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My mail to ESPN: Dear Sir/Madam I write with regards to your article dated 14th March 2011 entitled ?Celtic and Aberdeen Set for Rematch?. I was under the impression that Celtic were yet to play their Scottish Cup Quarter Final fixture away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Aberdeen were to host St. Mirren in a replay at Pittodrie after scraping an injury time equaliser in Paisley. I must therefore congratulate your journalist's ability to forecast the outcome of both matches with such clarity. In light of the foregoing I have returned my match ticket for Wednesday's rearranged fixture in Inverness and will invest said funds in a Celtic/Aberdeen double. Could you possibly advise the winner of Friday's Cheltenham Gold Cup in order that I may invest my winnings on the above bet accordingly. Yours faithfully, ymip I'm not holding my breath for a response.

Perhaps you should take a look at what crowds other football clubs of that era were able to attract. Then extrapolate their decline to the mythical what Caley would attract now. It is a futile and meaningless argument. The point is that Caley on their own, like Thistle, didn't have the resources or the infrastructure to make a serious assault on the Scottish Leagues. Indulge in misty-eyed romanticism by all means, but let's not pretend there's anything real or factual about it. Just a pipedream.

Dear all, I have recieved an answer from St. Mirren after their General manager and I missing each other's calls over a week or so. The upshot is that the Steward concerned was dismissed as soon as the CCTV footage was reviewed. The matter was fully discussed at their safety meetings and the outcomes explained to me. St. Mirren offered an apology and tickets to the next fixture between the two clubs, which was accepted and the matter closed. I would emphasise that St. Mirren were open and helpful throughout and their General Manager (Brian Caldwell) was genuine and professional at all times. If only every Club were as good. Can I thank everyone who PM'd support and information on this and other Boards.

and his Scotland U-17 colleagues failed to make the finals of the European U-17 championships at the weekend. After holding Italy to a 0-0 draw they beat Slovakia 2-0 but could only manage a 1-1 draw against Czech Republic. The young Scots were only 18 minutes away from the finals when the Czech's equalised. The lads were unlucky not to go on to the finals but come home with heads held high and a sign that there are some good footballers coming through the ranks. Liam started all three games and reports suggest he done very well.

It is not simply an issue of whether we should give aid or not. It is more a question of what help is appropriate in a given circumstance. Terrible though the images from Japan are, Japan is a rich country and the Japanese people should be able to rally round and help the victims and rebuild. It might mean an increase in taxation to pay for it but that should be something the people can afford and should not begrudge in order to help those in the areas devestated. That does not mean to say we should do nothing. We can help in a practical sense with search and rescue and certain emergency supplies, for instance. It is quite a different matter in a smaller and impoverished country like Haiti where the country simply does not have the wherewithal to cope on its own. I would not respond to an emergency appeal for this. It is not that I don't care, it is that I think the Japanese nation has the resources to manage the problem and that they have a responsibility to do so.

So have you made your mind up then Mr Mantis the more I think about both scenarios its remarkable how similar the football communities of Nottingham and Inverness are Forest like Caley being the greater team with the better players, more money, better ground and a much larger support I can't help but laugh out loud at the ex jaggies that claim that they had all the money men who were allegedly regulars at Kingsmills, from what i've been told and the few online photos of Kingsmills park i've seen, then why did their ground resemble something like a scene from Beirut at the height of the troubles Any money men would have pumped the cash into the Scottish league team regardless of who the team was I personally think the jags were on their last legs and they only had one chance of survival and that was to cling perilously on to Caley's tail because they would have been dead and buried within a season had Caley gone solo. You only have to look at the sorry state Clach find themselves in at the moment to back up my claim Had I been a Jaggie I reckon I would have fallen into the refusenik camp, there is no way I could watch a merged team who play in blue, hear only Caley chants from the fans and listen to virtually everybody in Inverness including the local and national media refer to the team as Caley. Lucky for us you weren't here then Had I been Caledonian I would have voted NO to a takeover and I would have wanted Caley to go alone because other than the sale of Kingsmills Thistle were bringing absolutely nothing to the party. Who invested the most in this new club? What I find galling is that clubs who were inferior to Caledonian on and off the park got Scottish League entry(yer Ross Countys,Peterheads,Elgins,Gretnas and Annans etc) Whats galling about that The fact that Gretna reached the SPL and County made a Cup final apperance makes a mockery of all the clowns on here that claim Caley would never have achieved what ICT have done. Gretna made a mockery of Scottish Football Lets not beat about the bush Caledonian FC would be in the exact same position that ICT find themselves in at this moment with a greater and more loyal fanbase as there would be a lot less disharmony in the City. Nobody will ever know the answer to that but I doubt it. dougal Dougal, Caledonian FC were the largest and most successful Highland League club but I still hold that, had they gone it alone, they'd be in the same leagues as the Elgins, Peterheads etc you mention. Gretna doesnt count because that was one mans obsession to prove he could buy a non league football team and take them to the top league within five years. He done it, he spent his fortunes doing it and his team died with him. You say Thistle took nothing to the party. I say Thistle took David Sutherland and his money to the party. Without that and his business accumen we would still be playing Elgin and Montrose. What I find very galling about you Dougal is your persistance in trying to stir the chit at every opportunity. If your intention is to try and breed unrest among ICT fans then you'd better go back to the drawing board. We are here on this site for this club that is ICT. We have accepted the events of 18 years ago and we all stand together now, in the same stand, to support the same team. We dont dig up the past, other than in nostalgic reflection. We look to the future and the success of ICT.

The club could possibly recoup some of the costs involved by introducing a "cover" charge.

and your roses will be lovely.

How will a straw poll, with guesses for answers, and a handful of replies, 'settle' anything? Just wondering.... BTW I believe it was 'settled' about 15 years ago

Get in the real world Proctor, SKY,SPL,SFA,BBC,Uncle Tom cobbly and all don't give a flying about what supporters want,They will sell their soul and KO times for a fistful of anybody's dollars

I think what some people have to remember, is that the idea of a merger is nothing new. IIRC it is believed that there was a time when a merger was very close in the 30s between Caley, Thistle and Clach (and possibly Citadel). In fact I think I might be right in saying that Caley and Thistle themselves were also mergers from previous and now somewhat forgotten clubs (Inverness Rovers, Inverness Celtic, Crown FC etc.). Also, an Inverness XI also played a number of friendlies against bigger opposition over the years. And it's not just here. Elgin City were formed from the merger of Vale of Lossie and Elgin Rovers. Aberdeen were formed from three clubs - an older, different club also called Aberdeen FC, Victoria United and Orion. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples too where clubs have merged and benefited from it in the long run.

I really doubt that. All the new fans who supported the merged team would have probably supported any league team in Inverness. So I think the crowds would be similar to what they are now. I agree Joe.....FACT....in the 50s and 60s, Caley were regularily playing to crowds as big...if not bigger than what they average now, when they were in the Highland League. Dont belive me....go get yourself a copy of Rod Clynes book, In A Different League....its all in there. I see no evidence to suggest that Caley on their own would have been less of a draw than ICT....if anything...i think they could have had a bigger, more loyal fanbase! I think that it would be similar to just now but not bigger. I doubt there is anyone who would support Caledonian as a league team but not ICT if they had no alleigances before. All the new fans and youngsters would have supported the league team of Inverness no matter who they were. I don't think you can compare things to the 1950's or 60's though as every team had much bigger crowds back then but it has no relevance on what they get today. Teams like Hibs were able to get 50,000 back then and as with the rest of the country these attendance for Caledonian did not last so you can't really cite the 50's and 60's as evidence for big crowds and not more up to date attendances Caledonian got in the 90's.

I take it you mean "support" and that's a wee typo but the answer is still "Yes" - you unfortunately were a lot smaller. That was actually one of the problems which meant that Thistle was a severely weakened entity when the merger came around - lack of money, including gate receipts. Another case in point was the September 9th 1993 votes. Caley went for the merger 55-50. At the Jags meeting it was 33-12 so less than half the attendance. On the other hand Jags were at a fundamental disadvantage since only MEN were allowed to go to their meetings! Let me give you this anecdote. I wasn't in the original Caley meeting since I only joined afterwards (OK, it was in order to get into meetings for reporting purposes!). But I did doorstep their original one in the Muirtrown. As the season ticketholders came down the stairs afterwards, somebody called out "Jags have gone for it by three to one!" The response from one wag was instant. "Christ! There weren't as many as four at the Jags meeting were there?" :biggrin: All this proves to me anyway that you ain't the dye in the wool Caley man you make yourself out to be dougal Don't say that, there are certain people who will now start trying to get that vote overturned! As far as I am aware, Caledonian FC never changed its constitution on the basis of the merger and is still, for instance, constitutionally bound to have a registered office in Telford Street!!! :biggrin: (Unless in the very dying days when all 576 Season Tickets had expired and only the Life Members were left, they quietly sorted things.) OCG.... get a hold of my book. All is explained there! All is explained by a very Pro-merger author with very pro-merger views which no doubt suited the club at the time of publication While i'm not slating the content of "Against all odds" I prefer to hear views from both merger camps not just the one, that way I can make my own mind up dougal

Watched him deliver numerous top performances and bag plenty of goals for the reserves, but despite the ample opportunity he got in the first team he rarely managed to emulate it. Glad to see him doing well, but saw nothing from him while he was here to suggest he can cut it at SPL level and wouldn't be in any hurry to have him tying up a wage here again.

Ken Dodd's probably my least favourite stand-up comic. Of all those who did An Audience with series, Billy Connolly would probably have been my favourite. The Audience with Dame Edna (Barry Humphries)show was also priceless.

With great respect, I'm inclined to suggest the "big problems on our own doorstep" kind of pale into insignificance when compared with the problems presently being faced by Japan.

Not that incredible...although some of the reasoning is very bizarre. There's a train of thought, and not one I entirely disagree with, which questions why countries such as the US and ourselves spend so much money on providing foreign aid when we have big problems on our own doorsteps that might be deserving of a bit more attention instead.

After yet another stewarding debacle, does anyone feel strongly enough to boycott the Hibs game? I think we all have a rough idea as to what'll happen two weeks on Saturday.

Had Caley gone it alone I'd still be a Thistle fan. Personally, I believe the merger had to happen. Had it not then the team that was accepted into the league would now be playing lower league football. They may have had a brush with div 1 but that would be it. The fanbase may have been in the couple of thousand bracket. Who knows. But the main reason they'd never have reached the hieghts of now is not the support of the fans but the support of the council and of the money men. The local authority could not provide the support they did if only one of the three main teams went ahead. A number of our regular sponsors supported one or other of the two teams. Those funds would have been split. I dont even believe our biggest investor would have put so much in had the merger not have happened. Those who refuse to support the new team are to be admired for their loyalty to the cause but would they have supported their own team if it had gone alone. I know three persons who, although they took part in the debates and votes of 93, were Celtic ST holders then and still are now. One of those three does grace the TCS now and again because his son wants to go. But only on days when ICT are home and Celtic away.

I believe Sky's deal was to show three of the four QF's. Having now decided to screen the Brechin v St J replay of tuesday 22nd I think they will fulfil that agreement. Up till last season the fourth QF match went to terrestrial tv. None of them have produced the cash this season. Makes me wonder why I pay a licence.

Did I miss the St Andrews night?