obvious that there are players who we fans cherish that are past or getting past their SPL sell by date. At least in Chris Hogg we have a central defender who can use the ball and we can build around, but midfield needs urgent attention if Rooney is not to leave with an overwhelming sense of relief. 9 points from a possible 41 is lamentable as the man on the radio said, and the streams of fans leaving early told a story of the season they have been forced to endure, at least at home. There is an air of hens coming home to roost, and we can only hope that the turning point comes sooner rather than later in this season at least. We'll not go down, but we may yet have reason to thank God for Hamilton. Thanks davie, you almost made it sound entertaining, incredible piece of journalism and wordsmithery.

McGonagall revisited as United head north. This twice postponed match will surely go ahead this Tuesday evening (19:45) barring a disaster of McGonagall sized proportions. The weather has wreaked havoc with United's schedule this season, more than most others, and it will be a welcome relief all round to get this fixture out of the way. A waterlogged pitch a month ago caused a bit of a splash as a late call off meant a wasted trip for many supporters and the United team. However, blue skies overhead and no snow underfoot should see this fixture completed, fingers crossed, in fact you might need to bring your sun glasses. Inverness will look to bounce back after a poor showing at Easter Road with the capital side running out deserved winners against a lack lustre Highland squad, full of strangers, if Butcher's comments are anything to go by. The performance in Edinburgh was in sharp contrast to the battling display against St Johnstone the week before which gave the support some false hope that we had turned the corner, despite a depleted squad taking to the field. The Arabs are a bit erratic as well, two defeats and two draws in their last four is not the sign of a team firing on all camels. They served up a goalless draw in the Tayside derby; the pitch, the pitch, and an even worse draw against bottom club Hamilton where they had to come from behind to take a point. Hot shot stopper Ryan Esson will hit the ton tonight as he will make his 100th appearance for the Caley Jags since signing in July 2008. He has made 84 league appearances and 15 cup games since coming to Inverness and the United game will see hime reach his century. Ryan has been the most consistent performer for Inverness this season and the only surprise is that Craig Levein continues to ignore him for a call up to the national squad. Davie bumped into McGonagall before the last scheduled game against the Arabs and lo and behold he met up with the master of disaster once more to bring you this preview from beyond the grave. Think outside the box, (not the penalty one), and you will find a preview in this meeting with Sir William, good luck. Pert Twa WHAT IS IT NOW? Will you leave that Ouija board alone? Sorry Sir William, I had something else to say. Crivvens, can a poet no get any peace, even if he’s deid? It’s bad enough up here wi aw they harps and lyres. So what is it? Sorry Willie, I mean Sir William, I just thought I’d interrupt the heavenly reverie and all that ‘cause the last game got postponed. Postponed, how? A Highland flood of biblical proportions that made the ba stick like nae nails tae a blanket in the penalty box, apparently. Pitch had less bounce than a silicone boob job. Ironic, since we’ve been playing fitba when everyone else has been in the deep freeze and Tannadice looks like the kind of arctic tundra that Bruce Parry would love, meet natives and drink stuff that tastes like brake fluid. Hang on, that could be Dundee... Aye said McGonagall, I think I remember something about that - a danger to the fine citizenry of Dundee travelling o’er hill and dale to the Sneck. Terrible country - I wrote about Loch Ness once; “Your scenery is romantic, Wi rocks and hills gigantic, It’s enough to make you frantic”¹ He sat back smugly as I choked on my tea. Is that with or without the A9, I enquired splutteringly, but he just looked at me. The A9 makes me frantic anyway. I thought we were here to talk fitba. Oh aye right then, what happened at Hamilton? I only saw a wee bit with yon gadgie MacLean on sportscene doing reminiscence therapy wi a pensioner, but it looked worse than the stuff we saw at Easter Road. What’s going on? Dunno, Davie, it’s a tangerine mystery to perplex the heavens – serial underachievers whose league position is out of kilter with their talent. I’m told. Still, could have been worse if Casaluinovo hidnae fallen over his own feet, what wi Russell missing a sitter or Robertson blootering it fae a yard oot, ach never mind. It’s injuries you know – we miss Garry Kenneth. And Dods and Kovacevic, and Daly. Nae height. Houston says “We have to take one game at a time," and "We have a small squad due to injuries”. If the fixture list gets any worse, we might end up playing two games at a time, all with people under 5'6". Not easy. Same old story with United then? Mind you, we wernae much better on Saturday in auld reekie Willie – we wouldn’t have scored if we were still playing now. Butcher says we didn’t turn up but something in blue n’ red did. I just don’t know what it was. Butcher claimed that he might have picked up 14 strangers on the A9, so they might have been Angus or Boab or Andy from Dalwhinnie and his mates – they played like them. Hogg certainly showed his lack of acquaintance with his fellow defenders, Cox was underwhelming in midfield and the forwards were no better. I’m sure that was Adam Rooney up front , but maybe not, Dalwhinnie is full of 6’2” ginger topped ghillies and distillery men. Oh. You’re a bit disgruntled Davie. That bad? It’s injuries again you know Willie, or rather its one injury. Forget Gillet or Blumenshtein or Royster or anybody else - we miss Jonny Hayes. We’re like a three legged dog trying to pee on a lamp post without him – we just keep falling over. Shame that, could be messy. I know, it’s pish. Sir William refused to rise to the (admittedly malodourous) talismanic bait. I could sense he was distracted now. I searched for facts: We’ve met the Arabs 19 times so far in the SPL and its remarkably even – 5 v 6 wins, and 8 draws. They have hardly any points from their last three games (D, D, L), we at least have one win to crow about (L,W,D) ominously being against Taysidish opposition. They are on 31 points, we are on 33. We’re both still in the Cup. A quick website trawl reveals no fresh injury news from either team (Monday) amid the general air of gloom. It’s the lack of daylight I tell you. If we could replicate the balmy days of August where we crushed these “fiendishly grinning arabs²” as Willie would put it, all would be riotously well. It seems a long time ago since that 4-0 victory and it can’t come round quickly enough again. McCann’s gone so Russell Duncan, grab some sunshine - this is your hour. Okay Mr. McGonagall, I’ll go now. It seems a bit inconsiderate all this continually waking the deceased, but a month’s a long time in this life so I promise not to invoke you again until at least the 19th of next month…. He looked disgusted at that and asked if I knew what “rest in peace” actually meant, then he leaned over his chair shouting at someone I couldn’t see “Is MacLean here yet?” I’d given up the ghost. ¹ Loch Ness. More Poetic Gems, 1962. Sandwiched between “The troubles of Matthew Mahoney” and “The avenging Angel” ² The rebel surprise near Tamai, Poetic Gems, Dundee 1896. Neatly confined between “The Clepington disaster” and “The burning of Exeter Theatre” Utter quality. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks davie, so that was the verse from the hearse, let's hope it turns into a rave from the grave; for ICT anyway. Prediction:- With both sides dishing out disgruntlement in copious amounts, it would be prudent to stick your money on a point each. Of course from an Inverness perspective, the result could hinge on whether we get a glimpse of Jonny Hayes, or possibly no glimpse of Eric Odhiambo, who is having a tough time convincing the fans with some less than accomplished performances. A dull draw is my best shout. ***Latest Team News*** Inverness are set to continue without Jonny Hayes as the wide player is struggling to recover from his ankle/foot injury, although once again Butcher will give Jonny every chance to prove his fitness before kick off. Proctor and Sanchez will be out for the forseeable future but Kenny Gillet has returned to training. Left back position is proving difficult to fill at the moment, and Graeme Shinnie is still out with stomach problems. Dundee United will not have the services of Jon Daly and Gary Kenneth for the next couple of weeks, and Severin, Dods and Kovacevic are still receiving treatment for long term injuries. Peter Houston has bemoaned the amount of draws United have amassed and is looking for a positive result, ahead of a hectic schedule coming up for the tangerines. Other SPL news Hamilton's Simon Mensing has revealed he was banned for a month after taking the substance methylhexaneamine after believing it to be ok. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hamilton_academical/9407839.stm Rangers took advantage of Celtic's first defeat in 17 games after thumping St Johnstone 4-0 on Sunday. Neil Lennon's side were Well beaten, 2-0 at Fir Park. St Johnstones Michael Duberry could be out for a few weeks after injuring his groin against the Gers. Ricardo Vaz Te has signed for Hibernian until the end of the season. The former Bolton forward has impressed Colin Calderwood in trials last week. He has represented Portugal at u21 level. Hamilton v Hibs are also playing on Tuesday night, and Wednesday night sees St Johnstone play Aberdeen, so top six places in the balance by the end of this week. Inverness CT will know which side of the Old Firm will visit the Highlands on Scottish Cup duty after Wednesday nights 5th round replay at Celtic Park. The first fixture was a thrilling encounter and Celtic seemed to be gaining the upper hand over their Glasgow rivals, but league results last weekend has thrown a massive spanner in the works with the Steelmen denting Lennon's pride and jhoy and Rangers title aspirations back on. In the smaller leagues, Jimmy Calderwood will be looking for his first win as Ross County manager when they visit Stirling Albion. Surely this time Jimmy? Last seasons "team of the first division", ahem, are struggling badly and a defeat tonight could see them slip into the relegation play off position and only two points above the bottom club. Elsewhere Alex McLeish has become the first Birmingham manager to lift a major trophy since 1963. City surprisingly defeated Arsenal 2-1 to win the Carling Cup with the decisive goal coming in the 89th minute, Obafemi Martins seizing on a calamitous error to stroke the ball into an empty net. So, miracles do happen.

Capital Punishment it is for guilty suspects. Hibs inflicted another away defeat for the Caley Jags as the men from the North lost out in a rather turgid encounter at Green Day Easter Road. A strike out of the blue from Callum Booth looked to have the Hibees on easy street, and a deflected effort from Lewis Stevenson confirmed their superiority, as Inverness drew a worrying blank. Jonny Hayes was absent and former Hibs captain Chris Hogg returned to Easter Road hoping to show that his exclusion from the Hibernian eleven was an error of judgement by his former employers. However, there are more pressing (depressing) developments in the capital, like the Leith Biomass proposals, and Bilfinger Siemens pedantic attempts to create a transportation system second to none..............epic fail so far. The proposals by these heavily disguised developers are trying to create an atmosphere that nobody wants, so let's put this result into perspective, meh! 26th February 2011 Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh HIBERNIAN 2 - Booth (58), Stevenson (89) TEAM: Stack, Dickoh, Hanlon, Booth, Towell, Wotherspoon (Thornhill 64), Miller (Stevenson 77), Scott, Palsson, Riordan (Nish 87), Sodje SUBS: Smith, Stephens, Rankin, Duffy - Booked: none INVERNESS CT 0 - TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Munro, Hogg, Duff, Cox, Duncan (MacDonald 69), Odhiambo (Ross 56), Foran, Rooney (Sutherland 87), Doran SUBS: Tuffey, Golabek, Innes, Morrison - Booked: none Referee Craig Thomson Attendance 13841 A rather dejected Alternative Maryhill provides this report for us, whaurs the valium. Some games are barely worth wasting words on. We arrived quietly optimistic; we left defeated, having witnessed a match that summed up much of what is bad about the Scottish game: rushed, unimaginative, error-strewn football, illuminated by a single moment of opportunist brilliance that was also, unfortunately, the first nail in Caley Thistle’s coffin. Approaching the match, there were good reasons to be reasonably hopeful that we would see a good game. Both sides had begun to pick up form after serious slumps over the Christmas and January period; both squads had been bolstered by promising new signings in the January transfer window. It was a bright, dry day, and there was a big crowd and an unusually good atmosphere inside the ground, thanks to Hibs’ ‘green day’ promotion, which saw the club give away a free ticket to every season ticket holder. The East stand was packed, and on the occasions when the singing spread through the support from the hard core in the corner, it was quite an impressive noise. ICT had also taken a decent support to the game – maybe 400 or so – although, understandably given what was served up to us on the pitch, the atmosphere in the away end wasn’t as upbeat as it has been at many previous games this season. It was a pity there were no causes for Invernessian celebration, as the stewards were so relaxed and hands-off that we could have danced on the seats, climbed the floodlight stanchions (assuming there were any) and swung from the rafters without fear of eviction. Well done Hibernian FC; and St Mirren, take note: despite supporters being allowed to stand up throughout the match, the away end failed to descend into the anarchic Lord of the Flies-type scenes that the Paisley stewards were apparently so terrified of. The two questions that intrigued most ICT supporters before the team lines were announced were, would Jonny Hayes, as rumoured, be fit to start, and would Grant Munro come back into a defence that had kept a clean sheet last week? It transpired that the Hayes news was a red herring: he didn’t even make the bench. Munro, meanwhile, did return, but in the unfamiliar position of left back, despite Stuart Duff having filled in well there last week and Ross Tokely being available to move from the centre into the right back role. Terry Butcher’s decision raises interesting questions: was he sending a message to Munro that he now considers Ross Tokely his first choice centre back? Did he feel that Chris Hogg and Munro might be too similar in style and build, and that Hogg would be better paired with a more imposing player like Tokely? Or was it simply that as a left-footer Munro was, in his opinion, best suited to filling the role in a team with no available left backs? Although the back four had changed for the fifth time in as many games, the team shape remained the 4-4-2 that has been employed since the Morton cup win, with Cox and Duncan in the centre, Doran and Odhiambo on either side of midfield, and Adam Rooney and Richie Foran up front. For Hibs, meanwhile, Colin Calderwood stuck with the side that defeated St Mirren last weekend, which meant a start for Ex-Ross county midfielder Martin Scott, to the ICT supporters’ obvious delight. The first half in particular was so bereft of incident that it is easier just to give a few general impressions of the teams than to attempt to knit together a sense of a contest unfolding. I certainly don’t recall any passages of fluent football, or periods where either side truly dominated. There were a lot of long balls and when the ball was on the ground, passes most often seemed to be either misplaced or ill-chosen, going to players who were being too well marked to create anything. At the back for ICT, Tokely and Hogg generally looked solid together, and Grant Munro did well at left back despite one or two badly-chosen balls. On the other side, however, Stuart Duff’s performance was notable for some truly horrendous distribution: almost every ball he tried to play seemed to go out of play or go to an opponent. It is possible that Duff’s options were limited by the running of the players ahead of him, though: somehow, none of the four midfielders seemed capable of finding space that would allow them to use the ball with any creativity, and there was very little obvious understanding or effective linkage between them. Lee Cox is full of commitment, but yesterday he rarely seemed to look up before making passes and seemed far too eager to get rid of the ball; Russell Duncan was slightly more composed and imaginative, although there was one truly horrible over-hit ball to the left that brought to an end one of ICT’s few promising attacking moves; Aaron Doran and Eric Odhiambo looked up for the game but again rarely seemed capable of making runs that would open Hibs up, and struggled to beat their opponents on the few occasions that they did find themselves in threatening positions. Adam Rooney and Richie Foran were easily ICT’s most enterprising players throughout the game – I was surprised to read criticism of Rooney somewhere on the forum – but with little effective support from elsewhere on the pitch, their hold-up play and ability to lay the ball off into promising positions ultimately had no end product. Rooney had Caley Thistle’s best two opportunities of the first half: a weak shot into Stack’s arms after he had read and run onto a through ball very well, and a shot from a Foran cross that was blocked by Stack’s legs. There were few other moments to remember for ICT. As for Hibs, their play was rarely more attractive than their opponents’, but they did look a little stronger in midfield and retained and used the ball slightly better. Liam Miller, having received criticism for recent performances from the Hibernian support and having been left on the bench for a while before returning to the starting line-up last week, worked hard and also looked the most creative midfielder on the pitch. Derek Riordan did not impose himself on the game at any point, but there were little flashes of his quality. At left back, youngster Callum Booth was, as we would find out, dangerous going forward, but also solid defensively, although in all honesty, he will face more testing opponents than an off-form Eric Odhiambo over the course of the season. The player who most caught the eye, however, was the Icelandic January signing Victor Palsson, who was full of running, always looking for the ball and had Hibs’ best opportunities of the half, one of which, a powerful header from a corner, would have opened the scoring but for Russell Duncan’s block on the goal-line. By contrast, the veteran striker Akpo Sodje looked surprisingly tentative despite his build and experience, and got nothing out of Ross Tokely all afternoon. Half Time 0-0 The second half initially looked more promising for ICT. Aaron Doran seemed to be finding a little more space and linking better with the front two, and Rooney and Cox both had shots within five minutes of the restart, although neither seriously troubled Graham Stack. When Nick Ross made his comeback from injury, replacing Eric Odhiambo after fifty-five minutes, the Inverness supporters were entitled to feel optimistic that they would see a little more composure and creativity going forward. Within two minutes, however, any momentum that ICT had begun to build was destroyed by a moment of carelessness and a subsequent moment of inspiration. Chris Hogg, who otherwise had a solid game against his old team, passed the ball carelessly to his right and straight out of play. When the throw came in, there seemed to be no ICT player picking up Callum Booth, and he had time to take a few steps towards the penalty area from the left hand side before looping the ball over Ryan Esson from twenty yards. Thereafter, ICT continued working, but the hasty and unwise passing that had characterised much of their play in the first half returned, while Hibs looked increasingly confident and in control. Terry Butcher attempted to pep up Caley Thistle’s attacking play by bringing on on-loan forward Alex McDonald, although the decision to take off Russell Duncan, clearly the more effective of ICT’s two central midfielders, seemed odd and again suggested that the veteran Caley Thistle midfielder is a player about whom his manager has reservations. McDonald took some time to get into the game – he initially seemed outmuscled and outpaced by the more powerful Hibs back line – but there was one promising move in the last ten minutes where he controlled and laid off the ball really sweetly which suggested that he may be capable of adding an extra dimension to the ICT attack, especially with the continued absence of Dani Sanchez. Apart from that, and one or two nice little exchanges of play between Foran and Rooney that ultimately failed to result in clear opportunities, Caley Thistle failed to threaten again, and when Adam Rooney, easily our most potent attacker, was brought off to be replaced by Shane Sutherland with five minutes to go, the writing seemed to be on the wall. Sure enough, two minutes later after a period of Hibs pressure, Lewis Stevenson got the ball on the left hand side, just outside the penalty area, and fired in a low shot that seemed to take a big deflection before ending up behind Ryan Esson. 2-0 Hibernian. In the closing three or four minutes, there was a little flurry of ICT urgency as they went in search of a pride-restoring goal, and there was one decent shout for a penalty when a cross from the right seemed to be deflected out of play by a Hibs player’s hand, but the referee ignored the claims and awarded a corner. And, given the day our players had had, and with Rooney already off the pitch, what would the chances have been of the ball ending up in Row Z if the penalty had been given? In truth, although they did not look hugely impressive, Hibs just about got what they deserved; and with the optimism from last week’s result somewhat punctured by such a flat performance, Caley Thistle must go back to the training ground and try to rediscover some creativity and inspiration ahead of the visit of an unpredictable Dundee United side on Tuesday night. Full Time 2-0