DoofersDad

What a sickener. Another great team performance but we must now refocus and win midweek to put the pressure back on Dunfermline. They should beat Dumbarton comfortably but knowing they have to get something out of the game might make them very edgy. Stranger things have happened. But back to today. That is the 2nd time recently I have thought at half time that the referee was doing well only for my view to be completely changed later in the second half when it looked as though we might actually win. There were some very soft awards given against us, but pulling shirts and wrestling players to the ground right in front of the referee went unpunished the other way. Having said that, we had plenty of opportunities to get a 3rd when Dunfermline were chasing the game and ultimately we only had our selves to blame. We could, and should have won that which is really what makes loosing at the death so hard to take. No complaints at the length of injury time though, that was a nasty clash of heads between Oakley and Mvoto We missed Vigurs in midfield but Trafford came in and did a pretty good job. Chalmers too was pretty solid and between the two of them they often worked the ball out of tight positions. But the stars for me were again the front pairing of Oakley and Austin. They pulled defenders this way and that and constantly harried when Dunfermline lost possession. Robbo said earlier in the season that improving the defensive record was a matter for the whole team. If defenders and defensive midfielders are constantly put under pressure then they make mistakes and potential attacks are nipped in the bud. That is what Oakley in particular and Austin do so well. Austin seems to be a more composed finisher and created a goal for himself out of nothing today. I stayed for the rather subdued presentation ceremony at the end. Very well deserved awards for Col Donaldson and Iain Vigurs. The two of them are worthy winners but I would add that the other star performer this season has been Mark Ridgers. After a rather shaky start he has been absolutely outstanding.

This has been badged as a "must win" game, but we could still pip Dunfermline to 4th place if we draw. If that were to happen Dunfermline would be on 56 points and we would be on 51. We would then need to win both our remaining matches and rely on Dunfermline losing at home to Dumbarton. With Dumbarton focused on the play-offs at the other end of the table, I can't see Dumbarton beating the Pars. Theoretically if Dumbarton managed a draw at Dunfermline we could still nick 4th by improving our goal difference by 10 in our final 2 games. On balance, I think it would be simpler just to win today!

Whilst our players will have one day's less rest before taking on Dunfermline.

I disagree with much of that. Whilst Vigurs yet again controlled the game, both he and Polworth have often played significantly better than they did against Dumbarton on Saturday. The difference was that against a rather more open Dumbarton side, we found a bit more space in front of Vigurs and Polworth, we created a few more chances and took them well. Oakley pulled the defence all over the place on Saturday whilst Austin found the space and the composure to score 3 goals. The big win was because we had far and away the best performance from the front men that I have seen all season.

Just a word about Zak Elbouzadi. We’ve seen very little of him this season but he got a bit of game time today and I thought he did really well. There is genuine competition for places now and lots of options for changing things from the bench. Very encouraging indeed.

After a really well worked Dumbarton goal I feared we might be in for a difficult afternoon, but a great strike soon after from Doran and a very well taken first from Austin before half time settled the nerves. Fair play to Dumbarton, they came here to play a much more open game than in the cup final. In the end it didn’t work and they were exposed time and time again. It will be much a much stuffier Dumbarton we face on Tuesday so we may need a bit of patience in working for the opening.

Nice thought, but I fear what is rather more likely is that without Vigurs in the side for those 2 difficult games, we may not reach the play offs. The price paid for silly (and unfair) bookings can be high indeed.

Amen to that!

Seems as though letting off flares is fine as long as you don’t throw them and are sitting down at the time!

I hadn't heard of the QPR link either. I've tried to google this and all that comes up is similar statements that the headline apparently appeared in the Liverpool Echo. It seems to be all anecdotal and on a brief look I couldn't see any direct evidence the Liverpool Echo had ever used the headline. Of course, it would come as no surprise if "The Sun" was guilty of plagiarism, but no matter. The line works better with Celtic as the victims and it will forever be associated with one of the great days in our club's history.

Not a great game but very poor conditions and I thought the lads all showed great commitment. We are now 6 games unbeaten in the league and any lingering fears of relegation are now banished with 5 games to go. Given where we were at the start of the season, I think that is job done for the season. Any further progress will be a real bonus. Mind you, to hear some of the roasters in the crowd you would think we were getting hammered and relegation was imminent. Yes it would have been nice to have seen one or two more shots at goal, but even when we were keeping possession in the opposition half whilst looking for an opening, we had people shouting abuse every time a backwards pass was made. The number of times the off-side flag was raised should have given them a clue about how difficult it was to find space in front of the ball. Not only that, but with a very wet surface the ball was often skidding off the ground making the timing of passes difficult and therefore favouring the safer ball. What is it about some people who manage to find fault in the team even when we are doing well? Why do they actually bother going to the games if their negativity is making them so miserable? It's a hard one for MOTM. A number of the roasters laughed ironically when Vigurs was announced as the sponsors MOTM but I though he had a decent game. He was maybe not at his best but I can't think of anyone else who had a better game. Gary Warren was very solid although he didn't have a great deal to do. Ridgers had little to do but made a great reflex safe when required late in the game. Mulraney came on and provided the spark the game was needing. He scored a great goal but also contributed defensively as well. It seems that whoever we bring on does well now. The whole squad seems to be playing well and there must be several players on the bench who must consider themselves a bit unlucky not to be starting. It's all looking pretty encouraging at the moment.

In some ways, Polwoth is a victim of his own work rate and ambition. His work rate is phenomenal and whilst he is not a great ball winner he chases people down at great speed and is then always looking for the ball and to drive the game forward. The thing is that his mistakes are much more visible than other players both because he gets so much of the ball and because he tries to be more ambitious with it. When his ambition fails we get groans from the stands and it is clear that it is Polworth who has played the ball and it is Polworth who gets the blame. Fans tend not to notice that the failure of the pass to find its target might have been a well anticipated interception by a defender or a failure of a team mate to read the pass. And then when the pass does find it's target and it results in a goal, we all celebrate the scorer and we don't stop and think who played him in or set up the move in the first place. In other words, people notice it much more when what he does goes wrong than when it goes right. The fact is, we're a much better side with Polworth in it. Vigurs is a very different player and it is not really fair to compare the two. Personally I think Vigurs is the more influential player but if we could only retain one of them, I would go for Polworth. It's hard to believe, but the lad's still only 23 and has the potential to be a key player for us for years to come - or the source of substantial transfer income with the right contract.

First things first. It's as well we are on a good run at the moment, not so much from a possible top four position but because of the recent form of Falkirk and Dumbarton. Both have taken 9 points from their last 6 games and without our recent run our next three games against these two sides would be taking on a very different significance. As it is, if we beat Falkirk tonight and Dumbarton fail to beat Morton, then we will be mathematically safe from the relegation play off. That should be a good motivator. And even if we lose to Falkirk, victory against Dumbarton on Saturday would seal their fate. We tend to do better when we are the underdogs, and the final down in Perth showed just what a hard side Dumbarton can be to break down. If we are to have any chance of getting up to 4th, it will be essential not to underestimate the the opposition in our next 3 games.

On 22nd March, Don posted "A letter has been delivered to CJT today (22nd March 2018) instructing the existing board to convene an EGM. The letter is backed, in name, by 37 society members." Liz says above "I only picked up the letter of request from members for the Special General Meeting on Saturday 31st March (I dont go down to the club every day to check post)" Despite having been told via this forum that a letter which requires urgent action had been delivered to the stadium, nobody from the CJT "Board" is apparently able to collect it until 9 days afterwards. I'm frankly lost for words.

It’s gone a bit quiet on here. Ross Draper scored for County on Tuesday, but I’m sure there must have been others in the last couple of weeks?

Polo Chick has it spot on. Brechin may be rock bottom with only four draws to their name, but they rarely get beaten by much. Whilst their defence are no great shakes, they are well organised and therefore scoring 4 against them is an excellent result. It shows we must be doing something right. I was impressed by both Seedorf on the right and Calder on the left. Whilst not tested much defensively, both put in excellent crosses.when they got forward. Calder in particular showed excellent first touch when receiving long balls. Mckay showed that he is far better in the centre than at Right back. He comfortably snuffed out danger on several occasion and then moved the ball on well. He had an excellent game. Chalmers too played well. He is a solid and composed player. Vigurs and Chalmers work well together. The down side to me was Bell. I am sure it was the intention to replace him for MacKay but Donaldson's injury put paid to that. Bell therefore had the full 90 minutes to stake a claim for a regular starting place but he failed to impress. He did well with the assist for Oakley's goal but other than that he worked his socks off to little effect. He was up against the weakest defence in the division but generally came out 2nd best. Austin looked far more threatening when he came on. I actually thought he showed enough against St Mirren to deserve a start against weaker opposition, so was pleased with his performance when he did come on. Unfortunately, after great work cutting in from the right, he was denied a goal by Chalmers backside! Whilst not the greatest of games and with a very flat atmosphere from a meagre crowd, there were certainly far more positives than negatives to take from the game. The manager has real choices to make in his team selection and we have a strong looking bench. Just a final word on Brechin. The last time they were here I commented on how impressed I was with their big striker Isaac Layne. Last night he was full of energy and constantly looked a threat whenever Brechin got the ball up the park. But Brechin don't get up the park very often and Layne gets little service and little support. He's only scored 2 goals all season. It must be so frustrating for him but he never stops trying. Good luck to the lad. I hope he gets an opportunity with a bigger club than Brechin

I hate to see all this diving, holding etc. It is against the laws of the game and it is cheating. But football is a business and at the higher levels it is very big business indeed. If players can get away with it I can understand their managers and the money men behind them actively encouraging it. I particularly hate to see our own players do it, but in the environment that exists in the game today, one can hardly blame them. The responsibility lies with the game's authorities and through them, the referees. I appreciate that the referees have a very difficult job and sometimes, often even, it can be very difficult to say whether an incident is a penalty, a dive or neither. There's not much you can do about that. But there is a lot you can do when it is clearly a dive. If it was a straight red card and a standard 6 match ban, players would soon stop trying to con the referees. And there is absolutely no reason why a player should be holding another player's shirt, holding their arm or putting their arm round the body to hold the player back. It happens all the time and it is obvious. Again, strong sanctions could wipe that out almost overnight. The rules are there - they simply need to be applied.

I don't think the footage shows it very well, but from where I was in the North Stand it was a clear push in the back from Tremarco. There was no way Tremarco was never going to get the ball so he gave a gentle nudge just as the guy was jumping. Clear penalty. I'd actually said "penalty" before the guy went down. The problem is the lack of consistency. Why give that but not the pull on vigurs in the second half?I appreciate that referees can only give what they see, but if the referee didn't see the pull on Vigurs then the Assistant referee was well placed to see it. All the crucial decisions went against us. It is rather ironic that our equaliser was direct from a free kick for a foul that not even Newlands could ignore. This just moments after Newlands had turn down loud shouts for a penalty. Had he given the penalty, we would probably have missed it!

Brilliant news. Just goes to show what inspired thinking results when folk sit round the boardroom table sharing a trophy full of Irn Bru!

I came away mightily relieved after that one. St Mirren could have been out of sight had it not been for Ridgers. Donaldson in particular looked terrified by St Mirren's small and nippy forwards and going in at half time just a goal down was a real relief. Once the 2nd goal went in I felt St Mirren thought they could cruise home but they seriously underestimated us. We were a lot sharper and fully deserved to get back on level terms. Whilst there was no doubt about the MOTM, I thought Vigurs was outstanding today and very unlucky when his shot hit the bar. Four of our team booked and he wasn't one of them! Mind you I think many referees would have booked him for his fairly regular "chats" with the referee. Calder was excellent when he replaced a rather out of sorts Doran. It looks as though we now have some genuine options on the bench and this fighting comeback bodes well for the rest of the season. As for the referee, I thought both penalties were on the soft side but definite penalties. The problem with the referee was the lack of consistency and his failure to penalise St Mirren for exactly the things he penalised our players for. Somebody else commented about the poor standard of refereeing in this country. A little off topic I guess, but I wonder if others noticed the rather sad fact that no British referee has been selected either as a referee or assistant referee for the forthcoming World Cup. There are a total of 99 referees and assistant referees but apparently no official from the UK is deemed good enough by FIFA. That tells you all you need to know about the standard of refereeing in the UK.

Looks as though we need to ensure we go 2 goals down rather than just the one.

A good fight back but not the best one in Inverness today. Clach were 3 - 0 down in 30 minutes and ended up winning 6 - 3!

Not many of England's games go on for the best part of a week these days. Ball tampering is cheating, but you don't get round the problem by stopping the legitimate shining of the ball. It would be about as silly as stopping diving in football by making tripping opponents legitimate.

It is difficult to know what the point of the statement is. Inevitably there will be incidents from time to time which warrant some action and perhaps referral to the police, but which do not require any specific statement from the club, let alone the Chairman. For the Chairman to get involved one would assume there was actually quite a serious incident. If we assume there was a serious incident then the investigation may or may not require further witnesses to be sought. If it didn't (for example if the incident was on a coach where every potential witness was known and traceable) then simply carry out the investigation and report on any findings in the event of some significant action being required. If further witnesses might be helpful to the inquiry then just make a civil request in a low key manner. For instance, the club's statement about Saturday's win "the cup's back in Inverness - congratulations!" could have come from the Chairman himself with just a brief mention of the allegations. He could have written something along the lines of "unfortunately the day was marred slightly by the abusive behaviour of a small number of our supporters. Complaints have been made and the club is investigating. If anyone has information which might assist the investigation, the club would be grateful to hear from you." As it is, the statement comes across as though we are all naughty school children getting a good telling off from the headmaster. It also gives the impression that the Chairman is more intent on punishing the miscreants than on celebrating the achievement of winning the Challenge Cup. As others have said, the Chairman should be issuing statements about what is actually happening behind the scenes at TCS. There is a danger that issuing this rather crass statement actually does more harm to the reputation of the club than whatever a small section of the support might have got up to.

Agree with RiG, nothing remotely like 2300 there. It's a shame because it was an good game to watch. For the rest of the season we should be seeing some good games I think. For our part, with the threat of relegation getting more and more distant we should be able to play with a bit less fear. If we still have ambitions of the play offs then we have to win games. But other teams in the mix also need to win rather than draw games so I think we are going to see pretty open games. Win, lose or draw these games, I think there will be good entertainment as our rebuilt team continues to develop. It seems to me there is every reason for folk to come along and enjoy the last few games of the season.