The General Ross County Chat Thread

[The Great Stagsby]

2 hours ago, Loki said:

Hamilton are worse than us and will finish below us.

When we’re as bad as we are, can we really afford to put all our eggs in the “there’s another team (or two) about who are (possibly) worse than us, therefor we’ll be fine” basket? In the last 3 weeks Hamilton have drawn with Aberdeen and beaten Killie, both of whom comfortably beat us in that same period of time - one of them doing so with 10 men for 82 minutes.

 

2 hours ago, Loki said:

Even if a new manager came in what would change?  He can't take any new players in.

Team selection? Formation? Tactics? Game management? Understanding? Confidence? Motivation? Nothing guaranteed but these are surely some possibilities?

If all managers are equal and the only thing that matters is what players you have available, what’s the point in managers in the first place?

Edited December 12, 2020 by The Great Stagsby

[Aqy]

I thought we were fairly poor again today. Another TWO injuries as well didn't help things either. I honestly don't have a clue what they're doing in training to have boys pulling up with hamstring strains literally every game. Stewart missed another two golden chances today. I get that our xG says we should have scored a lot more, but our xG is still shite compared to the other bottom teams. I haven't checked the most recent data, but the up-to-GW15 data made for some fucking grim reading.

[Loki]

1 hour ago, Matty-RCFC said:

 

1. The jobs for the boys mentality.
2. He could, considering we’re almost in January and by the time the recruitment process occurs New Year would probably be upon us.
3. Yes.
4. Gary Holt, John Hughes, Tommy Wright (unlikely im aware but he’s available) with some amount of persuasion to name but 3.
5. Likely, but to survive in this league we’re going to have to spend.

I cannot see Kettlewell being sacked this week because we are never expected to go to Aberdeen and win. I actually didn’t think we played too bad today; but the continuous praise for Ross Stewart has to stop because it is so blind it’s not true. Guy misses at least one golden opportunity per game which is simply not feasible when you’re sitting in this position.

 

Tommy Wright would be an absolute astounding appointment.  For Holt I would give Kettlewell time, certainly the next two home games and if no improvement - get Holt.   Yogi can go directly in the bin.  Kudos for three cheap shouts, I concede that point.  As long as you concede Yogi goes straight in the bin.  I can't believe Tommy Wright doesn't have a job.

41 minutes ago, The Great Stagsby said:

When we’re as bad as we are, can we really afford to put all our eggs in the “there’s another team (or two) about who are (possibly) worse than us, therefor we’ll be fine” basket? In the last 3 weeks Hamilton have drawn with Aberdeen and beaten Killie, both of whom comfortably beat us in that same period of time - one of them doing so with 10 men for 82 minutes.

 

Team selection? Formation? Tactics? Game management? Understanding? Confidence? Motivation? Nothing guaranteed but these are surely some possibilities?

If all managers are equal and the only thing that matters is what players you have available, what’s the point in managers in the first place?

You could get Marcelo Bielsa in and he isn't turning Laidlaw and Donaldson into players. that don't make mistakes.  Our recruitment of players is shocking compared to other clubs with lower or similar budgets.  We paid fees last January for Donaldson and Shaw, in Shaw's case a reputed six figure sum has reaped four goals.   Donaldson has gifted countless goals and given away six penalties.  I certainly think we lack defensive organisation, but I do not know if this is because we have shite players or bad management.   You think it's the management, but I think it is the shite players.  But by continually playing these guys when there are better options, I agree with you there.  

25 minutes ago, Aqy said:

I thought we were fairly poor again today. Another TWO injuries as well didn't help things either. I honestly don't have a clue what they're doing in training to have boys pulling up with hamstring strains literally every game. Stewart missed another two golden chances today. I get that our xG says we should have scored a lot more, but our xG is still shite compared to the other bottom teams. I haven't checked the most recent data, but the up-to-GW15 data made for some fucking grim reading.

The last data I had seen had us 8th, and we had scored about 50% of the goals we should have expected.  Our expected goals against was 15 worse off.  There is certainly a lot of scope for improvement in the team.

I am obviously in the minority when I think Stewart and McKay will come good, and that class doesn't go away.  Naismith's delivery is going to greatly help us.  The next two home games are massive and we need four points minimum.

Anyway I am tapping out now.

[RandomGuy.]

3 minutes ago, Loki said:

I can't believe Tommy Wright doesn't have a job.

Part of his agreement to end his contract with us was that he wouldn't take a new job until November.

[Billy Jean King]

You'll be fine lads.

Right as rain once you take your medicine. [emoji23]

Love how these Watery Farts p***ks just jump into the thread of whichever team happens to lose in the big league each week. Ultimate diddy club mentality stemming from their latest spell in the diddy leagues. Amazing how they have vanished from the Saints threads like snow off a dyke tonight.

No medicine has been developed to cure their irrelevance right now unless you support Morton, QoS, Alloa etc.

[LincolnHearts]

4 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

Love how these Watery Farts p***ks just jump into the thread of whichever team happens to lose in the big league each week. Ultimate diddy club mentality stemming from their latest spell in the diddy leagues. Amazing how they have vanished from the Saints threads like snow off a dyke tonight.

No medicine has been developed to cure their irrelevance right now unless you support Morton, QoS, Alloa etc.

[TonyFerrino]

11 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

Love how these Watery Farts p***ks just jump into the thread of whichever team happens to lose in the big league each week. Ultimate diddy club mentality stemming from their latest spell in the diddy leagues. Amazing how they have vanished from the Saints threads like snow off a dyke tonight.

No medicine has been developed to cure their irrelevance right now unless you support Morton, QoS, Alloa etc.

They have just turned over the shitest team in the seasides though.  What a day for them. 

[frankthetank22]

3 hours ago, LincolnHearts said:

You'll be fine lads.

Right as rain once you take your medicine. 

You notice, we've just gone bottom of the league, we're disappointed and wanting a new management team.  Maybe if you'd done that last year and punted Levein earlier you'd be in the big leagues just now too, eh.

Away and do us all a favour and beat celtic in the final, we love to see the wee team stuff the old firm

[The Great Stagsby]

9 hours ago, Loki said:

Tommy Wright would be an absolute astounding appointment.  For Holt I would give Kettlewell time, certainly the next two home games and if no improvement - get Holt.   Yogi can go directly in the bin.  Kudos for three cheap shouts, I concede that point.  As long as you concede Yogi goes straight in the bin.  I can't believe Tommy Wright doesn't have a job.

You could get Marcelo Bielsa in and he isn't turning Laidlaw and Donaldson into players. that don't make mistakes.  Our recruitment of players is shocking compared to other clubs with lower or similar budgets.  We paid fees last January for Donaldson and Shaw, in Shaw's case a reputed six figure sum has reaped four goals.   Donaldson has gifted countless goals and given away six penalties.  I certainly think we lack defensive organisation, but I do not know if this is because we have shite players or bad management.   You think it's the management, but I think it is the shite players.  But by continually playing these guys when there are better options, I agree with you there.  

The last data I had seen had us 8th, and we had scored about 50% of the goals we should have expected.  Our expected goals against was 15 worse off.  There is certainly a lot of scope for improvement in the team.

I am obviously in the minority when I think Stewart and McKay will come good, and that class doesn't go away.  Naismith's delivery is going to greatly help us.  The next two home games are massive and we need four points minimum.

Anyway I am tapping out now.

I think you and I share the same thinking on a lot more than might be obvious. I certainly agree that Stewart and MacKay are class (and that doesn’t go away), but whatever the reason it’s very clearly not happening for us so far this season. Something needs to change - but what? I also agree regarding mistakes and gifts, an apparent lack of discipline and composure in various areas of the pitch is costing us over and over again - something needs to change - but what?

At this point I’d certainly give Kettlewell the Hamilton game. Win that, he probably gets a bit longer. Lose it... well then it might (rightly or wrongly) come down to whether we progress in the cup against Livi.

For me it boils down to this: SOMETHING has to change, or we’re doomed. If our performances and results change (starting against Hamilton) under Kettlewell, I will be the first to rejoice. If they don’t, the question really is how long can Roy wait for something to change, before changing something himself?

[TheScarf]

Coll Donaldson is your problem. Drop him and I guarantee you won't concede half as many penalties. 

[frankthetank22]

There's just so much that isn't working atm, some of the passing play can be neat and tidy but that counts for nothing with the glaring holes in our midfield and off form strikers.

IMO we look like an unlucky team, and that means relegation to me.  We need to be far more ruthless, not more crunching tackles but smarter and harder working.  I'd like it if Kettlewell could bring this but I can't see it.

Some of our squad seem too comfortable losing or being unlucky, we're in a relegation fight and I'm not sure how many in our squad would win a 40/60 tackle.

For suggesting possible replacements, I'd think Stuart Petrie would be worth an interview. He's a former player which always helps, he's been coaching both here and on Oz for years and has been successful as manager of Montrose.  Not that it matters but he's got former players Tony Bullock and Iain Campbell on his coaching team at Montrose atm so there's a strong County link with him already.

 

[yoda]

Yogi Hughes 

[RiG]

If the team is in as much of a mess as some County fans make out Hughes is the last person you'd want coming in.

[yoda]

We're obviously shit, and Kettlewell has demonstrated himself to be a rubbish manager. But given our track record of managerial appointments over the past decade, I'm not holding out hope for a decent replacement.

Willie McStay was probably just about the worst appointment in Scottish football during the 2010s. Jimmy Calderwood did the bare minimum expected of him for a few months. Owen Coyle was a disaster and obviously got the job because MacGregor, for whatever reason, seemed to like him.

Adams worked wonders for the most part but reached a definitive conclusion. His time was up (although I'd argue that the club probably misses a George Adams type). McIntyre won the League Cup and obviously that gets him a lot of goodwill, but we were shit for large spells under him - the League Cup aside and that wee spell at the end of his first season, aside - and wildly inconsistent the rest of the time. We were better than we were now but we obviously had a significantly more talented team. He was a better manager than Kettlewell though.

Ferguson and Kettlewell have, on reflection, been dreadful. The Championship title win was the minimum expectation with the team they had.

 

[Savage Henry]

1 hour ago, yoda said:

We're obviously shit, and Kettlewell has demonstrated himself to be a rubbish manager. But given our track record of managerial appointments over the past decade, I'm not holding out hope for a decent replacement.

Willie McStay was probably just about the worst appointment in Scottish football during the 2010s. Jimmy Calderwood did the bare minimum expected of him for a few months. Owen Coyle was a disaster and obviously got the job because MacGregor, for whatever reason, seemed to like him.

Adams worked wonders for the most part but reached a definitive conclusion. His time was up (although I'd argue that the club probably misses a George Adams type). McIntyre won the League Cup and obviously that gets him a lot of goodwill, but we were shit for large spells under him - the League Cup aside and that wee spell at the end of his first season, aside - and wildly inconsistent the rest of the time. We were better than we were now but we obviously had a significantly more talented team. He was a better manager than Kettlewell though.

Ferguson and Kettlewell have, on reflection, been dreadful. The Championship title win was the minimum expectation with the team they had.

 

The squad is a completely unbalanced  mess.   The loanees are no better than our own players.  The manager/s have been given an age and every conceivable freedom.  The club has no scouting system, on top of all that.  The club’s press people are paranoid.  Relegation would be a good thing, perhaps?  Help clear that mess up.  

[yoda]

We said that last time! Nothing was cleared up and we're in the same position as before we were relegated last time around.

[frankthetank22]

Relegation would NOT be a good thing, survival is key this season.

[third lanark]

Spittal has been injured last few weeks though hopefully be back in the next couple of weeks.  
just wondering guys Do you think County will extend his loan till end of season or will want him back in January?

 Thanks 

[Comrie]

21 minutes ago, third lanark said:

Spittal has been injured last few weeks though hopefully be back in the next couple of weeks.  
just wondering guys Do you think County will extend his loan till end of season or will want him back in January?

 Thanks 

I think we'll let you extend it if you want him.

[third lanark]

37 minutes ago, Comrie said:

I think we'll let you extend it if you want him.

Thanks for the reply Comrie would be happy to keep him on at Firhill