Caley Stan

Or German. Adam Rooney's our top performer in the Trapattoni Index.

Something about Dougal reminds me of a few other posters that used to be active on this site. Sandy Cromarty, stonedsailor, birdog et al. Same type of rank banter and obvious fishing trips.

I thought Motherwell exposed a number of weaknesses in our side and gave us all a bit of a wake up call. We were completely outmuscled in midfield where every loose ball seemed to break to a Motherwell player - not through luck but because they were fighting so hard for it and in the end up they were simply bigger, stronger and better than our midfield. Both full-backs struggled yesterday against direct running. Shinnie couldn't cope with Humphreys who knew from the first minute that he had him for pace and strength. McCann's passing was very poor and he wasn't the only one - we struggled to string more than 3 passes together throughout the 90 minutes. At 2-0 we looked dead and buried and i really couldn't see us coming back but Duff's excellent strike turned the crowd and the game. For 15 breathless minutes we pushed hard for an equaliser that we wouldn't have deserved. What was the average age of the team that finished the game? Ross, Shinnie, Sutherland and Morrison are all teenagers from the youth system. Rooney, Hayes and McCann are 23 and under. It's all very exciting for the future but it's not a team that's going to compete in the brutally physical upper reaches of the SPL. And then the man that we all expected to be most at home in this company was posted missing. I don't think it's got anything to do with the armband - Richie Foran, even after 6 weeks back in the first team, just doesn't look fit. This all sounds very negative but the big picture still looks great. The game was just a bit of a come down after our glorious unbeaten run but the team still has great potential and i wouldn't be surprised to see us pump Aberdeen on Tuesday night.

Wish i had the Gaelic now!

I e-mailed BBC Sport this afternoon to request that they update the lines on the SPL table to reflect the fact that we have lost a European place. They were very prompt.

No doubt about that. I just assumed that a 26% stake and a seat on the board for a supporters group would act as a check against the recklessness of individuals. If, as you say, such a stake amounts to very little power in reality then something has to be done to ensure that there is a better spread of power and information.

Sorry for any confusion - i can't seem to find next season's access list so for the link provided consider Scotland to have the same number of places as Denmark in 16th place. This link shows the final rankings for next season European participation.

You really need to tidy your room, Miss ICT.

Dee4life had a 26% stake in the club and therefore, i assume, more knowledge than most about just how unsustainable its finances had become. Yet we didn't hear a peep from them as they basked in the glory of Melville's millions and their inevitable return to the SPL. They should be apologising to the fans who elected them for their role in this fiasco rather than slating the SFL. This quote from the statement has been highlighted on P&B: I didn't realise that HMRC was lending money these days!

It would be truly astonishing if a team containing Ross Tokely and Richie Foran finished anywhere near the top of the fair play league.

This is the access list for 10/11. Unfortunately Scotland have dropped down to 16th place for the 11/12 European season. Any mention of this in the Scottish media has generally been referred to in terms of Scotland "losing a Champions League place". I just assumed, naively, that this meant we would be compensated with an extra Europa League slot. The list linked above suggests that this is not the case, and indeed, that finishing in 4th place in the SPL does not guarantee a European spot. As i've said earlier in the thread, i don't see us as potential challengers for a European spot (getting to the cup final remains our best chance IMO), but for those who do, it's 3rd spot we're aiming for.

25 point deduction!!!

I'd go with that although there's no word on Gillet's fitness so i assume Shinnie will stay in the team for now - he's certainly a better option than Golly. Nick Ross has played most of the first 10 games and taking into account his age, inexperience and size he has been incredible. I really feel that it's time for him to take a breather though. If we're choosing our strongest 11 for Saturday then Eric should come in for Ross, who may even end up making a bigger impact off the bench.

Yeah, you're right. I went to see Red Star play a Champions League qualifier against Cork City at the Marakana a few years back and spent the whole game scared sh1tless. Shall we just opt for Croatia then? I hear they have nice beaches.

I love this interview with Kevin Mann. After a surprisingly sober and sensible discussion on Kevin's career and the state of Caley, they could help but ask the question on everyone's lips: "Could you please ask Wilson does he have to wear his shorts up around his chest. What does he look like?"

This topic was inevitable. It's very difficult to look at the league table at the moment without dreaming. Let me say first of all that i think finishing in 8th place this season would be a tremendous achievement. We're playing in a mini-league of the uber-skint with Killie, St.Mirren, St. Johnstone and Hamilton. As the new kids on the block we should be pleased just to be able to compete with them whilst ensuring that we don't finish bottom of the pile. Now that the realism is out of the way, i really want to play this dreaming game. In the first qualifying round, i'd like a crap Irish team in order to allow for the fans to baptise our maiden European voyage in style. A trip home for the Dubliners perhaps, a mass army of ICT fans on cheap Ryanair flights and a resounding victory over Bohemians. For the second tie, i'd like something more testing, more obscure but also winable. A bit of Balkan hostility, maybe a trip to Zagreb or Belgrade, a cheeky away win before being chased to the airport by ultras wielding flares and molotovs. The play-off is easy: Revenge for Marius, as a financially crippled Dinamo Bucharest get a taste of their own Euros. Not sure about the group stage yet.

What about the seven-goal thriller at Ferguson Park in the Second Round of the Scottish? The Welfare have been rewarded with a trip to Angus on the 20th of November. We're at home to Hibs on the same day. Decisions.....

Watching this team gets better all the time. The spirit and organisation yesterday was fantastic as it always is, but we also showed that we're capable of playing a bit of football with a well crafted goal and three further breaks down the right through Hayes which could well have resulted in at least one more strike. It says a lot for the confidence in the team and among the support that there was never an air of fear about this fixture. Rangers? 100% in the SPL and unbeaten in the Champions League. Clearly they hadn't played ICT yet. Great banter in Brechin's and beyond. Many thanks to my ticket delivery boy who arrived promptly at the away end just before kick-off. It's a very good service but forgive me if i seek alternative providers in the future.......

I can think of two reasons: 1. The very hostile atmosphere in and around the two Glasgow stadia on matchdays puts many off 2. The OF insistence on matches being ticket only is an inconvenience for many of those based outside Inverness That one really gets my goat. Anyway, my ticket's sorted now thanks to an unlikely combination of L_G. Caley100 and IHE. See ya'll in Brechins.

With us playing Hibs at home on the same day, could Dingwall's dwindling attendances drop below 4 figures?

Can't comment on the Czech game as i was holed up in bothy gazing out at the Paps of Jura. By all accounts i made the right choice. In the conclusion to 'Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics', Jonathan Wilson predicts that we stand at the dawn of an ultra-defensive era in world football. The evolution of 4-5-1 and the death of the goal-poacher all point to one thing: 4-6-0. Visionary or chump? I'll judge Levein at the end of the group. John Robertson just spoke a helluva lot of sense on Sportsound. It's a decent group of players, Levein's an excellent organiser and the spirit is great. That's what i saw for the first 45 minutes at Hampden last night before being chucked out for smoking in the toilet - tears streamed down ma cheeks. The last half hour looked pretty decent from the Florida Park Bar. For the first time in a while i'm optimistic about the future of the Scottish national team and for the first time ever i'm seriously considering quitting smoking.

Yogi will take this on the chin. He's big enough and ugly enough to take whatever's thrown his way. He won't shirk the challenge. The boys gave him everthing but at the end of the day, that slice of lady luck just didn't fall his way. I'll miss him.

McGregor Hutton - Weir - McManus - Whittaker Fletcher - Brown Robson - Naismith - Morrison Miller I think this is the best available team going by current form and ability to play a disciplined defensive game. In Maloney, Dorrans, Steven Fletcher and Iwelumo we also have a range of attacking, potentially game-changing options on the bench. I expect Robson, Naismith, Morrison and Miller to start ahead of them beacause of their excellent defensive qualities. My biggest concern is how effectively we can protect our cenre-halfs from being exposed by pace. McCulloch would be handy there but he's suspended for the Czech game. Might Levein be tempted to ape Sir Walter by dropping a midfielder and playing Christophe Berra in a back 5? I don't think so, and the fact that there are only 3 fit centre-halfs in the squad suggests that he'll stick with a variation of 4-5-1. I don't think we should be intimidated by this Czech team. They've got some very talented players, and on his day, Tomas Rosicky could take us apart on his own, but recent results suggest that there is a mental weakness at the core of this team. Bring them on.

There aren't words to describe just how good that felt. We weren't spectacular and we didn't have to be, but everyone did exactly what they needed to - including a bouncing Section G. Richie looks very unfit and i still don't think Johnny is quite there yet - just imagine how good we'll be when it all comes together. I was thinking about moving to England until last week but i really don't want to leave this team.

Already here, bathing Sneckie sunshine.