Scotty

I understood you perfectly CaleyD .... just disagreed. An ICT match is obviously not viable outside the UK (unless playing one of the OF) as Setanta make it ridiculously impossible to watch anyone other than the OF (and even thats a rigmarole). To a certain extent I can understand this thinking as a couple of hundred ICT supporters dotted around the globe would hardly bring in as much money as 10s of thousands of the displaced OF fans so expecting to see a live ICT game on TV or making setanta tv available domestically in north america is perhaps a pipe dream as they themselves would not be able to attract advertisers. However, I dont see why they dont market the highlights package to a company like Fox Sports World (ie. SKY !!) or TSN (Canadian Sports Channel). Failing that, it would be nice to be able to pay to view the feed from the game on their website if it was available - something with far less overhead as we both know - and that just doesnt happen. Moving over to domestic televising of games - I disagree that it should be blacked out because I think those who are able to get to the game will still go to it .... Your idea would penalise the likes of Mantis, RiG, Naelifts, Govan Jaggie, Coias etc because, through no fault of their own, the game is now being played (for example) on a Monday night but only broadcast outside the UK. Unless they have a helicopter standing by, they just could not get to it and to stop them viewing it would be madness as they couldnt get there anyway. I dont know what the answer is but a 'one size fits all' solution like blacking out the game is not workable as one size never fits all (again ... something we both know :015:) ... we have to live with Setanta and the SPL in their decisions about which games to televise, but if they are not making sensible suggestions, then perhaps they could have pressure put on them by official supporters organisations to actually establish a dialogue so that fans or fans associations could help them come up with a solution where everyone wins or at least where common sense prevails ....

He's not a world beater, his name is never mentioned over here when it comes to Canadian 'soccer' and the international team, and he is not the best left back in the SPL. BUT he is the best left back we have at the club at the moment and should be an automatic choice for the starting spot unless/until his performances drop. I agree with those that say he gives us an attacking option on the left and also with the reasons why this is not as effective as the tokely/wilson partnership on the right flank. Would like to see Hastings/Morgan or why not give Hastings/Zander a go ... he's left sided and by all accounts very exciting to watch ? Given that RH takes the field in an ICT shirt, the ICT supporters should do just that and support the guy. I used to get really p***** off at the treatment some dished out to Paul Ritchie and I think RH falls into a similar category (along with the likes of Russell Duncan) where they dont do too much wrong but cant do right for doing wrong in some supporters eyes, whilst other players can wander about with a finger up their erse and be seen as messiahs !!! As I said earlier in the thread, I was one of the most vocal and scathing in my verbal attacks on him when he left the club the first time round, but time has moved on, the true story may not be quite what we were told at the time, he has come back to the club (a brave move) and hasnt done anything to merit the flak he is getting. C'mon, the guy had the sense to come back to ICT - lets forgive him !!!

dont agree - The TV companies are both devils and angels. Devils because they move stuff around the schedules making life difficult for the customers, yet angels because without them and the revenue they put into Scottish football many teams, OURS INCLUDED would simply not be commercially viable. You only have to look at our accounts in the seasons when we progressed in the cups to see the effect of TV revenue. They are what you might call 'a necessary evil'. Disagree again. As an ICT fan, if I were able to get to a game, I would go simple as that. However we have many fans who live outside the town, country or even continent who cant organise travel (whether thats for a saturday/sunday game or an evening game) and also many fans who are students or lower paid and who have to pick and choose games because of finances. CaleyD ... I fear the solution is not as simple as you suggest and although the TV companies and SPL give no thought to the punters in moving the games, which they should, one of the root causes of the malaise is the product itself. A league where teams play each other 3 or 4 times a season plus maybe twice more in cups just doesnt fire up the imagination in the way it might if there were 15/17/19 other teams that you were guaranteed to play twice per season and maybe meet in the cup. As has been said earlier in the thread, a small league like this also jacks up the fear factor for relegation and teams are scared to play for fear of getting a bad result and we end up with the turgid effluent that 3517 poor souls had to endure on Saturday. I dont have the formula for making it all better - I dont think anyone has, but one thing is for sure, a shakeup is needed within the game if it is to ever go on an upward spiral instead of the constant decline we have seen so far.

Think he did manage a couple of bigguns :004: :015:

not often I agree with you Bonzo, but in this case, I do :clapping04:

STK06 = Narrow streets in Gamla Stan STK07 = VASA Ship museum - supposed to be good but we didnt have time to go there STK08 = Fishing right outside the royal palace ... all Swedes have the right to fish for free in Swedens rivers

STK03 = Fountain in Gamla Stan - scene of the Stockholm Massacre STK04 = Skyline - taken from the bus during our bus/boat tour STK05 = Royal Palace on Gamla Stan

Yep - was there a month ago - very nice, picturesque and historical, but very expensive for beer !! (if bought in a pub - although 'technically' there is no such thing as a pub - its a restaurant that sells beer - a quirky Swedish law. Beer is cheaper if bought at the state run off-licenses) If you are into history, get yourself onto the island of Gamla Stan - its the big one right in the heart of the city. It contains the royal palace, and many other historical buildings as well as narrow cobbled streets and lots of quirky shops. As you are there only for a short time, I would suggest getting onto one of the bus/boat tours - we took the longest one which is about 3.5 hours and it covers all areas which was pretty good (a little expensive though but so is everything in Sweden). If you havent already bought a guide book, I would suggest getting DK Guide to Stockholm. We found this book to be excellent and also very accurate. Attached a few pics for you to look at STK01 = tour boat STK02 = stockholm cathedral - right next to Royal Palace and although it doesnt look that impressive from outside, it is very impressive inside. will attach a few more pics in subsequent posts for you.

I thought you were speaking to me :004:

Welcome Alan - think you will be the first pin on our 'member map' residing in Africa ... we have North America, UK, Ireland, Europe, Middle East, China, Japan and Australia and now Africa. Welcome aboard.

Good job he has two weeks to do it then - Rangers game is 14th ..... but yes, it sounded turgid stuff and my internet connection exploded with about 3 minutes to go so I missed the goal - when I rebooted, I saw we had won 1-0 :) However, I did manage to get the audio report from BBC Scotland and added it to the Match Report

Lineups - see attached screenshots

Got to agree. I was one of his fiercest critics when he left us before and with no disrespect intended towards Golly, I would pick RH ahead of him at left back based entirely on performance over the last year and a bit. He is out of contract at the end of the season and I would hope that CC gets him tied up on a new one long before then.

this is probably true - just wanted to highlight the stand was all-ticket though in case some poor bugger queued up for 15 minutes expecting to pay at the turnstiles only to be directed to the shop to buy a ticket and then queue up again !!!

To be fair - none of the 3 keepers named are numpties like we had in the last squad. Mark's time will come and it has become very evident in the last week that some members of the press are on his side - there were quite a few references on the radio during last week's game and a couple of things in print that were talking of Mark as international quality. We can shout it from the rooftops ourselves and never be heard but if the esteemed members of our national press are starting to become interested then maybe, just maybe, Walter will be too.

Main Stand is ALL TICKET - (presumably you could buy a ticket at shop before the game if any are available) North Stand is PAY AT GATE - gates 11-14

What they conveniently fail to mention is that SETANTA requested the SPL to organise a number of FRIDAY fixtures and wanted to move the ICT V Aberdeen game to Friday 3rd November and other games for other teams to other fridays. When the Association of Chief Police Officers of Scotland (ACPOS) dismissed this out of hand, (and they have to agree for it to go ahead) it is my understanding that the SPL suggested the Monday.... so while it 'TECHNICALLY' may not be SETANTA's fault, they are certainly being economical with the truth in their response.

We are in the middle of our own third season of the same game but for CaleyThistleOnline.com.

No we wont. When the deal was announced for the 'extra' 22 games a couple of months ago, the sponsorship amount from Setanta also went up. I have the numbers somewhere and am sure it was probably posted in the message boards too .... but clubs wont lose out. I do however agree with CaleyD .... the ones who WILL lose out (AGAIN ) are the fans ... it would be bad enough if the teams were located in the same city or even close by, or if public transportation (both local and national) was adequate to get people to/from the game but a 2 hour drive each-way along the A96 at night is not something most Dons fans will relish (or out-of-town ICT fans). Add to that fact that quite a few from further afield - central belt, Coventry etc - had planned to come to the Saturday game and it shows just how out of touch the football authorities and TV companies are.

Forget the eagle .... just let the players know what you're gonna do with the thistle if they dont perform !!! :015:

'salt of the earth'

SPL announced 6 changes today ~CLICKY~

SPL & Setanta wanted Friday 3rd for this game (and other Fridays for other games) but as Alex mentioned, the Police (all over the country) put the kybosh on that plan as they tend to be quite busy on a Friday night without the added hassle of policing a football match. However, I cant for the life of me see the point of inconveniencing fans by moving it to the Monday just because they cant get the Friday !!

haggis

Dundee Utd Officials ... oh Bricks .... with a 'B' ..... better make that MORTAR then :015: