Scotty

:rotflmao: - I am trying so hard to not make a comment about Dundee and the "less hygenic pupils" ...... trying .... :crazy07: ...... :crazy07: ......... :crazy07:

Yesterday night they were in some white training top with no badge on the front. The white top had the ICT crest and Flybe on it. Going by what TCF says....blue, red then white I'd go for all black tonight. It had Flybe on the front but no badge from what can be seen in the photos. The white top has an errea symbol in the middle of the chest (just under the V-neck) and the Flybe logo just below that. There is no ICT logo on it although the shorts did have an ICT logo. The blue, red, and yellow training tops also appear to be of a similar design.

To the tune of 'who ate all the pies' Who is Niculae ..... Who is Niculae ..... He's the Guy that makes us Fly .... That is Niculae ..... sorry, best I can do ... but at least "guy" is another word other than "pie" that rhymes with Niculae !!!

Cant see that on their website .... but those ARE the two on trial at the moment .. in fact we have three Austrians ... Bauer, Taboga and Pusic

actually ... TCF was already worried about him scoring for Celtic against us before he signed :015: :015: As CD says, following ICT since its birth has been a fair old rollercoaster ride and although I'm not too keen on rollercoasters, this is one ride that has been worth it all the way..... compared to 3 or 4 weeks ago, I am now looking forward to the new season with some optimism and both Niculae, McDonald and the actions of the management in casting their net wide in the search for players have a lot to do with that.

I actually thought she was being complimentary towards you not antagonistic !!! - anyhoo, all this is off topic. please keep to the subject being discussed and take any love or hate fests to the message system or somewhere else.

Tend to agree with you Gillian .... If Ian can keep a lid on the temper (control it but not lose it entirely from his game) like he did a few times last season then interesting times are ahead.

with a common sense attitude like that, I wish you would post more ... it would save us a lot of work ! :015: :015:

I think Gordy means that out of those on the list, McArthur is seldom if ever mentioned whereas Sheerin, Calder, Teasdale, Mann and even Herchie get a good few mentions on here. In fact, Iain has probably been mentioned more times in this thread than on th whole site in the last 5 years despite his contribution to the early days of the club. Mike Noble could also be said to have less mentions than he perhaps deserves too.

If Charlie teams up the diminutive Deano with new signing Niculae will our strike force be called Nik (&) Nak ?? ..... Nic(ulae) just signed, and it was Herve Villechaize who played a character by that name on Fantasy Island ....... sure Don can photoshop this .....

I think that would depend on whether or not he would still be classed as a "Trialist", I'm guessing that as he has been signed subject to Work Permit that it may exclude him from playing in that capacity. or can he play because he isnt technically signed until the work permit is granted ? guess we will find out from the team lines ......

feck me .... thought you meant CaleyD when I first read this post !!! Like CaleyD, whose glass is once again half-full, I feel a bit more relieved at the press release. Apart from a minor quibble about them actually getting his International appearances wrong, the rest of the content of the release is heartening indeed. He's taken a significant reduction in what he first wanted in wages, Orion are presumably paying the overflow between the upper limit of the wage structure and the final salary, and just the tone in general gives the impression that we are indeed beginning to move forward without putting ourselves in financial jeopardy. :021: :021:

davieB .... perhaps I am seeming to be on both sides of the fence on this one, and thats because I am. I applaud the club for their ambition but its a risk and I am glad that its CC and GB who have to decide whether to take that risk rather than me ! This is what I posted on the "Niculae to play in Elgin" thread ...... "I can see both sides here ... and both could be right as far as I am concerned. The player has openly said that he wants to play in the SPL in the hope he will get a dream move to either the OF or to England. He therefore sees ICT as a stepping stone to that goal. In that respect it would be reasonable to assume that he will try hard, score goals and do everything he can to put himself in the shop window ..... On the other hand, here is a player, who if you look at his stats has gone from a great early career that saw him banging in goals left right and centre for both club and country and then being snapped up by one of the traditionally big European clubs to a recent career blighted by injury and a drought in front of goal that saw his career take a downward turn as he went from Lisbon to Liege and then Mainz ..... could he be a dud looking for a pay cheque or like Dargo and many others before him, could he be a player whose career ICT resurrects ? Its a bold move, and if he does what his early career shows he can do then he may well earn ICT as much as he costs with vital goals to take us to the top 6 or to a cup final .... This is one that CC and GB need to carefully consider and make a judgement based on what they see in training or friendlies rather than be blinded (or blindsided) by his credentials or the recommendations of Hagi/Popescu"

strange logic ... lets not sign him in case he scores against us in a couple of years time !!! oh, and i said another striker !

I think a lot of this has to do with nervousness ...... will he be any good, is he a dud looking for a fat pay cheque, will he create disharmony amongst other players because of his wages ....... I have an open mind about the signing but I have to say I am also nervous. As I said on another thread, if he does sign then it could go a couple of ways .... He might be a revelation, fully committed, giving 100%, banging in goals and truly be excellent with the end result that he helps us reach the top six, maybe reach a cup final and actually generates more money for the club than he costs us before he inevitably departs. In that scenario it is an inspired signing and because the player has openly said from the start that he wants to eventually go to OF or England then we cant say it came as a surprise. On the other hand, what if we cant get the best out of him and he doesnt score goals, doesnt try hard or his performances are hampered because his team-mates ostracise him either because of his wages, the language barrier or maybe even his ego (no-one has said what he's like yet - is he a team player or is he another Fetai ?) ..... then its no longer an inspired signing. Its a risk - and I trust CC and GB to come to the right decision based on what they have seen in dealings with the player and in training and maybe even a run-out in tonights game (?) As far as the club are concerned then they get :021: :021: :021: from me ..... Well done to them for finally starting to show some ambition. Whether this player signs or not, we are finally looking somewhere other than Dingwall for replacement players. 7 players on trial right now from 5 different countries and Deano already signed. This is the start of the next level in ICT's development.

In this case it would be a symbiotic relationship .... yes we would be being used by the player in an effort to get a big move, but we would also be receiving the benefit of his services (and 100% effort) as he tries to make that move a reality ..... I would be more concerned if he plays badly and doesnt get a move as that costs us more money ! Turn your scenario on its head for a minute .... would you turn down goals that maybe saw us climb into the top six ? or that took us through to a cup final this season ? Apart from potentially helping the club to progress, there is a lot of money at stake for each place higher we finish in the table or for reaching the latter stages of the cup, not to mention the higher gates for more attractive fixtures after the split if we do indeed make the top six ... if he can be one part of the complete jigsaw that helps us do that then fair play to him and good luck to him when he moves on .... Back to your scenario - If Celtic didnt buy him, they would still probably buy another striker who had the potential to score against ICT .... but hopefully Deano would get a couple to ensure we win it 2-1 :003:

Sorry PIG but somethinmg is not quite right about this one. :018: I can see both sides here ... and both could be right as far as I am concerned. The player has openly said that he wants to play in the SPL in the hope he will get a dream move to either the OF or to England. He therefore sees ICT as a stepping stone to that goal. In that respect it would be reasonable to assume that he will try hard, score goals and do everything he can to put himself in the shop window ..... On the other hand, here is a player, who if you look at his stats has gone from a great early career that saw him banging in goals left right and centre for both club and country and then being snapped up by one of the traditionally big European clubs to a recent career blighted by injury and a drought in front of goal that saw his career take a downward turn as he went from Lisbon to Liege and then Mainz ..... could he be a dud looking for a pay cheque or like Dargo and many others before him, could he be a player whose career ICT resurrects ? Its a bold move, and if he does what his early career shows he can do then he may well earn ICT as much as he costs with vital goals to take us to the top 6 or to a cup final .... This is one that CC and GB need to carefully consider and make a judgement based on what they see in training or friendlies rather than be blinded (or blindsided) by his credentials or the recommendations of Hagi/Popescu

So this is a form being sent to a guy who is not in a position to count the votes at the moment rather than a poll which is easier to secure and prevent from abuse ? If they are not ready to receive votes/emails why put it on the site ? I just dont understand that.

As I said, they are a decent side and have a few internationals - Mathis, Reyna, Angel etc. I was at the Toronto V NYRB game and it was a classic game of two halves. Toronto dominated the first half but NY did likewise in the second and ended up winning 2-1. I reckon they would have close games against any of the SPL other than the OF .... would win some, would lose some .... If I had to pick a position, I would say "Kilmarnock" - comfortable top 6 usually but can win/lose on any given day depending on which version of the team turns up.

added a new story so we can keep track of the multiple trialists !!!!! see frontpage of site : http://www.caleythistleonline.com/index.php

they are a decent side so would do OK.

What a list ...... each and every one of them is an ICT legend in their own way and thanks for the mini-resumes Charles although I think it might be a little unfair that we cant vote on Charlie as a player because he is now manager and not "away from the club". Here is the link for supporters to[url=http://www.mfr.co.uk/Article.asp?id=440108] VOTE My 5 ..... Jim Calder Bobby Mann Paul Cherry Paul Sheerin Mike Teasdale

You mean the New York Red Bull's :rotflmao: ... Incidentally, Red Bull also bought Austria Salzburg and renamed them FC Red Bull Salzburg !!

oh, in that case, it probably means that Charlie bought a romain lettuce at Tesco !!!

Lothar Mattheus played a total of 16 games in the MLS ... 7 years ago ... and I am sure he is not wrong - the quality would have been terrible as the MLS was only formed in 1994 (coincidentally) and was exactly what you described - a dumping ground for past it stars to pick up a pay cheque. Just think of how far Caley Thistle have come in the same timescale ... in our early years we were playing at Cliftonhill, Ochilview and Firs Park and our hospitality suite was a portakabin beside the wooden stand, now its Celtic Park, Ibrox and Hampden and at least some executive and dining suites in the main stand. In our early years we had international superstars like Vetle Andersen but recently we have had the likes of Juanjo, Dargo and now the possibility of Austrian, French or Romanian players of a decent calibre (perhaps) .... in other words, things change !! I have said it numerous times. The MLS does not rival the English Premier League, nor does it match up to La Liga, the Bundesliga or Serie A. However, outside the Old Firm, I think most MLS teams would give Scottish (SPL) teams a good test and unlike the SPL where ticket prices are driving fans out of the game, the MLS is growing in stature and bringing fans in in droves (as i mentioned - TFC season tickets are sold out for at least the next three years because of the waiting list they have for them and the owners are already failing to deny that they will consider building a second tier of seats round the ground or part of the ground). The refereeing is (for the most part) terrible, the commentators are worse, and some of the play can be schoolboy stuff but when you see a decent team playing it can be as good as, if not better than some games in the SPL.