Scotty
08: Site Admin
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Everything posted by Scotty
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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.
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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
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Hope he goes on to break his Dad's appearance record !!
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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/
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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 !
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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)
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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
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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.
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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***** !!!
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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 !
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Should we have a separate World Cup forum ? or should we just lump everything here in Other football ?
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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.
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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.
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Fifth it is Inverness ran out comfortable winners eventually after a first half to forget. There was little evidence that anything would change as the teams trudged off at the interval in what was a complete non-event. However things picked up after the break and Ryan Christie was alert enough to head home a rebound from Aaron Doran's shot. Greg Tansey ensured we remained fifth with a thunderous shot. Lashing the ball home from just inside the box after creating the space for himself. Pick that one out ya dancer!. This was a great way to end a season that promised so much but fizzled out somewhat, but overall it has been a good season all round, unless your name is Terry Butcher. Early morning rain gave way to a bright sunny afternoon and the game was preceded by the now traditional march past by our nutters known as the Highland Marchers. Great effort from these guys once more. For Inverness it was another makeshift back line with Josh Meekings and Gary Warren missing out and regular deputy Danny Devine pairing up with Ross Draper at the heart of the defence. James Vincent started along with rising star Ryan Christie, and Marley Watkins, Danny Williams and Nick Ross all began on the bench. St Johnstone's own hot shot Stevie May was not risked from the start with Nigel Hasselbaink on from the beginning. Our own nomadic superfan Johndo made the sojourn from Chorley to see off the season and partake in some light refreshments around the local hostelries and he will be penning his thoughts for us once he relaxes on the train back to Englandshire............................. The Chorley Brief It was the last game of the year and the powers that be decide to play a nothing at stake game at 12:15 on a Sunday morning; or perhaps it may be a Subway morning in the near future?!! The last game of the season, to moi, gives far more positives than many have given credit to. The first half was drab but the passing, to me, was nowhere near the negativity that has been posted on here recently. Both teams were negative and it was as if we were both looking for a 1-0. The first half was totally bereft of any real skill and was as dull a 45 as I have ever witnessed. But we stuck to a very defensive system and we changed it after half time. GAWD if we had nicked a goal we may have gone ballistic! Brill was forced to save with his legs because it was hit straight at him and we never looked like scoring, the nearest we came in the first half was when Christie fed McKay who screwed a shot just over the bar. But the second half was SO much better and, like at Motherwell we could have rained goals IMHO. After the break we relaxed and if we had scored a second early doors we may have hammered Perth. McKay, Watkins, Raven and Tansey could easily have added to the tally. Doran had one cleared off the six yard line with Mannus stranded, but Christie got a poachers goal and anyone of four could have snatched the second but Tansey did dispatch it with force. So here we go with the critique :- Brill:- 6 Not tested but never troubled. Still not convinced. Raven:- 6 More subdued offensively which was a slight concern Tremarco:- 6 Better game than usual - still not good enuff going forward but solid defensively. Devine:- 6 Could really be one fer the future and I would love to see at left back Draper:- 7 Did he look the part there or what ? Draper and Warren ? Vincent:- 4 Totally wasted on the wide right. Shinnie:- 8 MotM for me and maybe we stick with him in there. Tansey:- 7 Tackles like Paul Scholes, shoots like Bobby Charlton Doran:- 6 Jhesus if he was fit ???!! Christie:- 7 Green but such a potential talent McKay:- 6 Poor Billy was crocked but will prosper with the Portuguese hitman Watkins and Wiliiams 6: Both upped the pace and added something. Ross 5: On too late but did nothing wrong ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Final words from tm4tj........... Well that's the season over folks and it's been a pretty decent one overall. Top highlights for many include the League Cup Semi-Final win over Hearts, a fantastic exhilarating experience coming back and beating them with nine men, Nick Ross' goal kicking of joyous scenes. The Final itself was a superb occasion with a less favourable scoreline. Others thought that stuffing the village pub team from Dingwall 3-0 was high up on the list and who can forget the comedy moment when Derek Adams thought he could halt Jamie Hamill's celebration jaunt along the touchline; wrong Derek. A late entry in this categories is the trouble and strife happening at Hibernian to someone who was once adored at Inverness by most Inverness fans. Yes, Terry Butcher blotted his copybook and turned his back on us at Easter Road by hobnobbing with his Hibernian chums whilst still in employment at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Well well Judas, not going so well now, hope you are enjoying your Marks and Spencer cakes while Yogi dunks his Tesco ones in his tea. Made me laugh anyway............................... That's about it from the editorial team for this season, we'll be back for the start of the new season, enjoy the break. Date: 11.05.2014 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3121 Referee: Alan Muir Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Draper, Devine, Tremarco, Doran, Tansey, Vincent (Watkins 68), Shinnie, Christie (Ross 82), McKay (Williams 72) Subs (not used): Esson, Polworth, Brown, Sutherland Scorers: Christie (59) Tansey (90) Booked: Shinnie Sent Off: none St Johnstone: 0 Lineup: Mannus, Miller, Mackay, Anderson, Easton, Wotherspoon (Croft 60), Millar, Dunne, O'Halloran, Hasselbaink (Iwelumo 65), MacLean (May 74) Subs (not used): Banks, McDonald, Brown, Clancy, Scorers: none Booked: Dunne Sent Off: none This post has been promoted to an article -
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THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Inverness CT -V- St Johnstone PREVIEW 11th May 2014 @ 12:15PM Tulloch Caledonian Stadium Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO Sportsound (updates during Aberdeen -V- Motherwell) (BBC) [uK/VPN Only] TEXT ESPN BBC SKY Sporting Life VIDEO SPFL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS
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You can "demand" as much as you like, but as you prefer to explode in public please tell everyone else how many times you have actually complained about a post in the normal manner that everyone else does ... ie by reporting it. No? Its a simple answer. NONE. The last time you didn't complain, a mod actually spotted a comment and did it on your behalf. We removed the post and banned the other person from the thread. So you are going to let IHE get off, nice work, he is just going to post more abuse, how can he get away with that ffs and I don't keep my PMs, I delete them after reading them. I am actually disgusted at this action re IHE!! Scarlet isn't letting anyone off. What do you expect him to do as a member of the site just like you? He is not a mod and cannot react to your demands for a ban. I ask again - How many times have you used the mechanism that has been in place on the site for nearly 20 years - regardless of which software we have used at the time - to make your complaint ? If the answer is "less than 1" then you do not have any cause for complaint. Really ? You really are pathetic IMO should we let you away with this in the same way as IHE ... after all he has not complained either (never does actually - he dishes it out and takes it in equal measure). Nothing wrong with this post from Davie, but as you clearly have a specific opinion about those who own and/or operate this site from myself to the mods and to posters who have been around for the 20 years we have been in existence, then it seems fitting that the last word on your comments go to someone who is just a "normal" poster like yourself. I am going to make a final comment on this thread about the "abuse" and "topic hijacking" that seems to becoming prevalent from a number of posters on multiple threads. It is directed at no-one in particular and everyone in general. I am sick of it and I dont have time or inclination to be a babysitter to grown adults (or near adults in some cases) who cant or wont behave when they get behind a keyboard. My 9 month old kid is better behaved than this. My tolerance level for all the bullshit being displayed in the recent weeks is now close to zero and as we approach the 'silly season' with no games and (traditionally) much more antagonism shown, I will be asking the moderators to deal with people who drag threads away from the topic in question for their own petty squabbles. If you hijack a topic - you are going to get banned from it. simple. Topic "drift" is inevitable, but hijacking. not acceptable. If you hijack multiple topics - you are going to get "post moderation". simple If you get reinstated and go back to the old behaviour - you are gone from the site. simple. If you "abuse" other posters and we receive and uphold a complaint you will get warning points appropriate to the incident. This may include banning from threads or post moderation. If you repeat the same behaviour and we receive and uphold more complaints you may end up banned (permanent). if you cause the operators of the site too much work for no good reason you may end up banned (permanent). Banning is our last resort and contrary to popular belief of some we don't do a lot of it. We will remove or restrict privileges on accounts first and only ban as a last resort. I don't have the time to mollycoddle sensitive souls or act as some sort of counsellor. Cause us grief or waste our time and you are gone. All the users on this site and the volunteers who act as mods have far more important things to occupy thier time than the current level of bullshit.
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........ D4.4 any ground which a Club or the Candidate Club registers or is deemed to have registered as its Registered Ground, must, by not later than 31st March preceding any Season and for the whole of that Season: D4.4.1 with respect to Clubs entitled to play in the Premiership and the Championship have achieved and maintain with respect to stadia criteria at least the Bronze Standard set out in The Scottish Football Association National Club Licensing Manual in force and as amended or supplemented from time to time; D4.4.2 with respect to Clubs and Candidate Clubs entitled to play in League One and League Two have achieved and maintain with respect to stadia criteria at least the Entry Level Standard set out in The Scottish Football Association National Club Licensing Manual in force and as amended or supplemented from time to time; D4.4.3 with respect to Clubs entitled to play in the Premiership and the Championship have had and have adequate winter pitch protection, as provided in Rule H10; and D4.4.4 comply with Rules H18 and H19. (H10 relates to pitch protection. H18/19 are floodlights and pitch dimensions) think this is the right document from the SFA: http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/resources/documents/ClubLicensing/2014/Prt%202%20Sct%205%20-%20Ground.pdf ... no mention of stadium capacity
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the rules are here but dont have time to scrutinise them for the membership/stadium criteria http://spfl.co.uk/docs/067_324__therulesofthescottishprofessionalfootballleagueasat7march2014_1396269263.pdf
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