Renegade

I remember when Yogi took the job here, he predicted he'd be here for five years. I think he'll stick to that unless a huge offer came up. I could actually see him being moved upstairs as Director of Football in later years as well, probably with Foran taking over. I think the far more likely event to happen in the not too distant future will be Latapy moving on to be a manager in his own right.

Seemingly we'll be a playing a behind closed door game against Aberdeen in the summer to prepare both teams for Europe. I also saw in the P&J last week that we'll be playing some Highland League sides with matches against Welsh and Irish teams also being considered. Presume one of the Highland League teams will be Clach and I wouldn't be surprised to see an away tie at Elgin as well, but was interesting reading about the Welsh and Irish teams. Surely with Europe coming up, we wouldn't be looking at a completely separate tour, more playing a team from one of those places if we're drawn against a team in that country. With the players back in at the end of this month, it looks like the first pre-season friendly could only be about four weeks away!

For those who don't know, seemingly no-one at the club was sad to see the back of Marsella. On top of that, as has been reiterated on here a few times, we need to forget the whole romantic fantasy that was Marsella's scouting, as a fantasy was exactly what it was. This whole fairytale scene of Marsella going to Dover Athletic reserve matches and finding these unknown gems who played football on a Saturday and worked in a cornershop the rest of the week was a load of nonsense. A fair chunk of the English contingent brought up by Butcher seemingly have the same agent. Said agent (who I think still has some sort of connection with ICT) would offer players to the club and Marsella would go down and watch them. As I said, I believe ICT still have the link with the agency network down south and presumably Hughes and Latapy will have added to it. If any of these 'gems' that Butcher and Marsella used to take credit for in the echelons of English football become available, ICT will still be one of the clubs who'll be offered them.

Can't beat watching a striker with fire in his belly IMO.

Don't know what your problem is, but I thought the Northern Meeting Park thing was really good. Some people are never happy...

I was having a read of a Chester site recently to see what their fans made of him and most of them seemed to talk about him like he is a full-back, one of whom even expressed surprise that he'd been playing further forward for ICT as they described him more as a defender. I certainly remember him being described as a wing-back when he signed. He also played there in pre-season and a game last season as well, where I thought he looked very comfortable indeed. Could he be the replacement for Shinnie? He may well could be.

The club flag was still flying over the Town House this afternoon.

Well let's put it this way. He said when he came in he'd get the team playing a style akin to Barcelona. This season he achieved it.

Who cares? Everyone was there to see the team and celebrate the cup win. Who gives two hoots what the local MP was introduced as? Please keep your constant obsession with the SNP to the nether regions of the site where we can all continue to ignore them.

I'd have thought so.

I like the idea of, should we be winning comfortably with a few minutes to go, sub Shinnie to give him a proper send off.

Strangely, I've often wondered how many fans/season ticket holders aren't going tomorrow. Now if you're unwell or you're working abroad or you're away on holiday and you can't get out of it or something then that's fair enough. I honestly think though there'll be a handful who go to the Caledonian Stadium every other week who aren't going because they can't be bothered. If this match was being played in the North Pole I'd be pulling out the stops to go (preferably if I had the money and equipment to make such a trip of course!)! Watching on TV is no consolation. I've always had a feeling thought that there are some people who are afraid of away matches for some reason.

Unfortunately yes due to record company politics. It was Scooty and the Sky Hooks a version of " Your love has lifted me higher" with an ICT twist That's a shame. I was under the impression it was cleared last week as well.

What's happened to the official cup final song? Has it been shelved?

Well, as it says, what would winning the cup mean to you?

Incidentally, I see all the Megabuses from Inverness to Glasgow that arrive in good time for kick off are all full (the one that arrives at 1440 is still available). I believe the trains are full as well.

Not really. I doubt it advanced their cause in any way. I brought it up because it seemed so out of place at the time and as this another high profile final, I wouldn't be surprised for it to make a reappearance...

Hear they're keen on putting this outside the ground!

I was told once as well that (to my surprise) Linfield fans are alright, but Glentoran have a real nasty side to them. I've been past The Oval myself and it's not the type of place I'd want to get stuck in to be honest. I'd be delighted to get a team from the Republic. Cork City would be a nice trip. Fly to Dublin and then travelling through Ireland would be brilliant.

Hillsborough was a tragedy but was justice really going to gained by the making of a homemade banner for a match between a team who had nothing to do with Liverpool and a team who wasn't even formed at the time? They would have been better off making a banner in support of the club they were there to watch IMO.

Will the 'Justice for the 96' banner from the League Cup Final be making a reappearance? What it had to do with ICT, Aberdeen or the Scottish League Cup, I don't know!

I cant for the life of me understand this unhealthy obsession with ticket sales. there will be as many fans on the day as want to go and that's all that's important. As for the 'big secret' we are a private limited company who are not obliged to publish a complete breakdown of our income so perhaps the reason is that the company don't want others to know such things. I can't for the life of me understand this unhealthy obsession with telling people who would like the ticket sales to be more public that they have an unhealthy obsession with ticket sales. As mentioned countless times before, it would maintain interest and coverage in the lead up and could potentially encourage more people to go. It's worth a try anyway and if it's such a big secret, why have Falkirk done it? Maybe a good compromise would be for the club to release the figures and those who are hell bent on telling people they have an unhealthy obsession with ticket sales and they don't care, could simply just not look at them.

Christ, Harry Gow's real!

Was thinking the same actually. Someone was saying on here that Sutherland had been offered a new deal, but Baptie had been released, while there was no news on Ferguson yet. Strange that the one who had been offered a deal played but the other two weren't in the squad. Also, I heard yesterday that Devine is signing very soon while things are 'looking good' on the Ofere front.

No Ferguson in the squad yesterday. Does that suggest he's away?