We're entering a crucial week of our season. We have a big game against Ross County, then host Kilmarnock next week. Our current form is poor and we're in big trouble at the bottom of the table. Only six points from these matches against our relegation rivals will help our chances and lift the mood after recent weeks. Both sides will be desperate for a win tomorrow as it will boost their hopes of staying up and hurt their relegation rivals into the bargain.
Our record in Dingwall is far from impressive. By my reckoning we've only managed three league wins there, as well as progressing from a few cup ties. The odd decent result at Victoria Park was mixed with regular hammerings during our days in the first division and what happened earlier in the season was sadly a return to that form. County were comfortable winners, as we were when we finally got to beat them in November (at the second attempt thanks to the weather) despite only winning by a goal. Both teams have changed a bit since then – more so County - and it'll be interesting to see if that changes things.
Our performances in the last few weeks have been pretty poor. We've offered little going forward and have been caught out at the back, even though we've brought in another defensive midfielder. That has to change now before it's too late. We need to start creating chances, get back to scoring goals and get ourselves out of this predicament we've found ourselves in.
So should we do that by changing things up front? We have Josh Magennis available again, while Adam Campbell surely deserves a start after sitting on the bench for the last few weeks. Steven Thompson has looked unbelievably isolated lately and desperately needs some help, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see one or both of them starting. We also have Gary Teale and it would be worth throwing him in from the start to give him a chance to cause Ross County a few problems at the back. There are a few players who need dropped after recent weeks so hopefully we see some changes up front.
We could also see some changes at the other end of the team. Marc McAusland will surely start now he has finished his ban and is likely to replace Jim Goodwin, who will move into midfield. Hopefully we'll see Jason Naismith back at rightback, not that Conor Newton was a disaster there last week. You could also make a case for Eric Djemba-Djemba being dropped. He has shown some nice touches but his tackle cost us the game last week and he isn't fit. Perhaps a spell on the bench while he plays in the reserves is needed, but he's probably been told he will play when he's with us so it's likely he'll start once again.
Ross County have developed a rather worrying trait of phoning it in for the first half of the season, knowing that reinforcements are on their way and they can start taking things seriously come January. They seem to have broken that habit this season - mainly because they followed up their initial lift in form with a downturn that has left them joint second bottom of the table. The new signings have lifted spirits slightly though and despite their recent poor results, including last week, there does seem to be a belief that Derek Adams and co can avoid second spot.
Unusually, County's main goal threat seems to be in midfield. Felipe Kiss hit the ground running following his January arrival on loan from Cardiff and is a ridiculously good signing. It's pretty incredible for a midfielder to score doubles in each of his first two games, but he managed that - and then got sent off against Kilmarnock. Also arriving last month was Michael Tidser, who we supposedly tried to sign from Morton in the summer. He ended up going to Rotherham but things haven't worked out for him there and he'll be looking to bag a few goals now he's back in Scotland. Even before the arrival of that pair County still had plenty of goals in midfield thanks to two former Saints. Graham Carey, who we released last summer, has looked pretty handy now that he's getting a regular game, while Richard Brittain is also still chipping in with the goals. Rocco Quinn is also a threat, although hasn't been scoring as often as he did last season. Alex Cooper scored against Caley Thistle on New Year's Day, while Marc Klok hasn't been used a great deal. Stuart Kettlewell has, but is mainly there to break up play and kick folk rather than score goals.
County's strikers were, to put it bluntly, woeful in the first half of the season. OK, the system Adams deployed may not have been designed to get the best out of forwards, but the ones he had should still surely have done a bit better. Melvin de Leeuw managed a few, but the likes of Darren Maatsen and Kevin Luckassen - arguably wingers rather than strikers - haven't been great, with the latter now in the process of being punted. Adams has attempted to address the lack of goals up front by bringing in a couple of players. Jordan Slew once cost Blackburn more than a million quid so must be half decent, while Yoann Arquin was nicked from Notts County. Time will tell if they are any good, but they seem to have had a reasonable start - and can't be much worse than what County had in the first half of the season!
County's defence was rather leaky early on, which was a surprise as it actually looked pretty good on paper. Ben Gordon and Brian McLean both seemed reasonable signings, but neither has lived up to their billing, while Grant Munro decided to go into the Highland League. To fix the problems Adams brought Evangelos Ikonomou back, the leftback having done very well last season before deciding to go somewhere else during the summer. That didn't work out, so he's come back to Dingwall, while Yann Songo'o should keep Slew company as the centre half is also on loan from Blackburn. Boosting things further is Slovan Bratislava's Erik Cikos, who can play at rightback, with Mark Brown taking over from Michael Fraser in goals last week. Scott Boyd has been reasonable and Steven Saunders scored against us before amusingly being sent off for two identical challenges - the second earning him a berating from his own captain!
Follow Mirren Mad on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mirrenmad
Follow Mirren Mad on Twitter @mirren_mad or http://www.twitter.com/mirren_mad