Scarlet Pimple

Judged upon the bit of a slump in the last couple of months it is probably not surprising that TB has lost patience. I only hope that such a decisive , almost draconian, action does not reverberate as quickly on the club as it was taken. Time will tell. the Manager has his rights to do what he thinks is best but the fans probably deserve greater reassurance than what is currently not being made available. It';s the fans that pay tyhe bills is it not?

Well, that's quite a clear-out and the wages "saved" will therefore be considerable to use to bring in others. Terry surely MUST have identified prospects which he is sure that he can arrange to transfer to ICT otherwise his actions are a huge gamble. Based on the news to date what will the score be on Wedneday night I wonder? Or does that matter now?

Yes--but with a tight budget how are you going to persuade "better players" to come all the way up to Inverness? Especially players like Ian Black who left ICT to go to a "bigger " club at a considerably higher wage to advance his career. Pity for Ian that he is now sidelined but I will bet he will be very unwilling to come back to ICT for a much lower wage.

And what about Eric? A relative newcomer with no prior history at ICT and no great contribution to date speak of. . So? Is he staying or what? It looks as if Terry is determined to stamp his authority and personality all over this team and in the process, perhaps, he feels there is not much room for sentiment or a soft heart? I think some candid comments from Terry himself about the whole matter would be greatly appreciated .

Probably sooner rather than later..............better get your nose firmly back on the grindstone, however, Adam. 3 goals against Celtic would help. Because current performances, if off the boil, may not always guarantee....any "later".

Alternative Maryhill--what you write comes close to what my reaction is. Latent fear and nervousness for next season. I don't get a good feeling about this because the decisions appear to be too decisive, too quick and too far reaching , possibly leaving a team exposed to danger with the core gutted. And since all the statements seem to refer to "no money to do this and that" what happens if Terry cannot get a new team all lined up and firing on all cylinders in time, with not a heck of a lot of experience to fall back on as a resultof these decisions? And what of the loyalty of new players unless they have come through the ICT system or live, and have been brought up, locally? And if these players have come up through the system will they be able to make it in the SPL? Yes or no? And how many revolving doors does Management feel they will need under Terry to accommodate his plans and dreams for the future? Finally, what about Terry himself? What if he decides to depart to juicier pastures new? In such a scenario where will ICT's team backbone and future be, and lie, respectively with all these changes having been made and perhaps no obvious replacements actually signed right now. As I said earlier, I am just speculating and hope none of my misgivings ever see the light of day down the road to the detriment of Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.

All together and at once? Without any prior warning? That's scary! All I can think of is that Terry Butcher already has replacements lined up and, if so, must have been very busy over the past few weeks doing so. Because these are, apparently, very decisive moves and if he does not have, and ultimately cannot get in , very effective replacements then where would ICT be then, chums? He can attest to the successes such as Doran and McDonald but these players are loan players and surely that type of player cannot be counted on to see the club through another few rigorous seasons in the SPL? They have ambitions too and, if they come in from England , we can probably assume that their sights are firmly set on the EPL in due course. And what if they get injured? If they do well they may be recalled from their mother club, or transferred out if that is possible, and if they are not doing well then what can Terry do with them if the club does not have the financial income to continue to pay them for non-playing or non-producing.? IMHO a club with a view to the future should surely at least look to a solid core of players around which to build a team, and around which to use loan players to revolve in and out of, if that is the planned course of action. The statement from Mr Fraser about the club's not intending, or not being able to afford, to sign longer term contracts than one or two years is significant. That being the case, then no player really can look to any kind of future security by signing for ICT and that must be a sobering thought for some if not scary overall as well. This may be a sign of the times and no doubt Terry is ambitious and has his own ideas clearly set in his mind about all this and what he wants to achieve so maybe all we can do is to just sit and wait upon developments and have faith in him I personally would like other posters to respond with their individual viewpoints since mine are mainly specxulative.

No doubt it will all come out in the wash eventually. What Russell should do, perhaps, is remember that adversity can open another door and when you go through it, it is then up to you what you make of the new circumstance. A positive approach in this sitution can ultimately rsult in a great experience --especially when the aletrnative is continuing to work for a person or firm who does not appreciate you. I only hope he can do a real turn for a Manager who values his commitment and a club which appreciates his strengths. Good luck to Russell and hope the futrure is bright for him. For sure, it seems as if the fans as a group really appreciate all his work even if he can't meet and greet every one personally.

Bringing Odhiambo on for the last few minutes. Can we read any kind of a signal in that? Is it a gesture of goodwill before he sends him off or is he sending a signal of confidence in him to him.?

Very sorry to hear that IHE. Hope everything will be much better sooner rather than later. Keep smiling.

Came in very late today (or tonight in U K) and the news has got me all animated. Good job, since the Vancouver Canucks ice hockey club got beaten again last night. But what a game it was. my nails are bitten off the stumps. ICT are going to win this game..mark my words. As for Doran--I have heard the opinion of some posters that he is not fast enough but the last goal I saw him score was an absolute corker and if he can continue to hit them like that then what's a wee bittie lack of speed ..eh?

You are animated tonight IHE--more like old times. You have been quite quiet on here for the past few months. Have you been ill perchance?

North stand fan pm the link please (if you are still there) Thanks S.P>

I doubt very much if Rankin would view coming back to ICT as a step up. After getting the taste of a "bigger" team I feel he may start to fancy his little barrow just a tad too much. Mind you , being "released " from the Hibs must be quite a sobering experience too so...who knows?

Too much violence all over the T.V. and the cinema these days--The film people always seem to have their mind focussed solely on the box office takings and can hardly produce a film without it. This does nothing to counter latent insanity. Period.

But they are ambitious. The new plans include a new fancy stadium with all the bells and whistles. Judging from what I have read they will have new everything , such as a training facility,that almost sounds like it will rival that of Hibernian F>C> Good luck to them I say, the more the merrier. As one club goes out of business or gets into financial difficulty, another rises from the depths of disappointment, despair or disillusiionment like the phoenix from the ashes. Let's just hope that the steady hand on the tiller at ICT continues to stick around for a few morw years. because if we ever switch to ten teams in the SPL the chances of going down will be a real challenge.

If ICT come to Canada then at least we can be assured that it will be on the T.V.

Can you imagine Aberdeen being relegated? That's harder to imagine than the Vancouiver Canucks being absolutely thrashed by the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2 in game 4 of the ice hockey playoffs after leading the 7-game series 3-0 and their winning the 4th game to move on to the next opponent looking like a certainty.Before the rout started the Hawks looked completely down and out... goes to show, folks, it's never over 'till it's over.

SCotty I read your comments on the MLS refs. From what I saw right from the start of the season it was about even stevens with the first two refs being excellent, -- they did not call every petty foul and let the play flow which usually works. The refs always looked in command and did not react hysterically when giving a decision.Hence the players got the message that they were here to play the game and not fark around or flop around. The only ref that I found wanting really was sa dark-skinned mature-looking fella from New Mexico or at least Southern California etc who blewhis whistle every time someone bent over to cough. He dished out so many yellow and red cards that even the players were baffled as to who was supposed to be on the park or what they must do,or not do, to avoid getting a whistle. And why, despite what the rules say, did he send off a dummy who took his shirt off to throw it into the crowd after he had scored a great goal and the crowd were going bonkers. He was wearing another shirt under it so maybe he had prepared himself in advance but how could anyone be offended?His sending off reduced the Whitecaps to ten men and they had a heroic task ahead of then after that.Also they lost that player for the next game and to me this is crowd control gone mad. Anyone can get carried away ffs and a good public talking to lasting 3 minutes surely plus a yellow would have sufficed to give him a red face etc.? By and large the refs over here seem to be half decent I suppose.

Tichy==Good. Enjoy! I personally enjoy all sports but some tennis rallies can be great to watch, I agree. Scotty, I have only been to one game myself and it was pretty pedestrian stuff. Mind you that was donkey's years ago. Since then I have advanced my knowledge and find the skill and pace has improved and is fascinating. There is no doubt that when there is a prize at stake it can get very exciting. But I still don't fully understand all the terms. e.g. what is offside?--I thought I understood that but in hockey it appears to be something else? During the regular season I saw only a very few of the games but now that Vancouver have their best team ever, have won the North American League and have a very good chance of winning the Stanley cup this year, then I will be glued to the screen for sure.Because I doubt if they will ever have as good a chance of taking home the silverware as they do this year.

Och Scotty Life is short---just go! Today Vancouver Whitecaps take on the Chivas team ain Vancouver.I was wondering what thefam\ns do for comfort in the rain because all games to date have been dry, sunny and balmy. Such a change from tyhe normal weather her. From where? Dunno. Maybe it will be a Regal contest though. When you watch it on the big flat screen TV in HD it is awesome. We don't get the Eastern conference results here in the West, Scotty, so if you want to send them to me on an irregular basis that would be appreciated.Have no idea how Toronto are actually doing as a result.

Went to get a cuppa and nearly swallowed the cup when I came back in when I saw the score. Well. if Tichy can talk about tennis is it O K, Scotty, if I tellthe fans that the Vancouver Canucks victory 4-3 over the Chicago Blackhawks last night now put them 2-0 up in the ice-hockey Play-Offs . What a game!--end to end stuff and enough thrills and spills to satisfy any fan. The third period was absolutely frenetic with both sets of players going flat out. My eyes were popping and I was afraid to draw a breath in case I missed something. Fastest game on earth, eh, Scotty? These players skate faster backwards than the ponies at Hastings Racecourse in full forward flight.

Breath of fresh air. Cool and wet here again in Western canada. Very nice when the sun comes out though. Looking for an excellent result today. SP

So long as you are not a mendicant peasant ...eh? Smile.

Livi will probably be in their brand new stadium by then. They certainly have got spirit since their handlers have money and ambition. Good luck to them.