Courier article

"GRAEME Bennett has confirmed Italy is the preferred destination for Caley Thistle' pre-season training camp.

With any hope of a lastminute Intertoto Cup reprieve all but over following the decision last month by Danish side Odense to take part in the competition, the club's director of football told the Courier that Inverness will now press ahead with plans to fly out for a week-long training camp in Tuscany between 3rd-10th July."

Wish I had some money :019: Anyone fancy taking me? :005:

Big change from Oban tournie or Keith!

Sadly its a no go for me this year. They're going to Pisa 3rd to 10th July and I'm offshore. :007:

MEE - It was suggested that the club would consider chartering a plane and selling the spare seats off to fans. I could possibly make it - not sure if I could do the whole week though. Off to check budget flights to Italy - I've never been there before.

Are you sure he didn't say we will be taking the place of the Italian team in the third round of the Intertoto?

No Italian teams will enter the Intertoto Cup this year due to the corruption scandal being investigated in Italy. Palermo and Livorno would have competed.

3eme tour : 15/16 juillet 2006 - 22 juillet 2006

1 US Palermo (ITA) B

B Pobeda Prilep MKD -Farul Constanta ROM Lokomotiv Plovdiv (BUL)

1 Pobeda Prilep (MKD) Farul Constanta (ROM)

We went to Tuscany last year for hols, cheap flights by Ryanair to Pisa, only from Prestwick though.

Wouldnt mind if we knew there was going to be a game organised, two or three Serie A teams in the area.

1After consultations with FIFA, Italian qualifier US Città di Palermo was withdrawn by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on June 6, 2006. Due to the ongoing match-fixing scandal in Italy, the FIGC could not officially confirm the 2005-06 Serie A standings in time for Palermo to compete in the Intertoto Cup.

From Wikipedia

Italy weren't due to enter until the 3rd round and Scotland were to enter in the 2nd round so don't know how that would have worked anyway. Seems to be all academic now anyway as plans procede for pre season in Tuscany.

Anyway the 3rd round has a game on 22/7 and we are playing County that day. :001:

Are we going to play http://www.pisacalcio.it/ ?

If we were offered the Italian place we could go to Italy as preparation and still have time to prepare for the game on 15 July. The rules seem to indicate we might be able to come in at Round Three

A stand-by list will be created, at the bottom of the access list, for the vacant places - as not all 52 member countries will enter a team - and these berths will be allocated to the associations in coefficient ranking order.

Format change

The format of the Intertoto Cup will change for the 2006/07 season. Under the new format, decided in September 2005, three rounds will be played instead of the previous five. The eleven victorious sides from the Intertoto Cup third round will go through to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup, which replaces the old system where the winners for three finals all progressed into the UEFA Cup first round.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t..._ct/4756149.stm

Uefa have delayed there decision until Friday so we've pulled out..... Italy here I come :003:

Too late to catch the cheap Ryanair flights though. :009:

Doing both the training camp and the Intertoto was not down to any clash of dates - it was financial reasons and pre-season preperation.

CC has been working with a tops sports scientist to put a structured pre-season training plan into place. I believe they had plans in place for oneor the other and messing too much with that by trying to fit both in may do more harm than good.

Italy? Really??  ;D

Can we all come and crash at yours  ICJ?  :)