Scarlet Pimple

Not familiar with Hainault . What is your take on him Scotty?

Wonderful news about Richie having reached the stage of hitting the turf. But it all depends on what surgery he had and whether or not he is just still young enough to recover fully. His lay off was very long , suggesting that this injury was a very difficult one to recover from. Which frankly puts the wind up me since it's been at least 30 years since I ripped my knee ligaments and I know that I will now never fully recover from it. Meaning that I can fall down at any time, even climbing a stairs, and each time this happens the recovery time is lengthened and more painful. Good luck Richie, you were the heart of the club in the past.

So, would you say that Yogi has ben very active of late or is it the fact that our cup success may be attracting a slightly better set of footballers from the South?

Oh My! There are a few phrases in general use in Canada that I had to also scratch my head about when I came over just like the above one. "I could care less" is one I particularly found challenging I must admit. But of course when I put on my Brit hat after returning to Blighty, I change back to British talk as best I can ---bearing in mind that 40 years abroad sailing before the Red Flagged mast does change a fella. Canajins don't like us, that much to be honest. We are better educated and have a long background in history etc .A Manager of the Bank I joined over here once made it perfectly clear to me that my presence, as it represented competition and snotty -nosed advice ( in his view at least ) was "you lot come over here and tell us what to do" which was the shock of the century. No friendly handshake, no chit chat no welcome with a smile. .. So, the bottom line is :- you either make the effort to adapt and fit in without asking too many uppity questions or go back to where you came from. Going to the colonies is about survival and major effort and there are few hand-outs. Being a very hard worker,. with at least a modicum of brains and initiative does help but finding people who like you for yourself etc is alsoi very important. Go find your birds of a feather and flock together is a good survival strategy. Problem is you can't put an old head on young shoulders so gradually you adopt what you have o0therwise unless yo7u are "in" with a coerie of imntelligensia then you will be the one to stand out as either the renegade or the odd pone

And, trained by the Cirque de Soleil in Monteal in acrobatics, he sat on crossbars to entertain. Didn't you know that? Ask me another.....

If he can move his feet swiftly , he's a big lad and could develop into another one of these pesky Englanders who "did well". Just like Ernie from Wigan . You know......''OOOOH oor Ernie is doing ever so good."

Where is the money coming from for Brora to afford a player of his experience? How old is Brittain anyway?

My aspiration was to impress you, not to be averse to your pithy comments oh Great One. Huckleberry Finn?--I know the name but due to Mr Alzheimer coming over to my place for the day, for a beer and some skittle practice, I just can't remember who he was . Was he in Gulliver's travels perchance?

Why, IHE, I am also plagued by a long term back injury but I'm not a pariah. Am I?

If nobody picks him up he may be glad to rethink his antipathy to ICT. I don't think it's realistic to sign him for a long contract since he is so unpredictable and a definite flash point for the team. Not a stable person it seems. If John thinks he can handle him it may be a good punt but, if he acted up under John, I think his career might be finished. I have always admired Vigurs' skill and work rate. Such a pity that his fiery and sometime rude disposition doesn't seem to match it. Verdict? -Not unless John detects something very special in him, character wise.

Vaulks certainly did very well also.

What a list that is. Did you see some.ee some of the names? J Hughes is on record within the last few days of referring to the preparations that now have to be made for the Europa gig and also for next season,. he is not talking like a man about to leave.

I was sitting ensconced on my sofa beside my pal and the goal went in. I jumped up off the seat and punched the air violently with a hissing "Yes" tumbling frae mah lips while he nearly fell over me laughing and screaming. He settles down and comments: "Jeez, I've never seen you do that before." To which I replied: " Still waters run deep' m'lad AND you have never seen ICT win the cup before either................" Smiles all round.

As I mentioned before. I didn't know it even existed since GOL T V in Canada did not start the match until exactly on 3p.m. so we never saw it. If we had, it really would have caused a stir. It was just such a lovely sight and display. Congrats to all involved.

But Sepp Splatter is still at the helm.... The more things change the more they stay the same.

Come back soon, Valentinho. We like you Oh! and thank you for your generous praise. Graciously accepted with glee.

To be frank this was the first time I had a chance to study Edward O'Fere and I wind up not too impressed. He did get some high balls and kept them under control but today I was left with the impression that he is a bit of lumbering and slow giant lacking in dynamism and speed. Since ICT has speed throughout the team he doesn't seem to just fit in any niche. I was in doubt today just what position he was playing in and what his role was supposed to be. He is a pretty calm guy though and that probably is the source o f his success. Wish the very best though to this nice, educated man, if he does leave. What we do need in his place is a powerful, bustler with skill who can burn through defences putting the fear of death into them at the same time. And that's IMHO .

The way we were playing in the first half I thought we were on easy street and was wondering why we were not more goals ahead. Then the 2nd half started and I got the message:- It wasn't that we were so much better than Falkirk, it was simply that their manager had told them to defend, defend,. defend in the 1st half and wear us down,.And it nearly worked for them too!. That goal by Falkirk was soooo well taken, superb connecting header IMHO. But, on balance, we were just the classier team on the day I suppose and our later goal was very well executed. Lung-bursting effort from dedicated professionals with just a wee bit of luck thrown in (their goalie palmed the ball instead of grabbing it tight). But the race goes to the swift and we just seemed to have that little something extra---even if the fickle finger of fate suspended judgment on us for the day in recognition of past efforts since our new team of ICT was created out of two small Highland league teams. What a graceful and dedicated effort the club has made since it's inception. The Cup is fantastic recognition of all the hard work, love and dedication put in by so many people on all levels. But what a lovely day out. Beautiful Hamden park on a lovely sunny day, ICT superb in the first half, drama aplenty. The fantastic card display, Willie Collum trying hard to be reasonable and actually did a pretty good job in retrospect. And the drama at the end with the sending off and the last gasp goal to our ten men. And my pal, Gary, said honestly that he really enhoyed the game and the spectacle and thought overall we were the better team and deserved our victory. Which really gave me an emotional fillip. This has been THE season to remember for a very long time. Thank you from Pimple Hall in sunny Maple Ridge , B.C. Canada.

Absolutely fantastic .And what an effort. I am so proud of our team and all the supporters who gave of their energy. That display deserves a medal in itself. What a day out in the sun for all connected with ICT. Thank you local fans. Thank you.

Absolute scum .

Nooooo! It has to be Rupert from one of my boyhood comics.

Spent all morning on the computer, enjoying the craic and this and that ...OMG , anything to keep my mind off the Final.. Checked out that the players were out of the club building and that it had not burnt down after all. That passed an hour or two as well. Went into a reverie after that and penned the racecourse story to keep calm and fill the minutes that drag on ...and o n....and on. Delirium Tremens now fully set in and I have visions of waking up tomorrow with Charlie whispering in my ear.."I'm gonna sit with you throughout all the match and give you my detailed, spectacular play-by-play, commentary on the match. AT this point I did run for the smelling salts for a wee revival.

Depends what you ate for lunch IHE.

Up at 6a.m here in British Columbia. Canada. At 6.30 my new ICT fan pal, whom I've known for years, comes over and enters home. He is keen on ICT. Coffee on the stove for him after driving 40 K from his home to mine. He's an ex-goalie so knows his stuff. Feeds him a doughnut from Tim Hortons' coffee shop and he settles down to relax. Veteran city bus driver to trade , he's the best , calmest driver I have ever been with. Ex goalie for a junior team and so lots to talk about pre-match. When he saw the semi -final he was gobsmacked!!!! At this point I was barely able to stop the sneaky smile coming over my face because I knew I had him... Check T V to ensure everything is fine and dandy. Join Gary for a cup of coffee and pumps up cushions on Chaise Longue for the long haul. Have previously obtained permission from tenant downstairs to go ape if need be. Confirmed. Weather check is meaningless when I remember that I am not in Glasgow but here , in very warm and sunny Maple Ridge, B.C. 7a.m here in Western Canada on Saturday 30/5 ---- switch on T.V. to start the game . On our feet silently clapping the team onto the park and hope that the guys inside Hampden can hear us. Run to cupboard and get the smelling salts that I forgot on my first trip to get the coffee. Park these on the glass top of the table and remembers that Bob's your Uncle. Bottom Line, chums........have a great game. S.P + one. :ictscarf: