Renegade

Funnily enough, I was just reading the SFA's League Cup rules to see about this kind of thing. Would the ban apply to all competitions (Ie - the Scottish Cup as well), or just the League Cup? The rules I was reading don't seem to say.

Are Hearts paying their wages though? Some loans deals have the parent club paying them.

I'm just trying to think about who took a penalty in the Stenhousemuir game. I know Foran missed one, but I think Draper and Warren took one as well (might be wrong though, but I'm pretty sure the former did). I've no problem at Roberts taking a penalty per se, but perhaps having him take one of the earlier ones would have been a better option. He is a more forward player after all (doesn't always make a good penalty taker mind, hence why I never wanted to see Tade taking one) and must have volunteered. Perhaps having a more experienced player like Jones or Andrew Shinnie would have been better off saving for the fifth, particularly with the pressure that came with the pivotal final penalty.

Similarily, had Butcher done that and Esson had a made a couple of saves and ICT had gotten to the final, we'd all be heralding an astute and pivital tactical move. Esson's penalty save record is far better than Reguero's (who's been nowhere near saving any of them) and making such a change isn't much different to taking one outfield player off in the final minute for another player, thought to be more likely to score in the shootout. It's a team game after all. Changing keepers for shootouts has been done in the past anyway. Martin O'Neil did it once at Leicester bringing the 6"8 Australian keeper Kalac on, because he'd have more chance of saving some. Apparently as well, in South America team's are known to go into knock-out games with a match keeper and a shootout keeper on the bench ready if the situation arises. It could be the difference in a winning a game or not.

I think it was the nerves myself. ICT looked nervy throughout, which leads to the inevitable hoofs up the park.

Funnily, I actually mentioned during the game that Foran probably wasn't in the right mindset to take one. Looking back I'd have rather have seen Draper have a go, with Esson between the sticks.

Presumably, another player would've had to go in goals. I'm sure I read about that happening somewhere once.

I thought it was the Kessock Bridge! It is next to the ground after all.

The fact that ICT aren't in the final isn't what's disappointed me. What's disappointed me is that the team didn't seem to rise to the occasion at all. It was like going back to last year's team at times. There's no doubt Hearts were the better team. They seemed right up for and fought hard for every ball and retained possession far better than we did. Ngoo also looked extremely dangerous going forward. In saying that, ICT missed some golden chances - McKay's one on one in the first half being one, but how he missed that chance in the first half of extra time with only a forward pass to score, I'll never know. Andrew Shinnie's effort in the second half of extra time was bitterly unlucky. We should have done better on that front. In saying that, why were both Roberts and Sutherland included in the squad. Butcher seems to have his heart set on Sutherland being a winger, but it is something he will never be. And when is Philip Roberts ever going to do anything? He shouldn't have being anywhere near the choices for the penalty takers either, far less taking the most important one. In hindsight, Pepper should've been in the squad instead. We desperately needed an impact player today and he may well have been it. Perhaps also changing Reguero for Esson for the shootout would have changed things, but life goes on. Disappointed by the performance to be honest. 10/10 for the ICT fans though!

That big North Stand had a working title of "The Dolphin End" or something stupid like that didn't it?

I'm currently just off Princes Street, standing in the doorway of the St James Shopping Centre. The snows coming down a bit more now, so I hope the game isn't in doubt.

ICT have signed Leeds United left-back Charlie Taylor on loan till the end of the season. http://www.leeds.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=306579

Can't see how League Cup semi-final is bigger than the two Scotttish Cup semis (even more so when you consider that ICT were Division One at that time), the relegation decider against Falkirk, or the 1st Division championship game against St Johnstone (and the one prior to that against Clyde). A "bigger" game in the club's history? Yes. Biggest? Never.

I think we should bring him back for a wee rendezvous here! (Yes, I do know that is very unlikely!)

I said earlier in the thread that Strachan was horrid, well McGhee is even worse!

Funnily enough, I was going to mention that. They often have these "exclusives" which are usually about new signings (which almost never come off), but my personal favourite one was during the whole "Rangers/Sevco/Division 3" saga. They gave us some breaking news just after the club called that emergency meeting, saying that there was a good chance that ICT could go bust. This astounding piece of information came from none other than "my dad's friend"! Even more astounding was they replied to someone's comment just afterwards, mentioning the club's impending doom again, "my dad's friend" had amazingly become a "club director"!

Exactly! Wasn't this forum that started it. It was that ICT Fans Facebook page.

Applause?! I thought it was a chant of "One Terry Butcher.."!

That's a shame. I thought he could've come good in the future.

In what way did he treat us like dirt ? Well you may remember he kept the fans on a knife-edge for weeks, by the looks of things for the attention it would bring him. He said about three times that he was going to announce his future that day and then there'd be nothing, despite knowing full well he was off to Aberdeen before eventually signing for them and claiming it was "an easy decision to make". He showed little respect to the fans throughout that whole saga.

Ach well, if goes I hope he lets us know soon enough and doesn't treat us like dirt like Hayes did.

Could Conor Pepper not go in there? He can play as a central midfielder after all.

I just hope Hogg is the player he was prior to his injury.

I'm aware of that aye. He's been out for months though, which is strange cause they thought he'd only be out for a few weeks at the time!

Interesting (and perhaps somewhat encouraging) to hear that this might not be the only new signing in this transfer window according to Butcher in his interview last week. In all positions, I'd say that there's cover all over the pitch, even with players ready to step up the mark if the likes of McKay et al were to get injured. The only area I would say that some cover is needed (and this is where the Arsenal link might come in handy) is at left back. With the loss of Brislen-Hall and the punting of Blackman, you've got to wonder what would happen if Graeme Shinnie at left-back. Warren can apparently play anywhere across the defence, but I think something would be lost if he wasn't in the centre. I don't think I'd fancy seeing Raven or Meekings drafted in there. Simon King may be option as he's left footed but he seems to have disappeared into thin air! All in all, I think a back-up left back is needed.