DoofersDad

The season ticket fiasco and now this. That's a couple of enormous boobs from the Board.

HT 0-2 FT 0-3 ICT Polworth Opp McBride Crowd 604

I imagine Robbo will have learnt a lot from this. It wasn't a great performance and it is disappointing to lose, but I think the game demonstrated that we are capable of competing with the best in the division and that if we can up our game in crucial areas we could do reasonably well. We are still a team where the guys are just getting to know each other. Misunderstandings are therefore inevitable and there were certainly a few of those. I felt Elsdon looked rather unsure of his positioning at times and was a bit hesitant as a result. He showed promise in other respects though. He should grow into the role as he gets to know his team mates. The same goes for Calder who I thought was unlucky to be subbed while Chalmers stayed on. Chalmers showed little in the 90 minutes to suggest he has much to offer the team. It was my first sight of Zschusschen and let's just say that he is is going to have to play a lot better than that if he is going to feature again. Ridgers also had a nightmare of a game in goal. Hopefully he can avoid repeating those moments of madness and perhaps getting a few decent saves under his belt will result in him becoming a rather more reassuring figure between the sticks. Of last season's crop of players, Polworth again had a very poor game, lacking in confidence. On the plus side, we had another composed performance from Seedorf who looks to be the pick of the new crop. Oakley has a good physical presence and showed a willingness to fight for the ball which seemed so totally lacking in Zschusschen, A few defences will find him a real handful and I think Baird may play off him quite effectively. The newest of the new lads, Cooper, also looked lively and showed good touch, awareness and attitude. Vigurs was again a class apart in midfield and it was good to see Draper coming onto his game a bit more as the game progressed. Mackay, I thought, had a good game in central defence. To be honest, I think the chances of us getting back into the premiership first time of asking are very slim. Competing for the play off places would be a decent outcome for the season and it looks to me as though Robbo is building a side that should be able to do that.

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... or the season before. It is really important that local lads can come through the system and succeed. I certainly think Liam has the potential to succeed but he is a little bit away from the level of consistency which would make him into a decent premier division player. IMHO his issue is one of attitude - and I don't mean it in a bad way. I don't agree with those who say he is lazy at times, in fact, at times he maybe tries too hard. It may sound odd, but my take is that he tends to see the game from a fan's perspective rather than a player's. For instance, he has a tendency push the ball too far ahead of him and he gets it nicked away from him. When he does that, we fans tend to make some gesture of exasperation. We do it instantly as a natural reaction without thinking. But Liam does it too. You can see him cursing himself . He maybe looks to the skies before his shoulders slump as he thinks about getting the ball back. The player's mindset bypasses any visible frustration and focusses on instantly trying to retrieve the situation. There are occasions where he loses the ball and by the time he regroups and gives chases, his opponent is long gone. There are also times when he hasn't got the ball that he seems to be watching the game rather than constantly thinking about where he needs to be. As a result he may not be in a good position to receive the ball from a team mate or he fails to pick up the movement of an opposition player. It's not laziness, it's just a loss of focus.

Our attendances will fall significantly this season for the fact that we will have far less away support coming here. Celtic and The Rangers always filled the South Stand (and more) and Aberdeen, Hearts and County brought significant numbers. This will account for at least a 500 drop in the average attendance. If we can have an average gate of 3000 this year I would be astounded. Anything above 2500 will be excellent.

Look on the bright side. We've still to concede a goal despite having been involved in a penalty shoot out. Keep that up and all 3 cups and the Championship will be ours at the end of the season.

Compared with the Fife derby at Methil where the first 17 were converted before an East Fife player hit the post!

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Interesting thread. I agree it is frustrating that he does not always deliver a performance in line with his ability but it's good to see so many people acknowledging his overall positive contribution to the side. I was also heartened to see him get such a good reception from the crowd when he was substituted on Saturday after a commanding performance. Clearly the bulk of the fans appreciate him but I guess there will always be a small minority who will always find fault with him no matter how well he plays. But just to pick up on the disciplinary record. His record for yellow cards is not much different from Warren and Draper but he seems to avoid the red cards. All 3 are combative players and this is probably more a reflection of that rather than ill discipline as such. If one or two of his cards are for needless petulance or retaliation then he is certainly not alone in that and his lack of red cards might indicate an ability to keep his cool in situations where the red mist may descend on others. If Robbo can get the best out of him, then Iain will be a huge player for us this season.

It's where you are after the last match of the season that counts!

A very encouraging performance although it needs to be seen in the context of an absolutely woeful performance from Brechin. Having just been promoted to the Championship I was expecting them to offer much more of a test. On that form they will be lucky to end the season with more than single figure points. However, part of Brechin's problem was that we played far better than they might have expected and for a team with so many new players, we played well as a team.. For what it's worth, this is my take on performances. Ridgers. Had far too little to do for me to make any comment. Seedorf. Looks like a real find. Good ball skills, good composure and tenacious in trying to win the ball back. Has the skill to thrill but knows when to play it simple. Mulraney might learn a lot from him. Mckay. Solid enough Warren. Two well taken goals and defensively solid. Calder. Appeared to be lacking in confidence but demonstrated decent skills. The small club environment may help bring the best out in him but he will need to be more assured and assertive if he is going to challenge a fit again Tremarco for a place in the team. Draper. An OK performance, but not one which will get other clubs rushing for the cheque book. Polworth. Probably the weakest performance within the team. Gets through a lot of work but loses possession too often and is careless at times with his passing. Had a period of excellent performances early in the 2015/6 season but has never got back to that level for some reason. Hopefully Robbo will have the key to bring the best out in him. Vigurs. Controlled the midfield. Reads the game well and is good at nicking the ball off the opposition and moving it on simply and accurately. Has the vision to play the occasional more telling through ball. Mulraney, Terrorised the Brechin defence and received some harsh treatment in return. Needs to develop a bit more composure and an awareness of other options. His runs can pull defenders out of position which in turn allows his team mates to get in great positions themselves. He needs to see this and off load more often. A really exciting talent who seemed to go backwards under Foran. If Robbo can help him develop his play, then we could have a bit of excitement on offer this year. He and Seedorf could be quite a double act! Oakley. Took his goal well and that will have done his confidence no harm at all. Looks a decent squad player but doesn't look a striker who would score more than 10 in a season. Baird. The opportunities didn't come his way, but he worked hard and made a lot of good runs off the ball. I think we should see a decent return from him. A Hat trick against Falkirk would do nicely! Chalmers and Elsdon both had a brief run out and looked fine in a period when the game was no longer competitive. All in all then, a very encouraging start. Games against far tougher opponents than Brechin will give a better pointer as to what the season will bring. Given Brechin's showing, at least we shouldn't be bottom of the league!

Lets hope we can sign another 4 before Saturday so we can have 11 players starting! It is astonishing that the club's official website does not list the existing contracted players in the squad list. What is even worse is that in the "team news" section, the only bit of news listed since the new manager came in is that the Krankies paid a visit to the stadium. Robbo is quoted as saying "unfortunately we won't be signing them". Words fail me.

The EGM motions allow for a maximum of an extra £1.1m in share revenue to be generated. This does not necessarily mean that there is someone waiting in the wings willing to put all of that amount into the club.

I felt I did a "Leicester City" last year - nowhere in previous seasons and then unexpectedly found myself in an early lead which I held on to. A return to mid or low table mediocrity is likely - but I won't relinquish my title without a fight! Here goes with the first doom laden prediction of the season. HT 0-1 FT 1-2 ICT Warren Opp Jackson Crowd 964

Like Charles, I am surprised there has been so little said about this development. I know nothing about company law but my take on this is that it is a mechanism to allow someone to put some significant (by ICT standards) amount of money into the club. If so, then that would tie in with what my sources tell me about money being made available. Incidentally, my shareholder's letter was postmarked 7th of July so I don't know why some other shareholders seem to be unaware of this. But before anyone gets too carried away with the thought of a few 100K coming into the club, this will not allow us to buy our way out of the Championship. It might, however, help to ensure we don't leave by the back door and it will allow us to buy some more stationery.

Agreed. Although I am more than happy to pass judgement now on The Rangers revamped side .

I'd hate to see him go OTB but I think there is an inevitability about this. If Draper is offered better personal terms and the opportunity of playing in the top flight then who could blame him for taking that at this stage in his career. Any comment by the two clubs is just posturing and in reality their valuations won't be too far apart. Draper would be a good fit in the County side and if Robbo is talking about "an offer we can't refuse" then I think it's highly likely such an offer will be coming. Bear in mind that Draper is likely to be away for free at the end of his contract

I seem to recall Butcher rarely playing Rooney until forced to do so as a result of an injury to the woeful Barrowman. It was the spark that started our charge towards promotion

If Foran goes he will not get another job in football easily. He's bought a house here and has a young family to support. In those circumstances, how many of us would do the "honourable" thing? He will probably genuinely believe he can learn from his mistakes and therefore it is up to the Board to make a decision on the matter. There is an urgent need to get the close season business underway and we need a confirmed manager in place for that. With Kenny calling it a day, there is a very urgent need for the Board to be a lot more decisive than they have been for a while. At the very least we need an interim Chairman in place and a decision on Foran's future by the end of the week.

After falling miserably in previous seasons I was surprised to find myself at the top of the table and certainly did not expect to stay there. Echos of Leicester City last year! Squeaky bum time at the end though. Thanks Gringo for all the effort you put into this and giving us all a bit of light relief when things go less well on the park. As Kingsmills says, it is very much appreciated.

HT 1- 0 FT 2-1 ICT Billy Mckay Opp. Moult Crowd. 3096 Joker

Nil point in each of the last 2 games At least the boys on the park are coping with the pressure better than me!

You'll be staying on the bus during the game as well by the looks of things?

County won the Development League so even if they do play 3 or 4 youngsters they will still be too good for Hamilton. Any development players will be motivated to show what they have to offer for next season. Never have I been so keen for County to win a match