Scotty

Confirmation: http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/news/20140610/terry-butcher_2262950_3895617 http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27783337 Oh dear .... ...... "Unfortunately assistant manager Maurice Malpas is abroad on holiday at present and I want to meet him on his return to explain the situation at the club."

Don't think its a case of 'can't' have #13, its not banned or anything, think its a case of superstition for some players or teams and they just don't choose to wear the number.

Joe Bendik, TFC current keeper wears #12 and previous first choice goalie Stefan Frei wore #24, even Julio Cesar wore #30. Chris Konopka, the 3rd choice keeper wears #1 !!! Strangest number at TFC was 96 worn by Jeff Cunningham who had scored 96 MLS goals when he signed for TFC. He only scored 3 goals for us in 2007/08 to take him up to 99 but was traded after missing a goal-line sitter that have taken TFC to the Concacaf Champions League group stage. I have never seen any fans with #96 at TFC !!!! Think he went to a 'normal' number after that .... In 2011 he wore 33 for Columbus but now apparently on trial for a team in Vietnam after a stint with the San Antonio Scorpions. Only other weird number fact seems to be that TFC has had 4 players wear the #13 shirt including current captain Steven Caldwell. Hicham Zerouali wore #0 (Zero) at Aberdeen. Derek Riordan wore #1 when he first signed for Hibs as #9 and #10 were both taken (Fletcher/Nish) Ossie Ardiles wore #1 at the 1982 World Cup (numbers were allocated alphabetically - except for Maradona's) Mexico's Jorge Campos liked to wear #9 as he started as a striker Lizarazu wore #69 at Bayern (claimed it was because of his year of birth - 1969, and height - 1.69m) Victor Baia wore #99 in the Champions league for Porto

Current best selling shirt numbers in Toronto - who have had numbers ranging from 1-96 over the years - are #4 (Michael Bradley) and #18 (Jermain Defoe). In the past, #14 (Danny Koevermans/Dwayne DeRosario) and #22 (Torsten Frings) were popular and I have seen quite a few #30 Julio Cesar goalie shirts this year even though he only played 7 times on loan for us and may go back to QPR after the World Cup. Leads me to believe its most definitely the person inside the shirt that dictates popularity rather than some silly numbering.

think Celtic thought Lennon was going to Norwich so they tried to poach Delia .... but we all know edumacation isnt what it once was down that neck of the woods !!!

Terry Butcher was manager at ICT for 207 games (206 really as he was still officially manager when supping hospitality at Easter Road!). In that time he oversaw 86 victories, 57 draws and 64 defeats. We could ALL pull out examples of where he did well or where he did badly in those 200+ games to prove our own viewpoint. As I said elsewhere ... I thank him for what he did do at Inverness, it is appreciated, and I will look fondly upon that time, but he chose to disrespect us, the club, and his players in the manner in which he chose to depart and for that he deserves every little managerial pitfall and setback that comes his way. I will take a little bit of pleasure from each and every moment ..... until he is finally sacked from Hibs.

Laurence: Did he guide Hibs to relegation? (and technically he left us in one cup not two as the other had not been drawn when he left) Some managers (and players for that matter) just "fit" at certain clubs and fail abysmally at others. TB is a classic example. He did well at Inverness and also at Motherwell, but the stupid comment here would be to say he did well anywhere else. Renegade is right, his record at most clubs stinks. Looking beyond the record at each club, there is a worrying similarity in fortunes. Managed Motherwell, finished in the relegation spot only to be saved because of Brockville not being suitable for the then SPL. Went to Inverness, got relegated, went to Hibs, got relegated. At both Motherwell and ICT you could argue he was not at fault and both clubs bounced back well the following season once he had managed to bring in some of his own players, even better at Inverness because he was given a few seasons to entirely reshape the squad we now have .... He will not be afforded that luxury at Hibs and will be gone by Xmas IMHO.

The TB graph looks about right .... and I would not argue with McInnes (349), McNamara (373), McCall (384). Dont think Tommy Wright was second best manager in the premiership but I guess the cup win propelled his points upwards. But once you get beyond the top 5 names, it gets a bit sketchy ..... Terry Butcher 6th? why? he oversaw a complete meltdown at Hibs. Derek Adams next? really? Gary Locke below all other managers in bottom 6 even though Hearts ended up as the form team in the division over the last couple of months ..... 147 - Neil Lennon - Celtic (RESIGNED) 317 - Tommy Wright - St Johnstone 349 - Derek McInnes - Aberdeen 373 - Jackie McNamara - Dundee Utd 384 - Stuart McCall - Motherwell 548 - Terry Butcher - Hibernian 604 - Derek Adams - Ross County 613 - Alan Johnston - Kilmarnock 614 - Danny Lennon - St Mirren (CONTRACT NOT RENEWED) 624 - Alan Archibald - Partick Th 626 - Gary Locke - Hearts 655 - John Hughes - Inverness Funny though .... Albion rovers manager James Ward ranked higher than Ally McCoist ... but the Ally Mccoist rankings show how flawed the system is. Go back to 2012 and he is in the top 200 in the world apparently, but the demise of the team from Govan drops him over time to about 1200 and he is only now climbing back up as his team are in a higher division than previous years so it is most definitely weighted unfairly

Looking in from the outside I see 3 problems 1. The League structure: Playing the same teams 3 or 4 times a season plus maybe getting them in the cups too gets boring after a while. That's why I have always advocated for slightly bigger league (somewhere between 16 and 20), doing away with the split, and playing a 'balanced' season each year where you play everyone twice ... once at home and once away. You do run the risk of the mid-table doldrums where a team is never going to win it but is always above the relegation zone, but I think facing every team just once at home over a season does make it more likely for someone to go to a game. 2. Cost of a ticket: We can say its good value, or its cheaper than the cinema or it isnt etc, or offer sweet deals here and there, but whichever way you slice it, football is expensive to watch, especially if you are bringing a group of people (Adults or Family). People do not have the same level of 'disposable income' that they once had and many people have to watch the pennies and decide which games to go to (or not). When the cost is also coupled with #1, and with a less than stellar experience once at the ground (ie. crappy concessions, or a bad run of form) then it is sometimes easier not to go than it is to actually go ! 3. Apathy: This is the hardest nut of all to crack and it has been around for years. As pointed out, we get high crowds for some games but not for repeat ones against the same opposition and this year again we have struggled to get decent crowds for some games you think would be better attended regardless of what the club might try to do to 'incentivise' the fixture. We were sitting 2nd in the league for a while and playing good football so it was not the product on the park that was an issue. When I was home at Xmas, I was excited to go to the games I could get to, but chatting with some folk, it seemed like a chore to them and they would rather be elsewhere ...... not sure how to solve this one and once it sets in for some folk you just cant re-invigorate them.

I got that impression too. He needs to realise that being a (former) Arsenal youth product does not instantly make you Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp. Plenty of youngsters do make it through the Academy, but they need to work hard. He just seems to display a sense of entitlement and look down his nose at players from so-called 'lesser' clubs like it is beneath him. If he didnt already get an 'education' in Falkirk, then I am sure he will get one in Dundee

Hope he goes on to break his Dad's appearance record !!

Dont really want to drag this any further off topic, and certainly not going to get in the middle of a religious discussion, but it is not saying prayers to a soon to be dead animal. For both Jews (Kosher) and Muslims (Halal) it is blessing the meat in accordance with their faith and passages of the bible or Quran that have significance to them. see here for a basic description: http://meat.tamu.edu/ansc-307-honors/kosher-halal/

and thus it is worldwide SMEE ....... I pay $190 for my season ticket for Toronto FC. For 19 games (17 MLS + 2 Canadian Championship) that works out at $10 per game. Its a ridiculously low price, is for the supporters section behind the goals, and that section is only sold as a season ticket and has no general admission. Its the cheapest tickets in the stadium but you do have to buy them about 4 months in advance of the season ... and if you ever give them up forget about getting them back again !!! An equivalent section, sold as both season ticket and general admission is $361 for the season or $19 per ticket. This week we play New York and single tickets for this game are sold only on Ticketmaster or as a walk-up on the day. The cheapest ticket for the game in that section is $72. TFC also sell 3 game flex packs starting at $102 for 3 games but only for "value" matches against less glamorous opposition (NY is Premium) so $34 per game for value but upgrade that to premium and the same ticket is $171 (or $57 per ticket). So basically, a ticket for the same seat (outside of the supporters section) can be $19, $34, $57, or $72 depending on when you buy it and how many games you commit to .... it rewards customer loyalty and what you might call bulk buying. Incidentally, there are NO family concessions at TFC. Each seat costs what it costs based on its location, not who is occupying it !

Expectation? Has to be top 6 for the 3rd season in a row, anything else is accepting mediocrity. A decent cup run would be good too but thats down to the luck of the draw really.

When did we get Craig Brewster back? To my knowledge....Brewster never managed us in the Premiership splitting hairs there Don. He did manage us in the highest league available and between him and Charlie amassed our highest points total in the top flight. 58 points in 05/06. Charlie also had a remarkable record of 5 wins in the post-split games that season where we did not concede a single goal. 3 x 0-1 away wins and a 1-0 and 2-0 win at home. I will concede however that last year and this year might be regarded as 'better quality' finishes given that we had 57 this year (and 54 last) but it was in the top six so competing against far stronger sides. Its a lot easier to be the 'best of the rest' like some previous seasons than it is to be in the top six. 04-05: 44 : Robbo --> Brewster 05-06: 58 : Brewster --> Charlie Christie 06-07: 46 : Christie 07-08: 43 : Christie --> Brewster 08:09: 37 : Brewster --> Butcher 09-10: not in SPL : Butcher 10:11: 53 : Butcher 11-12: 39 : Butcher 12-13: 54 : Butcher (achieved in top 6) 13-14: 57 : Butcher --> Hughes (achieved in top 6)

I hope it does become global ... for now, a few scraps from Open All Mics, and maybe 1 game per year (if you are lucky) on ESPN usually from Parkhead, is about your lot. Trust me, we are not downplaying it ... I can watch multiple English Premiership football games every week from about 7am my time until the late game on a Saturday and then repeated for sunday games but Scottish Football in North America? nope. its on once in a while, as a filler, and only on "Sportsnet World" a premium subscription channel ...... Subway have a proven history and track record of working with communities and at grass roots levels of several sports over here. On the face of it, it seems like it will be a good fit for ICT.

Totally agree Rene. Have no problems with Subway as shirt sponsor as they are a well known company. But pleeease i dont want our colours and identity spoiled by green and yellow splashes across the shirt! Atleast Wonga were decent enough to change their logo to Maroon for Hearts and Standard Chattered to Yellow for Liverpool I think its safe to say that we will be getting green and yellow. Theres no way we will be allowed to alter the brand in any way. Subway logo is designed to 'pop' out with an embossed/extruded look .... or it is over here at least. can see borders/edges of logo being coloured in such a way as to make that happen. neither the club or the sponsor want either one to look crappy. perhaps something like this (taking one suggested shirt from new shirt thread)

One other highlight .... the "Holy ****" look on the Immortal one's face when I walked into the Innes after the Celtic game mentioned above. Poor fecker didnt even have the time to have a voddie and coke bought for him

There are two ... In the UK there is a move to boycott them due to their (unadvertised) use of Halal meat and the slaughter methods used, plus their ban on pork products in those areas where their customers are predominantly Muslim. In the US there is a move to boycott them due to low wages paid to employees in the fast food industry in general.

I dont think the "glory days" are gone ..... they were apparently gone when Pele left, then Robbo, then Brew (V1.0) etc ......but ICT is bigger than any one man(ager) and we always seem to find ways to confound even the harshest of critics. Thats a big part of the fun of supporting ICT ! I agree that TB seemed a perfect fit for the club. A place where he could rule the roost and do what he wanted with basically a job for life - within a tight budget of course - but despite his declarations of love for the area and for the club he showed his real thoughts on the day when - still employed by ICT - he chose to socialise with his new employers when he should have been plotting their downfall. At least the players were professional that day ! That was the GTF moment for me and one that smacks of a complete and utter disloyalty to the club, the players he had signed over the last few years, and to the hard working supporters of our club who had backed him all the way through relegation and the 'bouncebackability' season. I thank him for what he did do for our club, I appreciate it and remember it fondly, but I really hope he falls flat on his face in each and every managerial or media job he takes from now on in ... not because he left, but because of how he left. W***** !!!

2007-08 it seems

Not on the main kit, but Liverpool and the Premiership seems quite a big deal http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/disciplines/sponsorship-/-experiential/subway-signs-liverpool-sponsorship-deal/4010245.article They also seem to be exploring other aggressive marketing areas - talk of F1, NHL Hockey over here, and there is already evidence of them sponsoring lower level grass roots sports over a number of years. for example, the community stadium in Calgary that has pitches for hire is the "Subway Soccer Centre" and they seem to sponsor leagues in Aruba and elsewhere. Seems like a pretty good deal. Lets face it, any deal where we can pull in six figures or more on a yearly basis is not too bad !

Should we have a separate World Cup forum ? or should we just lump everything here in Other football ?

Nigeria Like Scotland, Canada did not make it to the world Cup so I dont have a direct team to support, but as my wife's parents are Nigerian, making my son's heritage Scottish, Canadian, and Nigerian then I have to go for them. Will also keep an eye on the teams that players from Toronto FC will be representing. That would be Brazil (Julio Cesar), USA (Michael Bradley) and England (Jermain Defoe). I wont be supporting England - nor will I be a 'hater' - but I will be hoping Defoe does well on a personal level if he makes the final squad. Spain, Italy, Portugal will get a favourable nod too as I enjoyed recent holidays in those countries.

Both losses unfortunately ... but getting to the ICT 3-4 Aberdeen game, and the ICT 0-1 Celtic game in person over Xmas. Had not been back to Inverness in a while and was able to take my then 4 month old boy to his first game (the Aberdeen one). Another 5 minutes in that game and I feel we would have made it 4-4 or even 5-4.