Heard that we are close to signing midfielder Ross Draper from Macclesfield Town

story on Sky Sports here: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11781/7859149/Caley-to-capture-Draper

will post more info once i can find it

Ross joined the Silkmen in the summer of 2009 after catching the eye of former boss Keith Alexander with a string of impressive performances for Hednesford Town the previous season, one in which he played 50 times for the Pitmen in all competitions, scoring nine goals.

The six foot four midfielder, who began his career at Shrewsbury where he was a regular for their youth and Reserve sides, was quick to adjust to life at the higher level, starting thirty times for the Silkmen in his first season at the club.

Tough in the tackle and quick to link with his team mates, Ross was to miss out on the early part of the season, but having regained full fitness is seen as a key member of the Silkmen's midfield unit, his committed displays and ball winning tenacity a bit hit with the Moss Rose crowd.

profile from Macclesfield Town website: http://www.mtfc.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10393~41680,00.html

sounds like he could add a bit of steel to the midfield along with a goal scoring touch

You don't get many midfielders that are 6"5!

the wiki page about him has him at 6 ft 5 but his profile at the Macclesfield site has him at 6 ft 1.

If he was 6"5, then OTJ and him would make a pretty lofty central midfield

Should this not be in the Rumours forum ??

In his profile it says that he is 6ft 1inch and used to play for Stafford Rangers - as does his career history. Still he is English and from the lower leagues so he fits the bill. Had nine yellows and a red card last season so may therefore be a replacement for Tokely - He also appears to have a recurring ankle ligament problem - get him feckin signed.

nice goal

i would have put in in the rumours but deemed sky sports news to be a credible source

the wiki page about him has him at 6 ft 5 but his profile at the Macclesfield site has him at 6 ft 1.

He takes his stillettos off when playing football.

nice goal

i would have put in in the rumours but deemed sky sports news to be a credible source

Yeah they got Joel Byrom spot on !!

Notice all the signings so far and including this guy, are all either six foot or over. I can't help but feel that this shows we have another season of hit-and-hope football to look forward to....

Well given that height is a requirement for defenders and goalkeepers and that 3 of our 4 current signings are of such i would reserve that statement till we see what attacking players are signed.

Notice all the signings so far and including this guy, are all either six foot or over. I can't help but feel that this shows we have another season of hit-and-hope football to look forward to....

Renegade, you really are a bundle of fun.... No doubt if all the newcomers had been on the short side you would have complained about them being too 'lightweight'.

Having said that, I cannot say that I am happy that all the replacements seem to be coming from the lower reaches of English football. We'll be more like Conferance/EFL2 United than Inverness C T, and I find that a shame. No Highland, or much Scottish identity in the team at all.

But if we are not producing enough quality youngsters ourselves, and our limited budget prevents us signing seasoned Scots on longer contracts, I don't see what Butcher's alternative is.

I am by no means Butcher's greatest fan (just the opposite in fact) but I am prepared to give all the new guys a chance, whatever their height!

Hi there Caley fans Macclesfield town fan here well done on getting Ross 1 of our star players always gives110% sad day for us great in the tackle good vision and a great shot should do well for you give him good support and he will repay in quality performace any questions just ask all the best for next season your fan base has increased by 1 shall be keeping an eye on what your up to

Edited July 2, 201213 yr by churchillsilkman

From what I see would be a decent signing if it materialises. Was the only player out of contract at the end of the season offered a new one by Macclesfield.

Renegade, you really are a bundle of fun.... No doubt if all the newcomers had been on the short side you would have complained about them being too 'lightweight'.

You've got to find the happy medium in regards to the build of players, the problem I think is though is Butcher wants to build a team based on brute force, power and strength....a team of eleven Terry Butcher's if you will. That's the problem here, I get the impression that Butcher would prefer to sign a big tall man who can hoof the ball away than a smaller trickier player who can play it. Look at Andrew Grieg, he was supposedly very highly regarded (and was very good when I saw him), but he ends up punted (so to speak!). I can't help but think that had he been any taller than his 5"6 frame, he might have been kept.

What one must remember here is that Butcher is a long ball manager. It's a style he played at every club he's been at and the build of his signings of late seems to suggest that this is a style of football that will continue (he was quoted in his first press conference as saying that he wanted Sydney to be "the grinders of Australian football" - that didn't go down well!). He has turned the club into a Lower English League Reject XI, that plays a Lower-English-League-In-The-1980s style in the process, a style that bores supporters and from what I've seen at ICT is completely ineffective particularly when it involves hoofing it long towards McKay. Caley Thistle have always been a better team when the ball has been played on the deck and I can't see success happening again until such a style is resumed.

Edited July 2, 201213 yr by Renegade

From what I see would be a decent signing if it materialises. Was the only player out of contract at the end of the season offered a new one by Macclesfield.

Yes he was shows how much we thought of him down to earth lad hope you have an Aldi in Inverness he was always in ours and would always have a chat with you great bloke your gain are loss by the way 6ft 1 stong as an ox ( or in your case a highland cow )

From what I see would be a decent signing if it materialises. Was the only player out of contract at the end of the season offered a new one by Macclesfield.

Yes he was shows how much we thought of him down to earth lad hope you have an Aldi in Inverness he was always in ours and would always have a chat with you great bloke your gain are loss by the way 6ft 1 stong as an ox ( or in your case a highland cow )

Good to hear

We signed Tansey from Stockport when they went down to the conference and he had a decent enough season last year - I see yer man as a direct replacement for him (he turned down a new contract with us and moved to Stevenage)

IF we sign him then it appears to be a good signing. I feel the same about David Raven also. The fact that Draper was the only player offered a new contract and rejected it means he must be worth something.

Anyway, I heard he is seven foot tall.

Edited July 2, 201213 yr by CapitalCaley

And when he farts bolts of lighting expolde out of his erse.

Thunderous applause

I get the impression that Butcher would prefer to sign a big tall man who can hoof the ball away than a smaller trickier player who can play it.

Ah! Now I understand why he let Munro and Tokely go.

You've got to find the happy medium in regards to the build of players, the problem I think is though is Butcher wants to build a team based on brute force, power and strength....a team of eleven Terry Butcher's if you will. That's the problem here, I get the impression that Butcher would prefer to sign a big tall man who can hoof the ball away than a smaller trickier player who can play it. Look at Andrew Grieg, he was supposedly very highly regarded (and was very good when I saw him), but he ends up punted (so to speak!). I can't help but think that had he been any taller than his 5"6 frame, he might have been kept.

What one must remember here is that Butcher is a long ball manager. It's a style he played at every club he's been at and the build of his signings of late seems to suggest that this is a style of football that will continue (he was quoted in his first press conference as saying that he wanted Sydney to be "the grinders of Australian football" - that didn't go down well!). He has turned the club into a Lower English League Reject XI, that plays a Lower-English-League-In-The-1980s style in the process, a style that bores supporters and from what I've seen at ICT is completely ineffective particularly when it involves hoofing it long towards McKay. Caley Thistle have always been a better team when the ball has been played on the deck and I can't see success happening again until such a style is resumed.

Your posts really do sound like a stupid persons idea of what a clever person sounds like.

I get the impression that Butcher would prefer to sign a big tall man who can hoof the ball away than a smaller trickier player who can play it.

Ah! Now I understand why he let Munro and Tokely go.

Dunno about Tokes but Munro's departure was less to do with on the pitch issues or styles of play and more to do with off the pitch issues.

Ah! Now I understand why he let Munro and Tokely go.

Perhaps had either of those two played in the lower echelons of English football, they would've have been kept!

Your posts really do sound like a stupid persons idea of what a clever person sounds like.

Maybe me and Terry have something in common then!

Dunno about Tokes but Munro's departure was less to do with on the pitch issues or styles of play and more to do with off the pitch issues.

You seem to know a thing or two in regards to this. Without naming names, am I writing in saying that these "off field issues" were little to do with the manager, more to do with a certain player who's still in the squad? (if what I am alluding to is correct, then I presume you know who I'm talking about)

Edited July 2, 201213 yr by Renegade

Tch! Tch!--Now ICTChris , we'll have none of that there 'ere , mate ,as they say in MACCLESFIED.

There are times when Renegade is well worth listening to but, obviously, youse is entitled tae yer opinion, like.

And to Churchillsilkman--well, if what you say is accurate, then I suppose we should want him to stay for heiver and heiver? Maybe Terry can STEER him in the right direction. :love02:

From a psychological perspective it is interesting that the posts that are most likely to cause friction and "off topic" are often those short, blunt personalised "digs" which are usually delivered in a rather righteous, outraged, indignant manner by individuals who probably feel that they are more intelligent and upstanding members of society and are placed in a position to judge and deliver a moral verdict. These individuals evidently have no appreciation of the concept of freedom of speech, free expression of personal beliefs but especially a disregad for an injection of caustic, ironic cynicism.

And as my old mucker Harry Truman once said: "The atom bomb was no great decision. It was merely another weapon in the arsenal of righteousness".

Tch! Tch!--Now ICTChris , we'll have none of that there 'ere , mate ,as they say in MACCLESFIED.

There are times when Renegade is well worth listening to but, obviously, youse is entitled tae yer opinion, like.

Not only is his opinion nonsense, his posts read like they were written by a 13 year old doing a creative writing assignment two weeks after hearing their first Smiths album. I can imagine him skipping round his room waving a bunch of daffodils before posting.