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For once I am finding some of the criticism a bit baffling. Have I got this right ? Please feel free to correct me or challenge me please as I try to get our squad situation in to perspective. OUT - Grant Munro (Baffling) - Golly (no surprise, over the hill for SPL now and not even a squad player) - Royster (potentially a squad player but has to make way) - Duncan (again a squad player but wants regular football) - Johnson (no loss) - Innes (never rated him, another over the hill - Hogg (slightly baffled by that one but heard that he also wanted to go) - Obdhiambo (nuff said !!) - Bloominghitte (far too injury prone and woosy) - Sanchez (SFL player in my book and never really fitted in) IN / NEW CONTRACT - Sutherland (much better prospect than Rory IMHO - could really improve over next 2 seasons) - Rosscoe (in for the centre half position, the experience - would have kept hogg otherwise, needs pace alongside him) - Morrison (improving and a good squad player) - Tansey (could prove to be best buy since Rooney) - Tade (never wholly impressed me but pace and scores goals) - Aldred (yet to see but appears to have won some over already) - Meekings (sounds like a good squad player) - Shinnie (certainly showed potential but never got a breakthrough - could be another very good buy) - Stevenson ( squad player who needs building up. Plus we could still get Alex Cooper and Gilbert would be an asset. Coxy and wee Shinnie still to come back from injury - Hayes hopefully back to his best and the prospect of Doran on loan again. After all that I feel that - if / when we add another central defender then whats the feckin problem ? And lets finish off with a wee bit of controversy - looks to me that we have swapped a lot of older, nearing the twilights of their career journeymen for a bunch of younger, hungry to impress potential SPL players but many with "experience" at clubs arguably at a higher level than us !! When ya play wee team in pre season ya are on a hiding to nothing - this week will be interesting but I doubt that we will see the real ICT until Muversmell.

Gore's brother.

The twitter guy must have nipped out for a pastie and missed our 3rd goal.

I think when we did reject the opportunity to sign him he was in need of 1st team football at a lower level to get back in the flow of things after having been in reserves and having so many little niggles etc. He was not ready for the SPL at that point. However having proven himself and his fitness, his quality was bound to attract interest and thus an opportunity was missed. Good luck to the lad!

Yes, I agree with you about Sandy. It has been hard watching his steady decline over the last several years. To be fair to him though, he has done OK on the senior tour this year with a 1st and 2nd to his name already. I think I might have a nostalgic fiver for him to make the cut this week at Sandwich. Over the years I've followed him round several championship courses down here, including Wentworth, Sunningdale, Woburn and The Oxfordshire and generally there have been a fair few diehards watching him with me. The time at the Oxfordshire was quite funny. It was back in the 90s and I went up there to make a day of it. Lyle had an early start. After watching his round on a cold, wet morning I went into one of the refreshment tents for a spot of breakfast. I was there in my full golfing wet gear including white bonnet. A lady came up to me and asked me for my autograph, something that is not a regular occurrence I assure you. I asked her who she thought I was and she replied "Mark McNulty" (a well known South African player who always wore a white bonnet). I laughed and told her I was not Mark. "oh", she said, "I'm dreadfully sorry, you're Christie O' Connor". At this stage I didn't have the heart to let her down again so I scribbled "C O'Connor" on her programme (right below Nick Faldo's name) and off she went quite happy. By this time there were a few people taking notice so I thought I'd make a quick exit. I went along to the practice area to decide who I would follow round in the afternoon, and who should be there but Christie O' Connor, respendent in full, identical wet gear and his trade mark white bonnet, so I told him what had happened and we both had quite a chuckle over it. My one and only claim to golfing fame!

A right back, a center back, a left winger and another striker - these are must haves. Wouldnt mind a 3rd choice keeper but not a necessity. And i wouldnt mind Duff making his mind up at some point before next pre season.

I have to say I am starting to get a little uneasy about this season. Its 11 days until we start again and I feel that with injuries we could be looking at a very weak squad. Heres hoping theres a few trialists on the English tour.

Jamie Stevenson is only on trial, not signed Alex Cooper has left the club after what appears to have been a very short trial Gilbert looks highly unlikely to sign given that he was supposedly injured and couldnt play on trial for us but can manage to play for MK Dons on trial We have no right backs at the club which is very worrying (Proctor should only be used there in emergencies IMO), we only have Tokely as an experienced centre half and at the moment our defence is a really weak Tade for me is not a natural goal scorer, he will manage a few but i really dont see him as being a regular goal threat, i hope he proves me wrong but 35 goals in 154 appeareances in Scotlands lower leagues does not fill me with confidence We currently have 17 signed first team players which IMO is grossly understrength Just been announced on the official site that Tade and Cox will both miss our game against Motherwell so at the moment our striking options are Foran and Sutherland and our defensive midfield options are Gavin Morrison Its not quite hit the panic button yet but i feel there is still a lot to of work be done

I am not a golfer but I enjoy watching golf on the TV and have been to odd days at various championships. I thought it would be fun to buy a season ticket for the Barclays Scottish Open and did so in March for the pricely sum of ?55. Not bad for a possible five days entertainment. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will do it again next year. Certainly, Saturday's problems were frustrating and I visited the course that evening when it looked like play would re-commence. The whole place had really taken a hammering. Certainly the leading players were taking advantage of Castle Stuart with its wide fairways, short par 4's and others that are downhill all the way. That's not uncommon on the European Tour where many tournaments are won with scores miles under par. I also saw plenty examples of how Castle Stuart can bite back. I got the impression the players were really enjoying the excperience. Also read in a newspaper today that Jim Furyk was watching the tournament on TV down south getting ready for the British Open and is keen to come next year. Hopefully, there are more like him. If you weren't there this year, plan to go in 2012. You'll enjoy it. So here are the things that impressed me most. There are lots of really good vantage points. Plenty places where you'll get a great view. Probably the worst course from this point of view is the Old Course at St Andrews. Getting to and from the course was simplicity itself. The car parks and shuttle buses were very well organised. It will often take longer to get out of the Caledonian Stadium car park after a game. When the sun shines the place truly looks stunning. It has to be seen to be appreciated. TV does not give you the full picture. The work that must have gone into getting the course ready for Sunday was monumental. I tip my hat to everybody involved.

Why do people assume that just because we've heard nothing that a space is being kept open to allow him to come back? He had a deadline to sign the offer given, that has passed....Butcher now has the freedom to pursue other targets and if Duff does come back looking for a deal then that will only happen if Butcher feels we want/need him. In a market where there's hundreds...if not thousands...of players looking for deals, then the only person risking anything is Duff.

Leg ends should remain leg ends. Memories are like mammories - they remain forever ample and pert in the conscious mind but in relaity they droop and sag.

I'd hazard a guess that the pitch is waterlogged I see you still start amazingly interesting threads dougal

Dont take it to heart Mahonio, was looking at an IHE anagram on another post which got me thinking and by the way, Mahonio = Oh I moan.

Brian Kerr, who impressed so much at his time with ICT, has signed for the mighty....Alloa! Ah, the lure of the bright lights...

Players OUT: Johnson, - Duff, Innes, Hogg, Munro, Golabek - Odhiambo, Mcbain, Duncan, Blumenstein, Doran, Sanchez, - Rooney Players IN: Tom Aldred, Josh Meekings, - Andrew Shinnie, Greg Tansey - Gregory Tade So thats 13 players out and only 5 in. Surely we have a serious amount of space left to will in terms of wages. In defence i would say i was more comfortable with Hogg and Munro than i am with Adred and Meekings, We have also lost Innes, Duff and Golabek, Will we be bringing in another 2 defenders? So far i think the defence has been weakened. Midfield we have brought in Shinnie and Tansey, Are they better than Doran and Duncan? Again i am not so confident on that. We have also lost another 4 midfielders, will another 2 or 3 be brought in? So far i think the midfield is weak. Attack - We have lost Rooney and brought in Tade, That isn't a good sign at all unless we can bring in someone else. So far i put us up as one of the favourites for relegation UNLESS we can bring in a few quality faces. I really do fear for the season ahead and i'm still sure Butcher will regret releasing Munro and Duncan.

Simply because pedofilia is recognised as a mental health issue, would you rather he recieved no help and his condition continued or would you just prefer he was put to death? Why makee a problem worse when it is recognised that it can be treated? I'm certainly not saying that he should be put to death, you wrote that not me and nor am I intimating that he should not get the help you are suggesting he should, I do however think that now-a-days those in positions are all to quick to jump and say that everything is to do with mental health problems. Can it be treated, no I don't think so. Once someone has these thoughts especially in terms of peadophillia it is very difficult to change their views and thoughts. Yes the courts have dealt with it but I bet you if you took 5 judges and asked them to sit on the case they all would have gave out slightly different judgements, just because one person or a couple of so called professional say that he doesn't pose a risk doesn't mean that they are correct. Anyone can sit with psycologists and whoever else was brought in to assess him and say they are very sorry and it is not in their character or nature and they won't do it again etc etc but do they really mean it? And yes when he is in a position like he is where children can idolise him and go to watch him play football I do think it's not an environment where he should be placed. The main outcry from this whole episode has come from the way that the club have reacted to it and how they have protrayed it to the media themselves and their ridiculous way of dealing with it, they are almost just as bad as he is with some of the statements they have come away with!! You must have spent over a decade in further education to gain your expertese in law, psychology and morality. You my friend have to be respected. Maybe you could share some of your thoughts on this piece, I know it's wikipedia but you could perhaps indulge me in explaining why some of the cited parts of it are, in your opinion nonsense? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedofilia

What I was alluding to was not really about his history - if ICT asked him to rest then he is simply disobeying orders and taking the pissh - if he has carried on like that over the years then no wonder he has fallen from grace and is injury prone to boot.