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I'm closer to the end of my tenure on this planet than starting out so.... I don't want to speak ill of the dead...... . But, T B , your glory days may be over because if you can't keep the heed , like oor John does so well amidst lots of upbeat and enthusiastic comments praising our lads and the club, then you won't last the pace beyond the end of this season. Sad to say for you, it 's appearing more and more as if you've done our club a big favour by departing earlier than we had anticipated. But going to a club on the hard downward slide without the patience and requisite motivational skills needed to help them over the hump you may end up on the scrap heap yourself instead of the lads who may all of them be trying their best.

Yup ... its a bit like the scenarios in the past at Aberdeen and Dundee Utd .... clubs with a large fanbase living on past achievements or successes rather than facing the stark reality of the slump they - and Scottish football in general - have faced since then, coupled with a board or chairman willing to make a knee-jerk reaction to appease them when it all goes pear-shaped. If he is given time I think he will be a success - like he was at 'Well and ICT - but if not given time, and recent history at Hibs (10 managers in 14 years) suggests this is more likely than not, then he may be looking for a new gig before the end of 2014 ! Average lifespan of a departing Hibs manager in the 2000s = 638 days 3/9 moved to other clubs. 6 were either sacked, 'resigned' or left by 'mutual consent' Butcher: 12/11/13 - ???? --- 90 days and counting ..... Fenlon: 27/11/11 - 01/11/13 ('resigned') --- 705 days Calderwood: 18/10/10 - 06/11/11 (sacked) --- 384 days Hughes: 08/06/09 - 04/10/10 ('mutual consent') --- 483 days Paatelainen: 10/01/08 - 29/05/09 ('mutual consent') --- 505 days Collins: 31/10/06 - 20/12/07 (resigned) --- 415 days Mowbray: 24/05/04 - 13/10/06 (moved to West Brom) --- 872 days Williamson: 25/02/02 - 20/04/04 (moved to Plymouth) --- 785 days Sauzee: 14/12/01 - 21/02/02 (sacked) --- 69 days McLeish: 11/02/98 - 11/12/01 (moved to Rangers) --- 1399 days Average lifespan of a departing ICT manager ... (only 7 in our history not including current) = 1017 days 4/7 moved to other clubs. 1 sacked, 1 left by 'mutual consent', 1 resigned. Hughes: 04/12/13 - ???? Butcher: 27/01/09 - 11/11/13 (moved to Hibs) --- 1749 days Brewster: 27/08/07 - 19/01/09 (sacked) --- 511 days Christie: 13/01/06 - 26/08/07 (resigned) --- 590 days Brewster: 25/11/04 - 13/01/06 (moved to Dundee Utd) --- 414 days Robertson: 26/12/02 - 03/11/04 (moved to Hearts) --- 678 days Paterson: 01/08/95 - 11/12/02 (moved to Aberdeen) --- 2689 days Baltacha: 15/05/94 - 13/05/95 ('mutual consent') --- 363 days

Long hoof tactics? Like-for-like changes? One lonely man up-front against lesser teams? Talking a good game, but little else? Lack of a Plan B? Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

If 5,000+ Caledonian fans existed then more than a couple of hundred would have turned out to stop them being voted to death. Anybody who disagrees is living on another planet. You cannot silence, block or deny thousands of people from putting themselves in a position to vote. Does a single piece of footage exist of the rebels numbering more than one bus load? The majority of football fans in Inverness at the time would have traveled in numbers to see any of the three Highland League sides in what was pretty much a cup final. As a kid I was taken to Scottish Cup games for all 3 sides and we were seeing the same faces at all of them. If we sell 12,000 or so tickets for this final in Glasgow incoming, it would be naive to think that 12,000 of the people buying those tickets are ICT supporters.

Having just read the HIBS thread on Rig's post, even I was depressed. Glory and stability in the past ....to this kind of depression and back-biting. It's fine having a short fuse as TB is reputed to have but showing it to the players is not the way to go for a new manager --he will lose them. A club that is down, with players who are also emotionally drained by defeat after defeat, needs encouragement and help. Now he has Malpas with him they had better work very hard together and use praise and encouragement from now on or this team will be a basket case before the end of the season. Hearts have had a torrid time of it but their spirit is still "tails-up" and they still have a bright future. What was it that was so great about TB here at ICT ? Was it the great help he got from his support staff. the potentially good players he brought in from England, or do :clapping:es he really have the right stuff. All I can opine is that the way he "arranged" his departure left me cold as ice and a man of real character would not only have acted differently but been much fairer to and honest with the Chairman of ICT. 'Nuff said. He made his bed and now he will have to lie on it. Poor Hibs! They picked the wrong man --Their loss is our gain. John Hughes has twice the personality and character.

Saw his comments after the defeat by Raif - same old - everybody and everything to blame apart from him and his pouring of emotion to the fans. :laugh:

Fair enough. Was never going to be a hugely attractive prospect for SKY. Credit to both clubs for agreeing very reasonable prices. £10 for adults, £5 concessions and under 12s free. No reason for anyone in or around Inverness to sit at home that evening.

I think people should check with the club and/or the SFA before investing in one. Surf flags were banned for the Aberdeen v Perth final and pretty sure they're banned from the Caley Stadium (after an Aberdeen fan lit a flare under one years ago IIRC). Wouldn't be surprised if they're banned by the SFA as well (something to do with drug dealings taken place underneath them apparently).

http://www.hibeesbounce.com/forum/showthread.php?108567-Butcher

This'le do me for a name!

Tough draw for us, but winnable. Let's hope Aberdeen and Rangers meet in one semi and we play Raith in the other. I fancy beating Rangers in the final.

He is being compared unfavourably to Fenlon. If doesn't get a top 6 finish will he go the same way?

Hibs.net showing lots of unhappy Hibees at the moment. Grass isn't always greener.

Our next five cup games this season will be on the telly.

Well that was the best away day in feckin ages. Early morning start - two carriage steam train to the End of the Earth, travelling at a maximum 40mph - two pubs in Stranraer - one called The Pub and one called The Fitba Pub - great craic all day with a crew of REAL ICT fans - A shitthole of a ground, pissing down rain and a gale force wind. Standing on a grass embankment watching a game of football being played in a peat bog. FECKIN, FECKIN GREAT. As fer the game I think that the euphoria of last weekend spread down both on and off the pitch. It was a typical cup game and we were the Goliath but yon wee **** David missed our napper when he threw the last stone. And if his boss will let him off work I reckon that he will be dunked in the replay. I actually thought that we looked by far the better side and that we could and should have put the tie to bed. Shinnie did not have his best day at the office but Doran afforded him little if any protection. Doran is putting on the beef. He scored the first goal but he just seems to have lost pace and is not doing it fer me. I agreed with Yogi benching him. The others who did not impress me were Warren - he may have been very brave but he could have been booked once at least fer silly fouls. And their second goal was another defensive slip up and another goal where the opposition just ploughed through the middle of our defence. I thought that Watkins played OK considering the pitch. I also thought that Draper defended and worked well although he aint no playmaker. Tansey is another who looks like he needs games but he should have been the playmaker. Vincent struggled as well but he must have felt more match fit after that. My only criticism of Yogi is - where the feck was Foran supposed to be playing ? I thought initially that it was going to be a 4-4-2 but then he appeared to be more wide rite. Anyway good to see him back. I am going to suggest a business plan to Kenny Cameron - win both cups this season, go feckin beserk with signings and wages next season - win the treble - get into the last 16 of the Champions League - then go into administration - rename the club Caledonian FC and travel to real shittholes every other week.

We should be trying to improve in EVERY position, not with a cheque book, but by developing the players we already have with hard work every day on the training pitch.

Some may see me as a Glory hunter if you like but I have done my fair share of trips to Ayr Utd, Livingston etc over the years when I lived in Scotland. I remember being at the Albion Rovers (dump of a stadium) match on the day the twin towers were hit in New York. That one always sticks in my mind. Obviously living in Oz now its a wee bit harder to get to the games but I have tried to coincide trips back with matches. We will never ever be in our first major final again and its something I don't want to look back on and say I wish I had been there. I am thinking I will also get in the rescheduled Motherwell game on the Wednesday after the cup final too which is a bonus

You should make yourself known to the club and the media, it's a great story that will interest and impress the wider public. You are either completely nuts or a true hero !!! Agree you should make yourself known. Assuming you will be spending some time in Inverness before/after the final? If so, I am sure someone at the club would be delighted to show you round and introduce you to Yogi and a few others. Its the least they can do for that level of dedication. Drop TM4TJ a note as well as I am sure we would like to - at the very least - post a "human interest" article for the final detailing your efforts. If anyone else is also making a mammoth trek that would also be good to know so that TM4TJ can truly say our fans arrived from all over the globe !

You should make yourself known to the club and the media, it's a great story that will interest and impress the wider public.

ICT undoubtedly deserve larger numbers turning out based on achievements and in a different time would possibly be seeing regular crowds in the region of 5-6,000,however times have changed. The match day experiance is generally pretty poor,Scottish football attendance has declined (outwith the OF) and only the genuinely football minded will turn out to pay overinflated prices to be over policed/stewarded and suffer generally shoddy treatment. I'm sure there are many incomers like myself who have a soft spot for ICT but the time, effort and cost just isn't justified as a neutral, so you are left with the hard core die-hards and 2-3000 is likely to be where it's at for the foreseeable future,CC and co need to accept this and stop making good supporters like the OP feel awkward or embarrassed about it,it aint the ones who goes fault. I may well tag along to Parkhead for the final,i'm no glory hunter (obviously!) but hope ICT do well and i'm sure it will be a great day out,whatever the result, its a step in the right direction for ICT and what provincial club supporters live for, I for one am jealous as feck! Good luck ICT