Scarlet Pimple

So, in summary, .....what? Play them or sack them? Money talks. And what some of the wages are nowadays just stuns me. It's not a muted tune it's a whopping crescendo. Many experienced Ice hockey players in America and Canada get $6,000,000 contracts per year for goodness sake. Absolutely Insane. All this talk about "it's a short career" is baloney. Everyone who is employed by someone else may have an even shorter career depending on a multitude of factors and events in their life. Footballers who train well may have a very fine physical body when their footie days are over and may well have prepared themselves by home study, or whatever else turns them on, to enter another non-physical field of employment. Think about this small thing -- when they are on the park on match day but not actually on the ball, then what exactly are they contributing? Just the fact that they are filling a position and might just touch the ball a few times as the game progresses? Sounds bizarre, but factual. Yet, a painter's assistant still lifts his paint brush repetitively on the job and doesn't wait for the boss to bring his paint pot over to the wall he is working on and tell him for the umpteenth time to pick his brush up , does he? And maybe too simple for the average fan to embrace because what they really go to the match for is the opportunity to get with the tribe of males and away from the hum-drum home environment, together with the potential to get a thrill when the team scores or they see a very silky move by a player that stimulates their emotions like no other. Man, this is primeval stuff and not really about football at all. It's just the thrill of an afternoon out and the opportunity to possibly get other thrills that their daily life just doesn't give them. And the actors on the stage in this scenario are paid accordingly. It's your own choice as to whether you feel the potential rush is worth it enough for you to fork out your money on a Saturday or not. And for the players, the actors on the footie stage of life, it's supply and demand. Both categories are going to be difficult to change for you, them and the football bosses so we can either quit altogether and watch the T.V. or get our raincoats and scarves on and set-off for Tulloch Stadium to shiver in the Winter cold.

NOT wanting to prejudge anything, but when the large European cash windfall was announced wasn't the amount about 350,00/375,000 pounds and this figure was supposed to pay off about 2/3 of the deficit wasn't it? If these figures are close to being right what happened to the money? If there are substantial debt,s other than the declared deficit, then what are they? The European windfall appears to have definitely been paid out to the clubs so it's vital, isn't it that the club makes the financial situation clear? Otherwise it will all come out in the wash eventually and it might not be a pretty sight. What about Directors' remuneration , if any? If due , has it been paid out? What about players' wages? Are they fully paid out and up-to-date? Troubling situation and clarity and truth seems to be a paramount necessity. One thing seems to be clear and that's the fact that the new Chairman, and maybe the Boar too, are desperate for an injection of cash to keep the club afloat?

So what happened to the enormous sum of money that was supposed to be coming to ICT along with other Football clubs here in Scotland that was rumoured to being allocated to substantially paying off the outstanding debt?

A long time ago wasn't there a "Football Times" paper printed on a Saturday night in Inverness?

Re Nick Ross. Uh Uh! You should never go back, it's harder than you think..

It's not a question of ever regarding them with disdain but dealing with the reality of the fact that the further North you go then the more remote and unattractive it MAY seem to people who live in the possibly more active or busier Southern areas. Meaning limitations on shopping opportunities, sports activities and what they know, or don't know, about school facilities and the quality of education for their children etc., just to mention a few. Also, the question of remoteness and the distance that is entailed in accessing anything they want down South from Dingwall, including...e.g. access to an airport? Not to mention the possibility of more severe weather conditions affecting their daily life and mobility and bodily comfort. e.g We live in the West coast of the Pacific rim in Vancouver, Canada, and generally speaking, the weather is not excessively uncomfortable except for often more rain than you can shake a stick at in the Winter plus heavy snowfalls and some very hot weather can also be a bugbear in the Summer. Global warming hits us like a ton of bricks, fish are dying from unnatural causes, forest and brush fires are increasing in size leading to the immense destruction (homes levelled to the ground and trees burned to a crisp ) plus the huge costs of the actual damage itself and the fire fighting and so on. The alternative for us , however, is the fact that the outdoor activities (even locally) are stupendous, the scenery is gorgeous, the many bridges across the Fraser River in Vancouver are now toll free and access to the city of Vancouver for those who live outside the city boundaries like me is readily available. So thinking of moving further North is absolutely out of the question-- the remoteness, severe cold and snowfalls in winter, huge distances to travel to get to the larger cities does not make it attractive to me , although it's awesome majesty, power and beauty astounds me. But, it's horses for courses and some people love the life-style that the remote and exquisitely beautiful North offers. I read some time ago that Inverness was viewed as the most attractive place to live in Britain. How many Polish people are still living in Inverness, Caley D? In the past I have seen it quoted as 10,000, a figure that really surprised me. So the city of Inverness to me is attractive but Dingwall, which at one time in the very distant past was where the Vikings located their Assizes, would not attract me because my background is city living and the availability of amenities which would not exist there. Not to mention the fact that, as one ages, one changes and needs and wants mirror these changes. My wife stated that after she returned to Odessa in Ukraine, where she was born, for a few weeks to see her mother she felt uncomfortable and openly admitted that she had changed ! It's a subtle but unavoidable process. Cheers Guys from sunny and beautiful British Columbia.

Maybe Ross County's Boss is having a hard time getting players. Dingwall is a small town and the club is basically in the middle of nowhere . Any geographic area north off Inverness can hardly be attractive to seasoned player ..?

David Raven only.

Class Act. Period

"Thinking of fining..etc" ? Just thinking of It? That does look like a "no brainer" . Bring on the youngsters and and bench 1-3 of the first team and see what happens, John?

Re Susan I simply can't get that video of him in electrifying form and scoring goals with aplomb out of my mind. It was astonishing..What a player he seemed to be on that video. Is it possible that his injuries are just a very unfortunate happenstance thing with poor Mr Szuchen? Where is all the money coming from to support players like him and others?

July...Hmmmm? that's Summer football isn't it and all should be fine on that date ?

Listening to so many complaints about the players and the weather conditions is interesting. I think a realistic assessment of this is simply that a change to Summer football is a no-brainer. Everybody benefits - -the players, the spectators (who pay the bills) and the club in general for a whole variety of reasons.. Players will be more relaxed leading to more effort and skill development and a lot less risk of injury. The spectators will be more ready to come out of the house and will enjoy the matches much more. These factors alone should boost income for the club. The wear and tear upon the pitch will also be less leading to less maintenance being required and at less cost to the club. Driving to and from the match will be much more pleasant and the risk of accidents will be much less. And it has proved to be successful elsewhere in the world. So, what is stopping it I wonder?

Anyway, that first penalty against us seemed a weak one?

Easy to say but not to forget. The damage done has lasting impact and could easily lead to our death knell this season. Drop him for two matches with a severe warning attached. And, in it's turn, the manager's job job might be on the chopping block as well. It's also a very bad example to our other players if he doesn't experience censure or does not get dropped and making an example of him is a very good idea. This is nice John's challenge now. What will he do? From what I have been reading for weeks, generally this is a situation that must be nipped in the bud, pronto.

I think you mean" remember", Rig, not "forget", because J R must make it very clear to the whole team that this kind of stuff as stated above will very quickly lead to only one outcome that will be very negative for the whole team. And then he must set an example by strict action to back up his points. If he is a hard taskmaster at this point we may just scrape in but otherwise it will be "nux vomica up the lum, chum" for our chances of promotion. Since we are now on the brink of being prevented from getting back up into the big league we can't afford this kind of indiscipline at all. Mulraney should be dropped for a minimum of two or even 3 games despite the cry of "Oh, we need his skill." Not at all because "we don't need his antics" which have had a deep effect on the win lose column and outweigh the past positive contributions that he has made in his first burst of enthusiasm. Now, as a regular member of the team, he is losing the place and, based on what I have read, he appears NOT to be demonstrating humility. If the other two youngsters have done well then they probably now just need encouragement. All of these bookings and so forth is very concerning because it's difficult to understand why. Is J R a bit weak , perhaps, and is too much of a Mr. Nice Guy rather than a disciplinarian. If so then he had better make it clear to the players that he's the boss and will prove it and that he will no longer tolerate lack of thought and self-control. Management is not easy but it sometimes is a choice of who is in charge?..the players or the Manager? He's got a problem though since his back up or reserves appear to be limited and that is well known to the players. So.." Read the riot act John and make it stick. Press the suspend button soon". Easier said than done? No, just lift your hand and press the button, otherwise you will not be viewed as a strong man and then...................?

Re the Overseas videos issue, in my email to the top Gent I said that I WAS prepared to pay more since last season's price was indeed very reasonable. This was obvious to me from the start... being able to sit in the comfort of your home and able to get a cuppa at half time completely unimpeded, etc., was really a steal for the price. However, I had no figures to go on regarding how many overseas viewers were participating, nor the overall costs involved, so it was up to the club to assess these things and re-adjust the price accordingly. Even at double the price - ten pounds or so -- it was excellent value for money and I had told him this as well. Our Donald J. does not know how good he is at the game of commentating and I thoroughly enjoyed his personal knowledge of players' names, his opinions and delivery at every match which was not only very informative to an Overseas listener but refreshingly different. I am missing my videos and the D.J's ( ) comments. If the Chairman had suggested what he considered to be reasonable, and even put it to those who were formerly participating and had asked for feedback, then I think that would have been a more appropriate and more professional response than stating that he would investigate and would contact me in due course and then not following through. So he probably has no further interest in addressing the issue and the need. That doesn't mean to say that I will not contact him again nor preclude other fans in a similar position to myself from pursuing this with him though.

Final comment is simply that if Refs have it in for Ian before the game even starts then we are also in trouble. I see Bobby Madden is getting stick as well for his suggested poor decisions in his most recent game. That doesn't surprise me after watching him against ICT last season on the overseas videos which no longer are being streamed. In that match I formed the impression that he was very poor indeed. I raised that issue about the overseas streaming videos some time ago with our new Chaiman who replied that he was unaware of their existence but would look into it and report back to me. Unfortunately he didn't keep his promise and so I am still in the dark about this.........?

Pity Ian is a bit too hot headed, it seems, and too back-talkative to the ref by far. Otherwise the conspiracy theory could be cited again......

A replay is a winner : 1. To allow the club to win the match and progress upwards in this competition.....and..... 2. It will bring in much needed revenue for the club because there should be a good crowd after that fine performance.

Simple though! Nobody cares in the SFA management rooms unless you have clear -cut evidence that is contradictory to the ref's decision...... Ergo..video. Am I obsessed with this video thing? Yes , I am , because I've viewed it countless times and IT works; whereas nothing else seems to change anything and the refs just get away with it. It also protects the refs from unfair criticism and is able to do all this right there immediately. No ifs and buts, no arguments or hysterics, no conspiracy theories and close to 100% accuracy in the judgements. Or the fact (as well) that they don't want to incur the expenses of set-up or to force the clubs to pay for this. They may also claim that the length and breadth of the field precludes a realistic viewpoint but with zoom lenses et al being standard on all sports cameras now, that argument is more self-serving than anything I think. The danger as they see it may also be the fact that the bad decisions will embarrass them to admit that real change has been left for too long a length of time without resolution and it might attract too much questioning and criticism from the fans all round as to why they did not act long before now. However, surely embracing new techniques and progress trumps that card handily. Got to move and keep up mit der times. Ja? Charles -- --what do you think in response to my thinking here?

How many buses do you run . Just one?

Charlie..please ...behave yourself.!

Anywa,y I hope John praises the good things and strengths of all the lads because we all need encouragement at every stage of our life. Indeed, many believe it may be the most appreciated and valued comments that a boss can hand to an employee. We have all developed at different times and rates and, in some cases, we have been lucky that the advice given at a certain point just fitted the bill or was that spot of glue that was required to allow that last magic piece of the jigsaw puzzle to slot smoothly into place and productively remain there for all to see. Alternatively, if you never praise a player that can kill his or her spirit unless that person is very strong-minded and the lack of recognition makes him/her even more determined to carve his/her own groove and at that point he may just leave and start his own business and be much happier as he builds it up. Because an indelpendent spoirit cannot be easily quashed. Praise flair and encourage independent thought....why you might njust learn something from it oneself. IMHO, pep talks, strong direction, smiles and lots of praise are John's most effective tools for getting the players onside and wanting to strive to get better and better. Now that's real leadership.......IMHO at least.