Scotty

to stick with the tartan theme .... the Toronto FC supporters group "U-Sector", which I am a member of, designed and issued this scarf for this year ..... it looks pretty good in the photo, but better in real life !!! The club has also gone "plaid" (their words, not mine) with the official scarf for the season (everyone gets one with their season ticket)

Wasnt going to get dragged in ... but 'ach, what the hell ........ since I did a lot of research on the arrangements and legalities surrounding this a few years ago ..... Charles, lets get this out here first ..... I am not criticising those within the BBC that provide the matchday experience, whether that is Richard Gordon in the studio, the likes of yourself or Robbo at TCS or across the bridge, and even old Chic waxing lyrical about something old firm related !!! I do want to throw things at the radio (laptop) sometimes when he speaks, but fortunately, Robbo usually gets in about him and takes him to task when he gets all "central belty" !!!!! some of the commentators at live games werent the best (dour dour Irvine for example), but it was indeed a very comprehensive or, as you put it, "substantial" service. I totally understand - perhaps more than some as I have done the research - that the BBC have to work within certain parameters, dictated to them from three different directions. the first being what is in the rights arrangement they negotiated with the SPL, the second being to work within budgets set by the higher-ups at the Beeb, and finally the third, being the clubs themselves. The rights arrangement negotiated with the SPL (years ago) officially allows the BBC to provide non-exclusive live audio coverage within the UK for all SPL games. It doesnt say they have to do it for all games, but that they can if they choose to and it is specific to UK only. The individual clubs also maintain a worldwide non-exclusive right to broadcast either live audio commentary or live video (provided video broadcast does not fall within a UEFA blackout period for that country). For the first few years of this arrangement, the BBC were basically allowed to broadcast all games on audio and didn't bother to block them to just UK. At that point every single SPL game had a crew there as well as a reporter for Open All Mics, and quite possibly a print/freelance journo for the written stuff. I am sure you know better than I do who was in the press box ..... then some of the clubs started exercising their worldwide rights and requested that coverage be blocked outside the UK as they had their own commercial offerings on audio or video .. thats when we ex-pats started seeing the dreaded "UK Only" line underneath the links! ICT were not one of the clubs. It started with Celtic/Rangers then by a couple of years ago only ICT, Hibs, Hearts (for away games) and I think St Johnstone were not asking for games to be blocked. I said it at the time, and maintain it to this day. I will pay a fee to listen to ICT games, and have done so for the last few years .... I would have no qualms about that fee going to the BBC or even to a general SPL service, but unfortunately no-one has provided this yet so my fee goes to a VPN supplier who gives me access to a UK based server and IP. This lack of service is not a criticism of the BBC, they are still working within the restraints placed on them by the rights agreement. If I blame anyone for this, I would blame the SPL for having a very insular outlook in terms of their product. However, I do have to take issue to the BBC coverage this season ... even if I am not really entitled to do so as a non license fee payer who lives outside the UK. However, please don't misinterpret this as a criticism of yourself or others who work on the coverage, you continue to do a sterling job. This is merely my viewpoint based on this year compared to last. I have been able to listen live to maybe 3 or 4 ICT games this year, last year it was 38 ... nothing much else needs be said really .... I know its cuts and based on the economic downturn etc, and we still have Open All Mics, but while the overall coverage may still be called "substantial", it is a lot less substantial than it used to be. As to my comment about a "top tier" league, I am sorry if that might feel like a stab in the back to some, but its the truth. It will always be a top tier league to me because Caley Thistle play in it, and I will always defend my club when people call the SPL mickey mouse, but the league itself is doing itself no favours in terms of marketing, brand awareness or maximizing potential revenue streams ! the SPL is so much more than Celtic/Rangers, especially this season, but thats about the sum total of the message that is out there as there is little or no legal way to access the content and they do little to promote it. Every Saturday morning, I have the choice of watching about 5 EPL games. the early game is usually a loss leader on "free TV", then 2 or 3 of the 3PM kick-offs are also on the same free to air channels, with some of the "premium" games being available on subscription channels if you have them or want to do a PPV purchase. At other points in the week I can watch European football, South American football, and MLS football all live on TV for free. I never bother to see if there is radio or internet coverage for these as I dont need to, but I know many of the MLS games are streamed online by the league for a monthly fee that gets ploughed back into the online platform so that it keeps developing as a service and gets more people interested ..... The YouTube initiative from the SPL is good, and a step in the right direction, and I know that they are hoping to introduce other initiatives to enhance online presence, but I hope those thinking about really do think on a wider scale as to how they can promote the game to a wider audience .... if North American audiences are prepared to watch football from Honduras or El Salvador then the SPL must be in with a shout if marketed properly !!!

I know you are just backing up your employers CB, but even you have to admit that as the "only" cut, its a fairly significant one !!! As for the £2 a week fee, and the not so subtle "UK based" comment ... those of us overseas cant pay the BBC for a service they dont offer to overseas listeners when they restrict their coverage to uk only. I would happily pay the BBC the same £6 a month it costs me to maintain a UK based VPN connection through a third party. Dont think either the BBC or indeed the SPL have grasped the global nature of the Internet and the futility of geo-blocking coverage for what is not viewed as a "top tier" league by anyone other than the fans of it .........

All season it has been 1 live 3 o'clock game plus OAM. Believe Richard Gordon commented on this way back at the start noting it was basically part of BBC cuts ... they cant send a full commentary team to each game any more so do the early game, OAM, plus 1 x 3 o'clock game. a backward step unfortunately, but better than nothing. I too have noted that it gets cut off right at 5PM on the dot, but if you retune to the Radio Scotland link or the general sportsound link, it continues after 5.

[MODS: I will not be around this afternoon to edit this thread. (Off to TFC -V- LA Galaxy game). please add team lines when announced - Thanks]

THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Hibernian -V- Inverness CT PREVIEW 30th Mar @ 3:00PM, Easter Road, Edinburgh Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO BBC Sportsound Open All Mics [UK Only] Moray Firth Radio LIVE commentary [UK Only] TEXT ESPN BBC SKY Sporting Life VIDEO SPL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS TO FOLLOW

Announced today ... next season will kick-off on August 3rd ..... although Celtic are being allowed to postpone their fixture on 10th August for a friendly http://www.scotprem.com/content/default.asp?page=s2&newsid=12205

had a few minutes to spare so had a look around a few websites ..... he has a bizarre outlook and that extends to his web presence too ..... also see that someone has updated his wikipedia entry to add (fraudster) after the name ! Apparently he lists such diverse characters as Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, Robert Mugabe, Slobodan Milosevic, Arkan, Harold Shipman, Tariq Aziz, 'Chemical Ali', Gary Glitter, Jonathan King, Manuel Noriega, Ian Brady, Charles Manson as friends, former clients or people he has advocated for, as well as asking for a posthumous pardon for Dr Crippen ..... yet he seems to have a real beef with Delia Smith ... nothing to do with criminal cooking, more to do with the fact she told him to bugger off when he wanted to buy a stake in Norwich !

going to move this from the rumour mill now as its been in the media a fair bit, Terry has commented, and it seems the player himself may have confirmed it .....

that article, and the related articles are a low budget movie waiting to happen !!!

see this topic :

heres a list of who has played who at home/away by end of 33 fixtures .......have fun working it out !!! spl-ha.xlsx

This is the stupidity of the split !!! We have been fortunate most seasons in getting 19/19, but other teams have not always been lucky and some have had 20/18 or 18/20 - very rarely does everyone have 19/19. If the fixtures don't add up properly, because one or more teams have played each other too many times home or away, or too many teams need to have certain quantities of home or away fixtures to balance things, the SPL try to make sure that over two seasons you have 38/38 ..... This season, that would mean St Johnstone, who had 18/20 last season would get 20/18 if needed while Kilmarnock, who had 20/18 last year would lose out if another team needed to get 20/18 this time round to balance the fixtures ....

Even San Marino, the Faroe Islands, Malta, & Andorra are not mathematically eliminated ..... how embarrassing.

so we have !!! oh, well, thats my theory out of the water

Assuming it finishes: Celtic Motherwell ICT C#unty St Johnstone one of - Hibs/DUFC/Kille/Aberdeen My prediction is that we will be at home to Celtic & Motherwell and away to County & St Johnstone with a 75% chance of being away to the other team in the mix. I further predict that our last game of the season will be an away game as last year we had three home games in the split and both started and ended the split at home. I cannot see the last game being a derby Vs County although that would be great for the Highland Marchers ! Here is my rationale: 1. - We have played Celtic and Well twice away and only once at home 2. - We have played County and St Johnstone twice at home and only once away. 3. - If it is Hibs, it should be 'H', United, Killie or Aberdeen should all be 'A' to balance our fixtures. However, the SPL often throw the rule book out the window, especially when they cant quite get to 2H-2A for each team against all others in the top/bottom halves ..... With ICT, County and St Johnstone finishing in the top half instead of probably Hearts, Aberdeen and United in the SPL's prediction models, it may throw a spanner in the works when trying to balance everyone's fixtures and in that case they try to base it on two years fixtures ....... or in short ...... nobody feckin knows because its the SPL who will decide !!!

Derek McInnes unveiled as new Boss .....

It tends to be once the teams are finalised - if that happens before the final pre-split games - or in the days after fixture 33 if it goes down to last game.

pinned your topic Buffy, but did change font from shocking pink to a more subdued colour - it was hurting my eyes !!! - hopefully some of our fans feel like a day out tomorrow and swell the coffers for you.

Cheer up Derek ... you did manage one accomplishment !!! You made Ian McCall seem likeable !!!

Montreal 2-1 Toronto Indeed dodgy ref, two dodgy penalties (one for each side), but a great day out nonetheless !!! It was a long one though ... left Toronto at 8AM got to Montreal at 3PM. left Montreal after game at about 6:30PM, got back to Toronto at about 1:20AM ...... they reckon there were about 4000 away fans which is an MLS record (breaking the record from 2008 when Toronto took 2500 to Columbus). You can see my recap here if you want: http://tfcpics.com/montreal-v-tfc-youve-just-been-toledo-ed/ Or my pictures here: http://tfcpics.com/gallery/2013-2/201303-montreal-v-tfc/

I think its fair to say he was quite happy about this win. was just about to post the same .... quality !!!! Had to go back and check it wasnt a piss-take and was a genuine/legitimate website ... (albeit the Daily Record). Meanwhile, back at the caravan park ..... "Adams seethed: “You’ve seen the replay as well. It’s not a penalty. It’s another big decision that has gone against us...." I am sorely tempted to take a few words out of the swear filter so we can use the phrase "F*** Off Tw*t" !!!!

seethe is definitely better .... fumes is like anger and goes away quickly ... whilst in this case the seethe is a slow burning permanent condition and feeling of inferiority when placed nearby to anything Caley Thistle related. You can even add extra 'e' s to make it longer seeeeeeeethe

*** VOTING IN THE POLL ABOVE IS FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE MATCH ONLY *** If you were at the match, please use the poll above to vote for your top 3 players. As a bit of fun, we have also added an option to rate the referee .... Please make sure you vote for 3 separate players. If you make an error, let us know so we can fix it. PLEASE ONLY VOTE ABOVE IF YOU WERE AT THE GAME Anyone caught trying to cheat the system WILL be banned from voting in ALL site polls...this is your only warning. **NOT at the game ?** As a result of requests received, we have made a slight change to how these threads work for site users who watched the game on TV or listened to the full game live on the radio ....... You too will now be able to cast your votes, but should do it in the thread below, and NOT in the official poll above. Just list the three players of your choosing and award 5,3, or 1 point(s). You can give the ref a mark if you want too ! These votes will NOT be counted in the official total, as we only count votes from those who where actually at the game, but it IS a way for you to participate in the process .... which many people asked for .... a happy medium we hope !!!!!