AlexJones

There have been some great games between these 2 clubs over the years, but yesterday was not one of them. The standard of football was higher in the Pele / Leishman days. Livi had players who looked half a stone overweight, and played like a pub team for the majority of the 90 minutes, their tactics seemingly consisting of parking the bus, hoofing the ball out the park - or lining it at best. Fair play though, it was good enough to win comfortably yesterday. They were well organized, hard working, and played to their strengths. Inverness have too many players low on confidence and unwilling to take responsibility with the ball. Vigurs apart, everyone seems to want to play it safe all the time. Take a man on, gamble with a risky pass, have a dig - it's not as if we're up against Sergio Ramos and Manuel Neuer at this level, know what I mean? The more questions you ask, the more errors your opponents will make. That's where the majority of goals come from at this level - defensive errors. Let's stop trying to score the perfect goal all the time.

Think some of these comments are a little OTT. Robertson is in the early phases of a massive rebuilding job. Our budget has been slashed, our best players have left, most of our new signings are inexperienced youngsters who need game time to develop, not 'the finished product'. Those who are writing Robbo and the lads off already are the kind of people who say they only watched the first 5 episodes of Breaking Bad but gave up as it was too boring.

We were hoping for the proverbial 'reaction' today after last weekends debacle, and we certainly got one. The game should have been done and dusted at half time. On another day we would have gone in 5-0 up. All that was missing was the finishing touch. The second half was a scrappy, disjointed affair - not helped by the weather. In truth, I think a few of our new starts are still lacking first-team match fitness and dropped off a bit towards the end. Ability-wise our lads are head and shoulders above Morton. Trafford looks like one of our best signings for a while. A strong debut. Special mention to 'whipping boy' Chalmers, often the scapegoat this season - but one of our best players today.

It sounds like Seedorf is a much better attacker than defender. In that case, surely we'd be best playing Raven at right back and Seedorf on the right wing? Win - win. Statistically Mulraney must be the worst attacking player in British football. He has pace to burn, but (winning free kicks apart) literally zero end product. Perhaps he would benefit from a loan deal at Elgin? Might give him the experience and kick up the @rse he needs to avoid becoming just another Philip Roberts style underachiever falling down the leagues to part time mediocrity.

Rich and powerful people don't treat football clubs as charities, but as vanity projects and marketing exercises. Surely Roy MacGregor isn't the ONLY man in the Highlands with a wallet and ego big enough to want to call the shots at a Senior football club.

The way some people are carrying on you'd think we'd just lost Lionel Messi. Let's get real folks. Big Drapes was a good stopper, a big lump who put himself about and caused chaos in and around the opposition penalty area - but he could also struggle to string a straight 5 yard pass at times. Technique-wise we're talking North Caledonian Super League level. Don't get me wrong, every team needs a stopper in the middle of the park - however, I doubt very much that Russel Duncan was on £2,000 a week, or anywhere near to being our highest paid player - and there's a very good reason for that. The reality is, County have a wealthy suitor with money to burn, we don't. We have to cut our cloth and get on with it. People always moan when stalwarts leave (Munro, Tokely, Duncan etc) but if you want to make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs. You can't rebuild a team unless you clear the decks first. Anyone who sat through the dross of last season could see a rebuilding job was needed. The young lads who are coming through - Calder (21), Seedorf (22), Oakley (21), Mulraney (21), Brad Mackay (24), Polworth (22), Cooper (23), Bell (20) - are only going to get better. I'd much rather get back to the SPL with a fresh generation of players who can keep us there long term and potentially reach new heights than simply bounce back with the same declining team who'd only be clinging on at the bottom of the table as soon as we got there.

Sad to see him leave, he's done an excellent job for us over the years. That being said, I think it's a good deal for the club. £100,000 in the bank, plus another £2,000 a week (allegedly) off the wage bill. Were we really getting value for money? Would rather let Robbo bring in 5 or 6 youngsters (hungry, point to prove) on modest full-time contracts with that cash.

Thought Inverness were by far and away the better team for the majority of the 90 minutes. Didn't see anything from United to suggest we can't finish above them. Our wingers will run riot in this league IMO. We just need a poacher to convert all these crosses and cutbacks into goals. Some harsh criticisms of Ridgers. Thought he commanded the box well and made some good stops. Some poor kicks for sure, but he was rushing as we were chasing the game. Don't want to be the happy clapper, but I even thought 'whipping boy' Chalmers came into a game and made some good contributions towards the end. Patience is a virtue. Most of our best players over the years were rank early doors and grew into the role. Let's give these lads a chance.

Polworth on his A-game is a Premier League top 6 player. He's one of the best passers and finishers at the club. I don't think he was well suited to the disorganized kick and rush playing style favoured by our previous manager. Put him in a team set up to play possession football with movement and options around him and he'll do a job for you. Same goes for Vigurs IMO.

A bit of a pre-season feel to todays game, some decent passing moves from both sides but very low tempo and not much action in the final third. Falkirk's back 4 were given an easy time of it by the static, lightweight Baird and Zschusschen. Perhaps too early to judge, but certainly felt the team moved up a couple of gears with the introduction of Oakley. If we take Falkirk as a benchmark of what it takes to finish 2nd in the Championship, I don't think we're far off. They have a settled team, whilst ours is still bedding in. Quietly confident from what I've seen so far.

Recall the old terrace talk that Savage and Sutherland were at loggerheads over Robbo's return to the club. Such rumours are normally the figment of a pub bores imagination - but here we are! The man did a fine job for us before and has made Inverness his home. Some might say football has moved on - tactics, training methods, stats etc. Certainly at the top level this is the case where every player is World Class and it's all about small margins. But at our level? Come on. I'd rather have a seasoned, experienced bona fide Scottish football legend who's been there, done it, got the t-shirt managing our club than some one-dimensional rookie coach armed only with a laptop and a passing drills textbook.

Those demanding an 'ambitious' appointment should remember it wasn't so long ago a Highland League manager built a team consisting largely of former Highland League players and Senior league cast offs who held their own in the Premier League for years. When's the last time we signed a talented young player from the Highland League? I'm not suggesting we should be overly sentimental about 'local lads', but seeing as we're about to embark on a rebuilding job, I would hope whoever is appointed doesn't overlook the untapped resources we have on our doorstep.

One ex-player calls him a bully, we only hear one side of the story - and this somehow comes to define Jimmy Calderwoods entire career.

Have to agree that Jimmy Calderwood's managerial record is pretty good. The invective levelled towards him on Scottish football forums is a classic example of group think. Once you've read one P and B thread, you've read them all... "Old-school managers are 'dinosaurs', young 'progressive' coaches are terrific!" "There's no place for bullies in 'modern' football." The lamentation of bullying is pretty ironic given that football fans routinely abuse players, managers and officials from the stands and on the internet. Most young men need structure, rules and discipline imposed on them by an authority figure to keep them on track. It's just a fact of life.

Feel a bit sorry for Ebbe, he barely even kicked a ball.

Our best players always leave after making a name for themselves, it's part and parcel of being a small club. If anything the 'constant rebuilding job' has worked in our favour over the years as there's plenty of talent out there just waiting for an opportunity.

How about the players give the fans £100?

Butcher (77 international caps) / Malpas (55 international caps) / Marsella for me. Despite a few vocal critics on this forum, in my experience about 80% of fans IRL would love to see the band to get back together. Our biggest failing in recent years has been recruitment. Who better to sign the next Warren, Meekings, Raven, Mckay, Watkins, Vincent, Brill, Draper and Shinnie brothers than the lads who signed the originals?

Hoping Accies run riot. Sick and tired of hearing biased pundits like Willie Miller lamenting wee teams displacing the 'big teams' in the top league. The closed shop mindset. It's good for Scottish football having Sevco, Hibs, Hearts and Dundee Utd in the SPL don't you know? Heck, lets go the whole hog - just give them the 10 team Premier League they keep asking for already, and bring back the 10,000 seater stadium rule to boot.

Getting pretty miffed with the Anier abuse on this board. The guy hasn't set the heather alight, but he's by no means the awful player some fellow posters are making him out to be. Against Hamilton I thought he was one of the best players on the park. His work rate, defensive covering, supporting runs, strong hold up play under pressure and beautifully weighted through balls to our front men all went completely unnoticed by the mouth breathers who immediately screeched "Get him off!!!" any time he had a bad touch. His goals to game tally is poor, and he isn't a natural striker IMO - but to say he has no footballing ability is absolute nonsense. I honestly believe half the people who attend football matches and post on forums have never played the game before, even at pub level.

What effect will yesterday evenings results have on Dundee and Motherwell? Some players play better when the pressure is off, but this being Scotland you'd have to imagine some of those boys now have their minds on Ayia Napa or wherever else neds go on their summer holidays these days.

Don't see the point of whinging at this point. Richie is here till the end of the season. Whether or not you think he's up to the job - at the end of the day he's just a young man doing a job to the best of his ability, and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Let's just get behind the team for the next 2 games and leave the inquisition for another day. PS Alan Simpson - it's just a game!

Terrific performance today. Men against boys. They couldn't handle our aggressive pressing and running power. Could easily have been 5-0 up at half time. Funny that our most attacking lineup of the season was seconds away from a clean sheet - Hamilton on the backfoot and rattled for most of the game. Just goes to show, sometimes the best form of defence is attack. Anier on the right flank was a masterstroke, who knew the mediocre striker we signed in January is actually a top class winger? He looked like an international player today. Hope he gets a run in that position. Looks like we found a system that got the best out of our players today. Shades of Mike Basset England manager - we ditch the 'modern' system and go '4-4-bloody-2' for the win. Same again next week please lads!

Richie Foran might have failed as first team manager, but to call him a fraud or a wage thief is harsh beyond belief. If the man is guilty of anything, it's accepting whatever contracts the club has offered him over the years (as a player, then manager). He can't be faulted for that. Your first loyalty is to your family - not your football club. If resigning means a financial sacrifice on his part, he'd be crazy to do so, and I don't blame him for holding on as long as possible. Ultimately he's just an employee doing a job to the best of his ability. If a new first team coach is required, it's up to his bosses to act - either cancel his contract and pay him every penny he's due, or negotiate and re-deploy him to a diminished but secure long term role (rather like Charlie Christie getting his Centenary Club job back). I thought the board was supposed to be full of business brains? If RIchie cannot be sacked for financial reasons, surely between them they can offer him a decent job worth 'walking away' for?

Agree with Christie and Wilson when it comes to stating the obvious, i.e. that Foran has been a disaster and the board inept in their inaction. Not sure how much credence to give their views beyond that. Think we need to be wary of ex-players who 'talk a good game', given our current predicament.