absent friend

Re the lack of goals - it is difficult to watch a match, from the park and get a good view of events - however on the Monday night game on TV, Dargo, on his own, could have had two and assisted with one! A miss from inside the 6 yard box, a penalty miss and having ran at the defense, only had to pass right or left to put his team mates into a scoring position inside the box. ( he carried on his run and ran out of ideas) This would not have happened last year. Therein lies the problem, if your top goal scorer has lost the touch to score goals when on the field there is little the manager can do from the sidelines. I do feel he should be stuck into the reserves for a couple of games and, with his undoubted talent, he can then find his scoring touch. Who knows maybe in training, with little pressure, he could be knocking goals in from all angles. Who would be a manager!

Well said CD!! I only hope if CC reads this thread he comes all the way down until he hits on your common-sense posting. I do think that some postings on here, re CC, are over the top. Manager of the month? Not in the opinion of some of his own 'supporters'!

Well Clachar, in the time that he has not yet proved himself to you his predecessor has proved to his new boss that he was not fit for the job and that is with players that are touted as being better than ours, money being paid that is higher than ours SO lets have less of the CC knocking and accept that we will go through good and not so good times. When your manager has been recognised as manager of the month a few weeks ago does that not tell you something about his ability? Yes he is still learning - maybe his subs could have been used better - maybe he put out the wrong team on occasions - maybe some of the players need a nudge at times but those points could all be made to CC/Strachan/Ferguson etc etc. For Heavens sake give the guy a break!

What failings? It was the players fault then? Well it is good to see that the Sun readers are not biased!! I think you are suffering from a degree of innocence - there will be three sides to the story - the most concocted one will come from the Sun reporter, to earn his dirty pay!

Perhaps the foregoing supports my comments. It would appear that any positive comment MUST be replied to in the negative. I like the comment that even Fergie gets it wrong at times - well not often - but I bet their forum is also full of 'know better' armchair managers. ''He should have subbed Rooney not Ronaldo'' What luxury! Well we don't have that luxury but we can still have our say. Thanks for making this board so enjoyable with your (mature most of the time) differing views.

Reading my way through the various threads, very often there is points made about CC and his man management/team selection/touch line behaviour(or lack of it) - so I wish to have my say. There is no doubt that CC came into management after lots of pondering, the sign of a mature person. He took over a team considered successful and has gently eased them into another playing pattern, in my opinion, better on the eye and more successful. It is natural when games are lost disappointed fans turn on the players and manager without much consideration being given to the ability of the opposition. However, I would contend that we now have a better run team, playing better football, managed by a better manager, making better use of his subs and.....not only does he talk sense but he is more articulate than any other manager in the SPL and most of the professional presenters. All in all, I am proud to be a CC supporter at this early stage of his management career.

I was at Pittodrie on Monday night doing a bit of opposition watching and came away from the game rather optimistic regarding our chances. I think, on Monday night's showing that ICT could have all six points if these two teams play as they did on Monday. Good passing in the middle of the park but very little penetration up front. Mackie very easily eased off the ball - headless chicken the rest of the time - Miller strong and makes good runs but if well marked a ***** cat! Hibs, in my opinion, mark the wee Morrocan out of the game, as Hart did, and they don't flow the same. I hope I am correct with my six points but 4 will do at the expense of this two teams.

I think I understand this philosophy :017:, carrot and stick without the carrot. Don't encourage - that's for weaklings. Give them lots of criticism, now that should do the trick! :015:

Ronaldo, Is that our defender or theirs? :003:

Gosh! And here I was thinking I had watched the whole match! :012:

Being past my bedtime, I settled down to be put to sleep by the ICT team performance, mentioned in all the reports on the match thread. Surprise, surprise, the best show for a long time!! Either you lot were at a different match or we received OF editing! We look good, hungry and should have had many more goals.

I may be looking at this from the wrong angle but at a time when we are trying to increase crowds Setanta kicks us in the teeth. Monday night attending or Monday night viewing? No contest, in my opinion. Lets consider the reason for Setanta paying the money they did to screen this match. They sell adverts! Adverts can only be seen by people watching TV. Crowds at matches must annoy Setanta as they are not playing the game - staying at home watching the match AND THE ADVERTS. A half empty park - and how often do we see that now on televised matches - even international matches, is the way the game will go as more of the current paying public will prefer to sit at home with their can of beer in front of the telly. Once this happens of course it will be £10 to view the match of your choice AND watch the adverts. Someone said the clubs sold their souls to Setanta, well I happen to think that the clubs have sold their future as there will be no local team as we now know it. Only big teams with huge support playing in super leagues will be seen as there will be no small clubs left and we will still sit at home with cans of beer watching the 3 Scottish teams - Celtic, Rangers and Others United! Far fetched? Try balancing the books with a reducing crowd coming through your gate every match!

Sandy, I take your point BUT does it matter if it is **** or Richard- it is still the same player being discussed - and maybe it is refreshing to listen to new fans views without having their views coloured by history. Maybe in this case the views expressed are too close for comfort for some 'fans'!

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the 12th man! Perhaps the crowd can become more vocal and less negative and give the team the lift required for a great result. And that is what it will be - a great result if we get 3 points from this game.

Well Alex, if it is a crime to call Lennon a numpty, it is time we all gave up supporting football! A large part of the enjoyment of being at a match is cheering the mistakes of the opposition, whither it be missed goals or a missed placed pass. As someone has already stated above, the downward supporting slope is upon us thanks to some ill-advised civil servant. However now for the blind eye(or is it ear) syndrome. I am amazed that Celtic, at Inverness, sang their bigoted songs to annoy the Rangers fans as I am sure, we, up here, do not give a tinkers cuss what 'school' you went to. Last Saturday, at Aberdeen, the same behavior was in evidence. The only way that Celtic can have this song heard by Rangers fans is over the TV transmission mics and the powers that be can't hear it?? Aye, Right!!

Having watched our national team blast the ball up the park for the final few minutes to hold onto their lead and all they achieved was to allow another attack to be formed, how I wished there was a cool head on the park to calm them down and encourage them to hold the ball and waste the time in this way. Perhaps our new signing can instill from his experience, the coolness required, at times, into our team so that we, unlike last night's team, can be more level headed under pressure. Just maybe!

On the subject of erses - now that's a good link - the photo in the Record of Marshall being pig sick at the ICT celebration of the goal, raises a point about the fans. Can I assume that the chap sitting in front of the happy happy lady is a Celtic fan or is he one of the ICT fans that is so hard to please? ('A goal? Call that a goal? Ginger McKenzie could have put that in the back of the net with his eyes closed'!!) I thought it was only in Aberdeen that the fans sat with their arms folded demanding to be entertained.('Ken, I've paid good siller for 'is!) Can I suggest to all the stay away ICT potential fans - enjoy it when you can , it may not always be available. This last comment is not any slight on ICT as a team but the politics that appear to be prevailing within the Scottish game. How long before they need a guaranteed average crowd of 6000 to allow top flight football at that stadium?

Well Rig, we were both at Saturdays game and I agree with your comments but I can not agree about Wyness. I felt he was lethargic in his approach and did not have a very high work rate. Bayne, when he came on was neither of these things as he is a worker. The main point when we look at the two of them is that Wyness has more ability in his big toe than Bayne! Wyness is a cheat too all the paying customers as he can give us so much entertainment but does not bother whereas Bayne gives 100% of his ability. In my team I would have Bayne and leave Wyness in the reserves until he wakes up and realises that we rescued him from playing in Perth or Brechin or Peterhead and no doubt he would only be using 50% of his ability there as well!!

I agree with the above comments on the game and, in particular, the passing out of defense to the opposition created another wave of attack - even more hard work for the defenders. A simple pass could have worked wonders. The two best players on the park, I thought, were Black and Smith but Black had no chance as the high balls kept passing him by and Smith was isolated for the bulk of the game - thank Heavens.

I do feel he shone at a time when the team was not as fit as he was. His injury and the teams ongoing improvment left a gap that he had difficulty bridging, in my opinion. However, he was the most exciting player on the park back then and indeed we are entitled to remember him as such. Good luck to him in the future and, I think, he will always be seen as a part of the ICT success story!

On the park, on a good day, Brewster offered something other than goals that is missing from the current team. A battle hardened, mature player, to steady play, lay off good passes and have the younger fitter players do the leg work. If they can also finish- even better. Rodwell Clyne in his latter years commanding the park and spraying passes to his young team mates, Jim Bett in his Aberdeen days, a later version of Rodwell, and I feel there must be more of this type becoming available to bring on the younger lads. Maybe however an (almost) past it player is now a luxury in the SPL with such a pressure on every manager every game. Having just watched Zola weave his (past it) magic on the TV - the above, for me, makes sense.

Alex, I would assume that if an offer from the club for free/discounted kids seats IF accompanied by a PAYING adult would be for selected games where they know that there will few bums on seats, but I take your point for the bigger games. It is also a good sale if the adult is dragged along initially and then becomes a regular either by choice or child choice and therefore the initial loss you refer to could result in a gain for the club. I also think that another plus would be the noise generated by a bunch of kids could at least drown out the silence so often evident at the stadium. This last point could maybe address the area made by others that the team do not seem to perform at home - fear factor maybe, in front of critical fans - yes I accept they are pros and should be above that, but look at the Aberdeen teams performance when the fans turned on them and the change when they got a few good results. It is a chicken and egg situation and the fans pay good money to shout if not satisfied - but the guys on the park are human and their feelings must percolate to the top at times and result in laying the ball off instead of trying a constructive move that may bring a howl if it does not come off. The kids could drown some of the agressive howl out or maybe provide a balance. Just my thoughts!!

Well, what can I say... Over to you ICT!!

We now have overwhelming(?) support for a reduction in the kids ticket cost or to be accurate an attack on parents via kids power, in some way. Someone also brought up the kit sales revenue if the children become interested as an additional benefit. The bus idea is not just good, it is so necessary, you feel someone somewhere has overlooked this source of revenue. Not everyone has a car and has a problem in the car park, some use shank's pony but maybe can't manage the distance to the park or enjoy a wee dram but don't fancy the walk to and from the park.(yes I accept that some pubs put on transport) Competitions can only be enjoyed if we get the kids in, in the first place, unless they are the competitors. Cheerleaders - that's a no no then? This is the point, I suppose, where the club will now respond explaining their direction with the inherent reasons for so doing.''Weer no reely sure, erly days yet. Ya know yersel, its no easy to make a decision!'' However, I feel, there is still LATENT talent out there who can pass on successful schemes in other clubs.