Only 7 points from Europe

[12th Man]

You have to hand it to the players 15 points from 6 games is a great achievement and losses for Motherwell, DDU, Hibs and 1 point for the Dons things aren't too bad.

6 wins in a row would have been good but if we win every single game the nucleus of the team goes when managers start buying our players.

As Strachan is starting to find out, you can spend so much on individual footballers but if they cant play as a team they hold little value.

I'm looking forward to seeing our confident team take on Killy.

 

[Alex MacLeod]

Six in a row would have been something that no other team had achieved but the season has a long way to go yet to start thinking towards europe.

[KilveanLegend]

Why not aim for Europe. Look at Aberdeen they are of the same abiltiy and they got third last season and are now preparing to play Bayern Munich. We could be in Europe if we keep up the way we play. Apart from the Old firm everyone is about the same level so  nothings impossible.

I would be happy with getting in the top six but don't count out Europe this season the league is very close.

[Charles Bannerman]

Why not aim for Europe. Look at Aberdeen they are of the same abiltiy and they got third last season and are now preparing to play Bayern Munich. We could be in Europe if we keep up the way we play. Apart from the Old firm everyone is about the same level so  nothings impossible.

I would be happy with getting in the top six but don't count out Europe this season the league is very close.

I think I can see the way this thread might be in danger of developing over the next few months. First, a few more increasingly optimistic observations and expectations like that one. Then the realisation that the most thinly resourced team in the SPL which has been playing catch up since it lost its first six games is NOT in fact going to finish third. And then calls for the heads of the management and board of directors for failing to deliver the promised European place.

[Caley Stan]

I assume that you refer to our finances and not our playing staff when you call us "the most thinly resourced team in the SPL". We might pay the smallest wages and have one of the smallest home gates but we do appear to a have a bigger and stronger squad than some of the teams around us.

Teams with thin resources have done it before. Since the turn of the century the following non-OF teams have qualified to represent Scotland in Europe:

Hearts (3 times), Aberdeen (3), Kilmarnock (2), Dunfermline (2), Hibs, Livingston, Dundee Gretna and St. Johnstone.

Teams of our size (and smaller) do qualify for Europe and i'm sure we would do lot better than the likes of Dunfermline and Gretna if we got our chance.

[Charles Bannerman]

I assume that you refer to our finances and not our playing staff when you call us "the most thinly resourced team in the SPL".

Obviously.

However that last post has expanded the focus of discussion from the likelihood of Caley Thistle finishing specifically third in the SPL this season (and thereby qualifying for Europe) to any year and by all possible means of doing so which also include winning the cup and until recently becoming losing finalists. At least three on that list (Dundee, Dunfermline and Gretna) got in through being losing cup finalists. In the case of both Dundee (2003) and Dunfermline (2004), ICT came very near to taking their places in Europe since they ran them very close in the semi finals.

So let's refocus on the original topic which was the likelihood of Caley Thistle taking third place in the SPL this season.

After six games, they had NO points and were bottom of the league. That leaves 32 games to put together a run formidable enough to catch and stay in front of nine of the eleven clubs above them - in effect give some of them a six game start. After such a poor opening six, that would very probably mean that they would have to score more points than any other club across these last 32 game (which include a final five against the rest of the top six clubs)... and this by a team which has less than any other to spend on wages, located in a place where it is notoriuosly difficult to get players to come.

There is absolutely no doubt that for years now Caley Thistle's return in terms of performances and results has far exceeded what they have had to spend on wages. It's called "punching above your weight" and players and management alike have worked wonders to achieve this.

Football is a sufficiently strange game to be able to produce a serries of results which might send ICT into third place. But the likelihood of that is minimal. It certainly seems odd to me that such a notion should be touted as a serious proposition... especially apparently inspired by little more than a recent run of five wins. Presumably by the same logic, those who subscribe to this notion were also confidently predicting relegation after the first six defeats?

[12th Man]

Six in a row would have been something that no other team had achieved but the season has a long way to go yet to start thinking towards Europe.

Would agree with you there it is a bit early to speculate on third place.I just wanted to keep the threads positive prior to the Killy match !!

But the table is getting tighter and by achieving  a top 6 place, which would be great progress for ICT. They may find themselves very close to that European spot.

[Guest ian]

Did Marius not say this was his aim to get us into the top six - when he signed.

As far as I'm concerned full power to you Marius and good luck to the team tomorrow

My prediction 2-0

PLEASE PLEASE :022:

[Guest eliza]

And Marius obliged with two goals - just for you, Ian!

Continue to have faith in ICT - like me, not like some of the other posters on this Forum!

[Guest ian]

OH YES - totally delighted and we more than outplayed Killie :021:

Roll on Aberdeen and I hope to be there to celebrate our first win :015:

Just a little point - HOW was Fraser the man of the match :015: surely it was between Cowie or Duncan but not a big problem as Michael Fraser was also very good as were the whole team.

Also Mr Brewsters shoes are very shiny - full credit to him