With the ugly sisters playing tonight we will finally know who we are up against and I believe on our day we can beat either of them. With the terrible dip in league form and the fact we are pretty well garunteed SPL football, do we need to stop talking about top 6 and putting pressure on the team - yes we are only 6 pts of Killie in 4th, bth within 3 pts of us are another 3 teams (Hibs, Aberdeen, St J), so realisticly top 6 isnt looking too hopefully.

Should we now be focusing in on the cup game and hoping the distraction from the league form and even though its a home game get firmly behind the team and try and drive forward to a domestic cup final.

If we miss top 6 and go out of the cup to the OF (providing its a good performance and we play well) then is it really a bad season? SPL survival, glimpses of good play and consistency - just highlights the areas of the squad to develope for next year. I'd suggest that even just a cup semi would be a tremendous achivement, anything further or top 6 would be punching well above our weight.

Not negativity, realsism I think?

I think we all got our hopes up with our early season form but have to remember we have (hopefully) achieved the main goal of staying up. Anything more is a bonus. I would love the highest finish ie the top six but unless we drastically improve it ain't gonna happen.

A good game and hopefully a result against the OF in the cup would be a great boost to all and another hampden semi would be fantastic, with that then every chance for our first Scottish cup final - but all in all it's a big ask!

This fixture reminded me to buy my ticket for our game, before my seat goes on sale to the general public on Friday.

I bought mine over the phone and by the way the ticket office is open till 8 pm on Thursday.

Which celtic players will miss the QF? I know brown is out for it.

Wilson as well

Shame Rangers lost they'd only have about 9 players available

joe ledley might be set for a return so he might fill in for brown

Which celtic players will miss the QF? I know brown is out for it.

Lennon might be missing too. he has got so much to learn to reach Oneils level.

Wouldnt it be a shame if he sauntered over to Butcher after the game and in Terry eagerness to reach out and shake his hand accidentally smacked the tw#t in the mouth.

It's a shame that the club couldn't sell tickets on Monday with those with a ticket stub for Saturday's match against Motherwell getting priority before going on general sale later in the week. After yesterday's disappointment and with the cup game the following week I can't see there being a large number of paying customers at the weekend. This will be a shame because we need a good support to lift the team. Our chances against Celtic would be much improved by a good win against the Well.

I wonder if the cup game has been a distraction for the players in regard to league performances. Hopefully they'll be out to prove their worth for a place in the starting line-up for the QF against the 'well on Saturday. I kind of hoped the blue Huns might have scraped through tonight. McCoist would probably have been in their starting line up in the QF. The green huns are definatley beatable though. Time to go ballistic again... I want to see ICT lift that trophy.

I too believe our team can do it & it would be fantastic to get one over on Lennon

Celtic only managed 1 past a poor 10 men Rangers team at Parkhead !

Our Lads will rise to the occasion & i'll be there to cheer them on

:ictscarf: HAMPDEN HERE WE COME !!!

One thing i noticed about the draw is this; Aberdeen met St Mirren in the same round we met Celtic when we beat them in 2000.

I hope history can repest itself, and we can KO aberdeen out at Hampden in the semi's...

In all seriousness though, Utd on tuesday was my first game since Roy's tesimonial, and I must admit I was rather stunned to see how we lacked any sort of organisation, and how there was a severe lack of communication and passion.

Maybe the lads have had an eye on this big game, but the Caley Thistle I know show passion in every game, and not just a cup run.

COME ON ICT - GET BACK THE PASSION, AND GET TO GRIPS ON THE LEAGUE AS WELL AS THE CUP

Lennon will be in the stand for the game, the 6 game ban was reduced to 4 after an appeal and includes our match, he will probably get more bans for the midweek tantrum too