Yompa

David Sutherland really put Thompson and Brewster in their place with his firm but direct response... "If it is meant to unsettle players and put pressure on us to accept, then I can only say our previous reluctance to sell is now a complete determination. Our manager, Charlie Christie, wants to keep his players, and it is unfair to try to take our players with our first SPL game on Saturday. It is also unfair to our supporters, who do not know the truth. For avoidance of all doubt, and to make any future media leaks futile, we will not be doing transfer business with Dundee United in relation to players who are important to our manager's plans. End of story." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I love that last paragraph. "Fvck off and never darken our doors again". I sincerely hope Brewster comes to Inverness on 16th September sitting at the bottom of the league!

On holiday...

Just spent a week on the road re-living my youth... following the Baggies Scottish pre-season tour. As a result, I can offer the following insight into how some of our rivals are shaping up: Kilmarnock: They took a long time to get going in the first of the three games and basically weren't in the game for the first 45 minutes. However once they scored just after half time, they completely took over and looked seriously impressive later on. They've restored Di Giacomo to the front line alongside Invincible and Wales and with wee Naismith pulling the strings behind and alongside, they look to be a good bet for another top six finish. Motherwell: I'm happy to report that the post-Butcher team were very poor. The young keeper, Smith, looks dodgy and collectively, they look like a bunch of scrawny kids with a couple of old fatties (Hamilton et al). They didn't see much of the ball all afternoon and what they did have, they either didn't use or gave away. Dunfermline: Five days to the start of the new season and they played THREE trialists. That says it all! My bet for the drop, they have replaced Hunt with Whelan and I don't know about Noel, they've no feckin chance of avoiding another relegation dogfight. They played a trialist, Bamba, at the back (I thought it was Big Marv at first) and he looked okay and will probably get a deal, but up front they are shocking. I'd be surprised if they manage 30 goals in the SPL.

That's a very interesting debate guys, but at the end of the day, it's the dreaded 'agent' who appears to be stalling the move. These people are a cancer within the game and it's just unfortunate that some talented young players are represented by leeches who are out to line their own pockets in preference to doing what's best for the player.

Heskey and Sutton... what a strike force!

Laugh at him if you like, but Graham Taylor is another who tells it like it is. Butcher has always been one of the most honest of men and the summarising of both he and Graham Taylor have been top class throughout the tournament.

Forget the aerial bombardment... let's have some carpet bombing... :tank: :004:

"The standards here may be too high for the Scottish team to have any real hope of progressing past the first round in 2010" And you accuse the English media of arrogance!!! I'd reserve that statement until after you've qualified if I were you mate... :016:

YOMPINHO

Too roight, DJS... for a week in moi life, oi'll revert back to moi yowth and folla the stroipes. Mind yow, it'll seem roight funny being in them SPL grounds and not shoutin' fer the Caley Thistle! :017: Boing Boing :011:

'66 revisited... Greavsie got injured in the group stages, forcing Alf to select Geoff Hurst for the knockout stages... the rest, as they say, is history... :016:

Like what it says on the tin, the 2006/07 fixtures are due out tomorrow...

RIG, that is an excellent comment and sums up why we're all glued to Zitelli. To be honest, I felt let down by Brazil the other night.... big build up, big names... zero hunger to perform. Ronaldo's performance summed it up for me. Got it all, no hunger anymore. I only hope they try harder (which I'm sure they will) later in the tournament cos if they don't someone like Spain or Italy will turn 'em over. :010:

Hey... don't get me wrong... I have nothing against the fans. I'll enjoy a beer or six with any supporters (yes, even the Wulfs) but when it comes to the manager telling his players to lie down and feign injury to try and get the game abandoned (on account of a few having already been sent off for serious foul play), then that manager has no place in football. Interestingly enough, I was on my way back from Starks Park that day (a boring 0-0 job in which Novo played like a proverbial headless chicken) with ITN Minor when the news came on the wireless that Sheffield United had run out of players. The rest is history... :017:

"Compared to other footballing nations of similar population, England have an abysmal record. When did they last win anything?" Compared to Spain perhaps... Ah yes, La Liga, the best league in Europe by all accounts. Pity the national team has never made it past the quarter finals in ANY World Cup then, eh? :016: :016: :016:

I want to see the SPL, the SFA and the police ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING about the Old Firm and their songs. I want to see the ref stop the game if necessary while the police empty the away end if that's what it takes. Only once the authorities start taking draconian action will people wake up and take notice. And if it makes the national news, then so what... it's Scotland's secret shame after all. PS And when you've chucked 'em out, make sure they get back on their buses and head straight out of town!

Sheffield United... after Wolves the most hated team in England... C'mon Roscoe, stuck into these *******.

If you want some REAL tub-thumping loutish commentating, then try Talk Sport, your self-styled official World Cup station. I tried it for a laugh on the way home last night and not only was it amateurish in the extreme compared to the BBC, but there was no crowd noise whatsoever, which suggested that they were watching the game on TV and broadcasting their thoughts over the air as they went along. Motson may be irritating at times but he's a league above these guys.... :016: :016: :016: :016:

Ah... This explains why SOS ran a story yesterday saying that he'd phoned Lawwell and told him he'd be honouring his contract and playing on for another season.... ??? Bet the editor's well chuffed with that reporter! ;D

The article speaks volumes of Charlie and the whole business set up (on the footballing side).

Hey Ross, we might as well get on the wind-up... how do you fancy a wee trip dowh south on 5th July? 8)

Having watched Portugal tonight, I'd say it's time the press got off Sven's back. There aren't any 'easy' games anymore and getting three points is by far the biggest prize in your first match. A win on Thursday, followed by another draw for Sweden, will do just nicely.

What do you think? ;)

Ross, when you've been subjected to the BBC hype and the Scottish backlash in equal doses for as long as I have (29 years!!!) you'll just leave both sides to get on with it. The media will never stop claiming that England are worldbeaters (when they're not) one second, then slating them the next, whilst the Scots will increasingly attach themselves to every other small nation that qualifies for the finals, in the knowledge that it could easily be a generation before Scotland qualify again. I've said it before, but you've only to look at the population stats (falling birthrate, increasing obesity, increasing addiction to alcohol and other 'substances', selling off of parklands etc etc) to recognise that whilst other so-called smaller nations are getting better, Scotland are going backwards. And whilst I'm at, England will be in the same boat by 2020 if they keep letting foreigners into the Premiership at the current rate... >:(

The place in the market was still going the day before the Highland March started... that would have been the end of April.