Sneckboy

I think Murrayfield Stadium is laying a hybrid pitch. I'm not even sure what that is! It obviously (I assume) won't 'cut up', but I can't imagine seeing a rugby pitch in pristine condition at the end of a game with the players' kits looking like something out of a Persil advert! I still prefer traditional grass. One thing that can be an irritant, to me, are synthetic pitches that cater for a variety of sports but have the different lines permanently drawn!

Strangely, Highland rugby club are playing a final down there later this month!

Still nothing from Mahonio?! He must be working. To be fair, he'll be glued to the Davis Cup on TV, but I'm sure he'll send in a 'selfie' later on....of his face. Covered in egg!!!! Anyway, interesting point, Dougal, about Brora wanting to take a stranglehold of the Highland League. I wonder if they, or any other club, are 'allowed' to renege on their play-off and pass it on to the runners-up (and so on). Or would Spartans (for example) go straight-through to play the bottom league team? I would love for Brora to make the Scottish League - the central-belters wouldn't be quite so enamoured!

Championship Dougie Imrie (Morton 2-0 Livingston) League One Ben Greenhalgh (Stenhousemuir 2-2 Arbroath) [He's still our player!!] League Two Dennis Wyness (Elgin City 1-1 Queen’s Park) Rory McAllister TWO GOALS (Peterhead 4-0 Montrose) Highland League Cup Quarter-finals Struan Scott-Woodhouse (Clachnacuddin 7-0 Rothes) Martin Bavidge (Inverurie Loco Works 5-2 Nairn County) Highland League Ross Tokely (Keith 0-3 Brora Rangers) English League Two Sam Winnall (penalty) (Torquay United 0-1 Scunthorpe United)

Well done to Brora on winning the league yesterday! Yes, they've 'spent big' but a first Highland League title in their 135 year history is still noteworthy. If they can repeat the success next season, they'd now find themselves preparing for a game against the Lowland League champions for the right to challenge the bottom SPFL team for their league place. As things stand, it would be Brora v. Spartans, with the winner taking on Queen's Park. I'm sure Formartine, Cove and even Nairn, amongst others, will be throwing money at improving their squads for the next campaign. Interestingly, it's been reported that 7 clubs (un-named) have applied to the Lowland League for 4 places to take their numbers up to 16 for next season. The days of teams living a comfortable existence in the bottom league of Scottish football are drawing to a close!

Great result tonight. A combination of style and determination. As Hughes stated in his post-match interview, it 'buys time'. But was that a Freudian slip? Whatever, Europe is still on! Watching it back now, and have just seen the Tremarco tackle! That's a straight red all day long! I know some posters have already said a yellow was correct. But if that had been Kris Commons lunging into Graeme Shinnie, I doubt many would have agreed that a yellow 'was suffice'! I do rate Tremarco as a footballer, but he's a bit of a liability. However, he got away with it. We can now have a break and regroup, with a European assault in the 'split'!

It's NOT a narrow pitch! Well, relatively. Depends what you call narrow..it's the same width as Caledonian Stadium!

The BBC article has been changed since yesterday. It definitely said 'Final'! However, what they've forgotten to also change is the rest of Hughes' blunder! Beating Barcelona in the semi didn't mean the 'cup goes back to Italy'! I hope nobody connected to this club has actually tried to 'save face' and contact the BBC without getting the whole context right! It now appears as though John Hughes thinks cups are handed out after semi-finals! Embarrassing!

The ball will be like a bar of soap tonight - it's been drizzling constantly all day. Maybe a night to try some shooting from 'range' with the County 'keeper hopefully spilling the ball at Billy's feet! Regardless of the weather and formations, I can see tonight being error-strewn which could make for an entertaining game for the fans and TV viewers!

That one baffled me, too! I have no idea what game he's referring to!

He seems to be highly regarded by UEFA. He's also refereed Real Madrid, amongst others in this seasons Champions League and also taken Sweden v Germany in the World Cup Qualifiers. He's also on FIFA's 24 man Elite Referee List.

That was a cracking AC Milan side. They're certainly not the force they were. They may struggle to regain the greatness of old - a bit like Ajax. Serie A is also a poor imitation of its former self, with only Juventus being strong on a continental basis.

Even if we did get a 5,500 crowd for a game against Celtic, it would only move our average up to 3,666.

I loved your line about the retirement do! Reminds me of the joke about the guy, Jimmy, on the golf course who stepped back from his shot, took off his cap and bowed his head as a hearse and funeral party drove slowly past. His mate turned and said to him that he was really surprised and quite taken aback by this noble gesture. As Jimmy put his cap back on he said, "Aye, well...we were married for 40 years."

I would say that they're both 75 yards wide for general conversational purposes. But, no 2 pitches will be precisely the same width! If either is narrower, then it's Dingwall! It's like saying two people are the same height. It wouldn't be exactly true, as if measured to the nth degree (say nanometres or smaller, down to atoms), one would be taller than the other. But we'd crack up if we lived in a world where everything was taken literally, in the true sense of the word! So, to summarise, the pitches are the same width.....but, of course, they're not!

Yeah, I'd agree. Particularly with a two week break afterwards - it would at least see us entering the post-split fixtures on a better note. Momentum and fortunes can change quickly in football and with Dundee United playing Celtic at the weekend, who knows, we might be going into the final 5 fixtures 'just' 2 points behind the Taysiders. I'm maybe sounding a bit 'happy clappy' with the following scenario but it could be something to emphasise how our season may just have one final twist! The week-off for the Cup Semi-finals could realistically result in a Scottish Cup Final of Aberdeen v. Dundee United, with a Dons win ensuring that 4th place in the league qualifies for Europe. Then we kick-off the resumption of the league with a home game on the Friday - with a win potentially seeing us leapfrog United into 4th place. Could the dynamic then change? Would their forthcoming Cup Final take some focus off their league games? Looking at the remaining fixtures, and assuming we take nothing from Celtic or Motherwell, winning our remaining home games (a big ask!?) could just be enough! This really isn't being overly harsh on United, giving them a draw at Perth followed by a win over Motherwell. They finish this hypothetical scenario by drawing with the Dons before also even getting a point at Parkhead. Dundee United 54 (St Johnstone (a) 55) (Motherwell (h) 58) (Inverness (a) 58) (Aberdeen (h) 59) (Celtic (a) 60) Inverness Caley Thistle 52 (Aberdeen (h) 55) (Celtic (a) 55) (Dundee United (h) 58) (Motherwell (a) 58) (St Johnstone (h) 61) So, it could be done in theory, but a win in Dingwall is a must - otherwise our chances will be virtually extinguished!

The widths of the respective pitches are quoted on a few databases as both being 75 yards. I do agree that Dingwall's 'appears' to be a little narrower, but it's probably an optical illusion, with Dingwall possibly being a yard narrower. I've just had a look at Google Maps with their satellite view. Okay, not cutting edge civil engineering but, at the time the images were captured by Google, there is negligible difference. Using the length of the penalty areas (44 yards) as the standardised 'control', it's possible to get a reasonably accurate idea of the widths. From the screenshots, the penalty area width at Inverness is 4.2 cm = 44 yards; with the pitch width being 7.2 cm = 75.4 yards Dingwall's penalty area is 3.9 cm = 44 yards; with the pitch width being 6.6 cm = 74.5 yards. So, the 75 yard measurements widely quoted are, for all intents and purposes, correct. Edit. Obviously 'my' measurements of e.g. 4.2cm, are due to my browser settings etc and won't be the same for everybody - they're simply indicative, but the ratios will obviously be the same! (cos I know someone will be measuring!)

Our average attendance will certainly now be easily the lowest of any of our SPL/Premiership campaigns and could even 'threaten' to be around the same as our last season in the old 1st division, when we bounced straight back up. We'll also, very likely, have the poorest home average in the Premiership. To be fair, all of the above would probably still be true even if we had got Celtic at home again!

Rankin was/is our record signing!

Paterson Butcher Robbo Charlie Brewster 1 Hughes Baltacha Brewster 2 As the current manager, Hughes position could yet rise or fall!

Faroe Islands Gunnar Neilsen for Motherwell, tonight!

I take exception to that, CaleyD. If I'm posting, then I fastidiously check my statistics before submitting. I stand by my observations that we've played no less games than Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United or St Johnstone. OK, I don't doubt for a minute your stats - but the figures I 'quoted' were for the full season! But, while I'm on, I've got to say, this obsession with tiredness is incredible. If Billy was knocking the goals in, I doubt anyone would be saying, "hey, Billy must be tired around now, we've got to rest him"! Luis Suarez playing for Uruguay at the World Cup? - after the season he's had, at that level? No thanks, he'll be too tired!! Sorry for the sarcasm, but this 'too tired' applies to all teams! How can't folk see that? It's their job! We don't get 'rested' at our jobs! To be brutally honest, in football, 'needing a rest' tends to mean, not good enough! And finally, ICTOline is surely forum for all - not just for folk wanting to 'big the club up' at any cost - what it is, and should hopefully remain to be, is a platform for discussion, with both praise and criticism. But what it's not is a fans' forum, per se...one doesn't exist! We've only one discussion forum (demonstrating how small a club we are), so naturally there will be conflict! Do we really want the irony of a split into (Caley Happy Clappers) and Inverness Constructive Talk - (ICT)? There would surely remain some bitter resentment if the two ever tried to merge?!

I know you'd like to think it, but the players have no been 'in' every day for the last 6 weeks!

Don't want to see him leaving! A good player to have in our squad. ICTRoughie watches a lot of the 'reserve games' and I understand from his reports that he's very versatile and often shows up well at right-back! We don't have a big enough squad to be losing guys like Pepper! A further one-year contract - see if he breaks-through, then review.

I find it astonishing that people put 'exhaustion' down to our slump! We're not the only team playing lots of games - although It may seem so, to those who don't look at the bigger picture. It would be a valid point....but it's not!! Compare us with Celtic, Aberdeen, Dundee United and St. Johnstone - there are probably more - but I gave up looking when it was evident the 'tiredness' excuse was simply 'clutching at straws' but more importantly, simply, wrong! Not for one minute do I think the players aren't tired - they maybe so, but certainly not MORE tired than their rivals. If they are...why? Is our fitness regime lacking now that the dream-team of 'Butcher and Malpas' have moved on? Let's not forget, other teams had European campaigns at the start of this campaign, which have likely impacted on their season. Other teams have had good cup runs, it doesn't only effect us. You can be sure, that in the unlikely scenario of us having a European adventure and then falling away dramatically, our Euro 'campaign' would be to blame! Aberdeen are riding high and have played the same number of games as us. These guys are professional footballers! We don't get 'time off' 'cos we've had to work twice in four days! Billy 'needs a rest'? How many of us, posting here, wouldn't swap places with him? I think we'd all love to be as 'jaded' as him! How about a bit of reality here - someone's got to say it - Billy's actually not that great a striker - certainly, he appears to be devoid of confidence since 'the change'. But Hughes was appointed and I will have to watch the slow, painful demise of the club - until the board realise that their appointment was wrong. Until then, we can all be witness the lifeblood of the club seeping away... And the happy-clappers will pathetically stand-by and watch us sink.