Scotty

Missed you :( beautiful service, and a testament to the big man’s character that so many attended.

Its so easy to manage a team in Football Manager ... the real world - not so much! The reality is that you are dealing with personalities, conflicts, real world stuff ... and employees (players) who will have a good day at the office or a bad one, just like us. Throw in a business operating on a shoestring, and an entire industry operating in a fishbowl, that has a customer base with very strong opinions based on emotions and tribalism, where today's heroes are tomorrow's villains and once again next week's heroes, and its literally impossible to please everyone, or at times, anyone. You don't just throw out the baby with the bath water. There may be a few players who will or need to move on come the end of the season, but moving on an entire team of players is neither practical or sensible. Quite apart from the fact that we cant force players who are in contract out the door, nor can we necessarily afford to terminate contracts, replacing all of these players with youngsters is also at best risky, and at worst disastrous. While I believe in the mantra that if you are good enough, you are old enough, the simple fact is that younger players are neither physically or mentally prepared to play 40+ games in a season and I very much doubt we have 18 youngsters ready to make the step up to first team + subs bench. The best managers have traditionally had a blend of youth and experience and rotated those youngsters in and out of their sides so they gain experience but don't get burned out so that then means you may need 25 of a squad to rotate the 11+7 matchday squad ... we do not have that.

At last night’s game, his scarf was laid across his seat. A very poignant moment for all involved. Thank You ICT for winning on his behalf!

It is with heartbreak and sorrow that I must announce the passing of well-known ICT supporter, my great friend for many years, and the best man at my wedding Stewart Anderson. Stewart, his brother Ross, another friend Calum, and I sat directly above the tunnel from the second season of ICT at the Caledonian Stadium and even if you didn’t know him, you likely knew of him or encountered him. It will always be an unforgettable sight to have seen the big man in full swing shouting “encouragement” to opposition players, managers, and referees! Those tickets changed hands over the years as paths crossed and uncrossed or personal circumstances changed, but always within people who were a part of that group with Stewart at or near the centre. The banter and ‘encouragement’ on a Saturday afternoon were all just football. Away from the stadium, Stewart was the proverbial gentle giant, a 6’5” teddy bear dedicated to family and friends who was also hardworking and conscientious. He would never knowingly do you any wrong and would give you the shirt off his back to help you if needed. I had the privilege to know Stewart for nearly 30 years. It started through football but transcended into far more areas of our lives. Stewart became a close friend before I moved to Canada, and when I did, he was the best man at my wedding, his dad Blair was our piper, and his mum Mary and brother Allan were also in attendance. He gave a speech at the reception that made even the ministers blush (we had two ministers – a husband and wife team from Nova Scotia who were very broad minded). I think I still have the handcuffs and blow-up sheep somewhere! Over the years we had some memorable times in Scotland at ICT games both home and away, starting or ending in either the Caley Inn or the Innes Bar. He came to Toronto a couple of times after the wedding and we had a fun time travelling through the Rockies from Vancouver to Edmonton, then to Calgary and back to Toronto. Another time he came to Toronto then with us to Cuba where he celebrated mine and my wife’s 5th anniversary in style, looking and feeling equally happy as he relaxed with a Pina Colada and a Cuban cigar at the beach in Varadero or sipping a Mojito in Hemingway’s bar in Havana. He also came with me to a couple of Toronto FC games that year and managed to get an entire pub singing “Bridge and Castle”! (see video). He made friends here in Toronto who still ask for him after all this time. Friends who I will now have to break this tragic news to and who will feel the pain like everyone else. Stewart was a bit of a technophobe, who just about managed to work his way around Facebook, so you won’t find him as a previous poster on the site. However, you will find many on here who knew the big man, respected, and loved him, and will miss him dearly. I am seldom lost for words, and even though I have a thousand stories I could relay about fun and crazy times with the big man, I am honestly and truly at a loss for more to say right now other than that I am thinking of his parents Blair and Mary and his siblings Blair, Ross, and Alan. I offer them my sincere and heartfelt condolences which I know will barely make any dent in their loss, but hopefully at some point, they can take comfort in knowing that my feelings are reciprocated across thousands of people whose lives Stewart has touched over the years whether from his travels, work, family, or football and every one of us sings the same song about his warmth and generosity. To Stewart, what else can I say but ‘Jeezo Big Man - Rest in Peace. I love you. I cherish all the happy memories we had together. I even cherish the times we disagreed. It made our friendship stronger, and you truly were the best man, not just my best man. You were one of a kind and I will miss you dearly. I and many others in several countries will raise a ‘peedy’ to your memory and look back on your life with great pride to have known you and been a part of it. Rest in Peace my friend. //Scott.

According to the stats from Ian Broadfoot he went to Wick Academy after us. (click image to expand).

As far as badges go, I would far rather have an ICT badge than any other ... I just wish the border on it was given some thought, especially if it is going on a red or blue area of the strip. If it was a white part, like the 2000 strip then it would not be as noticeable. I have had neutrals say to me - when I have worn an ICT shirt at TFC games - that it was a great shirt but they always comment on the badge.

Robbie Benson on the left, Neal Sinclair on the right. Don Macmillan was backup keeper.

personal taste really - I just think it looks cheap and nasty compared to the embroidered version. Perhaps if the border was smaller it may not look as bad. On the flip side, you could argue the stick-on badge is more accurate given the imperfections in the thistle and the eagle on that badge ... you decide Logo on newest shirts compared to final Errea shirt (click to enlarge) Side by side comparison An older shirt (Feb 8th 2000 squad shirt) showing a crest with a border - but a much smaller border.

OK so got 5 months to get this wrong ... but here are my predictions for top 2 for each group A : Netherlands, Senegal B : England, Euro-Playoff (unless Scotland, then Rasczak scenario above comes into force and USA scrape in instead) C : Argentina, Poland D : France, Denmark E : Spain, Germany F : Belgium, Canada G : Brazil, Serbia H : Portugal, Uruguay

England -V- Scotland/Wales or Ukraine would be on Tuesday November 29th

Time for a thread on this since the draw was just completed ... Had a feeling that the draw would place the winners of Scotland/Wales/Ukraine into the same group as England ... let the fun commence 🙂 Group A : Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Holland Group B : England, Iran, United States, Wales/Ukraine/Scotland Group C : Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland Group D : France, Peru/Australia/UAE, Denmark, Tunisia Group E : Spain, New Zealand/Costa Rica, Germany, Japan Group F : Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia Group G : Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon Group H : Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

Wish the lad well, shame about the circumstances.

Remember that game. Was there as well 🙂

Good marketing though - they have the High-vis version available for the council and workers ....

I wonder if the back has the lettering too or is just plain?

nice strip but still the shitty badge !

Cases increasing here again too ... the new variant of Omicron .. but reporting has changed so you no longer get daily numbers and have to go by hospitalisations and deaths for comparison! Anyhoo - back to the topic ... if we want a COVID topic we can have it separately. Got an email for a Zoom call this morning, missed it due to working, I guess that must have been the strip reveal? Dont see anything on the official site yet - twitter shows 5pm reveal time so I guess we will know then 🙂 If the video on twitter is accurate and it is a proper teaser of the real thing then pausing at various parts to see through the transparent bits, it looks like wider stripes again which would be great (IMHO). My biggest hope - although I don't think it will happen - is that they have used a decent badge this time and not one with the huge white border from the last few tops, it makes the whole thing look cheaper.

Early but kind of makes sense, the existing stock has been on sale in the club shop for a while now. Maybe they are hoping there will be a bumper crop of sales as folk hope to have a summer holiday this year for the first time in a couple of years ... lets hope COVID cooperates!

you probably have to tag @CaleyD in this thread and maybe even email him to see ... He's not really on here these days since he stopped at the club. @Andy johnstoneor @ANDYCAM is our camera person and likewise an infrequent visitor but may also be a good shout. (I think both accounts are him from different times so tagged them both). After 10 years it may be a leap, but worth a try. Tagged them in here - if their account settings are set to tell them when they are tagged on the site they will get an email, otherwise, you may need to contact them another way as they wont see this thread.

Jake Mulraney scores a 96th minute winner for Atlanta FC against Charlotte FC after coming on as an 83rd minute sub.

Have to disagree about the former chairman. He may have put things in print, or at least he had someone organise that for him ... but my experience with him, as a shareholder, as a sponsor, and as a service provider, was not in any way, shape or form in the slightest bit positive. I will leave it at that.

There is Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, even TikTok if they got IHE to do it for them Then there is their own website, the Trust/Supporters Club, CTO, Wyness Shuffle podcast, Courier, HN ... and I am sure other outlets to get news or information out to the dwindling masses. So many options available but none taken which is a bit disappointing in this day and age. Chairman used to lurk here and read the site, and I got the odd WhatsApp message from him, but not sure if he is still lurking/reading posts.

This ⬆️ Communication has always been an underlying issue at ICT. There's is and always has been a rationale from some at the club that knowledge is some form of sacred power and the fans should never be given that knowledge or power. I have seen (and heard) that first hand. Sometimes communication has been good when the club have established and maintained relationships - be that with us, the supporters club, the Trust, the Courier, or even just on their own website! Other times - like now - it is non-existent and that leaves a void that, whether you like it or not, will be filled with disinformation and rumour. We are still afloat, amidst a two year long (hopefully) once in a lifetime pandemic so the chairman, CEO and other directors must be doing something, and possible doing it very well ... we just don't know as they choose only to send out missives about hospitality or who has bought hoardings at the stadium. Regardless of how well they are selling advertising boards though, the judgement on how we are doing is on the pitch and that's not so good right now! The execs (like the team) actually started quite well at the beginning of the pandemic and when laying out the fact that we were skint and looking for the fans to bring in revenue and/or suggest where we might find some, but just like the team performance, that has tailed off and dare I say it tanked badly. I cant speak for other outlets I mentioned above, but I do know that when we had the ear of the chairman or other directors we were constantly asking for and publishing 'interesting' info, most of it with a positive viewpoint because at the end of the day we are all ICT fans on here and like to look at situations through our red and blue tinted glasses. The same is true of CaleyD when he took on a role at the club and was publishing whatever he could. There are things the club cant publish for various confidentiality, business or personnel reasons, but everything else should be fair game. Otherwise it ends up out there as a rumour, and seldom in a correct fashion. The 'rumour' about Roddy listed above is a classic example. "He's not turning up for training after a fallout with Dodds" - sounds plausible if you want to believe that, and on a poor run, where tempers and emotions are likely frayed then its no big leap and has the potential to grow arms and legs ... but equally the reasoning that "he was affected by COVID, then got injured and unfortunately had a recurrence of that injury when he came back" should not be a state secret if that is the case. You say that, people may criticise the coaching or medical staff for rushing him back rather than questioning the boy's loyalty to the club or making him look like a petulant child or opining that Dodds has lost the dressing room etc.

Recognise anyone in the Courier pic? Perhaps someone may know where they got it .... https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/city-residents-show-support-for-ukraine-267430/

They have now come out and said they will not "play against Russia at ANY level". This follows England and Wales who said they would not play them.