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That's how I understand it. The SNP government bailed them out on condition it went right in rather than stopping at Haymarket. Otherwise it would just have been scrapped. The SNP were against the trams all along.

Faith to do what? Top six? Nope. Relegation? Probably not but a possibility. Best manager we could have? Probably not. Deserves to be sacked for being nowhere near relegation, coming higher than a bigger-spending Hibs, falling only two points short of bigger-spending Aberdeen and winning more games than both the Dons and the next up, St Mirren? Nope. This board is getting really tedious. Think it's time to retire.

Luke, I think you will find your hypothesis has not been proven. Most fans will defend anyone be it players, the manager, fellow fans etc, if they think they are being criticised unfairly. Where we differ is when we feel people (and the manager in particular) need to be defended. As far as the manager is concerned, he gets the chance to defend himself week in week out in the media and he is very capable of doing that (see - I'm defending him!). But as the person who makes the key decisions on the playing side, it is only right and proper that fans question him when we they have doubts and criticise him when they feel he has done things wrong. That is what a forum is for and if we stopped having that diversity of views the forum would be very boring and the club would be the worse for it. It really would be best if folk stuck to the arguments rather than criticise their fellow fans. We're all on the same side after all and share a common wish for ICT to succeed, we just have different views of how we get there.

If he reads this forum, he'll be off down the road running as if all the banshees from hell were at his heels. If what I have read from so many has been produced when he hasn't yet pulled on a football boot and placed it on the hallowed turf of the Tulloch Caledonian stadium, what the hell is he going to be subjected to if he misplaces a pass, as many legends have, or punts a high ball to nobody, as many legends have, or skimmed a ball over the crossbar, as many legends have, or been red carded early in a match as many legends have? If you all want to do pessimism and misery, take it to P&B.....that is the place nobody with an ounce of intelligence takes seriously. This place represents Inverness Caledonian Thistle on the internet...and it does not give anybody reading it a good impression of the fans of the club.

John Calder, Jamie Duff, Barry Wilson ... and just signed Wyness ... and now this strip !!! PML

So I hit a raw nerve then by suggesting that Gary Warren may be just a squad player. At the moment he is going to be a first pick as he has to cover roles that may have gone to Tokely (legend), Hogg (injured and may sign if a better offer doesn't come his way), Proctor (a great servant and uitility player, gone), Gillet (who knows where he is going but not ICT), Golabart (real promise but gone). So he's going to be a very busy bloke indeed. To clear up any uncertainty I saw every home game last year plus a few away. It was misery by the way. Nevertheless I will support ICT regardless and wish anyone pulling on the shirt all the best, why would you want anything else. Finally how many times has TB seen the new boy play?

That's what I say. The Scottish Highlands. I'm a Highlander first, a Scotsman second and a Brit third.

Did someone mention Levein? Don't get me started!!! Most over rated manager ever. He's a bore and his tactics / formations / team selections are dreadful.

If they're beggars or time share touts I reply in Gaelic that I don't understand. But yes, Scottish, always Scottish.

I like this one. Don't see any need to change any colours as it 's blue and red.

no I am from theScottish Highlands !

So why didn't he just take a pay cut to stay at Hearts and avoid uprooting his family again, and still earn a lot more than he'd get at a club like ours?

Now I'm a bit of a football ground enthusiast/anorak and what makes me and my fellow anoraks tick is not atmosphere (because fans create atmosphere not stadiums) its character!! And TCS is full of character. I cannot abide bowl stadiums like cardiff, southampton and middlesborough and the same goes with lego/mechano built grounds like livi st johnstone and shrewsbury. Frankly VP now falls into this category!! TCS on the other hand has the most unique main stand in britain, there's not another stand like it anywhere. We have two (temporary) tin sheds behind each goal which if our fans were abit more boistrous could make extremely atmospheric! One side is completely free but has a small open stand, a tv gantry, a small part of the old terrace left and all the catering facilties. I dream one day the west stand will stretch the whole way and be completely railseats/safe standing :D. Also we have two mahoosive floodlights with 6 smaller/original ones. Not to mention the fact that we're a stones throw from the sea, sit beneath a bridge and our club shop is a portacabin! TCS has soo much character and thats what makes it GREAT. Apart from the old jailend roof staying, VP is very bland! So Dougal, you have been proved WRONG

Mantis ..you have come out of the woodwork and made us all come alive. Goodness, it's long past your awakening from Hibernation time. Must be the cold Spring--certainly is cold here in Western Canada Imagien? Putting the heating on in B.C. in June? Incredible. As for Gen. George Custer he was also rash and a glory hunter which were the reasons that he got involved with the Injuns at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and lost BIG. And he wasn't HORNY afterwards because he was dead.! And so were all his small troop of cavalry. Oh My! Vainglory will do that to a young man. 2000 injuns versus about 100 to maybe 150 cavalry. Its CALVARY ahead for you in the future, George, NOT cavalry. Pity, eh Charles, that he made his name in the American Civil war and then lost it so hastily in Montana. --or was it Idaho . Och who cares? :love02: Comparing Terry to George does have some similarities but at least Terry the Titan has another opportunity to come good. Whether Terry has toned down his outbursts and bull in a china shop approach we won't find out quite yet but the situation he now faces is rather bleak, chums. He had better be very selective with this player choices and if we give him the beneft of the doubt maybe he can unearth some good-'uns . Panic Button--press it? Why? The situation has been obvious for months. It's more a question now of just waiting for the inevitable, methinks.

The infamous 'You heard it here first' has been played. Blackie will be a Jaggie in the next 10 days

Capital Caley, I very much agree with you on Mrs Lamont. Charles Kennedy spoke well I thought, as did the SNP guy. That newspaper woman was a bit out of touch I thought. As for the audience, the first question was a bit of a suprise subdued response, but typical it was asked by an incomer. The point about Tesco town not selling union jack bunting, wasnt aware of that but maybe Tesco are wising up. Hate when they have England related stuff on the shelves, and no Scotland things.

Why Charles it's you again? Interesting comments which deserve an explanation. When I emigrated to Canada, I got out of the barrel with the inward -looking staves staring me in the face as I climbed up. Then I suddenly realised, at a still relatively young age, that the horizons were much farther afield and the views were much more extensive from the top of the barrell.Not to mention the opportunities in a country countless times larger than The United Kindom with a lot less people in it and so on. So I opened my wee eyes and never looked back . And that is why I know more about the American Civil war than you and the teachers at the IRA. All previous wars that I had learned about in the IRA were usually about powerful Princes trying to steal vast tracts of territory from other powerful Princes. But the American Civil war was fought over very large Principles, in the North, and very entrenched attitudes in the South hell bent on retention of slavery and wealth. Each territory had their own basket of Goods and neither was at all interested in stealing that which belonged to the other. Which to me was very interesting.And very unusual don't you think? So like a good schoolboy I paid attention and read a lot. Sometimss, opening your eyes is a bit of a shock. but when you come back to your "home " country and find that many of your former inward looking friends have no interest in how you are doing "abroad" or have no interest in what kind of a country you went to, etc., then that's an even bigger shock. Where I am now the only thing that stops me from making any change I like in my career or my life is entirely my own mindset or efforts whereas, where I came from, the class snobbery and several other similar things that I encountered as I grew up were hurdles that were insurmountable. And also prevented a fella making progress through earnest endeavour and hard work based on ability and drive and an honest approach . Sure, you will suffer debilitating discrimination when you arrive, but so what? Get over it and get on with it. Now Britain is almost a financial basket case with even my former employer, the mighty Royal Bank of Scotland, having gone into a moral downslide of mind-boggling proportions, their shares dropping from 23 pounds to virtually 23 pennies just a few years ago. So, Charles, why don't you try it out for yourself? It's a neat expereince, as no doubt other new Canadians will testify to. Hope to see you soon and we can reminisce about past good times in Blighty. Cheers the noo .

Sorry DD but that's not what posters have said. It hasn't been a case of "don't get too excited" but definitely more "he's not good enough". Oddquine has very eloquently pointed this out and I'm certainly in her camp regarding giving these players a chance. Nobody's seen this guy play, but several posters claim he's not good enough - on what basis? OK he's a late starter, but that might just mean no-one's noticed him as he's not been in the shop window. Isn't that the same as the Hull striker Steve Bull, who hit the headlines with a late starting career - and then went on to play for England! I'm with Oddquine. Give the new guys a chance, don't write them off before you've seen them play, and don't p*ss them off by writing negative drivel that they might read before they've played (or even signed). Positivity can breed success, but negativity will certainly breed failure. I think you need to go back over this thread and read the posts again. I think only KenCar said he wasn't good enough and if you read his post it is pretty clear he meant it not in a literal sense as he, like the rest of us, have not seen the lad play, but in the sense that in general we would not expect players playing in struggling conference sides to be what an SPL club is looking for. Read ICT Paisley's excellent post at number 68 for an example of a more considered view of the news. And who is not for giving the boy a chance? It's not that people aren't prepared to give him a chance, it is just that some of us don't have unrealistic expectations of him. The lad himself has talked about the move being an opportunity to advance his career so I hardly think he is going to p*ssed off by supporters who wish him luck but feel he will have to prove himself. What may well p*ss him off is people such as yourself and Oddquine who seem to have such low expectations of what this club needs that he will be thinking he's taking a backwards step by coming here. What I do agree with you is that positivity can breed success, but negativity will certainly breed failure. The question is who is being positive and who is being negative here? I explained in my post why not getting excited over Warren's potential signing is a positive stance to take. I can think of few things so negative as meekly accepting that signings of players with no particular track record from struggling conference sides is the future for an SPL side.

Enough of the County loving! Quit biting to Dougals bait. We have enough to concentrate on with our own team. Couldn't give a monkeys about Ross County's stadium.

Wait and see what exactly? Courier article of 8th June? Though the position would depend on his value of his worth, ICT's abiity, or even willingness to pay it........and whether anybody else wants him. I believe blackie will be on everyone's wish list in Scotland this summer with the exception to Celtic. I can see him going to rangers if everything works out for them or a fairly decent English team, lower championship or high league 1. Wasn't on Heart's though, was he? Given the Courier article, doesn't look as if he has had many decent offers, else he'd not have been saying he'd consider any offer made to him by the club who couldn't afford Tokely. I'm being mischievious here...but I really don't understand the ICT fans obsession with the past and the eternal assuming their ducklings are everybody else's swans. Do you even know why he was released from Hearts? His wage demands were too much for them to afford so he was released. He is one of the best midfielders outwith the OF in the SPL so why wouldn't everyone fancy having him in their team. You love arguing for absolutely nothing....Do you even know who Ian Black is? Probably 'never seen him play' IMO.

Are you too young to remember him tearing up the SPL? Not quite but it's easy to forget that just like its easy to forget the good butchers done when we have one bad season. Are you Butchers lovechild or something? your blind defense of him is something to behold. May i remind you....in Butchers time here, he got us relegated in his first half season here...from a situation that was salvageable, and he nigh on repeated that feat last season. So I think overall, his record is leaning toward sub-standard!

Sorry DD but that's not what posters have said. It hasn't been a case of "don't get too excited" but definitely more "he's not good enough". Oddquine has very eloquently pointed this out and I'm certainly in her camp regarding giving these players a chance. Nobody's seen this guy play, but several posters claim he's not good enough - on what basis? OK he's a late starter, but that might just mean no-one's noticed him as he's not been in the shop window. Isn't that the same as the Hull striker Steve Bull, who hit the headlines with a late starting career - and then went on to play for England! I'm with Oddquine. Give the new guys a chance, don't write them off before you've seen them play, and don't p*ss them off by writing negative drivel that they might read before they've played (or even signed). Positivity can breed success, but negativity will certainly breed failure.

IT SHOULDA BEEN US GETTING DONE BY THE RUSSIANS WE DESERVED THAT BEATING.damn you blom, damn you diving czechs, and damn you mcmanus!!

I think there's a bit of an elephant in the room here that everyone is missing. In my mind, the dropping of attendances has little to do with the world's financial problems, ICT's lack of U19s, ICT slashed budget or any other reason. The reason is what the fans are seeing on the pitch. If the club continually goes down the path (and have a manager who seems desperate to do so) of signing players with no connection or interest in the club or the area, sign players that play for themselves and not the club and have a manager who seems quite content on taking a "don't get beat " attitude, even at home while playing a kick and rush style of football, with any direction that is in it, directed towards a man of 5"7. These tactics are an insult to Billy McKay and even more so, to the supporters. You paint up all the reasons you want to try and cover-up the issue, but none as far as I can see, are the whole reasons why. I believe, and always have believed, that if you put a product on the park that entertains and excites the fans, play players who the fans feel connected to and play players that give their all for the club and play for the shirt - the fans won't turn away.

I'm far too worried to think about panicking.

It is the first one - the other two have fecked Superman

FFS! People moan when we sign inexperienced youth to play at the back, we sign someone older with experience yet still quite young for a player in that position and people still whine. Here's a phone number some of you might need: 08457 909090 Who remembers when this forum used to be fun? Or at least mildly positive? Sometimes!

A.B.E.

You don't say! Scotland are rubbish. That is all. Last sentence sums up all the problems with our game. It isn't we are pish, it's Scotland are pish. It's not our league is pish, it's the spl is pish. No pride.