St Mirren V Ict Premiership 14/2/15

[shull]

Happily I could not be at the game today but by all accounts the defence were again not up to the task. This has been the case not just this season but for at least two or three seasons before. The fans on here are totally in agreement about this failing, but Danny Lennon. Tommy Craig and now Gary Teale have simply failed to acknowledge what is apparent to everyone else.

The question has got to be asked WHY ?

And this is a question which has not received an answer in all this time.

You are no allowed to be happy on here.

WATCH BBC ALBA FROM 9.55 pm.

That'll wipe the smile from yir coupon.

[NeilPar72]

As I posted the earlier, we lost 19 games this season with McLean in the team. Losing today had nothing to do with him not playing.

And we could lose 19 games without him now. Doesn't change the fact we are poorer without him in the side.

And going by today's match, nobody stepped up to try and fill the void.

[NeilPar72]

On the bright side Thistle are on the slide at the moment and not out of the mess at the bottom by any means.

Thistle play county twice, and Motherwell once before the split.

Id rather Thistle got their act together and pulled themselves away from us by beating those around us.

[northstbuddie]

You are no allowed to be happy on here.

WATCH BBC ALBA FROM 9.55 pm.

That'll wipe the smile from yir coupon.

Spoil sport

[scrappy coco]

You are no allowed to be happy on here.

WATCH BBC ALBA FROM 9.55 pm.

That'll wipe the smile from yir coupon.

[TsuMirren]

The consequences of McLean's departure was there gor all to see today. In a team with only three or four genuinely quality players, giving one away for virtually nought is criminal.

It had an effect, but I really don't think he'd have made much of a difference. McAusland picks up the ball in defence and, most times, triggers the oppositions next spell of possession. Goodwin is too slow, his best work was saving his own f**k ups. We're nothing at the back, f**king horrid, Goodwin can't even wait for movement up front before wasting another free kick. The worst part is that we bring in a lad from West Ham, but he can't replace Reilly or Wylde in the squad. Even Tess, christ sake he's better than Wylde, couldn't get on the park.

[islaysaint]

The first half was the worst I've witnessed fo a good while. ICT played us off the park and how we were only one down was a mystery. We were passed dizzy and second to most balls, when we did get the ball it was quickly given back. Tactically we were a shambles, it should have been sorted much earlier with Thommo being taken off and Arquin playing lone striker. Our midfield did not have one success, apart from the one corner Mallan was invisible and didn't want to know any form of physical challenge. Osborne did not look if he wanted to be on the park and John McGinn is so far off the boil he must be freezing. Dayton was the only midfielder to get near pass marks. Much has been said of Cheesys lack of quality, today he was far from perfect, but was in 3rd place as our worst defender. As a priority we have to replace Naismith and Kelly. Today, Naismith failed to cut out the ball for the first goal and Kelly missed out in a 60/40 tackle that led to the second. Time and time again either or both cause the defence to come under pressure and/or give away goals. Why Tess did not come on is beyond me. More performances like this and we are a definite for relegation. Finally Jim Goodwin was immense today.

Edited February 14, 2015 by islaysaint

[TopCat]

I thought ICT were the best team I've seen all season.

We were a bit better when we put 5 in midfield but the bottom line is ICT were too good for us. I thought that there were promising signs from Snoopy and Dayton. But I thought today ICT were fantastic and we did well to hang in with a chance near the end.

Wait wait wait.

There isn't enough slating of our team here. Where is the anger?

(Good post).

[TopCat]

I understand how you are feeling, however, I am open to the possibility that ICT could finish 2nd or 3rd and we were just beaten by a much better team today and one which know how to win games playing intelligent football and can see a game out. If we had lost in the same fashion to Aberdeen or Dundee United today I don't think there would be the same sense of despair. While ICT are not as big a club as Aberdeen or Dundee United and don't have the same history as those two clubs, this season at least ICT are in the same bracket as them in league performance.

As far as a clear out goes I think, to his credit, Teale has begun that process. Obviously there were only so many duds we could offload in 1 transfer window, and incidentally Teale was only official given the manager's job until the end of the season with about a week left of the transfer window. The clear out so far has seen Plummer, Drury, Caldwell, Marwood, Hughes all offloaded and Teale retire as a first team player plus McLean being sold and apparently we were open to Kello and Wylde going as well had they been able to find new clubs.

Where Teale is open to criticism is over whether he has targeted the correct replacements. We all know he has his hands tied with the budget and the club no doubt having to pay off Tommy Craig and pay to terminate players contracts early as well. Like most fans I find it baffling that when our defence has been so bad we haven't signed one defender in this window yet ( or even, since the window has closed) while we have signed 2 wingers and 2 strikers. I'm also puzzled that Sadlier wasn't at least included on the bench when Arquin and Thommo have more red cards between them this season than goals and Reilly and Wylde were on the bench ahead of him... rarely game changers when they have been brought on as subs!

What progress has been made since TC left? Most of us hoped a new experienced manager with a history of wheeling and dealing would be brought in and that didn't happen. However, under Teale we are averaging a point a game more or less and normally this would be about good enough over a season to stay up. I'd prefer we were averaging more points under Teale given how bad our starting point was after the TC era, but under Teale we have overtaken Ross County and Motherwell and although today was uninspiring the last time we played ICT under TC we were pumped 4-0, so I do think there are small unremarkable signs of progress under Teale and maybe all we can expect from a rookie manager with no money to work with.

This is also a good post.

At the end of the day, we need to hold our hands up and say we were beaten by a better team today.

That's it. ICT are one of the best teams in Scotland and we aren't. They came and they beat us 2-1 today. Is this a surprise for anyone? It isn't for me. If anyone is surprised by the outcome today they're deluded and/or they don't understand football.

There's simply no need for the self-flagellation that seems to occur on this forum after every single loss.

The bottom line is we are 10th in Scotland. About right for us this season and about the average position for us in the clubs history. It's also a position that would assure our survival in the top flight for another season.

Despite this, I don't doubt we'll have a forum full of fans telling us how awful it all is and how the board/management/team deserve to be hung, drawn and quartered for all this unbearable terribleness throughout the week.

Welcome to the internet!

Era Sadlier picked up a knock.

Edited February 14, 2015 by TopCat

[Drew]

This is also a good post.

At the end of the day, we need to hold our hands up and say we were beaten by a better team today.

That's it. ICT are one of the best teams in Scotland and we aren't. They came and they beat us 2-1 today. Is this a surprise for anyone? It isn't for me. If anyone is surprised by the outcome today they're deluded and/or they don't understand football.

There's simply no need for the self-flagellation that seems to occur on this forum after every single loss.

The bottom line is we are 10th in Scotland. About right for us this season and about the average position for us in the clubs history. It's also a position that would assure our survival in the top flight for another season.

Despite this, I don't doubt we'll have a forum full of fans telling us how awful it all is and how the board/management/team deserve to be hung, drawn and quartered for all this unbearable terribleness throughout the week.

Welcome to the internet!

Era Sadlier picked up a knock.

I can live with defeats. Its the nature of the game. What irks me is how shite we were today. ICT are undoubtedly a better side by some margin, but that doesn't excuse how woefully poor we were today. It was an aimless, gutless display that was devoid of conviction, but for a 10 minute spell when we were already two down.

When we're poor, we're f**king lamentable.

[Dare]

Admire your positivity TC but alarm bells should be ringing after that today. I am usually talking us up but other than a few moves from Snoopy bottom line is we were rank !

[Stu]

I can live with defeats. Its the nature of the game. What irks me is how shite we were today. ICT are undoubtedly a better side by some margin, but that doesn't excuse how woefully poor we were today. It was an aimless, gutless display that was devoid of conviction, but for a 10 minute spell when we were already two down.

When we're poor, we're f**king lamentable.

Spot on. I can accept us getting beaten by a better side - which Caley Thistle undoubtedly are - if the players show some fight, commitment and effort. All of that was lacking for the majority of today's game. There were also schoolboy errors and shocking tactics, especially in the first half. In the second we seemed far too willing to let ICT knock it about at the back at will.

It was utterly pathetic. Teale said Villa didn't get out of second gear during the week, well today Caley Thistle didn't get out of first while we were stuck in reverse. Someone got it spot on at half-time when they said "When did Tommy Craig return?". The first half was comfortably the worst I've seen from us all season.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Stu

[pozbaird]

This is also a good post.

At the end of the day, we need to hold our hands up and say we were beaten by a better team today.

That's it. ICT are one of the best teams in Scotland and we aren't. They came and they beat us 2-1 today. Is this a surprise for anyone? It isn't for me. If anyone is surprised by the outcome today they're deluded and/or they don't understand football.

There's simply no need for the self-flagellation that seems to occur on this forum after every single loss.

The bottom line is we are 10th in Scotland. About right for us this season and about the average position for us in the clubs history. It's also a position that would assure our survival in the top flight for another season.

Despite this, I don't doubt we'll have a forum full of fans telling us how awful it all is and how the board/management/team deserve to be hung, drawn and quartered for all this unbearable terribleness throughout the week.

Welcome to the internet!

Era Sadlier picked up a knock.

Why are ICT one of the best teams in Scotland while we patently aren't? Why is facing ICT now regarded as a fixture we shouldn't be expected to win? Celtic and Rangers, possibly both away and at home, were the only fixtures we tended to 'write off' - everyone else we had a chance. Now - if we are writing off games against ICT as games we shouldn't be surprised to lose, then we're fcuked against Aberdeen, have no chance at Tannadice, might as well not bother going to Perth.... It isn't just today's toothless capitulation that has us wringing our hands on the forum. We have witnessed Accies out-playing and out-smarting us - using the cunning tactic of Alex Neil and Martin Canning bullying us right out of the game. We had Paul Hartley's Dundee rip the pish. Fcuk sake, Hartley's Dundee are eyeing Top 6, we've never managed it in this long top flight run. 10th place is just about our lot in life though? Why?

Today we set the all-time club record for utter pishness at home. Not even sure pishness is a word, but it fits the bill. It is the effect of one constant kick in the baws at home after another, after another, that sees the disappointment and forum moaning rise. From the boardroom down, other similarly sized clubs are giving us a showing up, and it stings.

[Gordon Urquhart]

What a shambles from top to bottom we are, sadly.

[Mid Calder Saint]

Yes we were awful today.Teale said Sadlier was fit but that he had better options on the bench.Christ Reilly and Wylde.I despair.In his interview on TV he said today was a learning curve for him.The situation is we are desperate and this is no time for a rookie.Get an experienced guy in to help him now.Oh and Thompson should be downright ashamed of his display today.Absolutely hopeless from start to finish.Teale should have had the balls to sub him early when he realised that two up front was the wrong formation.

[pozbaird]

Yes we were awful today.Teale said Sadlier was fit but that he had better options on the bench.Christ Reilly and Wylde.I despair.In his interview on TV he said today was a learning curve for him.The situation is we are desperate and this is no time for a rookie.Get an experienced guy in to help him now.Oh and Thompson should be downright ashamed of his display today.Absolutely hopeless from start to finish.Teale should have had the balls to sub him early when he realised that two up front was the wrong formation.

I don't think Thompson should be ashamed. Sadly, I think we are witnessing what has been a very good player run out of gas due to age, injury, and being in a team pretty much getting raped every home game. I reckon Thommo' is trying alright, but the body isn't willing.

[ScotstounSaint]

As I posted the earlier, we lost 19 games this season with McLean in the team. Losing today had nothing to do with him not playing.

We didn't play as badly as that in the other 19 though. Midfield in particlar looked significantly poorer without Kenny. If anyone thinks Mallan is currently an able replacement they are delusional.

[BuddieinEK]

I don't think Thompson should be ashamed. Sadly, I think we are witnessing what has been a very good player run out of gas due to age, injury, and being in a team pretty much getting raped every home game. I reckon Thommo' is trying alright, but the body isn't willing.

I'm not so sure about that.

Against Partick he covered every blade of grass, won the 40-60 tackles and inspired for the 88 minutes he was on the park.

I think he was instructed to stay central. It is the only explanation that makes sense to me.

[pozbaird]

I'm not so sure about that.

Against Partick he covered every blade of grass, won the 40-60 tackles and inspired for the 88 minutes he was on the park.

I think he was instructed to stay central. It is the only explanation that makes sense to me.

Hope you're right and I'm wrong. I don't want Thommo and Peyton Manning reaching the end of the road in the same season.

[Gordon Urquhart]

When we went Mallan (rotten all day and thinks he is a superstar after a great goal against Dundee) and McLear in central midfield against the giants of ICT, you begin to wonder if the caretaker manager knows what he is doing?

We are/were rank.

[Frank McGarvey' wonky legs]

Total inability to lay a mark on Inverness today and let them run over the top of us. Nobody willing to take a body in midfield like Draper and Tansey would. We needed to lay down a marker as they say early on but they totally bossed us and how we ended only one down at halftime is a mystery.

Kelly had to take out the boy on the halfway line for the second goal and take one for the team but failed miserably.

If we had snatched a point it would have been whilst welcome totally unwarranted.

Back to the drawing board tactics wise for the Aberdeen game and we cannot afford to be that bad again.

[saint in exile]

We haven't won a game at home all season, we haven't kept a clean sheet at home all season, we can't score goals. But Topcat thinks we're doing fine. That's all that matters, surely?

[norrie82]

Top cat hasn't got a clue he lives on the same planet as oaksoft. Mall an isn't a bad prospect but he shouldn't be flung into a desperate side needing all the points they can get. He should be playing every now and then and being rested and protected. Teale saying its a learning curve for him also stinks as we knew this operation required experience and today our two were made look silly by John Hughes who basically out thought us and deployed a system that made our lot look so bad I actually thought we were playing barca. Now let's deal with Naismith and Kelly? These two are getting away with murder but in particular Naismith who gives the ball away nearly every time he has it and who is always out of position. Kelly is too slow and offers more in left mid. Cheesy for all his faults at least he tries with Jim too trying hard. Mcginn looks a shadow of himself and should be dropped. The team hasn't won at home since May 3rd 2014. It is a absolute disgrace and it will ultimately end in relegation.

[norrie82]

By the way of Naismith was 34 and a journeyman he would be getting torn apart on here for his poor play.

Edited February 15, 2015 by norrie82

[gazmc83]

For teale to say playing the wrong formation today is a "learning curve" doesn't wash with me , we don't have the time for a rookie manager to be "learning" the whole support knew from the off that thompson and arquin wasn't working yet he waited till half time to change , I like teale and sure he will be a good manager in time but surely he has to do his learning in the lower divisions like Hartley and McNamara have done , not with us ! I think it would be a wise move to appoint an experienced assistant manager in to help teale until the end of season

Edited February 15, 2015 by gazmc83