hislopsoffsideagain

Catastrophe. Disaster. Fiasco. Shambles. All words that do not do justice to today's result, today's tactics, and our season in general so far.

What the hell does Brewster have to do to get chucked? Commit a murder? We are tumbling faster than the stock market.

Just got home, I still can't feel my legs! I think you can call us hardy souls hardcore! We were freezing our backsides off with nothing much to cheer for the last half hour, however at least for a change this was because we were coasting to a win rather than a defeat.

I would firstly like to eat a slice of humble pie after my comments about the signing of Filipe Morais. One swallow does not make a summer, but considering he still looks a yard or two off full match sharpness, he played a blinder today. Brew gave him a free role in what appeared to be a 4-4-1-1 formation, and Partick found him a nightmare to pick up. He covered a heck of a lot of ground, pressed defenders, chased lost causes, and had an eye for a pass too. His goals were complete contrasts - the first a shot from distance which didn't appear to have a lot of venom, but which ended up presumably skidding off the wet surface and found itself in the bottom corner, the other coming off a long punt and a flick by Barrowman, where he held off a couple of defenders and bundled it past the keeper. A very promising debut indeed.

The other goal was the pick of the bunch. It was nice to see us score at the start of a second half, rather than concede! Some brilliant one touch football culminated in Cowie playing Vigurs in, and the young lad put his left boot right through it and stuck it in the top corner. An absolutely fabulous goal, honestly.

We had other chances, and though we took our foot off the gas late on, Partick didn't offer too much. Ike kept himself warm with a couple of good stops. Mihadjuks strolled through the game. I don't how he will fair against SPL strikers, but he looked comfortable in the air and his positioning was impeccable throughout. I was very impressed indeed. The rest? Plenty solid if unspectacular performances. Barrowman again showed his link play has improved, though he missed a gilt-edged opportunity early on and still looks like he couldn't find the goal if he had some sat-nav.

As I say, Partick were really disappointing, so I suspect we will need to move up a gear against Hamilton next week. It's a great boost for the confidence though.

As a postscript, there will be a fair few mentions of Djebi-Zadi's performance I think. He just had to be hooked at half-time, he was so out of his depth. I feel for the guy, who looked nervous and lacking in confidence, but he is absolutely not good enough for this level and I doubt we will see him in an ICT shirt again.

Not impressed in the slightest.

Morais is all pace but from what I've seen has nothing else to offer. We all know perfectly well that he is a diver as well. I daresay that his off the field activities are nothing to do with his ability to play football but I'm not overly impressed about that either. (I will climb off my moral high horse now!)

Gatheussi will fit perfectly well into our calamity-prone defence.

These guys are so far off the first team radar at Easter Road that they might as well play for Hearts. I can't help feeling we should be more ambitious than picking up rejects from a club who are no better than midtable in this league.

Here's a few...

Don Cowie - More Life In A Tramp's Vest (Stereophonics) - apt summary of his performances this season

Andy Barrowman - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (Bachman Turner Overdrive) - because we haven't - or Money For Nothing (Dire Straits) - because that's what he's getting

Craig Brewster - Losing Grip (Avril Lavigne) - nuff said

Ian Black - Disillusion (Badly Drawn Boy) - ditto

Malky Thomson - God Only Knows (The Beach Boys) - a reference to how his mind works

David Proctor - Help! (The Beatles) - he could do with some

Ross Tokely - Get Back (The Beatles) - as he keeps getting caught up field

Phil McGuire - Trouble (Coldplay) - he causes so much

Russell Duncan - Pass It On (The Coral) - if only he would give it to his teammates rather than the opposition

Roy McBain - Live In A Hiding Place (Idlewild) - a summary of most of his performances

Richard Hastings - Bad (Michael Jackson)

Can't think of one for Dougie Imrie right now though

I was at the game, mate, just how I saw it, that's all.

Credit where credit's due today. The first 45 minutes were exactly what I look for from my team - commitment, energy, passion. Rangers didn't turn up in the first half, but we were absolutely excellent - McBain did a remarkable job playing wide right, Barrowman showed some fight and guts, and our midfield in general were everywhere. The home support gave our boys a standing ovation at half time, which was well deserved and you could see the players appreciated it.

Unfortunately, we appear to be cursed to shed goals at the start of the second half.

Mendes' finish was out of this world, make no mistake. But again it looked like rohypnol had been planted in the half time tea. Rossco went to pieces in the second half, though it appeared he had strained a stomach muscle when he was subbed so that might explain it. But as soon as the first goal went in we looked panicky and rudderless again. Substituting Black was a baffling decision, not any easier explained by the fact that Imrie contributed zero. ANd ultimately we got caught on the break for the second goal, and by the strangest free kick decision ever (should have been ours, then they took the free kick from the wrong place when the ref wasn't looking) for the third.

Ultimately, Brew's stock has not risen or fallen today. But once more we have shown that we are capable of playing quality football against good opposition, only to cause our own downfall with individual errors and our lack of heart when we fall behind.

Today, in conclusion, was a crying shame.

Can we not start charging them for our quotations - I should be making a packet out of how often they quote me! Shame they never run any of my extended metaphors...

One man comes well out of the interview, sounding informed, intelligent, confident and showing a clear knowledge of Caley's problems.

Anything fancy Charles Bannerman as our new manager?

Considering that there are TV cameras there, how about people each print out an A4 page with "BREWSTER OUT" written in large letters?

Fact is, even if there isn't much in the way of chanting, the fact that loads of people were holding up small but similar signs, with no bad language, would surely be picked up on by Setanta and shown on the telly.

Fine Brew, I'll get off your back on the following conditions:

You motivate the players sufficiently that they actually give a s*** on matchday.

You come up with a tactical plan that isn't just bizarre.

If things aren't going our way, you make changes rather than standing arms folded.

Your team actually give us a sliver of entertainment.

You take the blame when your plans go wrong, rather than blaming it on the players, the fans, or the little pixies in your head.

Basically, I'll get off your back when you start doing what you're paid to do.

Note that I haven't even asked for good results!

Well, that's my day ruined before it even started.

Sounds like he would have gone whether we had chucked Brew this week or not.

Good luck to him, he's had good and bad games but has shown his class and desire on multiple occasions for the club.

Finding a replacement is going to be impossible.

For the love of goodness, call this PR? The only PR this constitutes is Per Rectum! (Medical joke, sorry)

As has been said, this tells the world that we can splash some cash in January, so asking prices will go up (as will wage demands).

Brewster's dealings in his second spell have produced three guys who have done okay - Esson, Imrie and Rooney - one decent squad player - Proctor (though not showing it just now) - plus McGuire, Djebi-Zadi and Barrowman(the less said about them the better). Out in the same period have gone Morgan, Rankin, Bayne, McCaffrey, Hart, Wyness, McDonald, Niculae, Paatelainen and now Wilson. While some of those guys had to go (and some departures were out of his hands) we have a weaker squad than this time last year by a distance. No other business in the world trusts further investment in someone who has invested so badly in the past. It's common sense.

Besides, the universe and his dog can see the players are not playing for Brew, and whatever the investment, it can't buy him an entire new first team (apart from Proctor who will get a game anyway).

The answer to what they do in training, at least from stories I've heard, is fitness, fitness, fitness. Apparently, according to Brew, you don't need tactics if you can run loads. This is one of the reasons the players are demotivated.

Go back in time about 16 months.

Plead with 10CC to stay on.

If he refuses to do so, hire Owen Coyle before he leaves St. Johnstone for Burnley

Or, more realistically,

Close eyes.

Put hands over ears.

Shout "La La La, I'm not listening" repeatedly.

You cruel, cruel person.

You've just dashed the hopes of so many...

Four of us in the main stand are going along next time with four sheets of A4 paper, which will read "4", "4", "2" and "!" respectively.

If nothing else, we might get a cheap laugh.

I sit behind the away dugout and trust me, Brew could hear the chants all right. He looked absolutely crestfallen.

Quote from post match interview:

"I'm certainly not happy with the position we're in. We will be trying everything to get out of this situation.

"It's going to take character to get out of. There's no place to hide. We know what we have to do to get out of it."

If Brew knew what to do to get out of it, then perhaps he might have done it by now?

On the bright side, he's not blaming the fans or the players this week. On the other hand I still wish he might just hint that one of the reasons we struggle at home is his 4-5-bloody-1.

Oh my god. I know football is just a game, but it's never felt quite as painful to watch ICT as it did today.

The first half was a pretty good effort. Mulgrew's free kick was a cracker. I wondered if Esson moved a bit slowly but Abdn fans behind the goal tell me he had no chance. There wasn't much to choose between the teams before the break though, and there was a flair and desire at that point which had been sorely lacking in recent games.

It was sorely lacking once more in the second half though. We concede so many goals at the beginning of second halfs that it's just mystifying. What does Brew put in the half time tea, rohypnol?

The second and third goals were blunders best described as "catastrophic". First Imrie, under no pressure, heads back across his penalty area, straight to McDonald, then Hastings slips under pressure from Mackie and the wee git races clear to score.

What really upset me was the way that, with 33 mins left after goal three, we basically surrendered. Rooney came on, but despite the fact Aberdeen still looked more likely to score after that, no other subs were used. Why not let players with something to prove (Barrowman, Sutherland for example) have a go, it couldn't be any worse.

Yet again though, when push came to shove we collapsed faster than the French army in a war.

First signs of out and out protest against Brew today from the Bridge End. I don't know if chants of "Brewster GTF" are as "unbelievable" as one poster as suggested; certainly at other clubs I've seen under-pressure managers get far worse. I suspect they won't be the last protests though, as I also suspect that this won't be our last defeat at home. Certainly the rest of Scottish football is now aware that Brewster is on a shoogly peg...

Wood did a good shift today, again without much in the way of support. Esson made a stonking save from Miller at 1-0. Other than that, not many positives.

I see that Calderwood used his weekly P&J column to "sympathise" with our manager regarding our current lack of form.

Anyone else note how keen he is to convince Brew to play 4-4-2? "Draws are no use to him at the moment" and all that.

Methinks tangoman remembers how hard Aberdeen found it breaking down our 4-5-1 on opening day, and will do everything to convince Brew to play 2 up, even though it didn't work against Midden.

Will our boss take the bait?

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/988561

My email, for what it's worth...

To whom it may concern,

I am a long-time fan and season ticket holder at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and have taken much joy from this over the years. There is little doubt that, over the last few years, there will not have been many clubs whose supporters have seen as many wonderful moments as we have, ranging from the cup victories over Celtic, the first division title and a number of excellent results and performances since our promotion to the SPL.

Unfortunately, this season these moments have been few and far between.

My season ticket money has so far bought me only one victory, and instead numerous defeats and performances by the team which have not only been abysmal, but completely devoid of any entertainment value. This is a "credit crunch" age, where for a third of the price I could buy a cinema ticket, sit in warmer, more comfortable surroundings, and have a far better chance of a more enjoyable afternoon.

While I am aware that our club's resources are somewhat smaller than most other clubs in our division, I do not feel that this will do. I suspect that a number of factors are involved, but the one constant criticism amongst fans, and journalists, is that the team currently lack tactical acumen, spirit and leadership. It would, I think, be fair to say that the man responsible for each of these is the manager.

This season, Craig Brewster has proven that he can only take us in one direction - down. Statistics show that we have never had a worse season results-wise, and as we lurch from one defeat to another, there has been absolutely nothing to suggest that he can turn us round. The January transfer window is coming up, and I believe that we need to install a new man (or woman!) in the role in time to exploit this and sign the reinforcements the squad requires. If this does not happen, we will be relegated.

I love this club with all my heart, but if, under the helm of Brewster, we end up in the first division, while still playing the boring, tepid football of this season, you will lose my season ticket money for next year, and every season after that until a new manager is appointed. I suspect that I many not be in the minority in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

I think coming on here and answering all these questions is one hell of a gesture to us. It's been tremendously interesting and informative.

May I just say that the way you constantly stand up for us during your radio appearances, taking on those who might consider us to be a piddly backward club (mind you, we probably are a middly backward club) has also been noted by the ICT support and is much appreciated.

For the love of Pete, Yes!

There are things that live on the bottom of ponds that could do a better job right now.

The fans around me in the main stand weren't getting on the back of the players - we were getting on the back of Brewster!

The players look completely without direction at the moment, and while a number clearly aren't playing their best, the poor tactics and the continuous theme of playing players out of position are hardly aiding things.

4ize sums up pretty well how I, and how a lot of those who sit around me, feel about the current situation.