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most referees have their moments but Gollum is consistently bad. A good referee - at whatever level - does not need to control the game with cards. That's the mark of someone who feels inadequate or insecure and needs to compensate for that by dishing out yellows and reds. Its the refereeing equivalent of a steward who picks on folk and feels like a big man (or woman) to make up for their rejected police application form ! In both cases, neither should be anywhere near a football pitch !

http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Football/Hughes-backs-astro-turf-for-Caley-Jags-ground-08012015.htm Wee poll. Can't remember if this has been discussed before (probably) but what do folk think about the possibility of a 3/4G pitch? It would suit out passing style of play. Gaffer seems keen enough, but I can understand Drape's concerns. I wonder what the injury stats for players at clubs with synthetic pitches compares to those with grass? There's a project for you Sneckboy

I see Willie Collum has had his knuckles rapped. He has a tendancy to control matches with his cards rather than common sense. A quiet word in an ear should be the starting point of control. He is very fit but doesn't seem to have a feel for the game, and as for the decisions it would appear his positioning is not what it should be. It can be a thankless task having done it myself, not to the level he has attained I might add, a quite word can save a lot of hassle during a game and build up a mutal relationship with the players makes the game better for all.

On the subject of refs, I see Scotlands top refs are having a get together this week to "prepare for the 2nd half of the season" and to learn how to use vanishing spray. I kid ye not, they have had tuition, familiarisation time and practical sessions with it. Aerosols! And where is this training being held? Hampden? A hotel in the central belt? No. La Manga. That's where our poor refs are this week.

I think that there is an inevitability about this. As Caley D and others have outlined there are so many advantages that when the technology improves a bit more to iron out some of the remaining issues, this may well become a requirement for top level teams. At the moment there probably are issues around the height of bounce and the speed at which the ball comes of the surface but I don't think these should be seen as major obstacles. Given the propensity for grass football pitches to cut up, the more consistent surface of an artificial pitch should support greater skill. It is just a question of the players getting used to the feel of the surface - not difficult given the fact that the bounce and roll of the ball on a grass pitch varies from match to match depending on the firmness of the pitch, the length of the grass and how wet the grass is. Indeed, currently these things often vary in different areas of the same pitch as a result of drainage and shade issues. A further advantage of an artificial pitch is that it opens the way for indoor pitches which would make the prospect of watching an evening game in January rather more appealing than now. Whilst a roof over the TCS is not a realistic proposition, the ability to use artificial surfaces for a huge range of sports and the fact that they can be easily covered to accommodate concerts etc, means that new build stadia could increasingly be used in a very much wider social context. These other activities would provide the income stream necessary to pay for such good quality multiactivity complexes. In my view there will come a time before too long that the idea of playing a top level football match on a grass surface will be as unthinkable as holding a major athletics meet on a cinder track. The question must be one of when rather than if we get an artificial surface.

Need to wait until Tommy is put out to grass !!!!!!!!!!!

There's actually a fair bit of difference between Killie's pitch and Hamiltons. The "grass" at Killie is slightly longer and if you were to close your eyes and walk across it then you'd swear you were walking on a natural grass surface. The artificial pitch at Killie is also rated for use by other sports (including rugby), which opens up another market to the stadium if we went that route. Personally, I think an artificial pitch could take ICTFC to another level on so many fronts.... Aside from not having the same hassles as exist at the moment with making sure the pitch is kept in order over the winter, you end up with a facility that could be used pretty much 24/7. This provides a new income stream, not just for use of the pitch, but opens up the potential to develop other facilities at the ground as the footfall increases. You also have the cost saving that comes from not needing a separate training facility or renting pitches for Youth games etc. Holding community kids training programmes etc at the stadium brings people in and increases the sense of ownership. As that develops then so does the sense of community.....it could actually prove to be the catalyst for bringing the city and football club closer and that could also help put a few more bums on seats for match days. Even with the best grass pitch in the world, you could never achieve the above. To me, installing a (good) artificial surface is a total no-brainer.

According to Football Manager, there's clubs in the lower leagues in Spain that play on a sand and clay pitches. Perhaps even more weirdly though, there's a team in Romania that play on gravel!

Are people liking that post because they agree with the sentiment or because I might have to jump off a cliff!?

I'd jump off a cliff if Aberdeen won the title. This place was bad enough when they won the League Cup.

I nearly crashed into Big Marv half an hour ago! Was at the roundabout near Broxden services, presumably he was stopping there on his way up to Elgin for their game today. This vehicle pulled out when it shouldn't have done, forcing me to brake, so I had a look at who was driving and thought he looked familiar, then I noticed a Trinidad flag sticker in the back window and a personalised number plate along the lines of SOCA as in Socca Warriors. As for why he pulled out when he shouldn't have......maybe God told him to go!

Marius Niculae has left Ukranian side Hoverla (3 goals from 14 appearances last season) to join Sanliurfaspor in Turkey's 2nd flight.

I see Ben Greenhalgh has re-joined Maidstone United. They also have Steven Watt apparently.