Council Juice

Personally I think the team is just a bit burnt out. Anyone expecting such a small squad with players brought in from the lower reaches of England to be consistently good all season are a touch delusional. My aim every season is top 6 and a good cup run. We've achieved that. We now need to do as well as we can over the remaining games and try and steal 4th spot. That for us is a good season. This would mean finishing the same as last season despite teams like Dundee united, Aberdeen and Motherwell all being better this season, though 5th would be no disaster certainly.

Same old, same old

But he's still been getting chances, just missing a lot of sitters. It could be single game fatigue or accumulated season fatigue in which case he needs a rest. Alas we are short on good alternatives. I've already made this point. In our 5 after the split last season we won once and lost the other 4. We were pretty dismal from January onwards. Had we kept up our previous form we would have stayed in a European spot, but we suffered post January blues under Butcher. I do accept I'm not for this current over playing the ball. I do like passing football but it needs to be balanced and variable football. That works best and is the most enjoyable to watch. Old school United, Liverpool. Can pass it and play quick, counter attacking football. Its good to watch, and I'm an Everton fan watching the team play the best football in years saying that. I can't quite work out why people are still saying we should have pulled out all the stops to get Hartley. He's hardly the messiah. It's not like he is a great manager with a proven record either. Did well at Alloa - That's it. Means nothing. As to whether he'd have done better than Yogi is debatable. It's possible but by no means a certainty.

I think it's probably the beginning of the end for his tenure at ICT. He never broke into the 1st team and I suspect just didn't make the grade. Signing freebies is always going to be a little hit or miss. And lets face it, if he wasn't good enough for Jose, he aint good enough for us.

Seems fine to me

Fixed that for you. When was Brewster a nice guy? He was a complete and utter ass in his 2nd tenure anyway. I remember too the comments that followed his 1st departure. But he managed in his time to help drive out 2 of our best players in John Rankin and Ian Black, and i dont think Niculae though much of him either. Here was a true example of losing the dressing room. Much unlike getting the whole team to sign onto an idea and sign multi year contracts before the summer. Must be the 1st time in our history that surely. And Biggin, I've made that point before. We were quite reliant on Mckay in the 1st half of the season and he's played nearly every game this season. Some seem to think that because a player suddenly has a rich reign of form it should continue unchecked for all time and that if it doesn't it must be a tactical error. But watch the games, even the highlights. He's still getting chances but not taking them. So is it more likely he's tired, or just plain out of form. The ball isn't quite falling for him the same as before. It does happen. Even the best (aside from Ronaldo and Messi) have blips from time to time. Stevie May too has went a few without scoring, or at least isn't as prolific as before. He's still a good player. Mckay missed quite a few chances in games even when he was scoring every week and was criticised on here for not being clinical enough. It's laughable the standards some people are expecting.

I think when people say that he lacks variation surely thats what he means be saying he wants to play passing football but the players have to know when to mix it up. Still He's doing better than Butcher at Hibs, what 1 win in 12 now.

I'd like to see our tactics become more variable, that is true, as it is for most football supporters. And it would be good to see if the kids, albeit gradually, can be introduced can hack it. Find an alternative for Mckay, not expect him to play 90 minutes every week. It's no surprise that his goals have dried up in the same period that our only back up strikers left. He's probably a little jaded. So sure, start him but maybe look to bring on Evans, or use Foran or Watkins up top. See how it works.

Could be said for most formations. All about the implementation of it. However I don't see how you cant switch play, you've got Shinnie left and Doran Right. Both providing crosses with Ross and Vincent through the middle. I would like to see Shinnie play on the left mid. Or even right if both he and Doran are coming into shoot, though I do prefer orthodox wingers to the inverted.

Well played lads, well played.

You may also notice in your table that we have one of the best defensive records in the league in that period also, so not turned into the defensive shambles many have claimed. The thing with pretty much any team in the SPL is that by and large they're fairly evenly matched. How often in the past have we seem evidently bigger and more seasoned clubs surge into 3rd one year and then have a stinker the next? People say "Oh but we finished 4th last season and were up top with Butcher" Yes that's true, but the season before that we flirted with bottom, and before that had a strong return to the top flight. Also do people not remember that last season we didn't win in our first 7 games? 5 draws and 2 heavy defeats. People wanted Butcher out, he then took the team to 8 games unbeaten (2 of which are part of the no wins in 7), winning 4 of them. Which also coincided with only losing 1 in 17 (winning 9) Up until the 30th of January we'd only lost 3 games. Twice to Motherwell (4-1, 5-1) and Celtic. We'd won 9, drawn 10 in 22 games. Doing well and everyone was happy. We then lost 7 in 16, Including 4 in our last 5. Only winning 4 in total from January 30th onwards. 2 at home. That run at the end and a final day loss to RC cost us a place in Europe. So to get to the point, perhaps, just perhaps it's not necessarily just down to the manager. We seemed to have developed a habit of doing well early on and being in a good place in January before form deserts us and we fall away. Maybe more down to the fact we have a small squad of players, all made up of free transfers. They have qualities but also limitations. Unless we manage to get a top class team the likelihood of season long consistency is unlikely. Also with a small squad, injuries, suspensions and fatigue all play their part. If someone told me 2 seasons ago that we'd have an average position of 4.5 and still in with a chance at Europe I'd be quite happy. No ecstatic. So stop being typical football fans and be done with these fickle notions.

I'm voting for Durex as our shirt sponsor, with the slogan "play it safe". This will specifically be for Meekings and Brill.

Fine metaphor though, however by just extracting that quote you completely misrepresent what Hughes is saying. He was talking about how we've had a lot of games in the last few weeks and the boys are a little fatigued. Though perhaps a little squad rotation and giving the kids might help there. Likes of Devine, Pepper, Polworth, Christie, Evans, Greenlagh and even Esson could all get a run out over the coming weeks. Nick Ross and Danny Williams coud start a few more.

Have to say I liked that from Christie, he wanted the ball at every opportunity. Augers well for the future. I'd like him to play a significant part, even if he doesn't start.

-Brill- -Raven- Meekings - Warren - Shinnie - - Draper - Foran* - Doran** - Ross - Watkins - Mckay - * If not fit, replace with Tansey. ** If not fit, place Watkins there and play Williams left. Or Vincent in middle and Ross left. Bring on likes of Evans, Christie, Polworth early if possible. Or even start them where possible.

If we are going to forgo one winger, I'd probably say the left winger. Shinnie is good going forward and has a good cross on him and is willing to shoot. Doran or Watkins are good for the right, and I'd say whereas Raven links up well he's not as natural a wing back as Shinnie. Vincent has to play in the middle, preferably behind the striker, or not at all. I wouldn't be adverse to see either Ross or Christie play in the AMLC role. A choice has to be made between Tansey and Foran. I'd prefer Foran in all honesty. I think Tansey flatters to deceive. Sure he has the occasional hollywood pass or scorcher but every time i see a game he disappears and he doesn't appear to do the ugly work either. If Foran was to just sit in front of the defence and remind Meekings to not pass it back to Brill when playing Dundee United I'd be happy with that. And I think he could marshall the game from there. Thus allowing Draper to expand the game. My team would be as follows - - Brill- -Raven- -Meekings - Warren - -Shinnie- -Foran- -Draper- -Doran- -Vincent*- -Ross**- -Mckay- * or Ross ** or Christie Sure it looks a little lopsided but that's to define the way the team would look to play. Shinnie would be urged to get forward at all opportunity and Foran would sit. Draper would be an out and out central midfielder and Vincent the attacking midfield link. Ross would be used to link Shinnie down the left and the striker and AMC. Doran (or Watkins would be an othrodox winger.

Funnily enough the team with most appearances this term could argueably be our strongest team. With Foran alongside Draper and Vincent behind Mckay with Doran and Ross flanking. And if not Ross, Watkins. And if not Vincent, Ross.

So Hughes, he being sacked or not....

Before he got injured he was the messiah and during his injury we missed his presence badly and now, because he hasn't went straight back to his excellent pre injury form he's past it. No, he was out for 2 months and at 33 it takes that bit longer to get your sharpness back. Hughes said himself before the Partick game both he and Vincent were still a couple of games away from full match fitness. That hasn't changed. And I don't think it's because its one of those injuries that you never get back from either. I think the real problem is 2 things really. 1, trying to play 4 central midfielders in the team when we need 2. That's Hughes fault. Vincent can play advanced but not out wide. That seems clear. Second, individual errors, like from Meekings and Brill against United, twice, in 2 different games. Mainly Brills fault tonight, but it was a short back pass. That doesn't excuse Brills thinking. What is his obsession with hitting it towards the oncoming player? That gaffe really cost us.

He didn't make the big error until after he went off. Maybe relieved the pressure not having his there and he took it easy. I think Foran demands the best. He's a bit like Roy Keane in that respect. Man United had unbelievable drive with him in the team. However admittedly he, like Keano, sometimes does not always time the scalding perfectly. People always faff on about confidence. They're grown men with jobs to do. And if they drop below standards they should expect to be told. Not a sport for soft touches, and certainly not in Goals.

Interesting how we've played most of our top 6 rivals away twice already this season and hold a strong position. This should be noted and applauded. I hope that they use common sense and make it either Aberdeen or St Johnstone (ideally) away for fan proximity and the fact the latter shouldn't be too big a gate receipt loss. Common sense and all that. Parkhead it is then...

Was a really good interview from our captain and he really acts like a leader. I really hope that when he's ready for it, and the sooner the better, Hughes gets him coaching as the man talks well. He clearly has an affinity to the club, is pleased with the progress made and knows the expectations of the fans well. He seemed keen on the idea of progressing after he finished playing and suggested the ICT was the club he wants to do it at. He also likes the way the club is run and applauded our financial stance. A true club captain. Doesn't mince his words, and doesn't accept anything below the best.

After seeing Foran on BBC Alba talking at half time, maybe we should sack Hughes and make him the gaffer - inspirational!

Yeah it really has to be Draper and Foran or Tansey. I'd want my captain playing, but there certainly isn't the room for Draper, Vincent, Foran and Tansey in the same 11. You've also got Polworth pushing for a start now. Ross should play more. I feel there are plenty of physical players to make up for his lack of presence, as he has better vision and guile for the defence splitting pass. He doesn't really give it away passing either. So ideally in an attacking midfield role. Be nice to see Christie play a bit more with Doran out. He clearly has something and now would good be a good time to get plentiful 1st team exposure. Rest some of the boys and get them to earn their spots back.

Yeah with top 6 secure now and our chances of anything higher than 4th looking quite unlikely it's probably a good time to rest some legs and see what the others can do. Evans, is he the forward we're looking for? Can Christie be our Ryan Gauld? Is Liam Polworth the perfect foil for Draper? What of Pepper, so promising in his 1st season. Lets see what won Greenhalgh his TV contract with Inter Milan. No better time when we realistically have little to play for now.