Kirishima

Tough draw, Aberdeen got the best of the bunch, no disrespect to Dumbarton.

Yes, as happened in 2010, but can't find anything definite from SFA et al. Anyway, the draw will be mighty interesting, Dumbarton have had a relatively quiet passage, prob the team most other clubs fancy after Raith and Albion's heroics! If we stretch imagination to its fullest and a) ICT don't get to the final, b) finish 4th, then if Dundee utd finish 5th, and it is a Aberdeen V Dun. utd final, and Aberdeen win it is ICT who get Europe?

With Motherwell and Celtic both out of the cup, and as it stands in the league, with Aberdeen now favourites, if ICT were to be in the final with them, would we then be in the euro qualifying rd.1 no matter what, but rd. 2 with a win??

What a wonderful opportunity to showcase Scottish football abroad, there are many fine stadia in Japan, currently in their off season. The Sun would subsidise buses if asked I'm sure.

One family member, two iPads and FaceTime, and a rather late night....but Wowzers! Was that a game or what??? Ref blew it big style, but no matter, 9 men is enough for the mighty ICT. I think "300" should be the movie on the bus home, or maybe the Alamo? Lion Rampants in blue shirts.

Yeah, maybe, but any team losing a derby at home will get flak, especially when that rival is the league whipping boy. Still can't understand it. It's not ok.

I am a happy clapper, bughtmaster, but even I am feeling a bit sick over this.

Can't quite believe this. How on earth did this happen???

A decent outcome, and a shot across the bows for a serious dereliction of duty by the SPFL. A good day for fan power and the clubs. All eyes on the semi-final now. Well done CJT.

No, but it is the worst of a bad bunch. I love the Scottish game now, no money, no transfer fees, just players playing for an honest day's pay. In England, most players by the 70th minute are thinking ably whether Krug or Cristal champagne will do in the VIP section of the nightclub after the game. For us, it's which car offers the best cover. I can't cheer for players like marlon king.

I thought the same, and one of the reasons I haven't bothered to watch MOTD this season is things like this. The English game is rotten, seeping with greed and vanity. No dignity left. It is what it is.

At the meeting where CJT went all the way down to Glasgow end of November, the SPFL had nothing in place, except to say, let's talk on the phone next week. That was reportedly a conference call on the 5th December, last week. After two weeks, with no updates, I suspect Doncaster had passed it on to an intern, who called last week with a list of private hire taxis in the inverness area. I think the SPFL have asked CJT to wait another week for the gumtree advert for carpools to go live. All joking aside, I think CJT have told the SPFL "You really want us to go public with THAT???" and they've went away for another think.

I would be very surprised (horrified) if Rice got the job. At this level, we should be cherry picking some plum candidates, and/or from ICT past, present, and future. Rice, with no history with the club, would be taking the role as a handout from a pal, and that's not reason enough at this level, 3rd division stuff. He has got a lot of things to work out before he even thinks of getting back into a job of any sort. Can't see this as a goer at all.

Well, it has been a week since the meeting, whatever Doncaster has in mind, it must be good.

Maybe KC wanted someone who could handle TB if things get tasty on the sidelines in future meetings. I think a lot of bigger name managers would have put noses out of joint, disrupted the unity, tried to stamp their mark on the team, whereas maybe JH was happy to just be back in football...he has lucked out big time.

Point to prove. The twitter response from other clubs fans is, well, of general mirth. He will get the team onside, he is a players kind of manager, not a Di Canio shall we say, and perhaps what the board saw was a motivator that can fit in well with a team that needs no new players whatsoever and that is settled, gelled, and proven. Those who laugh last...

Eagle, I owe you an apology. Sorry.

Egads! Not the obvious/popular choice. But it would be very, very wrong to bemoan the decision. A lot of things we don't see, and won't see, behind the scenes. The board have earnt the right to be trusted on this one. They must have a good reason. But it's early days still, til the announcement is official.

Well, the directors have to look at a clean slate. The team we have was through Marsella and TB, and Hibs will now have that benefit. That means we have to look at holding onto the squad as it is at all costs, which will be a big ask. So, any new manager will have to be able to show experience of building/rebuilding a squad. Hartley did that at Alloa...and how!

Hughes does kind of seem similar to TB in that they were both successful and then petered out. It will nigh on impossible to get a personality like TB again, so that should not be a factor, as most would be on a hiding to nothing on that basis.

No wind up . You can say sorry on Wednesday Same AJS. Eagle, I'm afraid you are posting from under a bridge. Hartley has taken Alloa as far as he can, consolidation is his only realistic goal now. So, into the spotlight he will go. Can't see him turning down the job and pretty sure KC is going to go for a young fledgling dynamo than a journeyman. And Shiels, my goodness, Terry's wine replaced with Kenny's whine. Never, and he knows it. He should learn to stop speaking to the papers.

If Doncaster got the trains to go on a Sunday then fair play, I'd give him his dues. Thing is, needs to be soon, else the cost rockets. However, if he comes back, with the names of private bus companies for hire, then I do think he should be held accountable for the farce, and CJT should, as said before, be ready to respond, as goodwill is not something to be used as to fob people off, if that turns out to be the case.

I fear, RiG, that you will be proven right. He will use words such as "unfortunate" "best efforts" and "unable" and even perhaps "the best will in the world" after he makes a token enquiry. The positives remain that ICT, via CJT, didn't roll over, and he has had to answer for the debacle. One day, with his job. He has very little ice left.

I agree, however, what else is Doncaster offering to do? Provide a police escort? If he comes back with hee-haw then that will be symbolic of what the SPFL is.

Scotrail could run their 0453 / 0650 / 0755/ Saturday trains on a Sunday too. This could get 600 down in three trains. Asides from that, what else is Doncaster going to ask the transport authorities to do?