alternative maryhill

F**k sake. Think I'm going to go back to bed.

Black for Vigurs might be ok....if Brew opts for McBain we could be in trouble.

Famous last words?...

Sounds like Ian Black might have to go off. Bad news.

Sounded like another flat home performance. Sad to say I'm quite relieved - was expecting a repeat of Hamilton & St Mirren games. Wonder if Rooney will get more of a run now? His goal sounded scrappy tonight, but he's looked the most likely of our strikers to score when I've seen them this season. Sounded like Barrowman did nothing again when he came on.

Beeb has Barrowman getting the assist for the goal.

Apart from that, obviously...

Sounded like another flat home performance. Sad to say I'm quite relieved - was expecting a repeat of Hamilton & St Mirren games. Wonder if Rooney will get more of a run now? His goal sounded scrappy tonight, but he's looked the most likely of our strikers to score when I've seen them this season. Sounded like Barrowman did nothing again when he came on.

Get in. Didn't think that was coming TBH.

The Wire. Lives up to all the hype and then some. Watched Season 5 in 2 sittings.

Also Roobarb.

Not wildly enthusiastic about this prospect. My brother has a season ticket at Pittodrie and is pretty fair-minded and long-suffering, but every time he mentioned Byrne's name he pulled the sort of expression you'd wear if someone farted in your lunch.

If you look at the facts, we barely can manage 3000 home fans at any game, so tell me how can ICT be expected to basically do any better than they're doing just now ?

L

Well they could start by playing slightly more attractive football at home, make the matchday experience more enjoyable, if not the 3000 home fans we can barely attract will be even lower than that will lead to us not doing better than we are but a lot worse

Got to agree with that, although to Stevie for a positive post. I think the really frustrating thing about this season has been our tendency to follow up an excellent display (e.g. Aberdeen) with a really flat one (e.g. Hamilton). That, and the fact that finding the best line-up seems to be elusive. Although I couldn't make Easter Road (and won't make another game till Killie on the 22nd) I find myself full of anticipation about tomorrow having watched Saturday's goals online. However, if the season so far is anything to go by, this instinctive optimism is misguided.

I think for ICT fans to really "enjoy it" this season, the team has to string together two or three good perfomances in a row and let the supporters see a team beginning to gel. The next three games are on paper our best chance to do that (Falkirk haven't found their feet yet; Hearts and Killie have shaded after decent starts), but another aimless performance tomorrow and the frustration will set in again.

Not saying that Esson shouldnt get a start on saturday but what do we do if he drops a clanger, drop him the following week as wellIke is potentially a good keeper I dont think he is quite there yet but as somebody said on a previous thread keepers get better with age, if we are just saying he should be dropped on last weeks performance then the whole off the defence deserves to be dropped.

I've not seen Esson in a competitive match so cant really judge him but, considering he has a great deal more experience than Mike, I cant see him being a better keeper. If he was would he be signing as No 2 for us.

I think it would be unfair to punish Mike on saturdays performance and it would be a bad hit to his confidence if he was made the scapegoat for that disaster. Drop Mike then I suggest you drop the other ten who started that day.

Alex you beat me to it

Why not? As someone else pointed out, Fraser had an awful game against Killie last season (I was there - watched him manage to throw ball off his own post and then knee it in for an OG within 30 seconds of the game starting, and it didn't get any better), then was dropped for the following game. Malkowski came in for one game against Aberdeen and achieved the well-nigh impossible of being even more howling than Fraser had been the previous week. Fraser came straight back in and was pretty solid for the rest of the season. Now, I'm not saying we should put Esson in and hope he plays badly against Hibs, but the point is, it might do Fraser no harm to be dropped for one game. If Esson performs well, he keeps the position for the next game. If he's pish, we put Fraser back in and hope it's given him a wake-up call.

No player is indispensable - what I can't understand this season is why Brewster drops players after they've had good games.

I travel from Skye myself with a season ticket, but the vast majority of people here will travel would rather support Rangers or Celtic. Which is a shame because I've seen them play against Caley more than they've even seen Rangers or Celtic, but if they'd rather support a team from Glasgow rather than a more local team i suppose thats their choice.

So in skye theres only a few that I know have a season ticket, although there is more County fans here than Caley. Probobly because County used to come here and play against a Skye select team. So maybe there is something the club could do to get people form places like Skye to go to games to see football away from the TV.

Iain and any others who know more about it than I do, I will apologise in advance if there are any crass cultural generalisations here.

I've got a few friends wih roots in the Western Isles who say that Inverness is not looked on as representative of the Gaidhealtachd; that it is a non-Gaelic city which also sucks in and monopolises finances and resources that should be distributed more fairly around the whole Highlands and Islands area. The Western Isles also perhaps suffers from the same problem that we do in Inverness, namely that a lot of people already had their "big" team loyalty long before the merger and that that loyalty is something that is hard to break, particularly in the Outer Hebrides, where the affiliation of supporters to the Glasgow clubs along religious grounds is more pronounced.

Do you think either of these things are real factors (along with the travelling, of course) in preventing us getting support from the north-west?

Based on what I saw at Cappielow, I'd agree about Rory. Whatever talent the coaching staff see at training clearly isn't being replicated in games and the reception he gets from a section of the support clearly isn't going to help change that. Apart from that, I'd keep everyone else - we don't have the depth to rotate convincingly with a full squad at the moment, let alone cover for the injuries which will inevitably occur as the season goes on.

Sancho and Deuchar are both playing in States and I couldn't see either of them coming back here on what we could offer.

Foran has been on loan to Darlington for a season and half but hasn't played much due to knee problems which could be why Aberdeen dropped interest.

If we're talking about Aberdeen's original interest in Foran, which was expressed about a season or so before Motherwell signed him, it dropped due to alleged disciplinary problems both on and off the park. Don't remember him being a particularly controversial player when he was here - maybe he'd grown up a bit. If they've thought about a move for him more recently then I've no idea why they might have revised their opinion. Moot point anyway - as a few of us have said on here, his wages would probably be outwith our budget.

If Winters has indeed left Brann to return to Scotland, does that mean he already knows where he's going? When he could be bothered he was a quick and intelligent player, and would also have the experience we are currently missing, but if we were to go for him we might just end up with another Gary McSwegan.

Next two games are crucial. We've shown earlier in the season that we have the players to match and beat other teams in the league and as many have pointed out, all our games apart from against Rangers have been settled by the odd goal and we've had a fair bit of bad luck. On the other hand, what's been concerning recently is that the belief seems to have gone out of the team and no-one (least of all Brewster) seems to know our best line-up. If we can't take anything from Hibs and Falkirk, then we could end up in the sort of situation Aberdeen and Dundee Utd got themselves into in '94-'95 - experienced players going awol, feuds in the dressing room and every attempt to change the line-up failing.

From a purely personal point of view I wouldn't be that unhappy exchanging the likes of Falkirk and Tannadice for a season visiting East End Park and Firhill - brings back a few memories - but it could be disasterous for the club.

I would try and get James McPake to fill the space for big defender, or may'be take a look at Brent Sancho, i think he is still without a club.

In terms of a new wide player would may'be try for Dorrans again...a year on after first trying. Or Owen Morrison who i read is looking for a club, was a good player for Dunfermline.

New strikers well the idea of Robbie Winters is pritty good, but i think we should go for Richie Foran as i heard he wants to return north.

To top it off Sean Higgins contract is up at the end of the season and i think another County steal would prove a good peace of buisness, considering Higgins is a decent player.

Lots of interesting suggestions there.

Foran would be an excellent signing if he's still the player he was at Motherwell, but I suspect out of our price-range wages wise unless he's made such an @rse of it down south that no-one wants him. Anyone know how he's done?

McPake likewise I thought was a good target when we went for him in August, but I seem to remember quite a few clubs were interested and we'd probably not be his first choice if Livi indicated they were willing to sell.

Higgins has been out of the County team recently, hasn't he? Certainly looked the part last season mind you, but would we be getting another Barrowman who might be unable to make the step up?

Think Rooney and Barrowman are the future pairing, with Wood in reserve.

Could Wood go on loan to a higher level than Montrose to help

Why did we not go for Lovell - scoring goals for Falkirk already

Maybe we will go for Buchanan again in January, although he is still injured (I think) although again another player not yet proven in SPL

Would Buchanan come? We did eventually make an offer for him, I think, after not offering a pre-contract when he was on trial with us in January '07 (opportunity missed IMO), and got the knock-back - "better prospects at Partick" or somesuch. Maybe his take on that has changed as Partick don't seem to be moving forward in the First, but I'd guess he's one of those guys for whom Glasgow is the centre of the universe and the Highlands is full of scary dragon creatures.

We played 3 at the back at Rugby Park last season and it made people cry.

Gillian is the 5th person on this thread to advocate dropping Rosscoe.

Rosscoe's a big game player though...

Seriously, can we risk throwing Proctor in at Ibrox when he's not played all season?

Thought you were in Glasgow tonight Stan?

A couple of significant literary facts that haven't been mentioned:

"Josephine Tey", very popular crime novelist in the inter-war period, had novels adapted for cinema, I think, and most still in print - born Elizabeth Mackintosh in Inverness in 1896 and attended the IRA. Always wondered whay the town has not made more of this connection;

More recently, the God-like Ali Smith, twice Man Booker nominated and one of the best writers working in the UK today, born Inverness in 1962 and went to the High School. First novel "Like" features Inverness heavily and the town is also the setting for a lot of her short stories. I'd recommend "Like" to anyone who enjoys reading.

Still awaiting Millburn's first great contribution to world culture, however...

RECIPE: BANGER CHICKEN

1. Buy packet of bangers

2. Take said bangers to Walker Park

3. Find largest, ripest pile of dog keech in vicinity

4. Insert bangers in keech

5. Stand in tight circle round keech and banger combination (participants preferably wearing white shell suits)

6. Light bangers

7. Wait

This, I should point out, is not an activity I particpated in, although I did witness it, and the aftermath, from a safe distance...

martinskye--if you are saying that you believe the Dingwallians that barrowman is a great strikerand will come good why do you think he has been so ineffective to date?

Well he's not had a decent run of games due to injuries and a bit of rotation up front.

Also he hasn;t exactly had a barrowload of chances to prove his worth.

The thing that's frustrated me about Barrowman when I've seen him so far is how little he does on the field when he's not got the ball to feet around the box (against Hearts he was woeful). It looks like a lack of effort - but then we were criticising Niculae last season for dropping too deep. Maybe we don't press enough to have the luxury of a "penlty-box" striker in the starting line up - but then maybe if Brewster played Imrie and Cowie on their preferred wings then we'd get to the bye-line more and create more chances for Barrowman. Certainly the apparent lack of effort will not sit well with Brewster, which is maybe why he hasn't been starting, but then if that's the case, why did he sign him in the first place? Possibly he's just not suited to a team that plays on the break more often than not.

I was wondering how much longer fans would like Craig Brester to be given to sort this MESS up.

I say sack him asap but that is only my opinion which some fans might not agree with. He has been in game long enough to know that management is a results based business. His results at United were poor to say the least and he paid the price there so why not here!! Is it that Eddie Thompson was passionate about DUFC and couldn't put up any longer and that our board are not as passionate or is it a money problem?

Whatever it is my opinion is GET RID SOON, it worked for DUFC and look at them now.

Try not to criticise to much eh. :thumb04: :018: ;)

Back on topic.

The big difference is that Utd were able to bring in a manager of the calibre of Levein, who had proven SPL experience and a good record in charge of Hearts. I don't think we're necessarily going to attract a manager with the same pedigree - I certainly can't think of an obvious replacement and no-one who has been mentioned on other threads convinces me. If we were to get rid of Brewster now and didn't get out of the position we are in, would we be calling for the head of the manager come June? That's always a bad route to go down - Utd and Aberdeen were a mess for years when they kept changing managers.

I'm not a fan of Brewster's tactics or man management and the second half on Tuesday was one of the worst displays I've seen from an ICT side, but I don't think he's been too bad in the transfer market and I'm not sure we can blame him too mucn for the lack of depth in the squad. The bid for McPake was a good one, but Livi were never going to sell and if they had been willing to, there were better offers on the table for him. Likewise, the attempt to bring Dods back in was a good move that was rejected by Utd. As for the experienced striker that people keep talking of, who is out there that we could realistically get? I think the best suggestion I've read recently was Scotty's idea of trying to get Kenny Deuchar on loan, and even he hasn't really proven himself at SPL level. I do think, however, that Wyness and Hart could have made a difference to the team recently and I guess Brewster must take some of the blame for letting them go.

I'm genuinely undecided about Brewster. Although there have been some very poor games, I've seen good team performances this season (Aberdeen and Falkirk in the league) which suggested to me that we have the makings of a team that could put in another solid performance in the SPL if we can put a run together. The problem is, practically the same line up has gone out the following week and performed miserably. Is the inconsistency purely down to Brewster? I don't know. I just feel that history shows that clubs that change managers due to fan pressure or panic after a bad run rarely do well - especially clubs that may struggle to attract a manager of significantly better quality.

Edited to add: Just refreshed my memories of a couple of posts - Winters, if available, could be an interesting move - certainly has the experience, but he could be a right lazy turd at Aberdeen; Steven Milne is also a good shout, but didn't we already show interest and get a knock-back?

Anyone know why I've managed to get away end tickets for Celtic Park on the day in the past but can't do the same for Rangers? It says something about Strathclyde Police on the sticky but I would have assumed the police policy would be the same city wide? I wouldn't know if I could go until Friday afternoon, by which time it'll be too late to get a ticket from the club. Not that Ibrox is ever that enjoyable an atmosphere or view, but I'd like to get to as many games as possible, and I still remember the joy of that Graham Bayne goal a couple of seasons back...

Apparently its Strathclyde Police policy for BOTH clubs. I seem to remember however that last season or the season before, some tickets were allowed to be sold on the day at a ticket booth away from the turnstiles. Perhaps the Police have tightened up on this, as the info from the club, which was supplied to them by Rangers and Celtic, seems quite clear.

I am not sure how they are handling the return of unsold tickets, sometimes they are sent back in advance via the post, sometimes they are delivered by hand via someone on the team bus. I would suggest you contact Andrina on email (tickets@ictfc.co.uk), explain your situation and ask her if they will still be available the day before. If they are, maybe someone here will pick them up for you and meet you in Glasgow to sort it out .... Its been done before.

Cheers Scotty. If I know how I'm fixed early enough on Friday I might give Andrina a shout. Tonight's experience wasn't the most motivating, however...

Enjoying the football always helps too.

Just back. Funny reading through the optimistic posts based on the first half radio commentary - I guess we did make a few chances, but by the end of the game I'd forgotten all about them. The second half was as poor a 45 as I've ever seen, I think. No midfield composure at all - without Blackie to put his foot on the ball look for passes, we just seemed to be chasing around aimlessly. Probably didn't help that Brewster still seems to be getting left and right mixed up. Subs made no difference - Barrowman did nothing. The most frustrating thing was that Falkirk were pish as well - no better than the game earlier this season. The difference was that we seem to have gone backwards rapidly since then. On tonight's evidence fears about relegation are justified.

Oh, and it was cold. Away to defrost my arse on a radiator.