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Coming from Midlothian. Just as important, actually coming at all. Had a good feeling about this away back in the winter so told Mrs Mantis I was keeping Cup Final day free and booked holidays to Iceland the day after.

I was 37 at the time and so did I.......

Let's be honest, we will never have a better chance of winning the Scottish Cup! And, frankly, I think we will do...but, it should be noted, that Falkirk have an outstanding record against us - historically. We've become an established 'top fight' side, and have now been top-six in three consecutive years, whereas, Falkirk have recently been in the 2nd tier, but not a club unfamiliar with the old SPL. Falkirk are not a 'big club', but they are bigger than us and will have more fans there on the day. However, the current teams' form and position suggest we will be favourites. But, to diminish any thoughts of it being a formality, here are a few facts. The last time we played them - they relegated us! We've played them 3 times before in all cups - and lost the lot! Falkirk have won 7, drawn 1 and lost 1 of the last 9 games between the sides. No complacency!

are: Ronnie Deila, John Hughes, Derek McInnes and Robbie Neilson

Plus Points Given time to build his own team, can be successful while playing passing-based attacking football. Can motivate given the right players. Will bring attention to the club and the area given his status and will also attract players. Seems to have a good knowledge/contacts within the lower Football League and non-league. He has charisma and can be a real showman. I kinda miss his end of game away match routine. Will get rid of deadwood, players not pulling their weight and he anyone he perceives as a threat to his 'I'm the boss' attitude, even if they're your better players or club legends. Will attempt to talk the club, the area and the fans up as much as possible. Can work well on a tight budget. Negative Points Rules with an iron fist. Some players simply won't take to his tough love approach. He's by no means a tactical maestro. If his set-up/line-up/formation works, then he's fine. If it's not working or a team have found a way to counteract it, he hasn't a clue what to do. Hasn't a clue about substitutions and often makes them after the 85th minute, where they can make no impact at all. Prior to building his own team, expect about two seasons of a long ball borefest. Seems to have favourites, who he'll pick no-matter what. His record without Maurice Malpas is very very poor. If he can bring Malpas with him and/or Steve Marsella though, it might counteract this. Doesn't take well to criticism at all. Expect a few shouting matches with supporters. Blows must win matches. His record in England is appalling. Brentford in particular was an absolute disaster. His time in Australia at Sydney was also pretty poor. Hibernian out did them all though! Things to be wary of As mentioned, Butcher will talk up the club and the area as much as possible but he doesn't mean it. He can play the fans and the press like an piano and can come across as a lovely bloke in the press. Behind the scenes though, it's a different story. I saw a few times him act absolutely appallingly. In short, he's not a nice man. Expect him as well, as soon as a bigger job comes up as well, to be down the road to take over elsewhere as fast as you can spell Valley Parade. As mentioned elsewhere, on the whole, Butcher was a good manager for ICT. That doesn't change the fact though that his antics at the end were absolutely dreadful. Turning up in the Hibs end and being introduced in hospitality as the 'new Hibs manager' said more about the man than any interview ever could and led to our former chairman David Sutherland to refer to him on TV as 'disgusting'! Butcher felt he doing us a favour the whole and that we should be grateful for it (expect him to think of himself as the King of Newport). There was a time when Butcher could do no wrong, but he's got no-one to blame but himself. He could've had a job here for life but the fact he threw it all away says it all. If he does get the Newport job, get ready for either a big success (if given time) or a dreadful failure. Be wary of him at all times though. His ego's as big as Wembley.

That'll do fur me. 2 adults + 2 kids Lynne.

I think a case could be made for not including Deila and McInnes as they have done what's expected of them. Personally I would have Paul Hartley in there, I think he's done a great job.

Our U20s had a game with Ross County yesterday and it finished 1-1 Next game is tomorrow vs Dunfermline at highland football academy in Dingwall, 2pm KO

This is actually pretty impressive. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32508618 Who said Chelsea were boring?

What! All 20,000 of us?

He joined us in Jan 2009 when we here headed for the drop. We did go down but bounced straight up in some style. We progressed in the following years and he left us in November 2013 with us sitting in 2nd spot in Scotland's top flight. So that's actually a pretty good record. Clearly we are doing well this year and the squad we have is basically players Butcher brought in. Butcher and his team seemed to have a knack of finding players who were underperforming in the lower reaches of the English game and getting the best out of them here. There is a downside to him as others have made pretty obvious. People here are bitter about the manner of his going but to be fair, that is because before he decided to jump ship to one of our richer rivals, many here thought he was fantastic and wouldn't hear a word said against him. They feel betrayed. Personally I see no reason why he can't do a good job at Newport but if he doesn't take a liking to certain players he will be ruthless in getting them out. As long as he is surround by players who are his players it'll be fine. Oh - and you might need to reinforce the dressing room doors and walls.

yes kids are welcome

He is an ideal manager for a club with a tight budget, where the players are not superstars, and have something to prove. He will bring out the best in them, so long as they remain subordinate to him. His way is the only way. He does not have such a great record in bigger clubs where the players are less likely to look up to him. I think he requires complete subservience from his players, which is consistent with IHE's cut-and-paste (above), to succeed. Any rebellion or revolt and he will fail.

He certainly didn't kill our club. We just sent him over to Hibs to relegate them. Job well done i suppose.

And I, IHE, thought that you were his biggest fan.......

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by a long-standing pattern of grandiosity (either in fantasy or actual behavior), an overwhelming need for admiration, and usually a complete lack of empathy toward others. People with this disorder often believe they are of primary importance in everybody’s life or to anyone they meet. While this pattern of behavior may be appropriate for a king in 16th Century England, it is generally considered inappropriate for most ordinary people today. People with narcissistic personality disorder often display snobbish, disdainful, or patronizing attitudes. For example, an individual with this disorder may complain about a clumsy waiter’s “rudeness” or “stupidity” or conclude a medical evaluation with a condescending evaluation of the physician. In laypeople terms, someone with this disorder may be described simply as a “narcissist” or as someone with “narcissism.” Both of these terms generally refer to someone with narcissistic personality disorder. A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates from the norm of the individual’s culture. The pattern is seen in two or more of the following areas: cognition; affect; interpersonal functioning; or impulse control. The enduring pattern is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations. It typically leads to significant distress or impairment in social, work or other areas of functioning. The pattern is stable and of long duration, and its onset can be traced back to early adulthood or adolescence. Symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder In order for a person to be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) they must meet five or more of the following symptoms: ■Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements) ■Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love ■Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions) ■Requires excessive admiration ■Has a very strong sense of entitlement, e.g., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations ■Is exploitative of others, e.g., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends ■Lacks empathy, e.g., is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others ■Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her ■Regularly shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Celtic supporters solely have caused this entire sorry @ssed situation. I have followed ICT since the 3rd division and experienced many, many highs and lows over the past 2 decades plus. We have just reached our first ever Scottish Cup Final. We played better on the day. We merited our victory. Even if we hadn't, and we had won the game with a lucky 89th minute own goal, the fact is we have just reached our first ever Scottish Cup Final. The feeling on Sunday was fantastic, one of the best I've had on my ICT journey - now?... Now I'm just extremely angry at the whole pathetic shambles your fans have created. A great feeling that should have lasted all week, ruined by your fans because they cannot accept that they were beaten. Yes - the ref has messed up. Yes - you should have had a penalty. Was the handball deliberate? Not for a second. It's quite reasonable to believe that the linesman behind the goal thought the ball had hit Josh in the face/head. And that is what he told the ref immediately. Either way - he was still wrong. Unfair decisions have affected every club in Scotland. Every club in Europe. Every club in the world. Yet your fans have to go out complaining it's not fair, and demand something happens. And what has happened? - An honest, young player has been thrust into the world media, received disgusting abuse and been made to feel like a cheat. Josh is not a cheat. It was handball - it was not deliberate. - Our fans are left talking about this pathetic story rather than enjoying a fantastic achievement and an historic day in our clubs journey. - Scottish football had been made to look even more ridiculous. And who's caused this? Your fans. Your club. Why? Because you are nothing more than sore losers. This entire sorry @ssed, pathetic, embarrassment has been caused by your fans and your club. For years we've seen rangers claim they are too big for Scottish football - and now you're too big to lose in a cup game or to have a bad decision go against you? Your fans have damaged the perception of your club throughout Scotland and further afield far worse than a bad officiating error has tarnished our game. So you'll excuse me and many of my fellow football supporters if we don't meekly accept that you were right to do what you've done and if our club stands up for itself this time. As far as this poster is concerned you can f**k off and leave the rest of us to get on with things - you've caused enough trouble as it is. I now fully expect a warning or a ban from the mods for this rant. That's a ban that's acceptable and won't be contested. Fantastic post, exactly how I feel about the situation.

North Stand D5 is where Red Card will be

Reich enuff

I will be coming from oversea to get there. All the way from the Black Isle.

Deepest rural Norfolk... weekend shift swapped - flight from Stansted booked - hotel booked - we is coming!!!!!!

Celtic supporters solely have caused this entire sorry @ssed situation. I have followed ICT since the 3rd division and experienced many, many highs and lows over the past 2 decades plus. We have just reached our first ever Scottish Cup Final. We played better on the day. We merited our victory. Even if we hadn't, and we had won the game with a lucky 89th minute own goal, the fact is we have just reached our first ever Scottish Cup Final. The feeling on Sunday was fantastic, one of the best I've had on my ICT journey - now?... Now I'm just extremely angry at the whole pathetic shambles your fans have created. A great feeling that should have lasted all week, ruined by your fans because they cannot accept that they were beaten. Yes - the ref has messed up. Yes - you should have had a penalty. Was the handball deliberate? Not for a second. It's quite reasonable to believe that the linesman behind the goal thought the ball had hit Josh in the face/head. And that is what he told the ref immediately. Either way - he was still wrong. Unfair decisions have affected every club in Scotland. Every club in Europe. Every club in the world. Yet your fans have to go out complaining it's not fair, and demand something happens. And what has happened? - An honest, young player has been thrust into the world media, received disgusting abuse and been made to feel like a cheat. Josh is not a cheat. It was handball - it was not deliberate. - Our fans are left talking about this pathetic story rather than enjoying a fantastic achievement and an historic day in our clubs journey. - Scottish football had been made to look even more ridiculous. And who's caused this? Your fans. Your club. Why? Because you are nothing more than sore losers. This entire sorry @ssed, pathetic, embarrassment has been caused by your fans and your club. For years we've seen rangers claim they are too big for Scottish football - and now you're too big to lose in a cup game or to have a bad decision go against you? Your fans have damaged the perception of your club throughout Scotland and further afield far worse than a bad officiating error has tarnished our game. So you'll excuse me and many of my fellow football supporters if we don't meekly accept that you were right to do what you've done and if our club stands up for itself this time. As far as this poster is concerned you can f**k off and leave the rest of us to get on with things - you've caused enough trouble as it is. I now fully expect a warning or a ban from the mods for this rant. That's a ban that's acceptable and won't be contested.