retired_marcias

Ross County vs Parma - 28th May 2014

Match Report (Part 2)

With a little over 70 minutes gone, it was still 2-2, Inter having already made 3 substitutions while I continued to keep faith with those who started the game for us. On 72 minutes, Kerr Dodds won the ball and cleared upfield for Alan Reid to pick up and begin one of his trademark runs at the opposition defence; Reid sent McGlynn clear with a perfect through ball, but the striker fired a weak shot straight at Sebastien Frey. Chances were few and far between and it wasn't until the 88th minute that the next big chance arrived as substitute Isaah Eliakwu broke away down the right for Parma with acres of space in front of him and our left-back David Dunne floundering out of position behind him. Eliakwu took the ball to the byline before cutting into the box and firing over the bar from a narrow angle - on the touchline I was just thankful that he went for the selfish option when a well played pass across the area could have put Gilardino in for the winner. As it was, the whistle went for full time with the score still locked at 2-2 and 15 minutes of extra time to come.

Full Time: Parma 2-2 Ross County

Into extra time, with John Rankin on for Michael Reid in midfield I pushed our wingers forward hoping to finish the game within the first 15 minutes, both wingers beginning to look tired and not wanting 30 minutes more. Just 3 minutes into extra time, John MacDonald collected a Frey clearance and laid the ball forward to John Rankin, Rankin spun through 180 degrees and moved the ball on to Alan Reid who charged forward and fired a curled shot over the bar from 25 yards out. 3 minutes later, Dodds knocked on for MacSween who let the ball run for Winters. Winters wasted no time in playing the ball through for Mark McGlynn to run clear and blast an unstopable shot past Frey to put us back infront with 9 minutes to hang on!

96 minutes: Parma 2-3 Ross County (Mark McGlynn)

We were really beginning to pile on the pressure now, sensing that we could crack Parma and with 97 minutes gone, McGlynn was fouled by Paulo Cannavaro, giving us a freekick ~30 yards out just left of centre. Parma lined up the wall with Kerr Dodds, Ian MacSween and Alan Reid all getting in there to cause problems as Richard Rhodes eyed up the freekick. Whatever about the positioning, Rhodes calmly stepped up and curled the ball round the wall and into the net with superb skill to send us into raptures 4-2 up. Richard was rightly delighted with his strike, finding the gap between the wall and the next player superbly, leaving Frey with no chance.

98 minutes: Parma 2-4 Ross County (Richard Rhodes)

The final 7 minutes brought little in the way of chances, Parma knowing they were beaten and us knowing that we just needed to keep the ball to win the game. Richard Rhodes fired over the bar with almost the last action of the game and as the final whistle went, the players fell to their knees, some of them in tears, others with their hands in the air, facing their adoring fans.

105 mins FT: Parma 2-4 Ross County (Ross County win on silver goals rule)

We had waited so long for this day and I was beginning to think some of our players would never lift the trophy with seasons running out, but now we have done it. I guess I should have given Ross O'Donoghue a runout in extra time, but I was so busy concentrating with what was on the field I didn't want to disrupt things by making any more substitutions. 30 year old John Rankin in his 10th full season as a first teamer and 32 year old David Winters now in his 11th season as a first team regular both featured however and I was delighted, especially for David who has often dazzled down the right wing in seasons past with 97 goals and 185 assists to his name now. As one of the most consistent and loyal performers for Ross County over the last decade I couldn't be happier to see him pick up a Champions League medal before retiring. Kerr Dodds is also now in his 10th full season, the final marking his 50th appearance of the year, but at 29 he should have a good few years left in him yet to maybe win another. I could go through the whole side, many of whom have been with us the best part of a decade, but perhaps the last word should go to Craig Samson - our first choice goalkeeper for 11 seasons from the 1st Division now to the European Cup Final - he may not be the most talented goalkeeper in the world, but he is undoubtedly a very good 'keeper who has rarely let us down and deserves this medal, having conceded less than a goal per game in each of the last 2 seasons and 4 of the last 5 seasons.

What lies in the future for me now I'm not sure...whether I'll stay on to try to retain the trophy or move on in search of a new challenge remains to be seen. I still have the hunger, but maybe that hunger is becoming more and more a hunger to start again at the bottom and build up another club...

retired_marcias

Pre-season 2014/5

It has been a relatively quiet summer for us at Ross County as we basked in the glory of our Champions League victory whilst watching the 2014 World Cup unfold, or in the case of 8 of our players taking part in the tournament. Unfortunately for us all, Scotland were beaten in the Quarter-finals by Spain having knocked out Ireland in the 2nd Round. Spain themselves went on to lose 0-2 to Argentina in the World Cup final which was, as ever, followed by the usual rash of international team sackings and new job opportunities. As before I find myself linked with numerous international jobs despite my having done nothing to encourage such rumours - with Micky Adams having been sacked as England manager I am apparently favourite with the bookies to take over...shows how little they know!

Back on the domestic front, our youth academy brought through another bunch of youngsters for us to assess over the coming seasons, but I am a little concerned by the lack of good strikers coming through our ranks, or even any at all - this Summer we had just the 1 striker promoted into our U19s and with Keigan Parker now 32, Derek Riordan 31 and Ian MacSween having just turned 30 we really need to see some promising young forwards coming through our ranks if we are to maintain our position as Scotland's premier club and annual European contenders. Veterans David Winters, 32, John Rankin, 31 and Ross O'Donoghue will likely begin to play lesser roles in the side from this season on as we look to bring through younger players to fill their roles - indeed O'Donoghue was already becoming a bench player mostly last season as Michael Reid was given a chance to shine as well as Alan Reid in the creative midfield role. For the future, I see Alan Reid playing more on the right wing as David Winters heads towards retirement, allowing Michael Reid to make the central role his own alongside Paul Harris who is first choice to take over from John Rankin in the more defensive holding role in midfield. With Richard Rhodes on the left wing we will have an entire midfield of Dingwall-born ex-youth team players to join our back-line of 3 of the same plus Kerr Dodds who has spent his entire playing career at Ross County and as such is considered a Ross County kid through and through. That just leaves the goalkeeping role and the striker berths which are less likely to fill with ex-youth team kids in the near future, Craig Samson remaining our No. 1 goalkeeper as he begins his 11th full season at the club.

Pre-season friendlies have seen the usual mixed bag of results as we took on a few French teams as well as some domestic teams, but I'm not too interested in those really - they are there to give the players match fitness more than anything - I have a settled team and I know what my players are capable of in league and European situations. Off the pitch, the stadium is being expanded yet again (for the 5th or 6th season running), up to ~25,000 capacity which will be good for us in Europe, but won't be filled for domestic matches or even close.

I guess it is about time I updated the reader on our current squad having not done so for a while, although many of the players are now household names having shown great loyalty to the club and to myself in exchange for the loyalty I have shown them. Next up I'll take a look at the squad's goalkeepers and defenders.

retired_sroch3032

good to see this still going.....what do you see yourself doing over the next few seasons? staying with Ross County?

KUTGW

retired_marcias

The squad

Goalkeepers

Craig Samson: Heading into his 12th season with Ross County now, Craig has been our first choice 'keeper for the vast majority of that time, culminating in his Champions League winners medal last season. Will begin the new season again as 1st choice

Steve Hunt: With Daniel Freeman being released this summer, Dingwall-born ex-youth team player Steve Hunt will be our main backup goalkeeper and may well challenge Craig Samson for the No. 1 shirt during the season. Steve is still yet to make his full debut, having made just a single substitute appearance 2 seasons ago, but has developed into a very talented prospect.

Simon Reed: Amazingly this will be Simon's 10th season with the club having come through our youth ranks in the summer of 2006, but has yet to break into the first team and is unlikely to do so this year barring injuries to Samson and Hunt.

Gareth Edwards: 17 year old Gareth is a product of our 2011 crop of youth players who is still developing.

Kevin Costello: Our newest goalkeeper, Kevin came through our youth academy this summer and will be looking to put in some good performances as he begins to develop in our U19s.


Full-backs

KerrDodds: One of my favourite players even though I know I shouldn't have favourites. Kerr's loyalty and consistency at right-back over the last 10 years speaks for itself. Rejected by Hearts at a young Age he arrived at Ross County before I did and having broken into the first team towards the end of my first season in charge he hasn't looked back. His 462 appearances for the club with 341 league appearances is a Ross County record and at 29 years of Age there is no reason why he can't maintain the right-back berth for a further 5 years. 27 international caps further underline his class.

DavidDunne: David Dunne has made the left-back berth his own in his 9 seasons since being promoted from our youth academy, making the step up to first team football instantly at the tender age of just 16 and together with Kerr Dodds has been and will continue to be my first choice full-backs. That David has done so well is a testiment to his fantastic ability since his lack of pace and his right-footedness don't make him a natural in my eyes - usually I demand pace and a left foot in the left-back position!

Steve Blake: As main understudy to Kerr Dodds at right-back, Steve Blake came through our 2010 batch of youth academy kids and has yet to make much of an impact, largely because of Kerr's excellent injury record, but at only 18 he will continue to develop and is our first choice backup and currently the player likely to step up when Dodds finally retires or drops from first choice.

Steve Taylor: Stevie Taylor is to left-back what Steve Blake is to right-back, albeit having come through the ranks as early as 2007 making sporadic appearances in the seasons since when David Dunne has been out. With no other recognised left-backs having come through our ranks in recent seasons, Steve plays a very important role as backup for David with John MacDonald being our only other real option at left-back and he is preferred as a centre-back.

Neil Savage & Lee Dawson: Probably the best of our plethora of young right-backs who have come through the youth ranks over the past few seasons. Both will continue to develop in the reserves with a view to challenging Steve Blake for the role of first choice backup to Kerr Dodds. Savage however appears to have reached somewhat of a plateau in his development and it remains to be seen if he'll ever manage to break into the first team - at present he isn't quite good enough.

retired_marcias

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dark_Soccer:
good to see this still going.....what do you see yourself doing over the next few seasons? staying with Ross County?

KUTGW <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Part of the reason I left it for quite a while was because I was unsure - I was tempted to move to a 3rd Division club and try to do a double Lisbon Lions within the same game, but I just can't leave my beloved Ross County now - I had no particular affinity with the club before I chose them for this challenge, but now they are my baby With so many young players I've developed and whatnot I want to see their careers develop too all the way until the first crop of youth players retire maybe - I don't think I can ever quit Ross County though for a new club in this game - I'd just end the story rather than that I think

retired_marcias

The squad

Centre-backs

Nick James: It is impossible to speak highly enough of Nick James - one of our first bunch of youngsters who came through in the summer after I joined the club, he broke into the first team towards the end of that successful Division 1 campaign and has gone on from strength to strength in his 9 seasons since. One of the most consistent performers both for club and country for whom he won his first cap at a very early age and now has 49 at just 25 years old as well as 443 club appearances with an impressive 60 goals. Originally a midfielder where he still sometimes plays for Scotland, I immediately felt he was more suited to centre-back and converted him to play there the moment he exited the youth academy. As a centre-back he will never quite make the headlines that some of our more attacking youngsters do, but he is a truly superb player who gives his all for the club he supported as a child every match. Will remain first choice centre-back for the foreseeable future having already passed his testimonial year - he could conceivably have a 20 year one club career with us.

John MacDonald: An interesting contrast to Nick James with whom he came through our youth system in 2004, John went straight into the first team in our Division 1 season, but then dropped back into the reserves on our promotion as Mark McGlynn came in to partner Nick James before moving upfront a few seasons later giving MacDonald a second chance as a slow developer to again prove his worth which he has now done and has been first choice centre-back partner to Nick for the last 3 years. Having recently broken into the Scotland side too, John now has 8 caps and is firmly established in the side. He may have been a late developer, but he has developed into an outstanding defender and alongside Nick played a huge part in our Champions League winning run, allowing our creative forward players to concentrate on their business at the other end.

Steven Davidson: Signed from Gretna as a 19 year old, Steven is rather an enigma - he is a player who I feel has the potential to go right to the top as a centre-back - he has pace, stamina, determination and great positional sense, is a brilliant header and can tackle and mark with the best of them, yet he has never really performed for us. To be fair he has never really had the chance of a good run in the side with Nick James being partnered either by Mark McGlynn or John MacDonald as my firm first choice, but in his position he really needs to grasp the chances he gets and perform when he is called upon, but he struggles to do so. Currently out of contract he is being offered a new deal because I still believe in him and his ability and he will be a useful backup again this season.

Scott Griffin, John Jones, James Adams, Declan Flanagan & Scott Perkins: Following in behind Steven Davidson in the pecking order for the centre-back positions are 4 young players who have come through our youth system at various times over the last few seasons together with James Adams, a promosing young player signed from Southend United 2 years ago. With an increasing reliance on our youth academy these are the guys who will be looking to establish themselves over the coming years.


Wingers

Alan Reid: Probably the most talented player I have ever managed - Alan Reid is a brilliant young player, equally at home on the wing or in the central midfield creative role despite having come out of our youth academy as a full-back/centre-back. Having come through our youth system in 2009, Alan spent a season maturing with the U19s before bursting into the first team in place of the injured David Winters on the right wing where he made a huge impact. The following season he displaced Ross O'Donoghue in the central midfield creative role as Winters returned on the wing and has put in a string of magnificent performances over the last few seasons. Having firmly established himself as well as being a Scotland regular, Alan will again be a key player for us either on the right wing or in the centre.

Richard Rhodes: If Alan Reid is the most talented player I have ever managed, Richard Rhodes is not far behind. What he lacks in pace he more than makes up for in technical ability with superb dribbling skills and accurate crossing. Slightly inconsistent in terms of goals scored and assisted in his 8 seasons so far since moving straight up from the youth team to fill our problem left-wing role, but enjoyed arguably his best season last year and has been very consistent in terms of quality of performance year in year out. Richard was out of contract this Summer, but thankfully signed a new one and will begin the season as our first choice left winger again.

David Winters: If there was one player I really wanted to win that Champions League for above all others it is David Winters - a consistent, loyal and highly skilled winger who has given the best years of his career to this club, claiming 185 assists and scoring 94 goals in his 412 Ross County appearances on the right wing. Winters is a little too prone to picking up yellow cards and suspensions, but when it comes to getting the crosses in from wide and driving infield to score goals there are few better in the business. That he has never won a single Scottish cap is a traversty and perhaps the biggest disappointment I have from my management career - he has been called up to the national squad on a small number of occasions, but was never given his chance to shine and his chance has surely passed now unless I suddenly find myself as Scotland manager which isn't going to happen. David will likely play a major role again this season, but possibly alternating more with Alan Reid to allow Michael Reid more opprtunities in the centre.

Kevin Smith: A promising young winger who came through our youth academy last summer and made 13 appearances on the left wing as Richard Rhodes was rested for the less important matches. Kevin will continue to provide backup for Richard this season as he continues to develop.

Simon Williams: Simon has perhaps been a victim of circumstance, being a right winger at a club where David Winters has performed so well and Alan Reid tends to slide across to the wing if Winters is unavailable. He has undoubted talent though, having been promoted from our youth academy in 2005 and made sporadic appearances he has slowly developed into a very good winger who may well begin to feature more as David reaches the end of his career.

Alan Anderson: Newly signed as I write this during the Summer, Alan will give us yet more options on the left wing where he will likely battle with Kevin Smith for the opportunity to fill in for Richard Rhodes when he is rested. Signed from Leicester who no longer wanted him, he has the potential to become a very good winger.

retired_marcias

The squad

Central Midfielders

John Rankin: At 31, John Rankin is in the twilight of his career now, but still has a few years left to compete for places in the Ross County midfield. In competition with Paul Harris, John has filled the holding midfield role for the last 10 years, putting in solid performances throughout to keep out an undoubtably talented youngster in Harris. Like David Winters it was great to see John's loyalty to this club repaid with a Champions League winners medal last season.

Ross O'Donoghue: Having spent many fruitful seasons partnering John Rankin in the more attacking midfield role, Ross has found himself playing a lesser role in recent years as youngsters Alan Reid and Michael Reid have burst onto the scene. Still a very valuable player however with a lot of experience, Ross is another who has been at Ross County for over 10 years and was one of my first signings, helping to guide the team out of Division 1 and to our successes in the SPL and Europe. 122 goals and 76 assists from a little over 400 appearances is an excellent return from Ross and our young pretenders can still learn a lot from him over the coming seasons.

Paul Harris: Paul has been chomping at the bit ever since he came through the youth team to replace John Rankin in the midfield holding role and in recent seasons has started more matches as I look to blend him in as a long-term replacement for Rankin. Paul is a tenacious tackler with superb passing ability who is ideal for the role of breaking up enemy attacks and spreading the ball around to begin our own attacks. Is likely to begin this season as first choice ahead of John Rankin to partner one of the Reid brothers in midfield.

Michael Reid: Michael broke into the side slightly later than his brother Alan, despite coming through the ranks a year earlier. Like centre-back John MacDonald he developed more slowly than some of his counterparts, but 2 seasons ago he made his breakthrough to the first team, making a big impact and notched up over 30 appearances for the club last season, scoring 7 goals, most of them exquisite long distance efforts. I have high hopes for Michael in the future - he is a creative genius with superb technique and passing ability whom I see as a long term partner for Paul Harris in the centre of midfield where they should form a formidable partnership.

Steven Kavanagh: Steven is another who has been at the club for a long time since coming through our youth academy without ever managing to truly break into the side. He is a superb dribbler and crosser of the ball, but lacks the pace of David Winters and Alan Reid to play on the wing and doesn't quite have the talent of the Reid brothers or Ross O'Donoghue to really make a push for the central role, but he may feature in some of our less important matches this season as we look to rotate the squad.

Brian Heffernan: Yet to make the breakthrough into our first team squad, Brian has been developing in the reserves and U19s since coming through the youth academy in 2010 and the jury is still out as to whether he has what it takes to make the grade at the highest level - my gut feeling is that he doesn't, but behind John Rankin and Paul Harris he is our next best bet in the holding role currently - with the injury records of those two however it is unlikely he will be called upon this season and it is likely we would sign someone else ahead of him.

Scott Miller: Picked up last Summer plying his trade with Tigres in Mexico, Scott is a with great flair and ability whom we took a chance on in bringing him back to Scotland. Competition is fierce for the creative midfield role and Scott is unlikely to displace the Reid brothers this season, but if he continue to develop he may force his way in.

Chris Thomas: Yet another creative midfield player, the same applies to Chris as to Scott Miller, although Chris is a product of our own youth system so I guess I may be more willing to give him a chance to prove his worth. He is still learning so we will have to keep a careful eye on him to see if he can make the step up to the first team.

retired_marcias

The squad

Strikers & Forwards

Keigan Parker: Our record signing for £2 million back in 2008, Keigan Parker has been excellent for us in the 6 seasons he has played for Ross County, scoring 79 goals and will likely continue to figure in the coming season despite being 32 now.

Ian MacSween: First choice upfront ever since signing from Falkirk in 2005, Ian MacSween is a prolific goalscorer whose goals have been crucial to our successes in recent years and will continue to be in the coming season. Surprisingly Ian wasn't on the scoresheet in our 4-2 win over Parma, but contributed nonetheless. 5 goals in 10 games for Scotland whom he has only represented on and off is an excellent return and his 183 goals in 370 appearances for Ross County warrant a more regular starting spot at international level. With 143 league goals to his name, Ian is Ross County's all-time leading league goalscorer.

Derek Riordan: Signed at the start of last season from Hibs, Derek Riordan is a player I have long admired. Approaching the end of his career now I would have loved to have had him 5 years earlier, but he should still play a part in the coming season and his 8 goals last season were invaluable.

Mark McGlynn: Former Aberdeen player Mark McGlynn has it all - equally happy anywhere on the centre or right of the pitch and has been a massive player for us with his aerial prowess allied to pace and lethal finishing as well as an ability to tackle and mark. Mark joined us as a defender/defensive midfielder and it was in the position that he played for 4½ seasons before being converted to a target-man striker role in readiness for the departure of Mark McColl for the 2011 season. One of our most consistent performers wherever he plays, Mark first partnered Nick James very successfully in defence before forming a lethal little and large strike partnership with Ian MacSween which has propelled us to multiple SPL titles and now also the Champions League. Mark will again be the focal point of our attacks for the coming season.

Jim Gibson: Jim came through our youth system in 2006 and has been on the fringes of the first team squad ever since, never really quite good enough to displace our regular strikers or regularly make the bench. He may still prove useful in the future however.

James Graham: A prolific goalscorer at Wigan previously, James has never really been able to live up to his undoubted abilities for us - again he has had few chances, but whilst some players can perform instantly when they get those chances, James is a player who seemingly needs a settled run to produce his best. It is unlikely he will have that run this season and he is infact on a rolling contract currently so the jury is very much out.

Eddie Pilkington: Spotted by one of our scouts, Eddie was surprisingly transfer-listed by Glasgow Rangers so we decided to take the risk and spend ~£1 million on bringing him to Victoria Park. Whether he'll break into the first team or not this season is debateable, but we'll give him a chance and see how he performs.

Kevin Watson: Another who is very much here for us to see what he is capable of - on loan from Ajax for the season, he is a player we may make a permanent move for at the end of the season, but it all depends how he does for us.

Eddie Charles: Another of our youth academy products, Eddie is developing nicely, but I'm unsure as to whether he'll ever develop into a player worthy of a first team spot or not.

David Campbell: A member of the 2013 class of youth academy players, David is a youngster with great pace and physical presence - we just have to see how his technical abilities develop over the coming seasons.

retired_embartl

Congratulations on the Champions League victory glamdring. Having teared myself away from my own attempt I've been catching up on the other LLC efforts. The affinity with players when you're with a club for a such a long time is surprisingly touching. This is excellent

retired_marcias

Thanks

I've always been a big fan of loyalty and it seemed to kind of fitwith the whole Lisbon Lions ideal really, going back to a bygone era almost when clubs did have players from their local area and players did still have loyalty and would spend their whole careers at a single club - I guess I'm just a romantic at heart and I get too attached to my players, but only if they continue to perform together I would add - I have been ruthless with one or two as well