IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER

Well if you beat a fairly buoyant St Jones Town, fashion a worthy draw at Aberdire and come from behind to grab another well deserved point against the Champions elect the remainder of September and October should hold no fears. Dundee, Sevco, Killie and the Jam Tarts at home and only two away trips to Hamilton and Muvversmell. I would take 13-14 points from that lot. Interesting quote from Foran yesterday was that his main man management task was to keep the players who are not getting a regular game happy. I think that should be a bonus as I cant remember such competition for starting places for many a year and with people on the bench quite capable of fitting in. That of course means that everybody has to maintain a level of performance to ensure that they keep their places whilst the others have to be ready to take their chances. The back five basically now picks itself. There is lots of scope to change things in midfield and hopefully to play teams to fit in with the opposition we are playing against. I feel that pushing Draper forward was a masterstroke as it allows both he and Tansey to play their own games instead of vying against each other. Lets just hope that the last three games are not just lifting ourselves against the better teams and we can show the psyche to dominate some of the "lesser" teams. This is a great opportunity to cement ourselves in the top six and provide early breathing space from the anxieties of a relegation battle. And what a feckin difference from the shocking display in Embra

At what point did I make any reference to the 90's ? 9,500 and 12,650 is a pretty good attendance for a novelty. Who mentioned profiteers ? The 70's were a "golden age". Football in the Highlands was of an advanced standard. There were a lot of teams who would have walked through the lower divisions. As per usual CB has turned the OP and a side argument into a debate about the feckin merger. Fer fecks sake forget it.

Doofers Dad - HELGIN SHITTEE - In January, 1967, City unveiled their brand new floodlights with a 2-0 replay win over non-league counterparts Hawick Royal Albert to set up a first round home clash against Ally MacLeod’s First Division Ayr United. A super-charged 9,500 crowd, again under the Borough Briggs floodlights, were rewarded with a memorable 2-0 victory to set up a second round trip to Glasgow and another crack at Celtic. A year on and the Scottish Cup records were about to be rewritten. Preliminary round wins over Albion Rovers and Tarff Rovers, followed by a first round success against Forfar, set up a mouthwatering home second round tie against Arbroath. A record Borough Briggs attendance of 12,650 celebrated a fantastic 2-0 victory to take City into the quarter-finals, the first – and as yet, only – non-league side to reach that stage of the national tourney. And CB is showing his true colours - One of the "Traitors In The Stands" - used to freebies as long as they stuck by the profiteers. It just sticks in his throat that we are right. Many of the "Invernessians" were the refusnik Caley and Jags fans.

I have actually been in similar crowds - possibly bigger - when we played Elgin, Ross County, Cup Finals and even Huntly. "Glory Hunters" perhaps - but like our (ICT) major cup games they came from wide and afar. And feckin respect to them. The swarms of crowds going in the piccie was for a Caley v Thistle Derby. My post was not about Caley although we drew the bigger support. It was a bit of proof that Sneck could draw big crowds when successful as I tried to emphasise in the original post. Caley drew 4000+ in the Perth replay. The "greatest" atmosphere EVER as far as I am concerned. The hairs on the back of my neck still bristle at the thought. CB really has never understood the "real" story, the "real" feelings of the old Caley and Jags supporters.

You are getting soft Scotty - and advocating Red and feckin Black tops.

As a devoted Caley fan who followed Celtic in the old days I confess that I sang a lot of that Republican / Secretarian shitt (without really having a feckin clue what I was singing about). I suspect that you have may have done likewise in your own favoured list of ditties. I also suspect that you still hold a pretty strong loyalty to the team that used to be called Glasgow Rangers. When we talk about the scum from clubs other than the Old Firm we are talking about the minority. With the Old Firm it is more like a majority. Hail, Hail

GOOD OLD PADDY POWER https://www.facebook.com/paddypower/videos/10154594864614914/

What are we doing about a watering hole. Hamilton has to be the absolute worst venue as most hostelries frown on letting any type of away supporter in.

Aye there were about 100 behind the goal and another 10-20 on the side terraces

The Good Old Days when only the very loyal 2-300 turned up at Telford Street

Could be the Highland Joey Barton. Long past sell by date.

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright thinks players should have their say on artificial pitches. Wright cited a PFA Scotland survey that found more than 70% of players would prefer to play on a bad grass pitch than play on synthetic grass. "The game is about players," Wright told BBC Scotland. "If the figures they are talking about are a high percentage that are unhappy with them then it's quite right that something has to be looked at." St Johnstone's McDiarmid Park pitch has come in for flak this season and Wright concedes finding the ideal surface is not easy. "It's always easy to criticise the grass pitches when the weather is bad but pitches then get work done on them and they do improve," he said. "Artificial is certainly different but I think it is wrong in a sporting sense. "For example, we can't play Steven MacLean on it due to medical advice so there is something that needs to be looked at." MacLean is the Perth club's top scorer this term with 11 goals but does not feature on artificial pitches after suffering two serious injuries while playing on synthetic surfaces. "A few years ago I played on AstroTurf, I think I was at Hamilton, and a week or so later I had to go and see the surgeon," said the 33-year-old striker. "I needed an operation as I had a micro-fracture. Then the same happened about a year later. "I played on AstroTurf again and I needed another operation. I spoke to the surgeon and he advised me not to play on the AstroTurf. Now when an artificial grass game comes around the gaffer [Wright] just takes it out of my hands and tells me straight away I will not be playing." MacLean says football is "a totally different game" when it is not played on grass, adding: "You can't move as well, it's a lot firmer and it takes your body longer to recover." Should we likewise be protecting Ross Draper ?

You beat me to it Don. The trip to Inverness is simply not the novel experience that it used to be. I would love to see a table comparing away support attendances at the TCS.

Bannerman surreptitiously calls for a ICT and Tinkerville merger. Presumably the vote will be rigged at the Munlochy Community Centre. I would say that one reason that it never looks like a game is on in Inverness is the placement of the ground for the away support. Many Supporters buses stop en route to Sneck (Aviemore) and then motor directly to the ground. Car drivers are probably of the same ilk. The traditional Rail support are the only ones seen down town. Lets face it though - after the glory season we significantly disappointed last season. It is early doors and the only way to attract more attenders is by winning and entertaining at the same time. For us that is a massive task, But as I attempted to emphasise in the opening post we really do look to have the potential with the current squad. Teams are taking points off each other and put together a wee winning streak and you get attention and you get the "cant be bothered" stay away fans coming back. I was looking for 13-14. Well that is three in the bag and the signs are that we could realistically gain that cache of points if not more. And I may as well bite on the pre-merger stuff. In the days of the 70's there were mini-crowds when entertaining the likes of Rothes, Lossiemouth etc. but there were crowds well in excess of the TCS average for many games. Those were the days when Caley and Thistle were the "wee teams" of the predominant Old Firm support. On many match days they turned out to watch their local team. It is not all about a small number of diehards. If your parents and your close family have an original affiliation to a "big" team from that area you will undoubtedly be influenced and the merger will be derided and mocked.

Well It was too busy under the Main Stand

It could be the best panto ever - Suggestions ??

OK V1 - All in a days craft

Brilliant RIG - Ross Draper IS Barry Wilson

Taken from the SPFL site asking for memories

It may not be as simple as to play the same X1 as we did against Cellic - I actually hope NOT. Playing Cellic at home is different from playing Dungdee at home. Foran has emphasised how important it is to keep as many players in contention and starting as possible. We now have a bit of choice on who starts and what system to use. The back five, when fit and free from suspension, do simply pick themselves. Tansey appears to have become a Foran "shoe in" although he has improved significantly in recent games - and has been freed of "competition" with Draper and to a lesser degree Vigurs. I would put Polworth in beside Tansey. King also cant be dropped so it is a case of who plays wider. I can see Doran getting a start this time. I don't think that playing Draper in the hole with a typical centre forward works that well. I would be tempted to keep him high up the pitch but to play somebody with pace beside him. I would go for Boden but he appears to have lost brownie points. My second choice would be Fisher. I think that he is more mobile and, so far, looks as good in the air as Doombar. But he is the latest signing, a lesser version of a prodigal son. So I expect him to start but he can be hooked early doors if he doesn't make a mark. If Doombar plays I would like to see more width and the old fashioned attacking the bye line and providing fodder for Doombar and Draper to latch on to. I suspect that despite the P&B comments that Hartley's mentality will be to play both Vincent and Williams against their old team. Is Nicky Ross unfit or struggling to get in the side. At times I think that Nicky Ross is a bit Ryan Christie-esque and think that he could have done a great job at the TCS.