Scarlet Pimple

I would never ask what John Robertson is getting because, whatever it is, we all know ( I hope) that John's heart is in the right place , he has done a wonderful job of selecting and motivating the players and if we can get into the top three we should reward him with a bonus for freshening up the squad and the atmosphere at the Caley Thistle park and allowed us to dream that the future will again be much brighter. and rewarding as well. Oh and how about a wee donation to the referees' orphans' fund as well, as soon as possible -- just so they all know our hearts are also in the right place .?

CIF73 you may not indeed be Polly But are you pretty.

That won't necessarily work since the refs who have genuinely been issuing cards that they know are unrealistic or unfair etc will never admit to anything. Fans in Scotland will never be assured of a good refereeing system with fair decisions without the introduction of a video system which can be replayed at the drop of a hat. Then refs will be very anxious to enhance their skill sets and/or do the right thing at all times. And if a decision remains contentious after the video has been seen then it should trigger an automatic re=view at that very time by an overall match commander whose final decision is absolute. What has been said here by the above posters may well be true since some of the officiating that I have seen have been bizarre with a capital "B".

I've Just joined--Holy Smokes!

Willie Collum has been well praised for his performances in Europe despite attracting much criticism in Scotland. Now that did surprise me I must admit because I was never a big fan of this gent's performances. But, when I reviewed him on the T V in European matches, his decisions did look decent...?So what does that say about other refs in the game all over the world? As for your last paragraph, Wynthank, few o f us can disagree with your insight here.

Caman-ach ! As for little one.....you say Rupert and Prudence. Well, when I was much, much younger Prudence was on the pill (in a movie or a book) so now she would be much much older.Rupert was Ruperrt Bear and he was definitely bookbound and also would now be much older so what other little ones would you be referring to ? Whoever they are they are very, very important and must be protected at all costs. End of story.

Why the bookings? is the game getting towsy?

So, do you think that Dundee U. were so poor that Falkirk flattered to deceive? Update on actual score please? Thank you.

The Newbie, Auston, is not on the list? Experience is the decision, then, for this important match. Great start though.

Morse Code or hairdos?

At first I said ":goal" to myself and then faded into indecision when I read that last post from Moray Jaggie because he is dead right and the slight possibility does exist that the ball was in line with the goal line. Now, that's well and good, but until the Scottish Football chiefs decide to implement video cameras directed at goal lines this type of controversy will continue time after time after time. The SFA should step into the era of modernity reflected by rapidly advancing technology and adapt their skin-flint attitudes in favour of fairness.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42520167 I wasn't there but the match statistics here seem to tell a tale. Not encouraging ...or...lessons to be learned? Comments please?

Well, reviewing the other posts on here, I am NOT convinced that there is no bias against the upstarts who beat Celtic handily in the 2015 Scottish cup and ran them off their feet in the process. Why, how dare they do such a thing to Scottish Fitba..eh? In the videos I have been watching from 5,000 miles away, even with my long-range glasses on, I could NOT believe my eyes at how ridiculously wrong some of the decisions I have seen were--simply defying belief. So that's being put down to general incompetence is it? Bring in video then for instant scrutiny when a manager questions what appears to be an obviously debatable call. In the north American National (ice) Hockey League the speed of the game in incredible so when a debatable call is made and the "Manager's Challenge" is made the 3 referees immediately consult video from several cameras and no one ever seems to question the outcome , the refs there are usually very experienced and very competent and also keep right up with the play. The same situation also applies to goalmouth decisions..."the ball wuz over the line, the ball wisnae over the line" and so on. Just go electronic and that issue is resolved instanter to the satisfaction of both teams and their fans. If the Scottish Football beaks just don't get it and won't step into the 21st century electronic age then you are condemned to still endure the often absolute nonsense that I feel you are faced with. That's all I can say, The downside to that might be that many refs would be laughed out of court when their decisions were shown on TV as being what they are. It's not so bad if the decisions apply to both teams evenly so that an even playing field results? If not then conspiracy theories are allowable as rational, reasonable and likely. One thousand pounds a game , isn't that what they are getting in Scotland these days? Whew! Nice one Cyril, if you can get it? O.K. IHE back to the bush. The Moose mating season will be here in a few months and I'm hoping that that little cute little gal over there will come my way and pick me as her suitor. In the Canadian wilderness the Moose boys are not allowed to pick their mate only the gals. Yep, it's a topsy turvy world we live in these days so I'm off to look in the lake to see if my tuft is still looking good.

Time and again the refs seem to have it in for ICT consistently . Is there anyone amongst our fans that thinks that they may have been counselled to cut us down if it can be done by using excuses concerning actions on the pitch. In most matches that I have seen on video this season ICT seems to be way ahead in terms of pure football than the other team. Their passing is excellent and had they had the breaks this season it seems to me that they could easily have been at the top pf the table. I was just reading about the possibility of bringing -in technology to deal with goalmouth incidents but a naysayer wept and stated that it would cost far too much for Scottish Football to put out to install it! Same old, same old. Team players must ride the punches though and be nice to the refs. No back-chatting, a smile now and then ,etc etc. Even telling him what a good decision he made of the last incident and if that doesn't get him onside then for goodness sake just eat it all up and hope for the best. I see one of the poorest refs in my personal view was Bobby Madden and lo and behold he has been given a poor rating by some judges in Scotland to date. For Caley to make up the points now seems a real meaty task though and so, IMHO, efforts must be made by all players not to foul dirty and so on. I'm waiting to hear and see Robbo's views on this match- which should be interesting.

If his play matches his outfit then he will do just fine.. That's flare! In the best sense of the word. of course ............

Why is East Fife so bad in your estimation? Some of the best and most flowing games, filled with honest endeavour and quite a lot of skill, were viewed by the younger Pimple at Bayview Park many years ago. Once, when my dad was visiting us in Methil from Inverness and we went down the road to Bayview to watch East Fife he later remarked to someone "he (SP)was shouting..........." "Bu Dad" I said. "What's the point of going to a game if you can't shout, gotta love it."

The Mantis.... sits on the sidelines as the preying Mantis then pounces and comes out with a cracker to have us rolling in the aisles. You are awful...but I like you..

I met Rory McAllister in Vancouver once. Does he have , or did he have, a bit of a big head I wonder? As a player he puts in effort but seems to be perhaps a bit disjointed and inaccurate in his deliveries. Comment please?

Good for Seedorf..He has taken some stick on here has he not? Needs to have been given a fair chance. Ridgers seems to have done very well in the first half. Once again , according to what is reported on here, the ref was poor and inconsistent. Now that's a real downer since, in such a tight ;league, you need absolute careful consideration from refs and absolute consistency. Sigh! Real pity about the blown clean sheet thing. A win today would have bucked up the team no end but isn't it a bit fanciful to say that one more win and ICT will be in a strong position for the playoffs? After all, look at our goal difference in the table!----It's Negative, not positive.

That run will forever dwell in S.P.'s memory. I sing in the bath to it. It was both enterprising and spectacular and we can't take a thing away from it's determination and outcome. Brilliant and heartfelt. Aye! But, if youse yins dinna thunk it worth It then maybe we just "otter" leave it alone. eh?

Love the video. Our team seems to be playing and trying hard. I also liked the encouraging applause from the crowd when their efforts didn't quite come off. A bit disjointed up front perhaps what with few ICT players attempting to get into the box to intercept the passes about to penetrate from the outer areas. The pitch didn't seem to be as bad as I had first imagined based on the remarks from John Robertson and others. Whatever, it's deffo time for Summer football. Anybody like to comment on that? Would also probably make a significant difference to the size of the crowd in the stadium. The SFA produced a questionnaire last season(was it?) and I completed it requesting summer football but heard nothing further. Did they ever publish the outcome.....? Fouling was kept to a minimum which was a refreshing change and Caley had a fine look about them perhaps enhanced by the fact that Dumbarton rarely tried to advance to stop the forward momentum of our team as we attacked. Falling back always , well, this can almost inevitably lead to a goal scored against you....? They were a workmanlike team though !

A little icing on the cake here : Maybe the poor state of the pitch had a lot to do with the slip ups etc...? http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42290639

Chas I had that in mind --the main thing is that that millstone will now be off or virtually off the necks of the new Board. Nice thought, eh?