When you look at the forward options Caley Thistle have, they should be considered among the best in the Championship.
I managed to get a couple of words with Shane Sutherland a few weeks ago and he has really enjoyed being put back up front.
He got to play up top against Arbroath, rather than out wide. Fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to look at it, he’s quite versatile so he can drop into the hole or play wide on either wing. If there is any problem, it tends to be Shane who will have to adjust.
He can do three or four different jobs, but, the way he was speaking, he would like a run up front and be left up there. He is very good with his back to goal, holding the ball in and turning. He has got a lethal left foot, so if they get service to him in the box they will get chances.
He looked very slim and that is fine, people can lose weight, but you need to make it count to your advantage. If you have lost weight, you should be busting your gut all over the place and feeling great.
He is at a good level now, as opposed to what he was doing for the last six or seven years. He has got people around him that can find him, so he needs to make it work for him.
I did not really get the chance to work with him when he was at Inverness the first time. I was with the reserves and we would take a few shooting sessions; he was always the first to come up and ask for advice because he is a great kid.
He wants to learn and he has been given that second chance by John Robertson. Hopefully he takes it with both hands.
I have seen him score some great goals for Inverness over the years. If he, Nikolay Todorov, Daniel MacKay and James Keatings can pop up with their share of goals, things can go well for them.
The important thing for them is keeping clean sheets. They will always create chances. You end up playing catch-up if you keep conceding – they got hit on the break against Queen of the South and the boy took the goal well. But they had numerous chances before that.
Inverness seem to be a bit sticky at home at the moment. They struggled against Queens and hummed and hawed a bit there. But Ayr is a hard place to go and if they can come out of these next two games with a couple of wins, it will do them good.
Don’t count Staggies out
I was at the Ross County game on Sunday and it was a great result for them.
You are going to succeed if you keep Celtic out for as long as you can and that is what they did. Ryan Christie missed a great chance and it could have been different, but it was a fantastic rearguard effort from County.
As a manager, looking at your squad, when you have them all fit you will have a team in mind. I don’t think John Hughes has got that and I don’t think he will be unhappy with that.
Keith Watson came on for Callum Morris and he was a stalwart at the back, alongside Iacovitti, Tremarco and Naismith. There’s a lot of experience there and they limited Celtic to a couple of decent chances.
When I look at the bench, if you had to put three or four of them in the starting 11, I don’t think you would blink an eye. Those players on the bench could easily be starting and they have done over the past few weeks.
I don’t think John will be that perturbed if he gets injuries, suspensions or a lack of form, because he’s got a good bench he can call on.
Hopefully, this gives them a big boost because nobody expected them to get anything the way Celtic have been playing.
Relief in Aberdeen goal quest
It was a real bit of quality from Niall McGinn and a great header from Callum Hendry to end Aberdeen’s goal drought.
That kind of quality is what you want as an Aberdeen striker and he took it well.
They rode their luck at times in their own box but at the same time, they’ve hit the bar and missed another couple of chances. Tommy Wright said in his own interview their play didn’t deserve a point, let alone three.
It’s good for the Dons to get back on it again and as Derek McInnes pointed out, they have still got Hibs to play at home.
They will have to go to Parkhead on Saturday and there is never a good time to go to Parkhead because they could be hurting.
If Ross County can beat them, then Aberdeen must take great heart from that. They will get a couple of chances at Parkhead – it’s just a matter of sticking them away.
