Tichy_Blacks_Back

Cheers - just seen it - that's them trophy-less this season also then....

2-2 aet - who won on pens?

have you got an incredibly heavy head now....?

Yah can't beat a good bowl o home made oirish stew.... I think Murray had some before he played Federer today also by the looks of things....

Nice to see the club was spending the right enough money on the christmas lighting - a most impressive illuminations display....

Whatever the line-up it should be an interesting test of where our defence is at.... The last time Hearts scored more than one goal in a SPL game was 10 games ago in a 1-2 win at Hamilton at the end of August - since then it has been ....1-1-0-1-1-1-0-1-1.... For you binary geeks I am sure there is a message there....also oddly symmetrical and if that is the case then they are going to score twice tomorrow....

Mighty impressive CD ....so we'll see if it will improve my luck any - I think I have easily lost more in a row than ICT this season.... :thumb04: Elgin - Home Win @ 3.75 - ta muchly.... :018:

*for those too young, believe it or not Lawrenson, the footie pundit, was actually a class defender (in a team with defenders of the likes of Hansen, Beglin, Gillespie, Molby and Nicol). Nope, really, he was! and Phil Thompson that grumpy bloke off Sky Footie on a Staurday afternoon....

Unfortunately that's two crucial points dropped. Those are the games that we must be winning if we are to have any serious chance of making a top six position for the first time....and I just can't see it being this season. I think 11th is more likely than 6th but having said that I do believe come the end of the season we will be probably be in 9th or 10th position. Nothing for it but to look forward to another day out at Hampden in May now.... These are the next eight games up to the New Year match - I think 10 points out of that lot would be an achievement on current form (hopefully I am wrong and we amass a few more than that): Hearts (H) Kilmarnock (A) Celtic (A) Dundee Utd (H) St.Mirren (A) Aberdeen (H) Motherwell (A) Rangers (H)

I agree - Wallace had resigned at the end of season after a disagreement with the Rangers board and went to take over at Leicester City - Grieg took over and would have been in place pre-season.... I think it was Jock Wallace when at Leicester that then signed Kevin Macdonald from Caley the following year (1980).

Seems Inverness will always be the town where the Monster lives....? Doesn't matter where you go in the world when you say you are from Inverness the response if not a bewildered look is most commonly 'Have you seen the monster'.... So the blueprint for the Anglo-Irish Treaty may have been agreed in Inverness, the odd Politician and Sportsperson may have been born here, the last battle on British soil held on its doorstep, it's royal patronage...etc etc....but that all means nothing when compared to a fictitious monster of lore....

Somebody mentioned a "Where are they now" item the other day....so thought this might be of interest to some of the Old Caley fans who watched him in action....strangely I thought he was at Caley for more than 4 years. Although it is two years old now it is an interesting article from the Stornoway Gazzete on Alex 'Nero' Macdonald....I think they ran a series of these on different players.... Field of Memories - Alex 'Nero' Macdonald Source: Stornoway Gazzete Article Published Date: 09 November 2006 IN THE late 1970s, in search of a change of fortunes on the field, Back turned to a fresh-faced 15 year old. Alex 'Nero' Macdonald immediately impressed everyone who was fortunate enough to watch his fleeting moments in the spotlight, and it came as no surprise when the 'boy-wonder' was unleashed from his captivity on the bench with a starting role in the Eilean an Fhraoich Cup final of 1978. He justified his inclusion by grabbing a headed goal to equalise for his side before half-time but unfortunately it wasn't to be the teenage Nero's or Back's night as Ness scored six times in the second-half to run out comprehensive 7 ? 1 winners. However, 'Nero's' goal was a precursor to what was to come from the striker whose goals helped propel him to the status of one of the greatest in the history of Back FC and of the Lewis and Harris game. 'Nero' explained: "At the tail end of the 1978 season I broke into the Back side as they weren't having the best of luck. The team was full of my heroes and I was so pleased to be playing. I was football daft and would often walk to Coll to watch the games and I knew most of the players as my Dad used to drive the team van and I would regularly tag along. "I still played junior as well as senior and I was fortunate to play alongside 'Dano' and some other great players in the junior side and we won everything together. "Half the team lived on my street. I would run up the road and meet Norrie 'B' Macleod or Bomie and it was great to have us all living so close together. "I was delighted to have the chance to play alongside one of my heroes in Wee Willie Macdonald but I was too young to play with him in his prime. I was in the side when he returned after his accident for a short spell but I think that team with Willie, Murdo 'Bloxy', Allan George and Kenny 'Sgiathanach' were one of the best teams I ever saw in Lewis football." At the time the Broadbay Blues possessed a great side but unfortunately they seemed to fall just short on the big honours as the league evaded them throughout 'Nero's time in Blue and he was also on the losing side in the Eilean an Fhraoich Cup final a staggering five times. Back lost out in the finals of 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983 and 1984 but while his Bacach team mates tasted success in the islands oldest cup competition in 1982, the medal still evaded 'Nero' who had signed on with Tolsta for that season. He said: "I went to Tolsta in 1982. That was purely a social decision and not a football one as I followed my friends. We had a good team on paper with guys like Sweeney, Charlton, George Murray, Dicey and Colin Maciver but we had too many good times off the park. "We had some good times but my heart was always at Back and my best football times were also with them." In 1984, 'Nero' crossed the Minch with the Tolsta team to play against Brora Rangers in what turned out to have a pivotal impact on 'Nero's life. "Brora ended up asking me if I wanted to play for them. Suddenly, Inverness Caley showed an interest and asked me to sign for them. Just as I was speaking to them, Dundee United called but as their manager Jim Maclean was away at the moment, they wanted me to hang on till he got back. "Caley found out about Dundee United's interest and began to pressure me into signing. They issued me with an ultimatum that if I didn't sign that weekend they wouldn't take me over from Lewis anymore. I was desperate to play football and wanted to keep coming over so I signed and after signing Dundee United dropped their interest," he revealed. 'Nero' spent four highly successful years in Inverness and with Caley being among the top-dogs in the Highland League at the time his time with the club was paved with silver and he boasts League winning medals and cup medals from his spell. "We had a great team and I played alongside some top players like Charlie Christie but the best I ever played with was Billy Urquhart. He was a big Rangers man and it was during a spell for him in hospital that we sealed our friendship. "The only get well soon card he received was from the Stornoway Celtic Supporters club and with him being a big Rangers man it didn't take him long to figure out who had sent it. That sealed our friendship. "Towards the end of my spell with them I was spending a bit of time on the bench and decided to leave. I went to Ross County but the team were not in the same class as Caley were and my interest and passion for football began to wane." After hanging up his boots he decided to see the world and set off for a years trip which has yet to reach its conclusion. Nero added: "I decided to go away for a year but I still seem to be going. I met a German girl in New Zealand and we ended up settling in Munich where I have been there for 11 years now. I'm fluent in German now and I don't regret for one minute going on the road to see the world. I might come home again when I'm older but the place has changed a lot since I left and you don't hear so many Lewis accents anymore. A lot of new people have come in. "I'm still football daft and am doing my Coaching C Licence in Munich and I still play twice a week. I also went along to see both Celtic and Rangers when they were playing in Munich against FC Bayern but you better not tell anyone that I was supporting Rangers that night. I was with some Rangers supporting friends who were staying with me and I have a real dislike for Bayern." It has been a long and eventful journey for one of Lewis' most feared goal-grabbers but 'Nero' still recalls the Eilean an Fhraoich Cup final where he made his name almost 30 years ago. "I was in the Nicolson and on the day of the final I was playing football at school. When I played it was always at 100% and I remember we had been playing for an hour and a half or so when Murdo Matheson came racing out telling me to slow down as I had a cup final that night. "I was only 15 and delighted to be playing and I remember I headed the ball in with the help of a deflection to equalise before half-time. I claimed it like all good strikers do but unfortunately the second-half didn't go so well for us. "In picking my dream team I must also give a mention to 'Duff' who has been the biggest influence on my career. He is definitely the only person who, if Back were winning 8 ? 0, with you scoring six goals and less than two minutes to go, he would still shout from the sidelines 'Nero your bloody rubbish'. I have since found out that he only says things like that when he is happy and I see now that he was 30 years ahead of Jose Mourinho in his psychological tactics. "Duff would have to be manager with his sidekick the Cab as able assistant. It's difficult to leave so many people out of the team but I'll go for these eleven guys. "I would definitely pick Percy as I think he was the most naturally gifted player I ever saw but the only thing was you had to get him out of the Star before his third beer," added 'Nero' with a smile. His speed off the mark and his positional sense made him a constant threat in the box while Nero also packed a venomous right foot. His electric bursts often spelled danger for opposition defences and Alex 'Nero' Macdonald will be remembered by local football fans as a striker more than worth his weight in goals

Match Programme The Scottish Cup game result in 1984 was 0-6 - Aberdeen beat Celtic 2-1 aet in the Final with a certain Mr McGhee netting the winner. Not sure of the result for the earlier game in 1979.... Mr Urguhart did indeed return North in 1981.... From Wigan FC web-site: URQUHART, Billy DOB: 22nd November 1956 Other clubs: Inverness Caledonian, Rangers Honours: Scottish League Cup winner 1979 (Rangers) Was signed by Ian McNeill in November 1980 from Glasgow Rangers. He made his Latics League debut on 8th November 1980 against Bradford City at Springfield Park, a game that resulted in a 0-0 draw. A big striker in the mould of Simon Haworth, he never really set Springfield Park alight and by the time he left the club at the end of the season following the appointment of Larry Lloyd as manager, he had played 5+5 League games and scored 2 League goals.

Ah to be sure he will be grand....

I have mixed feelings about Strachan but would lean more to the positive than the negative....one thing is for sure he is passionate about what he does and he has without doubt brought them a lot of success.... As to the others in the SPL I think Levein is the outstanding manager and I am sure he will prove that at United if he continues to get the right support from within the club....think he might eventually want to have another go down south after the Leicester experience but probably not until he has won a few trophies with United.... McGhee I also like and think he can do a lot better than Motherwell (and no disrepect to them)....wouldn't be surprised to see him at Pittodrie soon.... It will be interesting to see who the next new managerial face to the SPL will be....Lambert? Collins? Hartley?

Thank you - ?5 in the post as agreed....

I would add St.Mirren and Falkirk to those two....and say it will be one of those 4 come the end of the season....

Doesn't score a lot of goals does he.... :018: League Games - 127 - Goals - 1 (0.8%) International Games - 1 - Goals - 1 (100%) :thumb04:

Could be a good acquisition - will bring the Dublin contingent up to 2 if nothing else.... Was only on a month contract at Oldham - will do his international chances no harm either if he gets back into the SPL....

Unfortunately there are and always will be footall conduits in Glasgow for those who have their own political and religious propoganda and hatred to spout?. Whether it is the Tri-colour or the Union Jack being flown at Scottish Football matches is irrelevant when really the St.Andrews Cross should be the flag of choice?.but that is just my opinion.... I understand (but don't like all I know about) the histories of both clubs but once again our bretheren from Glasgow show themselves for what they are (although I will say in this case it was a minority).... Football - Politics ? Religion?.what a farce?.I am glad ICT came along....

Club fines 'handcuff' footballer source: BBC web-site A footballer who made a crossed hands "handcuff" gesture to celebrate a goal has been fined by his club. The club said Norris deeply regretted his actions. David Norris who plays for Ipswich Town said his action was not intended to support his friend Luke McCormick. An Ipswich Town statement read: "David deeply regrets that his actions have been wrongly interpreted and has written a personal and private letter of regret to Mr and Mrs Peak. "In hearing the player's explanation, the club also regrets the potential for misinterpretation of the gesture and would love to make a donation to an appropriate charity, equal to the fine imposed on the players." The club statement added: ?Whilst the club has heard David's explanation that his gesture was in no way intended to condone or support the actions of his friend Luke McCormick, he was found to have been insensitive to the possible interpretation that such a gesture may create.? Inteteresting - 'misinterpreted' but still fined (rightly)....

Scottish Qualifying Cup Final (North) - Caledonian v Clachnacuddin 1949 Source: Scottish Screen Archive. Description: Footage of the 1949 Scottish Qualifying Cup (North), Caledonian Football Club versus Clachnacuddin. Shots of play and spectators in Telford Park, and the Caledonian Captain accepting the Qualifying Cup. Shotlist: ocs Caledonian v Clachnacuddin Telford St Park Saturday 5th Nov 1949 (0.19) shot of street scene; two policemen watch crowds as they walk towards the park; shot of Caledonian F.C. gates (0.44) c/u Highland League Championship flag; pan over supporters (1.17) Caledonian players run onto field, brief shots practice (1.49) Clachnacuddin players run on (2.15) kick off; gvs play intercut with spectators (2.39) [shot from goal line] Caledonian score; shots of boys waving their scarves; shots of crowds applauding (3.08) gvs play, possibly including second Caledonian goal, intercut with crowd shots Caledonian 3 Clachnacuddin 0 (8.46) crowds rush onto park; Caledonian player no. 8 is awarded a silver trophy, rest of the team receive small boxes (medals?); shot of Captain and official with trophy (9.59) Hopefully you can get it to play....maybe somebody was there....

What a strange season so far....both sides of the border....but definitely an interesting one.... In the English Premier League after 12 games only 7 (35%) of the teams have a positive goal difference and only six points separates 8th from bottom. In the SPL this season after 12 games only 3 teams (25%) have a positive goal difference and only six points separate 5th from bottom. At the end of the season it is expected that Celtic and Rangers will be vying for top spot and I think United will probably get stronger and solidify third place but as for the rest it is anybody's guess. A good run put together now could make a team's season - three or four wins on the trot and then the foundations for a top six place will have been laid. The result at Easter Road on Saturday was a good one especially after the mauling at Ibrox the previous week and the disappointing LC quarter-final result at Falkirk. There are now two home games within 4 days and six points will both give the club a lift as it would mean three wins on the bounce but more importantly it would probably lift the club up to sixth or seventh in the table. Six points from the next two games are crucial and CB and the coaching staff should be demanding nothing less from the team to ensure that is what we get.... PS - interesting that the Hibs fans are calling for Paataleinan to go after Saturday's result - and more so that we are not hearing the same talk from Rugby Park where they lost 4 second half goals on Saturday....

2 more actually - McClelland and Nicholl.... But I know what you mean.... The other sub for Caley was Robbie Baxter....I had forgotten all about him....was quite a good player from what I remember....part of that great Caley youth team of the early 1980s....

** FULL TIME STATS ** HIBS ICT 1 Goals 2 (Cowie 30, Black 47) 5 Shots On Target 3 3 Shots Off Target 4 4 Corners 5 10 Fouls (Conceded) 18 2 Yellow Cards 2 0 Red Cards 0 Up to 9th if Hearts hold on to take the points....and 3 clear of Hamilton....