Winning Ugly

[Fanoffooty]

Dont think i said i wasn't happy with 3 points. In fact as far as i'm concerned that was our most important result of the season so far.

Do you think that simply because we have started winning that players are excempt from criticism???

First point............next weeks game is the most important. Its a definite six pointer.

Second point.......from being in a position where we believed we were doomed and a few points of second bottom we are back in a position where a win next week can see us climb a couple of places. Thats not just down to Butcher and Malpas. Thats down to every player in this team puting in the effort and going out on match day and following the instructions of the management team. Ask Dougie or any one of the squad why they played a particular way and they will always answer.....cos thats what the gaffer wanted.

Dougie may not be seen as a striker by many but he is doing the required job. He has pace and agility and his running around confuses defenders enough to allow the Forans and others to get up and into scoring positions.

I agree , we have a much more motivated & happier team

As for Dougie ive always rated him , hes a brilliant asset to the team

Well done for todays result ICT

WE'RE STAYING UP :thumb04:

[Bronson]

Perhaps my comments were taken out of context as in my initial post I failed to mention all the positives that others have pointed out for me such as how Butcher has turned round a team that looked dead and buried only a few weeks ago. How the players are responding to the new management team's style and the belief has returned and how of course i'd rather have full points and a poor performance than no points and a good performance (like last week).

I too believe that we will survive the drop and that this will go down as one of our most exciting season's ever.

I wonder if the terrible quality of football on display in the 2nd half was due in part to very windy conditions, a very poor playing surface and players who had the half time break to actually realise how close they were to securing a tremendous 3 points while also realising just what they had to lose if they couldn't hold on. Let's not forget how few and far between our wins have been this season, especially when we have had to battle for the 3 points.

While I admire Imrie's running and work rate, his touch, control, crossing and shooting was poor today. Yes he gets kicked from pillar to post and I admire him for never reacting. He simply isn't a striker. I understand that he will play wherever he is told. But look at the stats. How many goals has he scored while playing as a striker? And how many games has he started in that role. Compare that with Rooney, Odiambo, Foran and even Barrowman and it should suggest that Foran should be playing up front. Pull IMrie into midfield and let him create the chances.

I'm looking forward to next weekends game and really hope that we have a day when all our players are on fire as feel we are due to give someone a pumping and it would be great if that happened on sat.

[kilda]

Many is the game where I have seen us get three points stolen from us. Today we wore the masks. We won three points and, at this stage in the season, I don't care how we did it.

More of the same next week would be the right sort of thing.

[Scarlet Pimple]

Kilda --your'e a Saint...Smile.

[Downinthedumps]

If we survive in the top league this season we would have to give credit to the players we have now. Terry knows if we do survive he has to find a real striker to get us up and challenging for the top six in the next campaign so that we don't have to suffer another season like this. If we have many more games like we had today my heart might not last till next August

[NuclearDachshund]

Any means necessary to stay up!

Was it not said from a Brazilian coach a few years back that you didn't win world cups by playing beautiful football? Well if its good enough for those innovators of the beautiful game then it is surely good enough for a side struggling to stay in the SPL, especially as not since the days of Pele Paterson that have we played beautiful football

[collectiveaction]

Any means necessary to stay up!

Was it not said from a Brazilian coach a few years back that you didn't win world cups by playing beautiful football? Well if its good enough for those innovators of the beautiful game then it is surely good enough for a side struggling to stay in the SPL, especially as not since the days of Pele Paterson that have we played beautiful football

Brazil won the world cup in 1970 by playing beautiful football.

[collectiveaction]

Any means necessary to stay up!

Was it not said from a Brazilian coach a few years back that you didn't win world cups by playing beautiful football? Well if its good enough for those innovators of the beautiful game then it is surely good enough for a side struggling to stay in the SPL, especially as not since the days of Pele Paterson that have we played beautiful football

Brazil won the world cup in 1970 by playing beautiful football.

[stomach]

With the position we are in I will take winning ugly every week!!

I know we would all love to win games in style with free flowing football but the points are the main thing.

Butcher has done an amazing job, would the moaners prefer Brewster to still be in charge?

With Brewster in charge we used to lose ugly never mind win ugly

[The Mantis]

Ask Dougie or any one of the squad why they played a particular way and they will always answer.....cos thats what the gaffer wanted.

I think that's probably fair comment on the first half. TB spent the whole second half out on the track shouting at the players, probably because they weren't playing how he wanted.

[Onward and Upward]

Perspective people! We are in a relegation battle, which under the current economic climate is a battle for the very survival of our club. 3 points is 3 points, who cares how we pull it out of the bag. Lets survive this season, then look at playing real football next season!

I guess some people will never be happy!

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

Bronson,

Imrie is inspirational and contributes a significant number of assists. The history books will show we won 2-1 beating Kilmarnock four times in a row. The feel good factor was immense for the rest of the weekend. Guys like Hastings and Duff came on and stopped Killie getting an equaliser or winner as would have happened earlier in the season. This was when Brew played one inexperienced striker at home and for most of the game we suffered wave after wave of attack. Killie yesterday arrived as a team still aspiring a top 6 finish. They left thinking that as the last SPL team to have actually won a game, perhaps relegation is something they should take seriously whether we won ugly or lucky.

Imrie will run himself into the ground at Falkirk if played and that is the spirit we need. A draw down there will possibly take us above Killie and St Mirren with anxiety down there growing by the minute in four teams happy to win regardless. We need to support the troops till the end! Let others now fight amongst themselves.

[Kylef]

I like Imrie. Great worker! When he gets out wide he makes good use of the ball, with his pace and a usual good cross.

Foran for me needs to be up front now. He makes use of every ball. I was delighted to see him score yesterday, especially getting in that space whilst onside.

Imrie never got much chance yesterday though. I think Foran and Imrie might make a good partnership though, who knows.

[12th Man]

Not the prettiest of games but we won.

[kilda]

I like Imrie's work rate but wish he would get his head up and look around a little more.

I was particularly impressed with the players reaction to the large number of fans who stayed around long enough to clap them off the pitch. Any more of that sort of thing and we will start looking like proper supporters.

[Guest Muir-Jaggie]

Not the prettiest of games but we won.

What would you call a pretty game

[cal234ey]

I didnt feel Imrie had his best game yesterday but som of the comments are far too harsh. I dont think the ref helped his cause as every time Lilley came for the ball he gav the strikers a nudge in the back to push them out the way.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I drove 800 miles to watch the game - as far as I am concerned the points are far more important than the performance. I felt that we became very nervy but Killie never really looked like scoring. I would have to say that the second half was dire but under Brewster I think that we would have buckled and lost a point if not all three. Butcher was negative and ultra defensive - but so feckin wot - We got what we wanted / needed.

And I would wholly agree with Brosnon - It was all about winning ugly. Some peeple had a bad day at the office - It happens.

[tm4tj]

I agree with Bronson's initial post.

We won, Imrie was gash, as was Rooney, not a ninety minute man yet.

But hey ho, three points were vital and that is what we got. All the nervy uncertainty came about because we handed the initiative to Killie just before the break, conceding needless corners and ultimately a goal. Nothing wrong with the goal, but the play leading up to it well into stoppage time was sloppy, and that is what put us on the back foot. Strikers unable to hold the ball, defenders clearing their lines without looking and a stiff hurricane to spoil the spectacle. It was a reversal of the Falkirk cup game, we battered the Bairns and still lost, Killie battered us and lost. A handsome win by playing ugly. Under Brewster we were losing these types of games.

I still feel that Killie are going down, Jim Jeffries face will be a picture to behold on that day.

[+HawkeyeTheGnu]

As Dido once sang to me - "But I will go down with this ship; But I won't put my hands up and surrender;

There will be no white flag above my door; I'm ICT and I always will be

What? You've got a singing D i l d o? Oh, wait a minute..... oops!

Edited March 16, 2009 by HawkeyeTheGnu

[+HawkeyeTheGnu]

I still feel that Killie are going down, Jim Jeffries face will be a picture to behold on that day.

The only thing that could make that better is if we actually sent them down!

[caley100]

I'd prefer anybody but us to drop, but if i had to choose it would Midden, just dont like them or wide boy weegie Mcpherson, close second would be Falkirk, then Hamilton ( ***** place,***** ground and ***** team) Killie or no bad, and we can beat them regular see...

[Ice_G]

I thought it was a dreadful game. Of course I'm glad that we won, and 3 points are 3 points after all... but I can't believe that continually pumping the ball back to the opposition without even trying to play in our own players is the best way to guarantee a win - pretty or ugly.

We were incredibly lucky on Saturday that Killie are pretty sh!te: if we'd given that amount of almost constant possession to a half decent team, we'd have thrown away our lead and ended up losing.

From where I was sitting, the second half on Saturday was ugly and risky - a nasty combination. At least we managed to hold on to the result, but I can't understand why we didn't try to hold on to the ball as well.

I certainly wouldn't single out Imrie for criticism - he worked hard to try and get on to the end of every hopeful hoof that actually made it into the Killie half. Having said that, I would rather see him as an attacking midfielder where his pace could be used as an attacking threat without the ball being lumped 60 yards.

I'd have rather seen us use the width of the pitch to spread the play, make it harder for Killie to close us down and so actually pass to each other. We didn't do that, and we were clearly working to a plan - but just because a rubbish plan happens to pay off doesn't make it a good plan.

I'm delighted that Terry and Mo have put the belief and spine back into the team... now please let's take the next step and avoid any more miserable, heart-stopping, infuriating afternoons at the TCS.

[Guest ABridgeAndACastle]

I thought Imrie was class, like.

Who cares if it's ugly, as long as you score? (sounds more like Saturday night than Saturday afternoon, but we'll draw a wee veil over that).

Keep it up Terry and the gang!