Good luck to County's new management team for next season. (Sorry - I just don't do this whole 'tink' thing).

What an exciting prospect having 2 Highland sides in the SPL - a brilliant situation for the 2 clubs to be in and what a boost that would be for the area. Nothing quite like the old derby in front of packed houses and the blood and guts affairs that go with it.

Bring it on!

Aberdeen, being north of the Highland Boundary Fault, is also in the Highlands so that would be 3 Highland teams, but I see where you're coming from

Appreciate the geography lesson, Mee (never my strong point) but was really thinking back to growing up with, and loving, Highland League football and thinking about how far we have come. As an old Jags fan, I always regarded the matches against County as much a 'derby' as those against Caley and Clach.

Murchie1

Got to agree with you RC as a derby in the days of the Jags.

Its was before my time as I was 10 years old at the merger but was there ever any Inverness teams v Nairn rivarlry?

No Nairn were never up Challenging for the title so there was never any real rivalry

Have to disgree with you Murchie1. County being relegated next season (and staying relegated) would enhance ICT reputation as the premier highland team and allow us to have a stronger hand for the pick of highland youngsters to build for the long term.

No room for sentiment in footy :dunno:

Minks

King Beastie, is that Bananaman or David Coulthard in his new F1 team gear?

RWC - the same arguement could be said for attracting spl players north - if there are two highland teams in the spl then the sneck might not seem so remote and therfore players may be more inclined to consider a move up here?!?! just a thought...

personally id love to see spl highland derbies with the TINKS

I can't see County beating St Johnstone to the title next seasonand don't forget they will be challenging against the financial mght of Gretna also.

While Dross C*unty have made an interesting managerial appointment in Leitch I think that they could very well have blown their chances of promotion for a while. The seasons of abject pish under Alex Smith have eaten up money - Roy McGregor et al pumped money into the club over this period so that Smith could sign up such luminaries as David Winters, Stuart Taylor, Gary McSwegan, Jim Hamilton, David Hannah etc. Now that the useless fan-dan Smith has been removed the money has run out and there will have to be swinging cuts in the budget. No one would be surprised to see John Rankin and Don Cowie moved on in the summer, Martin Canning has already been sold to Gretna. What are the chances of bringing in players of a similar quality?

If County had had a good manager in place when they were putting in money then they could have won the First division in the last few years. Unfortunately they had Smith who, despite his erse being kissed by football journalists nationwide, pissed their money up against a wall. I went to see County play St Mirren last season (the game had been cancelled at short notice and admission to the away end was free) and they looked a broken, nothing team. They tipped and tapped the ball about in their own half but as soon as they looked remotely threatening, ANdy Millen, Kirk Broadfoot and Kevin McGowane stepped in and COunty couldn't do anything about it.

Anyway, finish on a song:

Let's all laugh at County

Let's all laugh at County

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Let's all laugh at County

Let's all laugh at County

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Let's all laugh at County

Let's all laugh at County

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Let's all laugh at County

Let's all laugh at County

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Let's all laugh at County

Let's all laugh at County

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Sad to say but I agree with much of Chris' assessment, County have had their day and their chance for now.

More chance of them joining us if the SPL ever see sense and form a 16 team league but for the time being I think there's just too much quality/money about elsewhere for them to secure promotion.

I supported the Caley fer manys a year

And I spent all my money on whisky and beer

But these years I'm rejoicing

Like no years before

Cos we never will play the Ross County no more

And its No nay NEVER :cheers: :cheers: No nay NEVER no more

Shall we play the Ross County

No NEVER No More. :D

In your Dingwall slums!!

MINKS!!!

If the last 2 comments in particular are going to be typical of the quality of postings on the new website, then it's time to consider whether I want to continue pareticipating on the site. They are, quite frankly, pathetic and juvenile.

jeezo Murchie - its just a wee bit of 'banter'. all football banter is by its very nature could be considered pathetic and juvenile.

but i feckin love it and im sure the TINKS would agree!

but i feckin love it and im sure the TINKS would agree!

Er, no we don't, you and your other pals are pathetic as mentioned. Calling us tinks is highly ironic IMO seeing as your ground is sited on a dump.

Feck aff ya Tink or fer Murchie's sake. I think you are being over zealous and reactionary Mr Feyenoord, especially when you support a diddy team in a diddy league in a sub standard ground with sub standard crowds in an area of deprivation and unemployment and petty crime. YOU ARE FECKIN PATHETIC.

Er, no we don't, you and your other pals are pathetic as mentioned. Calling us tinks is highly ironic IMO seeing as your ground is sited on a dump.

Depends on your point of view..... our SPL compliable stadium or your shed of a lower division stadium inhabitted by scum of the earth????

I know which I prefer :roll:

If the last 2 comments in particular are going to be typical of the quality of postings on the new website, then it's time to consider whether I want to continue pareticipating on the site. They are, quite frankly, pathetic and juvenile.

I have a right to my opinion just as much as anyone else, I've grown up with years healthy rivalry with County just as they have had with ICT...... adds to banter and makes games against County of greater importance and worth looking forward to, there are many changes to football as we know it i.e smoking in stadiums, terracing, stadium capacity, standing in stadiums, stupid alterations to the offside rule and now you want to ban hatrid towards our arch-rivals :?

You are also forgetting to mention that if the tinks ever made it into the SPL their stadium woudn't be up to regulations and judging by their financial position they could not afford to expand leaving the only alternative as a ground share at TCS :shock:

I NEVER want to witness the day that a **** sits in the home section of our stadium.....

next you'll be suggestion a merger for the good of the Highlands :roll:

Er, no we don't, you and your other pals are pathetic as mentioned. Calling us tinks is highly ironic IMO seeing as your ground is sited on a dump.

WTF??? The Ajax fans have loads of insults but 'tinks' isn't one of them AFAIK.

Oh wait a minute, you mean your WEEEEE team

Bring them on! i've said on many an occassion on the board that's I'd love the derby back.

Murchie - the lads are just having banter - surely what this site is for!

Maybe you are on the wrong site!

Nothing like a bit of lighthearted banter eh? :angel2:

Think the first division is going be one tough division to get out of again next year and with Gretna and almost certainly Livi being the new boys, there is hardly going to be much revenue coming through the turnstiles. Add to this the fact that there will be a further loss of revenue from Scotsport who will not be screening the First Division and that Bell's are also pulling out from their sponsorship of the league and it becomes even more apparent that an even tighter grip will be placed on the finances on many clubs outside the SPL. This is likely to give any clubs promoted to the SPL in the future (Grena excepted)an even bigger handicap when planning how to survie their first season in the top flight.

For this reason it is important that if the team from Dingwall do make it into the top flight they do so quickly.

If not maybe any future league reconstruction might rescue their dream.

Depends on your point of view..... our SPL compliable stadium or your shed of a lower division stadium inhabitted by scum of the earth????

Right... :roll:

There's only room for one SPL team in the Highlands. Ross County had their chance to get into the SPL but blew it 2 seasons ago. And again this season.

ICT will now prosper to the detriment of Ross County, who will eventually slip down the divisions as their supporters desert them in favour of their local SPL team.

Elgin City will eventually overtake Ross County and may even reach the First Division some day.

But, like Aberdeen, Elgin City isn't really a Highland team.

(And Aberdeen is east of the Highland Boundary Fault. Not north!!)