buckett

I've made no secret of my admiration for Hastings.

One of his strengths is his ability to get forward up the left wing while still performing his defensive duties.

Great vision too - it's fascinating to watch his movement off the ball.

Dunno if he's the MOST technically gifted, but he's certainly up there.

When he came back to us he seemed very reluctant to get forward as he had done previously - seemed to lack confidence. Seemed a bit out of his depth too. But he gradually got there. With increasing confidence he established his place in the team and improved beyond anything he'd achieved before to become the great player he is today.

I have to say I'm quite surprised by the criticism he gets on these boards - do these people know anything about football?

Yeah - let's try blootering the ball up the park and see if Bayne gets it!

:006:

Old fecker!? Only half right there me old mate.

Happy New Year!

Who cares!? Did we no' just gub them?

Again!

:001:

What about:

Here we go here we go here we go,

Here we go here we go here we go-o,

Here we go here we go here we go,

Here we go-o, here we go. . . .

It's an inspirational song about advancement, moving ahead. It's forward-looking, optimistic and uniting.

Just the job, I reckon!

Quoth Johnboy:

"What about bringing in McCaffrey and playing Dods up front with Wyness? "

Forkin' brill!!!  :003: :003:

Bit of a melodramatic title to the thread - there have been many "most important" games since the St. Johnstone one, and all is not lost if we lose this one.

However, it IS a big game, no doubt about it, and winning this one would certainly make the festive season more enjoyable.

I've often said this and I'll say it again - thank fork for Dunfermline!

They've always been good to us.

:003:

Don't ya just know it - after today's win over the mighty Buckie Thistle they're going to embark on an epic giant-killing Cup run echoing that of the famous City team of the 60's, and we'll  be one of the Giants killed!

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How many SPL minutes is it since we last scored?

Just wait, we'll be banging 'em in now!

One thing at a time though - expect our first win for ages very soon.

And then, my friends, our current slump will be finally over!

I have often come home from a very entertaining game to find that, well, it wasn't really entertaining at all, according to the media, or indeed this website.

I suppose for those who watch a rich variety of matches from all over the country, the fare on offer at TCS may not be up there among the very best, especially for a neutral.

But the one thing consistent about every Scottish League or SPL game I have ever attended is that one of the teams playing was ICT (or whatever they were called back then) and as a passionate supporter of that team I have never failed to be entertained.

But then, perhaps my standards aren't so high!

Used to love the Lagavuilin when it was a reasonable price, but one day it doubled and flew out of my price range. Must have appeared in a film or something.

Any of the Islay malts will do me, though, and most are more reasonably priced. Caol Ila and Bunahabhainn are exceptional.

And for anyone who likes the peaty malts but finds them rather pricey, may I recommend a blend of similar ilk, called MacLeods Isle of Skye, which is cheap and lovely.

Of the cooking whiskies, i.e. the own-brand ones, perhaps the Co-op one is worth a slurp!

It was a clever touch naming the team after the county rather than Dingwall.

It means the hicks put aside their inter-village rivalries when they come down from the hills and unite in support of their wee county team.

A rather large, but dwindling herd of them from Wester Ross boards the train at Kyle of Lochalsh on Saturday morning to see their team and return pssed off in the evening before embarking on a night of high jinks.

Perhaps we should have named our team 'Highland' or something similar and maybe got a bit more support from around the region.

Anyway, good luck to them. I don't see them as rivals anymore and wish them all the best.

Aren't we all being just a wee bit patronising here?  :003:

The first division isn't exactly boring either, with 6 teams vying for promotion.

A good season to be a follower of Scottish football! Even the national team is showing a bit of potential.

Yes, our defence did sit very deep - there was a long spell in the second half where the ball never came out of our half.

Aberdeen had the edge on us, although there wasn't much in it. They kept possession better, and made fewer errors when passing.

However, when we went forward we were a lot more dangerous until the last half hour or so. Ironically that was when we scored.

I really don't think we can complain about a draw, although a win would have been great.

Grant Munro, Craig Dargo, Graham Bayne and John Rankin stood out. Richard Hastings had some flashes of brilliance but made a few mistakes.

And I have to thank the impatient driver who reversed both rear wheels into a ditch in his hurry to find a faster-moving queue for cheering me up after losing our lead so late in the game. Anyone else see that?

D'you maybe feel that if you'd paid more attention at school you could be up there with yer classmate?

I can also reveal that Mr. MacDonald phoned his mammy in Inverness and asked her how to go about buying shares in the local team.

Seems he wanted to take the frivolous step of adding a wee bit of Inverness to his extensive portfolio.

Being a shrewd sort of chap, (some might say tight,) imagine his delight on being told that the minimum purchase was 250 shares at 75p per unit!

:015: :015:

So Jeff is going to buy shares in ICT.

And he's a millionaire.

With these facts, how would you blow up the story if you were a journalist?

:006:

Thank you Sophia, and I have to say I agree with your cringe.

Another one that's starting to get to me is "it shows how far we've come. . . . "

I'm afraid we're going to be the wee team from the Highlands for a while yet, despite the fact we're based in a city of similar size to the likes of Kilmarnock and Dunfermline which are well established in the SPL. And Falkirk, which isn't.

We're getting there though, and with JM's millions, there'll be no stopping us!  :015: :015: :015:

Well, y'know, don't like to gloat or anything, but you saw it here first.

Who needs an IHE?

Or indeed an Inverness Courier?

:003:

(I refer of course to the 2nd post on this topic)

OK, I agree with your point but I'd hardly say the show was full of European football. It was mostly this weekend's SPL action with a wee bit about Celtic's next opponents.

I don't normally defend Scotsport, but as it's such a fragile show anyway, I feel your complaint is a wee bit exaggerated.

Are you one of those folk with "ergo" in yer vocabulary.

I'd think if ICT had made it to Europe, we'd be quite pleased to see a bit about our next opponents on Scotsport.

Unlikely though!

Did I hear that Hearts are playing Kilmarnock on Monday instead of Saturday?

If that's the case, if we beat Falkirk we go 3rd. For a few hours anyway.

Not a bad way to finish the 1st quarter!

:003:

Too early???

****, we're already there!!!

:003:

Yup - they finally done it. Hallelujah!!

Sadly, nobody noticed.

Once again they were overshadowed by their SPL neighbours' greater achievement on the same day!

I hope this is their turning point at last, and that they'll make a decent go at a play-off place. Still attainable and very much in their own hands.

Now THAT would be an achievement worthy of note.

Brilliant result!

For once I can't wait to get to work on Monday and get it right up my Rangers-supporting colleagues, many of whom will doubtless be throwing sickies.

Support your local team - that's my advice to them!

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The End.