Beatonio

Rig is probably implying that Mahonio's excuse is soooooooooooo lame. Enjoy the game Mahonio, hope you can make it more often.

Roberto di Matteo is the favourite to get the job. Zola says he does not want to leave The Hammers, but that'd probably change when he sees the cash. Quite harsh I think, didn't get a lot of time in the job. Doesn't bother me though, gives Everton a good chance of catching them... Guus Hiddink and Avram Grant (!!!!) on the shortlist, according to Sky Sports news.

Apparently he's getting the boot tomorrow morning, after only 3 months in the job. Click here

Despite being a fan of Everton, I concede that they are doing fantastic this season, and today's result has put them right back into the title chase. One of their main problems though is consistency, and Man Utd are on a fantastic run of form. Will Liverpool catch them? Are Chelsea out of the race? Can we write off Villa?! The latest odds from Ladbrokes are; Man Utd - 2/7 Liverpool - 9/2 Chelsea - 8/1 Aston Villa - 25/1 Arsenal - 80/1 Also, the relegation battle is looking very interesting, closer than I've seen it in years. Anybody below the top 8 could go down! I reckon it'll be West Brom, Stoke and Middlesbrough. Ladbrokes say: West Brom - 1/3 Stoke - 4/7 Boro - 2/1 Newcastle - 2/1 Hull - 5/2 Portsmouth - 5/2 Blackburn - 6/1 Bolton - 6/1 And another thing, what was Bosingwa thinking today? He'll be in deep trouble I think after that Karate kick on Benayoun...

Indeed I do Adam. Indeed I do... Apology accepted

Johndo, I agree with what you say regarding the attitude of the players, a fantastic performance and one that was worthy of a point at least. If we can keep that up, we'll stay up. However, Imrie getting two smileys? TWO? I reckon he was fantastic today, very dangerous coming forward, creative... and what a goal!! He was, for me, our best player, followed closely by Esson and Mihadjuks. Great to see the players at the end applauding the fans too. At least they appreciate us...

Yompa, Slater, Lady Madonna and myself are heading from my flat in Musselburgh to the game, via a wee jaunt up Arthur's Seat for a warm up. Where is everybody going pre/post match for a beverage? Diggers? Station Bar? Tynecastle Arms? Plenty of choice...

:018: I think I'll be saying never.

No way Stephen Pressley. An experienced player, yes, but unproven as a manager and that's not what we need to save us from the drop. Not sure if taking Robbo back would be a positive thing. And definately not Barry Wilson yet. The worst thing the board can do just now is rush into a decision.

Oh, happy days... Hopefully the team's confidence will be high now for the game at Tynie. I only wish this had happened sooner, I have a feeling the main reason Ian Black is leaving is Brewster, he may have stayed if Brew had been sacked ages ago. What now then? Who are the main candidates for the job?

Good Evening all! I am sure most of you are aware of a charity walk that a group of ICT supporters do every year, from the penultimate fixture to the last, namely 'The Highland March'. This idea was devised around 7 years ago by Steve Taylor (A.K.A 'Yompa' - formerly 'interthenet') in the Market Bar and has since gone from strength to strength, raising thousands of pounds for a number of good causes. Well, at the end of last season, while we were walking from Falkirk back to TCS, I had a 'wee' idea. Having done 3 Highland Marches to date, I wondered how I could challenge myself that little bit more, so I looked at the Scotland fixtures for the current qualification campaign. Away to Norway, 19th August (FIFA have since changed this date to the 12th). Home to Macedonia, 5th September. Perfect. I then managed to recruit 3 like-minded ICT-supporting idiots to come along with me, Laura Mitchell (A.K.A Lady Madonna), Calum Slater and Michael Laidlaw. The route we take through Norway and the U.K is completely dependant on ferries. Unfortunately, the Bergen to Newcastle ferry link has recently been cancelled, so we are trying to find alternatives. Once we know how and when we are getting across the North Sea, we'll finalise a route. We already have a number of potentials mapped out, and are expecting to walk at least 450 miles over the 3 weeks. Our accomodation along the way will consist of mountain bothies and a bit of camping. There are areas in Norway which are totally isolated, the Hardangervidda national park area for example, so our tents will definately be used! We have already had two meetings at Hampden with the SFA's Marketing Manager, Colin Banks. He was very enthusiastic about this idea and is willing to help wherever he can, which is fantastic. He has offered to donate items for charity auctions, and most importantly to use his contacts in the media to get our idea in the press, which will obviously raise awareness of the walk and get people on to our website to donate. He even spoke to David Tanner at Sky Sports, and we are hoping to have a televised interview with them around the time of the Iceland home tie in April. We should also have a wee bit in the match programme too, which is all exciting stuff! Now, the most important part, the charities. We agreed with Colin that we will help the SFA raise money for it's two nominated charities - The Tartan Army Children's Charity (www.tartanarmychildrenscharity.org.uk) and The Scottish Huntingtons Association (www.hdscotland.org). I'm sure you will agree they are both very worthy causes and we are honoured to help them reach their fundraising goals. All money we raise will be split 50/50 between the two. Between now and next August, with the help of the SFA and the two charities, we will be hosting a number of fundraising events in the Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow areas. Nothing set in stone as of yet, but we have permission for gigs at the Ironworks and Hootananny's, and we are also arranging two football competitions at the Bught for the summer, one for U-16's, one for adults. Also, for anybody travelling with the Tartan Army to the Netherlands in late March 2009, I am trying to arrange a 'Tartan Party' in Amsterdam with Tennents' Lager, which should be fun... especially after we beat the Dutch. So, that's what we are doing in a nutshell. If you would like any more information, or can offer assistance of any sort, please contact me. I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions! We also have a website, please visit us at www.tartanmarch.com, where you can leave a comment or make a donation. This is where you can find any info about upcoming charity events, and find out how we are getting on. We have only recently set up the website and started taking donations, it still needs a wee bit of work but we're getting there!!! You can contact me personally via email ([email protected]) or phone (07835069044). I know I shouldn't really be giving my number out here, but I'm not yet online at my new flat in Edinburgh, so it's the best way to contact me just now! Last, but certainly not least, a huge THANK YOU to our very own CaleyD. Donald has been very supportive in getting the website up and running and has also volunteered to be our support driver for the 3 weeks in Norway and the U.K., which is a huge sacrifice to make. What a bloke! Thanks also to Yompa for inspiring this charity walk with the Highland March, and for his words of encouragement and support. I hope to see you, and the new 'Gringo', at some training hikes very soon! Martin Beaton

Domestically, I can't stand either side of the Old Firm, but I like to see both doing well in Europe. The same goes for any English club, barring Chelsea and Arsenal...

Well I was speaking to my mate who has a mate who was speaking to Craig Brewster's grannies dog who said this is just pure guff.

Laura wants to come along for the week and do as much walking as possible. Obviously she's not entirely sure how much this'll be as she's never done anything on this scale before, but I'll do my best to drag her once she starts slacking... :016: So how many more can we take? I've got another 3 gents wishing to do it.

The only confirmed names from my squad are Slater and Lady Madonna (Laura), including myself of course. There are a few others interested but I'll need to wait and see how many more we can take.

I have managed to convince some of my mates to come along. Even if they don't complete the walk, they're going to do what they can. So as well as myself and Laura, the names are; Calum Slater Donald Laidlaw Michael Laidlaw Steven MacMillan Martin MacDonald

Whenever the word ULTRAS is mentioned, it makes me think of violence, in particular the Roma Ultras, who are probably the most notorious group for such violence. I wouldn't like any of our supporters to be associated with this. And I don't quite understand all this Italian/Dutch nonsense. Forza? Why speak Italian? Our clubs roots are Scottish, and if you are so insistent on creating a group then I'd agree with Calum, decide on a name with something like 'Clan' or 'Clansmen' in it. It's original, it's different and I quite like it. Oh, and scrap the 'loyal army' chant too.

It's nowhere near Aberdeen in fact Chibber, it's Keith... :014:

A resounding NO from me. How we could take him back after blatantly using our club as a 'stepping stone', and after his abysmal record at United, is just beyond me. I was extremely hacked off at Ibrox, he seemed scared to make a substitution! When he did eventually make them, it was far too late to have an impact on the game. I just didn't understand some of his decisions, ie. taking Black off. However, I am pleased that finally, he has realised that Ross Tokely is a disgrace. Too slow, too clumsy and too much of a liability to the team. He'd look more at home in a wrestling ring. Congratulations Brew. Having said this, I am a firm believer in giving new managers time. Let's just wait and see who he buys, if anyone, in January.

I know we CAN do it, but I have a bad feeling about this one. A 2-1 defeat I reckon. Italy will turn it on for this game I'm afraid. :019:

:015: "A bit suspect" ; his passing was atrocious! I was quite impressed with young Stuart Leslie and Deano. The right back and Guy Kerr played well. Wilson started off brightly, with some decent runs... but, as always, tired very early. He has some beer belly on him! Mr. Rankin and Mr. Wilson need to watch their language too. The referee was from Keith and blatantly biased though.

I'll be there in my kilt with the Highland March crew, plus 6 others. Looking forward to a great atmosphere... fingers crossed.

With it being in the heat of the moment, though, it's not something I consciously do, it's just borne out of frustration. I never swear at an individual. I certainly would not sing songs I know contain bad language.

Yes I have, but I am always conscious of who is around me and would never sing or shout anything abusive if there are kids. Whenever I have sworn it is always in the heat of the moment, say, for example, the ref makes a bad decision against us. I would never sing a song with bad language in it though.

So you condone profanity in an environment with young children?