DoofersDad

SP, I'd like to know what's happened to him but I'm not desperate to see him play again. He's featured in 5 games early season and the general feeling is that he appears to be one of the worst players ever signed.

I don't think this is really a matter of opinion. It is a matter of fact that Hughes was given a significantly higher player budget than Butcher ever was. And I don't think anyone here would disagree that despite that, Hughes was unable to recruit players of the same calibre as Butcher did. There have been a number of threads which have compared the players who left and those who came during Hughes' tenure. Of course you are entitled to your opinion, but if you disagree with this, do us all a favour and provide some evidence to support your view.

Excellent summing up of the position, Charles. That's how we got into this mess but can you tell us how we get out of it!

Losing to Peterhead should be unthinkable, but I don't think many of us will be surprised if we do. In terms of morale this is now a huge game for us.

It seems to me that the way we started indicated that the priority was to tighten up at the back. Part of that was a focus on keeping possession and we did that well enough up to a point. However, lack of movement and a general lack of ability to execute anything other than a simple pass meant that we never got far enough up the park to threaten. Defensively we were solid enough without really being tested. It was a bit like watching a Yogi side play - dull, dull, dull. QOS looked as though they had expected us to come out much more positively in the first half and it was no surprise that they took the game to us after the break. The game opened up but QOS always seemed the most likely. We had a lack of creativity in midfield and were utterly toothless upfront. Bell was the pick of the front 3 - and he was rubbish! OFW was a clear MOTM. None of the outfield players played well and there seemed to be players on different wavelengths all over the park. I remember 3 occasions when a ball was played to a player running into space, and from no more than 15 yards away, the ball was played behind them. Schoolboy errors! Falkirk, Dundee Utd and Dunfermline in our next three league games. I just don't see where we might get even a single point from those matches. These are dark days for our club.

He was reported to have played a full 90 minutes at Brora. So what has happened? He's not even featuring on the bench despite how toothless we are up front.

At least we had the consolation of comedy moment of the season when a QOS player managed to put a straight free kick, not just over the bar but over the South stand as well.

Well, Coyle has certainly sprung to be the front runner very quickly.

Aren't we supposed to be a community club? If any players for our club think they shouldn't be working out along side those folk who pay their wages then they are a little too big for their boots IMHO.

Personally I think it would be more correct to say we won our first silverware despite the fact that Hughes was in charge. I'll explain that in more detail when I have more time to collate the facts which support my view.

All bets off. Coyle to be confirmed tomorrow by the sounds of things.

Regardless of which direction you approach from, you are virtually in the town before you turn off at the roundabout. If you were coming from over the bridge, then the return takes you back part way into town to hit the congestion in the Longman. If you come from other directions other than the Longman then getting to the Stadium means you would simply be adding to the congestion at the roundabout or you would have to go through the town to access the stadium from the harbour direction. In short; it's a nice thought but it wouldn't work. But here's another fundraising idea. Invest a little money to identify the morons who abuse the Raigmore parking. Put them in the stocks at half time and allow the public to hurl rotten tomatoes, cabbages etc at them. This would result in a massive increase in attendances - guaranteed. I guess you're going to tell me that this is also a nice idea that won't work!

Coyle's odds have lengthened slightly to 1/3 with Alan Stubbs shortening at 4/1 and Paul Hartley 7/1. Yogi is 12/1 and Butcher 16/1. Ally McCoist is at 10/1 and Alex McLeish at 14/1 so it certainly looks as though a high profile appointment is likely. County had a supporters evening Q&A session scheduled for this evening and yesterday they pushed it back (due to unforeseen circumstances!) It is now taking place tomorrow so that hints at an announcement tomorrow.

http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Football/Carl-Tremarco-Criticism-of-Caley-Thistle-players-must-be-done-in-the-right-way-25092017.htm No doubt the manager will have a wee word with him about his comments. If he's the man I think he is, he'll say "Well said, Carl." Tremarco is quite correct in what he says about this sort of criticism being kept private but possibly not correct when he says everyone always gives 100%. I would hope that the manager can give an apology to the players but he can quite justifiably wrap it up in terms that what he said was justified, he was wrong to be so public but this was in the heat of the moment and it was his passion for the team talking. Robertson may well not have a happy dressing room, but if so, I would suggest that is more to do with the players than the manager. Some of them need to understand that they are here because no-one else would take them. They have been shown some faith by the manager and they need to repay it. Unless they knuckle down and perform better than they are then that's their career done and dusted They may not like the fact that he is angry but they need to understand that he is perfectly justified in being angry. And do they want a manager who is passionate about the club or one who is only concerned with his own career? As for Tremarco, recent comments by Robbo make him sound like teacher's pet. He will be wanting to distance himself from that image and, of course, by his own words, Tremarco should be making his criticism of the manager privately and not in public! I think his remarks sticking up for the players should be seen as a bit of team bonding on his behalf. Last season Tremarco was the stand out player for us and if he can win the trust of the newer and younger lads in the squad then some of his "never say die" spirit might rub of on them. Top marks again for Carl in my book.

SkyBet have Owen Coyle installed as 5/1 on favourite. Usually a as good as a done deal at those sort of odds. Coyle has a decent record. His win percentage may not be outstanding but much of his time has been spent with clubs in Lancashire for whom survival in the premiership is a major achievement. Coyle would be quite a coup for County and would signal some serious intent from the club. Hughes may have been interviewed but this was for something else. McGregor has just moved house and is looking for a gardener. The County Chairman heard that Yogi did very well on his gardening leave from us and so that is maybe where some confusion has arisen.

I don't think you can draw any sensible conclusions from these figures. They really need to be looked at as part of a wider data set and in terms of the way a team is set up to play. Shots on target is not a reflection of chances created. All attempts on goal is a better measure but even then there are frequent times when chances are created but a player simply fails to shoot and either passes the ball or tries to create a more clear cut chance. Some shots at goal are simply speculative and don't reflect a meaningful chance. Also, if a player usually shoots at the middle of the goal. most of his attempts will be on target but he will rarely score. If he aims for the corners he'll be off target more often than not but he will score more. I don't think anyone here would disagree with the fact that our opponents are getting more scoring chances recently. Even folk like me who were delighted to see the back of Hughes acknowledge that we were much more organised at the back under his time here. But having said that, there were times that Hughes' fixation with possession led to us losing possession in our back line and presenting a very clear cut chance for opponents. I really don't see that these stats tell us anything more than a quick look at the figures for goals scored and conceded.

Yes, it is a good article which brings home a few points which aren't immediately obvious. I was also reading through the comments on the story on the BBC website and the article does seem to reflect what several County fans were saying. Whilst County are undoubtedly punching above their weight in terms of their support base, they are probably under-performing in terms of the investment into the club. County have a relatively large squad and the article make a very valid point in suggesting that investment could have been targeted more effectively at fewer players.Perhaps the new manager will be looking to offload a few in the January window and bring in 2 or 3 quality players in key roles. On reflection, McIntyre's sacking seems a more sensible decision than I, for one, had appreciated.

Mention of this on other threads but worth a thread of it's own I think. I'm really surprised at this as he's done a pretty reasonable job. It might be argued that his performance over the last couple of seasons is no better than his budget would suggest but he does face the problem of enticing players up North which, as we know to our cost, means players are more likely to sign down South unless we make it worth their while. Also, bear in mind that County won the Development league last year which demonstrates a very solid foundation has been built there. It is not as though he has had a disastrous start to the season. They have only lost to sides currently in the top 6 so I wonder just what McGregor is expecting from the management team (Dodds has gone as well). It would appear that simply retaining Premiership status is not good enough for McGregor. I wonder therefore if this signals some major new investment from Uncle Roy with a push for a serious challenge in the top 6? After all, he will be paying a fair bit to pay off McIntyre and Dodds and then to recruit a new management team. It seems to be pointless to do that if the ambition is simply to retain premiership status - after all, McIntyre has shown he is more than capable of doing that. There may, of course be behind the scenes issues which have brought this on, but whatever the reason for the sacking, the identity of the new manager will likely be a good indication of the ambition of the County Chairman. I'm putting my money on Richie Foran

I never quite know what to read into these outbursts. Sometimes it's just a bit of honest frustration whilst at others it's a carefully calculated coded message. On this occasion I guess it's a bit of both. I have little doubt that he is royally p***ed with the attitude of a minority of players, if not a majority. If he has failed to get an improvement behind closed doors then going public is maybe fair enough. It's a risky strategy though and he needs to make sure that he publicly praises the lads if and when the attitude improves. It's also risky because there will some who do not deserve public criticism who will feel that their effort is not being recognised. I get the sense that he is acknowledging that all is not rosy in the dressing room and perhaps elsewhere in the club. The idea of him being prepared to make a sacrifice is effectively saying to the Board, "back me or sack me". But it's also saying to the players that he's not asking them to give their effort for him, he's asking them to give it to the team. The team is the important thing whether he is here or not.. I also get from what he said that he is not thinking of quitting. He's maybe making it very easy for the Board to sack him and he might not be too sorry if that happened, but I don't think he'll quit. He's saying that whilst he's still here he will give his all for the club and he expects his players to do the same too.

I'd save your money if I was you. I think Falkirk will be looking for a manager to take them up rather than down. Having got rid of Hughes, it looks as though Raith could bounce straight back.

That may be true, Charles, but I certainly get the impression that fitness levels in general aren't as good as they were. If that is the case then it needs to be addressed. Games are won and lost by fine margins - a player with that little bit of extra energy gets onto the end of the through ball and scores; a defender who still has spring in his legs intercepts a cross before it can reach an opponent. Irrespective of any change in player personnel or tactics etc, maximising fitness is a key requirement for any footballer and can make a big difference in terms of results. It would appear that there are some ICT players who could be and should be fitter than they are.

Sacking Houston seems a bit harsh given that since taking over from Holt he took them, as 2nd tier side, to the Scottish Cup final where they gave us a very hard game indeed, and then took them to 2nd place 2 years running in a very competitive championship. That's a pretty impressive record. I don't think Falkirk's poor start to the season is because they have a poor manager. Instead, I think it is pretty obvious that they are simply missing John Baird.

Robertson was saying before the game that the poor performances are all in the mind and this rather backs it up. We have started brightly on a number of occasions but confidence is so low that scoring a goal leads to nervousness about whether we can hold onto the lead and we simply can't exploit the advantage the lead gives us. If we hadn't passed up chances to extend the lead in the first half then this thread could have been all about maybe having turned a corner. Instead, we lose a goal too easily in the 2nd half and then lose the plot, our captain and the match. It is easy to see why our players are so lacking in confidence. There may or may not be issues within the club that are causing tensions but aside from that we have a team consisting of players who were relegated last season, players recovering from significant injury (in some cases both) and players who have been bought in because they were cheap and who were cheap because their recent form is such that no-one will pay more for them. It must be frustrating for the manager seeing players do things well in training but then coming up short on match days, but something will happen at some point to make things click. Remember when we were relegated under Butcher. We didn't start the season too great but we finished it pretty well! I'm not suggesting for a moment that I am expecting us to win the division, but I am confident that we will bottom out from this free-fall pretty soon and become competitive in this division.

He's got a virus. Hope it's not bird flu

Managers and coaches can tell players what they should be doing till they are blue in the face, but they can't do it for the players on match days.Only the players can do that. The players need to have enough of a footballing brain to understand what they need to do at any one time, they need to be motivated to do it and fit enough to do it. With one or two of our players at the moment, I wonder if they possess any of those 3 qualities. And in fairness to players, they can be made to look bad when team mates get caught out of position. A scenario here is that your team mate over commits elsewhere and leaves the player he should have been marking free. That player looks the most likely player for the ball to be played into and if it is, then he will be unchallenged on goal. As the nearest defender you go to close that down only for the ball to be played to the player you had correctly been marking at first . You are caught in no man's land, looking a complete idiot but yet it wasn't actually your fault. I think this is why Robertson was talking about involving all the team in addressing defensive frailties. Other players need to get back and help covering runners etc, they need to not give the ball away in dangerous positions and they need to make themselves available to receive out balls to prevent defenders being put under unnecessary pressure. I don't think Robertson was in any way complaining about players knocking on his door to get a game. Far from it - I'm sure he wants that. What he was criticising players for was showing a desire to play when off the park and then showing precious little interest when brought on. I am sure we will see plenty of desire from Tremarco and Doran when they return to the starting line up.