Start to the season

[+MrCaleyjag]

Now that we have to endure the obligatory international break just as the season gets going how well have we really started compared to how we all thought we would after three league games?

Trying to be impartial I would say fair to decent, at the start of the season I would have been happy with 4 points from the first three games.

I don't think really any one of us would have realistically thought we could take anything from the first game v Celtic when the fixtures were announced however probably a draw at Tannadice would have been most peoples thought with today being a win against a poor Hamilton side.

So having 3 points maybe insn't that bad if you look at it from that perspective. Obviously we would have wanted it to be 6 after last weeks triumph but it hasn't transpired so I hope it doesn't get the team down too much, not that I think TB will allow the players to dwell on it too much.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

3 points on the board after the first 3 fixtures is about as much as anyone could realistically have hoped for . Dont get me wrong losing at home to our biggest relegation rivals is a blow but once we have our first 11 on the park I think we'll be ok .

[The Mantis]

Hamilton weren't my tip for the drop anyway. Reading the papers people seem surprised by their poor start. My tip was always the Midden followed by Killie.

Edited August 28, 2010 by TheMantis

[TopSix]

I thought we COULD get points off sellic, lose to slumdee utd and win against the accies so it's kinda even Stephens...

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I expected - on paper - 4 points from the first three games - zilch against Cellic, a draw at Tannadump and three against Hamilton.

1-0 yesterday was typical and we simply have to look at how we prepare tactically fer home games against teams who are going to defend and go fer a 1-0 win - and I suspect that we are talking about everybody bar the Old Firm - I can see Jam Tarts or Aberdire being slightly more offensive but they will primarily be trying to shut up shop.

Personally I would be playing a bit more in the away style, playing deeper and trying to encourage teams to come at us - then if ya use the width of the likes of Hayes and Ross, the pace of Eric and the power of Rooney - ya just may get somewhere. We have to adopt the apparent away psyche at home. We are the type of team that when we get our noses in front ya can see a big difference. But even if we go down away from home ya still have the belief that we can come back. IF we had scored in 41 seconds it would have been a totally different story - but worringly we had 90+ minutes to claw it back and we appear to simply not have the class to do so.

And that is a worry.

[Council Juice]

I guess 3 from 9 isn't awful. Most outsiders would have expected us to lose to Celtic and Dundee Utd away whilst would give us a chance against Hamilton at home. To be honest I'd much rather have lost to DUTD and beaten Hamilton as I can't see Utd being in the relegation mix. We are more likely to be.

Had to be that wee soap dodger Imrie with one of his 1 in a 1000 30 yard "specials" though didnt it.

[PullMyFinger]

I woldn't really have expected more than 1 point at this stage when the fixtures came out. Home to celtic - nil points, away to Utd. - nil points, home to Hamilton - une point (we haven't beaten them in the SPL, yet).

All in all a positive start and certainly as good as could have been expected considering we have a few players new to the SPL and a few injuries.

[caleyblue]

first 2 games expected nowt so 3 points was a bonus and thought would be lucky to gat a point via hodooo that is hamilton so to be there with 3 pints is nae bad so far but cant wait to see ritchie foran back in the line up

[kencar]

Given our result against United losing yesterday was a real body blow. We now have 2 difficult ties against Hibs & Hearts coming up before we play St Mirren away (which I think is our most realistic chance of 3 points).

[12th Man]

It one word 'rollercoaster ride'

An average of 1 point a game would would guarantee survival but I think we can do better than that.

But its early in the season and im looking forward to a 21 game unbeaten run starting in November

If not i'll settle for L,W,L,W ect

[SMEE]

I would say....tactically thinking....the 3 pts from Hamilton would have been more usefull come the end of the season. I think 4 pts from the first three games was a realistic target...so i guess, I am saying we are slightly behind where i thought we would have been at this point.

[tm4tj]

I like to wait a little to see all eleven rivals before giving out ratings. But as said above, the United game was brilliant, the reverse of that was losing to Hamilton and anything that can be got from the old firm is a bonus.

Satisfied............so so.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

You are all suffering from the Sabbath niceness - we SHOULD have SIX feckin points.

[Johnboy]

Or 9...

[ictchris]

I posted on the other thread - we need to be consistent and keep our points total ticking over. In 2008/09 we beat Aberdeen, Hibs and Rangers away fromhome but still got relegated. We need to make sure that the DUndee Utd result doesn't fall into this pattern. We've now got Hearts and Hibs to play, both difficult ties before what will be a big match-up against St Mirren away. If we went into the Saints game with six points of more I'd be fairly pleased.

[PullMyFinger]

People, we have faced two of last seasons top 3 teams and the 9th placed. We are sitting in the top 6 having one of our most influential players on the sidelines through injury. Do we really need a "Believe" thread so early in the season?

[ictchris]

People, we have faced two of last seasons top 3 teams and the 9th placed. We are sitting in the top 6 having one of our most influential players on the sidelines through injury. Do we really need a "Believe" thread so early in the season?

Accies finished seventh last season.

[Johnboy]

People, we have faced two of last seasons top 3 teams and the 9th placed. We are sitting in the top 6 having one of our most influential players on the sidelines through injury. Do we really need a "Believe" thread so early in the season?

It didn't do us any harm last season.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

People, we have faced two of last seasons top 3 teams and the 9th placed. We are sitting in the top 6 having one of our most influential players on the sidelines through injury. Do we really need a "Believe" thread so early in the season?

It is more of a "Beware" or "Be aware" thread than a "Believe" thread - I believe that we are capable of a Top Six finish BUT we have to be more tactically aware and prepared at home.

[PullMyFinger]

People, we have faced two of last seasons top 3 teams and the 9th placed. We are sitting in the top 6 having one of our most influential players on the sidelines through injury. Do we really need a "Believe" thread so early in the season?

Accies finished seventh last season.

I don't follow diddy leagues.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

It one word 'rollercoaster ride'

An average of 1 point a game would would guarantee survival but I think we can do better than that.

But its early in the season and im looking forward to a 21 game unbeaten run starting in November

If not i'll settle for L,W,L,W ect

[Scarlet Pimple]

Ryan Esson was off his line at the Imrie strike. Had he been back a bit then I think he would have got it. If he lerans from that then no fault. However, the ball was not hit with ferocious intensity so I feel it was stoppable.

That in itself was not the clincher, however. The defence looked fragile in the highlights and there was a timidiy and lack of drive about the team after that goal that was uninspiring . Hamilton were composed and played neat football, unimpressed, seemingly,by Caley thistle's feats to date.

But what would have been their performance had our team been upset by the goal to the point where they pulled out all the stops, increased their pace and played like they did in the opening half against Celtic?

Somehow the team must increase the tempo of their game---or else. Maybe they have had it too easy, in a sense, for the past year. But this is now the SPL where no team can be counted out and the Dundee United game may just have been a fluke.

As I said before, I feel that Terry has his work cut out to get the younger lads into the right , determined, first into the tackle , mindset!

[Alex MacLeod]

It one word 'rollercoaster ride'

An average of 1 point a game would would guarantee survival but I think we can do better than that.

But its early in the season and im looking forward to a 21 game unbeaten run starting in November

If not i'll settle for L,W,L,W ect

An average of one point a game seen us relegated.

I think we've done ok so far and can only build on what we've got.