Scotty

EWS / Libero Fair comments. noted.

Thats a very sweeping statement ...... let me ask something a little less sweeping and a tad more specific ..... what would you have us do to change that situation ?? To my mind, its a no-win situation ..... if we delete/sanitise all criticism then we get accusations of censorship, burying our heads in the sand or catering to only a small clique of users (trust me, I know all about this after running the site as an official one for 5 years) ..... if we let people say what they want we get comments like yours ..... If we are to stop people from criticising then perhaps we should also delete the praise that is made of the team or the manger so that everything can be bland, non-controversial and we can all sit on the fence ?? Bottom line, as far as I am concerned is that we are now an independent and unofficial fan site that gives people the opportunity to express their views whether positive or negative. We no longer have to sanitise our content as we did in the past and will heap praise on the club when they get it right but we will also keep a close eye on them and question them if we think things are wrong. At the end of the day those involved in running the site are all ICT supporters and we will usually lean towards praise but we are not going to get all hot and bothered when criticism of the club comes along as sometimes it is justified. Users are free to post their comments and viewpoints (both positive and negative) and you are free to agree, disagree or post your own rebuttal to those comments. We will move posts that we feel are in the wrong place but unless something is wholly inappropriate or against the terms of service users agree to when they sign up then we will not delete them. If that forces you to look for ICT content elsewhere because you 'dont like the site anymore' then so be it. I actually enjoy reading all of the comments on here whether I agree with them or not. Most of it is no different than what you will hear in a pub before or after a game, and lets face it, in our own minds (especially after a few beers) we can all do a better job at managing, motivating and getting our tactics right than Paterson, Robertson, Brewster & Christie combined !!! Lets also add a few facts to the mix ..... FACT - The performance against Dunfermline was ATROCIOUS and drew heavy criticism. Overall, much of this criticism was justified. Those who are 'known' as perpetual criticisers were out in force and if you are honest with yourself you probably agreed with at least a portion of what they said ... I know that I did !! FACT - Charlie Christie made an emotional comment about resigning. This 'rumour' was not started here it was something said in the changing room and leaked from there to the press by one of the players as far as we know. Why did he say it ? Why did a player or players leak it ? This is of course a huge talking point so bound to get people from each end of the spectrum discussing it from different viewpoints on a site that is provided for fans of the club to discuss the club. Would you rather send a letter to the editor of the newspaper ? FACT - The performance against Rangers was EXCELLENT and should draw heavy praise. Whether you are a fan of CC or not there can be no doubt that he had a hard decision to make when Dods was sent off and although obvious that Caff would have to come on it was perhaps not so obvious to him as to who to sacrifice. As some have said, the obvious choice is a striker but would we have stood a chance of scoring with only one striker ? At the end of the day he didnt make a rash substitution, he took a few minutes to weigh up his options and then took off Markus and this proved to be a good move. He would have got slagged if it backfired, but it didnt and all credit to both CC and the team for that performance. FACT - Our record against the 'big' teams is pretty impressive - undefeated against both Rangers and Aberdeen this season for example but our record against the 'smaller' teams is not so good and I actually agree with Clacher that the next 7 are more important than the Rangers game. If we are to stay in the SPL for seasons to come then we need to regularly win games against the likes of Dunfermline, St Mirren, Falkirk, Dundee Utd, Motherwell who are our compatriots in the bottom six and also get better results against the non-OF teams in the top six. If we can do it against Rangers and Celtic then there is no reason why we should be incapable of doing it against any other team. Does this make me one of the anti-CC crowd or negative ?? some might think so .... but personally, I dont think it does. I am 100% behind CC and think he will 'grow' into the role of manager in much the same way that JR or CB will continue to grow as managers. I think he has done a **** of a lot correctly but I also concede that he has made mistakes - a human failing not a CC failing. Since we went unofficial again I feel I have been able to dish out praise where its due but also make criticisms where they were due so from that point of view I actually think the site is better .......

A point that Charlie made quite clearly in his post match interview (see match report on front page)

at least you can listen to it ....... The SPL are having a 'sports tourism' workshop soon, to try and discuss ways that they can encourage ex-pats and those in other countries to come visit Scotland either for or including visits to SPL matches ...... I have a suggestion for them .... find a way to actually let people listen to the feckin game and you might stand a chance !!!

Dods sent off in 14 minutes - straight red card - professional foul according to sky. Charlie Adam scores from resultant free kick .... b0llox

[li]Discuss the game in this thread right here :004:[/li] [li]Get to the chatroom HERE[/li] [li]See the subs / bookings / report HERE[/li] [li]At the game ? - Dont forget to vote in the POLL after the game has ended. LINEUPS RANGERS [attach=1] ICT [attach=2]

Good move for Partick !! didnt much like him when he was at Rangers but there is no doubting that he along with Tony Mowbray were two of the more straight talking SPL managers in recent years. Good luck to them both.

Flashes of brilliance surrounded by periods of inactivity and laziness .... a joy to watch when on his game but frustrating when he couldnt be @rsed ..... here's a few 'memories' (courtesy of some old pictures I have that were supplied by Gordon Gillespie, Mantis and others) [attach=1] [attach=2] [attach=3] [attach=4] [attach=5]

No. He is playing for them because he has been solid for us ever since he returned to the club and deserves to be back in the squad. I have never been Richard's biggest fan, and indeed published a scathing article about him when he left us. However, as with most football stories there are two sides to every one of them and I can assure you (via impeccable sources) that we most definitely only heard one side at the time and that it was spun so effectively that it met itself coming back !!! Like most, I bought the spin hook-line-and-sinker but heard the real story a few years later when he was playing on the continent. Turning to the Canadian national side ..... Yes indeed, Canada have a mediocre team at the moment - football is not the national sport and although hundreds of thousands of kids play it every day in school, and there are thousands of after-hours/weekend 'soccer' leagues across the country, until very recently any half decent players had to head for foreign climes to ply their trade or just give up when they reached a certain age and turn their attention to Hockey, Basketball, Baseball or even Lacrosse which has traditionally been a higher paying career than 'soccer' as there was no clear route to a higher level within Canada. With all due respect to teams like the Toronto Lynx or Vancouver Whitecaps, they are on a par with the lower leagues of Scotland and when compared to other sports watching or participating in these leagues is not very attractive. In the last 6 months, the momentum and interest for football has been gathering speed, especially in Toronto. It is being plugged on TV on an almost daily basis, and the increase in its profile is amazing. This is due in no small way to Toronto FC being awarded an MLS franchise which will finally give young Canadian players a "goal" to aim for (pardon the pun) and a chance to actually make a career in their own country at a decent level. Toronto FC has sold out of season tickets (14,000) and half season tickets and other packages are being snapped up frantically and most of this happened even before the announcement that Beckham would sign for LA Galaxy and likely make his North American debut in Toronto. The national side has been plagued with ineffective management both of the team and its national body and recently the heads of both have been replaced. The side is currently managed by a 'caretaker' manager who hopes to get the job permanently and he seems to have given an indication with this squad that he will ditch the traditional method of picking players that has existed in the last few years which was to pretty much pick only Canadians playing in Canada [equivalent to Alex McLeish picking only players from SFL2 & 3] and instead cast his net to pick the best Canadians regardless of where they play. With Toronto FC committed to having a core of Canadian players, increased interest in the media, and hundreds of thousands of kids playing the game and now seeing a possible career in it, dont be surprised if Canada starts climbing the rankings quite dramatically .... It might take several years, but ignore them at your peril :004:

Just about crashed the car last night as one of the radio talk shows I listen to on the way home from work started discussing a man who had been banned from his local bar for farting ....... they went on to describe how it was really noticeable after the smoking ban took effect in Scotland ..... (thats when i almost crashed :015: :015:). We dont hear many stories from Scotland on Talk Radio in Toronto but this was a right hoot .... with many references to Royally Rifting, Aromatic Anuses (or not), Methane Mixers, and Singing like Britney Spears, the show had me in stitches all the way home ..... audience verdict, about 95% agreed he should be banned while the others wondered how the pub hadn't caught fire in the previous seven years when smokers lit up right beside him :015: :015: :015: http://forum.dafc.net/read.php?f=7&i=248882&t=248722 http://www.dunfermlinepress.com/news/story.php?story_id=411 (I am sure CaleyD can do something with the pic on here :015: :015:)

Much like Prince Harry :015: :015: :015:

Got this note from the club about reserve fixtures ......... Please note that the reserve home fixture against Rangers FC has now been re-arranged to Tuesday the 17th April. The full schedule of remaining reserve fixtures are as follows; Monday 2nd April v Rangers FC (Away) Tuesday 10th April v Hearts FC (Away) Tuesday 17th April v Rangers FC (Home) Tuesday 1st May v Dunfermline Athletic FC (Home)

Or two - :003:_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ _ _______ :004: or maybe just enclose the letters hr inside square brackets for a nice red line :004:

If F8 saw that, he would at the very least look like he had seen a ghost :015: :015: :015:

Yes, it was me who miscalculated .... 18 home, 20 away last season, 19-19 this season. Although the SPL try to make it 19-19 each season, they also try to look at the overall games over 2 seasons and had the opportunity to make it 38-38 instead of 37-39 by reversing the St Mirren fixture. We have played other teams 3 times at home or 3 times away in the past, so it wouldnt have been a big leap. Also, we should not be playing our last game away from home two seasons in a row. .... think of it ...... 4000 crowd (approx) at 20 quid a head (average) .... and we are losing out on near 80 grand revenue because of this imbalance.

Got the actual fixtures right, if not the order. However that raises another question ....... 37 home games in 2 seasons and 39 away games, with 3 away games after the split and ending the season with an away game for the second season running .......... shame really, especially as the SPL had the perfect opportunity to draw up a fair list. [edited to read 37-39 not 36-40]

think we will let 'DJS' answer that one ...... watch out GRABE, he's behind you ........... :015: :015: :015:

you could pick any quantity or any set of consecutive games, but 11 games - 1 game against each team - is a pretty fair indication as it doesnt exclude any teams or have more than one game against any team.

depends on the chunks .... I agree that posting the last 6 or a set of 6 from anywhere you choose might be manipulated to suit the result you want to achieve in your point. However, splitting it into 3 groups of 11 is realistic enough ... its one game against each of our divisional opponents and then another set of 11 games against the same opponents and another etc etc etc.

try YEARS ago. The SPL have a 'fixture skeleton' and 'golden rules' that are applied to fixtures. Unfortunately, these dont work very well when you are trying to split the fixtures fairly !!! I see two SPL headaches as far as ICT fixtures are concerned. In 05/06 we played 18 home and 20 away (2H-3A after the split) so we should get 20 home and 18 away this season as its supposed to balance out over 2 seasons. However, this season we have played 17 home and 16 away so another season with 2 homes and 3 aways would give us a perfect 19-19 split over the season but a 37-39 split over two seasons. so do they go for the 19-19 this season (which is the aim each year) or 38-38 over two seasons (which is fair). (headache #1) The fixtures themselves should be easy to work out as the same teams are in the bottom 6 this year as were there last year (except Livi / St Mirren). Again, over the course of two seasons, the fixtures are supposed to work out as even as possible and although we have played most at home/away twice each year there are a couple where its 3-1 or 1-3. Motherwell - 05/06=2H-2A, 06/07=1H-2A (3H-4A over two seasons) ----- prediction HOME Dundee Utd - 05/06=2H-2A, 06/07=2H-1A (4H-3A over two seasons) ----- prediction AWAY Dunfermline - 05/06=1H-3A, 06/07=2H-1A (3H-4A over two seasons) ----- prediction HOME Falkirk - 05/06=2H-2A, 06/07=2H-1A (4H-3A over two seasons) ----- prediction AWAY St Mirren - 05/06=N/A, 06/07=2H-1A - if the SPL go for a 19-19 split of games for this season then this should be AWAY. However, if the SPL look at 05/06 and use games V Livi to do the 2 season total (V Livi in 05/06 was 1H-3A) then this may be a HOME fixture giving us a total of 38 home and 38 away over two seasons........ (headache #2) Prediction : SPL to make it an AWAY fixture and our list to look like this (and in this order based on fixture order of first 33 games) 1. V St Mirren (A) 2. V Motherwell (H) 3. V Dundee Utd (A) 4. V Dunfermline (H) 5. V Falkirk (A)

comments in the Courier seem to show he is learning ....... FULL ARTICLE QUOTE FROM COURIER The loss has deflated manager Christie and left him questioning the quality of his players. “I’ve had a lot more experienced guys in my office telling me not to get too despondent,” said Christie. “I take the whole thing on my shoulders and I sometimes take too much responsibility whereas I haven’t passed the buck onto the players at all, but the players have to take responsibility for performances like that — there’s no doubt. They like to take the plaudits when they get it, so let them bare a bit of the brunt of it alongside myself for a change and it’s not often you’ll hear me say things like that.” Christie described it as a crux period for the club and said that it was not enough that the players only perform at their best when they meet tough opposition. He revealed that he has spoken to former Caley Thistle boss Steve Paterson — currently manager at Peterhead — about how Inverness can progress and agreed that he may need to be more ruthless in doing so. “I’ve been exceedingly loyal to this group of players and if anyone in the changing room says otherwise then they’re not telling the truth and I would be disappointed,” said Christie. “I think it is a crux for the club and we need to look at things and how we take it forward because we aspire to the top six, but sometimes I do wonder if we have enough quality to get ourselves in there?”

The club have asked us to publicise the following information. Please note that the above game is ALL TICKET Strathclyde Police have REFUSED to allow Rangers to sell tickets to ICT fans from their ticket office on the day of the game (which Rangers have done in the past) and so anyone wishing to attend the game on 31/3/07 MUST purchase their ticket(s) in advance from ICT ticket office.

The blurring of boundaries is a common trap in management (in any business) when you have worked your way up from the 'shop floor' and then find yourself in a position of responsibility. Charlie spent many years as just another one of the lads, playing his football, getting on with the Centenary Club business and getting the craic with players and staff alike. He is now suddenly in charge of the most visible portion of the club (albeit by choice) and in this situation it can be difficult both for the manager and 'his staff' to be aware of the clear demarcation between past and present roles. The fact that he is in the public eye makes it even harder. Some players (and staff) may respect the fact that he has worked his way up from the bottom and has been there, done that, pulled all the dodges etc, whereas others may think its still an old pals act and not pull their weight, and yet others may think that he is just a local boy who has no profile on the national stage. I think we have seen the signs of this on the park at times and in comments from posters on here. From Charlie's point of view, it must also be difficult ... he may still want to be one of the lads, but he also has to be manager and those two roles cannot always co-exist. He has long standing relationships with many people at the club and his new role has changed those relationships whether he likes it or not. Does he become a complete b****** and rule with an iron fist ? or does he become a pushover where certain players (pals) are concerned ? Its a very hard line to walk and I sympathise with this problem as I have experienced it in my own business life. It took me a long time to adjust my style to one which I feel comfortable with and I went through both personas I described above during that time (complete b***** / pushover) before finally managing to get it somewhere in the middle which works for me. Charlie has ICT running through his veins, he wants to win every game, and like most of us he gets severely p***** off when that doesnt happen. For those of us who watched him as a player, or who know him in person we know just how much he wants to win and how passionate/emotional he can get about that ... does anyone remember his interview on Radio Scotland after the Feb8 match ? (he was furious that ICT were 18-1 to win and used it as motivation), or the many occasions on the park where he clearly showed frustration when things werent going right. At the end of the day I do not believe CC has ever sent out a team which he thought would lose but as with anyone who is alive, he is human, he is fallible, and he makes mistakes. Unlike most people however, who can f*** up with relative anonymity, he must do all of this in the public eye at the stadium and in the national press. Despite threads where I have criticised our current form, or questioned certain decisions or media comments, I am still behind CC 100%. I think he can continue to grow as a manager and if he can begin to feel comfortable in the role things will fall into place. Perhaps he does need a mentor - the 'NAME' as IHE suggested - someone who could help him, who has contacts that Charlie may not, and who could also perhaps fill a role as PR spokesperson for the club as it does seem abundantly clear that Charlie is not comfortable with the (national) media aspect of his role. Talking to Paul Chalk, Charles Bannerman et all is fine as he has known them for a long time and there is a level of trust there, but the national media is a different beast as we are all aware. As to his comments in the dressing room that "I could walk away in the summer" .... I am in agreement with Kencar .... From this comment and other recent ones in the press - like the two i used in the match report for Saturday's game - I believe he may be realising that he has been too lenient on certain players that are part of the 'old pals' group and is telling them that the old pals act is out the window and if someone else were manager they simply would not tolerate it .... and neither will he from now on. It is a clear "shape up or ship out" message. I for one am delighted that he (allegedly) 'read the riot act' to the team after Saturday's performance. If I am right (and I concede that this could all be a croc of **** if I am not), then he has learned lessons from recent weeks where performances were not acceptable, where tactics were perhaps questionable, where media comments were taken out of context and where 'in context' comments were made that perhaps shouldnt have been. while I dont want him to make any mistakes, that is not realistic. However if, as it seems from this weeks comments, he is learning from them then he will continue to have my support.

i think they do Gringo - Charlie has certainly made reference to stuff posted on the boards before and my guess is that many from the management side, playing side and admin side regularly keep an eye on what's being posted on here... In fact I'd be more than surprised if they didn't..... There are quite a number of usernames registered from the stadium, some contribute to the discussions on the site or post info, and some just lurk :wave01: ... As many know, when he was commercial manager CC would post every month with results of the Centenary Club so he is no stranger to the site. I also know that if there is a particularly "juicy" thread, it tends to get printed off and passed around some of the stadium staff !!! Site users may be responsible for starting some of the more controversial talking points, but despite some suggestions to the contrary, it would appear that the news of this 'resignation threat' emanated from a well trodden 'leak path' from the stadium and not from anywhere or anyone on here.

how exactly does one do this? PC with TV capture card and relevant software ...... Alternatively, perhaps the BBC could make it available to CaleyThistleOnline or to the club and it can be put on here and/or the official site ? ..... over to you and your BBC contacts Charles :004: