Scotty

Overall, I am cautiously in favour of it provided it is applied consistently but VAR is only as good as the referees operating it, or crucially, only effective when those on the field are open to admitting to a 'clear and obvious error' was made. I never bothered watching the game, nor any highlights so not sure about this past weekend. Its been on the books over here for years and I have seen both great and terrible decisions, sometimes in the same game. When it works well, it really does work well. You can literally see the ref pause for about 10 seconds when something happens, usually when waiting for a restart or a free kick so no perceptible delay, and then either waves play on or holds it up. If the ref goes over to the screen, you know the VAR folks have told him he may have made a mistake ... the question is then entirely human and is more about whether the ref has the balls to admit a mistake or whether that mistake falls under the "clear and obvious" definition whatever that may be! That's where the ego comes in and if you have a ref who is all about his power and control and thinks he is immune to making mistakes or being unsighted in the moment, then he still has the power to control the VAR decision and over-rule it rendering it ineffective. Scotland -v- Belarus recently is one example where I think VAR worked well, or at least in our favour. We got decisions based on VAR in that game and also against us too. The ref was consistent in his use of VAR and it seems the decisions were right.

Darn, now I have to go figure out (again) how to deduct points from our league table database !

As you get rid of them can you take a picture of the cover? The stats program has an option to add a programme picture and that would be great :)

Ok, so September 30th came and went without an email from FIFA, unless you count the numerous emails offering a guaranteed ticket if I spend hundreds of dollars on some card pack or other. It was a longshot of course, but I was definitely hoping to be one of the lucky ones in the estimated 4.5m people who registered for the VISA presale for tickets for World Cup 2026. Alas it was not meant to be, probably also in part due to the fact that I restricted myself to only the games taking place in Toronto, which only has 6 games overall, or just 270,000 tickets. Many of these will be part of hospitality packages starting at $2500 per ticket, or allocations yet to be released or held for teams and officials. A cat in hell definitely had a better chance than me! But we stay positive and wait for the next round of ticketing in phase 2. Why only Toronto you ask? Well quite apart from the geography involved that means I can get to Glasgow quicker (and cheaper) than I can take a domestic flight to Vancouver, Canadians for the most part are avoiding travel to our nearest Southern neighbours. Recent reports are showing a 20-30% downturn in cross border travel since the administration there announced a desire to make Canada the 51st state and imposed huge trade tariffs on exports from Canada. End result is that popular destinations like Las Vegas, Florida, Texas, and northern border cities like Buffalo, Detroit and Seattle are all reporting economic impacts from lower-than-normal visitor numbers. With the Iranian delegation also being denied entry visas to even watch the World Cup draw in December now that they have qualified, and other immigration policies coming into force, including a new pricey "visa integrity fee" for anyone not in the Visa Waiver program this tournament is shaping up to have a lot of geo-political under-currents that might affect attendance. I am going to make a prediction that FIFA will somehow make sure that Iran is drawn to play in either Mexico or in Canada and hope they don't qualify for the last 32. Group L seems a good bet, with two group stage matches in Toronto although the other is in the USA. Overall, this turmoil could make demand for tickets in Mexico and Canada a lot higher and chances of getting a ticket a lot lower. The UK is part of the visa waiver program so no visa issues there (for now) but anyone planning the World Cup would do well to start checking the visa situation now as these things are notoriously slow ... I read online this week that the current visa situation for those requiring them (mostly Asia, Africa and South America) is something like 186 days so it's cutting it quite fine! On the plus side, the cheapest prices in Toronto did seem to start at an affordable USD$60 cost when I looked. Admittedly this was tucked high in the stands in the corner, but still in the stadium nonetheless ... We will see how dynamic pricing affects this. The secondary market (stubhub and others) already has that huge matchup between TBD and TBD on Jun 17th selling for anywhere from US$750 to $1000 per ticket but once more tickets hit the market, and the teams are known that could rise or fall ... In my last blog I mentioned that Toronto would get an infrastructure dry run on a big crowd attending BMO Field (sorry Toronto Stadium) when the Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami entourage came to town. I was ready to head down and watch the game with my son until I got the proverbial "offer I could not refuse". Despite me constantly telling him it should be Ross Tokely, my son has CR7 as his "GOAT" so was not overly bothered about seeing Messi again. He saw the game in-person last year and that was good enough for him, so I put my tickets up for sale on Ticketmaster for a hefty price with us agreeing to go if they did not sell and to stay home if they did. The price was higher than I expected to get as I was secretly hoping they would not sell. Surprisingly, someone wanted my tickets so desperately that they paid the asking price, so we sat down to watch it on TV on Saturday afternoon. Although Messi, Suarez, Busquets, De Paul, and Alba all started, the game itself was a bit of a snoozefest. Messi played well but was no match for man-of-the-match Sean Johnson, the Toronto FC goalkeeper who thwarted him at every turn. As with last year, half the stadium was sporting crisp new Argentina or Miami shirts and there were several pitch incursions, so it was indeed a bit of a circus. At least last year we got to see Messi's bodyguard prowl the sidelines like a panther stalking anyone who dared to try and reach him, but he got told by the league towards the end of last season last year that he was no longer permitted to do that on a match day so that element of fun was removed. By the end of the game, Lionel Messi's appearance in the 1-1 draw pretty much paid about 50% of my 2026 season ticket cost. A pretty good day all around. Sergio Busquets announced before the game that he would retire at the end of the season and now Jordi Alba has said the same thing. It would not surprise me if Luis Suarez was next as the man looks in agony every time he runs. Have to be honest in saying that they were all good to watch in their time in MLS. They may not have been in their prime, but skill does not fade, only pace and fitness (and Suarez's knees). Unfortunately, this dry run may be closer to how the world Cup will go for me too ... 20 miles north of BMO Field, but so near yet so far if the next round of ticketing is not kind. Keeping fingers crossed and keeping my eyes open for other avenues

Not if the base level on one side of the (potential) relationship is one of "seethe".

Well, that headline is a bit of a mouthful isn't it! What does it mean? Well, it's the mascot names for next year's World Cup! For World Cup 2026, you get three mascots for the price of one since the event is being held across three countries. In a caricature of Canadians that would make our late great friend the @IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER proud, and give him many moments to wind me up, Canada gets Maple the Moose. Only thing better would have been Louie the Lumberjack or Bob the Beaver! According to the FIFA website, "Maple the Moose was born to roam, journeying across all of Canada’s provinces and territories while connecting with people and embracing the country’s rich culture. A street style-loving artist, music enthusiast and dedicated goalkeeper, Maple found purpose through creativity, resilience and unapologetic individuality. With a knack for making legendary saves and a heart full of strength and leadership, Maple combines endless stories and unstoppable flair." Meanwhile, Mexican mascot, "Zayu the Jaguar is from the jungles of southern Mexico, embodies the rich heritage and vibrant spirit of the country. With a name inspired by unity, strength and joy, Zayu transforms on the pitch as a striker, showcasing exceptional ingenuity and agility that intimidates defenders. Off the pitch, Zayu embraces Mexican culture through dance, food and tradition, uniting people across borders with passion and pride. More than an athlete, Zayu is a symbol of cultural celebration and connection, carrying the heart of Mexico with pride". Finally, the USA of course have a bald eagle as their mascot: "Clutch the Bald Eagle possesses an unquenchable thirst for adventure, soaring across the United States and embracing every culture, game and moment with boundless curiosity and optimism. Fearless on the pitch and uplifting off it, Clutch leads by action — rallying teammates, lifting spirits and turning every challenge into an opportunity to rise higher. A social spark and sports fanatic, Clutch, like all great midfielders, unites people wherever they go, proving that true flight is about purpose, passion and play." All joking aside, I am sure it will be big business for FIFA and you can already buy these on the FIFA website for £30 or CAD$50.00. The video for the unveil also looks more like the start of an animated series than a simple unveil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR52cerl0CQ

I can subscribe to DAZN over here and get pretty much ALL the EPL for $30 per month. This one match would be closer to $50 in Canadian money. Even the one channel that shows Scottish football (basically whoever is playing one of the twins that week) is closer to $20 per month Having said that ... It is expensive for clubs to stream, but many did put in the infrastructure during COVID so capital costs may be less of an issue. I assume EF have such a high price because they anticipate low uptake against the high cost of making the service available. Not sure what infrastructure we have left after the great service we had was ripped out in favour of the bald referee camera system. As much as I would love to see ICT every week, if the cost is prohibitive for the club or customer then I can do without.

A busy football week in Toronto! On Tuesday, the City of Toronto (owners of BMO Field) and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), the owners of Toronto FC and other franchises in the city, who are also the exclusive custodians of BMO Field, announced they had completed Phase 1 of the work for the upgrades to the stadium for next year's World Cup. Due to the continuing MLS football season as well as the Toronto Argonauts CFL season, Phase 1 was largely concentrated on unseen stuff other than 4 new video screens, measuring 30 feet x 50 feet with a resolution of more than 5 million pixels. Stuff like a new video control room, executive boxes in a currently under-utilised part of the stadium, and new kitchens for new and existing hospitality suites etc. There is also a new super lounge that was made by combining 4 current individual suites into one. They expect to use this for international delegations and world leaders who may visit to watch their teams during the World Cup. Now that Toronto FC are officially eliminated from the playoffs, and there are only two home games left, the second phase will begin in earnest next month. Phase two of the $146m upgrade will see 17,000 temporary seats added, 10,000 in the North part of the ground which is currently relatively open due to the requirements for the CFL Toronto Argonauts and 7000 in the South area which currently has a single tier stand and is known as the 'supporters' section'. The capacity for the stadium at the end of this will be 45,000 but these seats will almost all be removed after the world cup with the stadium reverting to a 30,000 capacity after that. Only the executive suites and some seating at the North end will be retained as they turn that north end into a general admission area with rooftop patio for TFC games. As part of phase two, the stadium will also get new dugouts, a new playing surface (thankfully) and the entire Wi-Fi, sound and lighting systems will all be upgraded to meet FIFA broadcast standards. Overall the city is on the hook for the lions share ($123m) but MLSE are also paying $23m and had previously ploughed $100m into renovations in 2015 after the original stadium was built in 2007 for a cost of around $62m. I will be honest, as nice as it is in some areas, it does not feel like you are sitting in a $160m stadium right now! Here's hoping that the additional $140m+, which is apparently still on-budget elevates the experience. As a resident of Toronto, my biggest fear is transportation to and from the events. The city is quoted as saying the expected bill for transit, increased policing, and emergency coverage for hospitals etc is expected to top $40m but it lacks specifics. They would only say they have a "fulsome mobility plan" when it comes to traffic. That makes me really nervous. Toronto traffic is a mess at the best of times and there are little to no details on how it's going to work. A stretch of the 401-highway running east to west across the northern suburbs of the city is officially the busiest highway in North America, even busier than the notorious LA traffic and it is a running joke in Toronto when driving is that you are always an hour away from Toronto. That is only going to get worse next year for the WC. One little snippet that also fills me with dread in the press release from the club and city said "Don't expect to find any parking near the venue" (which is not a surprise) but also that a new streetcar stop will unload passengers just east of the current stop. A streetcar, even the large double (articulated) ones, carry at most a couple of hundred people so if that's the braintrust at work it's going to be a cluster**** of epic proportions. Getting to BMO Field this weekend will be a good test of the current state of traffic and infrastructure. Lionel Messi is in town with the Miami FC circus of supporting acts, so the stadium will be filled to near capacity with thousands of fresh crisp new Argentina and Miami shirts, and I almost certainly guarantee that it will be a s***show! The TTC (our subway and bus operator) will undoubtedly have some lines closed and shuttle busses running. Streetcars will be overloaded and as for parking near the stadium, the touts will be wanting $50-$100 for a parking spot instead of the usual metered $5 charge. I will be attending with my son so for us (who live in the suburbs) its going to be a drive from home to the subway station and park there (15mins), then the subway downtown (35 mins), and depending on any scheduled closures which happen every weekend somewhere, we will either take a streetcar to the existing stop near the stadium (30mins) or may need to take a second subway line and bus to near the stadium (45mins). There are three new transit lines in various stages of completion around the city, but it is likely that only one of them might be operational next year and the most useful one - the Ontario line - which actually terminates near the stadium, is not slated to open until 5 years after the World Cup! On the ticket front, perhaps more movement next week ... We should begin to find out if volunteer applications have been accepted and the results of the ticket lottery for VISA customers should drop in the mailbox to tell us if successful or not. Fingers crossed.

At the end of the day, I ask myself a simple question as I am getting way too old for complicated things! Would there have been a club today if we did not go down this route? My answer - and I accept others may have a different or more nuanced answer - is NO. As much as I did not enjoy giving up my shares, I am happy I still have a club to support rather than a historical and worthless document that I could frame on my wall. And let's be honest here, we may have had hundreds of shareholders, but the reality is that only a handful of them truly mattered in the decision-making process. Those of us with anything under 1000 shares simply did it so we could say we were a part of the club or to put money into the club to kick-start our history. The real power brokers were, and always have been, those with tens or hundreds of thousands of shares. A year on, we have Alan Savage at the helm, someone who has pumped money in before and who did so again in the last year. We have a CEO who knows and loves the club and has done so since the very day it was formed, and we have a manager who is winning games again. On top of that we have businesses coming back to a more open club, we have fans feeling the club is more receptive to them, and we have a Supporters Trust who have shown what is possible - regardless of shareholding - when they are allowed to work with the club and not simply have to be one of many dissenting voices. Are things perfect? I am sure they are not. After so much toxicity over recent years, there are bound to be puddles here and there, but we are headed in the right direction. The real proof of the pudding will be when we next face challenges. As fans, we will still have a voice, but we wont necessarily have a say ... but as noted above, did we really have a say anyway when the bigger shareholders all voted the same way?

You had a better cake than me though !

From that list, I would have to go with Golly, Mann, Warren, Tokely and play Shinnie further up, but honestly, there are some great ones to pick over the years and likely 100+ ways to answer this question. As for this game - loved the cheeky Zimba back flick goal and the 70-yard chip was also fun to watch!! I guess they were trying to chase it as the highlights look like it was their keeper challenging Longstaff for the ball.

Now also paid for Mitchell Robertson Home Shirt.

Glad to hear it is all now a lot less convoluted. Like many I am sure, I still have a tinge of sadness at giving up my (nominal) shares as I wanted to pass them down to my kid, but without all of us doing that they would be worthless bits of paper and there would be no club. Having said that, the likes of Morrison, Cameron and others have had to give up significantly more on paper and having done so, it is good to see Alan Savage acknowledge that they were in the club for the right reasons but made a few bad choices (and - it has to be said - one monumental error in personnel decisions). I spoke with RM back in 2020 when trying to get some form of link going with TFC and I definitely felt he was fan first and chairman second so for AS to say what he has said publicly is very healing. Onwards and upwards #TogetherNESS

Cheers - one and all. Much appreciated. Lets not also forget @Gringo who had a milestone the day before me, and Uncle Albert's wife @Guzz who shares the same day as Gringo but would have had a more subdued birthday this weekend. There are a flurry of birthdays in my family - both ICT and personal - around the 14-15 September.

Yup - that's why I took the league table widget off the side of the page. The third-party we use has not deducted the 5 points. Our internal tables are correct though. Personally, I have never seen the point of deducting 15 points in the season you were struggling and 5 in the season where you were trying to get back on your feet, it seems like an unnecessary slap when you least need it ... but it's what happened to others too. Just happy that this early in the season, Kells and the boys have done so well that the 5 points is merely a footnote now. We are on an even keel with everyone and will be at the right end of the table come May 2026.

bah - cant get BBC Alba over here :( can get other BBC channels but not Alba and all the other channels are not live. Havent invested in VPN for a long time. Guess i got to go watch the Juventus and then the Napoli games this afternoon, then the TFC game ...

Hoping that some combination of either being a volunteer, getting selected as part of the Visa draw, my wife working for the City, my almost 20 years as a season ticket holder at the stadium, or my son's affiliation to one of the larger youth football clubs here will somehow get me some form of inside track, priority or lead on some tickets, but bottom line is that its FIFA and all the tickets are officially under their control so who knows. Dynamic pricing can also work in reverse as we saw from the Club World Cup with tickets literally being given away. FIFA have said they wil not go lower than USD$60 per game and to be honest, the view at BMO Field (sorry "The Toronto Stadium" for this event) is decent from most seats so even the cheap seats would be OK. There are 6 matches in Toronto. 5 first round games, only one of which will feature Canada in group B, then 4 more group stage games in groups L, E and I so it could be literally anybody. There is then a second round game on July 2nd so hopefully that might be a decent one.

Its Ticket Time !!Almost there ... as the graphic says: 11mins and 50 seconds until I can officially apply for tickets for the 2026 World Cup courtesy of FIFA partner VISA's presale window. Having said that, all of this was after well over 90 minutes of the spinning dots tantalisingly telling me I was almost there, and then the countdown timer starting at 30 minutes! All the while while I was keeping my fingers crossed that my browser didnt crash or I had some other IT failure happen! The actual process of applying for the tickets after the window opened up and gave me FIVE MINUTES to complete my info after waiting two hours was pretty simple. Fill in a little extra data from your FIFA profile, add your credit card number and off you go ... So thats that then, I am on the list to try and get tickets for either Scotland (if we qualify) or for any game in Toronto which might include one Canada game and whoever else might be drawn here. So whats next?According to the site, thats all there is for now. I now wait until 29th September to find out if I was lucky enough to get something in the draw and if so I believe I can score up to 4 tickets. If nothing awarded for this then I am keeping the eyes peeled for any and all other opportunities to get an order in. FIFA dropped the news last week that "dynamic pricing" would be in effect. This is basically the same type of surge pricing that Uber uses for their services when busy and can see the cost rise two or three fold or more! It can however also work in reverse and dynamic pricing for the Club World Cup recently held in the USA as a pre-cursor to the main tournament saw tickets drop as low os USD$4 per ticket !!! FIFA have however said that no tickets will drop below the absolute minimum cost of USD$60 per ticket. Personally, I don't care who it is playing the game, although I would obviously like it to be Scotland -V- Canada or some other meaningful game for me personally, but I just want to be able to take my son and wife to a game so we can say we experienced the World Cup!! I think that is something my son will remember long after I am dead and gone! Plan B?Oh yes, one must always have a plan B. Not sure it will work for the family, but I also submitted an entry last month to be a World Cup volunteer in Toronto. If I cant pay to get in the stadium, then maybe I can volunteer to get in for 'free'. Its a bit of a longshot, and you could find yourself based anywhere from the airport to a hotel, to some random street in downtown Toronto, or if you are really lucky then maybe you could be an 'ambassador' greeting players or VIPs to the stadium, escorting them to the expensive seats and hoping to not only soak in the atmosphere but also get a glimpse of the game. The list of positions seems daunting and the application process did seem like a bit of a psychological test to see if you had the warm and fuzzies required for dealing with thousands of well-oiled fans ... We will see Plan C?Guess I will have to watch it on telly like the rest of us ... Fingers crossed I dont need a new Telly !

Just got this note from the club: Mr Alan Savage will be holding a press conference, to give an update on the club, at 11am on Friday 12th September in the boardroom at the Sarens PSG Stadium.

from the archives (2003) .... [click to view full size]

Great topic ! I am one of the locals (or ex-locals) and grew up supporting Caley. I lived in Dalneigh, which was the traditional hotbed of Caley support and from my home in Hawthorn Drive we used to see the players run down the street on their way from Telford Street to what they used as a training pitch at the park beside Dalneigh Primary School a few nights a week. I am an IT guy so when the club was formed in 1994 I started this website which has gone through many incarnations in the last 31 years, including a 10-year spell where it was either the "almost official" and then the "official" site of the club before reverting back to being fully independent. Met some great characters through this website over the years whether at the club, locals, ex-pats, or indeed those who decided to follow the team for some other reason and from some other place. Back then the people travelling from afar were deemed as "InterNutters"! and we often met up when they travelled first in the Caley Inn when Don and Brigit were the landlords, then, latterly in the Innes Bar where Colin offered us a home. Had what I thought to be the best season ticket seats in the stadium, right above the tunnel in the main stand and over the years our initial group of 4 dished out some very spicy 'banter' which nowadays might get us kicked out of the stadium! As many know, one member of our group is no longer with us, and I became an ex-pat myself in 2003 after moving to Canada. I kept the site going because Caley Thistle is in my blood, I will always be an Invernessian, a Highlander, and a Scotsman (in that order). It also keeps me in touch with friends and family from the UK. My voice may now have an odd twang of Canadian in it at times, and I may have fallen into using some North American words but a couple of pints back in Inverness and the old accent and vocabulary is back. Where possible, my trips home are timed with one eye on the football calendar as much as anything else. Over here, I have been a Toronto FC season ticket holder since they formed in 2007. I was actually committed to a season ticket in 2006 before the team was officially formed, before there was a manager, before the stadium was built and before we had any players. Much like supporting ICT, supporting another acronym like TFC has also been a roller coaster ride of epic proportions. I have seen lots of highs and lows with both teams, whether it was winning the Scottish Cup as an ICT supporter or winning the MLS Cup and Supporters Shield as a TFC supporter or finishing dead last as TFC or being in the Caledonian stadium the day we were officially relegated from the Premiership. The experience is different, but oddly, despite the difference in scale, and the fact that the owners of TFC have more money than we can dream of (they own TFC, The Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors and multiple concert and sporting arenas around the city as well as lots of other stuff) some things feel weirdly like they are happening in a parallel universe they are so similar. There are also another few ICT fans at TFC. Some I have converted as they are mates (including one boy who is also a West Ham fan - and West Ham did play the All-Star game in Toronto a few years ago BTW [link1] [link2] ) whereas one or two are actual ICT fans who have travelled back to Inverness (and to the cup final as well) to watch the mighty ICT! Perhaps @luvgravy will reappear to tell his own story. My son (12) is currently forging his own pathway in football. He was on the books with Toronto FC Juniors until COVID hit and after that programme did not get restarted afterwards, he now plays what they call 'Rep Soccer' over here . Rep is competitive football from ages 4-13, probably closest resembling the Inverness Street League ... but his team travel all around the Northern suburbs of Toronto so 1-2 hour drives are not uncommon. This summer we had tournaments in Niagara Falls and Montreal which were fun. We were just at his tryouts for the season that starts next month for his next age group (U13) and looks like he will get into what they call the High-Performance / Talented Pathway program. For me that means twice the cost and twice the travel as we may have to go as far as Niagara Falls (2.5hr drive one way) or Ottawa (4 hr drive one way) for games instead of just around Toronto, but he loves it. If he enjoys it and can develop his talent, then that's what matters! Realistically, he is more Messy than Messi and for some reason he supports Spurs and Real Madrid (mainly because of Son, and Vini Jr) but he will learn 😉! I would love to see him run out at the Caledonian Stadium in a Caley Thistle top as a player, rather than a mascot, which he did on that fateful day we were relegated, but there is a long road to travel before he does that for any senior team ... we can dream. Anyhow - will wrap this up now and say I am looking forward to reading more potted histories from others ...

No mention of SPAM would be complete without this ....

I am sure @Robert or someone else from the trust will be along shortly to confirm the legitimacy.

Got it also - the one without the subject went straight to my spam, but the other arrived in my inbox. Looks legit - sent from membermojo which is where you join the trust so likely sent out to their membership list: https://membermojo.co.uk/ictst The email headers also look normal and show no signs of spoofing (albeit I am not a cybersecurity expert so make your own mind up). I watched the video - its a coming soon promo for an event on 10/10/2025 to relive the Scottish Cup triumph.

I like the design - its classic stripes, just the badge I have gripes with, but that's a me problem ;) I wear my older (striped) ICT top to my son's footy practice sometimes and it always draws comments or comparisons mostly with Crystal Palace since they had a good season last year ... this one can go in the rotation too once I am able to get it ordered. I do hope they perhaps think of re-issuing the black one from last year - with either the 30-year logo or the normal badge - as it had ridiculously low stock levels and I think a lot more people would have bought it had it been available.