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Three excellent posts respectively from Scotty. Caley D and DoofersDad. If the SFA, or whoever, wanted to force the club to install USH, in the face of the objections of Caley Thistle for seemingly common sense and thoroughly practical reasons, then the SFA or the SPL should have been willing to foot the bill to make sure that it is done right-i.e any rolling of the ground to be compensated by some other procedure to balance out the nagative effects of the former. The more I read about the expectations about the rules, regulations and lack of common sense displayed in the top echelons of Scottish football just now my heart and mind weeps with frustration. Anybody who wants to set up a petition detailing these facts above and demanding that the irrational employees be sidelined and the rational ones, even if they are the ball boys, be promoted into the SFA/SPL Boardrooms will have my signature by Express Post. But what now? Is this problem going to be addressed effectively? And,if so,how? Either we strongly berate the SFA rules for forcing this on the club or we have to mount a cogent campaign against them in the press.I am personally fed up to the back teeth with the way the "Authorities" in Glasgow have been picking on Inverness Caledonian Thistle going back as far as the Aberdeen fiasco. It's a bloody disgrace and we have to change it -- We know that the press in the Glagow area where the Offices of the SFA are, will not be co-operative so logically it's a petition then.............?

Did anyone see the slimy creep Doncaster during the Saint Johnstone v Rangers game last night? He was trying to spin some stats that apparently showed that the majority of Scottish football fans were keen for the 10 team set up. He appeared to seize upon the fact that in a recent poll 2% of fans wanted the set up to stay as it is claiming this was sure fire proof that a move to a 10 team top division is what the majority wanted clearly overlooking the fact that whilst 98% of fans polled wanted change the exact change that they asked for wasn't mentioned. Horrible person.

This is ridiculous...what kind of democratic system allows the delay of a vote because someone knows they aren't going to get the outcome they want? The longer it drags on the more time and money is being wasted on plans and proposals that don't meet the desires of the people. Get the vote over with, scrap the bollocks you've put on the table, resign if you don't like it and allow someone else take over and do the job properly. On the face of it, yes, most of that would make sense....but when you start to peel back the spin and look at each of the proposals in more depth you find they are fundamentally flawed and, IMO, many of them would never come to fruition and are only now being put out there so that if (when) the plans for a 10 team SPL are rejected (if we ever get round to seeing a vote on it) then Doncaster and his cronies can say "look at all these good things we were going to do and you voted against them"....much the same as what happens with lobbying and manifestos etc in the lead up to a General Election. Why must Doncaster play the "all or nothing" card? Why can't things like redistribution of money within the SPL, relaxing stadium criteria, creation of additional relegation/promotion place, obligations towards youth initiatives and the early start/winter break all be introduced without the changes to the league size? No reason I can think of, other than using them to bribe clubs into accepting the 10 team top league and allowing the SPL the remit to take control over the whole game in this country. They can't look after the 12 teams they have already, heaven knows what kind of shambles we'd end up with if they were looking after another 30 teams.

Had the game gone ahead, there is surely no way sanctions would have been taken by the SPL. Had commonsense prevailaed with the agreement of both clubs and the TV company we would have witnessed a football match taking place on a beautiful spring afternoon - a slightly greasy surface no doubt but otherwise a perfect day for a game of football. The decision to have gone ahead would have received praise from the media and the fans. Any suggestion that the game was nearly called off would have been considered laughable. In these circumstances the suits in at the SPL would have to be completely barking mad to impose sanctions. Ah! Of course! So I'm wrong. There would have been serious sanctions!

"Hiya Craig! Hiya pal!"

To me, this says it all ........ Full Article here: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2210729?UserKey= So ICT agreed to delay, Celtic agreed to delay, and even ESPN have kind of admitted that whilst not ideal they would not have been averse to a delay even though it would mean the match probably couldnt go out live ..... yet some dickhead penpusher at Hampden with no authority to make a real decision quotes the 15 minute rule as a reason for inconveniencing everyone, and lets the referee shoulder the responsibility of actually postponing the game when a simple bit of common sense might have allowed travelling fans (of both teams not just Celtic) to complete their journey and see a game they set out early in the morning to watch ! What a wunch of bankers !

As I understand it: When the club got the right enter the SPL the conditions were pretty stringent. As soon as USH was mentioned the club argued the case that it wasn't required due to the location of the pitch and its history. SPL "diplomats" insisted that it was a necessity. The contractor advised at the time of installation that the pipes needed to be buried further below the surface in order to allow adaquate drainage materials to surround and the ability to spike the pitch to a decent level. It was realised at the time that this was not possible unless the pitch level was raised by circa 80-100mm within the time constraints dictated by the SPL. A question was asked about extension in time and this was rejected by the SPL. So as I understand it, from the contractor, the USH will function well for what it has been designed but has now created a blockage in the drainage system which is exasperated by the low level (almost sea level) of our pitch. It is reckoned now that any prolonged intense rainfall and a high tide makes it impossible for the pitch to drain. Tommy can't spike down any further and there is no exit for the water. Solution: spend a fortune raising the pitch and relaying the USH with new drainage materials or remove the USH! That's how I understand it and it appears to make perfect sense.

Would have to agree with this point, usually about 3 am Seriously though, ,yer quite right Scotty,sure i mind Tommy ranting about the damage and predicting USH would cause more call offs than it would prevent

The Scottish football authorities deserve all the criticism they receive .. they have no thought or consideration for fans who attend their games. To postpone a game in April two less than two hours before the scheduled kick off demonstrates how little if any thought was given to travelling fans of both clubs. The Met Office Invent forecasting system has a site for the Caledonian Stadium in Inverness. The forecast last night was for heavy rain from 02.00 hours until 10,00 hours this morning, followed by good drying conditions, a rising south westerly wind and sunshine. By midday the pitch will be draining and drying quite quickly .. by 15.00 hours it should be perfectly playable. Why was there no earlier inspection ? This nonsense of refusing to use local referees and having to use the match official in the SPL must stop .. none of this is the club's fault just part and parcel of fans being at the bottom of the list .. Health and Safety of pampered players and television timing dominate everything. I was on my way to the game having already checked that the game was on when I heard there was an inspection under way. It is a fair distance from the North West Highlands to Inverness but Caley are our team and my daughter and I were prepared to make the early start due to the midday kick off .. so we turned around and went home. If I was a Celtic fan I would be fuming. Scottish football organisation is a shambles .. a ten club SPL, inconvenient kick off times, lack of information, appalling communications, no sense of urgency, referee's strike, out of touch senior management .. the list goes on .. and finally zero consultation with you and me . the fans.

Statement from George HERE The future of Scottish football has to involve the people that pay through the gates and its high time the powerbrokers realised that. They also need to realise that without all the other clubs there would be no Celtic or Rangers. Those people are supposed to be developing the game not ensuring the OF stay top of the league and ultimately in European competition. Every team should get a sensible share of the pot and every team should have to operate within their means and without debt. Let the league expand and let every club have a fair chance to win it.

Looks like this unbelievably crap idea wont get the 11 clubs it needs to vote for it thankfully! SPL needs expansion!