Ross County: Talking points from Don Cowie's press conference ahead of Hearts game
Ross County have four Premiership fixtures remaining – starting at home to Hearts – as they bid to avoid the relegation play-off for a third straight year.
The Staggies slipped into the dreaded 11th position at the weekend as they lost 2-0 at Kilmarnock after goals from Bruce Anderson and Liam Donnelly.
It means County have now lost their last five matches, which has taken them from being pre-split top-six contenders to firm relegation candidates.
Dundee's 1-0 victory at Tynecastle saw the Taysiders leapfrog Hearts, who pulled the trigger and sacked manager Neil Critchley.
County are now three points adrift of Killie, two points behind Dundee, and six points in front of St Johnstone.
After tackling eighth-placed Hearts – who are five points ahead of them – County are away to St Johnstone then Dundee before a last-day date at home to Motherwell.
In 2023 and 2024, the Dingwall club required play-off final wins against Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers to maintain their top-flight status, but they are determined to rediscover form quickly to ensure they don't face pressure-cooker clashes.
Ross County manager Don Cowie addressed the media at the club's weekly press conference on Tuesday and we look at some of the main talking points.
'We're an honest group and I'm an honest person.
'We're second bottom of the league and that's not where we want to be.
'But we haven't performed well enough over the last five games, within those games there have been aspects that I have enjoyed, but at this stage you have to produce a more complete performance to win matches.
'We have come up short, and now we go into four huge games.
'We have still got it in our hands. But, as I have said to the boys, we can't say 'we have four games' or 'we have three games' left.
'The next one is the most important one and that's this week.'
'No one will give us anything as everyone is fighting for their lives.
'Points are important and you must go and earn it. We have not managed to earn it over the last five games.
'Bits have been good and we've worked hard, but we need to play with less fear, given the position we're in.
'We need to produce that Ross County spirit that we have produced year after year – now is the time to do it again.'
'I was a player, and I know when you lose games of football over a period of time it can take an effect on you individually and collectively.
'I remind the players what they are capable of doing and show them what they have produced at times this season to get that confidence back up.
'That can change in one game, but we cannot keep waiting for that moment.
'We need to, individually and collectively, change that.'
'Football can change really quickly and that's what gives you belief.
'We're the same manager, group of staff, and players who five weeks ago were in a really healthy position after winning three games out of four.
'It can change quickly, in a positive manner.
'That's what we look to do against Hearts this weekend.
'The spirit is the foundation of this football club.
'We need to tap into that going into this spell of four games.
'It has been a challenging period results-wise. We have to look to end that this weekend.
'There is no guarantee in football you will win the match. What we need to do is perform at a high level to give ourselves the best possible opportunity to win.'
'Scott Allardice is a disappointing one. He hasn't started a lot, but we played him on Saturday and I thought he was probably our best player in the hour that he played.
'I'm disappointed for him that he had to come off with discomfort in his knee.
'We've had it scanned. There could be damage there that rules him out for the rest of the season, but he is not feeling that way.
'We'll just see how it goes over the next few days in terms of how the injury settles down.
'The early diagnosis is that he could be out for the rest of the campaign.
'It could be that we get a second opinion.
'He has had a history of injury on the knee it has happened to so it could be that the scan showed up an older injury, rather than something that happened on Saturday.
'Scott doesn't think it is that bad compared to what the scans is saying, so well take a bit of time to digest that and see how he progresses.
'Ross Laidlaw is ill and still not back in the building. He is a doubt for this weekend.
'Will Nightingale is back. He wasn't available on the eve of the St Mirren game which has been a reflection of his stop-start season, really frustrating for him and us.
'But he is back training again.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
43 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Demir Tiknaz sees Celtic transfer 'contact' made with Rio Ave as Besiktas clock ticks on quick flip plan
The Turkish international is on loan from the Istanbul giants and reports in Portugal claim the Hoops are interested Reports in Portugal claim Celtic have "made contact" with Rio Ave over a deal for Demir Tiknaz. A Bola reports that French Ligue 1 outfit Lille are also interested in the Turkish midfielder and that the Premiership champions have joined his list of admirers. However, Rio Ave can only discuss a potential transfer once they've made his loan switch from Besiktas permanent. The option to do that for €5million expires next Tuesday, so the clock is ticking for the Liga Portugal side to try and turn an immediate profit. And it's claimed that they will only consider offers around the €10million (around £8.4m) mark. Tiknaz made 28 appearances for Rio Ave last season, scoring four times and providing two assists. He is currently on international duty with Turkey, who play friendlies against America and Mexico, the latter being played in the early hours of Wednesday morning - after Rio Ave's option expires. Celtic could of course approach Besiktas directly should that pass without the Portuguese club exercising their option, but their apparent willingness to cash in quick could make a deal easier if the signs there first. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Lam motivated to take Bristol on to a future title
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam has insisted he has lost none of the motivation to try to take the Bears to a Premiership final next season, despite watching his side fall short in their semi-final at Bath. The Bears held a slender half-time lead over Bath but conceded four successive tries to fall out of contention as their West Country neighbours booked a place in the Twickenham final next who joined Bristol in 2017 with the club then in the Championship, has taken the Bears to the play-offs three times but not yet to a final."To get to the final was massive for us - we are disappointed but we gave it a really good go and we missed out to a quality team," Lam said. "If you look over the seven years at what we've done and what Bath have done, Bath will always get a lot of credit because they've won titles, Northampton won titles, Saracens have won titles. "I think for us to go to that next level and earn some of that respect we need to win a title, that's the next evolution of this team."I'm really excited by next year and what could happen." Bristol finished fourth in the table, securing their semi-final spot - and their first since 2021 when they topped the league - in the final round of the regular season with a win against Harlequins six days did so with the smallest squad in the Premiership and after missing key players such as fly-half AJ MacGinty and winger Gabriel Ibitoye for large chunks of the Bath they scored a breathtaking try which started metres from their own tryline through Kalaveti Ravouvou and was capped off by James Dun, and showcased plenty more of the quick, slick ball-handling skills that made them one of the top attacking outfits this season, and briefly stopped Bath in their across 80 minutes they could not match their opponents - particularly with the loss of scrum-half Harry Randall on 37 minutes to a shoulder injury and following two yellow cards. Lam, who is under contract until 2028, said they need to develop more of the strength in depth that Bath have to push also pointed to the signings of versatile Scotland and Glasgow back Tom Jordan, winger Max Pepper and second row Pedro Rubiolo as additions that will bolster them in 2025-26."We've just got to keep building that depth below so when we lose key guys they can fill that gap even better," he said."We've still got the smallest squad, we've got 31 players next year, 19 senior academy boys."What we've shown is you don't have to spend to the cap - we've tidied up so much of the whole organisation, I believe we're sitting nicely now off the field and we'll build and when we do get some more funds we've got enough in our cap space to grow from there."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Leicester Tigers priced at 8/13 to clinch victory in Gallagher Premiership semi-final against Sale Sharks - with visiting underdogs valued at 6/5
It's semi-finals weekend in the Gallagher Premiership and Saturday's clash between Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks promises to be an exciting affair. Leicester have hit form at the right time - having won four in their last five - and will look to make home advantage count as they bid to reach another Premiership final. But Sale Sharks arrive with a point to prove and, under Alex Sanderson, have grown into a side capable of upsetting any opposition on their day. Leicester are priced at 8/13 with Sky Bet to win in front of their home crowd and book a place in Twickenham's showpiece final. But if you fancy an upset, Sale are available at 6/5, offering solid value for a side that has already beaten Leicester once this season. For the optimistic neutral, a draw is priced at 20/1. Rare, but not impossible, in a game where defence could dominate and kicking may decide the outcome. Match Odds – Leicester Tigers vs Sale Sharks Leicester – 8/13 Draw – 20/1
