ictchris

Some classic bitterness over on the County site  :015:

Hopefully he does sign but the cynical side of me suggests this might have to do with ensuring that we recieve a fee for him if he does decide to leave.  However, I think that he could do better than Dundee Utd, especially if he has a stand out season in the SPL.  Look, for example, at Burton O'Brien and David McNamee who used success at Livingston to sign for Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City respectively, or Daryll Duffy who went to Hull City from Falkirk.  Black would make more money and give himself a better chance at a great career if he went to England rather than cash in his chips early and go to tannadice.

Yinted got booed off today after losing to Dundeh.

Team?

Report from HighlandLeague.net

Pre Season Friendlies Report: Deveronvale v ICT 19-Jul-2006

Deveronvale - Home

With Deveronvale having knocked nine past Turriff United and the ICT side putting six past Clach the fans would have expected a high scoring match, but in the end both teams battled hard with the SPL side deserving their 2-0 win.

Fraser Bremner and Mark Cowie made their home debut for Deveronvale while Matthew Glass and Darren Campbell continued their trial appearances for ICT. However the surprise appearance on the team sheet came when Steven Rattray was called out of the stand to replace a no-show linesman!

Inverness Caley Thistle had to share the possession pretty evenly with the Highland League champions throughout the first forty five minutes although it was Charlie Christies side that carried menace in their attacks.

Right back Tom Parrat used the space created by Darren Campbell pushing forward to cut in onto his left foot and let fly with a 25 yard effort that flew inches over James Blanchards crossbar.

Richie Hart was the next to let fly, the centre midfielder hitting an effort from a similar distance that scraped the top of the bar. Tom Parrat tried again to no avail, but just when it appeared the first half was going to end up goalless the SPL outfit took the lead.

A move down the right eventually saw the ball played back into the path of Russell DUNCAN who let fly, under no pressure, from 25 yards. He managed to place it just out of the reach of the diving James Blanchard, the ball trickling in just inside the former Dons right hand post.

Mark Cowie came close to grabbing an equaliser for the home side when he noticed keeper Mike Fraser was positioned a few yards off his line and he tried an audacious lob form distance which sent the keeper scrambling across goal to make the save.

Trialist Matthew Glass missed a great chance to make it 2-0 when he blasted over the bar from four yards with the goal gaping, meanwhile at the other end a Steve Dolan free kick found Mark Chisholm at the back post but his header flew wide.

Stuart SOANE was introduced just before a Inverness Caley Thistle corner and having trotted into the penalty area promptly made it 2-0 within ten seconds of the swap. When the corner came in it was the Banffers who won the first header but Soane cleverly moved the ball onto his right foot before blasting across goal and into the far corner.

He could have had a hat-trick in the space of eight minutes. Firstly the red headed midfielder struck the base of the post form twelve yards out then James Blanchard had to make a fine scrambling stop low to his right.

There was a let of for the Vale when Mark Chisholm got his head to a ICT cross that flew over Blanchard but came back out off the inside of the far post. At the other end Mark Chisholm twice had chances with headers at set pieces that the defender put wide, much to his own frustration.

The last chance of the game saw Mike McKenzie let fly from the edge of the area with a rasping effort that Mike Fraser parried away for a corner kick as the match drew to a close.

Deveronvale: Blanchard, Dolan, Chisholm, Gilbert, Chisholm, Brown, Bremner, McWilliam, Smith, McKenzie, Noble, Cowie Subs: Munro, Allan, Watt, Harris, C Barney, S Barney, Alexander

Inverness Caley Thistle: Fraser, Parrat, Golabek, Hasting, Kerr, Duncan, Glass, Keogh, McAllister, Hart, Campbell Subs: Smith, Proctor, Soane

Referee: D Watt

We'd be better off signing Mick McManus.

We lost 3-2.  Peterhead goals from Wood (2) and Linn.  Barry Wilson and Darren Dods scored for us.

Team: Brown,McCaffery,Morgan,Munro,Dods,Black,Wilson,Wyness,McAllister,R

ankin,McBain

I would probably agree with the previous posts about Granty24's team.

I remember in 1995 when we signed Ian Stewart the Daily Record did an article about us having the shortest strike force in Scottish footbal, with Stewarty and Charlie.

Craig Dargo is obviously our best striker.  Dennis played well and bagged a good tally of goals last season and they have to start together up front. 

Bayne is a different type of player and I think he comes in for some undeserved criticism.  Big targetmen strikers and defensive midifielders are always the first targets for the 'boo boys' in football but I think that Bayne did a sterling job for us in 2004/05 and was unlucky with injury last season.  He isn't a goalscorer but his tireless workrate and physical presence give us different options up front.

This season is McAllister's make-or-break, I feel.  He has been given run-outs here and there and scored a few in the reserves but he has to really demonstrate he has it in him to be an SPL player this time out.  In the few first team games I 've seen him in he has looked nervous and makes basic errors.  Hopefully next season he can use the experience he built up last time out and eliminate this carelessness from his play as I think he has the potential to be a good player for us.

For me, barry Wilson is a right winger, he plays best and contributes most when he is on the right wing, not the left wing or up front.  He is decent cover to have but should be just that - cover.

From today's Daily Record:

DARREN GETS OFF HIS MARK AT INVERNESS

INVERNESS manager Charlie Christie is poised to sign 20-year-old speed merchant Darren Campbell.

Former Reading player Campbell is on a two-week trial in the Highland capital.

And after turning out for the under-19s against Huntly, the winger earned rave reviews.

Christie, who will take a look at Campbell in tomorrow's friendly against Clach, said: "I got a glowing report about Darren from Danny MacDonald after the win at Huntly.

"He's a small but extremely quick wide-midfield type and could add a different dimension to the squad.

"He's here for a couple of weeks and I'm keen to see him in action for the first time in Bruce McCraw's testimonial on Sunday."

Just read about a bit on this guy he was on loan for a couple of games to Tamworth in the Conference last season.  He has also played for Scotland Under 17s and can play on either wing.

Advert in today's Dundeh Courier:

LOST - One plot.  Believed to have gone missing around January in Tannadice area.  If found please return with utmost urgency to: C. Broooster, Tannadice Park, Dungdeh.  Note: if returning lost item in person please take care with revolving door when entering stadium.

Any idea who the trialists were then?

Score from tonight?

I'm sure there could be other interested parties.  St Mirren had bids in for him in the january window, but have since signed Richie Brittain.  Motherwell have been linked as well as Yeovil.

If he wants a huge ammount of cash then we can't beheld to ransom.  From reading postings on other sites it seems that there could have been an issue relating to a percentage of the transfer fee going to County.  If it is off then perhaps we can move back fro Hoolahan.  However, these transfer 'sagas' often sort themselves out in the end.

Dont know if this has been posted anywhere else:

Todays P&J

Personally I think its absolutely fantastic that the club is in such a position and, obviously, confident that our financial health will continue to improve. Hopefully Dods and Dargs will see that the Ness is more inviting than the Tay.

Certainly I think that Black could stay another season and sign for a better club than Dundee Utd.  If he plays consistently tot he level he can I'd think that he could get a move to England.  Dods and Dargo are obviously a bit older and if Dundee Utd are offering them far more money then it might be difficult to persuade them, although I think that Dargo is still young enough to aspire to bigger things than Tannadice.

I think the most important players to keep at the club are Mark Brown, Darren Dods and Craig Dargo, good to see that we are pushing the boat out to keep them.

Today's Metro reports that there has been a hitch in the deal, involving Ross County and John Rankin.  It's nothing to do with us and Rankin's agent is apparently speaking to County to get it resolved.

Mark Kerr is routinely booed off the park by Yinted fans.  Collin Samuel is absolute garbage, £100,000 he cost  :010:  Barry Robson is being 'found out' and Lee Miller was poor for most of last season.  For the money paid for them they have been poor signings.

To be honest, that might be down to playing for Yinted  :015:

On the other side of the coin, Tim Cahill came from a lower league to Everton and has been an amazing signing for the Toffees.  Here's hoping he takes after him and not the pish above. :003:

We are more likely to finish 5th than 3rd.  :007:

How is the seeding done for this qualifying?  Both World Cup finalists in one group, what a load of pish.

Where did you hear that?

Score?

Highest level  :015:

The SPL ain't Serie A you know. There is pretty much no difference between the top 6 teams in the first division and the bottom 6 in the SPL so you are fretting over nothing.

I'm pretty sure the fee is closer to 60K in any case

The highest level in Scotland. 

I think Rankin could make the step up but there is a long line of players who were stand outs in the First Division who haven't done well in the SPL - Mark Kerr, Lee Miller, Collin Samual, Barry Robson even Dennis Wyness.

I suppose I am putting across the converse point of view.  It could be a fantastic signing, he could be the best young player going and revel at ICT, I hope he does.

TM4TJ, it's true that everyone is untested but we have paid a very large transfer fee for an untested player, it's a big risk.  Dundee Utd and Aberdeen bought a number of highly regarded First Division players for similar fee's a few years ago and got their fingers burned.

I think he'll do well for us like, but it's a big fee for a player who is essentially untested at the highest level.

If this is true, I am worried. We have spent, according to various websites who I have no reason to doubt, around £70,000 on a player who is untried at SPL level. He has played three seasons in the First Division for County and, from what I can gather, was the real stand-out for the first for the first half of last season.

We have signed players in the past like Alan Morgan and Ian Black for no transfer fee and I don't think there's any real reason to suspect that Rankin is significantly better than either of them, although obviously I hope if JR signs he will be a huge success for us.

One worrying thing about this is that it perhaps suggests taht Charlie doesn't have the breadth of contacts in the game that Brewster had. Brewster obviously knew people in England to get in Alan Morgan, Tom Parratt and Ben Jackson and had links with Rangers to bring in fetai. Charlie's first move is to break our record transfer fee for a relatively high profile player like Rankin.

here's hoping I am proved wrong.