acharacleoracle

Lets try something along these lines with a little experience and a bit of grunt in midfield with players who can pass and get the wide men working for a change,

Esson

Proctor, Tokely,Munro, Hastings

Hayes, Gillespie, Duncan, Eagles

Foran, Sutherland

Bench: Bulvitus, Rooney, Allison, Cox, Mcbain

Having a Financial Services background I'm a great believer in the strap line that points out to people that "past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results". I will also only judge Butcher on what he has done since coming to us, and as far as I can see he's done pretty well with what he's been given to work with.

Part of the problem we have at the moment is that the club have filled the fans heads with this "We'll bounce straight back" promise, but we've not seen any real evidence that they are supporting that. Our board are making promises that they are expecting other people to take responsibility and liability for.

As I said, given the fact Butcher was given no transfer money, only a wage budget, is proof positive that those making the promises aren't willing to put their money where their mouth is....instead they're driving this club towards financial disaster with half ass'd attempts at going for promotion and the kind of wishful thinking that saw us relegated in the first place.....and it's Butcher and the players who will carry the can if that doesn't happen.

As it happens, I do think Butcher has amassed a squad capable of deliver....that confidence comes from my being a fan and it being my place to have confidence in the manager and players until such time as they prove otherwise....and one bad game/result doesn't prove otherwise. If Butcher starts making the same mistakes week after week and the players continue to perform below what I think they are capable off then that will be the time to criticise....but we're only 4 games into the season in what is an historically tight division where nobody is running away with it and where we're not cast adrift from the top so I see absolutely no reason for the hysteria and panic.

So he has done well has he, relegation says it all, he had chances to keep us up but quite frankly blew it good style. Since then he has failed to identify the squads deficiencies and make signings to address these failings, instaed he has concentrated on signing unexperienced and untested youngsters. His wage budget could have been spent more wisely.

I'm not disappoint in Butcher at all. and I'm a long way from thinking his appointment was a mistake or that any consideration should be given to replacing him.

Look at just how fecked up this team was when he took over and how he managed to lift them and at least give us a fighting chance of survival last season. He then had to do the job all over again to lift the guys after relegation whilst working with a signing remit that made wages available but gave him nothing for signing fees meaning he had to find players for free.

This is one bad game, and the fact that (given all of the above) we've managed to put together a squad who have managed to compete with Dunfermline, Ayr and Dundee is not bad going IMO.

What we witnessed yesterday is what Brewster was dishing up week after week and yet we have the very same people who were insistent that we give Brewster chance after chance now hitting the panic button and asking for Butchers head?

I think that (some) of the moaning has more to do with sending some kind of misguided "get it up you" message to those who supported the sacking of Brewster than it is about what Butcher is or is not doing....it's as if some so called fans are almost willing disaster upon us this season to prove some kind of point!!!

What has Brewster got do with my original post? and no I'm not asking for Butchers head. The stated aim is for promotion back up to the SPL, the current strategy is highly unlikely to achieve this aim. We lack the necessary experience both on and off the field.

Butcher picked the players. He has brought in half a dozen guys this year. I am not a big fan of some of these players as they don't appear to have the toughness required when the going gets tough. Yesterdays game saw us out thought and out played by a County side who were better prepared for the battle. Now for the life of me, I don't believe the players deliberately set out to play rubbish. Were they playing to the managers plan? If so, what was that plan? As far as I could make out we had no width. That seemed a strange decision when Eagle and Hayes should have been ripping into the County defenders. We had no ball winners in the midfield, Cox was surprisingly subdued, while Stratford and Sanchez are afraid to go into any sort of challenge. We don't need fairies in the middle, we need a ball winner and a creator, yesterday we had neither on the park. Foran failed to deliver, Rooney did what he does best, hits the keeper with the ball when he is one on one. Some of these things are outwith the managers responsibility, but the way we set out our stall was surely his remit and therein lies the problem.

Terry is a marvelous PR man, and he must have said something naughty to them at half time, but it was too little too late. By half time Lionel was shot to pieces, our solid backline was looking fragile and County exposed us for what we were.

The opening post asked the question regarding his signings. I am not so sure after witnessing that debacle yesterday that they are right for this league. Get some Highlanders back in there and get stuck in. I wonder also is the Scotland job having any effect on his day job.

Yes indeed, get the Highlanders back in. The SFL will never be a display of pure football, its grunt and grind.

The Scotland job was mentioned in Butchers post match comments, he won't be around much this week at ICT and will leave Malpas to report on any reaction to yesterdays match. Not exactly hands on then.

Posted a detailed rant on the Matchday Thread when I came home from the game and an in agreement with the man from Loch Shiel.

After an evening on line studying TB and MM's managerial records and good sleep, I am more convinced than ever we are now under the guidance of a totally inept management team. Great players they were but as bosses, their pedigree stinks. I will happily discuss with anyone who is prepared to do their homework and come back to me with a different conclusion but whether it be Brentford, Oz, Coventry, Swindon, Sunderland, Scotland, Motherwell (in MM's case) or anywhere else the dynamic duo have served they make Brewster and Thomson look like Clough and Taylor!

Not speaking out after the event, said so at the time of appointment.

So where are we now? Dispatched good young Scottish talent like Vigurs and Woods for the sake of washers or managerial misjudgement and replaced them with third rate English pub league players who revel when play Stranraer or Coatbridge but disappear when they meet a half decfent team, playing the most inept footballer in the country at left back and leaving an established Canadian international on the bench, training without a manager all week as he pisses off to do his real job and all this at a level way below where we have been for the past years.

How TB gets the level of adoration he rceives from some of our support is beyond me! The captain of our greatest international rivals and one half of the OF, he is treated like a God by some. Dressing up in bandages FFS! Maybe that says more about some of our support and their "proper team".

Never mind though, TB always says we are a great support, presses all the right media buttons, speaks confidently and articulately as an after dinner speaker, has heaps of caps and a particularly nice one for matchday. The fact he can't tell LDZ isn't a footballer is of no concern!

We are in for a very long season of struggle no doubt. In the First Division not the SPL. But none of it is TB's fault is it!

Well said that man.

I felt sorry for Lionel yesterday booed off by the ICT fans and laughed at by the County fans, no friends at all.

give him a break. have only seen a couple of games this season so far but he seemed quite good in them. everyone can have a bad game. im going to stick up for him, sponsored his boots for the year

Two left ones I presume.

butcher needs to have faith in the local talent which is coming through shinnie,park,sutherland,ross etc in the games i have seen they seem to show a lot more passion ,hunger and will to win than our so called senior players

Agreed.

We didn't bin Mihadjuks, he was here on loan and it would have cost as money to sign him as he was and is under contract.

I doubt his Latvian home club had been willing to let him go, he came on a lot at ICT. Anyhow their old coach that didn't fancy him changed. New coach heard good things, and was keen to give him more of a chance..

We have had to make huge cuts as a result of going down, all our new signings have had to come too us on a free. Where is Butcher too look?? He has contacts in the English game... so that is where he looked...

What standard of Scottish players do you propose to get on a free?. These English guys are at least coming from a better level than the Scottish third, you can see they are not rugby players and have some technical ability, they have been coached full time and had the facilitys of bigger clubs than ICT...

So Butcher used his contacts in the English game to source his players, as Scotland assistant coach and with Malpas as his assistant at ICT, surely they have enough contacts in the Scottish game to source a couple of players from the reported 300 unemployed Scottish players currently available all on free terms?.

As for standard we were convincingly beaten by a team Scots yesterday who played with a great deal more technical ability than we did, and just to rub salt in one goal was scored by an ex ICT player.

I'll get back to you on this one, I think it has a bit of mileage.

Looking forward to reading your comments.

Bit unfair me thinks. All the signings are young and need to toughen up quickly and the only way that will happen is by playing them. Last week we were all happy with them and I think we need to reserve our judgement re the manager. I agree some things have been strange like leaving Lionel on the park today for so long but the disappointment of today will pass eventually. Here's to better days.

Why is it unfair to question this, yes I agree that all the signings are young but we have plenty of young unexperienced youngsters coming through the youth system so why has Butcher added another 6 into this category?. Like I am sure you know a little age and experience can be very advantageous, a couple of older experienced heads are needed to impart the necessary experience, to encourage and get the best out of the youngsters, we are sadly lacking in that department at the moment.

I take it the original poster of this thread has not been to all of the games this season then

If you have you must have been watching different games to me. The new signinga have been looking good this season bar Stratford and Eagle possibly Sanchez (though you can tell he should be a good player whan he toughens up)

We had 6 or 7 new signings in that team today. Im sure they still hardly know eachother. They will need time to gel into a team I know it will take a while but just because of one terrrible performance you cant start saying the whole team is crap and all the signings have been rubbish

You need to give them time to gel and take this one hopefully as a very bad day at the office

Its one thing starting 6 or 7 new signings but if they don't know each other then what is the point of doing that? you end getting beaten like we did today. Its poor management to do that, the new boys are all young and don't have any experience so where is the balance where is the experience, he certainly did not sign any. If the aim is to go straight back up then the signings so far are unlikely to produce the goods.

Lightweight and no imagination but a Butcher boy so probably won't get dropped.

From previous times i have seen him and on the sounds of todays perfomance he needs to be dropped and hastings needs to come in with immediate effect. He is nothing short of a liability and no where near good enough to wear an inverness shirt.

Does anyone disagree?

NO

Butchers signings: Is it just me who thinks this, there is not one of these guys I had ever heard of never mind seen play and what is Butcher up to?, not a single Scot amongst them!!!.

Isn?t he the assistant Scotland coach, what sort of message does this send out to other managers?. With 300 Scottish players currently unemployed its not great example and surely there must be a few scots who could do the biz.

Of those signed I don?t see anything we did?nt have before. Players binned include Vigurs, Woods, Zanders and Mihadjuks all as good if not better than those brought in. I think his priority has been simply to the replace the last vestiges of the previous managers team regardless of ability.

Also he?s reported in the P&J saying his squad is now a bit too big and it needs trimming back, so who is for the dunt, all the local lads I presume?.

After todays performance its clear its time to change things. Ross Tokely should be back in next week hopefully for Bulvitus, Richard Hastings to replace Lionel and replace Stratford and Eagle by bringing in a midfielder like Dale Gillespie who can actually pass a ball and take on a shot at goal and bring in Duncan for experience.

Having made all these new signings its clear that Butcher has not addressed the teams biggest weakness, which is our back four. Once again we leaked goals through poor defending.

With two days of the transfer window left its worrying to think that it is rumoured that his priority is a 16 year old forward!!!.

Its sad but I cannot see us getting promoted for sometime.

Oh Charles I?m disappointed in you. It must be playtime up at the IRA or are you just fishing for something to write about with your journo hat on?.

This fangled interweb thingy has for once given the ?unrepresentative minority? a voice. No longer do we have to rely on the press to give us the news or should I say a watered down version of the club line as is fed to you on your thrice weekly visits to the stadium. Reports in which any criticism is kept to a minimum as you are mindful of getting your next interview. Maybe over the last five years the users on this forum have realised just how powerful a medium this is, it has given them the opportunity to air their views like they have never had the chance to do before and as a by product make those points and have them read by those it may concern.

There have been plenty of hot topics for you to dip into and wet your journalistic appetite and gauge the feeling on the terrace.

Mariusgate

The Savage v Sutherland spat

The Rory hate campaign

The get Brewster out campaign

We even had Robbo blatantly touting for the managers job.

All delivered with a hefty mix of criticism, sarcasm, insult, innuendo, banter and a fair amount of pure BS but then that?s the web for you.

There were a good few posters on this forum who identified the clubs relegation plight long before the board acted to deploy an action plan to save our SPL lives. Sadly the views where overlooked the axe wielded to late in the day and we got our just reward, relegation. Never mind though, we are a debt free first division side now.

Right you lot, for criticising ICT its 100 lines each to be on my desk by 9 am tomorrow.

?I must not criticise Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club under any circumstances.?

I must not criticise Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club under any circumstances.

I must not criticise Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club under any circumstances.

I must not criticise Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club under any circumstances.

I must not criticise Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club under any circumstances.

I must not criticise Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club under any circumstances.

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Not a huge surprise to see them sign for County shame that their future development will be stunted by the the Adams / Brewster management combo!!!!.

Thought it would be a good time to pull this thread back to the top of the list.

Now we are in the 1st division how much harder is it going to be to attract new blood up here to Inverness. Already three of our emergency January signings are reported to be looking elsewhere for employment and I wouldn't be surprised if the others are looking south also. Wages on offer will be lower than ever and contracts likely to be short ones. I fear only the desperate will apply.

Do you think the lure of working under TB will be enough to attract?.

http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Morais-wei...ions.5309645.jp

Sounds like Morais is away.

Add Foran and Odihambo to the list of looking elsewhere and our squad is looking very thin indeed.

As ICT is a football club how about producing a few young footballers and sell them at a profit?.

Just an idea.

Dont think the club will do anything like that. Two words IAIN VIGURS. We could have got a good number for him

CORRECT.

Don't think it'll matter much who's in midfield next term. It's obvious we are heading for ultra hoofball next season. You have been warned :wacko:

Yummie. Puntomatic football, my favourite.

Man U, totally humbled. Messi is awesome.

Dont forget Gillespie, someone with the talent to play anywhere across the midfield

Alex did you see dale play in the 3rd division, i did quite a lot, for me he looked like he possibly found his level there as he wasn't that great. being there on loan from a SPL club he should have coasted that level as did zander and vigurs(at age 15) but Dale didn't. he isn't going to cut it any higher i'm sorry to say, so it's just wishful thinking to think he is a going to do a job for us in midfield. we won't be coming back up if that is the quality of player we will be playing.

CaleyP I feel sorry for you taking in Elgin on a regular basis, surely you can find something better to do with your time.

I took the time to go through to Elgin and caught a game with Dale Gillespie and Andy McNulty taking part. For Dale to have made an impression was pretty ny impossible, the majority of the Elgin players were truly awful and didn't even possess the the most basic footballing skills and quite frankly didn't care one little bit. I am led to believe half the squad were based in the central belt and didn't train at all and the north based players didn't exactly commit themselves either with on one occasion only three first team players showing up and that three included Dale and Andy.

Liam Keogh had the right idea, persuaded to pull on his boots again and signing at the same time as Dale in January he walked away after two games having realised just how bad the Elgin squad was, the ICT players didn't have that luxury and had to stick it out.

Thankfully with the ICT squad being pared down to the bare minimum will mean non of our youngsters will have to endure a loan spell at Elgin, a complete waste of time. Another season like that and they will go back into the Highland league or fold completely.

Can't see us signing barry somehow!!!!. If the link works you will see why.

Barry pic

There's also plenty, just like Imrie, who have worked on Building Sites and know what hard graft really is!

you do realise imrie is on over a 1000 a week, iain was asking for half of that? so because imrie wasn't good enough to be a player at 19 and had to work on a building site that makes him different how?????? stop talking noise.

Ahhh - but he was good enough to be a player. He rose up through Junior Football, before being spotted by Clyde!

He's a far more established and battle hardy player.

We went down, largely, to the ineptitude of our Manager in Dec and Jan! Not because of our wage structure!

If the manager and DOF cannot see talent when its staring them in the face then we are in serious trouble!.