CaleyD

The nearside linesman assistant referee was chronic. I don't think he made a decision for himself all day and seemed to take his lead from the referee on everything. The man in the middle tends to shoulder most of the blame when things are missed or wrong decisions made but in Steve Conroys defence for Saturday, he got absolutely no help from his assistants who were better placed than he to witness both the handball and Foran being dragged down in the box (and a few other things). Tade penalty was marginal....seen softer given. If you watch it looks like he got his heel clipped as opposed to being outright tripped. What's certain though is that some kind of contact was made and not with the ball. Also a sad reflection of the state of the game when pundits are suggesting he should have made more of it to secure the penalty and that his honesty in getting straight back up cost him. Forans offside....very tight. Linesman can't watch the ball and player at same time, so by time he looks round from the ball being played to check the line of players then he probably did see it as being offside. I don't know how they are trained to make a decision in that scenario, but you would think some allowance would be made for the delay in them looking from one to another. One of those where had it been the other way round then we'd all be sitting here with the straight edges on the screen showing it was clearly the right decision. The handball...you'll be lucky to see a more obvious one this season. Linesman had clear line of sight to the incident and the referee, although blind-sided, should have got enough of it realise it looked suspect.

I would imagine the early start and people being on holiday etc would have had an impact on the numbers there.

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Allegedly, when Butcher was asked to clarify how you pronounced his (Owain's) name the reply was "Jonesy"

Owain Tudur Jones...pronounced oh-wine tuh-dur

Hopefully, since he already knows a few of the lads and has been here before then he'll come up to speed a little quicker than someone totally new might have....no pressure Chris!!!

New official website is now in "live development" at http://ictfc.com Why "Live Development"?....well, because we still have a couple of things to switch on and one or two bits of information to add for some areas. The existing site at www.ictfc.co.uk will continue to operate in parallel for a little bit, just until we make sure the platform is holding up as planned/expected. We've calculated for plenty of resources and stuff so we don't predict any issues....but this is the internet we're dealing with Please try not to jump all over us for things straight off the bat...give yourself a few visits to get the feel for the site, then we'll happily listen to any critique you have to offer....and set up a suitable vehicle for that to take place. One of the main projects we're still working on, but hope to complete before the end of the weekend, is the player/match stats. This is a project that has been ongoing for years and we're on the final leg of getting it complete. It's taken (literally) hundreds of hours to input all the data so far and the finish line is in sight. The other item near the top of the list is tidying up and revamping the layout of the online shop....again, should happen within the next couple of days. Scotty is taking a well deserved break this weekend, so I'm on my own and will be busy at game tomorrow....so please take it easy on me!!!

And whilst that goes on, everyone is missing out on the real "Big Arrival"!!!

I think we're in a bit of a transitional period on this one....and if last year is any indicator in terms of young lads getting a chance (and doing well) then "Scots in the Minority" may not actually turn out to be the case over the course of the season. In regards to SMEE's comment on being a Highland Team made up of localish talent.....I get where you are coming from and agree it served us well in getting to the SPL, but we did seem to have reached our peak in that regard and something was needed to push us on, or at least make an attempt at pushing us on. What's more, you'd be hard pushed to put together a predominantly localish squad today that could compete in the SPL, even if you had free pick of all the players out there. Hopefully that will change as young lads coming through the ranks get their chance and others see that there's a route from junior football to SPL available if they work for it. In all honesty though...the subject of player nationalities and reduced number of Scots in the squad hadn't really entered my head before reading this thread. If local talent was being overlooked to bring in "foreign" players then I might have stronger thoughts/opinions on the matter, but I don't believe that is happening.

Just a reminder to users that articles being quoted from other sites/sources should indicate source and preferably a link to the original. You should also try and refrain from quoting articles in full. Thanks.

You mean Section E?

A big thanks to everyone who was on the bus last Saturday. We had no complaints so I'm assuming everyone thought it went well. I certainly enjoyed not having to drive and arriving just before 1pm gave plenty of time to enjoy the pre-match. A clear run back up the road saw us back by 9pm with the rest of the evening to do as we wish. All in all, a successful start to the Official Travel Club ventures....worthy of carrying the name "HMS Sneck" for future outings I think!!!

The bus will depart from the ICT Social Club on Greig Street at 09:15am and will then pick up from the Stadium at 9:30am. Please make sure you arrive in good time for the bus....Thanks. Cost of Travel is..... Supporters Trust Members £13 Non-Members £15 Bookings can be made in one of three ways..... 1. ONLINE BOOKING - This can be done from the Supporters Trust Website under the Travel Club Link. Instructions are provided on the site, but if anyone has any problems then please let us know. Payment can be made online via PayPal. You do not need to have a PayPal account, just look for the link on the PayPal page for paying by Debit/Credit Card. 2. PHONE BOOKING - This can be done by calling 07951 309 504 We answer the phone when we can, but this is not always possible. If you do not get a reply then leave your name and number (or text us) and someone will call you back. 3. STADIUM CLUB SHOP - We are now able to take bookings in person at the club shop. Please do not phone the club shop to book, if phoning use the Travel Club number above. Even if not booking online, please take the time to visit the website and familiarise yourself with the Rules/Guidelines - Thank you The online booking system is new to both you and us, so please bare with us as we get to grips with it and fine tune it to meet the needs of the users. If you have any problems or would like to provide ideas/suggestions then please get in touch by e.mailing us at [email protected] Joining The Supporters Trust For those who wish to join the Supporters Trust, you can do so online at www.ictst.co.uk via Paypal. Forms are also available online for you to print and return with your payment. If you would like us to send you out a form then call or e.mail ([email protected]) us. A supply of forms are also available at the club shop and payment can also be made there.

Have merged these threads and pinned them at the top of the forum for a little while. Any media source that wants to plug their offerings for the forthcoming season are welcome to do so here. Maybe we could even round off the season with some kind of "Media Death Match" style competition....one representative from each in a Royal Rumble style Sumo face-off in the centre circle at half-time

If mine is one of the posts you're referring to here then, with hindsight and the benefit of a night's sleep, you're correct that it was too much of a knee-jerk reaction, born I suppose of disappointment at the result and performance. You're wide of the mark in your comments about 'bitching' and 'waiting for an opportunity to stick the knife in (again)' in my case at least, but I do agree with you and Alex that it would be pointless to keep referring to the loss of Duncan and Munro, as we need to move on. However, in trying to put together some sort of match report for this first game, I do think it's going to be necessary to weigh up what we have lost - with reference to all the departed players - against what we appear to have gained on first impressions of the new players. Briefly, as I will need to develop this in more detail later anyway, what concerned me most yesterday was that we appear to have lost a few players who are capable of reading the game and anticipating opponents' moves. Duncan, Munro and Rooney were all particularly strong in this area and thus tended to be in the right place at the right time more often than not. This is why I'd always preferred Duncan to Cox as deep-lying cover for the back four, although I suspect that once he has recovered, this is where Cox will be played. I thought Aldred, despite his undoubted strengths, looked a little prone to be pulled out of position - he reminded me a little of Bulvitis in this respect. Tade, too, didn't always seem sure of where he should be - there was no doubt about his hard work and the amount of running he did, but it did look a little aimless at times. Hopefully, however, this was down to over-enthusiasm and as the team gels and the new players settle into the SPL, their abilities to read the game will emerge and they will hold position better - it was, as several people have correctly pointed out, just the first game of a long season. Tansey, incidentally, looks an excellent signing - with his vision and range of passing he might be a replacement for Ian Black, a player we have missed badly IMHO. My comments weren't aimed at any one person. My "knee-jerk" observation was just that...we all do it and that's par for the course when following football. In the past people got these things out of their system in the pub or whatever and by the time they reached a computer they had calmed a little and had others opinions to reflect on before making "public" comment. With the internet being so readily available and taking over from pub talk then these conversations now happen online for more often...something people need to bare in mind also before getting "upset" about forum talk/chat. With regards my comment on bitching about Munro and Duncan...I was waiting for it and had said to people that it would happen, I could probably have even written a list of those who would have been first in there. Of course people are going to want to "compare and contrast" and I like that kind of conversation. We've had many players over the years who have set benchmarks for what we, as fans, expect from their replacements. Robson, Wilson, Wyness, Mann (to name but 4)...and now Munro. All names that come up regularly in an "are they as good as these guys" type discussion. I see no problem with that and in a sense it honours the contribution these guys have made over they years. What doesn't honour these guys is when they are used as nothing more than a beating stick when having a go at the club/manager just because a person disagrees with something.

Think there's a lot of knee-jerk reaction to todays result....and still a bit of bitterness from those who seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to stick the knife in (again) about the loss of Munro and Duncan....move on people, all the bitching in the world isn't going to change things in that regard. I actually thought we played not too bad in spells today and our biggest problem was that we were a bit too stand offish when defending. The scoresheet might say 3-0 (and I know that's what counts) but I didn't witness a 3-0 performance from ICT. Hit the woodwork 3 times...on another day they would all have gone in and it would have been 3-3 and been a lot more representative of the match as a whole. Proctor didn't give a good showing, but don't think any of the rest of the team had (individual) bad games. The difference between the teams today was that one team knew each other and were used to playing together and the other seemed a little rusty at times. All in all, I saw nothing that can't be fixed. Give the guys a little time to gel as a team and I think we could be in for some very interesting and exciting football from ICT this season.

Have you tried Tipp-Ex?

Can't see them accepting any more than a 1 year extension...not because I think they are looking to move on any time soon (far from it, IMO), but because they'll want to be on the same deal as the players...and that's only right. Would be a little hypocritical of Butcher to be offering players 1 and 2 year deals on the basis of having them earn future contracts and not exposing the club to long term liabilities if they themselves were to sign a 3 or 4 year contract (as much as I would like them too).

Still seats available on the bus for anyone who might make a late decision to head down for the opening game of the season.

Still doesn't justify the level of wage and the fact they've got a 5% increase across the board...regardless of performance. It wouldn't bother me so much if they were putting in a weeks work/training/CPD, but they aren't. Most of them seem to manage to hold down other full time jobs whilst being referees...so I doubt the hours invested in being a referee are that considerable. How can they possibly justify a full-time wage?...which is what they are getting (and more). If they want a professional wage (without complaint) then I don't think it's too much to expect them to invest the time in being professional in their training and preparation for the job and also in their performance on the pitch. I can't think of any other profession where you could be slated from every angle for your performance and then stick your hand out and expect a pay increase the following year (apart from politicians and bankers). In fact, if anyone in just about any other profession performed as poorly as most of our refs then they'd be down the job centre right now. I don't blame the refs, if I thought I could get that much money for that little work and not have to worry about performing at my best then I'd be doing it as well. It's the system that's to blame and just like every other aspect of the the way the game is run at the top level in this country....it's a shambles.

In regards to your "Bottom Line"...it would have to be someone with a genuine interest in the club because there's nothing else left for someone to invest in or to attract any "dodgy" investor looking to asset strip or the like. I've had a feeling for a while now that changes were afoot...and they are doubtless needed. Caley Thistle has been on the back foot since day one. We were shafted with the new stadium that meant we started life with a huge debt and without getting into detail or kicking off any blame game, we've never managed to (properly) shake that off and have relied a little too much on stripping out the assets during tough times to get us to where we are today. I would say the club is at a point where investment will not only be welcomed...it is sorely needed. We don't have any debt and the bank aren't threatening to foreclose on us or any such thing...thankfully. I also think we are, for the most part, operating within our means as a business (we have little choice on that). However, we have no safety net and no capital which can be used to grow the club. The statement from the club would suggest that the group talking to the club have an interest beyond sticking in a few quid. Putting that together with previous statements from various people then I would hazard a guess that someone will be taking over the Tulloch Shareholding and then sticking a few quid into the pot over and above whatever that might cost them (I don't think they would prove too difficult to deal with if they can convince Sutherland they have clubs best interests at heart). What I don't expect to see is fists full of money being thrown at the club (team or otherwise)...and I don't think it is needed. The healthiest thing would be to see new blood, new ideas and new drive with just a splash of cash to give us some breathing room and a bit of stability. Anyway, as said already...all speculation. Just glad that it's positive speculation!!!

Already had my wee rant on the subject in the comment on this article http://changingscottishfootball.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/joint-action-group-sets-out-agenda/ To summarise my opinions..... 1. The new task force has (deliberately or otherwise) done nothing but skirt around the issue when setting their agenda/plan of action. It has more to do with domestic abuse, drink/drug related problems, the internet and general misdemeanour than it has to do with tackling Sectarianism. 2. We don't need more legislation, we just need people in positions of power and authority who are willing to enforce existing legislation. 3. Until #2 happens then police, stewards etc will always go for the easy "soft" targets to justify their position and try to make it look as if they are doing something. Any new legislation just gives them wider scope from which to select those soft targets. 4. Having the biggest culprits at the wheel when it comes to driving forward reform is too ridiculous for words.

Where's Foran gone?