4ize

But you're right. He can't pass.

He usually doesn't pass accurately. You cannot say (well, yes, of course you can, but you'll be wrong)  that for a golden spell last season Russell didn't pass at least competently. On occasion he came close to the Liam Keogh that could have been. What dismays me is that he can go through a purple patch in passing terms and then start giving the ball away again. Someone on the coaching staff needs to take the guy in hand - if you've done it once you can do it again

It all boils down to this.  Would you have Niculae, with his lack of pace, or Rory?

It's too early in Marius' ICT career to talk about lack of pace. It's too early in Rory's career to compare him to Marius.

Well more than one person on here has called him a "Judas", so that's pretty abusive in my book.

Well, it's not nice but it's a term used to describe someone who you feel has betrayed you. Does betrayal have a legal definition? I don't know. Am I going to spend the next hour researching betrayal down the years? Am I feck.

So you admit there has been 'disgusting personal abuse'? A simple 'yes' or 'no' will suffice

How about a maybe?  :016:

Back to topic, eh? Bless...

this disgusting personal abuse of Craig Brewster

You make it sound like there's been widespread character assassination going on here. Emotions have been running high but, unless I'm missing something most of the criticisms have been either performance-related or to do with the manner in which he left the club (and targeted players). I can't think of many which haven't been grounded in fact - the moderators would have been forced to remove any that weren't. 'Brewster is a nob-head' or 'Wanderer likes sheep and not just for dinner' would be examples of personal abuse. 'We played crap under Brewster' is a valid opinion, surely?

Agreed, Barry threatened to turn the second half around, and might have managed to if we hadn't already been shafted. I reckon he could fit into the middle (he roams all over the shop anyway) and leave room for Zander on the wing.

We'l move on and get back on topic because its not worth whatever its being spun into

Aww, I wuv you  :001:

dont forget either that the man who is set to become your new manager is partly responsible for United's bout of shitness

Agreed. The main author of your problems over the last few years is still in position though.

4ize were you playing a part as michael fraser's reflexes this afternoon

You might want to put a bit more iron into your irony - otherwise you're just left with... y?

Do you honestly think we are your relegation rivals? In that second half the gulf in quality of the two teams was huge and we are 7 points clear already. If Utd are relegated I pledge to become a monk.

I guess people daring to suggest that is based on awkward little facts like ICT finishing ahead of you in every single one of our SPL seasons and your tendency to flirt with the bottom of the table before hauling your little orange bottoms out of the frying pan :016:

we may aswell have had Rory out playing

You wot?!? At least their keeper had some saves to make today, and if Caff had been expecting the pace Niculae put on that cross it'd have been a belting goal. We squandered some chances, as we often do, but you can't blame today's result on anything but the defence.

County, Morecambe, Oldham and Avispa Fukuoka (used to live there). Had a cracking trip down to Wembley to see Morecambe win the playoff final last season, though 1200 miles in 2 days was a bit much.

... and made the third, and missed a couple too. It smacks of a conspiracy - the old fell doesn't score in two years then scores in consecutive games, the second just after he's had a verbal kicking on here.

If telling him he's sh!te and that we don't want him inspires him to score goals and/or persuade a team to play well, then I think I'll carry on. If this approach continues to work, 'Brewster, GTF' should become a regular matchday chant  :001: Ah well, I can dream...

:015: :015: :015:

Why we still have this diddy is a complete mystery to me.  In fact I hope Brewster has a cull of all our diddies including: Duncan, McCaffrey, McBain, McAllister and finally the bottom of the barrell, Fraser. 

He's a good holding midfielder, and with Brew coming back I wouldn't expect to see him shown the door any time soon for precisely that reason. The only one of your targets I agree on is Rory - apart from one performance against Cellic last season I can't see anything I like there and it baffles me how he's got a Scotland U21 place. Then again, Bayne was absolute pants for a long while and now looks the real article, so maybe there's something in the lad.

McBain is as much use as the tattoo on IHE's erse.

I thought the tattoo on IHE's erse was McBain?

And what about that sliced clearance.

To be fair to the guy the ball should never have been passed back to him in the first place.

I was told that he just didn't look interested.

I disagree with the teller. He seems to have toned down the rash tackling a little recently, which may account for it - he doesn't look quite so suicidally committed as of old, which can only be a good thing. I thought he had a pretty good game today.

He went through a spell last season of almost never giving the ball away: I thought aliens had lifted the real RD, the change was that dramatic. I don't know whether it's a communication thing or whether he just reads the game badly, but he can pass. He just doesn't do it often.

I couldn't believe Blackie was hooked

It looked like he was limping a little - he'd been clattered a few minutes before. If that's not why he was hooked though, you're spot on.

Cowie and Niculae were two real positives for me. Ross was about the cream of the defence with Caff in second place, although if we were standing them on a podium we'd have to dig a hole for poor Mikey today. Bayne worked hard, and Black and Wilson played well but why, why, why does Zander never get a run out? We played some lovely stuff in the first half and I was looking forward to a few goals in the second; unfortunately they came at the wrong end  :007: The first goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the team - if the confidence is that fragile Brew has a major task on his hands. United played a far better game in the second half but I reckon we were worth a draw and, taking the team as a whole, certainly didn't deserve to ship three. The defence is another matter...

Anyone who felt that too-little-too-late substitutions were purely down to Charlie needs only look at today's performance. The minute the first penalty went in we should have pushed three up front.

He has to take the blame for the first goal and for conceding the first penalty at all. For the first he should have taken control - it's his box - and told Caff what to do; instead they both just watched the ball into the net. On the second he should have come out for the ball, not expect two defenders to deal with it when the attacker is ahead of both of them; he forced them to tackle the guy from behind which was always going to give the referee something to think about.

Some real confidence-building and assertiveness training needed for the young man. Either that or a big, loud centre half who'll command the defence for him.

Not a grafter it has to be said !

Can't agree. He covered at least as much ground as Bayne today and was back around the 18-yard mark on several occasions in the second half because the defence had been posted missing. Liked the look of him very much.

Sheep. Baaaa! The board care exactly [] about what you think, I think, anyone thinks. Although nobody really cares what I think, come to think of it  :024: Given the way season ticket sales seem to go, there's no real reason to pay attention to the customer because there's no alternative product. Can you find another SPL team within 50 miles? Nah, so we're watching 2nd division or Highland League if we don't go to TCS. Last time I looked at the schedule, Setanta rarely showed ICT games, so there's no TV option to take bums off seats. And with a ground under 8000 capacity and sometimes not even filled for Old Firm games, fan power isn't exactly significant.

Anyway, up to you, away ye go and thank the butcher  :003:

I wasn't a fan of Brewster's style of play and am not very happy with his his reappointment, but playing devil's advocate for a moment:

When Brewster was manager previously we had far fewer options up front and he was justified in playing himself. Since then, Bayne has grown into his role as an SPL target man and has scored vital goals; we have forwards that clearly possess a lot of skill in Niculae, Wyness and MacDonald; we have a forward that apparently shows great potential on the training pitch in McAllister; and we have Wood who can come in from loan.

This could be the opportunity for Brewster to prove himself a manager and a coach. If, as a striker of gretat experience, he can't get the best out of the deepest squad of forwards we have ever had, then he probably won't succeed. If he can, then we may see the record of "Brewster the Manager" improve.

You're not playing Devil's advocate, you're pointing out reasonable grounds for hope. It's a very good point that we were stuck for forwards for most of Brew's reign and that we're not really now. If the folk who are positive about Brew are right he ought to be able to do so much better this time around, and I hope they're right. Show me some attractive football and I'll recant. For now, I'll live with my doubts.

I am ashamed by the rubbish some fans are typing on these forums.

Don't feel ashamed, you just have to work at it. I was unusual in posting almost 100% pure bollocks from day one on the old board - most people need time to get up to speed. Keep trying, you'll be posting rubbish before you know it