Scarlet Pimple

Not a bad crowd. I watched it on the T V. Spain are too fast, too clinical and too accurate in their passing so the other team has a hard time getting possession. Frankly it's too lop-sided and boring. It's basically a masterclass in control and passing but it lacks enough passion...go figure.

OOPS. My computer forgot to enter the word "Wanderer" at the beginning. Sorry about that.

Cannibis is now legal in Washington State, U. S. A. My guesss is that it won't be long before all the American States go the same way. Why"? Well, it has nothing to do with morality, believe me, it's all about the cost of the huge amount of money that the American Authorities have to spend on policing and controlling this type of substance abuse. Whichis ridiculous since people smoke thestuff anyway. Theonlyproblemwith Marijuana smoking inB.C, is that Thais or similar foreign Nationals buy big, beautiful houses to turn them into grow-ops inthe basement and totally ruin them. Washington State is just across the border from B.C. , Canada. I'll meet you for a pint in Blaine, Washington,when you come over.

The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley. It's the nature of the beast. I wish I had a penny for all the twists and turns of my life that were never remotely expected or could reasonably be foreseen. One minute you are up and another you are down and wondering what hit you. Truthfully, the older you get the more tiresome this kind of turbulence becomes.Sometimes I have an insane longing for the pipe and slippers. Smile. Then I look out the window and see a wee boy kicking a football around and I forget the former. But for a fan it should be stimulating, yes? Mind, you, if you had an extremely even life without controversy or upset or struggle or having to fight for anything , would it be a boring one.? And what would you learn from that life that was truly of real value at the end of the day. Simple! You should put money away so that you have an easy life in your dotage.

12th Man--a miss is as good as a mile. But from afar I have always had the impression that Antonio isnot quite as solid as Esson. But then again, who is perfect..eh?

If reports are true, a devisive personality . May not be the best fit in this Caly Thistle team.

For European afficianados, please remember... " Euro-nly-as-good-as-your -last-game."...

Thank you for that Caley D. Unfortunately, on this occasion I am moving house. O M G.

It was snowing in Greenock today. So it may be coming the way of Easter Road tomorrow.

12th man . Now I thnak you because that is a thoght that I DO appreciate.

ICT Chris--I was thinking the same thing. Becoming a real Interationsl club the noo aren't we? Heh let's keep runninhg with the ball. Terry must be doing something right..and it must be a very pleasant experience working at ICT just now. If the atmosphere is exciing and upbeat this will lead to more players wanting to come in for the excitement if nothing else.

Unless a Saudi Prince comes out of the blue sensing a glorious monetary future for the club and himself I doubt if it would be worth it based solely on the number of fans who do actually attend games in these stirring times. Once we lose our current best players to larger clubs then what? A cup final game and a win at Hampden will give a well-deserved and very welcome boost to club finances but will be needed to firstly pay off outstanding debts. To retain forward momentum remotely in sync with the unbelievable season we have already had will need a lot more of the same and the huge question is , can it be sustained in the longer term? Well, the club's reputation has grown by leaps and bounds and who knows what is in store ? I always say, enjoy the moment.Then close your eyes and keep your fingers crossed. And this, chums, is a Canadian flag. Some of the leaves from the Maple trees are larger then your hands Just thought I would throw that in....

WOW!

We are still a small club and, without resources, next and any year could be a medicore one.Especially if we sell off our most productive assets and disrupt the team in the process. Unfortunately, the reputation and status of any club has a large bearing on transfer fees. .So I think we would be lucky at this stage to get 500 although probably a more realistic fee could be 800 pounds. Another year or so at ICT would increase his value significantly PROVIDED of course that his skill at scoring continues apace. Otherwise the asset value turns south.

I looked and saw big butterfly and he did flutter by And he really was a corker I looked again and couldn't see 'cos the darn beastie flew right into my eye But, sigh, Better a butterfly than a well-fed porker. Enjoy the game, the atmosphere and remember to be kind to animals.

There you go then. he is not a lurker. Hoever, I doubt if anyone would have criticised him negatively though if he had taken the situation into his own hands ( for over a million dollars a year )and got upfield enough to see if he could at least get a kick of the ball. After all, he is not a sheep without inititaive. Truth to tell I remain unconvinced that he is willig to work that hard. It's the way of he older player. Whether it is by design or by necessity due to becoming older but I remember when Johan Cruyf came to Manage the Whitecaps as a player Manager about 34 years ago when they won the North American Soccer League I noticed he didn't want to exert himself on the field either. And he lasted only about one yearor so. Investing in ambitious youth as an ambitious and far-seeing policy still seems to be the best approach for an ambitious club.

And where will the money come from anyway? Hopefully a win on Saturday followed by a bonanza at Hampden will lift the club's debt position off their backs and wouldn't that be a wonderful boost as the season draws to a close?

Interesting comments by Charles and Scotty. In the first place all I can do is ask Charles whether he has ever seen a live NHL (Natinal Hockey League) ice hockey game on T V or at a game in North America. Apparently not. I can no longer afford the cost of the tickets to these games but can attest to the fact that this game is undoubtedly the fastest in the world and some of them show such effort and skill and passsion that anyone who does not get emotionally carried away big time must be dead or something. A Finnish Guy named Temu Selanne is 42 and still plays with such intensity and brilliance that he is acknowledged as probably the fittest athlete for his age in the world,. He oustripped his opponents to score twice in the opening game of this truncated season for the Anaheim Ducks against Vancouver two nights ago and was instrumental in handing the latter a bad 7-3 beating which just happened to be the largest goals against for Vancouver at home in franchise history. On the same night this drubbing, which was just awful to watch, was repeated many times around the league in other games. Why? During the lengthy lockout some of the players went overseas to keep in shape at other rinks whereas many stayed at home and lost their edge. Many games showed scores of 5 and 6 goals scored against top goalkeepers whose timing was just a half-second off due to their lack fo games. The top speed of the hit puck from a standing positionhas been clocked at about 110 MPH and so, if you are not completely sharp and focused as a goalie, you are going to have a torrid time of it. I did have a hard time understandingt he game and it's rules at first but after repeated watchings on T V it sort of suddenly clicks. After this most recent lockout it was even hard to ge tback into it though and the excitement level was muted to say the least. I bought a large screen T V mostly for the ice hockety and the MLS soccer games with the Whitecaps and in H D it was well worth it. These hockey players are fantastic skaters and the speed of the top games is mind blowing, So I have to admit that it is more exciting than the current MLS soccer on show here in North America. And I also agree that David Beckham's appearance in Los Angeles was as much a passing phase of interest as it was a permanent lift to the game which was already on the rise. With 54 thousand fans pouring through the turnstyles last season per game at Portland, Oregon, and a minimum of 19,000 through those at Vancouver as well, then it can be solidly stated that MLS footie is on the move in a big way--and it's really big businesss I can assure you. Barry may not have settled terribly well here in Vancouver (Yeah! Yeah!) but who does immediately after moving from a European Country to the very multi-cultural and energetic atmosphere of Canada or the States? The truth probably is that he is just about past it and , although he still shows all the skills he has developed over the years, he also probably feels that he doesn't need to work THAT hard even if his monstrous salary should have demanded something more . Kenny Miller appears to maybe be staying on for another season though, but this too may be another very costly mistake for the man from Golspie, MartinRennie, the HEAD COACH of the Whitecaps. For over a million dollars per year his impact on the team was not significant and his lone-wolf production way up front was not a constructive use of his supoposed talents. So, Charles, rent the game between Vancouver and Detroit from the advanced stages of the last season's final Play-offs and you will witness everything good that ice hockey has to offer. Undoubtedly one ofthe most fantastic, exciting and thrilling games I have ever seen since I came to Canada some 38 years ago. As for basketball and the National Football League I havev virtually no interest I'm afraid.

Donview dutifully dallies and dings me for my Dicky Bird diatribe. Tablets? Er, do you mean a computer thing or arsenic accompanied by old lace--Like in Arthrotec or Aspirin? Hard to tell for an aging Pimple these days -- life can be a trial when you can hardly tell a pupil from a pimple, a knocker from a knee. and a bald head from a bum ...

Is he torn? Surely he's not just playing hard to get though?

Scotty--Concacaf? Old Scarlet thinks that is is a new McDonalds knock-off run by a con-man. Be kind to the boy. He also says that he will ignore the jibes about Toronto's superiority because (1) They are true and (2) It's a small world and what goes around comes around. Shudder. As for Barry Robson in the Vancouver team, well, all I can say is that he was masterful in midfield, put in a perfect pass time and again, strolled through most games and had a pretty wicked shot when he bothered himself to get close to goal. However, his pace was deffo lacking and that was not a huge issue because, more often than not, when a Vancouver player gets a ball anyway, they seem to think that they should immediately stop and think about what to do with it, followed by a pass sideways or back to the goalie to doff the responsibility onto another teammate no better placed than them and forward momebtum was never a big deal . No such thing as rampant racing up the field on the wings was obvious except on the rarest of occasions. Barry did, however, hopefully teach the other fellas about composure (he was rarely robbed of the ball) and had he had fast and urgent, passionate players around him shouting for the ball he probably would have been considered to be a great success. To be brutally frank, Miller was far less productive than Barry and his salary was, I think, the highest ever paid by the team to a foreign , or indeed any local, player. He was hired to score goals and he didnae . The money was not well spent and, in the role he appeared to have been allocated as a lurking striker way up-front, awaiting the perfect pass, he was found to be severely wanting. The truth is that, if the current Caley Thistle team with their verve , fitness, clas, pace and ambition were to come to Vancouver on serious business, I cringe at what the scoreline might be.

Dat's a fact and I heard that from a Dicky Bird.

Billy Mackay is a real "twinkle toes" isn't he? What a player.

Heart and generosity of spirit.

Re Yngwie's comment about Scotty's Twitter post. I saw it on the SPL link for the running comments about all the games today. Nice to see so many references to ICT in that link about all the games. Caley thistle sure is hitting the headlines just now. I am a little in awe when I look at theleague position and results. Quite incredible and exciting for me I must say. They are going to win next week's game because the team is ON FIRE. Er---how long will it be before Billy MacKay is away? How can we compete with the kind of wages they, or any other larger team, can and will pay? As for temperatures in CANADA I saw that the very low figures were in the north but the East has had big blizzards.Here in the South West region of British Columbia it's been cold and damp but not a drop of snow except a few flakes. Long may it continue. When I used to work outdoors, prior to retirement some 5 years ago, I used to pinpoint the 1st of October because that was when the rains started---and went on--and on--and on for about 9 months. But one can get used to anything and when one is self-employed if you don't work then you don't eat so you just gear up and get on with it. Makes the trees grow very large though--you could drive a truck through some of the Western Red Cedars!