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I couldn't care if we played 11 Martians if they perform and work for the team. so the fact that despite us singing 7 young players, all from within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, all willing to relocate to the edge of the arctic circle and without shelling out a fee people on here still find something to complain about is frankly mind blowing. Not a game went by this season when I didn't hear the kids at games saying I like that Gary Warren and Billy McKay but if only they weren't both born south of Tomatin I could enjoy watching them so much more.... I'd take 1 ex PE teaching Gary Warren over 20 Scottish 1st Div/Lower SPL players with an over inflated ego and an unrealistic salary expectation.

I don't know exactly who has or has not been considered beyond those which have been given deals. You asked why young players in Scotland weren't being given the same chance and I provided an explanation. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I do understand it. Like it, or not, we have a very finite budget and the club need to operate in a way that delivers the most they can from that....and so far it seems to be moving the club in the right direction, both on the park and on the balance sheet. ICT don't set the rules on paying player development fees (or not) in Scotland or cross-border...they can only operate within the rules and systems dictated by the SFA, UEFA & FIFA. Sadly, it's unrealistic to expect us to be able to compete for the most promising of youngsters available in Scotland (unless we unearth a gem from our own youth system). It's a smaller market which means the pickings are slimmer and any potential talent is picked up by teams who can either offer better wages/terms and/or can afford to pay a fee (or they cross-borders in the other direction) or they have the finances to take more of a punt by signing them sooner. My understanding is that an out of contract under 24 in Scotland will still generate the need for a development fee if they have been offered a deal by existing club and then move to another Scottish club, although one being freed will not....but if they are being freed, then are they really going to be of a quality required? Not to mention the fact that you have to wait until they are actually released before you can even talk to them to avoid the development fee scenario...and as that doesn't happen until end of May (or later) then you are adding in the additional risk of sitting on your hands till then and potentially missing out on the kind of players we have signed the last couple of seasons. I'm no stranger when it comes to suggesting a conspiracy, but it really is going some to ignore all of the above and cast about accusations of racism as being the reason the club operates as it does when it comes to signing policy!

Dublin

Signing Scots would be great but the better youngsters are too busy challenging for Europe at Bournemouth and such stellar clubs. I just hope the likes of Allan recovers from his injury. He got a nasty splinter from sitting on that bench.

Thankfully the SFA AGM has binned this proposal.

I doubt the SFA will ever sanction either of the ugly sisters using this legislation. Instead they are more likely to pick on a smaller team such as us or the tinks and use the legislation against some trivial/out of context/jumped up claim to gain face in the eyes of UEFA. We've waited decades for the SFA to do anything meaningful regarding the twins of evil and the bigotry and baggage they bring to the game, this new legislation is not going to suddenly see the SFA grow a pair of balls and do anything of substance to address the issue.

So why were we specifically requested not to use the word "gypsy" at Tinkerville games this season ?

So County will have to wear their AWAY kit, at HOME? HAA pmsl. Something else to seethe about :)

I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that I recommended Curtis as a potential signing about 4 years ago when he was still with Distillery. I can't find the post because I am a moron be bothered searching for the post but clearly I'm ahead of the game. In all seriousness he's a decent player but rough around the edges. The step up to full time football will do him wonders but I'm just hoping it's not too late at 25.

As I have highlighted numerous times before..... If ICT were to sign a player under the age of 24 from another club in Scotland then they would have to pay a development fee. Such fees do not exist on cross-border transfers. These fees can vary, but even if it was as little as £25k for each, then 7 young players are going to cost £175k in fees alone....that's about £3365 a week in wages over a year....equivalent to about 10 young players if they're getting £300/£400 per week.....or 3 signings instead of 7.

Something fishy going on there. An apparently intelligent and articulate County fan. Must be something amiss.

Starchief, I get what you're saying, it was like when I first heard Terry Butcher after years of listening to Brewster. But if you compare Terry and Kenny, on the one hand you have a very upbeat, jovial, well mannered, passionate, original orator and then you have Kenny, a bitter, arrogant, deluded, egotistical liar. Standing out from the crowd is one thing, being a complete tool is another thing entirely. You aren't wrong about his record, he won silverware, and did try to keep a settled, solid squad. And therein lies the rub. He's been given the elbow because of his behavior. PR is important to a club, goodness only knows what he was coming out with in front of sponsors and investors...

I'm pretty pleased with the away top, definitely better than last years

I enjoyed him. But then, I enjoy David Brent. Nothing worse than a respectable manager, i.e. someone sitting in the dugout not saying boo to a goose. Let's have some fun instead. I love it when Lennon kicked that bottle when losing to ICT. Or when Strachan gets annoyed by a perfectly reasonable question. Or Big Jum McLean socking it to a hack. I also thought he had some good ideas. Yeah, on the face of it, he didn't do well this year in the SPL but that doesn't tell the whole story. He's brought in some youngsters, developed a few good players and won silverware. And but for injury time, would have been in the top six. All ifs and buts I know. There were some good ideas in amongst the bluster though. I just hope a bigger than life character isn't replaced by a subserviant lapdog.

Jhesus I am going to have to paint ma feckin face and arms blue for away games.

Best away kit possibly ever.

Get all the ten to sixteen year olds together in North stand and have them rehearse songs and chants in harmony ready for the new season.

at least they are 50% cheaper than Big Dons.

C'mon Bannerman, answer the man (unlike DougieDanger I can't get this device to do smilies)!!!!

I am afraid that Dougal is the target for his defence of historical opinions, events and facts. Caley and Thistle will always be part of the ICT story and there are many who may wish that they are not. At least Dougal follows ICT and did not become a refusenik. He may be a bit of a feckin erse hole but he is tolerable in my humble opinion and experience. Charles is merely a strong believer in his version of the merger and stands his ground like few others. At the end of the day it is mainly banter even if Dougal and I are rarely wrong.

I read an article the other day regarding the effect all the overseas players were having on the English game and there are now far fewer English players than ever playing in the top English leagues. What that means is that there are some pretty decent English players who are finding it harder and harder to find a club in England above conference level. The top Scottish players will naturally want to play in the big money leagues down south and with less money in the Scottish game to attract overseas players, there is a bit more scope for the next level of Scottish players to sign up for the richer Scottish clubs. Given the population reasons Luke mentions, there really aren't that many decent Scottish players around. It therefore makes sense to trawl the English market and it seems to me that ICT are doing that pretty successfully at the moment.