ictchris

Anyone going to confess to shouting abuse at Andy McLaren when we played Killie in the cup along the lines of "take a drink you boring *******"  :015:

From the radio broadcast we sounded OK.  Barry Wilson seemed our biggest threat going forward but Wyness had another poor game.  Perhaps give Bayne or McAllister a chance?

Our first clean sheet of the season is good news, although at the end of the commentary Scott Davie said we've only won nine games in 29 at home in the SPL.  Very poor and we really, really need to improve on that.  Next Sunday would be a good place to start  :003:

Our results against Hebs since we went up:

2004/05

ICT 1 (Wilson pen) Hibs 2

Hibs 2 ICT 1 (Juanjo)

ICT 3 (Juanjo, Brewster, Wilson) Hibs 0

2005/06

Hibs 1 ICT 2 (Proctor, Wyness)

ICT 2 Hibs 0 (Dargo 2)

Hibs 0 ICT 2 (Wilson, Dods)

Bayne is unfortunate in that he is always going to attract criticism - big, targetman strikers always draw the boo-boys.  However, he is a player who can offer us a  lot up front.  He is powerful, strong and extremely hard-working.  In 2004/05 he was an integral part of the team that kept us up, in many ways he typified our side in that period.  He was unlucky last season in that he suffered injury and was behind two strikers who were scoring freely in Dargo and Wyness.

I wouldn't be disheartened to see him start up front with Dargs on Saturday.

I don't think we should sell the player if we do not have a replacement lined up.  If there were exceptional circumstances, i.e. personal reasons with the player or an 'unturndownable' bid from the Arabs, then it could be different but we are not in a position where we need to sell.

I am sure Dods will be professional enough to give his best during the next season, if he stays with us.

I think we should have our whole team subjected to Manchurian Candidate style brain-washing, if they hear the trigger words "Transfer bid from Dundee United" they immediately say over and over "I am happy at my current club and have no wish to move.  Please give me a new five year contract."

Dodsy has now made as many crucial mistakes in two games as he did in the previous two seasons!

If he does go, I think we need a replacement and we aren't in a good position to get one - clubs will know we are needing one and will drive a hard bargain.

£80,000  :010:

No disrespect to the Proctologist but that's a great deal for us. 

Nice pink pullover IHE  :015: SHould you not be flying a rainbow flag dressed like that?  :010: :004:

Today's papers report that Tokely should be back, McAllister will be in the squad and Bayne could come in for Wyness.

Today's P&J reports that we have turned down another bid from Dundee United for David Proctor, but Grassa stated that the two clubs are not far apart on valuation and they'd expect United to come back with a better offer next week which will see Proc head to Tayside.

It seems that we have probably seen the last of Proctor in a Caley shirt, good luck to him.  If we get a fair fee then I think it's a decent deal - we have cover in the right-back and right-midfield positions.  He did alright for us but I think he suffered from having Tokely in front of him for what is his best position.

This is why I didn't think that David Sutherland should have made his dramatic statement about us not selling any player to United - if United or anyone else make offers that match our valuation of course we will sell.

Afterall the coaching staff obviously do travel to watch players as Ross County's Craig Samson was included in the U21 squad.

Really?  Which of Ross County's pre-season matches do you think they watched?

I would go:

--------------Brown----------------

--Tokely--Dods--Munro--Hastings--

---Wilson--Duncan--Black--Rankin--

---------Wyness---Dargo--------------

Possibly stick Morgan in for Rankin.

De Vries went back to Holland I think.

Elliot would be a decent signing.  I am not sure about loans though.

How many left-backs do we need - Golly, Hastings, Morgan and now Mulgrew?  I think he coudl be used in midfield as well but we have Rankin, McBain and Morgan who can all play left mid.

Can Mulgrew play centre-half?

First games since we got promoted to Division One:

1999: 0-4 v Dunfermline

2000: 2-0 v Airdrie

2001: 1-1 v Clyde

2002: 0-0 v Alloa

2003: 1-2 v Falkirk

2004: 0-3 v Livingston

2005: 2-0 v Falkirk

2006: 1-2 v St Mirren

With regards to signing a left back we have Hastings and Morgan who can play there as well as Golabek.

Last season we bounced back quite well after a few shockers.  We beat Dundee United 4-2 away after going out the cup to Partick and got a deserved draw at Ipox after being cuffed 3-0 at home by Falkirk.  HOpefully we can do likewise against the dons.

Israel was attacked, a terrorist group crossed into Israeli territory and took Israeli soldiers hostage.  What can they be expected to do in response?  The results of the war are terrible and it can certainly be said that Israel have responded harshly.  However, Hezbollah (like Hamas in the Gaza Strip) mingle with the civilian population, effectively using them as a human shield and often station their rockets in the basements of apartment buildings.  Israel has dropped leaflets warning civilian populations of upcoming strikes.  If Israel wanted to kill civilians they could certainly have killed more than several hundred in two weeks.  Hezbollah on the other hand fire Katushya missiles tipped with ball-bearings at Israeli cities and towns designed to cause maximum death and injury to any Israeli unlucky enough to get in the way.

Hezbollah aren't terrorists... they are a political party who have much to do with running hospitals and Schools in Lebanon......

True Hezbollah do run schools and hospitals in Lebanon as do Hamas in Gaza.  This doesn't mean their military wing isn't a terrorist group who have used suicide bombings and launch rockets at civilian populations though.  Considering that

This crisis highlights the underlying problem in the Israeli-Arab conflict - Israel wants to withdraw and disengage from the vast majority of the occupied territories (they have already packed up settlements in the West Bank and completely withdrawn from Gaza) but when Israel have done this terrorist organisations move into the breach and use these territories as launch pads for attacks on the Israeli population.  Israel cannot ignore these attacks.  I think the answer needs to be an international force to oversee the introduction of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank to ensure security.  Given taht such a force would not doubt the seen as 'occupiers' and subjected to attack I doubt there will be many nations queuing up for the job.

Another factor that may complicate the situation is that the political/security situation in Lebanon could deteriorate.  I think all indications are at the moment that most Lebanese are united but given the highly divided nature of the country Christian groups might start to resent being bombed as a result of the Shia Muslim's attacks on Israel.  There were some quotes in the Sunday papers from Lebanese Christians who weren't pleased with Hezbollah and weren't delighted to see Shia Muslim's who have been displaced by the violence moving into Christian areas.

Who calls their band Shutter?  :015:

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.