Leaderboard

We only lost to Astra because there wasn't enough competition for us domestically last season. Diddy teams like Celtic weren't clever enough to cope with our passing game as we cantered our way to the Scottish Cup. We should move to England IMO.

Not long home from the game and can comfirm we won 3-2 and calum did grab a couple of goals and looked hungry for a lot more as well Hope yogi bloods him in first team a lot this season cause he looks like the striker we're in dire need of I know it was against an amatuer team, but some good football was played and good to see big dunc trying to put yogi's passing game into the youth team Looks like a couple of them could go on to be future shinnie/christie's Jason Brown looks like he could be a good stand in for gaz or his natural replacement. Did well at controlling the game from the back and was very vocal at organising the team when halkirk tried to mount attacks Both halkirk goals game from set peices, deflection from a free kick and a penalty. Where as 2 of where from open play, Both calum's were headers, one from a corner and over from a cross, not sure who scored out 2nd but it did go in off the post

Looked a lot shorter and fatter in the flesh if you ask me....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33856051 JJ Hooper signs for Port Vale, let's hope he doesn't finish top scorer in League One!

Brechin manager Darren Dods on Riordan appearing for them in a bounce game v Falkirk at Stirling Uni: “Derek came in as we were a bit short of players and he lives quite close to Stirling. He was doing us a favour and we were doing him a favour in terms of giving him 90 minutes. He wants to play abroad or secure a full-time team here so we have not pursued his signature."

Good on Ms Dugdale. It needs more people to be vocal at showing up the SNP for what it truly is. This thread was started simply as a diversionary tactic to draw attention away from the disruptive and irresponsible behavior of the rabble we have elected to misrepresent us at Westminster. Any attempt to make a rational argument that the Labour party were making a poorer stab at being an opposition party has been stopped in it's tracks by Laurence's excellent post and so the SNP apologists revert to their typical one liners having a pop at someone who holds a different view. Of course, the Holyrood elections are not that far away now and the political focus really should be directed at the record of this dreadful reactionary and regressive Government we have at the moment. The election should be about the Government's record and the parties' plans for progressing within the Union and utilising the increased devolved powers. Instead the SNP will want to deflect attention from that and make the election a referendum on a referendum

I have vague recollections of that game, Leicester City won 4-0 and I remember it being played in sunshine, so maybe the match had been cancelled and then rescheduled for later in the year. I have my own copy of this matchday programme somewhere. That was a Leicester team that had internationals and a few well known names of the time, Goalkeeper Mark Wallington, John O'Neil (N Ire International), Paul Ramsey (N. Ire International) who later in his career played for St. Johnstone, not sure if he was in the team that played Caley in the Scottish Cup 1992 though. Bobby Smith signed from Hibs, Alan Smith (prolific goalscorer, played a dozen games for England) I think he scored two of the goals against us. Gary Lineker of course, Steve Lynex a pacy winger who gave us a roasting and I think scored one, Aberdeen born midfielder Ian Wilson who played a handful of games for Scotland (later managed Peterhead) This fixture had something to do with Leicester City's midfielder Kevin MacDonald who born in Inverness played a few games for Caley in the mid seventies and was considered a very good prospect then. Imagine the clubs from the top two leagues in England searching the Highland League for future talent these days. You could be right about the highest profile player ever to have played at Telford Street.

I believe if he does play for us and gives 100% commitment on the pitch, he will get the folks from Inverness on his side.

This is the problem with Collum, he is either card happy, when there is no need or issues very few cards when they are needed. Simply a dreadful and inconsistent referee. Take last week when he should have sent off Craig Gordon, what was really different from that scenario from the cup final when Tremarco got sent off, absolutely nothing in my opinion.

I'm a topic not about the SNP. Charles has still been able to bore everyone with his obsession and mention them 19 times already!

Apart from being an unwarranted intrusion on a huge number of decent families who do a superb job of looking after their children, this legislation also diverts a massive amount of resources from where they are needed to where they are not. And that's before you look at the control freakery involved. After all, this sinister and controlling attempt by a political party to insinuate itself into each and every family in the land now sits beside a centralised national police force which is becoming less and less accountable to anyone apart from its own Chief Constable. And that's even before you revisit the police carrying guns when they feel like it, stopping and searching the public when they feel like it and imposing themselves on so many aspects of our lives. "Big Brother Is Watching You" may seem like a cliché, but by God, in Scotland it's becoming more and more of a reality in a Scotland where feral mobs of Nationalist Sturm MacTeilung remain free to roam the streets imposing their political views on the populace such as at the recent opening of the Dumfries foodbank. Add this law and order catastrophe to increasingly dysfunctional Health and Education Services and it becomes crystal clear that the SNP aren't even remotely capable of exercising the powers they already have, never mind all the others they are screaming for (but can't tell us what they would do with them.)

It seems pretty clear that very soon after May 7th, SNP Central must have sent out 56 edicts requiring ploys ranging from musical chairs on the green benches to spontaneous rounds of applause in order to distract media attention from the deepening crisis of ineptitude at Holyrood. Lets face it. The SNP are simply a single issue pressure group and as such are incapable of the wider range of skills required for the task of government - even if they really cared about that in the first place.

I might be wrong but I think the scheme in Highland which Fraz refers to is a sort of long term pilot and the legislation in the Children's and Young People (Scotland) act is aimed to build on this type of experience. The problem is that it appears to extend beyond what any pilot schemes do and the legislation is written in a very loose way and is open to considerable interpretation. There is therefore a lack of clarity of what the named person should do and what they can do. The Highland leaflet is aimed at families and states that the Named Person's job is "to maintain the child's development record and to look into any concerns about the child's well-being". It goes on to state "If you have any concerns about your child's well-being or development then the named person is the person to speak to." This clearly gives the impression that the named person's role is to work with the parents and children when they feel they need support. The new legislation states that the role is "doing such of the following where the named person considers it to be appropriate in order to promote, support or safeguard the well-being of the child or young person." Amongst "the following" is "discussing or raising a matter about the child or young person with a service provider or relevant authority, and such other functions as are specified by this act or any enactment as being functions of a named person in relation to a child or young person." The act would appear to open the door to the named person "interfering" when concerns are raised by other people rather than when the family seeks support. As I said before, all sorts of agencies have made representations regarding the lack of clarity and the implications of different interpretations. By giving a named person a legal responsibility for a child's welfare, the legislation opens a can of worms about liability where the child's welfare is not being addressed. For instance, how can the named person be assured that the child's well-being is fine unless there is some proactive assessment of the child's situation? This would be quite different from the situation Fraz describes and would be time consuming for the Named Person. It would also be seen as state intervention in family life with the need for specific justification which is currently required. This is why it is essential that roles and responsibilities are more clearly defined. In addition the police have also raised serious concerns that where named persons already exist, serious issues of abuse are not being picked up on and the involvement of the named person in the affairs of the family is hampering prompter action by police and social workers. I am sure most people would support the general principle of having an identified person that children and parents can go to for support and information and who can coordinate an action plan with other agencies if required. That appears to be what has happened in Highland and it would seem the scheme has worked well without too many problems. However, despite the experience of the Highland scheme (and others) agencies who are involved in these schemes are very unhappy with the legislation and is is clear that a major examination of these concerns needs to be carried out if the legislation if it is to properly meet the needs of children.

No, not just now, so we all eagerly await December when the pantomime season begins. On the other hand it never stops at Holyrood and then there's that new production with a cast of 56 in London's West End.... starring Drew Hendry as Ali Baba, Mhairi Black as Cinderella and Alex Salmond as the Widow Twankey. (Sorry... that's me out.....can't name any more SNP MPs.) He's behind you!!!! (Pinching your seat on the green benches.) Oh YES he is!!!!

You are indeed wrong, so I'll correct you. In fact, in addition, and to quote the Nationalists' favourite bête noir - "we are a grandparent". Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I have the impression that you are not a teacher nor have in any other capacity had almost 40 years of direct daily insight into the development of large numbers of children from all manner of backgrounds, dealing with the problems they face and of the agencies which already exist on their behalf. Apart from the fundamental scariness of a system of state appointed "kinderminders" by a party whose control freakery is legendary, the other problem with this wheeze is that it's going to create a whole lot of bureaucracy where it's not needed and will hence actually divert scarce resources from those who do actually need them. Of course it's just another example of the fundamental ineptitude of the SNP. I mean (apart from Salmond's $103 a barrel economic strategy) we already have a justice "system" where Police Scotland is a multi faceted laughing stock and where a lying bin lorry driver looks set to escape scot free. In health, you can take your choice between closing children's wards, a far from glorious start to a major new hospital in Glasgow and NHS Grampian in meltdown. And then in education you have the Curriculum for Excellence in chaos, the loss of 4000 teachers and an exam system where the Higher Maths disaster will only be the start of the problems. On that last one, there was some junior minister chap on Radio Scotland this morning (the organ grinder seems to have been otherwise engaged so they sent a monkey instead) who - following in the fine traditions of Michael Russell - was so utterly pathetic that he couldn't even make a proper job of trying to blame the SQA (for which Holyrood is ultimately responsible.) The question to the SNP is clear. Why do you keep demanding more powers when you are still making a complete erse of the ones you already have? So please don't add the bringing up of kids to your already lengthy catalogue of disasters.

Unusual for a footballer to be so good at Trivial Pursuit.