IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER

What is it like working for Tullochs ?

RIG - That actually makes us look a lot better than we were. Confirms that Warren dived though.

Tie me kangaroo down sport

I actually concur with a lot that Robbo is saying BUT he is ultimately responsible. That response is embarrassing and incredulous. He is saying some things in that article that are simply contradictive. Lets analyse a few. We needed the exact same again. Dumbarton came out fired up because of how we played and we just had 10 minutes of madness. It happens every week. - Is it not a case that Aitken sussed us. We walked the first half and looked like we were on a stroll. The Manager should be warning the feckin players. We’ve worked in training all week about marking men in the box – I’ve never seen space score a goal in my life. We leave a dangerous player (unmarked). The second one is criminal because the goalkeeper claws it out the top corner and he’s let down by a team-mate that doesn’t run in with his marker. - It is all about what happens in a game. The second goal was amateurish. It simply shows that a specific player was culpable. So from dominating a game, we’re 2-1 down. We rallied, got into the game again, could have had a penalty but didn’t get it. Even with 10 men we looked more likely to get a chance than concede a third goal. I must have been at a different game. The penalty claim was a feckin dive which left us with 10 feckin men. No, we work them hard about the opposition - Does the way we play allow us to dominate games? Yes. What a load of bowlicks. Sometimes the players have to come up with the answers, because as a coaching staff we’ve given them everything. If you had we would be top of the feckin league. If I’m the sacrificial lamb that gets axed because it needs someone else to come in and do it, that’s fine. A hint of satire but he should know that it really is the bottom line. I’m fed up of hearing how well we’ve played and coming away with nothing. Fer fecks sake. We were the better of two bad teams yesterday for 45 minutes. Dumbarton gave us too much respect initially. Then they sussed us. Over 90 minutes we got what we deserved. Football management is based on results and we’re not getting them. Despite the fact we’re giving them the right training, the right information and the right tactics, we’re not winning games. Apart from a 20-minute spell at the start of the Dunfermline game, no club has outplayed us this season. Seven games in. Had we, and it’s hypothetical, taken the chances we had in games we’d dominated, we could be sitting just off the top of the league, under the radar in a comfortable position - At this stage it is getting more embarrassing than it was yesterday. “In there (dressing room) it’s fine - Great statement after all that comes before !!!!!! I want a reaction and we need it quickly. Carl Tremarco gave us everything and we had to take him off because he had nothing else to give. - McKay, Chalmers and Oakley gave nothing all game. Polworth and Trafford ran their socks off.

Well perhaps the omens were there long before we kicked off. Glasgow city centre awash with Old Firm neds, the nice wee train journey to the Rock cancelled due to engineering works and roadworks bringing traffic chaos to the Erskine Bridge. Underground to the West End and an empty student pub. Uber to Dumbarton and quaffing in the Stags Head watching part time Old Firmers watching the game. And then a walk down to a ground that resembles a Sunday League setting and then watching 90 minutes of Sunday League fare. At the time I was quite happy with the first half performance. A superb Polworth through ball splits the defence and Bell finished well in the 8th minute and we were in charge for the majority of the first 45 minutes. Again I have to comment on the lack of enthusiasm and celebration to herald that early goal. We looked neat enough but it was tippy tappy stuff with most balls going either sideways or back. OFW did appear to ooze more confidence to those in front of them and those brave few sitting in the stands. And if Bell had notched a second when through on goal 1:1 and we had gone 2-0 up – well who knows. Trafford and Oakley both had half chances, OFW had little to do and it really should have been 2 or 3-0. There was a sense of a standing ovation, albeit muted, as the boys trooped off at half time. And very quickly after the restart it became clearer what had happened. Stevie Aitken had given us far too much respect. He had decided to sit his team deep, allow us the ball in our own half and defend deep. The elements were also in our favour in the first half as well. Dumbarton lined up like a pack of dogs looking for the fox. From then on they defended, allowed us the luxury of possession in our own half but they pressed and pressed and looked to break at every opportunity. Froxylias basically ran the show. It took them a mere 2 minutes to equalise and we never looked like getting back. Froxylias fired home in the 47th. Froxylias bent a curling free kick at our goal in the 63rd minute, OFW made a good stop, albeit over dramatically and Wardrop reacted, knocked in the rebound whilst our defenders watched. OFW looked as if he had pulled his groin or his knee and he never took any further kicks and threw the ball out if necessitated. I suspect that he will be missing in action for a few weeks. And why oh feckin why did Robbo appear to leave the playmaker role to Donaldson ? Why didn’t Vigurs drop back ? Is Gary Warren collecting yellow cards ? Hope I get him in Top Trumps. If he dived then that was ridiculous. I thought that he was practically in with a chance of a goal. Judging by his muted reaction he was guilty. That all happened in the 79th minute and Robbo had not even appeared to have considered a substitution at that stage. How Oakley stayed on after the hour stupefies me. And then to add insult to injury the decision is made to hook Tremarco and take on Mulraney. A certain poster on here gave Mulraney some gentle stick and his reaction almost led me to go on the park and give him a slap. He clearly does not want to be here. Tremarco himself also looked bemused as he trooped off. And then we leave it to the 87th minute to bring on Baird for Oakley. And we keep on hoofing to the skyscraper front three of Bell, Baird and Mulraney !! And remember the name Colin Steven. Another in a long list of embarrassing, amateur referees. He lost control and came up with a bevvy of ridiculous decisions – albeit both ways. And then it was back to the Stags Head, on to the Uber, on to the Underground, on to Central Station and home to Chorley. Travel cost me around £75 and I will NOT be spending that type of amount to watch absolute dross. I have booked for Livi and Dumfries. I am going there for the pre-match and post-match activities and I will not be considering any other games unless the team show a distinct improvement or even if they showed some enthusiasm and fight. Those two ingredients are sadly lacking. OFW - Nice to see him back. Back four looked more confident. Spectator for most of the first half. No chance with either goal but may have over-dramatised the free kick save. McKay – Back at full back. To be honest I hardly noticed him which probably says it all. Warren – Sorry but has become a luxury and his lack of discipline is shocking. And he was mighty quiet for a captain. He basically looked cheesed off. Donaldson – Who the feck gave him the playmaking. Libero role. Dzebi-Zade would have done a better job. Chalmers – Sweet left foot was noted once and then it was a case of Sweet Feck all. Polworth – Roving role again. At least he gave 100% and looked most likely to produce something. Great through ball to Bell for the goal. Vigurs – Some lovely touches but plays throughout in an area ten yards either side of the half way line. If we could afford such a luxury and have a couple of beavers beside him – well. Trafford – Dougal’s comment about fitness and diet may come in to play. He looks the part but dies after the hour. Mind you he runs for Vigurs. Tremarco – As with OFW it was nice to see him back but not as an offensive , wide player. Needs to either go back to left wing back or even central defence. And why he was not allowed to play for 90 minutes to enhance match fitness beggars belief. BELL – Starved of any delivery in the second half. No support up front. Worked his socks off and should have got a first half brace. OAKLEY – Inept and provided zilch basically. Already mentioned Robbo’s selection and tactical boo-boos.

There quite clearly is a rift in the dressing room. Players were having a go at each other, the discipline is "shot". Tactically we are shocking. Perhaps we should axe Robbo and learn from the mistake made with Foran. Only problem is that there are 5 or 6 players that should depart prior to the manager but there are no replacements for them !!

Great bet - OFW to be out injured for next game.

But Chalmers has a sweet left foot ?

Heaven

The problem is that most of the team are not interested in ICT. And then most of the team are not fit. And then most of the team are not even Championship standard.

Just wait for the match report. That was Sunday League football and we got beat. I will give Bell the MOM cos he feckin scored. No interest, no energy and no discipline. Shocking and truly embarrassing

Saturday is a case of Juanjo Away "Uber Allez"

Sorry Charles - Brief mention of the Merger in response to Jingsmonty - The majority of pre-merger fans had alliances to "bigger" clubs. That is probably why many of the so called "refuseniks" stayed away as they had another "bigger" team to follow. That is what I did initially but when I first forced myself to watch ICT I suppose the Invernessian in me came to the fore. I don't see why anyone should be embarrassed about the fact that they used to follow another team. I have a tattoo which I am proud of. I had some great times in the 70's following both my teams. I don't hate the other team now but I dislike their stadium, their bigoted support element and it was the greatest feeling (on a number of occasions now) to beat them. CaleytillIdie - ICT forever - Hail, Hail

What about the rail and road issues for Saturday ? Any advice ?

Look up Catharsis or Reality Orientation. Wholly Agree - but my post was aimed at bringing a bit of reality to the situation. It is still early days and the sensationalism and catastrophic thinking is doing in ma psychologically focussed nut. Oh and Move over Young Team / Under 17's - it looks like there is a new firm on the move - even if it is slowly moving

I cant help but think that a large number of the posters on here now are post merger and have become accustomed to on-going success and a guaranteed place in the top leagues. To me the last 24 years have been a total feckin mini-miracle. I followed Caley (OK Celtic as well) since I could walk. I have followed them all over the Highlands and wherever the cups took us. I always dreamed of being in the higher leagues and winning Cups!! In those Highland League days it was a case of away days with your mates, winning was a bonus and fortunately in the Highlands it usually was. You practically knew everybody around you at games or they introduced themselves to you. It was an extended family. What we have achieved is mind blowing. I will cherish every feckin minute - well at least the minutes I can remember or hadn't been chucked out I have met so many newbies and established so many great friendships. I HATED some of the SPL away days. They became boring. I actually looked forward to this season. I am worried but I still look forward to many away trips. We have made great unions with the likes of QOS and Dumfermline. I will be there even if we go down. I will be there next season and I will be there until my head is chopped off by another Immortal. The Away Day crew differs in numbers but it is still great craic. There is always a friendly face to have a dram or two with. Peeple are all trying to pinpoint blame. To me the club has been mismanaged over the last two seasons. So the damage has been done. This year to me is all about survival first and a sign of revival next. We are again a little fish in a big pond. We always were and always will be. I suppose that you will all now note that I am cheesed off with a lot of the negativity on here. Hopefully this may strike a note with some.

I only watched the highlights but look at the different post reactions to our goal and their three goals.

Photo of Laurence in his hey day. There is a link to the thread as the horses were all fed Black puddings.

Following further research I fear that I may stumbled on a side issue but perhaps a potential reason for the Young Team behaviour at Brechin. IT is amazing the effect that E-additives and caffeine can have on adolescents. We would not be banning them. We should be sending them to a dietician.

Messi eater The hours spent honing set pieces, stamina and skills on the training ground are rendered pointless if you turn up for kick-off lacking energy due to a poor dietary regime. "You should pay as much attention to your nutrition as you do to every other aspect of your game," says sports nutritionist Gavin Allinson. "It's no hardship to do what the elite athletes do." You might not compare favourably to Lionel Messi on the pitch, but matching him meal for meal is a far simpler feat... Seven days before the game Carb-loading correctly for match-day is a far more complex process than gorging on pasta with a bit of tuna thrown in the night before: perfectly optimising your body for 90 minutes of football is very much a 24/7 pursuit. Matt Lovell, who works with England international footballers alongside his duties as chief nutritionist for the England rugby team, recommends depleting your carbohydrate stores in the early part of the week and gradually increasing your carbs as match day approaches. Shirking carbs at the start of the week forces your muscles to increase their carb-absorbing GLUT-4 receptors as the body attempts to maximise the limited blood-sugar available. This increased sensitivity is then taken advantage of by piling on the carbs closer to Saturday. "This 'supercompensation' method can increase your maximal amount of stored glycogen by up to 50%," explains Lovell. Two or three days before the game Hit the soups. "These will help with your hydration," says Allinson, who particularly recommends tom yum: "It's got lots of chilli, turmeric and ginger, which all help to thin your blood – and thinner blood goes round your body quicker, delivering more oxygen to your cells." What's more, a study in the journal Gut found curcumin, a principle component of turmeric, significantly curbs liver cell damage and scarring. Making those post-match pints slightly more guilt-free. The day before the game The evening meal before a game is the most crucial of all. Big match nerves can make the prospect of consuming anything at all on the day nauseating – but provided you eat well the night before and exert very little energy pre-game, turning up primed to perform is still possible. "You want more carbs than usual, but not a bucketload," advises Lovell. Some fish or chicken along with sweet potato or a jacket potato, alongside some green veg, is a good bet. Have nothing heavy (steak is out). Go Popeye and add spinach, which is packed with vitamins and carotenoid antioxidants. Buy it from a supermarket and, according to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the exposure to fluorescent light will have significantly boosted its vitamin C content – vital for aiding iron absorption and thus oxygen transport to your muscles. Six hours to go Getting a good night's rest is just as important as eating right. So if you've an early kick off, favour kip over kippers. "It's better to have the extra sleep rather than wake up earlier just to eat," says Allinson. Once out of bed, eat as soon as you can. "Avoid wheat and wheat-based products because they can have the tendency to cause bloating," advises Lovell. You should also steer away from foods high in fibre as these can sit in the stomach and take a long time to digest. Try stirring some protein into goat's milk porridge, or combine an omelette with some fruit salad for a good balance of carbs, protein and fat. Four hours to go You may be en-route to the game at this stage, so it's important to have something portable. A personal favourite of Lovell's is quinoa with chicken and some roasted veg. Prep it the night before and pop it in a container. The last thing you want is to be stuck at a service station morosely eyeing the pasties. A jacket potato with some tuna or salmon is another good option. "Trial different meals and find out what works best for you," advises Allinson. Just make sure you focus on starchy carbs and keep fat intake to a minimum. 90 minutes to go Your final nutritional hit should be delivered 75-90 minutes before kick off. "Tropical fruits – mangos, papaya, pineapples, bananas – are all good at this stage because they've got modest amounts of fibre and don't give as much of a sugar rush as other fruits," says Allinson. Too much of the sweet stuff can lead to lethargy due to blood sugar fluctuations, so avoid sports drinks until immediately before the game, too. If nerves get the better of you, a liquid meal may be best. Lovell recommends blending 25g of oats with 500ml of skimmed goats milk, one or two scoops of protein powder, half a banana, a few nuts and a teaspoon of honey. Not as tasty as pint of the black stuff, for sure. But undoubtedly more effective.

More about confidence methinks. I would gladly buy him a huge salad if hue managed a clean sheet

CB is unfortunately dwelling in the days of the Merger and the 11 Plus determinations. But Finmack - are you suggesting that Ridgers is overeating. I would have thought that there would be definite positives in a fat goalie.