buckett

Noted your comments Alex MacLeod - maybe player sponsorship is the way to go. I assume it's strictly one sponsor per player, and possibly a danger of running out of players if too many potential sponsors! Anyway, I'll look into that one. Thanks.

Quite often one of the Old Firm makes a shaky start to the season. I put it down to the number of foreign players they sign during the close season and the consequent lack of cohesion in the team until the players get to know one another, after which their obvious quality shows. This season I would expect Rangers, rather than Celtic to struggle initially due to the number of signings they've made and their new manager finding his feet. Unfortunately, I don't think we play them until well into the season by which time they'd be starting to pull in the same direction. Pure theory of course. Very encouraging to read your observations about Celtic though. I think we meet them quite early in the season, so lets hope they're there for the taking!

If a simple method of making one-off payments (e.g. paypal) could be adopted rather than long term commitments (e.g. standing orders), I think it would be a great idea. Due to my unusual working routines and distance from Inverness, it isn't always possible for me to get to home matches. I would still like to donate the admission fee to the club though, but I don't think there's a facility for that. I think there's probably a lot of folk out there who would use such a facility - people who, for whatever reason, don't go to a match but still want to put money into the club. Count me in!

I remember they gave Barra a right good gubbing once. Or was it Benbecula? Mind, that was a few years ago.

Compared to other footballing nations of similar population, England have an abysmal record. When did they last win anything - 1966 wasn't it? ****, that's 40 years ago! If they're such a dead cert. to win the World Cup, how come the top English club teams have got so few English players in them? One can only conclude that English players aren't as good as foreigners. Which is really what the English media hype is all about - rabble-rousing the gullible populace against Johnny Foreigner, who really has no business trying to compete with Hearts of Oak . . . . . No, I won't be supporting England, but good luck to them. They're sure as **** going to need it. And I hope such bitter comments from us chip-on-the-shoulder jocks doesn't discourage forum members from south of the Border from contributing to this site - after all, we may differ in some things but we all support the same club team!

Ha! Some of us have got very selective memories! Goodness mee! :016:

****, does nobody remember how obnoxious and arrogant we were in 1974 when we qualified and they didn't? They're only getting their own back! Remember the immortal line from the official Scotland world cup song which went something like, "England cannae dae it 'cos they didnae qualify." To me, that beats anything they ever did for sheer in-yer-face gloating and arrogance. Just get over it. They're not going to win it anyway, thank fork! :006:

OK, so we've got "Hi - Ho Caley Thistle everywhere that we go." Let's see now. . . . . . So how about "Dum-di dum-di dum-di WHISTLE, something something BLOW," or SHOW, or maybe FLOW. Pistol - that rhymes with thistle, sort of. Well, maybe not. How about Bristle then? There's lots of words that rhyme with "go". Does it need to rhyme?

Yeah, I see what you mean. It would depend who else was there of course. Wouldn't want to go back to playing the likes of Ross County and Livingston for ferk's sake. I think an OF-free league would benefit Scottish football in the long run, and would eventually force younger supporters to tend to follow their local team rather than some "big" team which was less accessible to them. Get rid of the OF vermin by all means!

Hmmmm . . . . . . . tricky . . . . . . ! :006:

What a pity Peterhead didn't win it. Forget about Gretna - that would've been the true "fairytale" - a team echoing the success of Gretna but without the benefit of big cash handouts from a multi-millionaire sugar-daddy. There's always next season though - they may even replace Ross County in the First Division!

Thank ferk Gretna didn't win - we'd never hear the end of it! 'Fairytale' my erse. Ponytail, more like, and let's face it, that's what Gretna's all about now!

Ross County have already reached their peak and will now slide down the SFL until they reach their natural level - probably mid to upper division 2. ICT will continue to improve, to the detriment of County, who will lose supporters to their SPL neighbours. Peterhead may have a brief spell in the First Division, but Elgin City will eventually overtake Ross County and I can see these two (City and County) renewing their rivalry in the SFL.

DJS, I see a distinct pattern in your observations!! :D

Quoth SPL_Jaggie: "Every year since joining the senior football leagues we have improved by at least 1 place." Could be wrong but I thought there was one season in the first division when we ended up in a lower position than in the previous season Or was it just that, for once, we ended up in a lower position than Ross County. Jeez, what a beamer that was!

I think I know what Brew means - it's a traditional thing in industrial cities and towns like Glasgow, Liverpool Newcastle and Dundee to name some, where workers were given Saturday afternoon off to watch their local team. And football was probably the main topic of conversation as it was consequently their only outside interest. Places like Inverness never really had that background. However it doesn't really apply now as yer average docker is more into fashion and Coronation Street. I think Inverness is just as much a football city as any of the others. Incidentally, Charles B., I didn't realise Rangers had been around so long. Some political message there maybe. . . . . ?

Currently, England do not produce the best managers. How far down the Premiership do you have to go till you find a team managed by an Englishman? When was the last time a Premiership-winning team was managed by an Englishman? Incidentally, on the subject of 1966, does anyone remember the general feeling then? I seem to remember everyone wanting England to win, and being delighted when they did! (I refer to people around me in Inverness). If that was the case then attitudes have certainly changed, perhaps due to 40 years of having it rammed down our throats by the English media in a most arrogant manner. Back then, of course, the UK was still a fairly united nation - it was only 21 years since the war had ended. For a big country, England really have a pretty poor record of world cup wins compared to other countries of equivalent population and size!

It is by no means certain that Livi will be relegated. All they need to do is average 4 goals per game without reply. And for Dunfermline to lose every remaining game. And then of course there's the legal option, if they can prove that St. M's stadium is not up to SPL standards. . . . .

Yeah. Adjust yer horizontal hold!

v. East Stirling in nineteen oatcake (3rd Division) - a hooruva lot of injury time and 3-1 down after ninety minutes. Somehow we equalized but everyone except me and a coupla others had gone home. It was almost SUPERnatural. Anyone else here witness that one? I remember laughing - just couldn't believe we'd equalised. Everyone seemed to be laughing!

Oh yes, and a great big GIRUY to those part-timers who left early, for whatever presumed reason, and missed the goal. Ha!

I can confirm that he made a gesture which could be construed as a GIRUY Brew!

Clearly we can't finish any worse than eighth in the league now and are looking good for seventh. With a higher points total than last season our team continues to progress, and contrary to those who bemoan the fact that we didn't make top six, I'm happy that we have developed at our own pace and have set a target which we can realistically surpass next season. Well done, ICT!

Not the best game and I agree with the other comments. For me Dods and Hastings stood out, the latter's confidence has come on in leaps and bounds, and you always breathed easy when Dods got the ball. Wilson impressed too - tremendous workrate but faded a bit towards the end. Dargo was always a threat, and Tokely, without doing anything particularly brilliant, was always there or thereabouts and epitomised the spirit of the team. And that, incidentally, was the first ICT win I've seen this season, even although I've been to most home games. Just wish I lived a bit closer to Sneck though!

There's only room for one SPL team in the Highlands. Ross County had their chance to get into the SPL but blew it 2 seasons ago. And again this season. ICT will now prosper to the detriment of Ross County, who will eventually slip down the divisions as their supporters desert them in favour of their local SPL team. Elgin City will eventually overtake Ross County and may even reach the First Division some day. But, like Aberdeen, Elgin City isn't really a Highland team. (And Aberdeen is east of the Highland Boundary Fault. Not north!!)