Sneckboy

Thanks to the search facility, I located that post I'd made about the perceived 'curse'! Posted 26 January 2015 - 05:55 AM We lost 3 of the 4 games we played in September including going out of the League Cup! That was after a run of 4-1-0 in the previous 5 games that effectively won the award. Bizarrely, the exact same fate happened last season when we started 4-1-0 which saw Butcher get the August award. We then lost 3 of the next 4! And the August before that, County started their first 'SPL' campaign and got through the month unbeaten to extend their run to over a year and 38 matches without defeat. Derek Adams award preceded the inevitable start of a losing run in the very next game! To be fair, there are probably countless examples of teams continuing their good form after getting the award - but that doesn't make for a good story!

Signed up until the end of season 2016-17: • Gary Warren • Richie Foran • Greg Tansey • Josh Meekings Signed up until the end of next season (2015-16): • John Hughes - Manager • Russell Latapy - Assistant Manager • Dean Brill • Aaron Doran • Danny Williams • Ryan Esson • Ryan Christie • Carl Tremarco • Ross Draper • James Vincent Signed up until the end of this season (2014-15): • Daniel Devine • Graeme Shinnie (going to Aberdeen) • Nick Ross • Marley Watkins • David Raven • Liam Polworth • Lewis Horner • Jaime Wilson (Development Squad) • Kane Hull (Development Squad) • Jason Brown (Development Squad) • Struan McArthur (Development Squad) • Blair MacLennan (Development Squad) • Calum Howarth (Development Squad) • Chris Brown (Development Squad) • Ali Sutherland (Development Squad) • Stephen Rennie (Development Squad) • Cammy Mackay (goalkeeper) (Development Squad) • Chris Blackett (Development Squad) • Daniel Hoban (goalkeeper) (Development Squad) • Calum Ferguson (Development Squad) • Ryan Baptie (Development Squad)

Has it really come to desperate, sell-promotion?!

I really hope they can do it, and somehow stay up! Would miss the derby games. However, Heats coming up would ensure we don't lose too much money from County's demise. But, if it came to a Sevco v County match for the Premiership, I'd be in Dingwall supporting the Staggies with everything I've got , such is my utter contempt for the Glasgow 'club'! Would be gutted to think that any fellow Highlanders would hope that The Rangers and all that baggage, depressing, self-righteousness and sense of entitlement, 'we-arra-people' etc. that comes with them, would achieve their destiny - 'and we'll enjoy the journey!' at the expense of our neighbours. Anybody who still wants County down and Rangers up need only have 5 minutes on 'Bears Den' Forum! Be careful what you wish for!

FT Hibs 3 -2 Inverness Ferguson as always! He's got to be worth a 'look at' by Hughes! Give him a few minutes at the end of a game to break him in. Perhaps then see what he can do as a proper sub. I doubt he's good enough to start a game yet! Same with Ali Sutherland. Our Development Team is utterly awful. But it changes annually, as players progress thru the ranks and others move on. But I doubt many of the current lot will be kept on.

Never mind '18 Hours From Rotterdam', you are a mere 'Three-hundred-and-twenty-thousand metres from Paisley'! (sorry your thread got 'hijacked'!)

This is the best thread on the forum! I have no idea how Fraz hasn't embraced it!

That's a very good point. This would be our first Scottish Cup semi as a 'top flight' side. I remember the chants to the Dunfermline fans of "SPL, you're having a laugh!!"

I found an interesting article pertinent to the odds discussion. Apparently, in 2008, a punter posted a message on a comments forum prior to the Champions League quarter-final draw - correctly predicting the outcome!!!! A post left on a newspaper's internet forum at 10.28am this morning, 90 minutes before the draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland, correctly predicted the entire quarter-final draw. The poster claimed bookmakers were no longer willing to accept bets on the draw. When all four ties predicted in the post came to fruition it caused fevered internet speculation that some sort of manipulation might have taken place. But a Uefa spokesman said: "It is just a lucky guess." This of course caused media outlets to speculate on what the odds were of 'guessing' the outcome. And as there were clearly no resident statisticians to-hand, various newspapers and websites were publishing all manner of guesses as to what the correct odds would be!!! As it happens, the odds for this punter's prediction were deemed to be 1 in 105. (He had the 4 ties correct, but not in the order they were drawn or with the 'correct' first home team) 1 in 105 explanation the first team drawn can be paired with 7 other teams and for each of these 7 choices the third team drawn can be paired with 5 other teams and for each of these choices the 5th team drawn can be paired with 3 other teams (at this point the last two teams must be paired together). So that makes 7 times 5 times 3 combinations which is 105. So the probability of correctly guessing all four ties is 1 in 105 This is where much of the confusion arises. There are 3 different odds for predicting a quarter-final, it would appear. Predicting the draw exactly as it comes out, ball by ball = 1 in 43,320 Predicting the 4 ties (in any order) but with the correct home/away combination = 1 in 1,680 Predicting the correct 4 pairings (without regard to home/away) = 1 in 105 e.g. (1 in 105) Celtic will play Dundee United Raith will play Inverness Berwick/Spartans will play Hibs Falkirk will play QOS The odds of getting the Celtic-Dundee Utd pairing the 'right way round' would require a multiplication of 2. (1 in 210) Dundee United v Celtic Raith will play Inverness Berwick/Spartans will play Hibs Falkirk will play QOS The odds of getting the Raith-Inverness pairing the 'right way round' would require a further multiplication of 2. (1 in 420) Dundee United v Celtic Inverness v Raith Berwick/Spartans will play Hibs Falkirk will play QOS The odds of getting the Berwick/Spartans-Hibs pairing the 'right way round' would require a further multiplication of 2. (1 in 840) Dundee United v Celtic Inverness v Raith Hibs v. Berwick/Spartans Falkirk will play QOS The odds of getting the Falkirk-QOS pairing the 'right way round' would require a further multiplication of 2. (1 in 1,680) Dundee United v Celtic Inverness v Raith Hibs v Berwick/Spartans QOS v Falkirk Which brings us back to the 1,680 figure!!

I doubt we could have hand-picked the draw any better! We've played Raith in the Scottish Cup once before and won 2-0 at home - on the way to the (Dundee) semi-final. The only other cup meeting between the teams was a Challenge Cup game were we beat them, before going on to win that cup itself - so good omens!

David Proctor has been released (as a player) from Airdrieonians due to injury - but will remain working for the club in a scouting capacity. Just looked up his age, and am surprised he's only 30. Hopefully, not a career-ending injury as he's a few playing years left. http://www.airdriefc.com/news/2015/02/squad

Yeah, 40320/1 would be correct for correctly predicting the draw exactly. Trying to forget that it's a draw pairing teams for a moment, it's effectively trying to forecast the correct sequence of 8 numbered balls coming out of a bag. (8*7*6*5*4*3*2*1) = 40320.

No wonder the bookies make a killing! 56/1 !!! Inverness alone, have 7 opponents in the draw. 14 combinations!

Don't put any money on that, mate. The odds of your draw occurring are considerably more than just 100/1!

Would take that! But it's sheer fantasy, as Celtic will be granted a home tie tomorrow against Championship opponents. As sure as night follows day!

Then there were 9! I can't remember a Scottish Cup so wide-open! Spartans are technically in the quarter-final draw! Celtic - Dundee United - Inverness Falkirk - Hibernian - Raith Rovers - Queen of the South Berwick Rangers ? Spartans ?

collum has improved- well for that match at least However warren was booked for sure but it appeared to be for dissent It's strange - but none of the 'usual' football reporting outlets have noted a booking for Warren. BBC, SKY, Soccerway, SoccerBase etc. But these 'sources' often get their stats from the same agency, so if one's wrong, they'll all be wrong! It could be important later on, when a player can miss a big game due to earlier bookings.

Highland League Cup - last 16 Stuart Duff (Cove Rangers 6-1 Keith) Dachi Khutsishvili (Forres Mechanics 7-1 Rothes) Stuart Soane 4 GOALS (Forres Mechanics 7-1 Rothes) Martin Bavidge (Nairn County 4-2 Inverurie Loco Works)

Graeme Stewart (31 ICT first-team appearances) and Lewis MacKinnon (1 appearance) have been installed as joint-managers of Buckie Thistle.

musical

I wasn't at the game so can't comment, but the BBC report has Inverness as having no bookings yesterday. Collum seems to have improved!

Just to return to the changed European qualification criterion for cup runners-up, here's an 'official' link from UEFA's website. The 'no place for runners-up' rule will be in place for the next 3 years (UEFA term this a 'cycle') before likely being reviewed. http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=2137611.html The pertinent paragraph being: Performances in domestic leagues will be rewarded. If a national cup winner has booked a UEFA Champions League spot, the highest-ranked club in their domestic league not already qualified for the UEFA Europa League will qualify for the competition; national cup runners-up no longer qualify.

It's on SKY Sports News - which I don't have! I was gutted when they took it off Freeview. I agree, it would have been much better doing the draw after the Rangers-Raith game this afternoon. Everybody is buzzing for the draw with the Cup so wide open. There's also a real geographical spread in the last 8. 1 x North = Inverness 1 x Central Scotland = Falkirk 1 x South = Queen of the South 1 x Glasgow = Celtic 1 x Edinburgh = Hibernian 1 x Dundee = Dundee United 1 x England (!) = Berwick (probably) 1 x Fife = Raith (I hope!!!)

Cheers Rasczak for pointing that out - I hadn't realised the 'cup runners-up' rule had changed again for next season! UEFA continually alter that - it's little wonder I can't keep up. It's probably fair that the runners-up don't qualify, although it may lessen the chance of a 'minnow' sneaking in. The rule change is certainly beneficial for us given our current league position. But, as well as being an avenue to Europe, I'd love us to win the Cup, for it's own sake.

Yeah, they'd be allowed - but I assume you mean would their ground be suitable? It's too small but they'd be able to play at Easter Road. But, they'll probably get beaten 3-0 in the replay at Berwick! I'd love is I was wrong though!