Leaderboard

Not sure why, but got a few comments in the office about my new desktop background .. normally it is something tropical or beachy .... Also - ahead of the next blog entry, I think this image taken last Friday at my FIFA volunteer meeting might have relevance in this thread. More in the blog later on :)

Well done Scotland, what a rollercoaster of a match tonight... that last 20mins! But a great 3rd goal ripped the heart out of the Danes Congratulations

Aye Scotty, 28 fekkin years - I’ve never drunk whisky that old!!!

Some sober reflection this morning. There may or may not have been a slip of the hand last night with some Highland Park in the glass before that was then washed down with some Irn Bru as a palette cleanser but it had to be done :) 28 years! 28 feckin years! Normally we find new ways to lose or miss the mark, but not this time, no not this time, we only went and did it the feckin easy way! Direct qualification to the World Cup in 2026. Despite playing some ugly ugly football at times and getting some probably undeserved results (and a helping hand from Belarus last weekend), we will now go to the world cup again. A world cup we qualified for in 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, and 1998. A world cup we missed out on in 1994 in USA as well as all the ones so far in the 2000s. A world cup that could see Scotland in my own back yard, or at the other end of the continent, further away from me than Hampden Park! (Don't underestimate the geography if you are starting to plan a world cup adventure). Congratulations to the lads, you have made millions of folk happy this morning all over the world. Obviously a lot of Scotland is waking up with fuzzy heads this morning, but in far flung corners of the world you also have people walking just that little taller and wearing a smile. My own son came home from school yesterday afternoon and tried to help me find a feed for the game, then he went to his own football training about a foot taller last night, and this morning he is off to school to talk with his friend who is of German descent about McTominay's goal. the quality winning goal from Tierney and of course McLean's cherry on top (I am sure Shankland will get a mention too). He was also delighted to mention to his friends and training pals that through his Caley Thistle connection, through having been a mascot once as well as taking part in the kids training sessions with the team at the stadium on a couple of visits home, that he had taken to the field alongside Ryan. Ok, so he was maybe 3 or 4 and Ryan was still a youngster himself, but those are small details. He follows Ryan's progress and is delighted he has qualified with Scotland. Also want to take a moment to congratulate Mr ICT, Charlie Christie. Holy F*** how proud he must be of his lad. You could see that in the images from Hampden and to be fair, you see that any time he talks about Ryan. I know how big my own heart swells with pride when my son has a good game at youth level, so to see your son thrive, turn pro, win a cup, equal your own achievements by signing for Celtic then going further and into the EPL and onto the international stage and now in the Hall of Fame due to winning so many caps is amazing ... and now he is likely to represent his country at the World Cup. When the 2026 World Cup strips are released, I think it's time for some merchandise, maybe #11 might get on one or more of them :) The car flags are already looked out and bonus upon all bonuses we have the possibility that some combination of Ireland, Wales or Northern Ireland could qualify through the playoffs. What a feckin night :)

Your assessment is pretty spot on I think. Although, you could argue that without the dodgy penalty for the Danes things might also have gone differently. I had the privilege of listening to a BBC Scotland radio feed on YouTube alongside a graphic showing where the ball was as i could not get live coverage for once. Willie Miller, Chic Young, Billy Dodds and i think Faddy, all sounding like "Allaster MacAllester" rather than BBC commentators but it was actually fun to listen to. Have not heard commentators lose the nut like that since Faddy himself scored against France. Have since seen the goals and 3 of them are belters while Shankland did exactly what he was supposed to do in the box. He is Scottish, he will probably only get an MBE.

Great result! And fair play to the BBC, who last night and this morning gave the result the same saturation coverage they would normally give to the England team!

Accies are doomed. I read the interview in the Record and all Zengin kept doing was blame the SFA for some "conspiracy" against them. They broke the rules on multiple occasions but somehow it's the SFA's fault. I thought we had it bad with Coco and his performing monkey but Jeezo ... they haven't got a hope with those two chancers involved. What's sad is the club was almost bought by a group of Nigerian businessmen with money from oil. The two clowns wrecked the deal and then found they haven't got the funds to keep the club going. I'm afraid Accies are not long for this world. The SFA will hammer them. Sad to see - how many clubs have we seen almost go to the wall due to total mismanagement? I can sympathise with the Accies supporters - we almost went that way. I feel for Rankin who has done a tremendous job with such limited resources. We just have to keep concentrating on getting the results and getting out of the league.

Tremendous effort by the Supporters Trust who have now managed to get a seat in the boardroom. Well done to George Moodie who has been driving the Trust forward and leading by example. What an effort over the last year to get to where they/we are right now. It's light years ahead of anything that had been previous offered and blocked by previous incumbents. TAKE A BOW ALL INVOLVED If you are a member you will have received the full details by eMail. Extract from eMail: Update to Members: November 2025: A Milestone Moment for the Supporters Trust It’s been a long time coming, but last week marked a significant milestone for the Supporters Trust. I had the privilege of attending our very first Board Meeting of the Football Club. This is something the Trust has worked tirelessly toward for many years. At times, it felt like a distant goal, but under new owner Alan Savage, we were warmly welcomed to the Boardroom table for the first time. The meeting was extremely positive. What’s clear is that the club is working hard behind the scenes on many fronts to drive progress. In particular, there’s a strong focus on reconnecting with the local community and building a stronger reputation both on and off the pitch. It’s exciting to be involved, to contribute, and most importantly, to bring the voice of supporters into the Boardroom. We’re now working on a way for members to share feedback on the issues that matter most and help us enhance the supporter experience at the stadium. Thank you for your continued support in getting us to this point. Now, the real work begins.

Won’t it be amazing when Ryan visits Inverness schools and ICT youth teams to show them his World Cup winners medal!