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Ouch!

Sat 06 Aug 2016 Eng Championship M Watkins (Ipswich 4 - Barnsley 2) National League L Hughes (Barrow 1 - Aldershot 0) Scot League 1 C Ferguson (East Fife 2 - Albion R 2) Highland League D Gillespie (Brora R 3 - Forres 0) A MacLeod (Strathspey T 2 - Buckie T 9) D Wyness (2) (Huntly 2 - Rothes 1)

I think the sports pundits work on the law of averages if they predict that we will be rubbish every season sometime they will be correct. Hopefully not this year though

Soooooo looking forward to everybody asking "who is this Mulraney fellow"

Park it in our goal area. OFW will wash it for you. He'll have nothing else to do.

What they seem to have overlooked is that our 'rookie manager' has brought in quality additions such as McNaughton, Bowden, King and Mulraney as well as reinstating David Raven and having the return of Doran. When you compare that with the likes of Dani Lopez, Liam Hughes and Nat Wedderburn anyone who thinks we will be weaker this season than last is either ignorant or deluded and all within budget with cash left to bring in a couple more.

That's right - Tremlett lives in Banff

1. Celtic 2. Inverness 3. Aberdeen 4. Sevco 5. Hearts 6. Partick Thistle 7. St Johnstone 8. Ross County 9. Dundee 10. Motherwell 11. Hamilton 12. Kilmarnock Optimistic perhaps, but I honestly feel we have as strong a squad today as at any time in our history. Mulraney, Boden, McNaughton and King are as good a group of signings as we've ever had in close season. The spine of Warren, Draper and Tansey remains. The likes of Tremarco, Polworth and Vigurs have improved immensely in the past 12 months. Expecting big seasons from all three. Keeping hold of OFW was a great bit of business. Doran is as good as a new signing. We finished in a false position last year with the catastrophic injury list, self-defeating tactics, irrational team selections and very little rub of the green. Yogi and his rigid, one dimensional system became more of a hindrance than a help to the team last season IMO. Foran has trained and played alongside the players for years, he knows their strengths, weaknesses and preferences. Hopefully this translates into a system tailored to get the absolute best out of the squad, rather than the 'round pegs in square holes / style over substance' nonsense of Hughes.

I am not involved in poring over any of the options any more (thank feck) but I am happy in the knowledge that the person who is doing so is very much like his old avatar of a dog with a bone. Pretty confident that Don will try to (is in the process of) find(ing) out all the ins and outs of all the possible options, will look for a solution that is the best fit for the fans and the club at an affordable cost, and get the relevant buy-in from others to get it implemented when those numbers make sense in terms of both performance and cost. Keep suggestions coming though ... just in case there are any viable options he hasn't got round to considering and recommending to the directors yet. Sounds like many of us on here (and likely just as many who dont come on here) would consider a subscription at that very reasonable cost, and not just those of us living abroad. I make a point of watching the club's own video highlights most weeks and the production quality keeps increasing ... its exponentially better than the ones we were putting together a few years ago when the video stuff was first posted and we were throwing together a video from the BBC with a few overlays in Adobe Premiere each Monday morning. Kudos to those who give up their time and skill to do this as volunteers, and glad to see so many folk would be happy to contribute to the costs via subscription.

The only way is up

Got to be fake as we are referred to as Caley and nobody down South does that !

I wanted to wait 'till after the first two games of the league before doing any forecasting but I can't help feeling that barring injuries then AlexJones has got it just about right as far as the league placings are concerned It was the injury factor that forced the square peg syndrome in the Hughes era, he was forced into rush signings and could not afford to keep the players he wanted to ;keep nor did he have the money to buy the players he really wanted to fit his style of play, which was still in the development stage when he left. I am convinced that had he stayed and had the resources he would have moved into a more attacking mode as time progressed. Unfortunately he did not have the nounce to find the players that Richie has brought in and that started his downfall. He was 'brought up' with the old firm mentality of buy and spend regardless of financial position, that would, in his mind, balance out through time. What he did bring to the team was accuracy in passing the ball and movement. When the Team was on song and he had the players it was brilliant to watch, when the injuries struck the play and positioning was flawed and the negative football started. By the way his handling of the 'Tanseygate' episode was first class. Now we have Richie whom is already impressing us, I just hope that if difficult times come along there will not be a nasty turn around by the usual suspects and get on his back. come on ICTFC