Brewster in perspective.

[TSTtiger]

I am ashamed by the rubbish some fans are typing on these forums. If you don't like what you see, don't go and watch it. Some are already doing that, although I question the real reason for that. It is always going to be difficult to keep ICT in the top league, but here we are. Don't judge Brew on the next three results, they are tough games anyway, judge him at Xmas and see if you still feel the same. In fact, if he is not performing well by then we will be in trouble and you can all say we told you so, but don't turn your back on the team right now, they will do their best to get back up the league.

fair enough theres a lot of harsh words being spoken in anger but the root of it is the boards devious attempt to pull the wool over everyones eyes with this shortlist crap, meeting fans etc when they would have been as well to phone brew on sunday and he could have started on monday.ignoring warnock,  and coyle for that matter is scandelous and something i'd expect romanov to pull , not ict. the board need to come out and explain themselves. :018:

[Johnboy]

The hard fact remains that we got a few decent results thanks to Brewster the player - not Brewster the manager in the dugout.....

This was never better demonstrated than when he went to DUFC and broke his leg in his first appearance for them.... From that moment on, Charlie Bannerman - yes - he did become a bad manager overnight....

There have been many examples over the years of players, most notably Kenny Dalglish, who was a brilliant player/manager, but a lousy manager....

For me Brewster is in that catagory..... He might score the odd useful goal for us in the short term, but our long term prospects do not look very promising at all to say the least....

[kiltarlity]

Spin Spin Spin...

Do you not remember all the flac Brewster took from the board for not upholding his Gentlemans agreement re leaving ICT's players alone for 6 months..

He was seen in the press and the pub trying to recruit Black, Dodds etc just weeks into his appointment.

Graham

[Strathman]

I dont remember Dalglish playing for Blackburn and Newcastle when they won and finished 2nd in the premiership respectively. Thats beside the point.

The reason Brewster is not being welcomed with open arms is for me his record at Dundee United.  The broken leg point is valid.

He has never built a side like my choice (Pele) and Neil Warnock who have built several.

To be fair I do think he has a presence and may well be successful but it is a massive gamble compared to appointing Paterson and Warnock.

I would loved to have seen Warnock and Scottish referees when the old firm get dodgy penalties and we do not get stonewall ones.

[4ize]

I am ashamed by the rubbish some fans are typing on these forums.

Don't feel ashamed, you just have to work at it. I was unusual in posting almost 100% pure bollocks from day one on the old board - most people need time to get up to speed. Keep trying, you'll be posting rubbish before you know it 

[Alex MacLeod]

Was he recruiting or just having a drink with some mates. I had a drink with him a couple of times after he left and he always came across to me to be in Inverness to unwind.

As to his DU record, yes there were good high paid players there but his instruction was to get rid of them, not to play them. He also introduced double training, something those players rebelled against. They were being asked to work for three hours a day, four days a week and play on a saturday. Thirteen and a half hour week and they weren't happy. Unhappy players brought down Craig Brewster, not his position.

Looking at Scotty's stats, Brew's record was better when he was on the field.......so was Dargo's. I think he may actually prove a better coach of our strikers. Especially Bayne and Rory.

[alternative maryhill]

I wasn't a fan of Brewster's style of play and am not very happy with his his reappointment, but playing devil's advocate for a moment:

When Brewster was manager previously we had far fewer options up front and he was justified in playing himself. Since then, Bayne has grown into his role as an SPL target man and has scored vital goals; we have forwards that clearly possess a lot of skill in Niculae, Wyness and MacDonald; we have a forward that apparently shows great potential on the training pitch in McAllister; and we have Wood who can come in from loan.

This could be the opportunity for Brewster to prove himself a manager and a coach. If, as a striker of gretat experience, he can't get the best out of the deepest squad of forwards we have ever had, then he probably won't succeed. If he can, then we may see the record of "Brewster the Manager" improve.

[4ize]

I wasn't a fan of Brewster's style of play and am not very happy with his his reappointment, but playing devil's advocate for a moment:

When Brewster was manager previously we had far fewer options up front and he was justified in playing himself. Since then, Bayne has grown into his role as an SPL target man and has scored vital goals; we have forwards that clearly possess a lot of skill in Niculae, Wyness and MacDonald; we have a forward that apparently shows great potential on the training pitch in McAllister; and we have Wood who can come in from loan.

This could be the opportunity for Brewster to prove himself a manager and a coach. If, as a striker of gretat experience, he can't get the best out of the deepest squad of forwards we have ever had, then he probably won't succeed. If he can, then we may see the record of "Brewster the Manager" improve.

You're not playing Devil's advocate, you're pointing out reasonable grounds for hope. It's a very good point that we were stuck for forwards for most of Brew's reign and that we're not really now. If the folk who are positive about Brew are right he ought to be able to do so much better this time around, and I hope they're right. Show me some attractive football and I'll recant. For now, I'll live with my doubts.

[Caley Mad In Berks]

I am ashamed by the rubbish some fans are typing on these forums. If you don't like what you see, don't go and watch it. Some are already doing that, although I question the real reason for that. It is always going to be difficult to keep ICT in the top league, but here we are. Don't judge Brew on the next three results, they are tough games anyway, judge him at Xmas and see if you still feel the same. In fact, if he is not performing well by then we will be in trouble and you can all say we told you so, but don't turn your back on the team right now, they will do their best to get back up the league.

At last some common sense.  I didn't want Brew myself ( nor the whinger, Warnock), but I'm prepared to give him a chance. 

[ictchris]

I'm just a little bit dismayed at the incredibly negative comment on this forum about the return of Craig Brewster and I believe that at least some of it may be the result of misunderstanding and misinformation.

I believe that there's a lot of (unjust) anti Brewster feeling because the nature of his departure in January 2006 has not been fully understood. Weeks before he left, he was unfortunately "ambushed" into indicating that he was at ICT to stay. Then a very persuasive Eddie Thomson came in with an offer he couldn't refuse. I was there when Brewster made that first statement - which was solicited rather than volunteered -  and he really couldn't have said anything else, nor could he have read the future. Then when he did leave, it was only after a great deal of persuasion, a great deal of thought, yes, a very good financial offer but who wouldn't be influenced by that? Then most of importantly of all, he refused to leave unless Caley Thistle got very generous compensation. This last fact is not very well known and the cash concerned created that year's profit.

There are also complaints about his record and his style of play. His results at Inverness were pretty good and you cannot take into account his poor statistics at Tannadice. He did not suddenly become a bad manager overnight, but he did move into a much less positive football environment overnight. I don't believe many of his United players (despite their hefty pay cheques) were prepared to put in the work he demanded and I think that when he went there, working under Eddie Thomson was not quite what he expected.... as many other managers have found. On the other hand the Brewster - ICT combination has already been proved to work.

If there is concern about his style of play, don't panic. You may very well find a positively different and more experienced Craig Brewster from the one which left 19 months ago. But he will certainly not have changed in his desire to produce a fit team.

I also think that some of the anti Brewster sentiment has been generated by the fact that the new man will NOT be Neil Warnock. For some reason a lot of fans seemed to be drawn into a storm of pro Warnock hysteria... but on the basis of what? A statement from Warnock which smacked seriously of the shop window? Did the directors ever really rate him as a realistic option? Would his financial requirements have been realsitic? How big a risk would there have been of him being away in months to the Premiership or the Championship? Does he really know much about Scotland outside the Old Firm?

If fans feel deprived of their high profile manager, think back to Jim Leishman and Sergei Baltacha. These were both high profile managers taken in by Thistle and Caley in the early 90s and both proved to be failures. Apart from the refusal of both to relocate to Inverness, neither understood football at the level at which they were managing and this was the main reason for their failure to produce. I believe Neil Warnock may well have fallen into the same trap and then we might well have got a lot more of the dressing room dramatics which someone at Wednesday night's meeting said they witnessed on U Tube.

Craig Brewster is here... or at least he will be on Monday. I don't really see much reason for Caley Thistle fans not to get solidly behind him and the team who really do need to feel a positive message from their supporters and not carping about the new manager.

Excellent post.  Some of the stuff on here about Brewster has been an absolute joke.

[Guest ICT]

I don't really see much reason for Caley Thistle fans not to get solidly behind him and the team who really do need to feel a positive message from their supporters and not carping about the new manager.

I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, Charles. The rest of your post sounded like you were making sure you didn't p1ss off the man who will be your main interviewee soon.

[Guest sophia]

Welcome back Craig Brewster.

Please do all you can to grasp your best chance to make your name as a manager.

My glass is half full. I hope and expect that your fortunes second time around will be as good as they were when you graced our colours before.

Don?t play.

It?s your prerogative to set out your match tactics in whatever way you see fit.

Perhaps you are like me and cannot see the logic in some of the posts on here criticising the ?long ball?.

I don?t ever recall a time when we as a club have not had to cut our cloth to suit the circumstances.

Ignore the left field criticism on here, some of it beggars belief. From claims that single posters are talking for the ?majority? of fans to one who is taking the ludicrous stance of boycotting games in a toys out of the pram episode that if others were to follow would leave the club bankrupt.

[crownjaggie]

1. His training and diet regimes had our team playing at the height of their capabilities.

2. Many of the players will welcome him back and will "play" FOR him.

3. Niculae WILL benefit. Niculae is a Brewster-esque type of player - but potentially better. If he plays in the old Brew role, as coached by the man himself, he could be a major asset. At the moment he doesnt fit into the system or vice versa.

Agree totally with IHE.

Circumstances when Brew and Robbo were different in that although Brew wanted to go for the same reasons, they went about it in totally different ways.  Brew displayed loyalty and endeavoured to ensure that we benefitted financially from his departure.  The poaching of "his staff" once he had left is no different to managerial tactics anywhere in the world. 

A great deal of what CB quoted in his article was common knowledge, but disregarded by many angry ICT fans at the time. 

I have my fingers crossed that Brew has learnt many things about management over the last 19 months.

[Gabby]

Well said Charles and I do agree.

As an ex-Journalist myself I understand that sometimes you have to "manufacture" or attempt to illicit comments from talent and CB was in a position that he could not win.

Even a "no comment" would have been read as "Brewster wants to leave"

Brewster left because of an offer that he could not refuse and I challenge anyone that is offered a considerable wage increase to join a competitor that would not take that offer.

His insiting on a generous compensation for ICT appears to be indiciative of his character and I am more than comfortable with him returning.

I wish CB all success with ICT and I look forward to him proving the doubters wrong.

[EWS]

Screw us not wanting Brewster.  He isn't going to want to come to us after this result?

[+Wanderer]

I'm just a little bit dismayed at the incredibly negative comment on this forum about the return of Craig Brewster and I believe that at least some of it may be the result of misunderstanding and misinformation.

I believe that there's a lot of (unjust) anti Brewster feeling because the nature of his departure in January 2006 has not been fully understood. Weeks before he left, he was unfortunately "ambushed" into indicating that he was at ICT to stay. Then a very persuasive Eddie Thomson came in with an offer he couldn't refuse. I was there when Brewster made that first statement - which was solicited rather than volunteered -  and he really couldn't have said anything else, nor could he have read the future. Then when he did leave, it was only after a great deal of persuasion, a great deal of thought, yes, a very good financial offer but who wouldn't be influenced by that? Then most of importantly of all, he refused to leave unless Caley Thistle got very generous compensation. This last fact is not very well known and the cash concerned created that year's profit.

There are also complaints about his record and his style of play. His results at Inverness were pretty good and you cannot take into account his poor statistics at Tannadice. He did not suddenly become a bad manager overnight, but he did move into a much less positive football environment overnight. I don't believe many of his United players (despite their hefty pay cheques) were prepared to put in the work he demanded and I think that when he went there, working under Eddie Thomson was not quite what he expected.... as many other managers have found. On the other hand the Brewster - ICT combination has already been proved to work.

If there is concern about his style of play, don't panic. You may very well find a positively different and more experienced Craig Brewster from the one which left 19 months ago. But he will certainly not have changed in his desire to produce a fit team.

I also think that some of the anti Brewster sentiment has been generated by the fact that the new man will NOT be Neil Warnock. For some reason a lot of fans seemed to be drawn into a storm of pro Warnock hysteria... but on the basis of what? A statement from Warnock which smacked seriously of the shop window? Did the directors ever really rate him as a realistic option? Would his financial requirements have been realsitic? How big a risk would there have been of him being away in months to the Premiership or the Championship? Does he really know much about Scotland outside the Old Firm?

If fans feel deprived of their high profile manager, think back to Jim Leishman and Sergei Baltacha. These were both high profile managers taken in by Thistle and Caley in the early 90s and both proved to be failures. Apart from the refusal of both to relocate to Inverness, neither understood football at the level at which they were managing and this was the main reason for their failure to produce. I believe Neil Warnock may well have fallen into the same trap and then we might well have got a lot more of the dressing room dramatics which someone at Wednesday night's meeting said they witnessed on U Tube.

Craig Brewster is here... or at least he will be on Monday. I don't really see much reason for Caley Thistle fans not to get solidly behind him and the team who really do need to feel a positive message from their supporters and not carping about the new manager.

Mr Bannerman, not that you were ever 'down' in my estimation...but you are definitely 'up' after that post.

Well done sir  :022:

[beachcomber]

Don?t play.

We've scored 2 in 4 games

We're signing one of the leagues top scorers

How can you tell him 'Don't play'  :029:

If anyone can score an extra 8 or 10 goals for us this season it's Brewster, and those extra goals will probably make the difference at the end of the season.

He is coming as player/manager isn't he

[CaleyD]

You can argue all you like about "Brewster the Manager" but their is little argument against "Brewster the Player", given the bizarre events of the last week however, it would not surprise me in the slightest if the Board said he had to drop any ideas of playing and concentrate on his weakest element.

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

I assume if he does come in it will be as Player/Manager as it will beat the dead-line and solve one of the board's other problems (up front anyway).  Does this mean additional compensation (or was there a clause, as others have previously alluded to, in his Aberdeen contract about mangerial posts).  I hope the paperwork was all signed off on Friday evening otherwise if not it could be costly  :023:

[Guest sophia]

Craig,

Please play.

Choose eitehr centre half position or goalkeeper.

[nogbad the bad]

I dont quite get this, Brewster player/Brewster manager, percentage

wins bit. Brewster before and even now at 41 years old is still one of the best target men/goal scorers in Scottish football( and that doesn't

say a lot for our football I'm sorry to say). So, naturally, when he plays ,

a team has a much better chance of winning than when he is replaced  , due to tiredness or suspension or whatever, by a player not even half as good as him.It has nothing to do with how good or bad a manager he may be. Surely this is a no brainer.

[Yngwie]

I dont quite get this, Brewster player/Brewster manager, percentage

At least you are honest!

[Kind of Blue]

Charles, I agree with most of the points that you made.

Although I would have liked Coyle or Warnock to be manager, I will give Brewster my full backing.  I'm sure if he gets some good early results the majority of the fans will get behind him.

[mainstander]

Just came across this thread when brousing. Anymore comments?  Anyone changed their minds?

[4ize]

Show me some attractive football and I'll recant. For now, I'll live with my doubts.

I'm pretty happy with what we've seen so far. It hasn't all been roses, but we've played some entertaining football rather than the boring, predictable, one-dimensional home performances we saw under Brew's first stewardship. It's a bit early to say all's well but it looks promising  :003: I do wonder, though, where we'd be if you took Niculae out of the equation - the guy's gotta be wondering what the **** he has to do to score, but he's very much the unsung hero for me.