bdu98196

Cleary there is a plan to reduce the wage bill and the playing squad age. While signing Raven would be of benefit we probably cant afford it with there still be being some high earners and some hopeless jobbers brought in on long deal - oh and paying for a departed manager. Next up will be Warren, OFW to depart - possibly followed by Vigurs,. Polly & Tremarco. The concern is that while we could put Brad back into the RB slot, that then leaves an issue in CB otherwise we will need to hope one of the under-performers so far can step up to RB - which I haven't much faith in. Much like the turn over previously when we moved on Tokley, Munro etc, the time has come through circumstances to make sweeping changes so best to just accept it. Everyone associated with the cup squad will always be held in high regard for what they achieved no matter where they end up next.

13 points off top. If we can pick up another 12 points over the next 5 games before the end of the year and just passing the hallway point we should be in a much more positive place - given our fixtures this is possible. QoS (A) Falkirk (H) Dumbarton (H) Morton (A) Brechin (A) 2 tricky away ties but should look to win both home & the Brechin game as a minimum.

Billy McKay - really? The key to getting out of this league much as staying in the Premiership is scoring goals and having a striker capable of 15+ per season. Defences can be organised and midfield styles of play adapted but without a guy to bang the gaols in, you're always up against it. While cutting costs was required, we should have fought to keep Fisher - he would have cigared this league. Even a player like Anier would have scored goals but instead we get rid of any possible proven quality with experience and history of goal scoring to fill the team with unknown risks - to have brought a player or two in, kept Fisher and then looked at youth we would have probably spent the same as now but be better off. Said it at the time but we were too keen to cut back rather than a strategic focus on key players out of contract being retained. In Jan I hope we can offload some deadwood and free up enough to make a loan offer for one off - Fisher, Scott Wright or Murray from Hibs (not the ginger one) - or anyone else proven

Home tie. Preference is to advance for me, so try to avoid Celtic, Aberdeen, Hibs but would be optimistic against all others - especially as its usually the first game back after the Premiership winter break so often shocks happen there. Only negative of a cup run is that if we only make the play-offs its a detriment.

Agreed on the disabled area - just because someone uses a wheelchair they shouldn't be forced to sit down the front in the rain, although I do understand how it could be difficult to accommodate but putting them at the back of a stand isn't right either. Fortunately we are lucky that we don't fill our main stand so could somewhere introduce a platform area and sacrifice a few seats although it may mean relocating ST holders - problem is then does the club have lift access otherwise its yet another expense in a stadium that was never built that way? I'm also not certain on this but there may be lottery money available for modifications of this nature as its more than just football related but community also. The catering needs looked at, queuing in a system that seems to have no real order to it and service which is pedestrian and highly inefficient - you have a lack of co-ordination between the staff and too many doing too many things rather than defined roles - the food & drinks on offer don't really represent value for money based on the quality (or lack of) and I'm sure its got worse over the years. Tickets - it would be nice that on matchdays tickets for the next home game are available for sale either before and after the game, possibly with small reductions to try capture fans on a high who may have come along and seen a positive result. Advertising in advance of promotions etc - if I'm at a game I don't want to wait til a few days before the next match to know I can get a reduced ticket for my mate through an offer but need to turn up to get it before the day of the game - give the opportunity to get it when fans are there already and in advance. Make it easy for the customer especially those who travel distances to games.

Must know by now that if you have any reservations or opinions which aren't seen through blinkers or with rose tinted glasses then it's not welcomed. The audacity to question perceived ICT legends or stalwarts won't make many friends. Even RF had a good run of games last year, so it's maybe too early to get carried away yet. Improvements yes but stick on for play off places as a minimum, mayb we wait until this second round of games is completed to judge the level we are at. Cautious optimism of heading towards the right path.

I think its probably a 2 horse race between Yogi & Jim McIntyre however it is harsh on Mackinnon, last year he narrowly missed out on winning the play-off with Hibs having the biggest budget and winning the league. This season they are still in contention and its highly likely that youngsters from both St Mirren & Dunfermline may move in Jan as there is plenty positive hype around them - making the competition weaker. Regardless of who is in charge all 3 are more than capable of getting DUtd to the title.

Its interesting to see comments from certain fans who seem to think because they refuse to criticise or say anything negative that they are infact 'better' fans than those of us who put across our concerns regarding the club direction and structure of both playing and management. There is a constant and in some ways highly tiresome citing of home fans being nothing but abusive to players - I think on several threads its been unanimously agreed (that the minority who partake) is unacceptable - however its the responsibility of every other fan to ensure that this is not tolerated and reported to the stewards and the club - bringing it up on every other post on this site will do nothing. While its good to see improvements in performances and results, the Utd result at the wknd should rightly bring positivity, however I think its still too early to get carried away - afterall we saw a few false dawns last year too.

Such a football cliché that fans seem to lap up. Bollox, there is nothing to do with luck, just as in life its about creating opportunities, working hard or efficiently in the right way and having a determination to succeed and get to a level of personal satisfaction - wherever that may be. People who whine about being unlucky use it as an excuse because they are unsatisfied with their position and don't want to admit it. For the last 2 seasons we have had managers who made excuses of being unlucky with refereeing decisions, unlucky with injuries, unlucky with results - citing when things a tough everything goes against you with fans and players believing it - no wonder there is a negative attitude around the club if people think the position we are in is due to bad luck - its really due to significant failings from management & players. Those who think questioning of the manager position is unfair - we have 1 win from 9 games and conceded 16 goals, that's a quarter of the season already gone. We failed to get out a League cup group that in reality had no 'big' team and while we are still progressing through the Challenge Cup its hardly impressive. The question has to be asked for how long does the club persist and is the prospect of relegation or a relegation play-off acceptable because that's the form we are showing? If there is a tremendous turn around and we storm up the table to fight for promotion, I will admit my error but so far there's no signs we are capable of this.

Sadly Rig is probably correct, there's debts to service and given some of the abject performances but extended contracts awarded in summer we may need to pay off some players too in order to free up some salary budget for 'upgrades'.

I can't belive there are fans on here apportioning some of the blame for the current situation and lack of quality performance on the fans because they dare to show displeasure at the fare put on show that they pay for as entertainment. As posted previously if fans feel their peers are partaking in abusive behaviour of any kind raise it with the stewards and get it addressed properlproperly as the club has a zero tolerance policy on this so needs exercised not just go on the Internet and moan about it.

Really? You seem to be not just judgemental about every forum user on here but highly condescending. If you honestly think a club and team struggling as badly as we are should be out in jollies while taking the money hard earned by fans you're a bigger fool than the posts you put up even suggest. In most employments if you fail to meet KPIs then you're employer doesn't give an afternoon off for games and play - can't say the performance of the coaches or players are in line with expectations either in or out of the club. It's quite clear from your comments on several issues that you have a biased view based on a connection to the club or players, perhaps it's time to take the blinkers off and see exactly how badly the whole regime is letting the fans down.

Sounds like a productive use of time. Sadly spending time working on tactics, fitness and positioning etc would be a much greater use of time. Most of the fans work a minimum of a 40 hour week, I've never understood this approach at football where training is a few hours running around in a morning. Surely the rest of the day can be spent working on tactics, formations, study of the opposition - even if the players aren't able to learn much from it, there is at least the illusion that they are trying to do so. Perhaps its the British approach to football and the attitude of coaches and players that should be looked when failings around sides occur rather than blaming climate, genetics and any other scapegoat that deflects from the institutions themselves.

Fans are entitled to an opinion and while you may think venting boo's is uncalled for its nothing more than pantomime - the players and club cant expect to be cheered and revered and not take some backlash when things go badly. I think we all agree than personal abuse is not acceptable, but if its felt that strongly either reprimand the individual or report it to the stewards - that's what they get paid for and we have a club policy against such behaviour. One day the stadium is full of sweetie rustlers with no noise, the next its booming with choruses of abuse - maybe there's a successful middle ground that will please all. Perhaps the players and those around the club need to realise that football is an entertainment business and the fans pay the wages, if the entertainment isn't there then people will vote with their feet - so unfortunately if the negativity from fans is dragging the players down they need to rise above it and turn it around otherwise they won't have a job. Many fans have jobs they may not like or enjoy at times but they have still invested significant money into season tickets and are now committed whether linking what is seen or not. Based on the league we are in the fans paid top ST money but are seeing performances which don't match - leading to the frustration, the 'feel good' wont come back until there's performances that improve.

Anyone who wont give us a pumping..................so home tie V's Raith to maybe stand a chance

Agreed, best not to highlight it further but being all over social media and whether the referee reports it, there may well be retrospective action from the SFA - surely this must constitute violent conduct?

On current form, the Irn Bru cup is hardly a big draw anyway but considering its not covered by season tickets there's not that many fans looking at it as a reason to put hands into pockets and pay for entry, travel and refreshments for a game which on paper should be a comfortable win against a much lower league side. I'm sure if performances improve and the atmosphere both on and off the park improves then games for subsequent rounds against Championship or overseas clubs will raise numbers. Really dont think the attendance on Sat is really a good benchmark to judge if fans are starting to stay away in increased numbers, but I do agree that unless something changes to give the place a lift or spark it could be a long, lonely winter in the stadium.

So you disagree that Kellacher was assaulted - plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise? If someone calls you names then physical violence from your statement is acceptable? This isn't primary school, this is real world - you cant just go and take out retaliatory actions just because someone has wronged you. Also are you suggesting that the coaching staff are not employees? #troll

Currently he looks like the victim of an assault, therefore if anyone is going it'll be Polly. While his credentials are questionable and its been discussed before his presence during failed regiemes he was also part of successful ones too. Doubt he will be going anywhere.

While abuse (personal) is not acceptable, general discord should be accepted, as fans we pay our money afterall. While its not great watching your team get beat if its when the team show heart, desire and effort but are just outplayed then that can be accepted but sadly for many games this season we have looked awful and quite a few players have the body language and attitude of not giving a f***. Fans are angry and had about enough, we've felt like the board lied to us over the summer, there are so many questionable decisions around the club and we now have a series of managers who feel public slating of players is acceptable including calling some (Ridgers) basically incompetent..........no wonder some fans think its ok to do the same. Unfortunately we can all write whatever we want and vent on here but the only way to express our views direct to the club are those 90mins on a Sat - while some (and I've heard the same abuse both home and away at our current and former players) seem to go overboard its a culmination of the frustration everywhere, it is a minority and there are still many who support and back the team - now we see it boiling over onto the pitch too.

While a serious incident lets not let it become the sole point of focus and distraction from the current predicament and performances. Again on Sat we were awful, there's a clear lack of harmony and unity and its still the case that even against much lower league opposition (although we won) that our players cant and haven't got the capability to show their perceived level - no disrespect to PH but we should have bosses the game and shown our superior quality instead the score line flatters and makes it look like we are Championship quality - when clearly we are not.

Good player and played a key role in our successful cup team but not sure he is 'legend' status. Be a shame to see a player of his experience and caliber leave but he's picked up a few injuries in his time and the more I see him recently while better than some of the jobbers we have, its clear he is loosing some of his pace and is a player on the descent unfortunately. Freeing up his wage is a positive but sadly I feel it will be wasted and we wont bring in anyone even near as good if at all.

Problem is that comparing the current team against the team from history which entered the League system isn't fair as the current squad will be getting paid more and therefore are and should be competing at a higher level. Whether or not this on paper is the best or worst team is subjective - however it can be argued that historically to have an international keeper (OFW) and players of the calibre we have seen from Raven, Tremarco, Warren, Vigurs (on occasion), Doran (if fit) would have always been welcomed additions to any ICT team at any level. What we have is some of those players starting to wane as they get older or recover from numerous injuries - perhaps the best of Warren & Raven is in the past - we have others who aren't being helped by the mediocrity around them - OFW has a poorly performing defence infront of him and there is little quality and support across the park for players like Vigurs or Polly - who I consider both being poor this year. However the biggest issue is the recruitment which has come in - would many of them stake a claim in any ICT team at any level - possibly Trafford but many look out of their depth. The question has to be is this the most uncompetitive ICT team at any level since entering the League system - the answer to that is yes, are they the worst - possibly not with the least ability but certainly the least fight, heart, desire and capability to perform at the level expected. Not sure anyone thought we'd storm the league but we certainly had expected the team to be able to compete with those around the play-off positions, unfortunately we are but at the wrong end.

Probably will be getting paid a lot more sitting at home on gardening leave than Elgin would offer, so on that basis doubt he would even consider it.

Expect them all to be released in the summer then, just like most of the youth players over the last years