starchief

Nothing makes a Buddies blood boil more than suggesting Paisley is in Glasgow. Paisley is near Glasgow. Not in it. Change those to Scotland and England and you will see the difference it makes.

Grass roots are there. But then they disappear off to sit on a bench in Colchester at 18, forsaking any development into a true professional. And guess what? It's what Scottish fans want! They'd rather the best players went to Derby than Dundee United, maintaining that fall in SPL quality.

Not my first choice but glad we have a Scottish manager - anything else would make a mockery of internationals (why not just support Spain if nationality doesn't matter?). I'd have gone for someone like Joe Jordan or Kenny Dalglish myself but I'm not disappointed in Strachan. The current campaign is done but he'll build towards the next. Give us some fight back.

Again, a debate on the future of Scottish football comes back to the obsession with Rangers...

Why not go for Denis Law then? He's Scottish, played for Scotland, could sit on the bench no problem, would inspire kids but is past it in a playing capacity. Sounds a better choice.

...except Green is right! It doesn't matter who it's come from, Glasgow or Berwick Rangers. It also doesn't matter if Rangers win, lose or draw in the process. Nor does it matter if you tag a 'the' on the front. It's a much better suggestion than the current dog's dinner and that's all that matters. Anything else is cutting off the nose to spite the face (for the great majority of supporters anyway, who would approve this from amy other chairman).

It is all about spreading finances more equitably. A division where Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee United all compete most years for the title, with the slightly smaller clubs, like us, Killie etc., being able to do something with a good manager would solve most problems. As it is, Celtic can spend millions on a player and thousands on wages, whilst the rest cannot even keep their youth in nappies and rusks. Spread the cash, so they can compete with each other for Scotland's better players, not European class versus EFL2 standard.

Ah, so the top teams will get a few years to minimise losses, declare it isn't working, then move back to 12 teams just in time for 4 Old Firm matches to get back on the agenda. Is that the method in the madness?

What is so complicated? Basically, if you are in the top league, then at halfway, you are either in the top league with the rest of the top league or you are in the second league, without getting relegated, with teams from the top league and the second league. If you finish at the top then you are in the top league. But if you are at the bottom, you get relegated from the second league into the second league. Unless, of course, you were in the second league, whereupon you play teams from the top and second league in the second league, where you might be promoted into the top league or finish at the bottom of the second league, whereupon you will play in the second league next season. Therefore, if you win the second league, you either get promoted in the top league or you stay in the top league from the second league, depending if you were in the top league prior to the second league - although of course, as your team was never relegated from the first league into the second league, that means no promotion from the second to first, as you were already in it, unless you weren't.

Post of the year already. Made me laugh.

Again, it's all about Rangers, rather than what's good for the game. I honestly believe people would prefer 5 tables of 8 if Rangers were in the bottom tier, rather than 2 leagues of 14 with Rangers in the first or second.

Remind me never to invite you to any party of mine. Sheesh!

He wouldn't be my choice but I think you have to seperate Levein of Scotland and Levein of the SPL (sounds like something from Tiger comic). He was good with Hearts and terrific with Dundee United. As I say, he still wouldn't be my first choice (and the whole compensation saga would use a lot of time) but it's not as bad or as defensive a choice as his international career suggests. I wonder if Jimmy Calderwood would work with Malpas and Foran? I'd like to keep some of the old in and prepare Foran for a future manager post. ...assuming Butcher leaves of course.

There's more chance of getting Brian Clough.

Look at Aberdeen and Dunfermline before and after Calderwood. Terrific record. Sure, he spent money but that's because it was given to him to spend. If ICT finished in the top six (almost) every year and ended up in Europe (on the budget that the directors decided they could afford), I wouldn't consider that a failure. Anyway, it's so easy to say who you don't want without giving any names of who you rate (...and a little premature).

Butcher got us fighting when he arrived but there's no way it can be considered a success to be relegated, even if he wasn't the main culprit.

Agreed Strongly disagree. What potential? In their top division? Challenging for Europe? Realistic contendors for a cup? There's no likliehood for glory at Barnsley. Not my first choice but I'd be prepared to give him a go.

I beg to differ big time with that statement. Butcher walked into a team who were doing badly. At the start of his reign at ICT he finished our relegation season with six losses from 17 games. The damage was done by the 18 losses out of 28 games prior to him joining. The first three months of the following season seen us play 18 games (including cup) and lose 4. To me he had a very good start to his first six months. Have a look at the results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%9310_Inverness_Caledonian_Thistle_F.C._seasonLosses to Partick, Ross C, QoS etc. Loads of draws too from the likes of Ayr, Dunfermline and Airdrie. Not many were predicting promotion before Xmas 2009. Loads of criticism on this board too. But he got through it with an amazing run.

I won't bore people with this to-ing and fro-ing but my point was he had 6 months in the job. Not enough time to recruit his own players and get a club playing the way he wanted. Same as Brentford. He wasn't great at Motherwell or ICT straight away but they stuck with him and gained the rewards. I think I've made a fair point regarding time in job. Whether he changed style or didn't like the country is irrelevant. Give him time and he comes good. Will he get that at Bansley or Doncaster? Mad to leave, if he does.

That's simply not true. Sydney had won both the A League Championship the season before under a possession-based attacking style enforced by their then manager Pierre Littbarski. Butcher came in, in his first press conference declared that Sydney would be the "grinders of Australian football" and well...punted Sydney's passing style in favour of the more traditional English hit and hope, a style Australian football had been attempting to rid itself off for a number of years. Butcher represented the exact opposite of what had been wrong with Australian football for the previous few decades. He also didn't exactly endear himself to the fans or the media at all. Saying he wasn't given enough time, without looking the facts of his time there, is incorrect. And how long did he get? A few months with another manager's players is not enough time. He was doing badly with ICT 6 months into his reign. If we had punted him then, we would have never had what we've got now. It doesn't matter what style a manager chooses. That's up to the directors to figure out before they hire him.

His record certainly seems to say money is a factor. I don't understand it myself, when he's not short of a bob. Also, he came to us because no-one wanted him. He'd had a pretty poor spell and Brentford and Sydney (neither of which he got time to change the club to his style). We took a chance and it paid off but don't tell me he was fending them off with the brown end of a stick. He's been good for us. We've been good for him. It's cash or glory. Nothing else.

He must surely regret leaving Motherwell for Brentford. Well, he'd more than regret ICT for Barnsley. After everything he's done, would he still chase a few pounds? History says yes but I hope he has learned. It would be foolish and short-sighted in the extreme. He took a few months to get started with us (remember pre-Xmas SFL1?). Would he be given the chance 6 months into Barnsley and closer to relegation than promotion?

It would be more of a surprise if the Dons were not interested. My hope is he stays with ICT. If not, I hope he stays in Scotland. No use complaining about the quality of the SPL if you want the best players to leave for the lower divisions of English football.

you dont consider archery a sport either?

Lots of beautiful little villages around there though. I think it would be a mistake. If Butcher can get a cup win or 2nd-3rd place, he could probably go in at a club with a bit more to them than Barnsley, or even continue improving Inverness for a number of years, emulating what Bobby Robson did at Ipswich.