bdu98196

Sadly we have already had some 6 pointers against Dundee, Partick and Hamilton. Given the lack of bottle and fight in the Hamilton game it suggest we don't have the characters to get out of this. I said in the Jan window those around us have gone the distance in relegation battles season after season and the players know how to deal with it - sadly like Hibs & DUtd recently we aren't used to being down there and the mentality of the players seems unable to step up so far - those clubs went down and I suspect we will too. Until everyone in the team such as Vigurs, Polly, Tansey, Cole all fight, track back and chase every ball like Draper, Tremarco & Brad do then we will have too many who aren't fighting together. There have been chances recently to grind out results but we haven't shown that mentality.

Think its pretty clear from the selections - no consistency to build on and if players are 'hiding' then whos fault is that but his - he picks them and its his job to motivate them. If you look over our team sheets this season the defence constantly switches in personnel, we swap about attack players and sometimes just play people out of position, while injuries may contribute this isn't always the case - guys play one wk, dropped to the bench the next then back again. Its the actions of a manager desperate for something to 'click' for some miracle to happen with a random combination - sorry but if you remove yourself from being a staunch ICT fan and look objectively, if this was another club then people would question if the manager knew what he was doing (just like they did with Warbs at The Rangers earlier in the year when they had a poor season start and he kept swapping and changing players)

Thats up there with the statements criticising referees after games even when played off the park by the opposition - pathetic 'football' excuses. Fact is its not about being unlucky or bad officials or decisions - we have players constantly injured in training, poor tactics, players out of position, lack of motivation ..............the list goes on. Fix those things and we will start to improve but thats nothing to do with lucky, its hard work and actioning a forumlated tactical plan which works to our strengths and competes effectively against our opposition.

If you can't motivate yourselves and show fight and bottle for a huge relegation battle then it shows your doomed. Loosing 3 nil going on 6 with no shape or direction how anyone honestly doesn't see this as the worst result and defining moment of the season is beyond me.

Can't call for change the ostriches will get upset and just tell you yesterday didn't matter (although it won't be what they were saying during the week before the game) and its only the league we need to look at. Calls that we will stay up and blind suggestion we are too good, have quality or that Billy will be a saviour are made - while I'd like to agree our long winless run, lack of confidence, shape and obvious struggle by management to know our best 11 still makes me disagree. We are in full DUTD mode now and some just can't or won't see it. The games sre running out and based on yesterday and the last few months come start of march we will still be without another win and possibly hammered 3 times.

^ have to agree and quite why it deserves red dots is unclear although it's clear some on here will use any result as an opportunity to bash our previous manager. Fact is foran put out a team that looked to lack shape or ideas and somehow he has sapped all confidence from our key men. The performance was worse than the result or scoreline.

Couldn't agree more with a lot of that, however some seem to think that fighting back to draw 2-2 against an average Dundee team is turning the corner and going to propel us upwards, however I am more reserved and will rather wait and see if this is progress or just a one off improvement. For some Foran can do no wrong and its obvious that he still doesn't know his best team and has limited ability to vary the tactics making us very predictable. The parallels between us this season and DUtd are there for all to see - and in some ways worryingly we have brought in the strike force that helped take them down to try keep us up. We are in dire straights and just to emphasise that - last league win was end of Oct away and last home win was Sept!!!

Showed bottle and fight which we wanted to see. The addition on Mckay has added movement and spark up front which has opened up King and Anier to create more - all in those 3 played well today with King covering some amount of ground. All round everyone contributed although I'm not sure mccart is better than Meekings or brad - both I think are better options. Defensively we are still very suspect and with Tremarco being so far forwards it leaves a lot if space behind which teams can exploit which is is a bit of a concern. Also after watching everyone getting stuck in today it's frustrating to see polly and jake come on and not really step up and chase, close down or show the same fight as both king and vigurs that they replaced. We hit the post and missed a pen but equally we had a couple of nervy goal clearances to stop Dundee extending their lead. Much better and a step the right way but hopefully it's not too late. We would have bear Partick last week if we played that way I'm sure and against Hamilton should have parked the bus going there for a 0-0. The 2nd half momentum from today needs to be carried forward along with those players.

Richie's last strart was the cup game against Hibs which was if I recall his first game in almost a year then and he was utter mince, I'm sure in the last 9 months with next to no training or game time I hardly think he will be our saviour. If anything he needs to be phoning and talking to any experienced manager or coaching contacts he has to try figure out how to defend and improve the playing style.

His team may be three points adrift at the foot of the Premiership but Inverness CT boss Richie Foran says the board has been supportive and he is not in danger of being sacked. "We were challenging for the top six last week, now it's a relegation battle. Two or three wins gets us back challenging for the top six, but they need to come," says the Irishman. (Sun)

I believe the club have been trying to gloss over this as he varnised without a trace after getting the brush off from the management. All very emultional.

As a club before the cup success we took in players and integrated them into a team over a period of time, gradually progressing up the league with it - taking 5 or 6 of these players out at once them expecting to remain at the same level or continue to progress when we were well above our weight was never going to happen. Perhaps if only 1 or 2 left we could have continued to build and seen more from his new recruits - unfortunately after a period of stability we became like every other SPL team which changes half its squad every year with limited continuity or success. Being honest I'd hardly suggest every player signed by managers before or since have been a success either - not everyone that comes in is comparable to those leaving - under current circumstances you'd have written off the likes of Billy Mckay as a replacement for Rooney as he took ages to get going.

OFW Mckay Warren Meekings Tremarco Draper Doran Polly King Anier Billy Assuming Meekings is back and King otherwise a back four with Raven at RB and Cole instead of KIng. We have Polly who can drop deep to support Draper and Anier who can do the link up between midfield and Billy upfront. We need the wide players to stay wide and run, I cant recall last time I saw a cross from the byline or beyond the 18 yard box - we need balls for Billy to try latch onto, not to try win in the air or fight against the opposition CB's.

Well if that's true we are still paying Yogi and haven't lump sum paid him off then he's still an employee so get him in and back to work sorting out the defence. If I was on garden leave from my job I'd be expected back if my employer requested it.

2 options, bring in an experienced coach who knows about defending to work with him or get rid although removing RF may not solve the issue if BR is still there - its clear that when JH left Rice didn't want to walk away. If we do remove RF then rather than spend weeks trying to find a manager going through out of work candidates as we cant afford anyone through compensation we need to have an option in place - at this time Charlie Christie would be the only alternative?

But they havent fought a relegation battle, most came in when we were doing well or heading upwards - they showed bottle to win cup games but they dont seem to have the attributes to stop a loosing run and fight like the players at Hamilton, Partick and lets see at the wknd Dundee. We need someone of them to take the game to the opposition and sadly we seem to lack a real leader in the pack like a Tokley, Munro character. Do some of them have eyes elsewhere now and playing out the contracts, or have they signed longterm deals and have settled familys in the area so have become complacent? In the summer how many contracts had relegation clauses or caveats in them, probably not many as probably everyone thought we'd always be good enough and safe. We need to see Draper and Warren step up and start showing their alpha male characteristics

Cole on - Draper off #plot-lost

Worst tactic is the lack of ability to defend. Yet more defensive mistakes, we have gone from a solid unit at the back to a disorganised shambles with a lack of concentration - with largely consistent personel. Severe questions need to be asked about the defensive coaching and who or where is it coming from. I've been saying it most of the season its clear that RF & BR dont work and we need to bring in someone. Whether on here he's liked or loathed there is no doubt that Yogi could fire the boys up and organise a defence - afterall same coaching staff bar the RF to Yogi change and same players yet we are a real horror show. The board are backing RF with bringing in players like Billy - but maybe they need to see what he is providing in return. if the board intend to keep RF they need to give him support and bring in anyone with experience right now to help with tactics or punt him now and change the management team. I'm sorry to say but even going down I dont think RF will be able to take us back up.

The buzzing has stopped just like a fly when its hit with a big boot.

2-0 Accies OFW at fault apparently Hamilton have been down there for season after season, they know how to fight and battle - we dont. Its an express to relegation.

Well Billy & Anier hardly set the league on fire last season at DUtd so lets wzit and see if its 2nd time lucky.

Without wanting to **** on this party, the style and way we play has to change otherwise no matter how good our striker is they won't get chances created to score. We played long balls to Domb which never worked, even on Sat with Anier that tactic remained - for Billy to succeed we need Doran, Polly, King, Tansey with our wing backs getting forward to support more and creating opportunities.

Wouldnt be a huge shock of Tansey is gone by Tuesday and If RF if right we might have 2 new faces by this game - time will tell. I'd go there defensive, park the bus and aim for a point - better to keep Hamilton closer to ise than risk loosing and a gap opening up,

Vital game for both clubs, defiinition of a '6 pointer' but with 2 teams who wont want to loose and goals in short supply from both sides - whoever wins, quality football might be in short supply. Both sides have small supports and being a midweek game too a low crowd to be expected - its cold, wet, winter nights when the pressure is on that defines whether a team has players with any spine or bottle for a relegation battle.

We played out of our skins and punched well above our weight - I do wonder if that team stayed together what we could have gone on to achieve in the league and Eurpose the following season. Wonder whether we will ever see such a terrific occasion again