Can someone explain why he's not getting a game.  Last season I can accept he would be used sparingly,  but after his performance at the end of last season v. St.Mirren and he pre-season displays I was looking forward to seeing a lot more from the wee man.  But what a surprise he's not given a chance.  We have to give the young kids a chance or we'll never develop them.  Get Zander in for Saturday!

I was told today that he's away to Borough Briggs for the season with a view to becoming permanent.......  :008: :008: :008:

I think the loan deal is until Jan 08 - could be wrong though.

Surely to God not. What's the point in having a youth system if we get rid of our most promising players without giving them a decent chance as subs or at least putting them on loan at a high enough level to really gauge their ability? Sutherland seemed to have a decent pre-season and certainly impressed me at Victoria Park. It's not like our other options in his position have made themselves indispensable this season.  

Good move if it's a loan deal. The boy has long term potential.

D of F mentioned this at AGM but there was no suggestion it was permanent.

cant say i'd be happy to see him go on loan but if he's not gonna get a game here at least he'll show what he can do

Courier suggests that he is very much in Brew's plans, but will benfit from more games.  On loan until January to help him 'toughen up'.

Hes off to Elgin till January

I know a lot of Elgin fans who go to most of the games, so will make sure they report back with how Zander is doing.

I just hope the Elgin players don't take him out on the **** in Elgin  :029:

Zander is out on Loan with Elgin City until January - he gets his first game against Arbroath on Saturday!! Lets hope he can bring Elgin some good luck as well as gaining some experience so Caley have no excuse!!  Not as if he was doing himself any good keeping the bench warm!!

Elgin City have signed midfielder Zander Sutherland on loan from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

The 19-year-old will stay with the Third Division outfit until January.

Caley Thistle boss Craig Brewster told his club website: "We have a host of midfield players, especially in the wider areas.

"I just feel that playing first-team football will give Zander more experience and toughen him along with the added bonus of playing regularly."

I think this is a good move !

Like Rory was a year or two ago, Zander is being touted as the next young 'superstar' at the club. We have done the Rory discussion to death, but its a pretty similar scenario. If either player is loaned out to a lower league team for 6 months or even a complete season then just maybe they will come back a little more experienced, a little more confident and a little more ready to play a part in the squad other than just being there to make up the U21 numbers. I think this may also prove to be the case with Garry Wood who has had an eventful time at Montrose already.

Arrrgh! --scooped.

Agent Orange of the the Pimpernel organisation has had this news hours ago but spent too much time drinking tea with his early-morning biscuit. :018:

For you Scotty it  must be work starting time but for me it is "getting up at 4.30 a.m. to get a cuppa due to restlesss sleeping night" syndrome.

Anyway have a nice day.

By the way, does anyone on here know whether the Hibs versus ICT match tomorrow is being broadcast online to overseas listeners.?      No mention of that fact on the list of online match commentaries  currently being displayed on the Sportsound website.  :021:

By the way, does anyone on here know whether the Hibs versus ICT match tomorrow is being broadcast online to overseas listeners.?      No mention of that fact on the list of online match commentaries  currently being displayed on the Sportsound website.  :021:

off topic but here's the answer. yes it is, and it should NOT be blocked as Hibs Interactive have chosen not to exert their right to block BBC broadcasts

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There you go! :002:

What a  man. :clapping03:

Caley Thistle boss Craig Brewster told his club website: "We have a host of midfield players, especially in the wider areas.

Utter garbage.

We have a ridiculous number of options in the centre of midfield but very little out wide I feel. Rankin can do a job on the left but I think he is best in the middle. On the right we have Wilson and......

Marcus and McBain are not good enough I feel to deputise.

I guess the pecking order for the left has Rankin, McBain, Paatelainen & Morgan and for the right it has Wilson, Cowie, Hart & Sutherland so I can see where he is coming from. I would agree that Rankin / Cowie are better in the middle but how do you get them in there without dropping Black or Duncan who make the engine room tick ?

I guess the pecking order for the left has Rankin, McBain, Paatelainen & Morgan and for the right it has Wilson, Cowie, Hart & Sutherland so I can see where he is coming from. I would agree that Rankin / Cowie are better in the middle but how do you get them in there without dropping Black or Duncan who make the engine room tick ?

I don't think you can really include Morgan. I think that Xander would be fancied ahead of Morgan to be honest. McBain also doesn't really offer as much as Xander would do out wide. he is certainly much more of a central player than a wide man. Rankin and Paatelainen fair enough though.

Much the same on the right - Cowie and Hart I see as more central midfielders. Hart has shown to be particularly effective in the middle and Cowie appears to be a fantastic box to box midfielder but I don't think he is so well suited out on the right. Wilson however is a "real" wide player.

Basically I don't see why, when we really don't have that many proper wide men, we are shipping out an exciting talent like Xander who can cause some real damage coming on. He is pacy, tricky and could give defences a real handful.

We have plenty of midfielders that's for sure but not all of them are particularly well adapted to playing out wide.

Hear where your coming from RiG, but between now and January we've got a battle on our hands and we need tried and tested players to pull us off the bottom of the league.  It will be a while yet before we are a team that aren't always going to be among those tipped for the drop and that brings pressure in itself but that pressure is magnified 10-fold at present.  Morale isn't the best and we need players who we know can slog it out and are equipped to deal with the pressure.

Dropping young guys into that kind of environment just now would, IMO, do them more harm than good and getting them out on loan for regular football will inly serve to toughen them up at a level where they will, again IMO, shine.

Good post Caley D.--sensible.

Pimpillish, like....... :023: :004:

I was a bit cheesed off when I heard that Zander was going on loan to Elgin but, after thinking about it, decided that I was being selfish (enjoyed watching his trickery in the Reserves (and pre-Season) and  was waiting for more in the SPL).  I do hope he does exceptionally well and comes back in January to the 1st team.  From very first sight, I have thought Zander could possibly be destined for great things in the not too distant future.

However, as long as it is a LOAN and not permanent, OK, but what really is the point in having promising local players at ICT and then.... I sincerely hope this is not a case of shipping someone out,  never to be heard of again at ICT but then becoming a star elsewhere (for free maybe).

As it is, now I have ANOTHER team to look for, first Montrose (with Garry Wood), now Elgin (with Zander and Ally Ridgers) - how many other teams do I have to care about!?

I do wish Zander all the very best of luck, likewise Garry and Ally, but especially Zander as I think he has a special talent.

Sutherland and Ridgers both started for Elgin today.

Unfortunately Arbroath shipped 4 past Ridgers.

im sure the soft penalty and going down to 10 men didnt help but thats something our players need to get used to through there.  they wont win many games

maybe elgin will sort it out one day :017:

Which team will get a point on the board first ?

Hear where your coming from RiG, but between now and January we've got a battle on our hands and we need tried and tested players to pull us off the bottom of the league.  It will be a while yet before we are a team that aren't always going to be among those tipped for the drop and that brings pressure in itself but that pressure is magnified 10-fold at present.  Morale isn't the best and we need players who we know can slog it out and are equipped to deal with the pressure.

Dropping young guys into that kind of environment just now would, IMO, do them more harm than good and getting them out on loan for regular football will inly serve to toughen them up at a level where they will, again IMO, shine.

Would agree with most of that but there would come a point (hopefully not though) that if the tried and tested lot don't get the results we need then freshening things up and getting a couple of players, who are eager to do a turn for us, would be a good thing.