The Mantis

Had a glance at the e-ticketing site. There doesn't seem to be a button for choosing senior citizen? Also are the 2 league cup group games normally not included?

Ah yes, his two brothers Andrew and Graeme also featured 😂

Met this guy David Bauckham when he flew all the way up from Sussex to see Gala v Whitehill. Very detailed article. https://dbauckham.exposure.co/concrete-ambition

Well I usually have a decent memory without having to look stuff up, but for all the great games in that season, I completely blanked the fact that Airdrie were even in the division. I see that we beat them 1-0 away with a Rooney pen, and I was there but can’t remember a thing 😂

Nerd alert - Pretty sure we haven’t played them since the CC Final in 2003. It’s the club in the SPFL we’ve gone longest without playing, not including Bonnyrigg 😇

I thought Mr Rendall might feature in a list of well-travelled ICT fans. I see him often but I don’t think he posts on here (cue Jim proving me wrong).

Nobody’s mentioned the Denmark trip either.

It was an U20 game v Hearts in 2013.

Cheers, thought this was just your wish list at first 😎 Dumbarton and Bonnyrigg away please, so I can walk to one of them. @RiG usually knows how this works... is it Dundee and Bonnyrigg at home?

Thanks Chris for remembering Newtongrange… that makes my tally 56. All SPFL from 2022-23 except Bonnyrigg, Elgin, Annan, Peterhead, Dumbarton, Meadowbank. Gutted to miss both games at Dumbarton, and for Elgin, had match ticket and train ticket bought but was ill on the day… Non-league - Spartans, Ness FC, Goathill (Stornoway), Newtongrange, Clach, Brechin, Buckie, Broadwood, Cowden, Gretna, Inverurie, Keith. Demolished - Telford St, Brockville, Love St, Bayview, Firs Park, Boghead, . The National Stadium. Furth of Scotland - Astra, Birmingham City, Fleetwood.

Well we all know the answer to the first one 😇 We also know that success comes in cycles. Cowdenbeath were in our league quite recently and now they’re in tier 5. Rangers were winning titles and Celtic were nearly bust. Then there’s Falkirk 😂 We can definitely sustain a Premier team if we can get up but it will take a perfect storm as it did in 2004 and 2010. This includes how strong the league is, good fortune with injuries, getting a good crop of players together at the right time, Dundee sh*****g the bed, etc etc, plus a slice of luck. Unfortunately we took several steps backwards after winning the cup which with hindsight could have been avoided. I’ve ranted about that many a time. As much as anything we could do with a generous backer as @RiG says: to me, it seems there are a few big names in Inverness, but with egos to match, otherwise they could cooperate for the sake of the club. We’ve got Dodds in charge again so it is what it is. Dundee Utd won the Prem with a very small squad so maybe this is the season we actually don’t have an injury crisis, and Cammy, Nicolson, Roddy and other youngsters step up to the plate. Maybe Lewis Hyde does a Denzil and becomes a god. Having some of our own in the team is a big factor for me with positive knock on effects for the supporters. Apologies for the Bannerman-sized post but I’m still riding a wave of optimism from the weekend.

Did you not go to Ainslie Park?

Can’t say I noticed that 😂😂😂

It appears to be a sort of online fishmonger.

I miss Gregor. Maybe if the soapdodgers release big Jordan he can make a comeback.

That was my impression too. Fair play to him for being so upbeat - if that was me I’d be sticking my head in the oven…

You sharp-eyed devil you 😂

Oh bum, it’s easier to win in Dingwall…

Derbies incoming. 0-1 ht at the Global Energy Stadium which some folk keep referring to as Victoria Park. Edit - hold your horses. County score in stoppage time to make it 3-1...

We definitely need a big target man like Shane to partner Billy (if he signs). If that wasn't obvious before, it was certainly obvious yesterday. Not to use the route 1 as a default but just to mix it up as we're pretty predictable a lot of the time. The sort of job that Brian Graham has done over the years, especially with us on the receiving end. Never been a big Dodds fan either, I think he would be a better coach than a manager, but stability at a club is half the battle, so I'm just about resigned to it, on the 'be careful what you wish for' principle - if it's true that he has a happy dressing room that's a major plus. Also it winds up the Dees. It's often been said that it's a bigger priority to get a clearout at the top. Never met the CEO but don't have good vibes. Heard wee whispers that Robbo will be away.

Deasy’s away so Allardice is the big one now, and there’s Billy…

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Most of the Celtic fans were brand new, but they always are nice and friendly and patronising as long as you do the decent thing and lose. Otherwise, just like the other bum cheek, there are always a few who will spit on you 🤬

Thought about this many times over the past few weeks and it gives me the fear. Especially if we start diving into tackles and losing Carson or Allardice or Deas early on. I’ve seen Celtic rip Hibs a new one this season at Easter Road and they were devastating in the first half. They start strong and so often score early. But they also get a lot of goals in the last 15 (as their manager says, they never stop), so even if we’re still in it late on, we don’t have the quality on the bench that they have. It’s something about the modern game that pisses me off. The system is rigged towards the big teams with the big squads. I first noticed it when Scotland were beating England at Wembley back in the days of Kenny Miller, and the game was lost in the last 20 as our lot tired and didn’t have the quality on the bench that England had. Bottom line is, go to the party, get pissed, enjoy the day. It’s the spirit of Tynecastle 2002, the spirit of Motherwell 2004, the spirit of Eddie Ofere and Dave the Rave 2015. It’s ICT in the Scottish Cup. There’s nothing like it.