absent friend

Oats, we are not on our own - I see Aberdeen are having the same problem, with their DOF, Willie Miller, saying 'no more cash in the kitty' Manager saying 'only way for non signing players is down' etc! The players they are losing are better, imo, than Cowie at this stage, so maybe re-signing players, in this financial climate, is difficult for all teams. Two things - immediate money is a big pull for a player and the days of the Rosscos/ Granties have gone, playing for the colours is not the thing any longer! That is why I think we have a big weapon in TB with his Scotland hat on - maybe sway some to stay.

I wonder if this was just too far down the 'done deal' line before TB's appointment. I feel that any quality player or one that considers themselves quality, on our books must be excited at the prospect of having the Asst manager of Scotland watching him on an ongoing basis. I would have thought Cowie came into this category and would have excelled under TB, putting on a show every week. (I think the same goes for Black and Fraser) Raised profile, better deal 2 years down the road. More likely to get a place in the Scotland set-up, from ICT under TB, than Watford maybe.

I read on Tuesday that McBain was given a one match ban. From that I assumed he would not play this week.

Don I have the new crimewatch strip on email but don't know how to then put it on here - very funny! Help!

Right now I have difficulty agreeing with the above statement. The Hearts game showed that we do have the players to hold the team in third place in the league even with 10 men! Yes, they were given the extra goal but we matched them apart from that and were unlucky not to take something from the game. Are the Hearts players relegation fodder? Don't be silly! We have the players to survive - we may even get additions to the squad, but if not, we will still survive. If Black was still committed to us, (he may be but his actions say no), we would not be in the current situation we are in - he could have turned round the last two games for us and we would not be sitting at the bottom of the league.......BUT we would still have Brewster!

Irony of ironies! Who are you to lecture us about negativity when this itself is a negative post? I backed Robbo but have already said I'll support Butcher... I await your negative response with baited breath... My take on the current managerial situation? I would have preferred Robbo a few weeks ago, when he was posting on here. He appeared to appreciate our situation and seemed enthusiastic to address it. Can't always get what we want and now the picture has changed, new face, new scenario, make the most of it! ( I do realise there are others who have, like me, accepted the new face despite....) Perhaps, however, I am the only person reading the offerings by the discontented on here who, like me, cannot change what has happened and yet still reflect the fragmentation of the ICT supporters on the Brew threads. We had a chance of welding the support back behind the new guy but tell me if you think that is likely, reading the postings. If you want positivity from the support, Butcher will have to give them an instant 6 points and all will be forgiven but maybe not forgotten, until his next defeat! Is that negative or just a fact? .

Coventry, Sunderland and Sydney fans hate him, they were all over us telling us about his 4-5-1 negative football but we had the old "You're Aussies and what would you know" superiority mentality and that Cov and Sunderland was years ago. You will probably feel the same with League 2 fans on here but he is hated by us which is a shame as he was a damn fine player and probably a decent fella. Remind us of anyone Sounds like we have another Brewster :thumb04: It's all the Boards fault - sack him now! Oh wait, they can't, he has not been appointed yet. I said on here after Brew was sacked, that this wee club will never be the same again now that it has the perceived strength of this medium. No one will be the choice of all the posters but the Robbo backers will endeavour to undermine the new manager so that they can say"See, I told you so!" It is evident already with all the negativity being posted. Get behind your team? There was a day! .

Thanks, I hope so too. I would have liked to see Robbo back at the helm, but I can't complain about the Butcher+Malpas duo. I've actually found this search for a new manager to be much less stressful than the last one (but then I was gutted that CC resigned, and I didn't want Brewster back). I think B+M can keep us up, and if the 18 month deal is true, then Butcher is at least committed at the moment. If he fails with ICT, it's a nasty blot on his CV, and I think he will want to avoid that at all costs. I have no complaints about the lack of information from the board either. Until Butcher signs on the dotted line, there is no point in saying anything. He still might fly back up and change his mind... At last, some sense! If we do get B and M we are jolly lucky. Butcher has more to lose than we do. He has his reputation on the line for the foreseeable future if things go wrong and he is sacked, whilst we could bounce back up again next season. He is a BIG name with wide contacts in the game, which maybe we could be the beneficiary of. Good loan deals coming our way? Players coming here because of his standing in the game? Current players giving their all playing for a LEGEND -well maybe not ours but an English legend. No room for sentiment - we need results! .

With respect, I used the collective expression of 'front runners' and did not single out any player! There is no doubt that our young forwards are guilty of this to some extent but the main problem as I see it, is the players that collect the telling pass, move it forward to deliver the cross and in so doing loses it to the opposition, due to their initial touch being too heavy. They, unlike the centre forward, are not playing in the same tightly marked situation so have little excuse. This breakdown means that even the midfield are committed to the move, having passed the ball and are now running flat out into the penalty area and the loss of the ball, at that point, leaves our defence more exposed. Solution, more ball control training required by our front runners.

This is a lose, lose situation for the Board. If they had not allowed Brew to freshen up the squad pre Hamilton, the knives would be out. Since they did the knives are out. I take it, from your posting, that the new manager will not rate Brews latest signings. The Board are at fault if they take their time and get the correct manager. The Board are at fault if they don't sign Robertson. Brewster is no longer a bad manager, he is a Scapegoat. We were 2 mins away from a wonderful result ( a draw playing with 10 men against the team lying third in the table) and it was the Board that caused the defeat. Now if that way of playing is 'the debacle of tactical ineptness' may we have it every week as I think this would result in us surviving the drop! If the new manager was watching on Saturday he must be aware of the potential positive results he can get with the nucleus of the team on display.

Except if we go down he's in a worse position than he would have been if he didn't take the ICT job, as he can add crap at ICT to crap at Brentford in his CV. Exactly!! Hence my final sentence! .

I wonder if we appreciate the strength this position will give someone to showcase himself. I accept that Butcher is still involved in football but only on the sidelines - this position he will see as long term gain. Keep us up, do well next year (for us), move to English first/second, then up to Premier - that is the thinking, I would suggest. It is like winning the lottery if they manage to follow that path but as Dale says 'you have to be in it to win it' and currently most names being discussed on here are not currently in it! Hence the difficulty of getting the head round some names that seem interested. .

Having watched the game yesterday on Alba and reading the contribution on here, I am surprised that no one has mentioned our lack of ball control, up front. Yes, we played some football on the ground and it looked good in midfield but many passes, not over hit, to the attacking player seemed to result in too hard a touch, bouncing away from the player and resulting in a 50/50 ball with the defender. My old fashioned idea of a team make up was defenders were stoppers, midfield work horses and forwards were the ball players. We seem to have the ballplayers in the midfield and even in the defence at times, as they play out of trouble with intricate passes BUT up front... naa class! Lets hope the new guy not only looks for a quality forward but knows how to teach the existing front runners how to kill the ball/ play with the ball at their feet and this may then lead to the elusive goal that can be the difference between points lost and points gained. Maybe I am expecting too much from the players but it is annoying to see Rossco, with his build, play dinky passes, under pressure and the front guys collect the ball and then give it away due to lack of ball control!

Well, I fail to see the negatives should he be appointed. Doubting his past management skills re his ICT management needs is nonsense. It is like stating that a F1 driver cannot drive the Croy bus because he has not had a win for a while! Comparing his past management requirements with that required here is unrealistic - he will have forgotten more than Reid/McPherson/ etc has ever learned. This would be the biggest thing for ICT, all the reporters/cameras/ crowds to see Ossie's team - yes, ICT! The players would have to play, they would be walking on air and the fans would be delighted with their new found fame. His name would attract players who would normally not give ICT consideration. His contacts would have us playing with players from the four Continent's he has graced, all on loan, to keep us up. No need for snot each week, just graceful attacking football. I suppose this last statement sums up the Others v Ossie as I see it.

I think, back at the time you are discussing, Benzies was Benzie and Millers! Aother shop, opposite Woolies back door, was Hoares!

Speed is not of the essence? You mean Grassa should be in charge of coaching, team selection, tactics, etc, for.... how long? Until we get the correct candidate to keep us in the SPL.

Just been interviewed on Radio Scotland and has said he'd love to come here. Also said he had been contacted by the club, so some halfwit at the club must think this would be a decent appointment.... fecking madness.... Madness, do the club even read CVs when it comes to these appointments,. Perhaps if the exsisting players were allowed to say who they wanted as manager the fans would be cleared on who the players think could keep us up Why do you question if the Board read the CV's?? Have they a history of this? Do you feel that young laddies (plus Rossco, Grantie and Hastings) are qualified to select a manager? I would suspect that there knowledge of Ossie is the same as yours and mine - they have met him via their TV. Butcher they could walk past and their knowledge of his managerial prowess is also the same as you and I. Prefer if the Board did this selection after reading the CVs. Speed is not of the essence - correct selection is and yes, I do accept we need a finisher in the window.

Scotty, your last statement is the important one! The 'getting rid' element, on here, has now got their way - the most important part now, is the recruitment of the correct, for ICT, manager. We are an unusual club (family feeling, with this being our first sacking of a manager for instance) and our feelings were normally focused on the end result, with little personal criticism of the players/ managers/ board. Now that the power of attack, via this type of medium has been experienced, I fear the future will not reflect the past! A bad result, in someones view, will result in a verbal attack on here, with the managers past life, wifes past, grannies past, all being posted and used as ammunition and of course, 'and he's lost the dressing room' and this will result in pages of 'I knew this before we signed him' 'We could have done better' Hope I'm wrong But..........!

I don't know if my reply was considered personal abuse BUT if it was, I can only state it could have been much worse, believe me! How anyone can make that sort of statement, on here, beggers belief! What has the wee boy done to deserve that? Be his Dad's son? Go to the match and fit in with the other supporters? Be young? Naive? Leave him alone - this is no better than playground bullying. Calling a wee fellow names!! .

Doesn't surprise me, probably just did it to be like everyone else and anyway. How you can make a statement like that about a wee laddie is beyond my ken!! For Heavens sake grow up and realise that he, his parents, grannie etc may read this. It would appear from your contribution that there is no doubt that you are the sharpest tool in the toolshed!! Aye, Right!!

Jim Duffy for footballing experience and management role - Charlie to cement up the cracks in the teams spirit. Bad guy- good guy

Now, this will be taken as old fashioned BUT the root of the problem is Lack of RESPECT! No respect for teachers, school, age, each other, themselves and, where the problem lies, no respect for the family NAME! I do feel that parents can create some trouble by being the children's PAL. Does not work, like a puppy they require to be told right from wrong and suffer the consequences if they make the wrong choice. Giving in to a yelling child only teaches them to yell harder next time and they will get what they want once more. Not having a strict routine leaves the children with a lack of boundaries to observe, so why should they go to bed at a specific time, for instance. Do not bribe, money should not matter to a child. Love should, outdoors should, and lots and lots of story telling to open up their little minds. TV, PC, well away until they understand the world a wee bit better. They are the most precious gifts we, as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends could ever receive - treat them as such - and enjoy their moving through the stages of life and be on hand when they become confused. Don't spoil this world for them by taking the easy way out, a video does not equal a cuddle!! .

To illustrate the defensive problem, here is the rundown of the season to date. League Goals Against, per match, average, season to date Rangers..............0.81 Celtic..................0.95 Dfc/Dons/Hearts..1.04 St Mirren.............1.04 Hibs/Killie............1.33 Falkirk/Mwell .......1.48 Ham....................1.71 ICT.....................1.76 This proves that we have defensive problems as well as the need for a striker. Reason or one of many, they clear lines- big punt upfield- straight back down field again, however, a short pass/throw out gets midfield involved, holds ball up, helps create and gives defence time to regroup. This is why I think Esson is perhaps better for us, his distribution is geared to buildup rather than the big 'hit and hope' clearance.

I accept that goals for are only relevant if the goals against column is OK! Surprisingly, at this moment of time, we are 4 goals better than St Mirren, 1 better than Hamilton, the same as Hearts, 1 behind Motherwell and 2 behind Killie. No way is that out of touch with other comparable teams to ours but as stated above, the against column is a problem - so get that fixed, sneak a goal or two and watch us go up that league!

But NOT the keeper!!!