Kirishima

The major problem with Smith is he's more concerned with trying to improve football as a game than sort out the problems internally. We need someone who's one and only concern is the good of scottish football and technological improvements aren't going to improve the standard on the park (unless we start using football playing cyborgs)... the Summer season league was a non starter because we would be screwed if we ever make it to a International competition HC, all good points...but if Scottish Football is at stake, do you really think GS is where the problem is? Is he a man that resists change generally? No. He did try and instigate summer football. The problem is its SFA v SPL...both organisations are on less than friendly terms, and pull in opposite directions...but i got the feeling they were getting closer because GS was more approachable than Julius Peat was. Now, it's done in. Peat thinks he's hoodwinked everyone with this report...but people will see through this. I am very much eager to find a copy of this report/propaganda

Agree 100%. Upon reading this report by McLeish, GS resigned. Its all speculation at the moment, but as its been labelled a "damning indictment" one can only assume that McLeish has pointed the finger at the wrong people/places, perhaps even at GS. Peat has manufactured this entire scenario, and probably edited McLeish's final draft for him. Transparency? Fairness? Change? Not in Peat's name. GS stood for change, Peat stands for the old boys. Thankfully the Scotsman alludes to this. Peat out !!!

Thats a shame...bet all their squad wish they were injured...doesnt matter, give em pelters anyway. Bets on size of Dundee support? Shockingly low surely??

I agree with you HC. But people will only see GS resigning, this report will be buried, and nothing will change. That's the problem, the old buzzards sitting in the SFA, not GS. If people want a scapegoat, they've been given one...by George Peat and Henry McLeish (ok when he called John Reid a "patronising b*s***d" on mic) I suspect the SFA in this report have put the blame on GS despite being culpable for decades of mismanagement. Cover up, smokescreen, red herring, white elephant, whatever...but this report is biased. Will make interesting reading.

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again Here we go again on our own Going up to the only division we've ever known Like a hobo we were meant to go up alone, Terry's made up his mind He aint wastin no more time Here we go again!! Here we go again!! Here we go again!!

Im sorry, im usually quite reserved, but i'm not sure where the rational heads of these posters have gone... Gordon Smith has been Chief Exec for a mere three years. Any problems have been from far beyond then. Whether or not you regrd the man as unscrupulous agent/annoying pundit (i dont i think he is ok) he fact remains that by putting the blame on Gordon Smith for decades of ills despite the fact he has only been Chief Exec three years means you are playing straight into the hands of Peat. Ask these questions: Why did Peat instigate this report despite being at the SFA far longer than Smith Who was asked to write the report? McLeish. Why? What really is wrong with Scottish Football? Is it GS 100% Scottish Football is in the mire because of people like Peat..GS is probably as frustrated as us...Peat is an abomination. Just because GS has his noggin on the gogglebox, doesnt mean he's culpable. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Hear no peat, see not Peat, speak no Peat. GS is the fallguy, the sap, the proxy, the puppet, the scapegoat. Until we aim a bit higher, and a bit more radical, the malaise continues. Perhaps GS wants a 16-team league and Peat doesn't... (edited for last sentence) Peat Out !!!

Where is BridgeandCastle? I love Rigs quotes...

I kind of agree. GS has overseen a fraction of the malaise but Peat is President, he has to be the one getting his collar felt if the report is damaging. Peat has instigated this report and you can be sure it's biased. I actually think GS did as much as he could - he and every othe rChief Executive will be hamstrung until Peat leaves - that man will not see change under his tenure. I suspect GS has had more than his fair share of run ins with Peat - and this is his revenge, to point the finger via McLeish...whatever is in that report - it is another example of Peat refusing to look at the issues, and instead finding scapegoats and employing smokescreens.

Dont stop believin - Journey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfUYuIVbFg0 Just a small town club, livin in a lonely league, they took the division title from Dundee Just a city team, born and raised in south Dundee, they sacked Jocky and threw it away A manager with a smokin team, the smell of champagne and glory For a while they can drink tonight, it goes on and on and on SPL...waiting, down and up the league we go Dundee, shadows in the title race... etc etc etc

This must be to do with the eejit known as George Peat hiring Henry Mcleish to write a report which came out yesterday. Gordon Smith obviously felt something was amiss as he has allegedly resigned over this report. Wonder what it says! I cannot stand George Peat, and he is the one needing removed, instead of geting his lackey McLeish to create a report which will no doubt absolve Peat of any blame...oh yes. Farce. PEAT OUT!!!

Presumably Strathspey are looking at a player? yes we have a polish striker at the moment,his mate just arrived from poland,and syas he played 2nd div football in poland,were waiting on international clearance for him International clearance...surely the only clearance you'd need for him would be for the volcanic ash to clear. Is his mum brazilian or something?

Falkirk. Every time, Falkirk.

BBC Steven Pressley attacking Aberdeen for time wasting in their 1-0 win over Falkirk. Can't agree with him there, even though for Falkirk fans, it would have been torture (snigger...) He wanted the referee to do something, but i'm not sure. As in Boxing, should teams be penalised for time wasting for running into the corners, repeatedly playing back passes etc? (Edited for typo making it look as if I was a Falkirk fan....splutter, cough, wretch)

Very few teams get promoted after being relegated. Very few teams go from 6th to 1st from mid season Very few teams win 7 successive games Very few teams go on a 19-match unbeaten run Very few teams can change most of their personnel and be so successful. Very few teams can handle pressure of a title chase One of those teams is ICT. Amazing achievement, will be examined very closely now by the media and get the recognition it deserves. Congratulations, well done, thank you!!

McIntyre knows hee haw. No ICT players at all? Strange, he must have a chip on his shoulder about something

Link to Sun SFL Dream TeamJim macIntyre must be aff his heid...none? Sour grapes methinks! Edited to add link.

What are the scots up to in the MLS? Anything of note? Edited for typo

. I agree, it's hardly going to do HC any good now to see Clach go to the wall, they won't recover any money that way. What im unclear about is if Clach owe 270,000 quid, how much is owed to HC, and how were they allowed to run up such debts?

I used to be a member of the SNP and wore Scotland t-shirts sent to me in Japan for my birthday, and spent hours lecturing Japanese on how it was wrong to have one word for England and the UK, "igirisu" and how when i said "im from Scotland" and they'd reply "England?" and i'd get annoyed. But then I read Noam Chomsky and Manufacturing Consent, and chilled out a bit. I studied History, and that got me riled up a bit, but then you realise that lines on maps and wars in olden times aren't that important. The only thing that I don't like is the huge overreaction and hysteria and frenzy of English media over sport...it is provoking non-English into a reaction. The BBC is supposed to be neutral, yet employs idiots, and i mean idiot, like Ian Wright to cater to the people who buy the Sun and go around drunkenly declaring their passion for their country, singing England til I die, but couldnt tell you one meaningful fact about their country. It is the whipping up of these people by the media in order to increase consumption of their product that has created an anti-English reaction. I'm not saying Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Brazilian, etc, are better or worse, but I am saying that most of Europe does not enjoy the goading and gloating before, during, and after. I was at the last World Cup, and was horrified by what I saw. Horrified.

So basically HC are going to oversee Clach being wound up. What happens then? Inverness City in Highland league? Seems a bit of a silly waste, surrely yhey could support Clach and recoup in 10-15 years

That's true, aussies rivalry with the english isn't great at the best of times...Terry seems to like the Scottish game, it perhaps mirrors his own style, no nonsense, old-fashioned, hard kind of football. The opposite of Mowbray even. Overall I'd say Terry is adept at motivation, giving good pep talks, and instilling belief. If a team or group of players, Brentford for example, rail against that influence, it can spell disaster. But in a team like ICT, where they believe in their manager, it can reap rewards. Maybe thats why several players, vigurs etc, were shipped out.

I'm not surprised by that, he can barely walk these days. Maybe he did need more time but he didn't help his own cause due to the fact that his attitude stank - at Sydney especially. His record at Brentford was almost identical to that of Brewster at DUFC, but he was also very annoyed by the fact that the players there couldn't play at the same level that he used to. Sydney was a different thing altogether. Butcher was described as having "imperial arrogance" and arrived with an attitude of "I'm English so I know best. You're Australians, what do you know?" Completely stupid thing to do anywhere but Australia especially. He was then appropriately and justifiedly booted back to Britain. Well, i'm not privy to that information, but as far as ICT has gone, he seems to have kept his cool, respected the club and fans (even if he did lose his cool with some fans which I can understand) and been pretty articulate and level-headed. In that respect, we should judge him, not on past hearsay. I don't get the impression Butcher is arrogant. Passionate and a winner yes, but not arrogant. I've spent a lot of time with Aussies, and they are bristly as well, so it could have been a bad combination rather than the onus all on Terry? Just hypothesising..

Butcher has been unlucky. Coventry he did well enough, and shouldn't have been sacked. Sunderland, Brentford, Sydney, he wasnt given time, something he perhaps needed, especially as if you look at Motherwell, he did well... Didn't know he played for Clydebank and was asst coach at Partick Anyway, Butcher seems made for the Scottish game. If he gets ICT promoted, and does well in the SPL, Ipswich may be looking at him after the Keane saga...

:D Good one!

I wonder if cost has anything to do with it. In Germany its well cheap. Not in the UK. If ICT was 10 quid adults, 5 quid kids and concessions, would it be a full house? I doubt it... Fiorentina is a good shout. But Norwich, Newcastle and Hull are very loyal fans. Maybe best in Britain?