Scarlet Pimple

Yep, be watchful, Richie, he seems to be a a ruthless, impetuous type. And once he makes up his mind there is no going back.

No need to be timid about good people moving on. Good people have to grow and advance or they stagnate and decline. What's wrong with hiring a restless and ambitious Manager? It's all about encouragement whilst they are in the position and wishing them well when they move upwards--provided, of course, that they do it the correct way . If you try to retain them by holding them back then this can only breed disillusionment and resentment and the person will move on, regardless of what you think anyway. It's good policy and shrewd to foster the relationship and continue to offer support as you go along. Then when the Manager moves onwards he leaves as a friend and a good future contact. The Spl is actually a small league and what is the point in making negative contacts? Unless you are dealing with a person who is likely to betray you..........

The Three Stooges, what else?

Dunno. But I sure as heck don't fancy Barry Ferguson. Reputation precedes him. Loose cannon with a capital L. Would not fit in well at all with the upper echelons of Caley Thistle IMHO.

Or--does such a man exist ?

Do we need to look for a man with a bit of class about him. To fit in with Caley Thistle's image. Or do we also need what Terry Butcher referred to as style, skill and steel.Absolutely, but not if it also includes treachery.

I use IE 10 but was offered IE 11 by windows Update. Took one look and they have changed the format so will stick with what I've got so long as I am not forced to change. No doubt it does offer some some superior advantages in speed or something but what else really? Never use a cell phone or IPad or smart phone. Keep It Simple Sam is my motto now until death removes me from the scene. Which will be a lot shorter in terms of years than almost all the other posters on this site. Next computer will be a laptop I think. Hopefully with larger keys. The site is fine the way it is. Always access the threads via "View New Content". Usually flawless. No particular need to navigate round it into all the secret places since my interest in every new gadget and app coming into the market is significant by its absence. In my next re-incarnation I will pay attention with great interest for the first 50-60 years then ..decline gracefully.

A man with a mind of his own. Strong and passionate. If he learns to smile more he could be the answer to a maidens' prayer. Especially if he wore the kilt. Mr Sheils has a way with (verbal) spiels But he has never learned to click his heels. He would not be good in the Nazi's fold 'Cos his outbursts are far too bold But If he promises to curtail his rants Then maybe he'll get the red and blue pants. What we don't need is a little milksop But one who will resolve that he will-nae flop A man with passion and a restless mind An aggressive fella --yep, that's the kind.

Fraser..."this thread has gone nuts" Desperation, really, that's all. It will wear off and sanity will gradually seep back in again..... Ha! Ha!

Excellent letter. Keep it going .

Once again, the negative feelings displayed in this thread are NOT about Mr B's so-called achievements but the way in which he engineered his exit. Remember these achievements were not entirely his doing anyway since he had two stalwart assistants, one of whom found most of the English players who have worked out for him, working in close harmony with him. Why, only a week or so before he left, he was saying that he was "currently committed to ICT" -- so what happened s-o-o- suddenly to alter that high ambition? Nothing! It was not sudden at all..... just pre-planned . The more I think about it the more the sudden exit swims into focus. I suggest that this exit/transfer to Hibs was contemplated and discussed with someone from the Easter road organisation at least three months prior to it's execution. There is no way that even Hibs could have arranged all this turmoil, which involved three prominent members of our coaching team, at such short notice. And perhaps even Pat Fenlon himself got a hefty payment to assist in this process for all we know. His departure was also very sudden, apparently, but not so sudden that Rod Petrie was wringing his hands in total dismay and total disarray, shocked to the core and crying out in anguish...."Mea Culpa. Mea Culpa." Or so it seems! In fact, all appeared calm and serene at Easter Road in these last few weeks...correct? So, is it realistic to think that Pat and Rod and Ter didn't all just have a chat on what was best for all of them long beforehand? If you get the news that you are expected to uproot and depart for Edinburgh only a week before you are expected to be en route south, then how much time does that take to flabbergast and dismay your wife and family . A move which potentially involves selling the house and changing schools perhaps,? No person who is settled in a district is going to take kindly to such a peremptory order or offer even? Time is needed to arrange things so you do the mathematics. This was done and dusted months ago IMHO. Anyone disagree? And, if so, that is betrayal and opportunism at it's worst because it has now left ICT hung out to dry. It does not just affect T. B. but other people also, including the fans, by the way, especially those who have committed to the club for the rest of the season by having purchased season tickets. And this is not just about one person's leaving for a better job. Because other senior and vital components of the team structure were always going to be adversely affected by such a radical decision--even possibly sufficiently to crush the hopes of the team for the remainder of the season. That's not just about bettering oneself, that's just plain not doing the right thing. T. B. was not just an ordinary employee but one who was right at the top of the heap , meaning that any sudden unexpected departure from his duties could be catastrophic for the club... like a mortar shell falling on your space without any warning. Mr. Cameron would never have stood in the way of any member of his club if he had been taken into the confidence of the person who wanted to leave. He would accept it as inevitable and then it would be worked out so that when the big offer came after the end of the season then plans would be in place to fill the void. That's a classy way of working, not doing the sudden dump on the club and the persons who helped bring Mr. Butcher to prominence. What was Butcher afraid of? That the club would start to slide down the table and by the end of the season it would be in the lower level doldrums? Or that he would be fired anyway at the end of the season if he revealed his feelings to the Board. Neither scenario is believable. So that leaves only one reason for going so suddenly--opportunism....or "I'm all right, Jack. how about you?" Have a great day to all our loyal team members and fans.

The size of his watch matches the size of his head methinks..

Putting on his green tie, Huh! Funny you should say that , I had noticed today how darn quick he was to adorn his princely neck with it and apparently over the moon with it. Hope he wakes up in a week or so with a male Leprechaun in his bed trying to get into his green pyjamas. It's almost as if ICT never really existed for goodness sake.

AJS, for a man with your number of posts you have clearly followed ICT closely for a goodly number of years. So, I hear your disappointment and, more importantly, disillusionment.

Yeah , he blames his tools. . And, for the way this deceit has been handled, that's what T B, M and M are---TOOLS

VERY ENCOURAGING FOR THE OTHER PLAYERS ALSO.

Insensitive, arrogant man it seems..... Terence--there's many a slip 'twixt cup- and lip and the portents are not good for you I am afraid. ..In fact the clouds are gathering already. And there's a face in the clouds------- Oh nooooo ! It's thon seer, IHE.

Acrimony like this is rarely because a person decides to move on or better him/herself. Everybody has the right to do that. In this case it's simply about the way it has been engineered by Mr. Butcher and Hibs and the way it has progressed--especially sitting in the stand as reported and in the Boardroom prior to the game if I read reports correctly? No one could have faulted him for being in the CaleyThistle dugout throughout the match since he was still the ICT's Manager. If the HIbs fans missed that little play then they had better remember it for the future because a leopard does not change it's spots To me that is unforgivable and showed both cowardice and disloyalty and contempt for the team that has brought HIM to prominence also. This is a two-way street and is not just about how great HE was--as someone said above, this was a team effort. And I remain unconvinced that this was not in the works for many weeks, not just in the flurry of the last few days. This is all too sudden and fast to be believable because the Board at Hibs must have been thinking about this change of Manager for a long time and surely could be expected to have made some moves to test the way the Managerial winds were blowing before Mr. Fenlon resigned or would have been fired. How? By making a few private telephone calls ........ And let us not forget that he had signed a contract and is very lucky that Mr Cameron allowed him to set it aside. Of by suing him for breach of contract if he resigned without a very good reason to support such an action. If he had sued Mr Butcher then I can't help but wonder how that would have affected the view of Butcher's character in football quarters going forward into the future. I sincerely hope that the compensation the club received is well over the 100,000 pounds suggested because this is just unethical nonsense.

Since the whole thing blew up so quickly without any prior warning, then was a fait-accompli also within a very short time span, one can hardly be faulted for thinking that telephone calls were made between certain parties quite some time before it all came out in the open. If so, then shame on the parties involved because I will bet the top ICT officials were not aware of it. The big question is : how long has this been in the works? All I can say is that Maurice and Terry can go if they want but so long as Steve stays then what have we really lost. ? He will still be available to work the Southern shores for promising young players and if the new manager can quickly get the confidence of the players and they work well and hard together then we can continue the building process If I had been chief at ICT I would not have allowed all three to leave at once --only the two. T B will still have his contacts in England but we can, if necessary, now cultivate good Scottish prospects who can realise the potential of coming to a top team whilst at the same time still looking out for more promising young players from South of the border, even Wales and Ireland. Now I 'm off to rinse out the sour taste I still have in my mouth.

Never heard much more about Pele? Has he reformed his..er..approach to life perhaps? And is there any indication that he might be able to emulate the last four years or so in terms of success? Apparently, Tony Mowbray was a good manager with, I think, Sunderland up until very recently. He did very well in the first year but the next was less so and, because he didn't achieve spectacular success, he was fired. Seemed very unfair but these top teams have little tolerance for any kind of apparent failure. So Moyes had maybe watch his step at Manchester United. Anyway I think Mowbray got a raw deal and he might be well worth considering EXCEPT that if he takes the job it could, I assume, be for the short time before he makes his name again and is off to another Premiership club. So, on that score, we don't need another Terry towelling trick do we? Calderwood is solid as I see it--as stated he has done well so hope he is at least in the frame. Ask Donview what he thinks about his performance at Aberdeen....

Now you see him, now you don't? Oh what a tangled web............................

Yes Bughtmaster, IHE HAS INFLATING IDEAS AND TERRY HAS FLATULENCE.

I've given a like to the newbie Ronald Hardie just so he feels needed and wanted and to let him feel that he could develop into a right down regular poster . Plus there is a modicum of thought and common sense in his post...........

Jeez, Sneckguy, ah wuz right, he's actually got over 12,000 near enough. What a guy! Must sit up all night composing his next incredible set of pictures. Where do you get all those pictures Itchy? What a collection or what a fantastic search engine you must have in yer brain. Some of them are not only entertaining but a knockout. Showing that you earn your accolades 'cos truly you are a very clever fella. And S. Pimple is very good at sucking up eh....so I am looking forward to another 'Like" IHE for this one. And as the originator of HMS Sneck he is a fantastic creator of past good memories of both this fantastic site and ICT,s progress.

There's a lot of wags on here. And there's nothing like a good laugh to make one's day. That's as good a reason to come back as any At least the subject appears to have swelled the ranks with new posters So we have to be thankful for small mercies. To the young man who feels hard done by because IHE gets more press than he does this is a simple mathematical equation really: IHE has well over 10,000 posts and the newbie has 573. Case closed (hopefully).