kiltarlity

Agree with IHE we do need a full time manager. I think Butchers timing here is terrible. He comes back from his holidays and then fecks off again on a jolly to do his badges. He should be here!! trying to convince those who we have offered contracts too stay. He should be busy trying to identify other players we can bring in, and persuading them to come to us. He should be having a input into the job re-evaluation process Scotty seems to think i going down. However perhaps TB is "Disillusioned" and thats why he has distanced himself from the board at this point in time.

Courier today has Obi staying, I'm guessing but it looks like bringing Cox from his old club up might have swung it as he can share with him now instead of Imrie!

According to todays P&J Obi is likely to go meanwhile we still think we have a chance with Foran.

I think it would be a mistake to let Imrie go... I agree he's inconsistent, greedy and misses lots of opportunitys. He also scores the occasional wonder goal! He has the ability to give lesser defences a torrid time, and with us going down a league hopefully the standard of defending will be less and we will see him doing that more often, he can also play in a couple of positions which gives us more cover and competition for places which will be useful with the reduced size squad we are going to have in the first division.

From what I can gather, Cox can play either right back or midfield. Of late he has according to the Leicester forum fans been played mostly in midfield in the reserves, and it was suggested that the fans expected him to push on into their first team in the comming season. As you point out Proctor can play defence/midfield also. The first team squad will be smaller this year to save ???, and the idea is that having players who can play in more than one position, gives us competition for places and cover for injury, suspension etc.

Why are we calling him a midfielder when at Leicester he is a defender. Is this another stupid mistake, or a cunning plan to sign a player and play him out of position?.

Surely this is our first signing off many? . I recon will need to bring in half a dozen or so players. After all, as I understand things we only have a 2/3 of a squad at the minute under contract. I'm sure as Butcher has said we will sign a few big battle hardened experienced players as well.

Grassa and contract confussion.... Never !!

If Foran stays do you think his jinx will see us go down to the second?

Elvis will be he new Falkirk manager! They won't come for Butcher as he would cost them too much. Presumably they got a reasonable amount for Yogi (believe he had 2 years to go on his contract). But they are in a doggy financial position so I'm pretty sure they won't want to pay for a manager when they can get Elvis cheap.

Congratulations to Yogi... I think he deserves a shot at a bigger club and realistically he has done all that can be done with Falkirk. In his time there he has won the First division twice (first time they couldn't come up as stadium not compliant!). He has kept them in the SPL for what I believe now is a 5 year and he has taken them to a few cup finals and into the Europa cup. He has made some good loan signings (Stokes!! will always be remembered think it was in 14 goals in 18 games) and his youth policy has paid dividends too. He likes to play total football, this very much fits with the way Mowbray model at Hibs. I also really admire him as he has shown he can handle the pressure of the game in a way few can (amazing for a man who is is self proclaimed recovering alcoholic) . He is entertaining!! often his worst enemy, stupidly honest, humble and very down to earth. All the best to the big man !!!

Your right, he was a class act up front with Morais against Partick so I must keep that thought in my head, but we will still need another 2 strikers on the books. Thing is it strikes me that if Odhiambo and Foran sign new contracts that I cannot see us bringing in another striker. I would far rather lose Barrowman or Odhiambo and bring in another big striker.. Thoughts??

Richie calls the ICT offer "a decent offer"... that in itself gives me hope, perhaps their is less a ??? gulf than some might imagine. Also he says he is happy at ICT likes working under Butcher, Butcher brings out best in him.. hopefully this is worth more to him than say, and I'm wildly guessing , 25% more money.

We gave them away, didn't sell them.... a very bitter pill to swallow...

However the rest of the first divison clubs have been grabbing players right left and centre the past few weeks. We were always going to be slow off the mark as we didn't figure on comming down, till it happend on last day. But now with Butcher off on his holidays we are even more behind the pack. I think we are really going to struggle to get sufficient quality in now..

Talk about washing your dirty linen in public !! This has to be read to be believed!! amazing!

I will be very surprised if we keep Foran & Odhiombo. At the rate we are losing players we will need to sign another 10 before the start of the season!!

?250K for signings? Source? Source found: www.football.co.uk/inverness_caledonian_thistle/butcher_distraught_at_relegation_285612.shtml

Parachute payment for dropping out of SPL is supposed to be ?250k. I think that is where the figure that is being touted comes from.

Even if Butcher gets all the ?250k it's pennys in the world of football finance. Think I read Dundee (our rivals now) just offered ?300k for a Livi player (yes one 1st div player!!) We will need half a squad!!

Found this on P&B makes a interesting read. Thank's too Skyline Drifter for this data... Since the SPL began competitive play in 1998/99 NO CLUB have bounced back from relegation to win the First Division the next season. Dunfermline in 99 DID get promotion back up in a single season but as runners up when there were still two promotion places on offer. Hibernian were the last team to bounce straight back as champions but that was a year earlier and to be pedantic they were relegated from the SFL Premier Division, not the SPL. SPL Relegated sides: 1999 - Dunfermline - Promoted as first division runner up in 2000 2000 - No relegation - Aberdeen finished bottom but top two first division sides came up to make a top 12 and no playoff because Brockville wasn't eligible. 2001 - St Mirren relegated - Finished 8th first season Div 1 - Promoted back up in 2006 (5 years later), having only narrowly avoided relegation to the 2nd in 2003. 2002 - St Johnstone relegated - Finished 3rd first season in Div 1 - Promoted back up in 2009 (7 years later) 2003 - No relegation - Motherwell finished bottom but were saved by Brockville again. 2004 - Partick Thistle - Relegated again in 9th first season in Div 1 but came back via playoffs a year later. Still in 1st Division though. 2005 - Dundee relegated - Finished 7th first season in Div 1 - Still here 4 years later. 2006 - Livingston relegated - Finished 6th first season in Div 1 - Still here 3 years later. 2007 - Dunfermline relegated - Finished 5th first season in Div 1 - Still here 2 years later. 2008 - Gretna relegated & went out of business. So not including Gretna, seven clubs have actually been relegated from the SPL. Of those NONE have won the first at the first time of asking and only Dunfermline, the first of them, have bounced straight back as runners up. St Johnstone in 2003 were 3rd and 2nd for most of the season but never seriously looked like winning the league. No-one else has been anywhere near it. History certainly doesn't favour the likelihood of ICT bouncing straight back but we'll see...................... It's not impossible but it's a hell of a big ask. "So here I am once more in the playground of the broken hearts"

Bit harsh, how do you know they were not in bits, perhaps they wanted the privacy of the dressing room to cry... lot's of guys don't like to be seen crying in public!!

Now I've never had a lot of time for Yogi. But I was listening to the post match MFR interview and my view have changed. When asked if he would be having a few beers after the game by Geno. Yogi told him he cannot drink, that drink was a problem to him some years ago and he's been off it since. As a fellow recovering alcoholic, I know how hard it is to stop and stay stopped. Whats more there are very very few of us sober alcoholics that would put ourself into a high stress job like his in our recovery... and I suspect most of those who would , would have had to walk away if they had been under kind the pressure Yogi has been under this season. Yogi , thank you for the inspiration!! and well done keeping your club up. I only wish I had your strength.. Graham

Totally agree!!. Tokely has to shoulder some of the blame for todays result he made the wrong call (in the heat of the moment in a high pressure game) and I'm sure he knows that!

You don't have to be hopeless to get relegated from the SPL. (In the time we were in the SPL) Dundee were not hopeless when they went down!! nor were Dunfermline.