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The day I stop believing will be the day I give up following ICT.

Am I being deliberately mis-interpreted over Clough? My point was that saying a couple of years ago that Butcher wasn't the man for the job because he'll eventually hit the buffers, doesn't mean that aspersion was correct. If someone had said of Clough "he's no use - bet he gets us relegated", then they are only proven right if they choose to ignore all the success he had in between. I wasn't comparing success or styles of play. Simply, that you can't say what's happened at the end of a manager's reign is the be all and end all. Clough was a far better manager than virtually every one else in the game (actually, in my opinion, I'd remove that virtually). But he eventually went on the decline and got them relelgated. That doesn't prove someone who predicted that "it would all end in tears" in 1975 was correct. Butcher took us up at the first time of asking, had a year-long undefeated away run, amassed a better-than-expected points total in the first season back up, putting to shame a lot better funded teams. I believe, with a proven goalscorer and better luck with injuries, we would be higher up the table (including that Hibs match). As it is, I feel there is no chance of relegation and we will probably finish higher up than Hibs and potentially Aberdeen. Both teams with much bigger budgets than us. I'm not saying I agree with all his tactics (I don't - I think a more balanced counter-attacking approach would be best) but based on the above, Butcher deserves another season.

Is it time we all put the life around us into perspective? Hoggy's latest Blog: <a href="http://chrishoggthefightback.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/perspective.html">PERSPECTIVE I've took a little sabbatical from the blog lately. I just wanted to see wether I still had the urge to document things and wether I still needed it as things have been going very well in my rehab. Firstly, the answer is yes I do need it as I realise that I actually enjoy writing which for a boy from Middlesbrough who only really ever went to school for the banter and sports is quite something. I've come to realise that its a good avenue for myself to explore as you find things out about yourself. You realise that its good to get things down from your mind, it gives you a release mentally. Also, recently I have had people say things like "Why haven't you done your blog lately? Ive really enjoyed reading it" and I also had someone say to me "Please update your blog as a friend of mine has been drawing strength from it who is also going through a hard time". Things like the last one just blow my mind and I really appreciate the support Ive had through this. This update basically is all about the word PERSPECTIVE. This is something that I know most of us in the sporting world lose track of sometimes. We live in a 'Sports Bubble'. This is w hen you think the world revolves around your chosen game which in my case is football. I have come straight from school into this football bubble and Ive been lucky enough to keep in this so called bubble for 10 years now. This Bubble consists of my world revolving around my game. Eat Sleep Train Play football. Everyday is all about preparing for a Saturday. Nothing else matters. When you win a game your personal high is unbelievable your on cloud 9. When you lose a game your in the depths of despair and the next few days are miserable. Anyway this bubble has been evaporated for me in recent times and I think this is partly me getting older but also recent events that have took place in the last few weeks have made me realise theres more important things in life than a game. As you get older the meaning of the game doesn't fade and your intensity doesn't but I think an awareness grows of its not the end of the world if you play badly or lose a game its all about how you respond to those circumstances. You are all most certainly aware of what has happened recently to Fabrice Muamba. If you are not aware Fabrice is a 23 year old footballer who suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch whilst playing for his club Bolton. This shook the football world and also the world in general. Fabrice received CPR on the pitch in front of 40 odd thousand people, his team mates and a watching TV audience of millions and was effectively dead for over an hour as paramedics battled to save his life. Miraculously Fabrice survived and is currently recovering in hospital in intensive care. I was actually watching the game on TV as it was all happening and I felt physically sick watching. I don't know if everyone felt like me but I almost felt it was a close friend of mine going through it. I could feel myself saying at the TV "Come on mate come on, please be ok". Now I don't know him personally but I have played against him and it affected me. I spent the rest of the night glued to the TV watching news channels and checking twitter for updates. Everybody started asking the question "How could that happen to a sportsman at an elite level?". It's a scary question. Bringing it all back now to PERSPECTIVE. I thought my knee injury was the end of my world. At first my career could have been over. The next thing was 'Hoggy it's going to be 12 months' then after the operation it was 'Hoggy 6-9 months'. Now, as my rehab is going along I cant believe the progress I have made. My knee is getting stronger and stronger day by day. I still have to take some rest days as it gets sore with some of the progressions but on a scale of 1-10 im seriously feeling 10. My muscle bulk is starting to come back and I'm working harder than ever to get back asap.(without rushing of course). I will hopefully be jogging in a couple of weeks and using the summer break to build myself up and come back stronger than ever. This has been a big test for me this injury and at the start plunged me into a place where I'd never been. Facing upto the prospect of finishing football. I know I am basically going to have to start from scratch and prove my fitness and form when I get back playing but I seriously cant wait to prove any doubters wrong and get back to playing at the level I know I can. Flip all that around and imagine going through what Fabrice and his family have been through and are still going through. WOW! Now thats a real test and for me puts my injury and the whole football bubble into perspective. At the end of the day its just a game and we all get carried away with it. When it comes down to it though there is nothing more important than life itself. In my opinion the health of my family and friends comes above all else. Yes I love the game and its been my life from a young age but anything I have done in my career is insignificant compared to the experiences and bonds I have with my family and friends. Also I just want to relay another event which put everything into perspective for me lately. This years Scottish League Cup Final. I have been lucky enough to win this trophy with Hibs in 2007 and I know the delights of winning it and all the emotions everyone feels with such a victory. It's a day that will live with me forever. This years final was deservedly won by Kilmarnock FC. However their glory soon turned to despair at the news of one of their players Liam Kelly's Dad suffering a heart attack at the final whistle. It's not really my place to write about it but my heart goes out to Liam and again I don't know him personally but I felt an empathy with him. Its something that breaks your heart to hear about. My thoughts are strongly with Liam and his family after such sad news. So, just to finish I would just like to say that these events that have happened recently has seriously given me and I suppose the whole Football world some PERSPECTIVE on everything. Yes my injury was a serious one and I know its a long road back but in terms of what other people are going through it is miniscule. This is my own personal battle in which I will win. Football is a game and we lose touch on that sometimes. In reality Life is what its all about. Work hard. Chase your dreams. Never give up and seize any opportunity that comes your way to better yourself. Most of all enjoy it. "I FALL. I RISE. I MAKE MISTAKES. I LIVE. I LEARN. I'VE BEEN HURT BUT I'M ALIVE. I'M HUMAN. I'M NOT PERFECT BUT I'M THANKFUL" Read it all at http://chrishoggthefightback.blogspot.co.uk/?spref=tw

For me the Sir Alex and Beckham issue showed to me that Sir Alex wasnt going to take any prima donna bullplop and told Becks that it was my way or the highway. IMO that shows that SAF wasnt adaptable at all, he wasnt willing to change his morals or rules in the dressing room for anyone. Adaptability in reacting to teams and their tactics is a completely different thing to changing your team rules to suit one player, that for me isnt adaptability but more bowing to player pressure. If you were to say that SAF is great at adapting his team tactics to suit game situations then i would completely agree, he does not and will not ever adapt his team ethics for a player getting ideas above his station. IMO Terry should stay but needs to work on his use of subs and changing tactics in game to suit the opposition. If the long ball tactic aint working then dont use it! He should get another season and if we are still misfiring then new management may be required then.

Alex, I can imagine Fergie reading your above thoughts on management and scratching his head, followed by (Artistic licence) "Beckam, get your arse in here ... you're for off son. Too big for your boots and that wife of yours gives me the 'heebie gebbies'! Bye!" Each to their own when managing as each person is different - thank God!

It would have been great to walk to/from Easter Road. Fitting as it would be for The Proclaimers favorite team to play host to the Highland Marchers, it's good to know we have a potential new route from Paisley to negotiate. Firstly, 3 points on our final pre-split game would be nice. then another win whilst Dunfirmline lose and I'll be happy. No relegation decider to walk to this year please lads!!!

Players who I think have shown they can be decent from the current squad and I wouldn't be disappointed if they were in our squad for next season: Ryan Esson - Good, solid keeper. Jonny Tuffey - Good option as a number two but he'll probably leave for first team football. Thomas Piermayr - Decent enough when I've seen him. Josh Meekings - Has made mistakes but is young and has also had some solid displays. One for the future. Graeme Shinnie - A decent full back, not too spectacular but has good feet and is gaining valuable experience. Roman Golobart - Cool under pressure, perhaps too much sometimes. Kenny Gillet - When he's on his game, solid defender. Chris Hogg - Experienced and offers leadership. Andy Shinnie - Talented player, great striker of the ball and drifts between the lines, creating interesting opportunities and a different sort of positioning. Greg Tansey - Frustratingly inconsistent, at times he gives the ball away too much but he showed in teh first hour on Saturday that he can dominate the midfield. Richie Foran - Gets a lot of undeserved stick from the tinfoil hat brigade but he is strong, good in the air and a leader. Jonny Hayes - Our best player, will probably leave though. Nick Ross - A decent player, handy on the ball but not consistent enough. Needs to improve physically. Gregory Tade - Hard working but maddening. Billy McKay - Hard working without the madness. I think Tuffey, Golobart and Hayes will all leave. Tudor Jones hasn't played enough games to be judged, he could be a good player for us. I've also left out Doran as he's barely played this season. The two big issues for us this season have been stupid defensive mistakes and a lack of quality going forward. The only two creative attacking players of any quality we have are Jonny Hayes and Andy Shinnie and they have been injury prone this season. Also, if you rely on these guys so much if they go on a poor run then we are goosed. We don't have strikers who can conjure goals out of nothing, we need to create more chances for them. At the back, we need to improve concentration and organisation. It's difficult to recruit quality attacking players when you are on a budget. We'll have to hope that Butcher's recruitment this summer unearths some Johnny Hayes' rather than Danny Stratfords. Last season Butcher plucked Gregory Tade out of the First Division and, overhead kick attempts aside, he's been better than anyone thought. There doesn't really look to be any obvious targets in the lower leagues, with most of the leading scorers more established players.

Oh bollocks!

FOOK aff with the talks of budgets etc. ICT NEVER needed them before....as we had teamspirit. and THAT is what we are missing now. I dont know if its because most of the team are on short term contracts or on loan...but NONE of them seem to be playing with any passion for the club. Most are mercinaries and would jump ship if they got an extra fiver in their wagepacket. Thats how i see it. ICT strength lay in the camoradarie of the team......a few new faces every season...no wholsesale changes.....and it worked for us.....until tinkering terry came along. Well, i hate to say it...but i believe we have seen all we are going to see from him, i would be preparing for a survival scrap next season

Heard of video tapes? :D Shhhh ... Charles just got a new 8-Track player and is still trying to figure out how to transfer his phonograph cylinders to it. Mentioning Betamax to him might put him over the edge