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That's what I like to see. A poster treating those with different viewpoints with respect whilst offering well argued justification for his own point of view. Caleyboy, you say that if we don't like it we should GTF. OK, lets Get The Facts. Hughes took over at a point when the team's performance and status was at it's highest level in the history of the club. Since then our results have represented relegation form. In March we lost 5 - 0 at Parkhead. That equalled our worst ever loss in the SPL The following month with no lessons learnt we did even worse by losing again at Parkhead but this time 6 - 0. Not only did this beat the unwanted record equalled in March, it equalled the worst defeat in the history of the club. March also saw us suffer a record home cup defeat. In all the years we were in the lower leagues and for all the years we were holding on in the bottom 6 of the SPL, the heaviest home cup defeat had been 3 - 0. It is now 5 - 0 When a club at the top of its game and with an excellent squad of players gets a new manager, some loss of form may be expected before things pick up again, but you don't expect to suddenly collapse to relegation form and suffer a series of record defeats. Personally I think it is perfectly reasonable to be concerned about this and to voice that concern. There are several on this forum who seem determined to vilify those of us who are expressing concerns. I assume that those who dish the abuse out are perfectly happy at the transformation in the club's results and the new records set since Hughes has taken over, but it would be really nice if they could, for once, explain why they are apparently happy with this state of affairs. If these facts don't concern you, then please tell us why! It would be far more positive than aiming mindless abuse at those of us who care enough about what is happening at the club we love to voice our concern.

My baby daughter is now sleeping through the night.

On reflection, I suspect the Police Scotland are too busy elsewhere to be concerned with this. On the basis of the relative attendances by opposition fans at our last two games against Aberdeen, they must be investigating the disappearance of around 39,000 people in the Granite City.

Hey, hey, hey DoofersDad. We must be supportive of Yogi, remember? It's the negativity of the fans causing the bad results, so we have to be positive. It's pretty clear Meekings and especially Warren can't play the Yogi way, so Warren must go. I know he loves the training but he's an old style central defender. No room for that in the new Barcelona. Then we can bring in a ball-playing central defender. Danny Wilson is probably available soon. He would be a big increase in wages but we must support Yogi in getting rid of the truly appalling players we have. Come on, Yogi! Keep passing it around at the back. Sooner or later, we might have the players to play that system, so let's prepare in advance. Go Team Yogi!

CaleyAway is still - and always will be - feckin great craic.

We will finish in profit for the second consecutive financial year.

Inverness sports teams did well this year. ICT got top 6 finish and a cup final. Inverness City got promoted to the big league and Highland Rugby team won their league (unbeaten) and won a national trophy. Well done everyone there

Is it just me but did a lot of that actually makes sense. He is saying that he wants to try and stick to the same pattern irrespective of who he is playing. That may actually be Hari-kari at Parkdread but I also felt that he had a point about the hoof. Changing the system is a learning curve. I also think that he is right about some heads going down and some players being outmuscled - he didn't name and shame them but I am sure that he pointed it out in the dressing room. In many ways this is trying to minimise the hoof.

We finished top six for the second season in a row and made a major cup final for the first time in our history which we only lost on penalties. Our player of the season (at least who I voted for) came through our youth system and is often captain when Foran is out. We have two local youth team players on the fringes who could go on to great things if given the chance. Nick Ross's equaliser. For the fiist time in as long as I can remember the majority of the squad is signed up for next season (these are the same players who played so well at the beginning of the season, it can happen again) We are not Hibs. We are entering our 20th year of awesomeness! It has kinda felt to me that the season has been over since Rooney's penalty in the final. Yes there has been a lot to play for but the generally feeling about the club (players, fans and management) has been that we are limping to the end. We don't have the squad to compete at the top for the whole season. I'm okay with that, 20 years on from the beginning I'd have never thought it possible.

I welcome Davie's post as a constructive contribution to the debate. I share the concern about a schism in the support but can we please not question people's loyalty.It seems to me that there are probably 3 broad camps all of whom have the best interests of the club at heart. At one extreme you have those who want Hughes to go now because they are convinced he was the wrong appointment from the word go, whilst at the other extreme there are those who feel it is too early to even express any concerns about his performance to date. In the middle are those who feel it is too early to consider sacking him but who are concerned about what they are seeing. That is 3 broad views but the reality is it is a continuum of viewpoints between the two extremes. I think Davie's contribution is important because it actually helps to clarify why so many of us are concerned. I think we all share the vision of "a successful team playing passing football that entertains people and encourages them to fill seats in the stadium". But hang on a bit - we were 2nd in the league when Hughes took over. Weren't we a successful team playing passing football that entertained people? Of course, the vision must surely be to be more successful and play more entertaining football, perhaps by passing more and I think we all accept that some change is involved. But the issue here is not the vision per se, it is the practical limit of the vision and the strategy of achieving that. No doubt Hughes will learn to regret the Barcelona comments if he hasn't already done so. Of course we would love ICT to play like Barca but we all know it is not going to happen. There has to be some realism here. It is sobering to reflect on last nights Champions' League semi final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Following his success at Barcelona Pep Guardiola is trying to instill the same style at Bayern and is having some success because they have world class players. However, they were humbled last night. An extraordinary statistic is that Bayern made 656 passes to Real's 287. For all those passes they only managed 4 shots on target. The message is clear. There may well be scope to have the side playing more of a passing game than in the Butcher era but this is surely a thing of evolution and not revolution. The concern many folk have is that Hughes has made radical changes for some games. Rather than rebuilding the playing style, we should have been building on the success we already had - success which was to a large extent built around the strengths of the current squad. Davie states "Hughes has had very few weeks where two (or three) games have not been the norm, so there's little time for coaching in there. there have been injuries and accumulated fatigue. It takes time, and that's what he should get." But that, surely, is the very reason why he should not have been experimenting with the playing style at this time. It does indeed take time but he has not given it any time - he's gone straight in and changed things at precisely the time when stability was needed. Going back to the stated vision it is important to remember this is not just about a passing game, it is about a passing game which entertains. A radio summariser on Sunday reported that the one time Inverness broke out of defence a passing movement ended with Draper passing the ball back to the keeper. That is not what I call entertainment and it will not fill empty seats in the stadium. I have no problem with the vision as Davie describes it, but the high flying status of the club when Hughes took over combined with the difficulties he describes called for a softly softly approach to change with tweaks here and there to build on what we already had. I also agree with Davie that things will be more difficult if a significant number of fans decide they won't buy season tickets next year. That is, of course, another reason for a softly softly approach to change Some fans will continue to support the team come what may, but we all know that many who come to watch will only come if the team is playing well and winning - that's life. Davie mentions that Hughes doesn't have a budget for increasing the playing staff, but that has no bearing on the slump in performance this season. We still have same players - it is the manager that is different. Indeed, because we have the same players and they are contracted for next season as well is a further reason for a softly softly approach to change - we will not have a squad hand picked by Hughes to suit his way ideal way of playing. By all means give the guy some time and I would support Davie's call for fans to get behind him and the team, but let's not pretend there is nothing to be concerned about.

A number of LOCAL boys have been promoted from the 17's and offered 2 year pro- contracts to play for the u-20's.

Perhaps those who are accusing others of disloyalty or wanting the club to fail can explain how it follows logically that those who have concerns about the current manager, many of whom have supported the club or one of it's two predecessors for decades, are by voicing those reservations being disloyal to the club ? As far as I can see, whilst there may be differences of opinion, not a single regular poster wants anything but the best for ICT.

How we SHOULD play at Celtic Park.

Chill pills - and lots of them - required me thinks. You seem to be a pretty bright guy so maybe you should arrange to meet Yogi and really tell him what you think

C'mon. Be positive. What would you rather have? Playing Butcher's style and only drawing 2-2 (we'll never match them, of course), then losing 1-0 versus Celtic, or Hughes style where, yes this year, we might get pumped by eleven goals to nil, but next year, after a close season when Hughes has got rid of dross like McKay and Warren and got some right good laddies in that can play like Barcelona, we will be beating Celtic by 7-0! BELIEVE!

"It will come good" you say, my arse it will!! I really can't believe this man is still getting backed as his record since coming in has been nothing short of diabolical, not sure of his overall win % but I reckon it'll be below 50%. John and Kenny both must be worried, especially John as he will be fearing for his job.

I just love fisheen - and comedians.

The chicken curry pies at the van at the corner of the Bridge End are top notch

Plenty of good news. I'd say: We are still in the top tier of Scottish Football We have punched above our weight and budget We have 3 home grown players in our squad, Ross, Polworth & Christie It seems to me that we have an extraordinary set of players who do not have the usual footballer swagger. We do all this WITHOUT any bludy money to improve the football side of this business Let's ignore the bad news for this thread. Plenty of that elsewhere.

JH doesn't seem to take too kindly to being questioned on his passing it around the back approach

Would we have been in the top six if Butcher had still been in charge ? Nobody can be certain of that !!! Stranraer draw........... I remember a lower league club once beating the mighty Celtic....what was the name of that team again? Tactics......The Bayern v Real game........some excellent passing football, some poor passing football, So near to destroying Real but so many missed chances because they did not make shooting space, only four on target with all that possession and with such impressive players in control....what a waste. My point here is that you can control a game with passing but whist doing so you have to create the space for the finishing, they didn't' that is why they lost, that and because of defensive lapses...............sound familiar ? These are in effect winning tactics if the balance can be attained. John Hughes is attempting to have ICT play a form of football that emulates that, I admire him for it, it is a big and brave ask, if he succeeds and it is possible then we will have a team to be revered but he and the team have to be given time and the backing of the 'support' if he and the team are going to succeed. i know as well as anyone that he has not got, or the team have not got the tactics right yet...... but the game against County showed what can be achieved with only sixty percent of the style in place so why not lay off the strong criticism 'till we see what evolves over the first half of the new season. I love good football, the one / two touch style of passing of the Spanish National side that opens up and speeds through, creating chances with as many as five players up front mesmerising defences and scoring. That is where the thrill of the game comes through. If we could get anywhere close to that it would be worth the wait and the odd hammering in the lead up to achieving that. Patience is what I want and that is why I can be so anti the negative brigade with their continuous barrage of destructive comments. I do not have overly high expectations, I have a realistic outlook, I can see both sides of the coin but when it comes down to it I feel for the faithful and will shout out for them.

Would we be in the Top Six on the form we have had since Hughes took over? No. In fact, its been a downward spiral. So, I don't see how you can give the credit to Hughes? Well done on winning the semifinal, bad luck on the final. I don't blame him. It happens. Now, about those massive losses, the draw with Stranraer, the truly appalling home record, the relegation form, the poor tactics, the loss of goals from a previously strong defence, the lack of goals from a previously strong attack...not inspiring is it? And the only changes are the manager and his tactics. Despite the denials, its true to form for the manager.

Of course it is all Hughes fault! Before he came, we were second in the league, playing wonderful football, attracting enormous crowds through the gate every home game! Before he came Aberdeen, Motherwell and Dundee United were all on the march being very successful, winning all their games. Before he came we had so many injured players Butcher had a job getting the subs bench filled! Before he came the neggie posters on here were all very positive, so he is at fault! Now, a wee thought for us all .... I wonder what happened to all the neggie Fergie attackers when he turned Man U round? They must be sooooo happy that Davie came along so that their rusty keyboards could, once again, spit out venom, so much so that the players bought into it and stopped playing for him. I wonder after this 'crap' season, top six, cup final, 120 minutes, 10 men, eventually beaten on penalties, with our tired players showing they had to play an extra game that week - no John, it all counts for nothing when that keyboard gets into top gear!

It'll be a step up for sure. However last season we performed well against super league teams beating stoneywood (with 10 men) and drawing with maud, aswell as losing to hermes in a game where we ran them very close before they picked us off in the last couple minutes when we were pushing for an equaliser. New Elgin have gone up and done well this season and i think we can do the same. I must apologise to you too, i didn't meet your 20 goal expectation this season (i missed out by 20) but i did manage a few starts

Don't see how the topic is sad but slating it is. I'm looking for a bit of positivity and you post a negative reply. How did the golf go today?

Like winning the odd home game ? And constantly repeating tactics that clearly don't work and have led to numerous goals being conceded.

quite sad that a topic like this has to be made... Ridiculous some of the expectations some fans set for a club like ours

It would never have happened to Elgin City parked down the Carse Road !!

I don't see West Central Scotland will be much different whether Government be devolved or independent. I doubt Dave or Gideon give a shiney shight about Scotland in whole or part. And I would expect PS to react in their usual diplomatic way. Anyhow, given none of our defence have been even questioned after various comic episodes, I have no faith in the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.

Apparently they are currently trying to raise funds for a pot to p!$$ in!

Jagster #61 I can only laugh! Maybe Thistle should have gone on their own - but as they were nearly bust it would have been in the North Juniors. :crazy: Be happy that you had the Caley to fall back on.

Presumably that is because the provider is very concerned about the risk of being hit with chargebacks, ie if you pay for a season ticket by credit card and the club is unable to fulfil its fixtures, you can claim a refund through the card company. Punters who will instead have to pay Rangers by cash or cheque will have no such protection. Their whole business model seems to be based on increasing season ticket sales, but everything that is happening will have the opposite effect. Off out to get some popcorn.

I almost choked when I heard Sandy Easdale being interviewed on BBC Scotland when he said 'Rangers are unlikely to survive a second administration'. Has nobody told him they didn't survive the first one ? What was worse was that the fawning BBC reporter didn't have the integrity to correct him. Seems like the outrageous hounding of Jim Spence for stating the truth had the intended effect on the BBC. Looking at that report and the astonishing financial mess this latest incarnation of The Rangers, have got themselves into in so short a time administration seems likely and liquidation entirely possible. The latter possibility raises two questions. Firstly; Given the serial offending and financial mismanagement by three different owners of two separate companies should any Rangers mark III be given a licence to operate by the SFA at all ? Secondly; If they are licensed, where should they start out ? Given the restructuring with the pyramid system coming on stream next season, surely that's going to have to be the Lowland League.