Proctor

I'll be down from Scaberdeen.

ICTPAISLEY you are a good man. Thanks to you we are downloading it as we speak. It should be done in time for the end of the Sevco/Motherwell game.

I'll be raging of we get Celtic in the next round. I'm sick of meeting them in the cupa.

I'm sure some down south would think ICT, Ross Ciunty, Elgin and Aberdeen should merge to form North of Perth FC. At least it would save those poor wee clubs travelling time.

I'm more than happy to help again but I am also not in Inverness all the time. I'm better at previews than reports (I had to use BBC Alba for ones I did) but I enjoyed helping out.

I know I had a little tongue and cheek fun at the expense of KFC but they say ots 100 percent chicken. I often have one before going to games. Mabye Terry should introduce this as a pre match meal haha.

Who needs Nando's chicken when we have 2 KFC's. They serve something pretty similar to chicken right?

Frankie and Benny's is better than TGI's but I've never sampled a Nandos. Heard good things though.

As I have said before I disagree with many things Butcher does/has done but as long as he is in the job I want to see him do well. I will however not give him my blind support just because he is in the job. The coming weeks will shape mine and many people's opinions on Butchers future, as is the nature of football. In terms of other posters asking people to stop being negetive, this is a forum; a place meant for discussion. Posters are meant to share their opinions even if others disagree with them. I'm glad that not everyone on here is reading from the same hymm sheet because if we were it would be a pretty boring place. As long as discussion doesnt descend into petty arguments and name calling. If TB or anyone from the club does read this board. I'm sure they realise that in their nature of work not everyone is going to agree with what they do and people will voice their opinion. Again as long as this doesnt cross a line into personal insults aimed at these people then I don't see an issue.

Don't see how a players antecedence is of any importance, as long as he can play. While I'm happy to see players from mars turn out for ICT as long as they are decent players, I think people's gripe with Butcher's signing policy is that players from further afield are less likley to stay at the club. Also when other clubs are finding players from Scotland's lower leagues we seem to have looked at the English 3rd, 4th and 5th tiers and found players who are no better than others we let leave.

Didn't they put an SPL team out in the last round? I wouldn't say it'll be a stroll but I'd like to think we can get to the quarter finals. It's nice to see we don't have Celtic again.

What they offered was a pretty insulting offer of less than 1 million pounds for two players. I see Sevco are continuing the old club's theme of utter contempt for Scottish Football. I'm sure it took so long for Romanov to say no because he couldnt stop laughing.

I have to admit that KC was brilliant during the newco fiasco. Promptly responded to an email I sent him, attached a phone number and welcomed my input. I mentioned earlier about mabye getting students in on placement. You may not even need to pay them. I did a non paid placement for six weeks over an hour away just for the experiance.

This would mabye be an oppertunity to look at taking graduates from the local area. As someone graduating from uni next year I would love an oppertunity like this. The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen do degrees in Marketing, Journalism, PR, Buisness Management etc. Even trying to set up some sort of work placement scheme which is something that university prides itself on could bring in some fresh ideas.

I just hope that we don't end up with Sevco, not because I am scared of losing to them (it could be close). I just don't want gargoyles in our stadium

Is it true we can't face an SPL team in the next round?

Will there be highlights of tonights game anywhere?

Lets hope we are not one of the sides that go out to lower league opposition. If we go through the next round will be very interesting. Any idea when the draw for the next round is?

I am glad the club have set this up and its nice to see us adding another attacking option, especially considering our players look like they are passing a bomb about when they are shooting. I will say however that this move doesnt do much for the long term plan of the club which I feel we need to be looking at. Particularly in building a squad.

I don't think for a second anyone on here wants a manager to fail which would do harm to the club so they could say "I told you so". Like I have said I have voiced my concerns but I want Butcher to do well. From my experiance no matter how negetive people can be on here I highly doubt any of them would partake in such shamefull joy.

I agree. While I have stated points above relating to Butcher, most of them could be classed as above him. I think we should be thinking about the club as a whole and its future. I agree too. And I don't mean the Board. They have a tough job. It's the whole Scottish system. The finances are too diluted at the bottom and too concentrated at the top. Rangers shouldn't be the reason for reorganisation but it seems to have shifted to be the reason for not reorganising now. That's a step too far. As old Edwyn once sang, we need to rip it up and start again. But this is probably off-topic (but on conversation). We would be so short sighted in this country not to reconstruct just to spite The Rangers. If them having the oppertunity of getting back to the top flight a season early is an unfortunate bi-product of reconstruction then so be it. The system needs a total overhaul and one thing our chairman has shown is a desire for change. Its up to him and other chairman in Scottish football to make it happen!

I agree. While I have stated points above relating to Butcher, most of them could be classed as above him. I think we should be thinking about the club as a whole and its future.

It certainly doesn't help, and it would be unwise to ignore it when people who have followed ICT through good times and bad, home and away, are telling you that they are about at the end of their tether due to the attitude of fellow fans...as opposed to a poor performance on the park. It's actually getting much the same way on this forum...I no longer enjoy visiting here, it's become a chore and if not for the fact that I have a stake in it then I'd be a far less regular visitor. Not because of the football, but because of a small but hugely disruptive minority who do nothing whatsoever to give ICT, the fans, the club or anything a lift. So much so that they have become a part of the overall problem. I'm sorry you feel that way. I really think we as a clud need something to give us a boost and to increase optimism. However it would be unwise to ignore concerns of some fans. If you disagree with them or find them unfounded then the forum is the place to discuss them. Heres hoping we can do well against Arbroath, go on a good cup run and bring some optimism back.

I think this is caution by the board. I used to think they were being over-cautious, now I'm not so sure. Given that Hayes left for Aberdeen, I'm really not too sure we would have had a bid in for him. And the way football is going, perhaps this is the only way to make sure we can survive is to plan one year ahead on the basis of what we know for that season. Most managers do that. See Sir Alex and Wenger as examples of this. It does get frustrating but it's probably the right idea. So you want Butcher sacked in case we're bottom? Perhaps we should extend his contract in case we're in the top six. We've not been threatened by relegation in either season we've been back in the SPL. In fact, given how close we got to the top six, the latter seems more likely. How about we judge Butcher on what the results turn out to be, not what the results could be? Maybe it's because I've been in charge of people's careers that I just take hiring'n'firing that bit more seriously. Butcher's never been my #1 man for the job but I'll wait until someone fails until I call for their head. I am not suggesting that Butcher should be sacked. I am pointing out that if things are going badly at that time it would be difficult for another manager to come in and make an impact the way that Butcher did. When he first arrived in 2009 the team were lifted and we added to the sqaud. I never want to see anyone lose their job but in football it is common place. This thread is asking if he is the man for the job, I'm giving my opinion I am not happy and I know others feel the same way but if Butcher is in charge of ICT then I want him to do well. As I said at the beginning of the post I know not all ICT's problems can be linked to him. I will also add now that we don't know what goes on at boardroom level. I stand by my point about letting players go and how I feel planning more long term is needed.

I too am worried about the way ICT is heading. There seems to be no long term plan for the club. Not all of these can be traced to Butcher but some of them possibly go above his head. For the second season running we have seen a mass exodus in players. Several of whom were stalwarts at the club and are now doing the job at a decent level. The replacements have been poor, unproven players with a history of injuries who have been punted from club to club. Nobody really knows why some of the players left but such a large proportion of our squad leaving is quite worrying. I disagree with the clubs currant transfer policy of looking for players from the lower realms of English football. I think that if anyone thinks these boys are going to stay at the club long term they are slightly delusional. The players we sign seem to have only come to the club to be put in the shop window. If the team lose and have a bad game, it’s just one less chance for them to earn a move away. I do not believe for a second that all Scottish players are “too expensive”. I am not asking that we sign Steven Fletcher but I think we should be looking at the Scottish lower leagues. You only need to watch Sevco’s games in the SFL3 to see that there are some decent players in their opposition who I feel would be as cheap and more likely to stay with us. How can the club expect fans to care about a team full of strangers who don’t seem to show heart? I felt that this was evident on Saturday when we were four nil down and didn’t seem to care. Unemployment in football is at a high level at the moment and other SPL clubs like St Johnstone, Dundee and Ross County are looking at players like Derek Riordan, Colin Nish etc. We can’t even use the line that we are a “selling club” because we are not selling our players. We are simply allowing them to leave on Bosmans. We got a bit of money for Lee Cox but other than that Rooney and Hayes, our two best players since Butcher became manager (I know Brewster signed the former) left for free. Sides like Falkirk and Dundee United seem to have created a conveyer belt of players who do their bit for the team before being sold to other clubs earning some money. This is such a necessity for clubs in Scotland these days and it is one we are missing out on. I disagree with some of Butcher’s tactics. The way Shane Sutherland is being played is unfair on a young player. The quality of football on show has been pretty poor for a while; there is nothing more frustrating than seeing the ball being hoofed aimlessly up the park or seeing players coming on with three minutes left in a game. He always tries to put a positive spin on poor performances but there is only so much of this I can stomach. What worries me is if we find ourselves at the bottom of the league at Christmas as we were to get rid of Butcher, a new manager won’t be able to bring in players to strengthen the squad. Butcher was able to bring in Odhiambo, Foran etc. Can we afford the compensation? Are him and Mo earning more than previous managers? In the past 18 months we have had little to get excited about, a mass exodus of players and poor performance in cup competitions. If we lose against Arbroath I think my feelings of hopelessness concerning ICT will get worse. I said in the Celtic match day thread that I was beginning to become disillusioned with the club in a way similar to Brewster’s final days. Given the drop in season ticket sales I’m not the only one. I think a change in management may give us a shot in the arm but as long as Butcher is there I will support him and wish him the best of luck, after all he is the man in charge.