'Like a rat deserting a sinking ship' - If people leave a company because they know that it's about to have serious problems, or turn their back on a person about to be in a similar situation, they are said to be like rats deserting a sinking ship

'The grass is always greener' - This idiom means that what other people have or do looks preferable to our life. The complete phrase is 'The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence'.

"Strike while the iron is hot" - Act decisively and take your opportunities when they arise

"Out with the old in with the new"

Dependent on your perspective all of the above could relate to what is happening at Inverness Caledonian Thistle at the moment - possibly a mix of all four. I am really concerned that the club is losing its "identity" and the "togetherness" spirit that has served us well for many years. We appear to be becoming a mercenary operative and keeping issues behind closed doors which can only lead to further disdain and conspiracy theories.

There is no doubt that the reasons for some to leave are clearer - Tansey, Tuffey - but there does appear to be a certain current of discernment with others. Again I can appreciate that we will always be a feeder / selling club, have to survive on a limited budget BUT this is bordering on the ridiculous this season. The release of some of the local youngsters is also becoming more and more confusing

It is clear that, again irrespective of individual views, that we will have Terry and Mo in charge this year but that concerns me if we amass a band of untried / untested loanees, journeymen, the injury prone and the unknown. We are after all a SPL club. How are we supposed to feckin consolidate ? It also gives the dynamic duo the "excuse" for next season and the season afterwards.

All the same starchief, if you've got time to write that, you don't fancy coming and doing my garden?

You've got plenty time to do your own bloody garden now!!! :lol:

Got papers to write and exams to mark. Writing something difficult or something fun? Classic case of substitute activity I'm afraid.

CATHARSIS - nowt like it !!

All the same starchief, if you've got time to write that, you don't fancy coming and doing my garden?

You've got plenty time to do your own bloody garden now!!! :lol:

What the sage of the IRA is trying to say is that The Mantis is following in the tracks of the great Mr Mackenzie and the almost great Mr McLeod in joining the ranks of the retired

almost?????????? and you missed the a.

You as well Alex? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Retirement is not a bowl of cherries chums.

It's........... scary, c'os it gives you too much time to think. And ruminate and consider yer past mistakes and get morbid about the ICT team when what you should be doing is being out there working like Terry and his cohorts.

Starchief--all I can say to sum it all up is....you made my day! Ha! Ha!

Irony with slit eyes at it's best.

I am getting worried again!! As alluded to by certain posters in other threads the airwaves appear to have been clogged up with chit-chat about feckin Rangers and all the side shows, the return of County and a leave him alone and let him get on with it attitude towards Terry Butcher.

This per season is beginning to feel like d

I think that at the present time most will have concerns, I always thought it was really important for us to have a good pre season and things are going slower on the signing side than I and I am sure Butcher had hoped for. Crazy as it may be to many I think keeping Proctor on for his versatility this season may not have been a bad thing

Dumping people is fine but you need to have a solid back up plan to cover yer erse - can anyone else see the cracks ?!!

Most clubs of our size tend to be selling clubs yet we are losing players for free. With the greatest of respect to the players we have signed under Butcher many of them have been poor aquisitions who have come from obscurity.

I look at a First Division club like Dundee who at the end of last season signed Mark Futheringham and Carl Finnigan, recently signed John Baird from Raith Rovers and were linked with former Scotland international Nigel Quashie and I can't help but be a little frustrated that a club in a league lower than ourselves (for now) are signing name players.

I appreciate that we are under budget constraints but I find Butcher's transfer policy of signing players from England with a history of injuries or with little experiance of first team football rather frustrating when I'm sure there are players in Scotland who would jump at the chance to play in the SPL who may well be available for a similar amount of money. Today we signed a striker whose main experiance is in the Welsh Premier League which is of a very low standard. I'm not judging the lad until I have seen him but I can't help but think it would be easier to sign someone from the SFL2?

We have seen three players sign today and I have never seen any of them play so I can't judge how they will turn out. I hope they do well, I hope Butcher does well, I have renewed my season ticket today but I can't help but feel a little cynical about the season.

So we have this guy Marshmallow operating in Englandshire but who scouts north of the border.