Scarlet Pimple

Charles In my younger day I got in for 6 pence. And Adults got into the stand at Telford Street for 2 shillings and six pence. But maybe you are not quite able to remember that far back are you?

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.

Och I live in Canada but you canm call me Scottie too.

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.

And if he means at only the two parks of Ibrox and Parkhead, then how will that be exciting for any other club? And, just to mention a really trivial matter, in what way would it benefit ICT or any other club in the SPL? For goodness sake! If these remarks are actually truly attributed to Mr Doncaster then I don't know how long he will be able to keep his current position. From all the stuff I have read,, this man has few leadership skills, no common sense and just can't get his head out of the sand.

Charles...be nice. If it aint broke, don't try to fix it. :biggrin:

Three excellent posts respectively from Scotty. Caley D and DoofersDad. If the SFA, or whoever, wanted to force the club to install USH, in the face of the objections of Caley Thistle for seemingly common sense and thoroughly practical reasons, then the SFA or the SPL should have been willing to foot the bill to make sure that it is done right-i.e any rolling of the ground to be compensated by some other procedure to balance out the nagative effects of the former. The more I read about the expectations about the rules, regulations and lack of common sense displayed in the top echelons of Scottish football just now my heart and mind weeps with frustration. Anybody who wants to set up a petition detailing these facts above and demanding that the irrational employees be sidelined and the rational ones, even if they are the ball boys, be promoted into the SFA/SPL Boardrooms will have my signature by Express Post. But what now? Is this problem going to be addressed effectively? And,if so,how? Either we strongly berate the SFA rules for forcing this on the club or we have to mount a cogent campaign against them in the press.I am personally fed up to the back teeth with the way the "Authorities" in Glasgow have been picking on Inverness Caledonian Thistle going back as far as the Aberdeen fiasco. It's a bloody disgrace and we have to change it -- We know that the press in the Glagow area where the Offices of the SFA are, will not be co-operative so logically it's a petition then.............?

The solution is quite obvious but, due to entrenched attitudes at the SFA which will preclude all possibility of flexibility occurring in their approach to doing things, and dynamic CHANGE, it will never happen. To be a visionary leader in football in Britain for them would be anarchism or at least anathema. They will never think outside the old traditional box and seem to be determined to always be trailing the pack. They will not encourage real change by originality of ideas and a willingness to seriously review procedures. They are slaves to convention and tradition and when T.V calls the shots over any decision they might make then do we have a problem? You bet. The SPL season should start to co-incide with that of the north american Major League Soccer which commenced about three weeks ago. They will play in much brighter, fairer conditions generally speaking , the crowds will not be frozen stiff or wet and will enjoy the whole atmosphere better. There will probably also be less risk of injury, better ball passing and a faster more fluid game . I rest my case and welcome positive criticism

Right on, Scotty.

Well, I am up sitting at the comoputer here in Vancouver and it is just past 4a.m. Och, I'm away back to bed fer goodness sake. Obviously no one can predict such conditions except I can't but wonder why the drainage is so poor since surely ensuring that it was able to contain and dissipate adverse water conditions should have been a priority before/at installation of the undersoil heating? Knowing that weather can result in cancellation of this fixture why could it not be advanced to 3 p.m.or played tomorrow?I am sure Celtic would be very happy to hear that kind of news. After all, what money do they get out of it apart from the T.V. that is? Just asking like. My point really is.... does this come as a catastrophic surprise to the club? More importantly,is the club willing to spend more money in somehow improving the drainage at this time? Not for this season that's for sure.

A recent report in the last few days states that radiation from the nuclear diaster in Japn was found in a cow's milk in British Columbia, Canada, For those of you who don't quite know where that is , well, it's situated on the west coast of the country right adjacent to the Pacific Ocean and it is one and half times the size of France. That coast,ladies and gentlemen, is a very long way from Japan and, despite the following notification, it is scary. However, it goes on to say that the level is so small that it does not pose any danger to the rain-smeared inhabitants, the Inuit, Moose, brown and Grizzly bears, bald eagles, raccoons, grey and black squirrels, blue jays, hummingbirds, very large red robins, salmon, lake trout, whales, dolphins, wolverines, wolves, puma, coyotes including the road runner, mountain lions, hawks, hordes of seagulls going to McDonald's for dinner or other wildlife such as Pimples or visitors from Toronto. We think that we will survive but how did that lot get past the Hawaian islands, and Vancouver island which is 200 miles long and situated just off the coast here. Sigh. There is never a dull moment here in La La Land and don't believe a word of what Charlie Bannerman says when he sniffs and opines that Scarlet is on something. . :

Never say never. The bigger they are the harder they fall. One huge demand from His Majesties' Revenoors could bring the whole house of cards tumbling down. I have mixed feelings as to whether or not I would welcome a move from both of them to England. For ICT they do seem to bring the the fans through the turnsmiles but is the odd game really worth it. Their influence on the SPL clubs and hierarchy is so huge and pervasive that I tend to think that their impact on the whole scenario is overbearing and overburdening.And stifling. Should they go,I am wondering if that would lift a good load off everybody's shoulders and spark a renaissance in the top echelon of Scottish Football. If it did, then the energy released would inevitably filter down through the lower divisions and the output of the players could be, hopefully, more honest. 'm'off

Phew! Now I am glad that ICT never made a move for him. We have had enough troubles and challenges over the last two years without a headstrong player like this causing more anxiety and stress. Prima Donna , male variety, is not the word. Scotty, maybe his departure will spark the club into going on a streak. Final word--he had better play very well at Red Bulls or his career might take a real nosedive because no club needs a loose cannon.And he is ovberp[aid to boot. Good luck!

Small condominiums otherwise known as condoms. Electric everything.. And of course, the one item that nobody has yet referred to--the CAR. Twitter and Facebook--Enables instant communication and therefore so dynamic that they can easily start a revolution ,induce civil wars, levelling of playing fields by taking dictators down a peg or two and so on and so forth. The atomic bomb (nuclear fusion). Aircraft. The development of rockets to the moon and beyond. Where does it all end ?

Frei-excellent keeper. As far as I remember he is Finnish , like Mixu Patticake.Very agile big figure with great hands. The talk is that he is a cert to be signed by a big European team but you should be able to keep him at Toronto for this season at least. You do have some interesting and good players Scotty but the team needs to get forward and into the opposition goal area more, despite the often fine passing that they do. I it all breaks down k\just over the half way line then...? Knowledge-- your comments are interesting and well informed , surprisingly so and the Pimple is impressed that yiu know about him. I din't think that anybody in Inverness would know about Steve Nssh but in North America he is a huge respected star and businessman. Scotty, bringing in another couple of large city teams would not be a bad thing and New York did have a good name in the (distant) past. Yes, I was reading about the success of Seattle and their fan base is very large and their home crowds are huge apparently.Why? Can't imagine why MLS soccer is so popular there. Maybe people coming into Seattle are from other parts of the US and the world. Boeing Aircraft factory is close by and it is a very attractive city situated on the extreme North West of the U.S. on the pacific coast about 100 miles or less South of Vancouver. Excellent freeway goes right over the city and the exterior roads leading in to the inner core are good too. It was voted the best city in the U.S.to live in a couple of years ago. No wonder; mild climate ( more often than not very wet, like Vancouver) but equable year round , fantastic scenery and easy access to forests and mountains, skiing galore (Whistler just 80 K north of Vancouver--just reported a total snow fall of 45 feet, gets its share of U.S enthusiasts), boating is very big, fishing Simply an awesome area to live in, especially if you are an outdoor enthusiast. Fresh air blowing in from the South West from the Pacific ocean keeps the area fresh. It's the unregulated industrial run-off into the associated streams which in turn run into the Pacific that is killing the whales, and filling the fish up with mercury. Even the baby whales are now found to have pollutants in their bodies these days with the adjacent Howe Sound Pacific basin coming into Seattle that is totally pollute. Its very sad butmoneyt is the gOid so ... what can one do....?

Was not aware that he was on so much money! Phew! I guess it's human nature to always want more. Enough is never enough, it seems. And I don't just mean football. De Rosario for that money is not worth it(not to Caley Thistle, anyway). When I saw him 3 years ago on video he was a veritable non-stop dynamo who would cover the whole field like a rash with his running in a game. He stood out like a sore thumb. But what I see of him now is that he has toned down quite a bit and emerges in the game only more sporadically to stamp his authority on it or to provide a few thrills now and then or does something speedy and spectacular like his goal agaisnt Vancouver a couple of weeks ago. In short he may not be lazy, and may be playing to Manager's instructions or something; but I don't see him really as a superstar, rather a player who is satisfied with bis position and the salary he is now enjoying and is content to ease off and wait for the ball. Probably would not fit in with the current requirements of the ICT team these days! With salaries like that it's no wonder the teams need large crowds to make ends meet.An article in the local Province newspaper today states that the TV "attendances" are down re watching the local Whitecaps from the high of several hundred thousand of two weeks ago to only some 80,000 viewings to watch their most recent away match. In addition, stats show that the MLS does not attract that many viewers overall in the season compared to other sports so..... The owners of the MLS teams may have an uphill battle to promote the sport in North America and will have to work hard and spend money in advertising and promos to be successful. Tickets are not cheap but the only reason I knew it was on the Telly was that I happened to glimpse the game arrangements in a small ad on the sports page of the local daily newspaper about an hour after the game had started in the paper. So, It should be all over the local news and even on the TV hockey games I think. We shall see.....

And, to think that I recommended De Rosario to the Caley Board in 2008 but got a polite turndown from Mr Bennet I think it was at that time. He is just as potent now as he was then and could have done a turn for the team. Always willing to hava go and bags of skill . There you go, another slippery eel gone through the fingers. Mind you, I shudder to think what Toronto is paying him but I don't think he could be viewed as a real prospect now based on that issue alone Do you think that he could have fitted in nicely Scotty? Looking at it in hindsight my feeling is..well, maybe not. The cold and snowy Scottish weather would have him wanting back to Canada pretty soon after he arrived I fear. Maybe if it was to Celtic though.......? LOL