Ross County -V- ICT : matchday thread

[Alex MacLeod]

Reading para 3.7 of the rules I dont think Russell will be banned on tuesday. For totting up rule 3.7.4 say suspension does not come into effect until 14 days after last offence that resulted in going over the 18 point margin.

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/resources/docu...mpetitions).pdf

[MissICT]

Reading para 3.7 of the rules I dont think Russell will be banned on tuesday. For totting up rule 3.7.4 say suspension does not come into effect until 14 days after last offence that resulted in going over the 18 point margin.

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/resources/docu...mpetitions).pdf

really

this is interesting!

I didn't know that!

[NERD]

Great result when you take into consideration all the other scores in the division

sort of glad I didn't travel up for it because watching the results coming in at the pub was torcher enough .. great to see Qos, Dundee, Partick all with loses though...

:( :(

Do you remember your prediction of taking 12 points of County this season?

[AJS]

Not a great match but i ain't complaining, this was always going to be hard and at the end of the day we have kept a clean sheet against one of the most tricky sides in the league.

First half was drivvel but i thought the introduction of Eagle made a difference as he was unlucky not too score, that shot was a fizzer crashing of the post.

Sanchez should have been introduced much earlier and Odi struggled to get into the game at any point.

Best player was Duncan, defensively didn't put a foot wrong and did his best to start attacks. Esson also gets a thumbs up for some great goalkeeping

...and as usual, Barrowman didn't look like scoring. :( Dosen't matter who he plays for.

[buckett]

Not the best Highland derby I've seen but entertaining nevertheless.

As previously said, County dominated the 1st half, we looked much better after the break, and could have nicked it, but County finished strongly, so it could have gone either way.

Can't help feeling that County raise their game a fair bit against us, perhaps to a level they can't sustain against other teams. And we seem to play sh!te against them, this season anyway. I can see Dunfermline joining the fray as the season nears a climax, with Dundee dropping out. Can County keep up with the big boys - who knows?

Finally, a big "Thank you" to the old guard (with the exception of Tokely who worried the hell out of me whenever he got the ball) - Duncan especially, who kept us in the game and also Munro and Golly.

Esson was mostly superb.

Bully was mince - far too lightweight and unimaginative.

Rooney tried hard but was marked out of the game.

Hayes kept our hopes up, as did Eagle.

And there were a few others playing for us, but I didn't really notice them.

[TopSix]

I'm happy with a draw. Not delighted but happy. Scappy game at times but the overall performance was decent. Golabek and Duncan were outstanding today. I thought Esson had a solid performance.

[davie]

Reckon Butcher got it right, in loading the midfield in the 1st half to stifle them and then open it up in the 2nd with Eagle coming on. I thought it was one of Eagle's better shows for us. Interested to hear D. Adams esq. saying "actually, we murdered them...anyone could see that" What game were you at Dek? If we keep the momentum going, we will go up. We are better able to handle the pressure than the teams around us (cheerio, Jocky!) and consistently grind out results when we are not at our best. Now who called that a trademark of winners?

[alternative maryhill]

Decent result that keeps us right in it, but I worry that if the team allows itself to be dominated for such long spells and doesn't get a bit more variety and imagination into its moves, then the title challenge will flounder. We were the better team for about twenty minutes of the second half, but overall County were more composed on the ball and more creative with it. They might be a bit toothless up front (Barrowman ) but in every other area of the park they look like serious title contenders. In contrast, against all our potential title rivals this season, we have had some spells of really dangerous football but haven't been able to control games for long enough to kill them off. I think in our best teams in the past we had players with arrogance and the absolute belief that they were capable of playing at a higher level - Mann, Christie, Sheerin, Robson, Bingham - and we perhaps lack a bit of that just now.

Foran's the closest we have to that sort of player, certainly in an attacking sense, and there's no doubt we missed him yesterday: his strength on the ball, his seeing of passes that open up the game and his ability to win the ball at the back post from deep crosses and corners. The attackers we did have yesterday struggled to get into the game: Eric was largely anonymous, Hayes was kept very quiet and although Rooney worked his socks off as usual, he too rarely had enough support and service to make an impact. Eagle looked our most dangerous player when he came on (good, bold substiution from Butcher) and I was really impressed by the quickness of his feet with the ball and the way he was able to nick the ball away from opponents and change the direction of play. The defence was generally farily solid, although we were let off the hook a couple times towards the end and Duncan, as many people have already mentioned, was immense, as he has been for a few weeks now.

Hopefully a good away point and the Dundee result will boost the team's self belief and confidence and the return of Foran will add a bit more strength and creativity to the attacking play. After yesterday's result we've got to acknowledge that Airdrie might be a tricky game, but I think next Saturday is the bigger challenge: we've got a poor record against Partick this season and despite their league position they have some dangerous players. That game will be a real test of our title credentials.

[Iain]

Well that has to be the uneventful Highland derby I've seen. In saying that it was by no means boring. The game was not helped by the wifey linesman, who seemed very keen to put her flag up. I'm sure Sanchez was onside when he made a run clear through on goal.

County were better in the first half, only slightly though as they still never had any proper chances. We started of the second half like a team possessed and took it to them, Eagle hit the inside of the post before it went rolling across the goal mouth, very unlucky not to score. In the last 5-10 minutes County seemed to dominate, could have scored but luckily they never. Apart from the start and end of the half it was fairly uneventful and the draw is a fair result.

Bulvitis had a shocker of at half-time says it all, he tried audacious over-head kicks when a simple clearance could have sufficed and may aswell have just watched the players he was supposed to be marking as they won header after header. Doubt he'll play again this season.

The league is even more open now with Dundee losing, 3 points behind and to be honest I'd take that to the last game of the season if I could when we play Dundee. Airdrie United home on Tuesday and then Partick away next weekend, it's very cliche but every game is a 'Cup Final' now.

Edited March 21, 2010 by Iain

[SMEE]

P1ss poor game. we only really seemed to come to life in the second half. Odihambo is a waste of a starting place. He offers nothing IMHO. Russell Duncan was our best player. Broke up so many C*unty attacks. BUT...........again, in my opinion...thats normal for him. Does a very un derated job for us.

Thought the ref was shocking!

[The Mantis]

Never got home till about 11 last night. Some people maybe a bit harsh on the team? People a bit spoiled by our success and still expecting us to crush County every time.

County definitely passed better and good movement in the first half, but the home team should do more than that, they never looked like scoring. We played 2 different defences in that game and still they hardly created a chance.

We were definitely the better side after the break but they put us under it in the last 10 mins. Despair when I see Eric starting, and was Jonny told not to go over the halfway line?

[tm4tj]

Having just read all the matchday posts, I can't believe anyone was not enthralled by yesterdays game. It was a throbber, and we played our part. The game, although lacking in clear opportunities was compelling viewing and the stuff that nailless fingers are made of. The first half as mentioned was not one for the purists, with County being the better side marginally. We restricted them to a couple of half chances, Barrowman hooking a snapshot three yards wide and a free header going just wide. The real danger to us was coming from odd free kicks around the shooting distance and Morrison needs no second chances as he whacked a couple towards a solid Esson, who's handling was impeccable. Bully was replaced at half time and the introduction of Eagle saw us dominate the third quarter of the game. He was unfortunate when he lashed an angled shot off the post and there were no takers for the rebound as County scrambled the ball clear. With us being unable to penetrate the County rearguard, they grew in confidence as the game wore on and finished with a Mcflurry. We stood firm at the back and a couple of last ditch blocks kept them at bay and the game finished all square.

Take a bow Russell Duncan. The guy has been absolutely superb in the last three or four games and led by example yesterday. Some of his tackles must surely rub off on the likes of Eric...............well maybe not. Poor old Eric, these are not the sort of games for him, brushed aside too easy.

Robert Eagle was another who did his matchday bonus no harm. He takes a bit of stick on here but I always thought he was a decent ball player and yesterday showed that he has the bottle for the big games.

For Latviaman, put yer bottle down man............we have the best goal difference in a tight division, what more do you want? You high fliers are all the same.

Great day out and cheers to the double deckers. Good fun on the bus home, oh, and fair play to Michael McGovern, he took the jibes well and even he had to laugh at some of the comments. Cheers dude.

[Renegade]

I'd say a draw was a fair result. Neither team was better than the other really, but it could have swung either way. The first half tactics, were how should we say, dull. Every opportunity was a long high ball towards either Rooney or Hayes, or in many case, no-one. Butcher was saying ICT should "win ugly", but it was clear, that these long high balls just make fools of players like Rooney and Hayes and don't add anything to the scoreline. When ICT adopted a more passing style of play, more chance were created. This is the mindset ICT should into games with, not just in the second half.

Of the team, no-one really had a bad game. Esson kept ICT in it a few times (my MOTM), while Golabek looked solid in the first half and Duncan worked very hard. Rooney also worked very hard, but just didn't get the chances or distribution he needed. Eagle played the best I've ever seen him, while Hayes was hot and cold. Tokely actually did quite well at centre-back, but he still can't pass nor control the ball. The rest were all in the okay category, except Odhiambo. How that guy gets in the starting line up is a mystery. That's the second game in the space of a week where he has been completely ineffective.

An all right performance on the whole, but I feel a more urgent style of play from the start would be more beneficial for ICT in the coming games.

[Harry Chibber]

Great result when you take into consideration all the other scores in the division

sort of glad I didn't travel up for it because watching the results coming in at the pub was torcher enough .. great to see Qos, Dundee, Partick all with loses though...

:)

Do you remember your prediction of taking 12 points of County this season?

not really but if I did I'm sure I wasn't the only one...

[Alex MacLeod]

Whens Caley100 coming on to praise Russell?

[MissICT]

I was not too happy with with some of the comments made by Derek Adams at the end of the match.

He is saying that county were the better side, yes in the first half but we were better in the second. He also said how we were never in the game. He was also complaining about our formation as we played one up front and 5 across the middle. we play like this most weeks and who is he to criticise the way we play?

lets make them pay when they come to inverness in a few weeks

[Renegade]

I was not too happy with with some of the comments made by Derek Adams at the end of the match.

He is saying that county were the better side, yes in the first half but we were better in the second. He also said how we were never in the game. He was also complaining about our formation as we played one up front and 5 across the middle. we play like this most weeks and who is he to criticise the way we play?

lets make them pay when they come to inverness in a few weeks

Is he wrong though?

[caley100]

Whens Caley100 coming on to praise Russell?

Eh?? i praise players when they are due praise, and i have been delighted with Russeldinho this season!

He was immense against the Gypo's, and i was also glad to see Eagle play well.

[caley100]

Oh aye... is renegade sha66ing Lionel?

[Johnboy]

Oh aye... is renegade sha66ing Lionel?

Oh Please....

I'm just about to have my Sunday dinner....

[caley100]

Having beef are ya?

[Johnboy]

Yeah....

Followed by spotted dick.

[+DoofersDad]

The game for me was summed up by the contrasting games of Rooney and Barrowman. Rooney worked hard but hardly had a sniff at goal. Barrowman did not work as hard but had several chances / half chances from which, as usual, he made the ball boys work far harder than the goal keeper. The point here is that County created far more than we did and always looked the more likely to score except for a good, but brief spell in the 2nd half.

That's 3 league matches this season that we have been a clear 2nd best to County. With Dundee and QOS both faltering a draw was a good result in the circumstances but it does mean that the game on the 30th really is a huge game for us. If County dominate again and get a win then I cannot see us finishing above them.