Dundee Utd -V- ICT : Matchday Thread

[absent friend]

Butcher has alot to justify to us with the amount of changes he has made over the summer. Injuries have been a major disruption but its not a strong enough excuse. Our form of the previous season was a reflection of how settled our squad was, strange how much can happen in a year.

I do not feel that TB has to justify himself to any fan!

Some changes to our settled squad were for cash, some to strengthen the squad and some to reduce the payroll and yes, our current first team is not TB's current first team choice due to injury, however to state that this is an EXCUSE when it is an obvious FACT, disappoints me!

Could it be that we are reaping the harvest we should expect being such a wee club, so far from the central belt and the pundits favourite to go down this year. What top class players can we attract?

Perhaps TB should be applauded for doing what he is doing with the players he has but that is not the way of the ICT fan ... they want to shake their heads or ask for an apology or offer a veiled threat 'other fans would be calling for his head'

Well here is one fan who is aware that the reduction of money on offer is reflected in the play on the park, for all teams in the SPL. It may be that our manager will create a much better team by managing/training the current squad but I don't see a large ability gap between us and the current fifth place team.

[CaleyD]

Absent Friend....you too are missing the point.

People accept that we are hindered by injury, but the performance against Utd was not of the standard that it should have been...even allowing for injuries.

If you take a baseline of 100 as being where we would be with all players available and 70 as being where we should be with injuries then ICT performed at about a level 40 last weekend for large spells. If we had performed at 60 to 70 throughout and lost, then the reaction would be a lot different, IMO.

The "injuries" only account for so much of the teams drop in performance.

I also fail to see how Butcher can justify having a pop at the fans for being upset when he himself has describe areas of our game as being woeful last weekend.

[Alex MacLeod]

Esson-----regular starting place

Piermyar--regular starting place

Tokely------regular starting place

Shinnie G-regular starting place

Ross-------regular starting place

Foran------regular starting place

Tansey----regular starting place

Tade-------regular starting place

Eight players who started are regulars. Of the three others Davis is the only one who should maybe have been of the boil seeing as he's the least used to SPL style football. Golobart has started a few games now so should be used to it as should Andrew Shinnie and having seen all of those players perform very well in other games this season I would have thought that we would have defended a lot better than we did on saturday.

We can all argue as to whether the injured players are a big problem but the truth is that those who were selected should be puting in much better performances and should be fighting to keep the place they've been given. If you get a start in this game its up to you to keep it and up to others to wrestle it from you. That for me is the bottom line.

[Yngwie]

Butcher pleads for patience

[Pele_Is_God]

Can't argue with that!

[12th Man]

Butcher pleads for miracles

Sorted it for you.

Who knows, Celtic were nothing special against County, a scramble in the box and an og won the game, hardly what you would expect from a club the size of Celtic.

[Scarlet Pimple]

And what was wrong with making gradual changes at the beginning of the season, as opposed to hell-for-leather, don't hold yer breath or you won't see it, type of thing?

A forced vegetable is not tasty and patience is a virtue.

NO one wants Terry to fail in any way and who would replece him even IF his head did roll--John Robertson?

WEll, that would not be a poor choice but Robbo seems to be a bit of a mercurial wanderlust type of chappie and would that be good for the future of ICT. Frankly, who would be willing to come tothe highlands ?

Terry has to go to the end of the season and,anyway,there are better days ahead. Ask the Oracle, IHE

[Yngwie]

A forced vegetable is not tasty

And the winner of this week's "most interesting phrase" award.....

[Sorted]

Not been convinced by Mr Jones in the games he played.

I know there wasn't many but he didn't seem to force himself

into the game.

OTJ is a huge worry to me and none of it is due to ability.

Why were we able to sign him? Was it the lure of living in Europe's domino capitol (seems to be the only league booming at the moment) or the free passes to The Den? Or was it the huge salary that we are (Romanian mercenaries apart) well known for paying? Perhaps we were the only club willing to give him a contract?

OTJ has played, including substitute appearances, an average of 14 times a season since the end of 2004. Not his fault or a criticism merely fact.

Suggest that we will have a significant part of our playing budget sitting in the stand for most of his time here. Fine if he is on a 'pay as you play deal' but as I understand it that is not the case and he rejected similar offers from bigger clubs. Hence the reason he cam to the Sneck!

Edited September 23, 2011 by Sorted

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

The financial situation is also clearly one to worry about and the fact that we appear to track and buy individuals with a history of injuries. TB is rite to point to the loss of so many "important" players but I have yet to note any mention of shouldering the blame or a form of "togetherness" repetoire.

Robbo is in the shadows and is as settled in Orionville as Butcher is in Tulloch House in Abriachan.

[dougal]

Was I imagining it, or were the Stewards a bit better this time at Dundee? I think it was a different stewarding company and when they were requested to sort out why we were originally stuck in a corner with poor views of the pitch, they did arrange for us to get slightly better seating further along by moving the cordon tape. Well done to Margaret M for taking the stewards on and getting it sorted. That wouldn't have happened with the previous stewards. Even the cop who stood near me at the back had good craic! Changed days indeed at Dundee.

The more I hear about the supporters trust the more it seems to resemble the WRVS are both organisations connected in some way?

dougal

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Dont try it on Dougal lad - Here is a phottie of the New Caley Animals.