Leaderboard

FFS Charlie, you must be a bundle of fun at a party.....................

Who cares what Ross County do? We all understand what they're doing, why they're doing it and where the money comes from to finance it all. Its up to them. We should be worrying about getting our own house in order and not wetting our pants with jealousy about anything happening in Dingwall.

FORFAR 5 EAST FIFE 4 (1964) - BUT THEN - SUPERCALEYGOBALLISTIC (2000) Back in 1964, when I was a mere, pre-Animal, pre Royal Ordnance, Caley whippersnapper - John Alexander Gordon announced the all-time cult score line – probably only surpassed by THE newspaper headline on February 9th 2000 !! I am sure that Mantis will remind me but I am sure that I have been to Station Park as a Howden Ender. Otherwise my only attendance in Loonsland was the last league game played between Forfar and ICT (20/03/1999). We strolled to a 3-0 win that day with a brace from Scott McLean and a Paul Sheerin scorcher. That put us top of the league on goal difference. We partied like it was 1999. Livingston overtook us that season but we went up automatically in second place. Forfar was never a happy hunting ground for us in the lower leagues. Our only other win there was the previous season when we sneaked a 2-1 win. It was Sheerin who grabbed a brace that day before a late Forfar penalty had us holding on. Our only ever Cup encounter at Station Park was in the 2001 Bells Challenge Cup. Goals by Charlie Christie and Martin Bavidge looked like sealing it but Forfar hit back and we went through with a Paul Ritchie clincher in extra time. I can recall being on the terraces (the days when you could change ends at half time) at Forfar in 1999. There will undoubtedly be enough room this week. The average attendance at Forfar last season was 654. That was in a very good season where they gained promotion and demoted Putridheid in the process. They have no chance of progressing after a 1 point draw against local rivals Brechin, a home drubbing by the Binos and an away drubbing at Falkirk. The Loons will pick up the wooden spoon. We are struggling to qualify also but I think that Robbo will demand a performance at Forfar – “There are some players at this club who are still feeling sorry for last season, they had better get over it". On paper we should not have struggled in a group comprising of Bairns, Loons, Binos and Hedgehogs but the finished Robertson Championship masterpiece is a canvas in the making. I am taking my grandson (Leighton) to his first ICT game and then the real brainwashing process commences !! It is a quaint wee ground and has a covered terrace opposite the Main Stand , handy if the heavens open (unless it is driving into yer faces !!). There is a bar in the Main Stand but unsure if it is open to Away supporters – but Palmerston had the only ground based tavern that was any feckin good anyway. I will initially be heading to the Plough Inn on Market Street for the traditional pre-match libation. So back into the here and now and the second John Robertson era. I am looking forward to seeing a number of new faces and they had better be fearful and prepared to face the brutal IHE Smileymometer. (Also spared of wee red dots as well ). Following recent posts I am especially looking forward to seeing Colin Seedorf and FCZ. Hopefully it will also be a reunion with Dave the Rave and Ryan Esson But as Bob Dylan once said to me – “Johndo lad, the times they are a changing” – so I may also get my first peep at Mark Ridgers, Joe Chalmers, Matthew Elsdon, John Baird, George Oakley, Riccardo “Jim” Calder, Alex Cooper, Mitchell Foy and Liam MacDonald. It really hits home what Dylan sang as that is ELEVEN ICT players that I have not seen and those ring the changes since the last game that I attended at Rugby Park on May 13th, a mere 10 weeks ago !! Possible 12 if we play the Buckfast striker Kevin Fraser as a trialist. As for Forfar the names in their squad comprises mostly of unkowns to me – exceptions being Simon Mensing and Eddie Malone, two journeymen defenders. I thought that Mensing was serving pies in the Paisley Alamo. At least they went on a mini-spree against Nairn County, hammering them 6-1 a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps their danger man might be Matthew Aitken who fired in a first half hat-trick. I reckon that John Robertson will be calling the shots during the week and I am very confident that we are going to come away with a confidence building result (Seerless prophecy of course). I know that some will disagree but I think that he has to be feckin brutal to sort out the mess created last season, possibly cultivated over the last two seasons. I also seerlessly think that we will be in a play-off spot at least by the end of next season. If we get there as a form team we will (unfortunately) be back in the top flights. I AM GOING TO CHERISH MY VISIT TO FORFAR AND I AM ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO TRIPS TO A NUMBER OF OLD HAUNTS AS WELL – WITH OLD AND EVER-AGING JUANJO AWAY BUGGERS.

I'm still struggling to work out this whole goalkeeper line of thinking. We want to offload Fon Williams because he's on a high wage - that I can understand, yet we already have Cameron Mackay (who looks a very capable young keeper) and Ryan Esson, along with Daniel Hoban and a lad Foster from the U17s, yet before we offload Fon Williams we bring in yet another goalkeeper. It doesn't make any sense to me at all. On top of that, Ridgers looks really dodgy to me and has yet to inspire me that he has what it takes to be our long term number 1. I never really rated when I saw him at his previous clubs either actually.

No 5 Id be out protesting with my plackard....lol Great thread tho.....

Are we sure we got the right bloke. Having seen him play twice now and against poor opposition, I can only imagine this guy is a third cousin or complete red herring. I know I know, but for goodness sake, the one that has arrived here has shown no ability whatsoever. It just can't be the chap that is shown in the video clips. Let's hope he improves.

Agree. We need to be using this match as a final warm up for the very difficult start to the league season ahead. All realistic hope of advancing in the competition disappeared with the midweek results.

And Jason Brown scored the first goal.

Just read an article that Connor Pepper has been released by Morton. Was wondering why he was not turning out for Morton last season and seemingly he has just had another knee operation. Hope all goes well for him on his road to recovery and back playing again.

Well evidently Kind of Blue does obviously.

When County win the Scottish cup and in the same season finish high enough in the league to qualify for Europe then I'll start worrying about the club shop. Everything they do is an attempt to upstage ICT based on bitterness and envy. The Noisy neighbours. On transfers, facts of relegation are plain. You have to move high earners on. Surely no one was under any illusions otherwise. This happens in every league in the world. You go down you cut costs, but attempt to bring in a fresh bunch to help fire you straight back up. I think we're one or 2 short. Maybe 3. If 2 move on we can then sort that. This is known. This has been well communicated. As to the chairman addressing fans. There's an EGM coming up. There's your opportunity. Let shareholders know. Have them be your voice.

However this is not the players problem surely? Like us all they work to earn money? Relegation has been a disaster.

Tonight, 25 July, Rory McAllister scored a last minute penalty in Peterhead's 2-1 win over Hearts.

Hopefully the only hat trick he gets is his 3rd consecutive relegation.

People have been knicker wetting about County's amazing hospitality and revolutionary shop for as long as I can remember. I can literally remember people saying this stuff 20 years ago. Billy Mckay signing for County has no impact on us. If he'd had an offer from a club that finished higher than County or an English club he'd have gone there. That's it. Of far more relevance to us is Dundee Utd signing Scott McDonald, an absolute brilliant signing for this level.

Today, 22 Jul, Rory McAllister scored a consolation goal for Peterhead in a 5-1 drubbing at Dunfermline and...... Henri Anier did what he couldn't do for us by scoring for his new club, FC Lahti, in a 2-2 draw at KuPs, in Finland

OK... a "fun thread" which probably articulates fantasies that a lot of football fans have indulged in from time to time. So let me lace it further with a bit of "fun devil's advocacy". At a time when inequality and poverty are high profile issues, how would you justify something which, among other things, would cause a small number of football players who are already paid above their realistic market rate to earn even further above that market rate? Rather than take steps which would increase inequality and doing nothing to address poverty, would the money not be better and more morally invested in bettering the lot of the less fortunate in society?