Renegade

Just an observation I made at the game, but is the pitch not quite as long this year? I'm sure the byline, corner flags etc. were closer the North Stand in previous seasons?

Inserting your own name at the end of the post eh....Wait a minute....it can't be.... Hello Dougal! *Renegade waves to Dougal!*

I'm sure it was Kilmarnock that Romanov looked at before Hearts, but I might be wrong. Don't recollect talk of him coming here though, unless it is that fellow MacGregor you're think of who looked at taking over Elgin before being linked with us. He was in the adult entertainment business from what I remember.

Oh, they are not out of danger yet. They still have to play us! I think we'll hammer County this year actually. Something reminiscent of their 5-1 win years ago. On the penalty call, going from the highlights it is a penalty, but I do think Doran makes the most of it and everyone knows that unless the result isn't in doubt or it's absolutely blatantly obvious, you'll never get a penalty at Celtic Park. In saying that though, maybe justice has been done. We got a penalty against St Mirren that was never a penalty and we got out of jail with the Raven foul on Vigurs the other week which was a penalty. On that basis, maybe justice has been done.

I'd like to see Watkins involved in some way. He'll turn out to be better than Doran IMO.

Ross County and Dundee United went for it and won 3-0 and 4-0 respectively, and thus got themselves out of danger.

If ICT aren't well ahead by the end of next month, I'm throwing away my season ticket!

Didn't I just say earlier this week that 2-0 is the worst lead to have?! Going by the highlights though, nice to see the long throw in action again, though on first glance, I thought James Vincent was Stuart Duff!

Allan Smart was released by CT (as it was in those days) and later scored for Watford. Aaron Doran had a couple of appearances off the bench for Blackburn as well IIRC. Andy Barrowman played once for Birmingham against Leicester in 2003 as well!

Wasn't at the game today, but I'm hearing reports that the ICT fans bus was hit with a brick chucked by a Celtic fan on the way out of the ground!

Remember, Marius Niculae went for (IIRC) £250,000 and he wasn't that good. Mckay's worth at least £1million, and perhaps much more to us!

HT - Celtic 1-0 ICT FT - Celtic 2-1 ICT Celtic 1st scorer - Stokes ICT 1st scorer - Mckay Time of First Goal - 32

The other country in a similar position I can think of is China. They have China (obviously!), Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei (which is actually Taiwan, and independent in itself I believe) and Macau (I think).

The other goalie kit this season is black. We've had a few other colours in recent years as well (red, yellow, green, orange, light blue etc.). There's evidence to suggest red makes a keeper look bigger as well apparently.

It it not the case that players find it harder to spot teammates when they are wearing darker jerseys though? The opposite is also the reason why keepers seldom wear white, due to being more likely to be spotted when they're off their line.

Would it not have been worth the players using it in a pre-season game to get used to it before the season started (unless they wear it in training of course!)? Remember what happened to Scotland in that Georgia match where they wore that horrid rust coloured jersey and got beat 2-0 (which turned out to be of massive importance in the end IIRC).

So they don't support ICT, because the stadium's too far out of the town centre?! That's absolutely pathetic. I have my own theory here and while I can't prove it, it wouldn't surprise me if it was true. I reckon there's quite a few people round here who were quite happy living in their own little world, in their little cosy Highland town, with a little cosy team that normally plays teams from other little cosy places. There'll be people in Inverness who resent the fact that the club has been so successful. There'll be people who were much happier when we were in the lower leagues playing the likes of Arbroath and Forfar, or even more so the likes of Forres, Nairn and Elgin and will resent the fact that we are now mixing it with the big boys and are now better run and have a better side than the likes of Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs and Dundee United. To be quite honest, such people don't deserve us.

Read somewhere that Watkins was playing tonight.

Had Munro been punted and immediately replaced by Warren and Meekings I would agree with you. The season after his release though was a disaster and the defence would have been far superior had he been in it. Remember he was replaced by Aldred, a player who wasn't that great and didn't want to be here, and there was even times when Proctor was played at centre-back! In hindsight we should have kept him for one more year. Tokely though was finished and really hasn't been missed at all.

Just seeing there what the outcome were in similar cases, and I see ex-Dundee United player Grant Brebner bet AU$2.48 (probably about £1) against Melbourne Victory winning a match, while he was playing for them. Strangely he also attempted to cancel it out by betting in favour of them winning or drawing the same Asian Champions League game against Thai side Chonburi FC! He was banned for four matches and fined about £3,000. Kevin Muscat and Craig Moore were also fined, but their bets didn't involve their own teams. Swindon Town were also denied promotion once due to them all betting on themselves to win the play-off. Wonder what the outcome will be for Ian Black then if he turns out to be a serial better againster.

Maybe that'll explain why Christie had to take him off before he was sent off!

Think Adam Evans will come good myself.

There would be times I suppose where the second goal would kill the game off (the 93rd minute for example), but the way the game was going on Saturday (and this goes back to my substitution point), Motherwell had periods of control and we'd gone a bit flat, and had the penalty been given and scored, then it could've led to a very nervous ending. Hence why that 2-0 lead was a bit of a funny one.

2-0 often gives you the false pretence that you have the game wrapped up and are well in control, but if you concede one the opposition are right back in it. Chances are, teams would be more cautious leading by a single goal, and more relaxed when it's three or four (or more). 2-0 puts you into a funny situation. I see in Butcher's post match interview, he says that he thought at the time that we took the lead too early, so make of that what you will.

The only thing I'd like to have seen done differently, was I'd like to have seen a change made somewhat earlier. The way the game was going at that time, had Motherwell gotten a single goal, they would've been right back in it and would've made for a very sticky ending (after all, they always say 2-0 is the worst lead to have), particularly as Motherwell looked a stronger team in the second half and controlled possession for spells. I'd have like to have seen someone like Pepper or Williams come on a bit earlier to give us a bit of bounce, but never mind.