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In an age of poor Scottish National teams (the worst in memory) , , ordinary performances by Scotlands top clubs in Europe , and a general lack of local talent (compared to years gone by ) ICT stand out as a shining light of success , an amazing rise from obscurity to rubbing noses with the elite clubs of the SPL . They have ruffled the Old Firm and have graced the Scottish League like a breath of fresh air . If you have had anything to do with the Highlands or Inverness at some stage in your life , why wouldn't you follow the fortunes of this small but very impressive and exciting Club ?

You could probably list 101 things that draw fans to come see ICT, but what's more important is the reason they keep coming back. Nope, not SPL football...it's the sense of belonging and how quick fans are to welcome new fans into the fold (even if it's not obvious some times). I also think that is very much a Highlands thing and few other places could replicate it. Up here we think nothing of giving a stranger a nod in the street or saying good morning or whatever...do that down south and you'll get a strange look...or worse. That extends into the football. All any stranger has to do is make it known he is willing to talk ICT and they're made welcome and invited to join your company. That seed of interest is nurtured and people are accepted into the fold without prejudice...what's even better is the fact that we, as a community, tend to do it without thinking about it. This forum is full of people who's "First Encounters" would have been made in the above manner. From there, I think people just get addicted to the ICT mentality...an enigma much like the Loch Ness Monster in that, we all know it exists, some claim to have seen it, but nobody really understands it!!!

what lures new supporters? waking up to find you have a great club on your doorstep and they welcome one and all. support your local club!!!!

Summer football please. I imagine the weather is going to decimate the SPL card sporadically between now and the big thaw. It's particularly frustrating relying on booking trains and not knowing if games will be off. Summer football is the way forward.

I dont think Warnock was ever offered it ... that was PR spin that got both parties into the newspapers which was what both wanted at the time ! I remember Archie Knox being mentioned but not sure if he was ever offered it and there was also talk of Colin Hendry at one point but the same applies. I think Owen Coyle would have done well here and I do rate him as a manager but the more I think about it, the more I think Terry is almost perfect for this job. With only a few exceptions for managers who are good wherever they go I think managers have to be a good fit for any job they go into and a crap manager at one club might be excellent at another depending on the setup, in the same way as a player might be ... You could argue that this applies to Terry. He was good at 'Well but not so much elsewhere until he came to ICT. (I know. Another factor could also be Mo as he was at Well with him but not elsewhere until they teamed up again at ICT) Terry's exuberance, PR and people skills and obvious motivational skills coupled with the respect he garners from his playing days and the rapport he has developed with fans and players alike fosters the cameraderie that many pundits were talking about at the weekend. A few of them said that this seemed to be the difference between ICT as a lower end of the table team to one which hasnt lost an away league match for over a year. That comment struck a chord with me as it was something that was evident in the Pele and Robbo days but not so much in the Brewster era ..... Regardless of who may or may not have been offered it in the past, I am delighted with the current incumbent !!!

The top presumably!

Glory Hunting! I remember when we were sh1te...

Personally I feel that this thread should compile of a mix of eating humble pie and recognition of a true, loyal professional. I fer one had real doubts about Rosscoe's capability of holding his own in the SPL. But he has clearly learned the trade of central defence quickly - with a little help from TB no doubt - and he has riened in the cavalier overlapping right back approach. The combination with Granty has also blossomed - Rosscoe being more of the man to man marking center half and Granty assuming a freer - almost "sweeper" type role alongside him - add in to the mix that Duff and Shinnie are not full backs to keep an eye on and we have a more relaxed, confident and structured back four - and again some credit to Terry and Mo. But I will lift a glass of voddie to Mr Tokely and munch on my piece of Humble pie - plus some added admiration for the fact that Rosscoe is usually the first to go to the fans at the end of a game, is clearly enjoying his football and celebrates as if he was one of us. RESPECT Bet he is the first of the bus for chips and a pint at Auchterarder as well.

Charles, can you give an accurate mathematical representation for this?

Another thing that i think has to be taken into consideration is that Rooney has struck a very strong understanding with Foran and Hayes, you watch them on the field of play and the way the read each others game, it's really something to watch. The Hibs game was a prime example of that. They all set up each other for all the goals. I think if Rooney went somewhere else he would struggle to create such a strong bond with team mates.

No problem, Gordy---I've been a cartoonist for a long time and your comment was milder than a lot I've had! Thanks for the welcome, guys. I still have a lot of friends around Inverness and one of them emailed me say that I'd been mentioned on here so I thought I'd take a quick peek. Really glad I did---it's a great site. I hope to pop in on a regular basis.

McDonald lied and he deserved some kind of punishment for that, even though I do have some sympathy and understanding as to why he may have done what he did. What bothers me more is that we have one of the games biggest liars (Lennon) and one of politics biggest liars (Reid) trying to take the moral high ground over the issue. It's little wonder the game is being dragged through the gutter when the SFA, SPL and Scottish Press are providing these guys with any kind of credible platform to spout from. It's at the stage where it no longer matters whether Lennon and Reid are right in their (veiled) accusations. Their actions and the manner in which they have conducted themselves has caused huge disruption and brought the game even further into disrepute...and for that they should be punished. If Dundee can be hit with a 25 point deduction for bringing the game into disrepute by going into administration, then Celtic should be facing double that as the nature of their actions has done far more damage to the Scottish Football reputation than any club going into administration ever could....you can then add a fine to it for the disruption caused and the additional expense incurred as a result. If those running the game want to restore any kind of credibility to the game then it's time for them to grow a pair and show that they are as willing to take the same action against the OF teams as they would against anyone else.

There are teams out there who, by virtue of their geographical location and mass following, are under a great deal of pressure to get results so it wouldn't be right for the management or the media to dare state that the other team was better. The only acceptable excuse they can come up with is that they had an off day. After all, how dare those teams with a following of less than 10,000 have the audacity to hire a management team that can get players working together and can out play and out fox the big boys.

If I am not mistaken, this thread was about Roy's testimonial against the Legends. The last two pages have reduced the whole affair to a farce. The thread should have been positive and, as far as I can see, it has become very negative. I do not know any of the people involved in posting but it appears to me that they are using the forum to "attack" others. I will "nail my colours to the mast" and admit that Roy is a relative and, without question, I know that everyone was asked to play because of the respect Roy held for them as players. Anyone who has read the interview with Roy on the forum will know that he was as disappointed as the next man at being relegated, but this did not influence his attitude to Craig Brewster as a player. I had the honour to be a guest of Roy's at the match and I can tell you that the people around me (fellow guests and famly members) were disappointed in the reaction of the individuals in the crowd every time Craig touched the ball. My personal opinion is that Craig Brewster could still play to a high standard and I hope that the rest of those watching appreciated the touch and level of fitness that he was renowned for as a player. I have thought long and hard about a reply to this thread but, at the end of the day, it was supposed to be about Roy and I just felt a reply had to be made. Can I respectfully suggest that we get back on the subject of Roy's testimonial and forget "petty squabbles". In my opinion, Roy is one of the most professional players you could come across, but then again I am biased!

I don't think this is offensive. In any case is it not the case that one of the writers of Beau Peep is none other than Roger Kettle a former pupil of Inverness Royal Academy circa mid 1960s? Charles can you confirm this?

He got a cap, what more do you want.

Why were you in Marks and Spencers on a Saturday, is Tesco Inshes still shut? For God's sake! Do PMF or DC have any imagination or originality at all in their thought? Thought? I see what you did there, very droll. In my defence I imagine you as a bald Ken Barlow. As for originality? Give me a break, the likes of you have been taking the p!ss out of our accent for decades which is boring and in trying to backtrack you are showing yourself up. Why then do you post drivel to praise Caesar? Is that what they teach in schools nowadays? Why the laughing smileys? When I praise someone or something I do not laugh at it out of context so do you consider it in context? What makes our accent so funny Charles? I am embarassed on your behalf. If I had grasped the point I wouldn't have asked what point you were trying to make, would I? I fail to see why you posted this in "Olde Inverness", were there lifts in old Inverness or was there an M&S for that matter? This should be in "General Nonsense".

I know he's a youngster but Shinnie seems to be our weak link at the back in recent games. The games against Motherwell he was being skinned constantly and this led to many dangerous chances for them. Also against Aberdeen they only looked dangerous down the left when someone ran at Shinnie and it seemed to easy for them to get past him. Also from what I've heard about the Hamilton game Imrie was ripping it out of Shinnie throughout the first half.

Ok, here goes....the Musket came in to being in the early 1600's and getting caught up in the hype of the new weapon the French formed a new Kings Regiment (Bodyguards), named them after and issued them with Muskets. Les Mousquetaires du Roi, to give them their proper title, quickly came to realise that the Musket was useless for the job they were performing, and although the name stuck, they quickly resorted to using the far more efficient and effective sword.

I know I'm indulging a bit in numerical pedantry here, but I'm wondering why something which is measured in "games per goal" should be called "strike rate" because surely the higher the number of games it takes for each goal, the lower the strike rate is? I would tend to express something which implies a rate of scoring in terms of goals per game (eg 0.453) - or if you multiply by 100 (45.3), that gives the average percentage of games in which a goal was scored (which isn't the same as games per goal and indeed is the reciprocal of it).