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Inverness CT -V- St Johnstone - Premiership Play-Off


tm4tj

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You can see what Dodds was thinking - that they'd come at us strongly (correct) and so we needed to hold them first (didn't work!) and then bring on the artillery (worked better than anybody could have imagined at halftime!). 

But I do think that, given our injuries and refereeing casualties, the best we could hope for before the game was to to be able to go to Perth still in it, and with a chance to pull off something remarkable. And, by some miracle or other, the players did it. They are going to be on a high over the weekend so that is the best preparation for the game we could have hoped for. You feel that the game could go either way now, and that is itself a real achievement.

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1 hour ago, tm4tj said:

Wow!

It looked amazing in the ground but even better seeing all the angles.

That tops his goal of the season against Dunfermline.

I doubt we can keep him for next season but hopefully he gets a club that gives him game time and the chance to realise his potential. 

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These Friday night matches have been pretty incredible. They often are when we are involved, for whatever reason.

Arbroath get a 2 player head start, SaintJohnstone get a 2 goal head start. Yet here we are going into the play off final 2nd leg with a decent chance.

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1 minute ago, Yngwie said:

These Friday night matches have been pretty incredible. They often are when we are involved, for whatever reason.

Arbroath get a 2 player head start, SaintJohnstone get a 2 goal head start. Yet here we are going into the play off final 2nd leg with a decent chance.

The planet's are aligning 🌍⚽🌚🌞🌝

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This team :ictscarf:

As has been stated, we were abysmal for a vast majority of the game and have to thank Ridgers (again) for keeping us in it, that save at 0-0 was excellent but the one from Middleton was even better (he 100% got a touch to it by the way) and the one where he saved his own blunder on to the bar was as crucial :).

 

We've criticised Billy quite a bit this season (especially during our dreadful run) so he rightly deserves praise this play off campaign for making the right changes at the right time and also applaud him for admitting he got the starting formation wrong tonight, it's clear that we have to go 4-4-2 on Monday and keep it tight for as long as possible :D.

 

Ridgers

Carson Broadfoot Devine Deas 

Doran McAlear Allardice Chalmers 

McKay and Samuels.

 

Subs: Mackay, Harper, Hyde, Welsh, Nicolson, Hardy and either Strachan or Dan Mackay's bro.

 

That would be the team I'd go with though I'd be amazed if Billy dropped Welsh.

 

As I posted on Facebook, COME ON LADS, ONE FINAL PUSH :ictscarf:!

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I’d start Welsh ahead of Doran as the three in the middle worked when Allardice came on and we need to be competitive against their 5.

I hadn’t realised young Mackay was Dan’s brother. Hope he turns out as influential as Dan did for us. 

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2 hours ago, Yngwie said:

Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet but our first goal should not have stood. Played should’ve stopped for a head knock and also Samuels was offside (not 2 yards offside like Callum Davidson says, but a wee bit offside).

I could see it stopping for the head knock, but don't think Samuels was offside, not when the ball was played. 

 

2 hours ago, Yngwie said:

About time we got a wee bit of good fortune from the match officials.

The ref not blowing for the head knock was definitely good fortune. Probably because our guy got up ... but you got to play the whistle and McAlear did just that 🙂

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Wow...what a game! After that first 45minutes, when we were lucky to not be 4 or 5 nil down. As the saying goes though you have to score when you're dominating the game, and St Johnstone didn't score enough. I can understand the line-up when you consider that neither Chalmers or Smauels have stayed on the pitch for the whole of any match, and Allardice had played less than 5 minutes in 4 months. In theory playing 3 CB's at the back using Welsh was partly to compensate for not having Devine to partner Broadfoot, and gave us 5 at the back or 4 in midfield to suit passages in play. Also with no Sutherland, a way had to be found to occupy the St Johnstone backline [although Hardy is a bit slow and weak at times]....Whatever the plan was, it didn't work in a spectacularly bad way, and I started to think it might be a blessing as there is no way that line up survives in the Premiership.

Dodds therefore deserves great praise for reorganising at half time, and despite what the Sky commentators were saying, you could see we had taken back some of the control of the game from the restart. We were a completely different side in the 2nd half. Samuels made a real difference, he is probably playing the best in his entire career, a decent run in the team and he is developing some strength, control and intelligence to go with his undoubted speed. Chalmers worked hard in defence as well as being a bright spark around the front line. Going to a back 4 with Welsh back in the midfield with some complacency from St Johnstone started the process of regain parity, so for me I felt we were going to get a goal back before we actually did. Allardice added calmness when he came on, let's hope he has no reaction to the game and is available for Monday.

As for McAlear, given that he has been a bit 'off-the-boil' during the run in and play-offs, those goals were sublime. Despite the Sky commentators narrative, if Samuels was offside [I don't think he was] then it was marginal, whilst McKay was already getting up from being headbutted by McCart, which may have swayed the ref's thinking not to stop the game. Davidson's moaning about the goal has more to do with realising he had perhaps thrown the tie away, especially after taking off Hallberg and Middleton when he did. McAlear's free kick really was a thing of beauty {the free kick came from another decent build up from Caley too] I would not have been surprised if we had pinched a 3rd goal [but that would be greedy of me]

The 2nd leg is definitely up for grabs now, with Devine returning, meaning Deas can go to the left back position to nullify the threat of Rooney, perhaps with the help of Chalmers. Dodds will be wondering if Allardice is up for starting bearing in mind this leg could go to extra time [I'd probably start with Hyde], which if it happens might be harder on Caley than St Johnstone [legs-wise].   I suspect the strategy has to be to score first, so Samuels might also start. This leaves the likes of Duffy, Harper, Hardy and Doran to come on later along with Allardice to try and keep St Johnstone at bay.

BTW great to see such a decent crowd in, for such an important game, lots of home support including the young crew on the West stand, to counteract a large St Johnstone following.

We can definitely do based it on what I saw in the 2nd half and with reinforcements for the return leg, but it could feel like the longest 90mins. or 120 [Dear God no!] of our Caley lives. :ictscarf:

Edited by Eagle4Caley
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10 hours ago, Yngwie said:

These Friday night matches have been pretty incredible. They often are when we are involved, for whatever reason.

Arbroath get a 2 player head start, SaintJohnstone get a 2 goal head start. Yet here we are going into the play off final 2nd leg with a decent chance.

I really enjoy  Friday night football.  I'd happily go every Friday night. 

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The first half has completely been erased from my memory by the second half - what a night. Well done boys, Billy Dodds and all involved. That is what we go to games to see.

The atmosphere was electric in the crowd, and the noise in the stands was as supportive as the lads could have hoped for.

Thanks to the club for all the tickets gifted to young players and school pupils this week. I know for a fact that the youngsters from Dalneigh had a ball. These are our future season ticket holders and I'm sure they will return after last nights excitement. Great to see that lots of the youngsters were female - ICT are really raising the profile of women's football in the city and surrounding area.

Best of luck for Monday - wish I could go - get those pink strips on and gie them laldy down in Perth.

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I rewatched the match on TV this morning at that free kick was every bit as stunning as it looked at the time.

Unlike the match at Gayfield which was littered with them, there was only one real moment of controversy.

We were perhaps a little fortunate with our first goal. Samuels may just have strayed offside but, if he did, it was marginally.

Some referees might have stopped the match for a head knock but the laws of the game permit them to use discretion and Billy had clearly been fouled. Both the referee and the standside assistant got a clear view of the incident and could see that both players were moving and that Billy was actually back on his feet and, as it turned out neither were injured.

The cut back from Samuels and the finish from McAlear were sublime.

What was most revealing of all was the reactions of both managers in their respective post match interviews.

Dodds was honest and candid and conceded that our initial problems were down to him getting it wrong with team selection and formation.

In stark contrast, Callum Davidson did not accept at all that he bore any responsibility for the capitulation with his failure to react to our changes and his own inexplicable substitutions instead blaming a single refereeing decision which, as I indicated above, could have gone either way. As it happens, I think Madden had a good game feeling it necessary to weild only one yellow card in what was a competitive and hard fought game.

The Perth Saints are clearly rattled whilst we have gained some confidence and composure.

I hope that the boys are given the day off todsy followed by a light training session tomorrow including a spot of penalty practice before travelling down the road on Monday with, assuming we get our team selection and tactics right from the outset, every bit as much of a chance of spending next season in the Premiership as our hosts.

Finally, great credit to the large crowd who stayed behind the team even when things were looking hopeless.

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32 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

The Perth Saints are clearly rattled whilst we have gained some confidence and composure.

Agreed.  I am sure that Dodds will be emphasising this to our players.  I would also emphasise this in every broadcast or print interview before Monday, in the hope that it gets through to the St J players.  "They are more used to losing than we are.  They are fighting to keep their place, while we can only go upwards."  And so on.

Mind games didn't end with Ferguson and Wenger  :stir:

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17 minutes ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

Agreed.  I am sure that Dodds will be emphasising this to our players.  I would also emphasise this in every broadcast or print interview before Monday, in the hope that it gets through to the St J players.  "They are more used to losing than we are.  They are fighting to keep their place, while we can only go upwards."  And so on.

Mind games didn't end with Ferguson and Wenger  :stir:

Or with Steve Paterson who was a master of them in his day.

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44 minutes ago, Caley Mad In Berks said:

Do we know what the attendance was?

I don't remember it being announced but it looked north of 5,000 to me.

When I watched the match back on TV it was great not to be able to read the lettering picked out the seats for the first time since goodness knows when.

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Still grinning inanely today! Half time I really thought we’d blown it. We looked smaller, slower and devoid of any idea of what to do. Welsh at centre half was used at beginning of season and there is some sense in having there for his range of passing….but not last night. He looked so much more effective in midfield. The big change came with getting the width to the team and putting StJ on the back foot. Allardice made a huge difference as did Chalmers and Samuels looked electric.

there’s no way we’ll play that badly again and with devine back we will have our usual shape back. 
 

There must be some real belief in that squad that they can do this now. 
 

off to watch the highlights….again!  
 

can you imagine a midfield with MCAleer, Allardice and MacGregor next season!

Edited by FrontRow
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What was most revealing of all was the reactions of both managers in their respective post match interviews.

Dodds was honest and candid and conceded that our initial problems were down to him getting it wrong with team selection and formation.

In stark contrast, Callum Davidson did not accept at all that he bore any responsibility for the capitulation with his failure to react to our changes and his own inexplicable substitutions instead blaming a single refereeing decision which, as I indicated above, could have gone either way. As it happens, I think Madden had a good game feeling it necessary to weild only one yellow card in what was a competitive and hard fought game.

 

This from @Kingsmills is spot on. From what I've seen on social media no Saints fan is complaining re the goal standing but all are blaming Davidson for being complacent. 

We watched the game with my pal who is a St J fan - that wasn't awkward at all 😁

Looking forward to Monday with a sense of trepidation...

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