BREWSTER BACK IN TRAINING

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I was slightly surprised to see Brew sitting in the Main Stand tonite but I am reliably informed that he has been given permission to train with ICT.  :010: :010: :010:

[Bridge_Ender]

Wonder how that works?! A former manager back as one of the boys?? Must be awkward, at best, for everyone?

If true, a very odd decision.

[caley100]

He still has a house here i believe, and his girfriend still stays here, however if this vision from IHE is true, did he jump and cheer when we scored?

[Alex MacLeod]

He's only keeping himself in shape alongside his former colleagues.

[Harry Chibber]

SCOTSMAN

[kencar]

He's had offers from a couple of 1st division clubs - perhaps more his level now  :014:

[ralph milne]

He'll be playing in the SPL in January !! Word

[Johnboy]

Do you really think the pars will take you on again, Craig? ...Sorry....I mean Ralph....

[ralph milne]

Johnboy, It won't be the Pars, and I'm not CB

[Pele_Is_God]

I heard from a little birdie Motherwell are interested in him.

[caley100]

After todays result Motherwell should think about a defender.

[Johnboy]

Johnboy, It won't be the Pars, and I'm not CB

Hmmmm.... Still not convinced.... Are you going to Australia with him?

[ralph milne]

Ha Ha, Very Good

[Guest Get_off_the_park_Wyness!]

"He was a quality player and person for us and he'll do a good job wherever he goes, but it's hard to imagine us turning back the clock and playing him,"

Doesn't sound like he was shutting the door to me. When Brew came on for Utd at Caley Park a few weeks ago he was still class. Now that he's free to concentrate on his game (with no off field distractions) it's entirely possible that he could get back to the form he showed for us last season. Christie has probably issued him a challenge to prove himself. And who's to say that he won't succeed? Just imagine how motivated he must be after his humiliating debacle down south.

It must have taken guts to swallow his pride, come back up here and knock on the door after everything he's been through. A lesser man would have just jacked it in. Surely everyone agrees, if he's on fire in training it'd be mad NOT to use him. 

[Johnboy]

It must have taken guts to swallow his pride, come back up here and knock on the door after everything he's been through. A lesser man would have just jacked it in. Surely everyone agrees, if he's on fire in training it'd be mad NOT to use him. 

I agree.... He would also be a natural captain, assuming Dods will move on in January.....

[Scotty]

No doubt about his ability as a player, he has still got it, but not sure it would be a wise move to sign him for several reasons ...

1. He has no loyalty to ICTFC. He proved that by taking on the DUFC job. OK, DUFC was his 'dream' move, but you dont bite the hand that feeds you a few weeks after making a statement about loyalty.

2. He tried to unsettle our squad by repeatedly attempting to lure some of our best players to Tannadice. Again, he had to try and do what was best for his new club, but his method of conducting business through the press and then persisting with repeated derisory offers leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

3. We dont know how things were behind the scenes. There were reports that he got on with some players and not with others. I do credit him with motivating Barry to get fit again but how would signing him as a player affect the balance in the dressing room if he came back.

4. When he left we got McSwegan as short term cover and he has been doing pretty well in training and reserve games from what we hear. Pick any two from Wyness, Dargo & Bayne as first choice and McAllister, McSwegan as backups and we are doing ok for strikers. Would CB want to be 6th choice striker ?

5. Would he 'retire' from playing at the first opportunity if a management job came along ? He has already turned his back on the club once, who is to say he wouldnt do it again.

In summary, the Brewster era has gone, he will be better remembered for his goals than his management by most of us, but there is no way back for him even as a player. If our board were able to say there was no way back for Paterson in some role at the club, then CB has even less chance (I would hope). He did contribute to the progress of the club by bringing us up a notch in fitness levels but he chose to leave us for "greener pastures" only to fall foul of the grocer a short time later (as predicted by many before he had even left). Just because ET dumps you Craig, you can't "phone home".

Given that he still has ties up here - wouldnt be surprised to see him pull on the boots for County !!!!

[Guest Get_off_the_park_Wyness!]

Brewster was one of the best players we've ever had, and even if he was a poor tactician as a manager, he's still a useful coach. He got the best out of Dargo and Blackie last season. Both have gone off the boil lately. Young players seem to benefit from playing alongside him. So I expect his addition to the first team would not only bring more goals and a new attacking dimension, but also have a ratchet effect on those (especially Blackie and Dargo) around him.

[Johnboy]

I totally agree, GOTP... He's a master at "reading a game" and as you say motivating his team-mates...

I suspect we are probably in a minority here...  let's have some more opinions.....

[Harry Chibber]

No doubt about his ability as a player, he has still got it, but not sure it would be a wise move to sign him for several reasons ...

1. He has no loyalty to ICTFC. He proved that by taking on the DUFC job. OK, DUFC was his 'dream' move, but you dont bite the hand that feeds you a few weeks after making a statement about loyalty.

2. He tried to unsettle our squad by repeatedly attempting to lure some of our best players to Tannadice. Again, he had to try and do what was best for his new club, but his method of conducting business through the press and then persisting with repeated derisory offers leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

3. We dont know how things were behind the scenes. There were reports that he got on with some players and not with others. I do credit him with motivating Barry to get fit again but how would signing him as a player affect the balance in the dressing room if he came back.

4. When he left we got McSwegan as short term cover and he has been doing pretty well in training and reserve games from what we hear. Pick any two from Wyness, Dargo & Bayne as first choice and McAllister, McSwegan as backups and we are doing ok for strikers. Would CB want to be 6th choice striker ?

5. Would he 'retire' from playing at the first opportunity if a management job came along ? He has already turned his back on the club once, who is to say he wouldnt do it again.

In summary, the Brewster era has gone, he will be better remembered for his goals than his management by most of us, but there is no way back for him even as a player. If our board were able to say there was no way back for Paterson in some role at the club, then CB has even less chance (I would hope). He did contribute to the progress of the club by bringing us up a notch in fitness levels but he chose to leave us for "greener pastures" only to fall foul of the grocer a short time later (as predicted by many before he had even left). Just because ET dumps you Craig, you can't "phone home".

Given that he still has ties up here - wouldnt be surprised to see him pull on the boots for County !!!!

Basically he's an erse I don't care if it was Rooney, the way he has treated the club was a disgrace and he got exactly what he deserved at United.  I'd be disgusted if he was signed again, not only because the way he disrupted our team at the start of the season but because I don't think he was half as good a player as some people are making out on this thread

[Bridge_Ender]

I'd be disgusted if he was signed again, not only because the way he disrupted our team at the start of the season but because I don't think he was half as good a player as some people are making out on this thread

Agreed. If he was as good as everyone makes out why had he the illustrious club list of Dundee Utd, Ionikos (who??!) and Dunfermline on his CV?

His tactics were 1 dimensionsal, all aimed at hitting long ball up to him and either him scoring or Drago feeding off the scraps. Good player, effective at his one trick, yes. Great, no.

If the club allow him to play again for us I'd be considering whether I would go watch and support a ICT team with Brewster in it after the way he treated the club.

Have some self respect ICT and tell him to Get tae feck.

[Alex MacLeod]

Craig Brewster will not come back to ICT. It just wouldn't work no matter what anyone says or thinks. He was the boss. CC was one of his coaches. Any role reversal would cause clashes so, regardless of how good he may be as a player, it just wouldn't work.

[kencar]

CC has already been quoted as saying this won't happen  :021:

[Johnboy]

His tactics were 1 dimensionsal, all aimed at hitting long ball up to him and either him scoring or Drago feeding off the scraps. Good player, effective at his one trick, yes. Great, no.

So what was wrong with that?

He was capable of receiving a long ball, controlling it and making very good use of it.... To me he brought the team a little bit of gloss that has been lacking ever since he moved on....

I agree with Alex, however.... there very likely would be problems regards role reversal with CC in the unlikely event of him coming back...

Would CC want him back?

[Bridge_Ender]

What was wrong with the long ball is that we became predictable, defenders knew all they had to do was nullify Brewster and suddenly we were toothless. It just wasn't effective IMO. ICT up until his arrival had always been a passing team for me and suddenly all we were doing was throwing high balls up to Brewster. No wonder people stopped going to watch us and performances were completely rightly slated for being boring.

Also, since when has the long ball ever 'brought a bit of gloss'?? Or do you mean Brewster himself??!!

[Johnboy]

When you've got someone adept at getting on the end of a long ball, quickly bringing it under control and shielding it while waiting for a colleague to make a run, I loved watching that.... It wasn't completely one dimensional either.... Barry was, and still is, always likely to make very useful contributions going wide & delivering quality crosses.... no...I still say Brewster brought in a bit of gloss....just as he did at Dunfermline....

I saw a lot of the Rangers side of the late seventies....  I can really only recall two of their players of that period... Big Peter McLoy who used to punt high balls up into the opposition penalty box, for Derek Johnstone to back-header the ball into the net.... Gawd...it was boring - but very effective....!!!