REPORT/OPINION: INVERNESS (H) 01/09/18

TEAM NEWS:
Joe Thomson and Myles Hippolyte replaced James Craigen and Andy Ryan from last week's starting line-up. 

REPORT/OPINION:
It's now time for decisions to be made: today's performance was a shambles, devoid of ideas, enthusiasm and organisation. No leadership.  Long balls to a skinny 5'9'' striker. Three central defenders, all resembling labourers picked up from a building site on the morning of the game and handed a strip. 
I was totally spoiled with Bert Paton's great team of the mid 1990s and elements of the Calderwood era. Sad to say, this current squad have a couple of decent players (the Longridge brothers) and a manager who has got rid of, or failed to retain, players who the team should have been built around for years to come. 

Pars new right back, Lee Ashcroft

AJ came out with the usual cliches about 'individual mistakes' and 'having to do better' post match. We've heard it all before. We took on 2 loanees from Hearts, one of them an injured striker and the other a midfielder - why did we need another midfielder? - who hasn't played a game for a year. We had to sign defenders. We now have a defence that has conceded 12 goals in 4 League games and we ended the game with a slow centre half at right back, having withdrawn the actual right back and replaced him with the only player in the squad that he can link up with effectively. 
Inverness scored as easily as Ayr did last week, our defence showing no resistance, even allowing an unmarked Shaun Rooney to score. There was no cohesion through the team and as noted above, lumping the ball to Faissal is just a complete waste of time. 
We have no right to win every game but this was no way to lose one. 
Myles Hippolyte played well on the wing as a sub at Ayr but faded when moved up front - so this week AJ starts him.... as a striker.
Andy Ryan is given 1 start then jettisoned. 
Manager now fixated with a new formation after years of being fixated with another formation that, ironically, would be a better fit for his current squad. 
​That's enough for now - you get the general idea. ​