We Need To Pull Together

[absent friend]

I think we all realise we are in a dog fight to survive and we have to use our current players to stay up.

Reflecting on the game on Saturday, I feel that we need a player that will run off their marker, in midfield, to accept the ball from our defence and then endeavour to make something happen, with it.

I know this sounds easy but on Saturday it would appear that Ian was marked out of the game and therefore I felt Imrie, who had a lot of freedom, could have taken over the role.

He, the headless chicken one, did at times run into space but he did not seem to be able to STOP and pass it, even back the way. Ferguson/Bett/Rodwell Clyne(ask your dad) all accepted the ball and did the simple thing, it took the pressure off the defence and therefore allowed a degree of regrouping to take place.

We, however, due to pressure, lost all shape and leadership. There must be so many 'old heads' on the park that can be nominated to take this pressure and I would play Rossco in this role - but not when Sone Aluko is on the park!

He has the confidence, under pressure, to hold the ball and his distribution is good.

The alternative is for our defence to have a target area, when under pressure, to aim at. Alex McLeish, under pressure, always punted the ball up beyond the dug outs over the half way line. This gave his forwards an area to run to, backed up the opposition defence and allowed his team to reshape, at the expense of a throw in if the forwards missed it. We punted the ball up the field to the opposition and guess what? It was straight back into the teeth of the defence once again.

On Saturday I did not see a plan for us, Ian Black was marked and we had no plan B. We were not a team on the park but played as individuals, this must stop now as we need all the strength from the team spirit we can muster. An aggressive stance and stare because a pass did not reach you, is indicitive of something being wrong in a team, and Dougie Imrie was very guilty of that. Butch has to sort that out and has to sort it now!

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[caley100]

Inverness Courier(tues) says that Butcher is to make changes to the line up for the Hamilton game as a result of the teams performance last saturday.

Drop Imrie & Proctor. give Granty some sort of confidence sweetie and threaten them with a visit to Airdrie next season.