Scarlet Pimple

ICT Chris--you mean the English Championship I would wager?

I recently read somewhere that there was once another very large player with Celtic who was called "Yogi" and the name somehow just transferred to John Hughes after he arrived there.

Shiver my timbers I hope he is not referring to someone with B.O.

Mr Asterisk You have strong opinions despite your few posts to date. That's O K 'cos I think our new manager will also have strong opinions, even if they may differ slightly. But I think the previous poster was thinking more about "the thinker from over the bridge" not the "tinker" . Well, at least, let's hope so. Ehere is IHE when you need him...?

The lesson seems to be that, if you are a player who in your heart and mind doesn't want to work very hard for a place in the team and for the club, then you are in for a rude shock. Hughes can be very good for this club if he can find and encourage the right players. In this he seems to be very lucky right from the start since this team is already hard-working. So naturally he sees that he must go canny at first without too much that can go wrong for which he can be blamed, but the strength in this man will gradually come to the fore and he won't tolerate fools gladly or lazy players unwilling to buckle to and benefit from the motivational attitudes he will adopt towards these players and the expectations that he will have to flow back to him from them. The more I see and read about this man the more I realise why Kenny Cameron and the Board liked him and considered him to be a good fit for the club AT THIS STAGE, not least the fact that he was willing to do adequate preparation and study of the club prior to his interviews and : (a) how thorough he is . (b) how smart he is despite his Scottish brogue which merely defines his original place of origin and his earlier upbringing but does not depict what his true character is or what he has learned from life. © that he fully understands the necessity of hard work, the value of dedication to the task and that the players must pay attention to what he says or they will not learn from his experiences and grow and develop as a result. Looks like we could have a winner here with a hard edge to him but who has learned that temper displays and abuse of players might not always be the best way of going about things. But is willing to be honest and up-front with players and then moves on without bearing grudges. All I can say is good luck John.

If Paul Hartley didn't want to leave his family, nor live in the Highlands, then WHY did he apply for the job in the first place? Was it at all possible that the size of his head got in the way of seeing the fine print and the brilliance of this golden opportunity to put him on the map? Or fear that he may not have been quite ready for this step up? For a man with a forward looking ambition this was a golden opportunity and so not taking advantage of it seems BIZARRE..there is something not right about all this..?? Anyway , what you see with John Hughes appears to be what you get and with him you will not be bored--maybe tickled pink or bursting with laughter at times. And HE is ready for this step because he needs to get back into Scottish football, he needs success and a chance to show that he is made from the right stuff. And he loves the game. How many assistants does he need anyway? He's got Foran waiting to be of great assistance, the backing of the club management and all he needs to do is work hard, motivate hard and be honest with his staff.It's the players who are putting the ball in the net anyway , not him . So, so long as they play to their capability and work hard then Bob's yer Uncle and Yogi's yer man. This is a golden opportunity for him and I think he will bust his gut for Caley Thistle. Therefore let's give the man a fair chance, his due and I hope his salary is acceptable to him.

Very harsh words to describe John Hughes. Forget the accent or the lack of high quality grammar. It's really just about winning, motivation AND LUCK., plus an empathetic chairman or owners who believe in giving someone the backing he needs AND a fair chance --which is not , in my view, just one season. He dresses well, is clean-cut and knows the game. Hartley for all his obvious motivational skills is basically a real scruff. As to his actual management abilities we know virtually nothing except that John Hughes picked the wrong team. The managers that came after him at Hibs were no great shakes so where did the problem at Easter Road actually lie, pray--with Hughes? I don't think so. What is not in doubt is his passion for the game! If you a looking for a University-educated, cerebral , rocket scientist for a Manager then probably he may disappoint. But give Mr. Hughes a fair shake and let's just see what develops.

Wow, that must have been some finish. Difficult to actually tell how the teams are really playing by just reading the SPL BBC match textual commentary. I noticed, however, that ICT had much more of the overall play. Phew, through.

Well, now we know why we can no longer get even the BBC world Service on short wave via Schenectady (near New York as I recall)....MONEY! Money, Money. It used to be that a wee minute or two of tuning into the old crystal radio would allow us to bring in broadcasts from all kinds of fascinating places on this fabled earth. I do recall my dad bringing home a new Grundig radio when I was still listening to Dick Barton, Special Agent, at 7.p.m. every night and all in the household congregated round to twiddle the knobs and stare at the new-fangled look of it. And that was the time when few people in Inverness even had a single telephone and no one except the brightest and best could type.... But now we have so many fascinating names and communicating devices that can do marvellous things but we no longer appear to be able to quite communicate from point A to point B in this Universe without it costing a fortune. In addition, we almost have to go back to school now to be able to re-learn to listen and it was only a month or so ago that I had to surreptitiously sidle up to a guy in the computer department of London Drugs and ask what precisely the difference was between a smart phone and a Tablet. And a year or so ago the name Kindle conjured up images only of hiking and sitting in front of wood fires burning small bits of kindling so the realisation that it was another new-fangled AMAZONIAN apparition that allowed us to read a book without turning pages was nothing short of a revelation. The problem being that just keeping up with updates and upgrades is daunting , unless you are aged between 5 and 20 it seems. Someone told me the other day about their ----wait for it--- 2-year-old son who was able to understand his tablet so well that he could outdo and outsmart most of the adults he encountered....jaw-dropping isn't the word for it . And I was sooooo jealous to boot..... realising the daunting truth that I was soooooo old and having a hard time just keeping up.... Och, but I am doing alright I suppose and just having access to the ICT match highlight videos on the ICT U Tube thingy keeps me sane on a week-to-week basis, for which I am truly thankful; as I am for small mercies. But if you smart, electronic whizzes can find a way to improve the match-day experience for overseas listeners/viewers I will gladly try my best to find a spondoolach or two out of my monthly pension pittance to support the good cause and the good lads who bring light into the darkness....... Now you all have a great weekend

Besides, Hamilton Accies are on the skids aren't they? So, if this is still the case, then he must have been there to run the rule over the young players that he might be able to get for his own team. Good thinking Paul.--obviously into touch with reality.

Well, on match days I am reduced to following the text up-dates of the match wherever I can find them. Otherwise, it seems that the BBC have decided that anyone outside the U.K. is a pariah, or allowing them to listen to something more upbeat is just not profitable enough so they flick the switch to off even if switching it to "on" probably doesn't cost them too much at all. I guess the BBC World Service with lvor Ladelle, Biggles, Wilfred Pickles and Kathleen Garscadden of Childrens's Hour are things of the past. Sigh.! What do you think, Bughtmaster...eh? Don't get old chums!

Or reviewing promising youngsters on the Hibs team that he could perhaps steal for Caley Thistle at a later date....

What Caley 100 said, above: "JUST A PAT ON THE HEAD WHILST THEY HAD NO INTENTION OF CHANGING ANYTHING." Oh My!

Well, if he follows T Butcher's lead at Easter Road it won't be long before he looks really spiffy. At Tulloch Stadium Butcher often looked the opposite. I mean, getting a "real job" always adds to the panache doesn't it and one must look the part. Cynical? - Och, I suppose so..

You mean ....with the intention of peppering the opposition goals? If he is as good as Richie at scoring crackers with his head then , after you claude.

So long as it's not Johhny Come Lately......

How about Jimmy Calderwood with Hartley as assistant? Experience plus savvy and energy? Encouragement from jimmy and respect from Paul. Ideal Then, when Jimmy inevitably moves on or retires, we have an experienced, energetic Manager just waiting in the wings for his big chance. That's assuming that Jimmy does this within a maximum of 3 years though. I think this might prove to be an interesting challenge for Mr. Calderwood what with ICT in the driving seat for a great season. He might think that Paul will enable him to coast within a short period of time. Paul is going to need effective help if he is appointed the sole manager, so who could be his assistant in a very supportive role but not so intrusive that Paul feels he is being crowded?

Strongest team available please. There's many a slip twixt cup and lip and this is a very important tie for ICT...money, prestige and confidence booster for the team.

Mr Butcher is starting off in style I see...new shirt, brave new tie and a brand new haircut. A bit different from the cap, duffle coat and featherd boa he wore at ICT for much of the time,. eh? Or, as they say in Auld Reekie, especially East Restalrig Terrace (Leith) : "Ehm olright Jack now thet ehm a somebody. Me and my pal Rod, who came out of a Petrie dish, will show all you heelan' codgers a thing or two." Really!? Well, Terry the Trickster, you may feel tickety -boo the noo but just wait 'til the end of the season, To you I say..."takes time to take a tumble, Terence and we'll see if you are on the same tack then. So, ta-ta for now."

Probably frozen to their seats too. Here in Western Canada the weather has turned distinctly chilly for June. Um ......I think it was -33 degrees C up in the North and only -5 down here on the West coast--feels like double that though..we have had such a great summer that I don't take kindly to Winter's sudden blast. I.m off back to bed and after I get yup again I will have to check out the brass monkey to see if he is still intact....

Butcher himself was probably as much a catalyst in the making of contacts in Englandterre. Managers down there were definitely calling him wanting him to consider their players since they saw it as advantageous for them to get the experience of the Northern tribes without (probably) the expenses of keeping them on the staff at the home club. Butcher's reputation clearly preceded him and he must have been an obvious target for these clubs to contact. So he made the most of the mutual opportunity offered and benefitted greatly from these contacts. What role Mr Marsella played in all this we don't exactly know but, had he stayed here without the ex-England captain still being at the helm ,what influence do you think that he alone would have had in England as to obtaining morep players coming up here? He is only a scout after all and if the new appointed Manager of ICT did not approve of his choices then his bottom might well have been out the window big-time with a waning influence too. So Let hm go and hopoe thet the tyhree Stooges at Hibs will have a modicum of success but not enough to dislodge Caley Thistle from their perch as ***** OF THE NORTH. Wheeeeee!

Right. What makes one think that any of the current successful players would want to move to Hibs anyway? ICT are on the crest, despite a smaller budget, area great proving ground for all newbies and have integrity. That's a pretty powerful stance to encourage players with character to stick around. At least you have the feeling that you will get a fair chance to get into the first team and a fair assessment of your character and ability at ICT. But, since T B will now be under intense pressure to perform, then if I were a player under him I would be feeling really uneasy about my future at that club. Further, with the cloud over his head to the effect that , IMHO, he must have been working on this move for months, how much would a player trust him now anyway? Let's face it, if the reservations we have on here about Mr Butcher's move have any justification, then would the players not also have the same feelings. I think Mr B's day is over and he will just have to get on with it without attempting to raid our larder... You know, if you make your own bed then you have to lie in it .

Updates are few and far between --any gen , please?

Some wag on the ICT V St Johnston commentary thread on the BBC said that if Levein is appointed as the Caley thistle manager he plans to sign Kenny miller up front--lone striker, like. Well, that is certainly a very intriguing thought and worth a try since he was doing very well with the Whitecaps as the season was winding down and scored some fantastic goals and he looked very fit so I think he is a dedicated man who speaks rather well (for an western type . Ha!) who might even be good coach material later on. We will see....