buckett

You grow up and become a Moderator!

Thanks Scotty and Kingsmills (and RiG) - clarified nicely. As I said, I wasn't complaining, just curious, so there was no ire directed at anyone. Might just delete this one now. BECAUSE I CAN!!!

Just wondering if these forums are being tidied up now and again, and threads deemed superfluous deleted. I coulda sworn there was a thread here the other day suggesting which of our players should take a penalty kick, should it be awarded. Now it's no there anymore. Just . . . . . . . . gone! And then I remember contributing to a thread a few weeks back (Ok - so I'm not such a prolific poster anymore!), and that's gone too! Not complaining - just curious really!

Very frustrating game which we completely dominated. Numerous crosses into the box, numerous corners - just couldn't score! As for the penalty - regardless of whether the offence took place in or out of the box - it all resulted from extremely casual defending where the ball was given away in a very dangerous position, and not for the first time! With a 250 mile round trip for home games, at least I've got a much needed week and a half to try and work up some enthusiasm to attend the next one!

Sadly the mindless, thuggish English support and the arrogant English media turned many in the remaining "home" nations against a very promising, competent young side!

Must be awfully difficult for the savages across the bridge to support a first team that is essentially a squad of Weegies and Englishmen. I know we're not much better but at least we have a few token Invernessians in the team, and judging by an article in today's P&J, a few more coming through the youth system. I've always thought of football as a tribal game, pitting our local champions against their local champions. Not so easy to make a connection when all the local champions are imported from other parts of the country. Anyone else have similar thoughts?

I think you are wrong to imply that Scarlet Pimple had any wish to force Charles Bannerman to withdraw from these forums. That sort of thing is I think way beneath his dignity. It is true that Charles seems to have lost his way a bit, and was maybe less aware of what is acceptable and what is not, and Mr Pimple merely offered him guidance. The faux outrage at some of Charles' more controversial posts was particularly distasteful. Although I didn't always agree with Charles' point of view, and we occasionally crossed swords, I regret his decision to withdraw as his posts were generally insightful, sometimes inciteful and always well presented, and I do hope that once he's cooled down a little, perhaps researched what is acceptable and what is not, that he will resume his valuable contributions to these forums.

Fortunately it's not about how their fore-runners behaved over 40 years ago, but more to do with how they play football now! I wonder if Charles refuses to speak to Germans!

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It's all relative really. Back then we would all flock to see teams from a higher league playing Caley (or Thistle!) in a pre-season friendly, and marvel at the higher level of skill on display. Nowadays, though, we're generally in the higher league and watching a team like Nairn County doesn't really have the same appeal. There is of course the lesser attraction of seeing some of our new signings and 'maybes' performing in ICT colours for the first time.

I wish Vigurs all the best and am grateful for what he has helped us achieve. I also look forward to the outrage on these forums when he is healthily booed and abused on his return to TCS!

Dunno what everyone is worried about. Isn't Blair going to save us? Soon!?

Trying to think how many seasons County finished above us in the grand scheme of things. They were well ahead of us at the end of our first season in the Scottish League, and of course this season and last season. That's 3. I've a feeling there was one more, round about 2012? So I suppose you could say they were the 'Big Team' for four years! Or was it just 3?

Quite right Scarlet. There are unfortunately a few posters who take great pleasure from insulting new contributors to these forums. Live and let live, I say!

In the mid 60s Elgin City did particularly well, being the only Highland League team ever to reach the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup, losing by a very creditable 3-1 to 1st Division Motherwell. (There were only 2 divisions then - Division 1 and Division 2. Very sensible names!)

I remember going in there for a dare! Quickest pint I ever drank!!

Just opened that link and ma computer exploded! Caution is recommended!

Admittedly once the input from the "sugar-daddy" is removed there is a sharp return to reality! Presumably there is a bottom to Uncle Roy's pit.

Don't think it's an expectation - just a forlorn hope! I can think of 3 Scottish teams - Livingston, Gretna and Ross County who didn't do too badly because they were heavily subsidised by wealthy people who were passionate about their local team. It is the tribal nature of football supporters which can lead them to pay well over the odds for a mediocre "product".

Seems an honest enough appraisal of where we are, avoiding negative wording where negative wording might be more appropriate. Like IHE, I also picked out the requirement for new investment as cause for concern, despite the almost positive spin! It seems that running a small club in the upper divisions of Scottish football is unsustainable as a business. At the end of the day, someone has to foot the bill. We need a sugar-daddy!

Haven't played for a while.

Dingwall is easily within commuting distance of Inverness - a mere 15 miles away. Roy attracts players to the club by telling them they're just outside the city of Inverness!

Although none of them were rank, they can all be ranked in order of popularity/success/ability/competence. I would put Foran bottom of the list. Top of the list - either John Hughes for what he has achieved with the team, or John Robertson for what he has yet to achieve. 3rd would be Steve Paterson, who set the ball rolling rather well, but probably out of his depth in SPL management. Who knows what might have been though? In between would be all the rest, in no particular order, but I do feel that Charlie Christie never got a chance to realise his potential.

Clearly Hughes hadn't yet won over the supporters when this thread was started! Baltacha signed as player/manager but as I recall he didn't play all that often. Like with Brewster, the team seemed to play better when he was on the field. The team made a great start in Division 3 but faded a bit in the second half. I think politics had a lot to do with that. Don't really think Sergei can be judged on his short spell in charge of a team which had only just been formed from a controversial merger. Oh s**t - I said the M-word!!!

Fort William joined the Highland League in 1985 so that would be about right. Pretty sure it was Caley they put out though, in Inverness. Looks like Caley didn't show their non-league opponents "respect"!!!