Butcher upbeat despite cup defeat

[+MrCaleyjag]

I've not been on since before the Hearts game purely because I was so angry with that display that I decided I would keep my thoughts to myself and not upset anyone but thought now was as good a time as any to post.

I wasn't surprised with last nights result and had already resigned myself to the fact that we were going to get beat, and by a potential cricket score, not because I thought we would be bad but because Celtic would be out to prove a point on the back of Rangers thumping 7-2 win against Dunfermline. They were clearly out to prove a point and the players they brought in were stacking their place for a regular first team slot. Lennon was out at 3 and 4 nil pushing his players up baying for more goals for gods sake.

I 100% agree with TB's reasons and logic behind the team he played last night but the only thing I didn't agree with was the formation, having been very poor defensively since the start of the season it seemed foolish to change to a rigid 3 at the back but on the other hand I don't think we need to worry about seeing that again this season, lessons will have been learned.

For me we need to start protecting the back line and drop the AMC that we play, more often than not Odhiambo, and replace it with a DM who can then sit in front of the defence and protect them as well as starting the play. If it is good enough for Rangers its' good enough for us. We are also struggling to pick up the ball in the middle and our two midfielder's aren't getting in the game, with this hopefully they would and can push up a bit without fear of exposing the defence.

Before the start of the season there were people on here calling for a top 6 finish after the glories of last season and I kept quiet not wanting to steal people's thunder but now I would hope we all agree that survival is the only priority and that trumps any cup run we potentially could go on. Yes it's good when it lasts but long term has no real benefits for a club like ICT apart from the money it brings in and while this is good it doesn't really do anything for the team on the park when there is only one opportunity to bring players in (January window) which could already be too late if we don't start properly and we all saw two seasons ago how difficult it was try to recover in January from a terrible start.

Last season we didn't start well but look what happened - Mahonio all I am going to say is have some faith and see what has happened when we are in November/December. There is nothing wrong with wanting us to win every game, which ultimately everyone on here wants, but we have to be realistic and look at the bigger picture.

[CaleyD]

No more or less than I expected and you have to set aside the disappointment of the result and look at the bigger picture.

Our number 1 priority this season is league survival...NOTHING else matters and I will happily see us work to protect that league position by whatever means necessary and if that means getting knocked out of every cup 6-0 nothing then so be it.

In the cold light of day their were positives to be taken from last night....

• Butcher is willing to make the tough decisions for the right reasons
  
• Nick Ross played another great game
  
• Sutherland showed signs that he is progressing nicely
  
• The majority of the team battled to the end despite the scoreline
  

Granted, we didn't look too hot with so many changes and a team so far from what would be the preferred starting 11, but once I got over the initial shell shock I saw some decent individual performances which give me confidence that we have players waiting in the wings who are capable of playing their part in ensuring we gain the top priority of league survival.

And to finish...Mahonio, I have read your opinion and respect your right to express it, but I too think your talking a load of codswallop.

[Fanoffooty]

linky

Inverness manager Terry Butcher believes his side's focus should be on league points following the 6-0 defeat by Celtic in the Co-op Cup.

"It was a difficult night for us, and it was disappointing. But Saturday against St Mirren is more important to us than this ever was," said Butcher.

"It was a case of trying to protect players for Saturday and be able to go to there with a fresh squad.

"People ask me if I regret leaving players out, but I don't."

Georgios Samaras netted a hat-trick in the rout at Celtic Park, adding to goals from Gary Hooper and a double from Anthony Stokes.

Butcher's side rarely threatened the hosts, although Ki Sung-Yueng had to block a goal-bound shot from Nick Ross almost immediately after kick-off when Shane Sutherland split the Celtic defence in two.

"I thought we looked good going forward - Nick Ross in particular," said Butcher. "He's only 18, but what a wonderful player he's going to be.

"You want to take him out of the side because sooner or later he's going to burn himself out, but he keeps going, and he's a great example to everyone."

While its annoying, frustrating, embarassing and so on to get beat by such a margin i can see Butchers logic. He has clearly identified the league as priority for us this season and i completely agree. We simply cannot afford to be relegated again and while the result was so frustrating i sincerely hope it aids our league campaign.

I am the first to admit that i was nearly tearing my hair out reading live commentary of the game and was so frustrated after the game but now that i have had a chance to reflect ive come to the conclusion that if it helps us get points in the league, then fielding a weaker team was a necessary evil.

i still stand by my comment in the matchday thread that we seriously need to look at strentghening our backline

Well said Mr Butcher , i couldnt agree more

[Scotty]

Oh well ... at least it gave 'The Sun' writers a chance to dust down an old headline and have some fun with it !

[old caley girl]

Was embarrassed last night tbh but as already said its only the folk that paid their money last night that we should feel sorry for.

Cant believe that folk are calling for Terry to go. Folk will hopefully start returning from injury soon and we can have our real 1st 11 out and then we'll see how it goes. I too loved last season but we all knew it would be different this one.

onward and upwards is the only way to go. Heres to a win at Paisley on saturday.

[mainstander]

I would have gone 5-4-1 with Proctor and Tuffey DROPPED for Esson and Duff. I didn't mind seeing Shinnie and Sutherland on but again regarding Shane, he was playing alongside Ross who isn't a Striker.

Tell you what i reckon. Mahonio is starting a whispering campaign on here to undermine Butcher becaus he wants the job himself!!!! The quote is a dead givaway, isnt it? Mahonio is your man!

Either that or Terry should be REALLY worried becaus "mahonio" is actually DAVID F SUTHERLAND in disguise!

Edited September 23, 2010 by mainstander

[KingBeastie]

In disguise as a bawbag!

[Wilsononourwing]

What a crock of sh1t! (the calls for TB's head). It is one bad result, a sore one to be sure, but at the end of the day one bad result against a team that routinely comes 1st or 2nd in the whole country and wins more cups than all the other teams put together (with the exception of Rangers).

If anyone needs reminding, Pele, Robbo and CC all had bad results from time to time and the other - not so well-liked - managers CB & SB had more than their fair share of them too !

Butcher has one of the best records of any of our managers and has brought some cracking players to the club in his short spell here so far. He is struggling with injuries to key players right now and cannot simply go out and get new ones so obviously made a decision to field a somewhat weakened/makeshift team tonight because he is no doubt keenly aware that this weekend is also very important and he cannot afford more injuries .....

My sentiments exactly. Some people need to have a good look at themselves. We had a fantastic campaign last year with promotion, and this will be a fantastic season if (when) we finish 11th or above. Survival Im sure is TB's first objective anything else like cup runs are a bonus/distraction.

Terry I have faith.

[ICTPaisley]

What i don't understand though is that against Peterhead we put out a strong side and i thought that meant we were serious about the cup. Then against Celtic we play youths and fringe players at parkhead when i don't really think its the right time to be introducing them. If terry wanted to focus so much on the league why not just play those players against Peterhead instead?

Team that started against Peterhead.

TEAM: Tuffey, Proctor, McBain, Munro, Gillet, Cox, Duncan, Ross, Hayes, Odhiambo, Rooney

[TopSix]

C'mon Mahonio, the club are working on a tiny budget compared to Celtic. How much have they spent on players during the summer? Think about the difference between the two clubs. That 3-1 game was a massive match for us back then - probably the biggest of that season by a mile. Last nights game was a part of a much bigger, tougher campaign where many of the players are having to find their feet playing up a level.

Edited September 23, 2010 by Top Six Next Year

[Pedz4king]

What i don't understand though is that against Peterhead we put out a strong side and i thought that meant we were serious about the cup. Then against Celtic we play youths and fringe players at parkhead when i don't really think its the right time to be introducing them. If terry wanted to focus so much on the league why not just play those players against Peterhead instead?

Team that started against Peterhead.

TEAM: Tuffey, Proctor, McBain, Munro, Gillet, Cox, Duncan, Ross, Hayes, Odhiambo, Rooney

Match fitness was a problem for a few against peterhead and they didn't have to play their best to beat peterhead while against celtic it would have to be one of their best performances of the year

[Calum8594]

to be honest , caley played sh*t, but a team is nothing without its support.. the away support for Celtic was horrific, your supposed to get behind your team, just like those celtic fans in the north stand, our away support should be exact same as that but no.. 75% of the caley fans sit on there arse for the whole game.. the remaining 25% of the fans got behind there team even though we were losing 6-0..

[ICTPaisley]

What i don't understand though is that against Peterhead we put out a strong side and i thought that meant we were serious about the cup. Then against Celtic we play youths and fringe players at parkhead when i don't really think its the right time to be introducing them. If terry wanted to focus so much on the league why not just play those players against Peterhead instead?

Team that started against Peterhead.

TEAM: Tuffey, Proctor, McBain, Munro, Gillet, Cox, Duncan, Ross, Hayes, Odhiambo, Rooney

Match fitness was a problem for a few against peterhead and they didn't have to play their best to beat peterhead while against celtic it would have to be one of their best performances of the year

I'm pretty sure if they performed with the same energy levels as they did against Peterhead with the same line up we wouldn't have lost 6-0, would of course probably still lost as Celtic played a blinder but not so humiliating. Also think that the players can't go from being needing match practice to needing a rest for other games in less than a month.

[CaleyD]

to be honest , caley played sh*t, but a team is nothing without its support.. the away support for Celtic was horrific, your supposed to get behind your team, just like those celtic fans in the north stand, our away support should be exact same as that but no.. 75% of the caley fans sit on there arse for the whole game.. the remaining 25% of the fans got behind there team even though we were losing 6-0..

Would that include those who chose to shout abuse and bile at our own fans? That does NOTHING to support the team and to be quite honest, we can do without it.

Not everyone goes to a game to jump about, sing and chant like a looney. They certainly don't deserve the crap that was directed at them by a small group of those who proclaim to be somehow better than other fans for whatever disillusioned reasons they may have.

As I've said 1001 times, people should worry about themselves and what they do...sing, chant or whatever and others who want to join in will. If some people don't wish to join in, that's fine. I didn't see them turning around to tell people that they should support the team in the manner they choose, and to be honest, had I been among those the vitriol was being directed towards I am not so sure I would have been so restrained in ignoring it.

The whole thing was rather disgusting and far more embarrassing than the scoreline.

[Alex MacLeod]

to be honest , caley played sh*t, but a team is nothing without its support.. the away support for Celtic was horrific, your supposed to get behind your team, just like those celtic fans in the north stand, our away support should be exact same as that but no.. 75% of the caley fans sit on there arse for the whole game.. the remaining 25% of the fans got behind there team even though we were losing 6-0..

Did you know that only about 25% of Celtic or Rangers fans actually sing and chant. The difference there is 25% of 50,000 is still a large number

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

linky

Inverness manager Terry Butcher believes his side's focus should be on league points following the 6-0 defeat by Celtic in the Co-op Cup.

"It was a difficult night for us, and it was disappointing. But Saturday against St Mirren is more important to us than this ever was," said Butcher.

"It was a case of trying to protect players for Saturday and be able to go to there with a fresh squad.

"People ask me if I regret leaving players out, but I don't."

Georgios Samaras netted a hat-trick in the rout at Celtic Park, adding to goals from Gary Hooper and a double from Anthony Stokes.

Butcher's side rarely threatened the hosts, although Ki Sung-Yueng had to block a goal-bound shot from Nick Ross almost immediately after kick-off when Shane Sutherland split the Celtic defence in two.

"I thought we looked good going forward - Nick Ross in particular," said Butcher. "He's only 18, but what a wonderful player he's going to be.

"You want to take him out of the side because sooner or later he's going to burn himself out, but he keeps going, and he's a great example to everyone."

While its annoying, frustrating, embarassing and so on to get beat by such a margin i can see Butchers logic. He has clearly identified the league as priority for us this season and i completely agree. We simply cannot afford to be relegated again and while the result was so frustrating i sincerely hope it aids our league campaign.

I am the first to admit that i was nearly tearing my hair out reading live commentary of the game and was so frustrated after the game but now that i have had a chance to reflect ive come to the conclusion that if it helps us get points in the league, then fielding a weaker team was a necessary evil.

i still stand by my comment in the matchday thread that we seriously need to look at strentghening our backline

I'll give you a green dot fer that squire and if TB had posted his comments I would have given him a green dot as well. I suspect that the peeple calling fer TB's head are simply projecting their anger about the start to this season in itself, the fact that we havent replicated the results of last season, over expectations and a hammering to boot. I suspect I would have felt worse if I had spent good money going there.

TBH - even though I have the advantage of being a seer - I could see this coming a mile off and that is why I have saved ma spondoolicks fer Paisley.

If you read in to TB's comments it was clearly a calculated decision and therefore must have been supported by the players. If only TB had given a strong hint to the travelling support and offered a bit of an apology as well.

I have also to admit that I was looking fer a good cup run this season but lets face it - yon stoopid seeding and getting Cellic at home almost sealed our doom.

It must be so frustrating for Terry and Mo to lose so many players at an early stage and we may well all have been decrying him if the likes of Rooney or hayes got injured - plus he had to play Tuffey to keep his interest going.

I would actually not have complained if he had piled in youngsters in each full back position.

The league is where it is all about - I also fear a bit for the present back line but three of the probable starters are benched. But Stain Midden havent got much pace up front so that may be our godsend.

[Bridge_Ender]

to be honest , caley played sh*t, but a team is nothing without its support.. the away support for Celtic was horrific, your supposed to get behind your team, just like those celtic fans in the north stand, our away support should be exact same as that but no.. 75% of the caley fans sit on there arse for the whole game.. the remaining 25% of the fans got behind there team even though we were losing 6-0..

Would that include those who chose to shout abuse and bile at our own fans? That does NOTHING to support the team and to be quite honest, we can do without it.

Not everyone goes to a game to jump about, sing and chant like a looney. They certainly don't deserve the crap that was directed at them by a small group of those who proclaim to be somehow better than other fans for whatever disillusioned reasons they may have.

As a lesser fan who wasn't up singing and jumping around, I must say I was humbled by the superb efforts of our super fans who inspired us mere mortals with such incredibly witty chants as 'what a sh1te away support'. The deep sense of pride that we have individuals in our support who are prepared to make up for others shortcomings in such a self effacing way almost brings a tear to the eye. It's true to say that the Celtic Ultras in the opposite corner were stunned into silence by the fantastic efforts of our elite and spent most of the game paying homage to the Inverness support, even turning their backs as a mark of respect at one point.

That's how it went, wasn't it?

[ilpadrino]

Celtic 6 Inverness Caledonian Thistle Reserves 0....there, sounds better now doesn't it?

I gave exactly that reply a few times today in response to some of the twenty-odd times I was asked if I knew the Celtic score from last night.

[ict247]

Would that include those who chose to shout abuse and bile at our own fans? That does NOTHING to support the team and to be quite honest, we can do without it.

Not everyone goes to a game to jump about, sing and chant like a looney. They certainly don't deserve the crap that was directed at them by a small group of those who proclaim to be somehow better than other fans for whatever disillusioned reasons they may have.

As I've said 1001 times, people should worry about themselves and what they do...sing, chant or whatever and others who want to join in will. If some people don't wish to join in, that's fine. I didn't see them turning around to tell people that they should support the team in the manner they choose, and to be honest, had I been among those the vitriol was being directed towards I am not so sure I would have been so restrained in ignoring it.

The whole thing was rather disgusting and far more embarrassing than the scoreline.

Completely agree with Caley D and this is exactly what I was pointing out in the Matchday thread. These so called "fans" need to realise that different people enjoy the experience of going to football in a different way from others. I was increasingly getting frustrated and annoyed with these "fans" who felt it was more appropriate to get on top of our own fans rather than behind the team. What do you think the players think if they hear chants about how poor our support is? It's embarrassing really and it really does ruin our support at times.

[KingBeastie]

Agreed.