davieB

Hope ye'r right Scotty, but I can't help getting nervous that it'll all fall through!! If he does sign, CC and the board deserve a lot of credit. Looking at the Gillingham forums he McDonald seems highly rated by them, and the goal clips seem to suggest he'll be an excellent, much younger, replacement for Dargs. Fingers crossed :022:

My thoughts exactly. Could be another saga on the cards here.... I hope not though. He looks a decent player, and if it all comes off it'll be a good bit of business I reckon. Just some defensive cover needed now!

Come to think of it, let's hope the diving wee fanny doesn't get Caff sent off again!

Ach, August 18th...Grantie and Caff will deal with him :001:

'Attempts by Christie and Bennett to bring in new talent may have failed to bear fruit so far, but the latter confirmed the club were hopeful of putting together a deal over the weekend to sign an England-based striker. The player in question currently plies his trade in League One south of the border and tentative discussions are understood to have taken place between Caley Thistle, the player's club and his agent. Bennett, however, would not reveal the identity of the forward. A fee may be involved should the player agree personal terms. Inverness are also still keeping tabs on an experienced SPL defender, but any move for the player may have to be put on hold as his current employers are themselves waiting on the outcome of possible transfers before deciding whether or not to sell.' That's the full bit from the Courier. Wonder who the defender is as well? :024: I think the striker is probably someone wanting to come back as well. Can't see it being Duffy though!

Grassa says in todays Courier that we're hopeful of putting a deal together over the weekend to sign an English based striker. He currently plays in League One. Any guesses?

The cheerleaders were great!! Even if enjoying them a bit too much does make you feel a bit of a perve :crazy07: I'm not sure how close links are between ICT and local schools, but why don't the club invite a couple of local kids clubs along to each game? I coach my local village 10/11 year olds and I'd love to take them along to a game sometime. It'd let the kids know there's more to football than the OF, and help attract the next generation of fans.

Spot on Mee :clapping03: Personally, my memories of my social life between the ages of 16-21 are all a bit of a haze :023: :023: :023: Point one....no-one has even been charged over this incident!! Point two...if it really does take months to analyse a 'substance' I think I'll join the drug squad and give 'em a few tips to help speed up the process! Point three...who cares?!?! They're on a well earned break at the moment and doing what pleny of others do in their spare time. Point four....I haven't taken anything for years and years(the occasional smoke aside), and have no wish to either. My choice. If someone else wants to take something , in their HOLIDAY period then that should in no way have any effect on their career. Point five.....bugger, what was it again.... :crazy07:

My opinion of Buchanan is neither here or there. He could turn out brilliant, he could turn out ****e. It's the way we went about it that gets me. As far as I'm aware he hadn't yet come up for his second trial. The bloke had a choice to make....does he take a chance and hope he gets signed, but at the same time he runs the risk of being rejected and ending up with no contract anywhere. He took the sensible option IMO, by signing for someone prepared to offer him a full time contract. The point I'm getting at more is, if he's already been here on trial, we've obviously been keeping him in mind. Did we have people watching him after his trial? If not, why not? Surely watching him play, after he'd already been on trial should've been enough to provide a decision. I know it's a much lower standard, but it's exactly the same standard we took Marcus from. Obviously we were still interested otherwise we wouldn't have invited him back up. Are we to fussy when it comes to transfers? Remember the last transfer window? Both Dargs and Dennis out for a long time, CC saying we're bringing someone in, midnight comes....zilch. I agree we don't buy for buyings sake, but surely there must've been someone half decent out there we could've got! As I said, the same last summer, was McSwegan really not a panic buy? I'm just concerned at hearing the same noises coming from the club again. Like I said, I'll be only to happy to be proved wrong though. And aye, I know comparisons with the Dons are unfair, it just gets me when this 'it's hard to attract players this far north' keeps getting trotted out by the club everytime we're inactive in the transfer market. Yes it's a hindrance I'm sure, but our own club sometimes make it sound we're in the arse end of nowhere. Caley 100.....Brown was unemployed, Dods caused a sharp intake of breath from most of our fans when we signed him (me included), Dargo wasn't going to be touched by anyone with his injury record, Dennis couldn't cut it at Hearts, and Rankin was already settled in the area so it wasn't a massive surprise we got him. The fact they all turned out brilliant signings is excellent, but it's not like they were attracting much interest anywhere else. Maybe taking other sides cast offs is the only way we're ever going to survive, I don't know. I just think we're coming across as being a litle bit amateurish in our transfer dealings that's all. Just my opinion obviously :004:

So we lose out on the lad Buchanan because we messed him about with these 'two week trials' and we'll see attitude. The bloke's scored a shed load of goals over the last 2 seasons, he's young, and wanted to come here. Nope....we don't operate like that. The Dargo situation? Aye, he took his time. So what, he's entitled to. Yes, it was annoying it dragged on so long, but if anyone's to blame for that then it's our board. Some might say Dargs pissed us about, well.....to me, it became cringeworthy at the end on our part. Some of the statements stank of desperation, and it's our fault for not being firmer. In todays paper, CC says we won't be players just for the sake of it. Fine, I agree. Didn't we hear that last summer too? And in the end we got so desperate we ended up with McSwegan!! I can see exactly the same happening this summer(I'll happily be proved wrong though) Now we're linked with McManus. Not a bad signing IMO, but why do we continually publish all this in the media?? All that happens is, we lose out, and end up looking like a bunch of amateurs. Granted a lot of this is pure media speculation, but we do seem to making a habit of ending up with egg on our face when it comes to the transfer market. I accept that geographical, and financial factors play a large part in all this, but if reports are to be believed then we weren't that broke that we couldn't offer Dargo a good deal. And I'm not 100% convinced that the ' it's where we're situated' line that keeps getting trotted out is totally convincing. Aberdeen certainly don't seem to have any problems in the transfer market. It's embarrassing that the only players we can seemingly attract are ones from over the bridge, from a team just relegated to the second division(yes, I know we've had some cracking players off them over the years). Do we have any kind of scouting system? If so, why isn't it producing anything? Should we be conducting all our business out in the open? Are location, and our size, justified excuses ALL the time? Why do always seem to come across as total amateurs in the transfer market, and who(if anyone) is to blame for this?

They've got a CL qualifier on the Tues/Weds so there's no way it'll be switched to the Monday.

Darren Thompson.........though Rory's a close second (so far).

We seem to be making a bit of an arse about this. While people are right regarding the whole Dargo situation....him pissing us about(mind, we're partially to blame as well), aren't we guilty of doing the same to Buchanan? Either he's good enough, or he isn't. His goalscoring record over the last two seasons would suggest he'd be a very useful addition to the squad IMO. And the few reports I've read on him rate him pretty highly. He'll cost next to nothing too(not sure if a fee would be involved). So it's not like it's a massive gamble is it. If we lose out on him because we can't make up our minds then that's very amateurish on our part.

CALEY THISTLE'S BEST-PAID PLANS GO TO WASTE AS DARGO MOVES 08:50 - 13 June 2007 Caley Thistle have launched a search for a new striker after Craig Dargo rejected the chance to become the best-paid player in the history of the Inverness club. Caley Jags made the record wages offer to the 29-year-old after his contract ran out at the end of the season. But after returning from a holiday in Spain late on Monday night, leading scorer Dargo announced he has decided to pursue his career elsewhere. Dargo's future had been the subject of increasing speculation since the conclusion of the campaign over four weeks ago. After giving Caley Thistle hope that he might extend his stay at the Caledonian Stadium, the 12-goal attacker will now look for a more lucrative contract at another club. Dargo's English-based agent David Baldwin said: "We have now informed Inverness that Craig was very grateful for their offer but, after thinking about it and discussing it, he would be looking for a move. "From the Inverness point of view, it was a record offer but you have to put it into context with the goals that Craig had scored for the club and his market value. "At this stage in his career, he wants to maximise what he can earn. He was not on tremendous money at Inverness. I appreciate that Inverness took a gamble on him, but I feel he has repaid them in the last two seasons." The former Kilmarnock and Raith Rovers player has been linked with a plethora of clubs, most notably Dundee United, Falkirk and Motherwell in the SPL and League One side Nottingham Forest. Although Baldwin refused to name the clubs which had registered their interest in the player, he does not think that Dargo will have any trouble finding a new employer. The Highland club will now seek to bring in a replacement for Dargo, as well as another forward and a central defender to fill the gap left by Darren Dods.

So, with Dargs away, our strike options for next season need boosting urgently. Grassa said we'd be bringing in two strikers if Craig left, and I know we're having another look at that Buchanan, so he could well be one of them. I suspect he's not being seen as a direct replacement though(mind, if he's good enough, then why not?) What about the other though? Who's capable of getting 15+ goals a season......can't say anyone realistacally springs to mind.

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/displayNo...;pNodeId=149229 Hmmm County, or a proper job :024: Hope Liam does sign for them as it'd be a shame to see him give it all up.

Yep, Friday he was away to Motherwell, today it's Utd. Most of todays papers seem to carry some kind of Utd 'story'. However, most of them are saying Utd MIGHT be preparing to offer him a contract. So, nothing new there then. As he's away on holiday, and he's said he'll be speaking to CC before anyone else, then I fail to see how this is anything other than pure speculation. If he does go to Utd though, I'll be seriously fecked off :008:

As he scored more league goals than all our other forwards totals combined, then I think we'd miss him hugely. Add the fact that he missed a quarter of the season through injury, then I wouldn't say he did too badly! I agree though that it seems to be dragging on too much, but if the end result is that Dargs re-signs then I couldn't care how long he takes to decide.

The Courier article also said a decision was expected today, yet Grassa says in the P&J he doesn't expect a decision until early next week. I think it's common knowledge that Motherwell and Falkirk have both made, or seriously considered, offers for Dargs. And the way I read the Courier article, it suggests that there's every chance Craig will stay anyway. His agent says that, despite the claim, the travelling doesn't come into the equation at all. So I'd guess the reason we'd lose him is either because of more money, or if a bigger club came in for him. I can't see that Motherwell would beat us on either count there.

So if we can all convince Craig's girlfriend to believe Inverness isn't such a bad place then he'll stay? Right, thinking caps on.... :024:

Bloody women eh :023:

Heroes...Fraser, for so effortlessly taking over after Brown left. And for being as good as Brown. And for possessing the talent to become an even better keeper than Brown. Munro/Hastings...Grant had another near faultless season, and Hastings was easily the POTY in my opinion. Blackie...for learning his lesson after the Falkirk debacle. Without the tantrums he is a class player, and the latter half of the season saw him biting his tongue(despite frequent provocation from opponents) and just getting on with controlling the midfield. I just hope he keeps it up next season, and doesn't return to the bad stuff. Barry....another great season. Villian...not too sure anyone merits the role of villian!! Could do better... Hmmm, contrary to popular opinion, I'm nominating Bayne. Aye, he has come on loads, but he doesn't score enough for a striker. Dargo may have not had as great a season as the previous one, and despite being critcised by some, plus the fact he played far less than Bayne, he still scored more than him!! Running round loads, and 100% effort isn't enough for a striker if we're getting less than 10 goals a season from them. Dennis....pish. He really needs to get back to the Dennis we know he can be next season. Marcus...again, against popular opinion, I disagree with those who say he's made the step up with ease. Not been impressed with him at all so far. Hopefully he will improve next year though. Rory... :017: I thought we played some of the worst football I can remember this season. Some of it was total gash. The good stuff was there too, but in much smaller quantities. The quality of football we play is one area I'd like to see improve greatly next year.

Just to add my twopence worth.... From where I sit in the NS, the over-reaction of the stewards was a disgrace. So what if people were standing!! They were doing it in a specially designated area, decided by the club themselves! They were in nobodys way, so the problem was non-existant. For once, we get a group of fans trying to create an atmosphere, and doing a **** fine job of it too, and who fecks the whole thing up??.....OUR very own club! Since we've joined the SPL the club seems to have alienated itself from it's own fans more and more. And it's getting worse in my opinion. We've a small enough support as it is, incidents like this will do nothing to help combat this. And as for suggesting H+S issues were behind it....bollox. A bunch of over zealous, jobworths in luminous jackets were behind it. That lot who pose as 'stewards' at TCS have always been the biggest bunch of arseholes imaginable, yesterday just re-inforced that.

No keeper in the world would've held onto Hastings free kick :023:

They were singing 'Lennon get tae ****' during his speech. He said 'If the sheepshaggers could be quiet...' then flashed the 'v's at 'em.