Scarlet Pimple

Yes. Rangers are still in the bedding-in stage. I hope Mr Caixhaino can translate into more than one official language 'cos in the heat of the moment much Spanish (and possibly Portuguese) will be screeched in this maelstrom of a mixed bunch. Will a slight case of discombobulation end up being the result?. With IHE leading the pacvk, of course. Also, although the new players may be very good at home, on the Scottish park they may well have difficulty adapting to Scottish fitba about which they have not yet had any experience of note so far. And if our players come out in kilts in the first game against them that could really cause consternation in their ranks. As for Ross Draper, his value to the team in terms of experience and the steadiness factor in a very crucial year for the club may prove critical this term so the price should be steep , say a minimum of 240,500 pounds. County will come back at 189,000 and ICT will counter at 229,500 pounds with a bottom line of, say, 225,500. Then sit tight and see what happens. There are bags of money in Dingwall so.... there! We gain either way and the sooner it all happens the better because then the team can really get settled. Personally speaking, I want him to stay both for him and for the club.

Pity over McNaughton. Very good player, oozing experience, BUT, --too pricey for his age and injury history.Conclusion? Correct to move him on probably. Robbo needs to rebuild for the future. Meaning he has to introduce players who will have a longer future along with staying ability. IMHO. The move opens up the door for lads with more playing life in them. Younger players also recover from injuries more quickly.

Oh you are awful, I am the Captain1...but I like you.

Enjoying the comments from the Forres game. Not particularly enjoying the comments about Jock Finlayson. Hopefully It should all sort itself out, so long as they are all on the same page up in the Boardroom. Anyone heard from Kenny Cameron of late? Also would hope that Richie Foran has got himself a reasonable job after such a sad end for him.

BB You deserve a Laurel Wreath to be placed on your forehead for your loyalty to ICT. Amazing. "Lang may yer lum reek, laddie."

Mantis, old friend., why do some guys get all the breaks? How about flying over to Vancouver and pick me up too? Weather here is red hot and gorgeous. If you take your sun lotion you won't have to suffer like I did on my balding head when I went out for the first midday sun appearance and rued the day. OOOOH!

As I recall, OFW started to make mistakes after the injury or injuries he encountered. If he managed to get fully fit again why would he not be able to, ultimately, be able to perform to his former capability? I feel quite sorry for the guy since these injuries must have been, from all accounts, very debilitating and confidence-reducing. But at this stage in our career we can't afford to have a player who either is never going to regain his capabilities or simply is still not fit enough for the real struggle ahead for ICT to get back upstairs.? And I agree that nick Ross is not enough of a really pulsating, aggressive player to push us forward to the top of the Championship. He's clean cut in his footie perhaps but neat passing of just a few yards here and there does not constitute a penetrating attack.

Speculation and, no doubt, movement. Now we are talking. Bustler John up at dawn. Let's just wait and see what changes you spawn?

But IBM --you surely go to see the current actual football times now and the rest is time wasted overall. So why not just change the rules for a try-out? I reviewed all the new rules and, yes, they are extensive but it's clear that a lot of thought has already gone into what they think needs changing and I think it may well be a welcome step in the right direction and worth a try.

Izzy--good post! Time for some real objectivity and positivity now. Robertson seems to be a bustler who wears his heart on his sleeve. His temperament is that of a hustler too who won't suffer fools gladly and what he says is what he means. Cards on the table stuff but coming from a person with a wealth of background experience which unfortunately, Richie did not have. Chalk compared to cheese actually. I.e. he should garner the respect of the troops quickly and his advice and instructions should be heard loud and clear and applied as instructed... or else? IMHO -- just the ticket for ICT at this juncture of their history. Gentlemen of the Jury--it's onward and upward.

Trenchant remark.

Buckett--you're back, bejabbers!. Missed you! Where have you been? And you agree with me that John Robertson is a tried and true professional and may just be what a very "down" club can needs to recover just as quickly and surprise a lot of people. This straight from the Canajin Sticks too..........See you, Honey Chile!

Some insightful posts on this thread so far.. I agree with Huisdean who mirrors my thoughts on Nick Ross. A tidy player with some nice passing but not a guy who was consistently keen on surging forward mit der ball . As for Mulraney why would he be any more successful than hitherto. He didn't seem to like running forward into danger with the ball and when crowded out by defenders he didn't seem to know what to do with the ball....like cutting inside. He needs encouragement and being taught more by a real Pro (J.R.?) His crosses were far from exciting and rare too. Clever on the ball but also hesitant and ended up mostly NOT contributing dynamically. After the big buildup we heard about his talent before his entry to the team it was wholly a bit of a climax for me when I actually saw him in action. Hot and cold, eh? Polworth --I think his role could be expanded. He is an aggressive player and if John Robertson can encourage him I think he could be a very effective mainstay of John's team. I have always liked him because he likes to get forward and contribute with some vigour. Slot him in to midfield and let him attack. Vigurs-- er, not sure about him for this season. We need someone in midfield who will take the game by the scruff of the neck and get "in aboot them" so to speak. Vigurs likes to carry the ball into an empty space and then pass it quickly but not always with great accuracy though and rarely to the wings? Of course when he gets a chance he can surely belt it. Andrew Shinnie--great player but how could Caley afford him?

Robbo had proved his dynamism before and INMHO to appoint him was to make sure they had a steady hand on the tiller. The club sure needs that in view of the recent catastrophic events. Once the ship stabilises then we are open to fresh ideas and progress. A point to Biggin (above), For him it's obviously........ Biggin the Beguine........OR..."Let's get on with it , then, and let's get started"..

Well, in the South America Youth cup, or whatever you called it, who won the youth competition? This was about 9 months ago as I recall and Inverness Caledonian Thistle won the whole tournament. The boys looked bigger, stronger, more self-contained and aggressive and from the games I saw they were outstanding. I was gobsmacked at the fact that the Southern teams were not so good as the Caley team yet they produce excellent quality players in the long run...?

The very fact that Robbo went to east Fife appears to indicate how much he loves the gemme. Methil is a basic one-street town which, at the time I watched East Fife every week, was more or less there to service the coal ships. Wellesley colliery was a big ticket item in the books of the National Coal Board at that time and the Royal Bank of Scotland in Leven supplied a massive amount of paper money once per week for the workers' wages --we had to work overtime in the evening once per week without extra pay to service this entity. The manager of this colliery lived directly opposite to us in Methil and a nicer couple you could not meet. but, truly, there was very little of beauty in the district. The team that I saw, however, was quite well supported and I did see some very exciting games there which did whet my appetite for more in the future. . So footie must be in Robbo's blood and he must have yearned for it to take that job. It also shows how diversified and non-critical a gentleman he was and probably is to this day. i.e. He's a mature man now and deserves the nod. Let's give him a big cheer and get on with the game as someone else said on here. I think that you are going to be surprised at what happens this season on the park.....Stay the course dearies and cheer him on. Yep, life can get non-tejious don' it?

If it is John Robertson then all I can opine to the Board is "What took you so long?" J, Robertson has been in my mind for quite a long time although his name was rarely mentioned.in despatches. Experienced, enthusiastic with a bit of a temper as I recall -- at least the latter quality shows that he CARES. . Good luck John if you get the job.

Re this, it's important to learn what the club paid Richie as a parting gift and whether or not any term in that Agreement relating to his dismissal was fulfilled? There wasn't much time to engage in long, back and fore monetary negotiations. Therefore whatever he received has to be taken into account in deciding what the club can now afford by way of a salary to the new manager....unless, of course, the directors have deep pockets .....? Not a heckuva lot I would think. Leaving the option of hiring someone with Sheerin's background, which apparently is very good but without the benefit of his having any top level management experience, not only a fair shot but a necessary one. The added advantage is that he played for Caley in the past and did well plus acquiring friends in the club etc. and this should allow him to settle easily and more quickly than perhaps another name might. Then you sweeten the pie by restricting the initial term of the contract to one year with a proviso that if the club comes back up within the first year in the Championship he gets an attractive cash bonus (say 12 per cent of his salary) plus a renewal of his contract for a further two years at an increased salary level of some 15% to 20%. Now that emphasises the positive and includes nothing negative that might be construed as a threat which could be viewed as counter productive to good relations. In my mind that's a very attractive incentive for him to work really hard at his game-plan whilst allowing him to gain knowledge and tactics enhancements as he goes forward - both for his benefit and for that of the club. Not to mention the mere fact that if it all goes West then neither party can say they were hard done by and nobody really loses their shirt as they mutter under their breath (Jings, life gets tejious, don' it".) Let's face it, it's a long shot with any new Manager since nobody comes with any hard and fast guarantee of success.And there's many a slip twixt cup and lip....

And if we did appoint a well-known name we couldn't possibly afford his wages. Look at David Moyes, for example. Apparently it's unlikely that he will get a managership in England again--at least definitely not one of moment in the short term. Not to even think of mentioning the strong possibility that he might not be at all successful up here for a variety of reasons.

Except that you probably will eventually O.C.G.? Mmmm?

"Just gifted I guess" ? Cute humility there. Brilliant! Another Canuck I presume with great presence of mind and a desire to please and get along without recrimiinations. Now that's why we are liked all over the world. In short, a right down regular Canajin, in frae the sticks and a wee bit exhausted by the efforts he put out in his canoe escaping frae they pesky Injuns hollering in the woods "Come back, come back, we need you." O.K. I might just be a twisted sister but at least the lad is trying to leaven up the scene which sooooo badly needs it the noo, Renegade, old chap, go easy on the boy --you never know, he might be a 6'.4" inch lumberjack with muscles like Arnold used to have, who has come up here from Washington State in the U.S.to Vancouver, Canada looking for more logging work. These guys wrestle bears-- and I don't mean black bears who are always bigger than he is and weigh a heckuva lot more, but the real, ornery, grizzly type. Them critters can run as fast as a racehorse! !That's right--you never knew that did you? And the type you never ever turn your back on and attempt to run away from. Just try to look inconspicuous, walk steadily backwards and hope and pray you don't fall over a tree which has previously fallen over the forest pathway. Going into the woods with a suit of 13th century best armour adorning your wee body does help to postpone the inevitable of course-for a few minutes perhaps. His claws are so big and strong that, for him, it's like ripping paper. Oh well, it's back to the grindstone and our grief........next?

Kenny Cameron was also a very polite man and welcomed approaches and ideas from really genuinely interested parties who wanted to express their opinion politely and with well thought out views. And if you were lucky enough to be a guest of the club this visit would inevitably turn out to be a super experience where you would leave that club at the end of the day glowing with happiness and satisfaction. Now that takes real caring and a genuine interest from his heart to generate those kinds of feelings in any fan. And he was more than willing to share his time in advancing solid ideas in practical form alongside the person who wanted to actually do something positive. I know that to be a joyous fact from personal experience. There is no need for me to elaborate further but those who now denigrate him simply don't know him, his generosity of spirit, his sacrifices on behalf of, and his love for, the club and his willingness to give positive support to any suggestion that had any chance of success both for the club and for the enjoyment and emotional fulfilment of the person/fan who approached him for his support. Not to mention the glowing cheeks and heart of a little, disabled boy who once had a whale of a day on a matchday prior to leaving Inverness for another place. Good luck, Kenny, and God Bless You for all your hard work and loyalty to our Caley Thistle football club. .

Wynthank --I feel you may well have it spot on.!

But I didn't say, BDU, that only authoritarianism was required. It's also about setting an example and imbuing the players with a passion and desire to always do their best and to try very hard to win well. In short, treating them with respect but getting forceful ( in private perhaps) if their performance rarely shows greater effort or a high edge to it, in an attempt to inspire them to put out a greater effort which the manager thinks they have in them. I am sure you know that not every player has the mind, personality, or self respect to always mentally take a manager's thoughts on board. If they resist then they may have to be let go because you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Maybe it's his past upbringing or he feels that all he has to do is put in what HE thinks is always a good, average shift to get by. This attitude can be disruptive to the team, so punt him. That action alone might smarten the player up sufficiently to change his ways. Who knows? What I am really saying is that where there is little enthusiasm in the player for always putting out his very best effort and it's not in his current make-up to normally do that, then the Manager should seek out and sign players who have been watched consistently and display character and personality as least as much as skill. All the skill in the world is of little value to the team if the player continually fails to put out effort and deliver. In the modern times you mention of having to handle players with kid gloves, it doesn't necessarily mean that the manager has no authority. Just drop them and then have a very firm chat with them stressing that if he wants to stay in football he will have to change or else. And, of course, it's crucial too that the Manager has a good, consistently fair, personality which the players can look up to, respect and play for.