CaleyD

I'm aware of that....but Marius was still not 100% match fit when Brewster took over and, IMO, had Brewster been given the choice to use him less until he was then he would have done so. Incidentally I don't think Marius would have objected too much if that had been the case as he'll openly admit himself that he wasn't fully fit.

Probably, but I couldn't be ersed checking and thought the subject might make for interesting discussion....mostly that I couldn't be ersed checking though :015:

I was reading something elsewhere which got me to thinking about how much the cost of football has increased over the years and thought it might be an idea to try and put together a list of previous season ticket prices. Primarily looking for ICT prices for adult tickets for the last 14 years, but going back to pre-merger days would also be interesting. 2008-09 - ?20 to ?25 2007-08 - ?20 to ?25

As I said already....nobody is doubting what we've done or how far we've come...It's the fact we've made next to no progress (on or off the field) since we got here. Whilst it's great to think back to our successes in the last 14 years I'd like to think we still had a few more to look forward to instead of resigning myself, like many seem to have done, to accepting this is our lot.

Well Done Falkirk, and I hope other clubs follow suit..... http://www.falkirkfc.co.uk/club-news/ticke...-rangers-5.html

From the BBC interview - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7365237.stm Half way there and things seem to be going in the wrong direction Mr Fraser!!!

If you want to ignore off the field influences then I would say that as a fitness instructor/coach then he can't really be faulted....however having a super fit squad of players can only paper over the inefficiencies of a poor tactician for so long and I think that during Brewsters first spell with us, and his stint at Utd he was "found out" and having a super fit squad is no longer enough. If Brewster only knows "fitness" and it is his answer to everything then I fear that if/when things go wrong this season then he will simply push the players harder on the training pitch to improve fitness. There's only so far you can push people before they turn on you, I believe this is what happened to him at Utd and I believe we saw signs of it at ICT last season.

Some clubs can buy all their diamonds already finished from the jewellers, some get most as rough stones from the dealers and polish them themselves...at ICT we have to mine them and that involves sifting through a lot of chit.

I have a little problem when it comes to giving a fair and honest opinion on Brewster. The first thing is that I don't rate him in terms of his ability to manage a match. Far too often he plays players out of place, he was with us most of last season and never seemed to find his preferred starting 11 with it chopping and changing far too much, he seems to set up for home games as if they are away games and vice versa...and we've already covered the subjects of subs. The second thing is that I'm very much a believer that if someone is put in charge then they should be allowed to make all the decisions. For a Manager that should be which players we sign, which we get rid off, who gets picked for the team etc. Whilst I don't think we've reached the Romanov stages there's clear signs that this is not entirely the case with Brewster. Niculae was played from the start of last season, and Brewster being the fanatic he is with regards to fitness, I do not believe he would have been selecting him until he'd got up to speed....this was a decision made over his head IMO. I also don't believe for a second that Brewster would have been so quick to offload Rankin or Wyness if the decision was his to make....and whilst it might only be "rumour" that things happened behind the scenes to cause these departures, you rarely get smoke without fire. We then come to Niculae....Brewster was quoted in the papers saying it was a decision which was out of his hands. So, when it comes to matters of player selection, be it signings or squad picks, I find it difficult to pin the blame entirely on Brewster when I don't think things are being done properly. This can be a problem when you have a Director of Football at any club, but we have a football set up where one of the least qualified people is the man in charge!!! Then over and above that we have a major shareholder who is, IMO, dictating decisions based on personal politics and grudges. Whilst I don't think Brewster is manager material, I do also think think that he should be given the opportunity to succeed or fail by his own hand...and if things do go wrong this coming season he won't be the first person I'll be pointing the finger at.

As much as I might criticise certain decisions by the club and the signing/freeing of certain players, I do think that it's wrong of us to direct our "disappointment" and them in a personal manner, especially incoming players. They aren't going to join ICT unless they have been asked and offered a contract, so if we're signing players you don't like (for whatever reason) then aim your criticism at those signing them. With regards to any players sexuality...I don't think we should be so PC that it's a taboo subject, but I do think some people need to be a little more respectful and a little less derogatory in the terminology and phrasing they use.

It's typical ICT and the fact that they don't know how to spin anything, they've got themselves caught up in such a mess over the whole deal that I don't think those speaking to the press or putting statements up on the website know what the truth really is or why they are being forced to make the decisions they are making. You could perhaps explain the comments away had it been a scenario where Brewster was under pressure or answering questions from the press, but here we have it on the official website where they could and should have taken more time to consider the content before hitting the submit button....regardless of the real goings on.

:clapping03: - Amen

I, and a few others, said from the day we signed him that he wasn't suited to the game here due to his size and the physical nature of the SPL. What little chance ha had went right out the window when Brewster was re-appointed as Manager as he favours tall forwards who you can punt the ball long too. So yes, I do think he has something to offer, but I don't think that even if he had been given more of a chance at ICT that he would have thrived.

I just hope certain Taxi Drivers in Inverness don't get the same idea for the allocations they are given for OF matches :015:

I've probably been more optimistic/hopeful than anyone about us holding on to Niculae, but even I've come to realise that those making the decision are so blinkered by other issues that they aren't likely to come around. I am therefore resigned to the fact that Niculaes career as in ICT Player is very likely over. I could be wrong, but I think his appearance against Ross C*unty was the one and only chance fans had to congratulate him for his participation in the Euros and thank him for his time at ICT. So, in short....yes, I would say that any Strikers we are looking at from here on in are most definitely being considered as his replacement.

Don't know anything about him, anyone fill me in with stuff that's not lifted off Youtube, Wikipedia or their fans forum?

Wait a minute.....Celtic and Rangers want to operate a "priority" scheme for Away Tickets for their fans and they want the other clubs to pay for it? That's funny :015:

Don't worry Yngwie, I have it on good authority he's only being signed as the half time entertainment

.....accept this time it's Aberdeen 0 v 4 Peterhead Makes our loses to them in last 2 pre-seasons a little easier to swallow.

I wouldn't read too much into the Falkirk and Hibs interest in Lovell, they seem to be doing ok on the signing front and I don't think they'd be interested in getting caught in a bidding war. Kilmarnock on the other hand are desperate to sign someone after Russell did his knee in and and looks like he could be out for 3 months+. They were already in the market for a striker and now they need two it's going to make our job of finding someone all the tougher (and more expensive) as they will be able to match anything we can offer, plus they have location on their side.

Already a discussion ongoing regarding Eliot in the Rumour Mill http://www.caleythistleonline.com/communit...hp?topic=7117.0

What I found rather ironic is that people complained about the Scottish Cup Runners-Up getting a place in the Eufa cup and how it's an embarrassment to be sending "lower league" teams. Yet here we have one of the "better" teams in Scotland opting in to a tournament at a lower level and being handed their a55 on a platter. I know which of those two scenarios I find the most embarrassing!!!

Only at ICT would we have more experienced personnel coaching our youths than we have coaching our first team :029:

I suspect we'll see more of Vigurs than Sutherland this season. I rate Sutherland, but I think Vigurs has far more to offer the team. He's more composed on the ball and has a keen eye for goal....in fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the lad has a brighter future as a forward.

The way things are going, I wouldn't be too upset if we decided to play our youths in the SPL this season :tic01: