Relegation Watch, Week 21: Alone at the Bottom.

By: Ian Rose | January 4th, 2009

Well, that’s it. A relegation watch has become a full-blown relegation warning. If things hold up like they are, we are in serious danger of playing the likes of County next season in the Scottish First Division. With Hamilton beating Aberdeen and Falkirk getting their point, and with Rangers having it all to play for with a chance to gain 2 points on Celtic, this wasn’t the week to shake off the losing streak.

It’s not losing that hurts the most, though I have to admit, it’s not a good feeling. It’s the way we’re losing. We don’t look awful. If we were just clearly the worse team on the pitch each week, then that’s one thing, but we’re playing decently. We created the better chances in the first half, and if we could have finished one of them, and gone ahead 1-0, it would have been a very different game. I’m not saying we would have won, but we might have taken at least a point. But as has been the case so often this season, we took promising moves and flushed them right down the loo. If there’s one reason why we’re in this position, it’s finishing. And it has to change.

For this reason, I’m amending my previous statement about Steven Pressley. Unless the former Scotland defender is looking for a player/coach situation (I have a feeling we’re going to be needing one of the latter), I don’t think a 35-year-old defender is what we need. We need a goalscorer, even one from a very low division that will be eager to prove themselves. We need options at the striker position, because the three young shooters we have (Wood, Rooney, and Barrowman – Imrie is basically a midfielder this season) just aren’t cutting it.

I’ll try to keep up with all the Caley news this week, as the emergency meeting of the supporters trust goes ahead, and Craig Brewster’s job hangs by a thread. It might be time for a change … it certainly couldn’t hurt.