SJFC 🔵 ⚪ v 🔵 🔴 ICTFC. Playoff Final.

[kingjoey]

2 minutes ago, Coventry Saint said:

Caley came out a different side after the break. They deserve huge credit because - as everyone has said - that first half was as hopelessly imbalanced a game as I've seen at this level outside games involving the OF.

They need to get torn into St Johnstone from the off on Monday. Could be a good game.

 

They really didn’t. For the first 15 minutes of the second half Caley’s defence seemed to have chucked it. Nobody was chasing loose balls, nobody was closing down and how Saints didn’t score another two or three goals in that time only they know. And then Davidson made those subs.

[Jamie_Beatson]

4 minutes ago, kingjoey said:

They really didn’t. For the first 15 minutes of the second half Caley’s defence seemed to have chucked it. Nobody was chasing loose balls, nobody was closing down and how Saints didn’t score another two or three goals in that time only they know. And then Davidson made those subs.

I only saw the first 15 minutes of the second half last night because I was away out and that’s the only part I caught in the pub - we were 2-0 up and in that short period it looked like we were going to run up a score. ICT couldn’t get out of their own defensive third, Middleton was having a field day and even James Brown was skipping past people as if he was a genuine attacking threat. The turn around after those subs must have been massive.

[ICTChris]

We did improve in the second half, even in the early stages you could see that we were pushing up more and that the ball was being held up when it got to McKay and Samuels more than in the first half. Our midfield also settled more. We were still shaky at the back though and St Johnstone had a lot of chances, that’s fair to say. We got lucky that they were so profligate.

I doubt we’d have been pushed back as much as we were if we’d played a more normal Formation in the first half - we couldn’t get the ball out, the number of times we were under pressure in our own final third was ridiculous. We clearly aren’t going to do that in Perth.

It will be a very different game, still hard for us to come out on top but we’ve given ourselves a chance. 

Are Devine and Duffy back From suspension for Monday?

[PB1994]

29 minutes ago, kingjoey said:

They really didn’t. For the first 15 minutes of the second half Caley’s defence seemed to have chucked it. Nobody was chasing loose balls, nobody was closing down and how Saints didn’t score another two or three goals in that time only they know. And then Davidson made those subs.

I think it was a bit of both. We got it massively wrong in the first half. Dodds deserves a fair bit of criticism for that but fair play to him for admitting he was wrong and changing it. We still weren’t great at the start of the second half but we were showing signs of getting forward a bit more and being able to hold on to the ball before the St Johnstone subs were made. Absolutely ridiculous decision from Davidson as Hallberg and Middleton were by far the best players on the park so there is no doubt that played a big part on what happened after.

It will be interesting on Monday as I would imagine they would both start again but we will have our normal back 4 starting and apart from Allardice I would t be surprised to see our midfield and strikers to be the same that finished the game yesterday.

I just hope we give it a go and try to win the game. We’ve nothing to lose and it looked like the St Johnstone defence were all over the place once they conceded the first. 

[PB1994]

5 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

We did improve in the second half, even in the early stages you could see that we were pushing up more and that the ball was being held up when it got to McKay and Samuels more than in the first half. Our midfield also settled more. We were still shaky at the back though and St Johnstone had a lot of chances, that’s fair to say. We got lucky that they were so profligate.

I doubt we’d have been pushed back as much as we were if we’d played a more normal Formation in the first half - we couldn’t get the ball out, the number of times we were under pressure in our own final third was ridiculous. We clearly aren’t going to do that in Perth.

It will be a very different game, still hard for us to come out on top but we’ve given ourselves a chance. 

Are Devine and Duffy back From suspension for Monday?

Devine is back and I’d imagine the same for Duffy but I’m not 100% sure on him.

[ICTChris]

I still can’t quite believe we took our captain and probably most consistent midfielder and played him in central defence, a position I don’t think he’s ever played before, in our biggest game of the season so far. We also started a front two who we hadn’t played together before and gave a teenager his second start in central midfield. 

None of these decisions were forced by the injuries and suspensions. Clearly Dodds wanted to match up St Johnstone and make it tight, it clearly didn’t work in the slightest. Fair play to Dodds for admitting his mistake post match.

[FrankChickens1]

Ooft. That's embarrassing 

[sophia]

10 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I still can’t quite believe we took our captain and probably most consistent midfielder and played him in central defence, a position I don’t think he’s ever played before, in our biggest game of the season so far. We also started a front two who we hadn’t played together before and gave a teenager his second start in central midfield. 

None of these decisions were forced by the injuries and suspensions. Clearly Dodds wanted to match up St Johnstone and make it tight, it clearly didn’t work in the slightest. Fair play to Dodds for admitting his mistake post match.

Welsh played in central defence a few weeks ago 

[ICTChris]

9 minutes ago, sophia said:

Welsh played in central defence a few weeks ago 

I did not realise that. I still don’t think playing him there in a game like this was a wise move.

[sophia]

3 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I did not realise that. I still don’t think playing him there in a game like this was a wise move.

I'd agree but not because Welsh shouldn't play there.

The void left in midfield was obvious and left us not being able to play out and despite the mouth breathing urgings of "get it up the park", it was obvious that nothing was sticking, even if the ball arrived at a height that it could reasonably be challenged for.

[Merkland Red]

Saw the score was 2-0, read the BBC live score updates and decided it wasn't worth it.

Only found out the score 5 mins ago. 

What the f**k happened there?

[Valentino Bolognese]

6 hours ago, PauloPerth said:

Cruising for 60 minutes, players confident on the ball and playing out from the back, and creating lots of chances. ‘We could kill the tie here’ was what everyone was saying at HT.

Then, inexplicably, we  take off our best attacking player in the match, who was getting loads of space and provided a constant outball, Middleton, to bring on Stevie May so we can watch him hide behind defenders and play with his hair.

Even bringing on MOH would have made more sense to offer a threat in behind.
 

But after the first goal, our whole team panicked. Not one player tried to calm things and we booted the ball everywhere and anywhere at every opportunity

That’s not just a draw. That game has completely put the tie in Inverness’s favour. They now know exactly how fragile we are and it won’t matter what’s happening on Monday night, they’ll know they’re still in it.

Exactly. 

I guess if you're really stretching for positives it's that CD didn't try to close the game down after the first goal. Like the Aberdeen game, we pressed for the second and, for a while, a third. Even a few months ago he'd have tried to shitfest a 1-0 and we'd be heading into Monday a goal or two down.

Obviously the subs were rotten and basically waiving a white flag. MOH would have been the far better option. Not because he'd score but just because he'd harass a slow and tiring defence. Butterfield has some qualities but he's the absolute worst choice from the bench in that situation, he simply doesn't care. In any case, there was no just need to change the midfield so early. 

Fair play to ICT for changing shape and having a bit more about them for the last half hour but let's be honest, that was CD shooting himself and the club in both feet. Again. Groundhog day without the laughs. 

If he gets a sniff of a win or even a draw, the 3-5-2 turns into 5-3-2 with the forwards at the half way line, we let teams run at us and inevitably there's a defensive error, a refereeing howler or whatever and we're taking nothing from the game except frustration. Every single fan can see this week in, week out. It's mental. These players are no world-beaters, but there's a lot of them that are too good for this manger. 

Why is it that the worse we get, the better our support is? It can't continue and the club can't take it for granted.

[oaksoft]

I did love watching that second Inverness goal when the crowd went absolutely mental.

But, there's a single bald guy right behind the post who isn't even watching cos he's on his phone and he misses probably the best free-kick you could hope to see. 

Who is going to own up to being that guy?

[PSJ.84]

36 minutes ago, FrankChickens1 said:

Ooft. That's embarrassing 

Usual from him 

[RandomGuy.]

12 minutes ago, Merkland Red said:

Saw the score was 2-0, read the BBC live score updates and decided it wasn't worth it.

Only found out the score 5 mins ago. 

What the f**k happened there?

The refereeing conspiracy against us continued, ICT scored a flukey goal, our players stopped following instructions and Jupiter started aligning with Mars.

[PauloPerth]

9 hours ago, Stephen Malkmus said:

When The Caley Stadium is rocking like it was tonight it must easily be one of the top 5 places to watch football in the country. Gutted I wasn't there.

Must have been great for Inverness fans coming back like that, but please tell me this is a joke.

[sophia]

7 minutes ago, oaksoft said:

I did love watching that second Inverness goal when the crowd went absolutely mental.

But, there's a single bald guy right behind the post who isn't even watching cos he's on his phone and he misses probably the best free-kick you could hope to see. 

Who is going to own up to being that guy?

He got it wrong. The wee boy in the glasses next to him was getting it mostly correct.

Edited May 21 by sophia

[btb]

14 minutes ago, Merkland Red said:

Saw the score was 2-0, read the BBC live score updates and decided it wasn't worth it.

Only found out the score 5 mins ago. 

What the f**k happened there?

Similar!

[Sainthearted]

Davidson now claiming Hallberg was substituted because he was ill. https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/sport/football/st-johnstone/3318375/callum-davidson-st-johnstone-missed-chance-to-put-ict-play-off-to-bed-but-will-bounce-back-in-second-leg/

He certainly didn't look or play like he was ill. It's almost like cautious Callum has read the reaction online and is manufacturing a pretext to disguise his incompetence. 

[RandomGuy.]

3 minutes ago, Sainthearted said:

Davidson now claiming Hallberg was substituted because he was ill. https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/sport/football/st-johnstone/3318375/callum-davidson-st-johnstone-missed-chance-to-put-ict-play-off-to-bed-but-will-bounce-back-in-second-leg/

He certainly didn't look or play like he was ill. It's almost like cautious Callum has read the reaction online and is manufacturing a pretext to disguise his incompetence. 

It also doesn't excuse the decision to also take Middleton off, nor the decision to replace him with Butterfield and park our midfield in our own half.