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Was there any real need for a Twitter black out today?

Anyway..I hope that was the all-out-play-for-places performance JR was looking for. Somehow I doubt it from what I heard on Sportsound. Great to come straight back from going behind of course...but....

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2 hours ago, Moogthurso said:

Is there a record for number of penalties missed by a team in a season as we must hold it. We have been rotten at penalties for years.

We used to be good at them when we had Rooney up top but it's been very up and down since.

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We completely deserved the win today, but it should be noted that Forfar blazed several of the game's best chances over the bar. Our defence actually looked pretty good but there wasn't much attacking prowess on display, and my first impressions are that neither Oakley nor Baird look like they will score many goals (but more than Shoeshine will) and as a partnership there wasn't much going on at all. 

First half we were playing into the wind, but resorting to long balls up the park. Attacks usually went up the left flank with Calder, who looked dangerous......until the final ball or shot. Polworth failed to convert a penalty that was softly awarded and softly struck. Vigurs played a couple of smart through balls, but that was about it from us.

Second half, the game really opened up, and we moved the ball around much more quickly on the deck.We went behind when Ridgers parried a powerful shot which was nodded in at the far post by the player who reacted first. Equaliser came when Baird couldn't latch on to a long ball at the edge of the box but the oncoming keeper could only block the ball into the path of Oakley who slotted home. A minute later a corner was met by the unmarked Baird at the far post, who had time to take touch and fire home.

The only aspect of the game that I might remember in a few days time is the impressive and entertaining performance by Mulraney when he came on, beating players for fun. It's a long time since we've had a winger who was a joy to watch and I hope he can perform like that against Championship sides cos if he does he'll be a star player for us.

Overall, though, I didn't think we look like a team that will be competing for promotion. Improvement is needed, with more fluidity and cohesion, but it is still very early days for this new team.

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43 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

We completely deserved the win today...

Agree with everything said in the above match report (cut down to save space). A few other things of note...

When we play with Polworth as a RM it means we eliminate one side of the attack. Nothing came from that side in the first half, not helped by Raven being reluctant to get forward. Only in the second half when Raven pushed on and Polworth came inside did we get any threat from that side. Polworth' penalty was honking. 

Chalmers at LB was poor. He was skinned a few times by their podgy winger and didn't make much of an effort to block crosses. 

Calder did well running at his man, but much like Mulraney  he has no end product. He also doesn't communicate at all on the pitch which demonstrates a niavety/rawness that could hold him back. 

My first impression of Susan is that he'll be punted by Xmas, following months of barren performances. Even watching him warm up was painful - poor first touch, limited pace and no strength despite his size. 

Draper seems to be playing with the handbrake on. It was noticeable that he was easily able to shift up the gears once we'd gone 1-0 down, where he drove with the ball effectively. 

Vigurs actually played not too bad in my opinion. All his passes went forward and he created several decent chances. The abuse is getting to him it seems though... where he issued a hand gesture "enjoyed by the ICT Twitter account" to some pre-teens who told him to GTF after a woeful shot at goal straight from ko at 1-0. 

Our CBs both did well I thought, especially Brad McKay. It was noticeable that he was limping throughout the second half, so hopefully he'll be fit for next weekend. 

 

 

Edited by RossP
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Polworth and Draper were our two best players. Quite impressed with Ricardo in the first half but nothing from him in the second.. As for the rest we will struggle to make mid-table in the championship.

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Well I suppose that this was practically a pre-season game and that different punters have different perspectives. 

I thought that Ridgers looked solid - needs to shout more - and I didn't think that he was at fault at the first goal. His distribution was impressive and he is clearly a shot stopper.

Again I thought that Raven gave us that bit extra. But he is suspect now to pace. I felt that we practically played 4-3-3 in the first half and Polworth does not exactly provide cover !!  I was really looking forward to seeing Seedorf but it sounds like playing him behind Seedorf may work.

Not at all impressed by Chalmers. Thought that he was taken to the. Cleaners too often and does not give anything going forward.

Elsdon is a traditional centre half but lacks pace to cover. He was never really tested today and neither was Brad McKay but we have Warren to come in and we are sorely missing pace in central defence. 

Why does Robbo not realise that Polworth is wasted wide right - but there again where does he fit in ? He appeared to be given more of a roving role in the second half but we can do that at Forfar but ?!!

i was really impressed by the way that Vigurs and Draper were played in central midfield. I thought that they really complimented each other with Vigurs deep and Draper probing. Vigurs was a class above everybody else in the first half, albeit fading in the second but my MOM by miles.

Calder was impressive but NOT a left winger or a finisher. Looks more a polished wing back or deeper wide player - unfortunately much like Mulraney. But Tremarco and Calder really is a juicy prospect.

Impressed by Oakley and Baird. They are both pacy and thinkers. They are not on the same wavelength yet but the potential is definitely there. Both took their goals well.

Mulraney to me was a breath of fresh air but also a greedy *******. Perhaps trying to impress too much but  was more of an individual than a team player to me.

Bell did not have much time but looks like the perfect back-up fer Baird. And lastly to FCZ. I think I was initially spooked by  the Clach reports. He is gangly and awkward Buthelezi showed signs  today that he can hold up and pass. At the moment a good back-up for Oakley.

I am really worried about the lack of pace at  the back. Seedorf and Calder at full backs may assist. Polworth is wasted and perhaps needs to be an initial back-up for Vigurs and Draper. Or what about Polly at right back and Seedorf forward. The front two picks  themselves.

Warning  - I was stone cold feckin sober !!

 

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1 hour ago, Yngwie said:

and my first impressions are that neither Oakley nor Baird look like they will score many goals (but more than Shoeshine will) and as a partnership there wasn't much going on at all. 

Do not agree with this at all. I think they have the look of a very good partnership. From what I have seen Oakley wins headers and his hold up play is excellent. Baird will play off him and get in behind and in my opinion will score 15+ goals this season. I think they compliment each other very well. 

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Just now, SteveA said:

Do not agree with this at all. I think they have the look of a very good partnership. From what I have seen Oakley wins headers and his hold up play is excellent. Baird will play off him and get in behind and in my opinion will score 15+ goals this season. I think they compliment each other very well. 

What match were you watching today ?

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6 minutes ago, SteveA said:

Do not agree with this at all. I think they have the look of a very good partnership. From what I have seen Oakley wins headers and his hold up play is excellent. Baird will play off him and get in behind and in my opinion will score 15+ goals this season. I think they compliment each other very well. 

Same match as me apparently - Far from the end product but mega potential. Best pairing we have had in yonks. 

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Just now, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Same match as me apparently - Far from the end product but mega potential. Best pairing we have had in yonks. 

You must be joking? but I will remain with hope that I am wrong. 

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15 hours ago, RossP said:

Agree with everything said in the above match report (cut down to save space). A few other things of note...

When we play with Polworth as a RM it means we eliminate one side of the attack. Nothing came from that side in the first half, not helped by Raven being reluctant to get forward. Only in the second half when Raven pushed on and Polworth came inside did we get any threat from that side. Polworth' penalty was honking. 

Chalmers at LB was poor. He was skinned a few times by their podgy winger and didn't make much of an effort to block crosses. 

Calder did well running at his man, but much like Mulraney  he has no end product. He also doesn't communicate at all on the pitch which demonstrates a niavety/rawness that could hold him back. 

My first impression of Susan is that he'll be punted by Xmas, following months of barren performances. Even watching him warm up was painful - poor first touch, limited pace and no strength despite his size. 

Draper seems to be playing with the handbrake on. It was noticeable that he was easily able to shift up the gears once we'd gone 1-0 down, where he drove with the ball effectively. 

Vigurs actually played not too bad in my opinion. All his passes went forward and he created several decent chances. The abuse is getting to him it seems though... where he issued a hand gesture "enjoyed by the ICT Twitter account" to some pre-teens who told him to GTF after a woeful shot at goal straight from ko at 1-0. 

Our CBs both did well I thought, especially Brad McKay. It was noticeable that he was limping throughout the second half, so hopefully he'll be fit for next weekend. 

 

 

This pretty much sums up what I thought, especially the points re. Chalmers, Calder, Zschusschen, Draper and Polworth (although the stats on Polworth ICTChris quoted recently did give me pause for thought about whether he is in fact more effective playing in a wider area, if at all).

I also felt that Vigurs played well and that it looked like he was trying to take more responsibility for making things happen than has previously been the case, but I wish he was more vocal and more of an organiser - it looks like Robbo might be trying to build play around him this year, but this will only happen if he's a commanding and inspiring presence as well as a skillful one. This sort of presence was really needed yesterday with Draper playing in such a  subdued and apparently restrained way - I still feel that it would be his preference to be away before the transfer window closes, and that it'll probably happen.

The strikers did show some good touches and combinations and each finished his goal well, but I think that we need to keep in perspective who we were playing here - it was Forfar, a team that finished the group in bottom place with a single point, despite that group containing a team from a tier lower than them. IMHO it's far too early to make predictions about how effective they're likely to be as a partnership against better quality opposition, or about how many goals Baird is likely to score - he's a proven goalscorer, but has never been a hugely prolific one. 

Lastly, while the central defenders didn't do a great deal wrong, I do feel that we lacked a commanding presence with good positional sense who is able to build play well from the back - there were a few wild punts yesterday, and while Mckay is vocal and committed, he does have a tendency to get dragged out of position and last season was sometimes too easily beaten for strength and pace. When Warren returns, he should provide enough of the required experience and steadiness alongside Mckay, but Warren did have an error-strewn season himself last year, and in the long term the obvious aspiration must be to find another Meekings or Dods-type player, who can really own the penalty box at Championship level and hopefully beyond.        

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Could NOT access the report forum so here is my final report

A BRIDGE TOO FORFAR !!

Well we bowed out of the Betfred Cup at far too early a stage.  The Bairns were always going to be a tough nut to crack but we should have hit the nine points from the other three. John Robertson certainly played it down with – “We’ve had a decent League Cup without being hugely impressive – It’s been four matches against quality opponents (!!) that has put us in good stead for the league campaign and allowed us to gel and get fitness levels up”. Hopefully he really meant – “I have now had a chance to look at everybody and I know the way forward”.

Station Park may be difficult to find but it is a homely wee stadium and the “astro turf” looks in very good condition. (OK I prefer grass maself). The wind was strong assisted by the intermittent spells of drizzle. We certainly played better when faced to play football against the elements in the first half. The second half became more of a punt which did not work well with the wind and the pitch.

I note that the attendance was quoted at 517 but looked more to me. Good turnout from the Highlands – must have been 100-150. The Central Belters/Juanjo Away were well represented and driven to the game from Dundee by none other than a taxi driver called Bobby Mann. Me – I arrived there – by feckin car – 20 minutes before the kick off with Mrs Johndo and Mini IHE – stone cold feckin sober !! At least my grandson (Leighton) had a winning start to his ICT career.

We totally dominated the first 45 as we had to play football in its true sense. We could have/should have gone in 3-0 up. The final ball/ the final strike was sadly missing. We played some neat stuff but basically fecked it all up at the close. Calder could have netted a hat-trick. Just after the half hour we had a chance to practically ease the game. Initially it looked like a soft penalty award and a trip on Baird but it was reported as being a hand ball. Not sure why Vigurs did not step up but it was left to Polly – possibly to boost his confidence (DOH). It was really a very poor strike and adds to our penalty taking woes.

Four minutes after the restart Marc Scott put Forfar ahead. Perhaps Ridgers was partly to blame but David Cox made a fool out of Chalmers and the initial shot, well saved by Ridgers, should never have been allowed to be completed. Yngwie and I were joking earlier that Cox had enjoyed his summer holidays as he was clearly overweight. But then he tormented Chalmers which says it all.

Perhaps that was a wake up call and at least we reacted. Five minutes later McCallum was at fault as he pulled out of a 50/50 with Baird. The ball went loose and George Oakley neatly tucked it away. Before you could say Inverness Caledonian Thistle a Polworth corner was headed on and John Baird hit a screamer at the back post. And the photo does not lie as Mini IHE shows his seerness by evidently predicting the outcome !!

Image may contain: 1 person, stadium and outdoor

After that I was expecting a barrowload but we appeared to relax. Substitutions may not have helped but we were careless. We did not possess the killing off factor and nearly paid the price. So it was back to the 1984 Lounge for the Juanjo Away and a pickup by Bobby Mann. I headed to Camperdown Park to run the feckin dog, went to Tesco and had ma first feckin swally at 20.00 hrs. So feck the family it is Virgin Rail on my own from now on.

SMILEYMOMETER:smile::smile::smile:

RIDGERS :smile::smile::smile:  Neither worried or inspired me. Looks like a decent shot stopper and a decent distributor but he needs to get nasty and start shouting more.

RAVEN   :smile::smile::smile: Nice to see him back. Looked good in the first half but outpaced on a few occasions by the speedy Scott. Looks more like a squad player.

CHALMERS :smile::smile:  Disappointed. Taken to the proverbial cleaners by a fat Cox. Perhaps that was a Twiiter prediction

ELSDON  :smile::smile::smile: Looks the part but not the most mobile and looks very green and surprisingly not the best in the air.

McKAY  :smile::smile::smile: Thought he was going off in the first half as he appeared to have pulled a muscle. Expected more from him.

POLWORTH   Why does Robbo not realise that Polworth is wasted wide right - but there again where does he fit in ? He appeared to be given more of a roving role in the second half but we can do that at Forfar but ?!! The roving role however appeared to nullify both Vigurs and Draper

VIGURS  :smile::smile::smile::smile::smile:  What was the abuse for ?  Vigurs was a class above everybody else in the first half. A sweet left foot comparable with the taxi driver called Bobby Mann. Ran the game for 45 minutes. Faded in the second but the wind was with us and punts became predominant. My MOM by miles.

DRAPER  :smile::smile::smile::smile:Some are stating that he is in second gear. He has always appeared to be in second or third gear to me. He linked well with Vigurs playing in front of him. We really, really need to hold on to him

CALDER :smile::smile::smile:  Calder was impressive but NOT a left winger or a finisher. Looks more like a polished wing back or deeper wide player - unfortunately much like Mulraney. But Tremarco and Calder together really is a juicy prospect. But again where do you play him Robbo ?

OAKLEY / BAIRD I:smile::smile::smile::smile: x2  Impressed by  both Oakley and Baird. They are both pacey and thinkers. They are not on the same wavelength yet but the potential is definitely there. Both took their goals well.

MULRANEY  Mulraney to me was a breath of fresh air but also a greedy *******. Perhaps trying to impress too much but was more of an individual than a team player to me.

BELL  Bell did not have much time but looks like the perfect back-up fer Baird

FCZ (Susan) . I think I was initially spooked by the Clach reports. He is gangly and awkward but he showed signs  today that he can hold up and pass. At the moment a good back-up for Oakley. And he is much better than the Walrus.

 

SO .. I am really worried about the lack of pace at  the back. Seedorf and Calder at full backs may assist. Polworth is wasted and perhaps needs to be an initial back-up for Vigurs and Draper. Or what about Polly at right back and Seedorf forward. The front two picks  themselves.

 

 

 

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