Eagle4Caley

From the Inverness Courier Head coach Billy Dodds felt it wasn't fair to keep Cammy Mackay as first choice goalkeeper as Mark Ridgers returned to the starting line-up, "Mark has been a model professional, because he knew I wasn't happy.... I didn't think it was fair on Cameron Mackay to keep losing goals when we had young lads in the back, [Mark] came in and had some great saves, but it was his calming influence. I am lucky I have two good goalkeepers, but it was time to put in experience" Looks like the manager/player relationship has been put back on track, which is always a positive thing, especially in a small squad. 6-1 might be a fluke result or not, although it sounds like we deserved the win, but hopefully a turning point, the new guy Henderson on the wing sounds promising [I can't believe we also had Shaw and Harper out injured], if we can add to the squad again, and maybe see Samuels and Allardice back soon... anything could happen [although we will need to beat Queens Park twice I reckon to get a sniff of the top place, if we do go on a decent run] Anyway Happy New Year!

Goals change games, it's an obvious cliche, but my goodness it's true this season, we are seriously short of anyone to stick the ball away on a regular basis. Oakley isn't a threat at all, Boyd isn't a finisher [although he has guile and effort], Mckay can't do it all his own, the big loss is Samuels who really seemed to give us a different dimension, and of course Sutherland for sheer 'hang in there' grittyness [and more effective overall, with 10 goals last season]. Shaw is a small glimmer of hope. Midfield wise with have few people who can take a long range shot, or a good pass [with Welsh almost permanently absent, along with MacGregor, and Allardice also out, we really miss Reece McAlear, and too a lesser extent Logan Chalmers who gave a balance to Samuels being on the other wing] And there is the rub, we seem to play reasonable knock-it-about football, but lack the threat or the relief of goals that gives the defence a break. Basically we are dropping points due to an 'error a game' at the moment [which with no disrespect, is not exactly a surprise with the age quality and experience we have on offer], with little to compensate down the other end Unfortunately it looks like finances won't stretch to any reinforcements come January unless we can find a gem, or a decent loan...not sure who we could even sell to raise funds. BTW if even runnning the floodlights is a problem due to energy costs why are we starting games earlier? So looks a bit grime at the moment, but given our squad situation, it was going to be thus. But ever the optimist, I look at how Morton and Dundee have got themselves into good positions after poor starts, and remember its a long season. [Ayr and Queens Park are defo the teams of the season, but will they run out of steam?]

There's no point in giving up on Dodds, I doubt he's going anywhere, and TBF, as much as one can point out bad runs, one can also point out good runs, the key question being how much does a thin squad and lot's of injuries affect the play and the results? Not to sure how bad Samuels injury is, but as a man who relies on speed, he needs to be in tip-top shape.

I'm not convinced about the BBC’s possession stats, not from the first half, where I thought we did OK, against a very direct [and I don't mean hoof] Queens Park. 2nd half it did feel like endless corners for QP though. 2nd half Queens Park basically did what they did in the first half, but much more of it, constantly running at the wings, or running cross field carrying the ball, before running straight at our Centre Backs. They got lots of dangerous crosses in, the equaliser was inevitable, and then strangely we had three decent attacks in succession, without a decent result, then Queens Park came up our end again and stuck another challenging cross in and bang that was the 2nd goal. Most of the time our final pass forward was poor, which set Queens Park off on another attack [occasionally we would get a penetrating pass in, but I think we played better against Morton!]. In some respects given the amount of defending we had to do Duffy and Ram came out of the game with some useful defending 'experience', probably beneficial in the long run! Delaney was given a torrid time on his side, but stuck to it, although he was probably relieved to hobble off, but hopefully nothing serious. Given what Dodds had on his bench, Im not sure what he could have really done, Boyd came on for the ineffective Oakley, but that made only a little difference. He could have put Hyde earlier in a 3 man midfield, but we tend to forget how little experience he actually has. Shaw did pretty well, considering and Billy was pretty decent I thought. I'd rather see Carson further forward, but some of his crosses leave a lot to be desired, when you compare what Queens Park were sending in. Gosh though, we miss Samuels, Daniel Mackay and Sutherland, speed, craft and goals/effort respectively, and that's before Allardice and MacGregor. And oh for Logan Chalmers and Reece Maclear, we're missing a few goals from last season! The match pretty much confirmed my view that we're in for a slog until the new year, when we need to get some reinforcements in, on top of some players returning. Dodds somehow has to find some goals in the team until then. Given the attendance of 600ish we seemed to have a decent percentage of that, and noisy too, it was a bit of a weird trip up, and seems not even Queens Park fans take the train from Glasgow, but it was ‘fun’ despite the result

Gosh I tried to post something on both this thread and the Morton one, and the thing kept locking up, perhaps it recognised I was writing drivel. So up for the Queens Park match, and am poptimistic for somehing out of it

Not been able to post anything on recent threads, like the Arbroath one, or the Morton one, things just stop working, maybe an issue with particular threads

How does this happen at such late notice, Stenhousemuir clearly at fault here, someone must have suddenly gone "oh sh#t!" in the last week, though how a championship team then gets to play 2nd fiddle is beyond me, I'm okay because I'm stopping overnight at Glasgow Airport but others?

The problem I have with the 'stronger midfield' suggestion, is precisely who else we were going to put in midfield? Arguably he had to hold Hyde back to replace Welsh, who was starting his first game in months, Shaw was kept back to replace Doran. The only thing he could have done was play McKay deeper. I actually felt we were passing pretty well [including forward!], and there was good movement at times [pretty much what the BBC commentary noted], there were even some good balls in, but yes the cutting edge wasn't quite there. Boyd had a pretty good game until he got sight of the goal and then it went to pot. We also pushed the full backs up quite a bit with both Delaney and Carson doing quite well [until the last 20mins perhaps] but it left an untried CB pairing exposed. It's not a reflection on Duffy/Ram who have barely played this season, let alone together, but I feel a Deas/Devine CB line-up would have seen us get something out of the game [although can you legislate for Ridgers howler?] Once Morton got two ahead it allowed them to dictate the game and defend in a 'relaxed' way, but the early signs had been good. Seeing Samuels on the bench is encouraging, Mackay needs help and those two are a good pairing. I don't think Dodds has lost his players, clearly an issue with Ridgers, which I think was a carry over from a previous game or two?

Damn, we are unlucky this season! Gutted for Deas, my only small crumb of comfort, is that the severity of the break must be at the lower end of the scale. If that sounds nuts, I remember Ian Wright [Crystal Palace] breaking his leg twice in one season [1989-90] and he came back in the same season to score twice in the FA Cup Final! My wife and I have already decided to come up for the last home match of the season, and I fully expect to see Robbie on the pitch. Meanwhile we have to cobble together a defence, does anyone know the likely return dates for Devine and Duffy? Fortunately in Delaney we seem to have found another gem, looks like we are about to find out if Max Ram is the same. We then need a left back, is the young Strachan a viable option for a couple of weeks or so? Keeping Harper in midfield on the left might be the stronger solution given a dearth of midfielder?

Given the injury list, this is a fab result especially with Partick getting thumped at home and Ayr drawing, to see us top. Really, Really hope Deas isn't out for too long, that said Delaney [in particular] and now Ram look decent signings. Harper is now having to shoulder more responsibility, at least Welsh is coming back [slowly please if possible] Looking at the way the Championship is shaping up, our optimism at the start of the season is not unfounded, if only we can get more of our squad back soon-ish. Not sure we can handle any more injuries though I'm up for the Queens Park match soon...looks like it could be a very interesting game!

Crikey with that injury list it must have a bearing...I'm still don't know what or how Welsh got his injury, was it something he played through during the play-offs. Samuels is a big blow, and we don't even know what Max can do. We need the 2021 MacGregor back

I guess I am fortunate that I am both an outsider [in the trueist sense] and a post-merger person, as I can see for some, the merger still leaves a bitter taste, which makes me a little sad, but football traditions being the way they are it's not for me to comment [or if I do I have to be very diplomatic] For an Englishman living in South London with no connections whatsoever, it's hard for almost anyone to understand why I do support Caley Thistle, but strangely the Red n Blue colours certainly swayed it [given my Palace links]. Personally I like the new away shirt and I love the nod to the past....but then I also loved the pink shirt!

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought Delaney was pretty decent!

That went well didn't it, expected a bit more after last weeks win and performance. But chastening as it is, maybe the best time to get done like that. We started slow and poor Lewis Hyde had a tough start against Tiffoney, and we couldn't control the midfield at all, but we are definitely missing Welsh [what is his injury, is it a consequence of 6 tough play-off games]. But after we went a goal down we seemed to be getting a measure of control back [or Partick were taking a breather] until Deas' uncharacteristic lapse for their 2nd goal [he completely failed to spot the run for the 1st goal; as well although so did Doran]. That nearly killed the game off, but the penalty certainly did. The first lesson for me was we need to get a proper right back into the club, Carson has had good games there in the past, although a tad unlucky over the penalty, but he needs to be in right midfield....having looked at the 4th goal again, he seemed to have to cover two players, but even with the help of Samuels their player got in a great cross which Delaney maybe should have cut out [although it was a perfect cross, so would even Devine or Broadfoot from last season cut that out] 2nd lesson, Midfield-wise we are short there in terms of experience ball winners, without Welsh or Carson there, the young guys like Hyde or Macgregor need to step up fast. 3rd lesson, was this a match that needed Oakley up front to hold the ball up, and thus bring Samuels into play. Our tactic seemed often to lob the ball forward relying too much on McKay and Samuel to outwit or outpace their defence. We did also seem to want to play the ball along the ground too at times [credit there] but didn't complete the pass enough times in dangerous areas Positives [on a bad night at the office]....Samuels, showing he can apply himself all match long to support defence and attack, not yet the finished article, but definitely a plus for us. Billy M, still going strong and still a threat [on another day he might have scored that chance]. Shaw, really impressed me, he looks like he could be the replacement for Sutherland on the wing. I saw enough of Delaney to think he will be decent, seems pretty strong, but needs game time to develop the anticipation to be ahead of the attacker recieving the ball. Oakley scoring, yes it was only a consolation, but it's always good to see someone on the score sheet. [You can tell why I've also supported Palace for so long, always find hope!] Both MacGregor & Daniel M need game time, we know what they are capable of, Doran perhaps needs to start from the bench. I thought Harper did OK in a difficult match. Allardice started OK but he was outnumbered in the middle. Overall frustrating, somewhat ruins the weekend, but not going the base my opinions on one poor game, Ive seen it too often, especially at ICT, when it gets put right over time.

I see Scott Allan is without a club, surely worth a punt if we have any money spare? He did well enough for us on loan? Thoughts? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62543432

Especially when the home fixtures were at Aberdeen...I can't imagine what a pain that was!

I can definitely fly up to Edinburgh, it's been my gateway for trips to see us against Dunfermline, Falkirk and Livingston...looking at this September's game, Easyjet have some reasonable options on Saturday although I might be pushing it to get the last flight home on the Saturday given the hour & half train trip from Dundee [although I can see one that is just over an hour] and then transfer across to the Airport, so it probably means an overnight stay somewhere and the Sunday flights get more expensive. However Dundee seem quite popular already as a fixture for BBC Sport to show on a Friday night, & the fixture against us could be very enticing...so that means factoring that into the equation. It's all do-able, but it becomes a 3 day trip to plan. [Maybe the one in late Feb on that basis]

Yes being in the Championship makes life a bit tougher with the prospect of games moving to a Friday [so one might need to book the Friday off work] whereas in the Premiership it was a bit easier to plan for a possible TV move to the Sunday as an overnight stay was likely anyway, and a late flight home on a Sunday more likely to be available. I'd love to do a match in Dundee, but logistically quite difficult.

So I got a bit excited at the weekend, and booked my first trip up from London. Morton away in October was 1st preference, but a couple of family birthdays around the date put the block on that...so Queens Park away I thought, in November, at their redeveloped stadium next to Hampden. Flights & Hotel booked, and then casually surfing the 'net I discover that not only have Queens Park have had to play their League Cup games away from their ground as it's not ready, but it might not be ready until December, potentially giving me a trip to Stenhousemuir rather than Mount Florida! Fortunately the train journey is only 25mins and the Airport bus stops outside Queen Street station, so perhaps not too much faff, but getting the best deal to come up to watch Inverness does come with risk. And I am assuming of course the match isn't moved for TV to a Friday night [surely not!] Still I am getting to see Scotland!

Given what must be quite a small budget, I can't help but be optimistic, with the the way the squad is shaping up, we have numbers and a good balance of youth and experience, with some creativity in the side, and some strength across all areas. It is excellent to see Daniel back for the season, I was gutted when he left, and also surprised that he wasn't given more opportunities at Hibs. He and George Oakley will settle in quickly, and if Boyd hits the ground running it's fair to say that up front we seem to have lots of options for a long season, knowing that we should see Walsh and Sutherland back in the new year, in what will feel like useful & timely reinforcements. Being greedy I would love to see Chalmers back to. The midfield looks decent, as long as MacGregor, Allardice and Welsh all stay fit for long periods...Hyde will kick on I reckon. I guess there is some flexibility at RB back in Carson and Duffy, although a proper full time RB is still desirable IMV.

I wouldn't be opposed to it, bearing in mind Sutherland wont be back for some time, he's only 26, he has experience in the Scottish Leagues, and he did ok with us last time [17 goals from 63 appearances inc as subs, is not bad]. He would keep Boyd on his toes, and help bring through any youngsters, and would settle in quickly. For a season not a bad punt and probably affordable. My preference would be Lawrence Shankland...but how much cash can we find down the back of a sofa. We need numbers as well as quality, and there is quality in the squad already

Maybe he was just unhappy there...let's be fair, many of the players that we have signed have not had stellar bio's Samuels for instance was described as, to paraphrase, 'fast but not much end product', but he had a pretty good end of season. Maybe in the right team, with the right coaching?

I'm pleased about Duffy (I think he is a CB who could cover at RB], and actually think it's good news about Doran, because if he has a good pre-season and stays major injury-free for the season, I think he can still be influential. He's only 31 and he has contributed a fair few goals not so long ago. The backbone of the squad is there and pretty decent, think we need three/maybe 4 players [as long as Deas doesn't get poached] A target man up front [to support Billy & Austin] a RB so that Carson can operate as a right winger [much like Rooney at St Johnstone] a left winger [too much to hope we can get Chalmers back, but Pearson?] and left back who can play CB. Good to see Sutherland being supported and hopefully we get to see him come in in 2023 and score the goal that sends us up

i think Duffy has more of a future with us as CB, so i would keep him especially with Broadfoot gone. If Deas stayed that would be a bonus, hope he can be persuaded. Devine has been a rock this year [helped by Broadfoot's experience?] so if he and Welsh stay on that's the core of the side, and Hyde defo looks promising. With Sutherland out for a long time and Out of Contract, I'd like to see a decent tall ball winning Striker brought in, a Right back is a must to allow Carson to cover the right wing. Tom Walsh seems perennially injury prone, so we need a winger [can we get either Person or Chalmers back on a season loan?] Doran is only 31 and I think there is still more he can give us, but maybe needs to be managed to maintain peak fitness/avoidance of injuries Samuels has proved to have real potential, so it's great that he and Billy M are with us next season. Lets hope we get our business down fairly quickly, as arguably I don't see Dundee coming down as a massive threat to us [certainly less so than Kilmarnock] Cove Rangers are a bit of unknown as are Queens Park, but we have as much chance of anyone for that automatic promotion spot....Squad depth might be the key, not just quality or balance

Haven't watched the highlights yet, but TBF to Chalmers, the guy he loses, ends up in the middle of where our two CB's should be, although that was between Deas and Devine so not sure where Broadfoot was. I should have put money on bloody Stevie 'he hasn't scored in 24 games' May scoring. The absolute killer was that deflected shot. Anyway...I think a real plus from this season of this season is the re-emergence of a large crew of young/new/vocal supporters, which if they can be encouraged to keep coming next season will be both a financial and motivation boost for the team. Looking forward to next season, I'm so proud of the club, and love following it