Caley Thistle manager John Robertson has torn into the experienced players who have piled the early season pressure on through basic blunders.
In a scathing assessment of Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Livingston, the Highlanders’ manager said he understood why supporters had booed his team from the field.
Robertson berated his players for squandering opportunities and making simple defensive mistakes.
He was also highly-critical of the lack of impact made by substitutes who had de- manded to know why they were not being selected.
After just one win from six opening Championship matches, last season’s rele-gated Premiership club is nine points behind the leaders but only two points off bottom place.
Robertson said: “We’re asking players to do basic things and these basic things are costing us. Players get free from set pieces – basic. Players not going with runners – basic. Players not shooting – basic.
“That’s two weeks in a row where, had we taken our chances at the right time, we could have been sitting on the coat-tails of the leaders.
“We’re not. We are in the bottom three, looking over our shoulders at what’s below us.
“The last half hour against Livingston was a performance that puts everyone here under pressure – players and coaching staff – but we have to deal with it.”
Robertson, addressing the jeers from the stands, said: “They are quite right. We’ve got to give them something to cheer about. We did that in the first half, even after we went behind. The supporters were behind us and knew we were unlucky not to be in front.
“When Livingston went 2-1 ahead, I could understand them starting to grumble because they saw us spurn many opportunities.
“There was a spell at 2-1 where we created some wonderful chances but didn’t pull the trigger. That’s when the frustration starts. We’re trying to score the perfect goal rather than just smash it.
“I’m not happy. The coaching staff are not happy, so why shouldn’t the supporters be unhappy? This is where players have to be strong and stand up to it.
“At 3-1 behind, we started to chase the game without discipline, running into positions which were not natural.”
Turning his wrath on the substitutes, Robertson exempted Carl Tremarco, back after April’s cruciate injury, from criticism.
He added: “We’re asking substitutes to go on and make an impact – and got nothing.
“Carl Tremarco got forward down the lines, but the other two went on and barely registered a touch, barely did anything.
“And these are the players knocking on the door asking why they’re not in the team. When they are given their opportunity, they show nothing.
“We seemed to be making progress but once we lost the second goal, we fell apart – and that’s the worrying thing.
“Experienced players are making basic errors and anybody who is dropped next week, doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
