Scotty

Difference is that Dean was at Arsenal as a kid and had done nothing much else ..... whereas this player has been at some pretty large clubs well after the "youth development" stage of his career. He may or may not be worth it, the rumour may or may not be true, but at the very least he would be worth looking at if he came on trial ..... to be honest, I am actually liking some of Brewster's thinking if this one is true .... get in promising youngsters either from within our own ranks like Wood, Vigurs, Duff etc ... as well as offer trials to promising youngsters who might not be required at bigger clubs like Sean Evans but also look to players who might currently have dropped down a level or two and who could do a job for us in the SPL. It is also clear that our net is being cast wider than the Black Isle which is equally encouraging.

Reword Notion (ironic for a 'rumour') Ironed on Wort (go see a doctor) Worried No Not (should we be) Indoor Net Row (something we get a lot of on here !!!) Dire Won Or Not (a bit of poetic license)

Given that he is currently playing for AEK Larnaca in Cyprus (after a career that spans Ajax, Real Zaragoza, Watford, RBC Roosendaal, Braga, Famagusta, Panathinaikos, and Sivasspor) it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Brewster's Greek connections have come into play here. Other than that, I know nothing about the player .... looked up his image on Google though and see what you mean about the hair :015:

Alex, you are always the epitomy of optimism ..... but I really hope you are right :003:

its also just as likely that he may be unsettled by the comments from prominent people associated with the club about how difficult it will be to keep him because of things like wages !!! lets hope that both he and the club can tell each other the truth about future intentions and come to an amicable agreement about where we go from here. I would love to see him in an ICT shirt for at least another year but both parties have to want the relationship to continue and be honest about it !

My comments are not based on any article. I am sure there will be a meeting, it may not be today, but there will be one. My hope for this meeting - whenever it takes place - is that common sense will prevail.

If we had signed or had someone in the side that oozed leadership qualities far more than GM then I would say we should give it to them but as we havent, and there is not, then Granty will do just fine. He had a hard season last year what with the reputed bust-ups, the change of managers, and even his own performances as he tried to grow into the role so hopefully it will only serve to make him a stronger captain. I also find myself agreeing with Brewster 100% when he says that "you can never have enough leaders or winners on the park, no matter who is wearing the armband. Everyone in the team has to take some sort of responsibility" If not Granty then I would suggest Richard Hastings. I dont expect that idea to get much support but I can tell you I was very impressed with how vocal he was and how he tried to rally the troops in the Gold Cup final when Canada were shafted by the USA's 12th man (for a second time).

Sorry Roddy, I disagree. Here we have a player whose career was going somewhat backwards and through a somewhat convoluted set of circumstances involving friendship with someone who supports the club and the business interests and contacts of our former chairman in his country ended up at ICT. He could have gone elsewhere but he chose to come to ICT ... not for money, but because he believed the club could help him revitalise his career. ICT was without doubt a step down from where he had played before but it was necessary for him to do something to turn his career around or he would have continued going backwards. You might think he would be dismissive of ICT or make more of the fact that a few years ago he was playing for Dinamo or Sporting and now he might be faced with the prospect of heading to places like Dingwall or Huntly for pre-season friendlies but no, he has always - in public at least - been very positive about Inverness and Inverness CT and spoke warmly of the club during the Euros (which once again our PR juggernaut failed to capitalise on). ICT on the other hand have become less and less positive about him as time has gone on. The hype surrounding his signing was immense. The outcry over his denied permit was loud, and the expectations placed on him were very high as were the media estimations of his salary. For once, ICT took a chance and despite a slow start most of us have been delighted to see that an ICT player was included in the European Championships. As fans we have become more and more appreciative of the player and most of us would probably be delighted to see him in red/blue next season after a proper pre-season under his belt. A front line with Marius and one of Barrowman, Wood or even Stokes is an interesting and mouthwatering prospect.... Youth and Experience, Class and Hunger etc etc. Yet there is a possibility that despite him costing us nothing, his wages having been covered for two years, and him bringing us a fair bit of positive PR and definitely raising our profile on the European stage just by the mere mention of the club's name during the Euros that he will be squeezed out for one reason or another (some perhaps legitimate as noted earlier, some definitely not). I think it is more a case of "Niculae was a step too far for some ICT officials" than "Niculae was a step too far for ICT". .

From what I have heard, Marius was keen enough to sign an extension during the season (or perhaps at the end of it) because, after a slow start, he was finally enjoying his football again, as well as the area ...... not sure if that is still the case or not, but it was true at one point. If he were to sign an extension then surely it makes sense to keep him and push for a higher league position and the extra money that brings. An improvement of just 3 positions (to top 6) would bring in around half the figure that is being bandied about as a transfer fee and if we could make top 6 then the final 5 games would almost definitely bring in more revenue at the gate and in hospitality. Those who say that Savage mentioned selling him for a "plucked from the air" figure of 500K or that Marius mentioned using ICT as a stepping stone are not wrong and I can see their point - especially if he is not (or no longer) willing to sign an extension. However all the current talk of selling him is coming from one direction only and I wholeheartedly believe that this is neither a footballing decision or a business decision but one of internal politics with the man himself caught in the middle. I hope that this meeting actually brings something positive from both sides so that we dont have to have another month or two of controversy on the boards. Its good for the site hits but not much else, especially ICT themselves !!! It would be nice to think that ICT could sit down, agree an extension with Marius to the end of 2009/10 or beyond which would protect their interests but also give Marius some options if certain teams came in or certain transfer fee expectations were met. That way everybody - including the oft-forgotten fans - wins.

Hastings has been playing at centre half for Canada for the last year or more - primarily because the left back slot is already taken - and quite frankly he has done very well in that role. When he was first recalled to the Canada squad people were criticising the decision quite loudly but after the Gold Cup, where he played every game, up to and including the final, in central defence, the criticism was gone. I am not saying people are raving about him, but nowadays when discussing lineups on various fan forums, Canadian "soccer" fans seem to type out a team list and put him in at centre half without a second thought or without much debate ... its other positions where there are heated discussions. Incidentally, he was also named to the best 11 of that tournament .... in central defence.

I believe you may have hit the nail on the head unfortunately.

He has a future in PR once his playing days are over thats for sure ..... "It would be silly to say what my future holds before the meeting and then have to say something different afterwards, so I will wait."

Thats twice in a couple of days I have agreed with Birdog :017: Stokes is a player who we know can bang goals in in the SPL. He might come here, he might not but if he does then I think he will have a point to prove, will know he was able to show people what he could do last time he was here (ie. SPL), and may very well form a good partnership with Niculae or Barrowman. Whatever happens, I doubt he would be with us all that long as he would be looking to get back to the "big time" but so long as we know where we stand from the start, that is ok.

Bananaman Bagpuss guess we are doing kids tv characters - cartoon or otherwise !

lol, deleted it when I spotted my mistake and hoped no-one would notice :015: :015: :015: busted !!!! LOL Zinedine Zidane

Smee - cant say if LG is right or wrong but we all know that ICT usually keep their secrets in a container like this ..... [img width=500 height=500]

Apparently Paul Dickov has been offered a contract with Toronto FC and there is speculation (rumours even) that Darren Huckerby may also come !!! Source: National Post

(Willem) Van Der Ark :015: :015: :015:

If we have Marius, Barrowman, Stokes, Wood, and McAllister then I will be reasonably happy. We know Stokes can do it in the SPL and we know that Barrowman and Wood have done it in the lower leagues. The only weak link if you like is Rory and hopefully this may be the season where he comes good. If he does not, then he has to ship out at the end of it.

Ticket Info now up http://www.clarets-mad.co.uk/news/loadfeat...1&id=396669 Saturday 2nd August - kick off 3:00 p.m. Prices Adults - ?8 Concessions - ?5 Under-16s - ?2

I give a little more credence to this rumour than some others recently .... it may or may not happen but I will say that if ICT are actually trying to get him then it is a positive move. Cant help feeling that this move - if true - has something to do with Marius departing though.

A quick double entry from me :004: 112 [attach=1] 113 - The Toronto Supporters Group I am a member of. [attach=2]

Juanjo's surname is Perez ! (Joe) Jordan

Pulp Fiction [not sure you are quite getting this thread Tony ! ... the next post would be a movie starting with the letter Q]

unlikely but send us a link to the site and we will have a look.