Snafu

10 minutes ago, CableGuy said:

Not now... Fecking county... And united 

Just County now.

2 now, Polworth

Top of the league

On 8/29/2018 at 10:39 PM, bdu98196 said:

No surprise that after the release of Warren to supposedly allow funds for recruitment we haven't brought in anyone. Reality is that its unlikely anyone will leave as none have performed well enough to get offered more lucrative contracts elsewhere to even contemplate walking away for free - and we certainly cant pay any more guys off. The level of squad we have is what we will need to get used to, lets hope the youth get a chance because they will probably not have a better chance to make the first team.

 

I can't help thinking the comparative quality of the squad is at the level we were around about 1999-01. With the lack of finances to improve the squad with known quality we will be looking towards bringing through some of the youngsters to progress the club forward over the next few years, its a no brainer.

Is there money still free to spend on wages for new players from the departure of Warren? Maybe we might have to wait until January to find out.

Some say goals are like buses.

13 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

Why let it get to that stage without taking action first ?

What! .....is it already time to bring out the torches and pitchforks?

I don't have either in the garage. I have a rake and one of these energy saving wind-up electric lanterns.

On 8/27/2018 at 12:02 PM, bdu98196 said:

Harte, Baines, Carlos were all defenders who took penalties and were reliable- No reason we couldn't have one. The fact is this is yet another issue caused by our weak recruitment of players who lack experience and confidence and a team with no real strong characters or leadership.

Having gone from the last few years where we had Tansey, Draper, Shinnie, Foran, even guys like Storey and Fisher we seem to have a dearth of players with that mentality.

Robbo needs to take responsibility for the teams mentality and do work with these guys. They need belief and confidence installed even if it means sports psychologists coming in. They are young lads but seem very fragile.

If this was October and we were bottom of the league having lost most of our matches I would agree with you.

I'd like to see us dominate every game, possession is domination because if you dominate your opponent and keep possession it restricts their ability to create their own chances. We only do this in periods during games, we give the ball away too often from midfield. Our shortfall this season hasn't just been about not putting away opportunities but also not being able to defend a one goal lead. And this isn't about our back four, if we press high up then we need to defend from the midfield do we have players who can do this? Polworth to a certain extent, Welsh possibly. I don't see anyone else in the current squad who can do this job with a consistency that would make a big difference. I don't know much about Angus Beith.

Almost every goal we have lost this season has been or come from a counter attack situation, we have been hit on the break. In our seemingly desperate haste to kill off teams we totally leave ourselves exposed at the back. What happened at the end of the game last Saturday was a good example of this situation occurring and when our tactics throw caution to the wind while leading a game and we don't have enough players with a calm head at the wrong moment then we are just asking to be punished, Jim Goodwin and Alloa were aware of this and they didn't give up because they knew some of our players can be rattled into costly errors. (That lad Jake Hastie looks a good prospect, only 19 and a Motherwell loanee I see, keep an eye on him.)

Are we only capable of playing one way? 4-4-2 and press high up at every opportunity? It might be less exciting but maybe instead of trying to overwhelm the opposition with goal attempts some of which were never on why not try to genuinely dominate by controlling the game's pace and being comfortable without being complacent as a confident team would. I would have been happy with a 2-1 win on Saturday it didn't need to be pretty, the result of course is the most important outcome.

3rd youngest average age of 1st team squads in the Championship at 24.2

But there isn't a lot of difference between the oldest at 26.5 which is Ross County and the youngest which is Falkirk at 23.6 so although we have one of two more younger players than most of the other clubs there is little significant difference between the Championship squads and most if not all clubs are turning towards younger players, probably more to do with finances than anything else.

Left the game on Saturday very angry not just about Rooney's ridiculous challenge on Hastie to give away that penalty, that was just the cherry on top but over how dominated the game and missed so many chances to kill off Alloa and with a team like that who might feel they have nothing to lose will always believe they can nick a point if you team isn't clinical enough.

Now looking back I thought there were hints of the team gelling and we looked more like a unit than in previous games. I though most of the players gave a lot of effort and there was almost certainly an improvement in the midfield with Sean Welsh starting and looked even though he wasn't going to last the 90 minutes a step up in quality from previous choices in that position.

What's up with Nathan Austin, why is he being subbed so early every game? Can't be good for his confidence if he is being taken off even before the hour, isn't he supposed to be our goal scoring hope?

On 8/26/2018 at 8:02 PM, tm4tj said:

A couple of bad misses by Walsh in the first half. Really need to be putting these away.

Walsh just looks like a player who's been adapting to his new team mates and Robbo's tactics. He is improving each time I've seen him play and creating opportunities for others and himself with his runs and crosses, but just needs to find that composure in front of goal. I look forward to when it finally clicks for him which I don't think is too far off.

4 minutes ago, DoofersDad said:

Good question.  I think Tremarco is certainly a better defender, but then I don't think full back will be Calder's best position.  Calder seems to me to be one of the best, if not the best crosser of a ball we have.  I would like to see him play in left midfield.  This would allow Tremarco and Calder to vary things on the left side with Tremarco overlapping wide from time to time and Calder dropping back to cover if need be.   

That would only be the case if Robbo dispenses with this 4-4-2 formation he seems so fond of. Which midfielder would he drop to make way?

27 minutes ago, tm4tj said:

Robbo's criticism of Calder stems from his lack of effort/conviction at the second goal. He was probably knackered after running up and down the left flank in the second half.

Considering what looked like a break down in communication between Hoban and McCart (who was fine) I find this strange though maybe there is more to it than what happened during the 90 minutes such as certain players who have had arguments with Robbo behind the scenes over selection and why they are not getting a start. I believe Robbo is using this to show them 'look' I'm the boss, you need to prove to me that you are good enough to start. It might explain the comments during the post match interview.

The more I think about it the more embarrassing this result was as this was almost a Dunfermline U21's side and regardless of all the reasons and excuses this result was unacceptable.

This was the first time I'd seen Ricky Calder. He seemed a very good attacking full back but some of you would have seen more of him last season. How good is he at defending and how does he compare to Carl Tremarco as a full back?

1 minute ago, Glover said:

JR with Adam Sturrock @Adam5turrock on ICTFC website.  It's pretty harsh.  A bit nonplussed - It can't be a sloppy goal if its a mistaken penalty award?  Regardless,  If the problem is as the interview said,  poor attitude, a lack of motivation, effort and complacency that is indeed worrying.  The last comment that the 7 players may not play again for a long time is also worrying - that's the entire sub bench and there's no-one else.  

Second goal is poor, it was too easy to get that ball across the goal - in hindsight, yes, perhaps Calder could have been more cynical to stop the momentum of Smith, but the ball in was too easy and such a ball is really hard to defend when tracking back to a dangerous ball.  

 

I'd be surprised if we don't see two or more of these seven either as starting or coming on as a sub when we play Alloa in two weeks. Daniel MacKay, Jordan White and Sean Welsh I would think will still be considered options.

12 minutes ago, DoofersDad said:

Calder was not exactly casual. He was exposed firstly by very slack play by the midfield gifting the ball to Dunfermline and making little effort to get the ball back, and secondly by McCart who seemed to let the ball run past him when it looked to me to be the easiest thing in the world to have cut the cross out.  Calder was left in the difficult position of knowing that any touch on the ball could have put it in his own net. Calder couldn't quite sort out the mess that his team mates created  but at least he tried. To put the blame on him is very harsh indeed.

Yes looking at the video of the goal you are correct, he put in the effort to get back. McCart almost stopped as if he thought Hoban was going to get it.

My apologies to Jamie McCart as it was Ricky Calder who was too casual on the far post allowing Callum Smith to get a toe in to score their second. I'm still getting used to the drop in standard since before the start of the season I hadn't been to see ICT for 3 and a half years and I want to say nice things about the team and I understand that this rebuild is going to take time and its all work in progress. I thought Ricky Calder looked a very handy player going forward, strong, quick and can send in some decent crosses, my doubt about him is he consistent enough as a defender?

It was strange, Robbo only mentioned three of the additions as 'alright' Welsh, McCart and White and the rest were rubbish. Calder was rated our equal best player in the P&J along with Polworth.

I think Robbo is trying to motivate this group of players, ask questions of them, see how they react and give him an answer. If they do they will put pressure on the regulars, if they don't then they will be moved on. Some of these players will think Robbo's comments were unfair, well they need to prove him wrong.

Huge disappointment losing that given the chances we had. Both teams made quite a few changes Dunfermline starting with 7 youth players (6 of them teenagers), 2 fringe players along with Higgenbotham and Beadling. We only had 4 starting who started against Ayr on Saturday.

We did look a better balanced side this evening and there was width in our play which we didn't have on Saturday, though that might have more to do with the quality of the opposition. I thought both our full backs were brilliant, Calder especially when going forward. He looks a very good crosser of the ball. Tom Walsh had a lot more room to work in when he came on and worked very well with Rooney, even cutting in and poping a couple of shots at goal. Our midfield looked more balanced with Welsh sitting in front of the center backs and with Chalmers out there wasn't players getting in each other's way. Polworth and Trafford did a shift and tried to keep the tempo high with some quick but not always accurate passing and Doran behind the strikers and sometimes out on the left where there was space to run.

As I mentioned we had the chances, I can't fault the service, I mean the crosses into the box were perfect most of the time but most of the time who ever got their head to the ball would be under it rather than on it, the accuracy with headers in front of goal tonight was terrible. White got his head to one and got his goal but he and there were others who should have done better. This is where it went wrong tonight, had at least 2 of these gone in we would not have lost that. For as long as we keep missing in front of goal the opposition had hope.

I couldn't see the penalty incident properly I thought Brad and the Dunfermline player were shoulder to shoulder and the Pars player just went down, I didn't see if there was a trip or if it was a soft penalty award.

For most of the game they offered little threat and their winner came with their only clear chance of the 2nd half when Andy Ryan got clear and crossed low right across our box and we had switched of, nobody cleared and I think it was McCart who could have cut the cross out but 18 year old Callum Smith who was on his right as he ran back got a toe in first to put the ball past Hoban. 

I don't have a problem with the starting 11, many of the fringe players needed a game and from what I saw some were a bit rusty with the exception of Calder.

5 hours ago, Caman said:

Think today may be final straw for him. Any club wanting him should be knocking at his door this weekend and taking advantage of this. 

I hope he does leave so he gets a break. This will do ICT no good, but will be better for him as an individual. 

If anyone knows the name of any of the morons, name them to ICT. I don't want poison like that at my/our club. 

If he leaves the boo boys win and then they move on to target someone else, where does it end?

In doing so the effect is the squad and the football club becomes weaker and the support becomes weaker.

Polworth is very much in Robbo's plans for this season, he is a vital player for us if we have any ambition on moving forward after last season. Would it not be better for the supporters to get behind him and the team and show their support? If a small minority of so called fans end up dictating a player's future plans then what kind of football club is this?

I would like to think Liam Polworth and Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are bigger and better than all that anyway.

I had a good watch of our back four today and some of these tackles and blocks that went in put a smile on my face. I have to mention our center backs Coll Donaldson and Brad McKay who put in a tremendous shift and were composed and very solid. Coll kept Shankland under control for most of the match and made charges forward later in the game which reminded me of Darren Dods years ago and then there's Brad McKay who is showing a lot of composure and maturity just now. Sean Rooney defending did little wrong though some of his passing could be better and he looked to get up into the Ayr half as much as possible to support the midfield.

Later in the game as the game opened up and we pushed further forward you could see Coll Donaldson getting quite animated while talking to himself, sometimes scolding himself for every error including giving away a free kick just a few yards away from the penalty area which was a wrong call by the referee.

What I saw of our back line today gave me hope that we are going to have a solid defence that is not going to give much away a real solid base for the season ahead.

Funny thing is the way irony works is that Liam Polworth will probably score two goals in midweek against Dunfermline and win the game for us.

Something completely different.

Was there a match programme for the game?

2 hours ago, MorayJaggie said:

We're they in the main stand those chants then?

I take it you weren't at the game then?

Just now, Kingsmills said:

It was a bad day at the office and we effectively threw away two points not just through the penalty miss but through a complete lack of creativity or any sense from the manager that he knew how to change it. However, we are two games into the season, have four points on the board and no goals conceded so it's hardly a disaster.

As for You, offering violence to fellow fans or indeed anyone else is wholly unacceptable so you will find that that was your last post in this thread.

He did try to change it but we just don't have the players with the ability to do so. In the first half when Walsh was not getting any joy on the left as he was being easily dealt with by Geggan Robbo switched him over to the right, it didn't make much difference and he was subbed for Aaron Doran on 70 minutes who's not the same type of player but far more effective and creative. Daniel MacKay was on for Charlie Trafford in 68 minutes getting his usual 20 minutes. Can't see why there wasn't a double substitution then.

Nathan Austin was subbed just a couple of minutes after hitting the bar. I suppose Robbo thought it just wasn't his day and brought on Jordan White who again is a completely different type of player. The other two substitutions I'd agree with but the Austin off for White so early in the game was a strange one, maybe Nathan was carrying a knock and Robbo decided enough was enough and maybe wanted to protect him, I don't know.

I've only watched two games this season and what I'm seeing is the lack of a quality wide player, someone to get to the line and get the crosses in for Nathan and George to feed off. During our spells in the second tier we had Jonny Hayes in 2009/10 who had a great assist partnership with Adam Rooney. In 2004 when we won the league we had Barry Wilson and a full back who would bust a gut running up and down the right hand side Ross Tokely who could cross the ball into the penalty box with precision.

I think its a case of just being patient, this is still a rebuild job work in progress.

This was a good Ayr side full of confidence and it showed despite being down to 10 men for most of the match, the amount of effort they put in was top drawer. The problem was that we looked like we could unlock their defence at any time but we wasted so many chances, never mind the penalty miss.