Scotty

I would think they know each other going by this exchange.

ICT got Kennedy from Rangers on loan and he has lit up the side somewhat. Certainly not been a dud, that's for sure. I would like the club to think along the same lines now and see who they might get in the loan market. We probably get better value and no millstone contracts, allowing us to also hang onto our own promising youngsters. However, how about looking further afield? MLS is a huge player pool for example and with the disruption to the NASL/USL/CPL over here where teams usually send players to get experience they are now looking worldwide for 'partner' clubs according to a face to face chat I had with TFC president Bill Manning in early 2020. I can really only talk about TFC but most teams will have scenarios similar to that which I describe below: Toronto FC sent 3 internationals (1 full, 2 under 23s) out on loan last Season. Noble Okello and Rocco Romeo went to HB Koge in Denmark (Rocco is still there) and Julian Dunn went to Calgary. Ralph Priso, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Jacob Shaffelburg, and Jayden Nelson are all up and comers who have made first team debuts and any one of those would add to our squad, especially Noble Okello (IMO). Ifunanyachi Achara is another candidate. He was drafted by TFC last year and got injured at the start of the season. He will be on the road to recovery now but may need time to get up to full fitness and a loan outside might be beneficial for all concerned. He also counts towards TFC's international spots (Nigerian) so if he is not likely to make first team appearances in 2021 they may want him off the books for a year. He looked really good in the one game he played (his professional debut where he scored and put in a MOTM performance) and his previous (non-professional) playing experience is also impressive. Biggest issue with some of these players might be work permits but now as ex-EU it might be possible? TFC also have an incredible academy (one of the best in North America) which is churning out a lot of players - good players - who might also be options. I am not too familiar with TFC II but Dante Campbell and Nyal Higgins seem the most ready to make the step up and maybe Jordan Peruzza. Lots of options there in just one MLS team - permits permitting - multiply that by 26 teams and you can see its a pretty big pond that is largely unfished yet!

Canada banned flights from the UK for 72 hours when the new variant was discovered in the UK. They have now extended that to January 6th ... but only after 5 cases of the new variant have surfaced here. 2 people on the eastern suburbs of Toronto, 2 in British Columbia on the other side of the country and 1 in Ottawa. Initially none admitted to being in contact with anyone from UK but it turns out that the 1 in Ottawa just arrived from UK and had contact with the two in Toronto and that one of the ones in BC had also just come from UK with the other testing positive being their spouse. The ones in Toronto had omitted to tell of their contact with the person in Ottawa, presumably to try and not get them in trouble as there seems to be some familial connection and they stopped to visit on the way to Ottawa by the sounds of it. Arriving at Toronto airport {or any airport in Canada) and not going directly to your destination to quarantine for 14 days is forbidden right now but until its enforced its like trying to collect water in a colander.

Scotty HT: 1-1 FT: 2-1 1st Scorer ICT: Kennedy 1st Scorer Pars: O'Hara 1st Yellow Card: Brad McKay CDN Girl HT: 0-0 FT: 1-1 1st Scorer ICT: Doran 1st Scorer Pars: McManus 1st Yellow Card: Deas SOS HT: 1-0 FT: 1-0 1st Scorer ICT: Sutherland 1st Scorer Pars: Watson 1st Yellow Card: Devine

Can we get back on topic please. If there is a an issue with a particular post or poster please report the post in the normal manner.

It's similar over here ... our land border with USA is officially closed but flights are still coming in from all over the place, including USA because Canadian citizens and permanent residents have a right to return (obviously). The problem is how returns/movements are handled. We had a trip planned in March and decided to go ahead with it as the locations we were travelling to/from were largely unaffected at the time, the virus seemed localised to certain spots, and we were also travelling with others ... long story short but things went batsh*t crazy in the rest of the world during our trip and we managed to get home (just) However, it was clear on that return journey that Canada and USA were only paying lip service to precautions whereas other, smaller nations, were not. In Seychelles and Kenya they were doing thermal imaging on arrival/departure as well as temperature checks and quarantining people for 14 days in defined locations if they showed any symptoms. When we landed back at JFK in New York - with a hospital ship on its way there to deal with the exponentially increasing COVID numbers - it was 'hey how you doing? Have a nice day' and back in Toronto airport later that same day, it was 'please take this leaflet and consider following protocols' .... We self-quarantined for 14 days on return, did not set food over the threshold until clear, and relied on neighbours/friends to drop a few essentials on our doorstep. Some others do not seem to take it seriously and didn't/do not bother with quarantine. 9 months later, we are back in the 'grey' zone in the city of Toronto which is basically a full lockdown (Tier 5 stuff). Even now the premier of Ontario is complaining to the PM that the federal government (who have control over immigration and airports etc) are still not being more forceful in enforcing the mandatory quarantine on travellers. Meanwhile - back in some of those places we were, which still have comparatively low caseloads, if you choose to land in the airport, you go to a quarantine location for 14 days - at your own cost - and then and only then are you allowed to go about your daily life... and daily life, for the most part in those places is COVID free. On the one hand a 14 day quarantine and lockdown could be viewed as draconian and oppressive but those people who flaunt the rules have ensured that our family have essentially had to quarantine for the last 9 months because I am in a higher risk group due to medical history. I know (knew) a couple of people who have died from COVID and the idea of lying on my front in a hospital bed while connected to a ventilator scares the sh*t out of me. On December 26th, they are putting the entire province in lockdown due to higher numbers, but like Scotland there are very few checks on movement and people are understandably jaded with it all. Some provinces out east did start pulling over cars with out of province license plates and issuing fines if there was not an essential need for them to cross provincial borders, but it's rare. I know we all want to get back to normal, but if we need to endure a little more short-term 'pain' to achieve the long-term gain then perhaps we need to suck-it-up! Bringing it back on topic ... I still don't agree with the Highlands being moved up to the top tier, but this may be some of that short-term pain I am talking about, and in the absence of any real control, or desire to control, movement of non-residents of the area then perhaps it has to be endured. I am really hoping that one or more of these vaccines do knock this thing down. It will never go away completely, but if it can be controlled or minimised with a vaccine we can hopefully get back to some semblance of our new normal next year.

If you dont already, reading @Charles Bannerman figures on Facebook might be right up your alley. He has been saying much the same thing for a while and as an ex-teacher he seems to have an endless supply of graph paper to do things old-school! Very interesting reading and analysis. Overnight, Canada has just banned flights from UK for next 72 hours with a review after that due to the super-strain in the south of England and we ourselves are going back into full lockdown across the province of Ontario at the end of the week (already in lockdown here within Toronto city limits) due to surging numbers that are higher than March but nowhere near the apocalyptic numbers of our neighbours to the south. Is Sturgeon taking lessons from the PM of New Zealand? She got a huge amount of pushback when she shut that country down at the start of the pandemic but look at them now .... one of the few countries to have it eliminated (or technically almost eliminated as there are still a handful of live cases). She won a landslide re-election victory recently, so I guess despite the hardships, the Kiwis know she is doing an excellent job compared to other world leaders.

It's a great appointment for them, and for him too. He did great for ICT, will always be a legend, the guy who took us to our highest league position, who masterminded our first Scottish Cup win, who got us into Europe, and who spoke his mind ... I think he just might keep County up. At ICT, the simple fact is that financially we were not on the same page and drifted apart. What we could afford (and had agreed) for team budgets, and what he wanted were miles apart and that more than anything led to the breakdown at the TCS I believe. Kenny Cameron got a lot of flak for some of the contracts handed out but even he had his limits. Yogi had the highest budget of all our managers, as we were doing so well, but by all accounts wanted more. Part of me cant fault him for that, it shows desire, but as a club we have for the most part tried to stay fiscally responsible and it was not sustainable. If Uncle Roy is happy to continue throwing money around in Dingwall then Yogi may do well. He is typically very good initially and in his first full season or two. It's only after that the wheels start to fall off. Uncle Roy's money may keep those wheels on for a little longer. ... on the bright side, if Deek was even in the frame, he will once again be seething

And still made it back with 10 minutes to spare

Scotty: Morton @ 2.1 CDN Girl : Elgin @ 1.83 SOS: Partick @ 1.53

Scotty HT: 0-0 FT: 1-2 1st Scorer ICT: Sutherland 1st Scorer Alloa: Trouten CDN Girl HT: 0-1 FT: 1-3 1st Scorer ICT: Storey 1st Scorer Alloa: Cawley SOS HT: 1-1 FT: 2-3 1st Scorer ICT: Kennedy 1st Scorer Alloa: Buchanan

indeed. Ian is one of those who tirelessly worked in the background since the club was formed. His stats are second to none and he still keeps them up to date, long after his official retiral. A completely deserved honour.

Short memories indeed - maybe there was a delay in getting the vote to let him in to the boardroom because someone changed their mind halfway through. ... and as for filming, it's the home club who have rights and if Dee fans wanted it, they could PPV it ... I am sure they would not let us film at Dens in the same situation (obviously won't now anyway - but i doubt they would have in the first place). There is a word for folk like him ... starts TW and ends AT

Scotty : Falkirk @ 1.61 CDN Girl : Dunfermline @ 1.61 SOS : Cove Rangers @ 1.66

Scotty HT: 1-1 FT: 2-1 1st Scorer ICT: Sutherland 1st Scorer Dundee: Adam CDN Girl HT: 0-0 FT: 1-0 1st Scorer ICT: Keatings 1st Scorer Dundee: Cameron SOS HT: 0-1 FT: 1-1 1st Scorer ICT: Kennedy 1st Scorer Dundee: Mullen

Scotty - Ayr @ 2.15 CDN Girl - Stranraer @ 2.33 SOS - Airdrie @ 2.15

Scotty HT: 0-0 FT: 1-1 1st Scorer ICT: Sutherland 1st Scorer Queens: Dobbie CDN Girl HT: 0-1 FT: 1-2 1st Scorer ICT: Keatings 1st Scorer Queens: Joseph SOS HT: 1-0 FT: 1-3 1st Scorer ICT: Kennedy 1st Scorer Queens: Shields

That's us reached the target so going to close it off in the site store now. Many thanks to those who participated. I think we got there in record time this year. If there are a bunch of people who still want to participate please let me know in this thread and we may look to do an additional item. We haven't had that for a few years but can look into it if we get another 10-15 interested people.

any more for any more ??? Many thanks to all those who already subscribed. Just bumping this up because we have 6 spots left and a few folk in the poll who said they would take part that haven't yet.

Scotty - Cove @ 2.0 CDN Girl - Partick @ 2.0 SOS - Edinburgh City @ 2.1

A shame ... great player, but like many great players, flawed and susceptible to outside influences that cut short career and life. Off to add star power to the George Best XI now. RIP. We all love the 'hand of Maradona' goal from '86 but his second in that game has to have been one of the greatest individual goals ever scored at a World Cup (after Archie Gemmill of course). Also found this 50 best skill moments video that have some amazing moves in it. Wow. What a player and what a shame.

Pretty poor show whoever was trying to get the club in trouble for this. They did their best, and it sounds like they did what they could in the circumstances to get some people back in the ground and they did so by following the protocols in place. There are plenty of things we can ream the club about - communication, crappy automated camera work, all sorts of things but trying to be able to get bums back on seats to watch the footie should not be one of them. Like someone else mentioned I also think it may not have been someone at the actual game, instead, I think it might be someone with an axe to grind for some reason. If it was someone who was at the game, then they should quite simply give themselves a good shake! and perhaps not attend any future games even when COVID is over. COVID is here, COVID is real and FFS if you must wait 15-20 minutes to get in so that rudimentary health checks can take place then that's the cost of being able to get to a game in person! I have also waited longer over here in a lineup to get into a supermarket! We also obviously have contracts in place for security and such like and if the security company need to go to a wider pool to get staff then, provided they are also following protocols, then so be it. Local would be best, but it's not always possible. I would love to have been able to see TFC this season, but not only can they not play in front of any fans in Toronto right now, (especially since we are back in lockdown since Monday) but they can't even play in Canada because our borders to the USA are closed, so they had to move to there for the season! Their first game in the playoffs is tonight and it should be here in Toronto - instead, its in Hartford CT in an empty stadium and only a TV audience.

Pledged/Paid List @Scotty @TheMantis @TheMantis @Robert @Robert @Tree @IBM @IBM @tm4tj @tm4tj @tm4tj @Caley Mad In Berks @The_Sponge @The_Sponge @The_Sponge @weeman @Wanderer @Wanderer @Naelifts @ICT29 @snorbens_caleyman @snorbens_caleyman @jagster @TheCaleyOne @Row S @HawkeyeTheGnu @ilpadrino @Moogthurso @Moogthurso @Moogthurso @old caley girl

Its time for Player Sponsorship for the 2020/2021 season. PLAYER TO BE SPONSORED: We have decided to continue sponsorship of CAMERON HARPER's Home Top. If we reach additional milestones, we will look to add sponsorship for other players for 'lesser' items.: COST Home Shirt - £450 inc vat HOW TO TAKE PART To take part in this sponsorship you will need to upgrade your site membership and join the "Player Sponsor" group. We in turn will use the money received from these memberships (minus PayPal fees) to purchase player sponsorships from the club. We will set all memberships - regardless of when ordered - to end on June 1st of each year. This allows us time each year to gauge the interest in continuing for the following season. The cost to join this group is £16.00 (this amounts to £15.00 joining fee plus £1 to cover the PayPal fees). You may purchase multiple memberships if you wish, just amend the total in your shopping cart and add a note when placing the order if it is to cover family members who may not officially be site members!!! ALL MEMBERS: To join the group simply go to this page http://caleythistleonline.com/store/ or access the CTO Store from the main menu at the top (under shop). All our site membership upgrades are handled securely via PayPal's platform which will accept direct payment from most credit/debit cards so it should be easy enough to upgrade your membership whether you live in Sneck or somewhere thousands of miles from there. CASH MEMBERSHIPS: We do NOT take cash payments. Everything needs to go through Paypal. Once we know how many members have joined the group, we will decide on what gets sponsored. The first item will be the selected player's Home Kit ... but the more members who upgrade to "Player Sponsor" membership, the more we can sponsor. At the end of the season, members of our sponsor group will be selected at random to receive any gifts we may receive from the club. For any events that occur during the season (like sponsors nights or meet and greets etc.) we will offer first refusal to members of the sponsor group to attend as our representative. Eligibility will also depend on any COVID restrictions in place at the time. If you are interested, please add your name to this thread or go ahead and join the sponsor group. You will be marked as once we confirm payment received via membership upgrade .... EDIT: As questions are raised in the thread, we will clarify any that need a response below: Technically the payment is listed as a 'subscription' when you pay, but that is internal to this site only and is done this way so that in a year's time it will generate an invoice on here allowing existing members to renew (if they wish) or to let it expire. Renewal (or not) is at the user's discretion and as far as paypal is concerned it's a one-off payment and there will be no automatic re-billing from their side.

Try googling 'caleythistleonline'. Apparently I have 33 employees and a turnover of $2.8m per year ... I would sure love to know where it all goes!