It would be an understatement to say our trip to Parkhead did not go well. Just about everything that could go wrong did - the only advantages being that we didn't get anyone suspended or injured. It is gone, it is done with and we must now put it out of our system and concentrate on the next few matches. Before our next home game against Rangers in a few weeks time we have meetings with Caley Thistle, Aberdeen and Motherwell and there's no reason why we can't pick up a healthy helping of points from that run.
It's back to normal for the previews this week. Seven days ago I said anything at Parkhead would be a bonus, but tomorrow is a game we really have to win - regardless of what we aim to do over the rest of the season. It's looking as if Inverness Caley Thistle will be heavily involved in the relegation fight so beating them would be a real boost in our battle to beat the drop. If we want to make the top six, beating sides like Caley Thistle at home is an absolute must. It's not disrespectful - Caley Thistle will be saying exactly the same about trips to Paisley.
On three trips to our new home, Caley Thistle have yet to be beaten and have taken an impressive seven points out of nine. If it hadn't been for our win over them on Boxing Day last year - the last time we managed to defeat Terry Butcher's side - then you'd be worrying that we'd returned to the days of the mid 2000s when it was just about impossible for us to beat them. However, it's concerning that we've only ever beaten them twice at home in the past decade and only four times ever, all the wins coming at Love Street. That's something that needs to be rectified - and at least we don't have Paul Ritchie to worry about any more!
The team selection for last week's match was rather strange. It wasn't a surprise to see Illias Haddad start in place of Graham Carey, but seeing Steven Thompson dropped was a huge surprise. The big striker simply has to come back into the team for this one and there's no reason Paul McGowan and Nigel Hasselbaink can't keep their places either. All three started against Dunfermline and we ran riot for an hour. We're the home team, the onus is on us to win, so lets play the three of them and see what happens.
Similarly, Carey has to come back into the side. He might not have been brilliant against Dunfermline, but he did play a key part in our opener. If it's a choice between him and Gary Teale for a place, it simply has to be Carey. The fans can sing "Teale will tear you apart again" all they want, but he hasn't torn anyone apart yet and has been pretty disappointing considering his pedigree and has done little to merit a place in the side thus far.
If there was one positive note at Parkhead it was the fact Aaron Mooy was back on the bench. The Aussie hasn't been seen since the end of last season but is now fit enough to take his place among the subs, which is good to see. He probably won't get a start for a while because no one really needs dropped, but having him back in amongst things can only be good news. This week he could be joined by Hugh Murray, who is also closing in on a return, while Steven Thomson is still a doubt. Darren McGregor, of course, is still missing.
Caley Thistle are struggling somewhat this season, which is a bit of a surprise considering how well they did last year following their promotion from the first division. Arguably, they are playing more like a newly promoted team this time around and it seems they have "second season syndrome", with the first year in the SPL often easier than what follows as other sides get used to your style of play. Terry Butcher's players had been set to push for the top six this season but it looks more like a battle to beat the drop will follow as they're currently bottom, with just three to their name (no prizes for guessing who one of them was against). Still, things are so tight that a win or two will have them on the fringes of the top half of the table.
I've said before that I like Butcher for his post match comments and that came to the fore again a couple of weeks ago when he said that Greg Tansey was sent off for an "assault by finger nail" on Georgios Samaras. Tansey then entered a rather select group of players who have made a successful appeal against a red card to the SFA and will be available tomorrow. So too will Johnny Hayes, who was outstanding around this time last year before he lost his way after injury problems. And if things aren't complicated enough dealing with two Steven Thom(p)sons, Caley Thistle have two Shinnies with Andrew joining brother Graham at the club following his release by Rangers in the summer.
A big reason for Caley Thistle's struggles is the loss of Adam Rooney in the summer. After two and a half goal filled years in Inverness he managed to win himself a move to Birmingham City, where he seems to be doing reasonably well for himself. However, Butcher hasn't really been able to find a suitable replacement. Gregory Tade has contributed a few goals but is also rather prone to missing a few sitters. He is, however, a handful for defences due to his pace and the fact that as he doesn't seem to know what he's doing, the opposition don't have a hope of sussing him out. Playing alongside an experienced guy like Richie Foran should add some composure to his game.
There's no prizes for guessing who'll be the subject of the booing tomorrow. It's more than 12 years since Ross Tokely maimed Chris Kerr with a tackle that led to the young defender's career being ended prematurely, but Saints fans still remember it. What makes it all the more galling is that he's gone on to have a lengthy and successful career and will take his place in the Caley Thistle defence tomorrow. He often does well against us, but hopefully the fact he scored against Hearts last week means he's got the goals out of his system for a wee while. Tokely will be joined in defence by Chris Hogg - despite Butcher originally letting him go in the summer - and long serving fullback David Proctor. Ryan Esson is pretty handy in goals and will be hard for us to get past.
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