Caley Stan

After months of hoping the likes of Hamilton and St. Mirren the worst for their league form, today i'm wishing all the best to the wee teams. That goes for Dunfermline as well. Hamilton, St.Mirren, Dunfermline and ICT will do just fine for the last four.

He`also said this in his match report: "This was only Inverness' third win against Rangers in 15 matches" Only!!! Throw in a couple of draws and we must have one of the best records in the SPL against Rangers over the last 5 years.

TMFTJ - i'll look forward to a sober stroll through the sunny Longman next time i'm back for a home game then.

Edinburgh prices are bad, but ?5!!! Are you planning on taking him to the Balmoral?

Gordan Ramsey, Sean Connery, Andy Cameron, AC/DC, Satan, Hitler, Sir Alex Ferguson, Hearts, the Nothern Irish dick that was on the train home: in your own language - get it right up you ya cnuty flucks - we are staying up and if it prevents you from winning the league then all the funnier.

From Ibrox to Brechins, Govan to Queen Street to Waverley, up the bridges and into the Royal Oak with my chest pumped out, ICT badge shining in everyone's eyes, folk either asked me what the score was or hugged me. When i finally made it to the Oak an Irishman kissed me and bought me a pint of Guiness and a large dram. Honestly, we didn't create a chance in the whole game. We defended brilliantly, as we have done ever since Butcher took charge. Two back fours and a front two who's primary role is to defend. It worked. It was pretty spawny but it worked and we're off the bottom. Eveybody that played and sang tonight desrve praise but i have to give special mention to Ryan Esson, the back 4 and Russell Duncan for immense defending. Ian Black, cool as you like shot himself into legendary status if he didn't have it already. We all danced home. Thank-you Blackie. Thank you Caley. Thank you all ICT players and fans.

That's my plan. I didn't think i would make this game but fortune fell on me today like a last minute Djebi-Zadi winner. See you all in Brechins.

...and have needed since Dods left. The man is a revelation. Let us talk about it no more lest people should notice.

I haven't seen the last two games but in the two before that (Tannadice and Killie Cup) i thought Proctor was solid enough defensively and played simple passes well but lacked creativity. The same could be said for most of our midfield. I see Proctor's stint in right midfield as a stop-gap. While he may have a future at the club as a full-back, we need more dynamic players in midfield in the long term.

Just watched the highlights - the chances weren't easy. I still haven't heard a good reason for Rooney's lack of starts. Raw? So are Eric and Dougie. Running? Whenever he's played he's run his socks off. He is the only one of our strikers who has showed anything resembling composure in front of goal this season.

The Bridge End sound like it's jumping.

At last TB has shown himself to be his own man and has ignored IHE's advice. Will this herald the end of his honeymoon?

BBC - Player sues former club

Watch it again.

While ideally we would have better wide players, i think Butcher's been quite deliberate in playing such a narrow midfield. When the opposition have the ball, they often have to break down a very solid midfield four before they get close to our box. This is why i think some of the flak Foran is getting is unfair. He's being asked to play a very disciplined role and he's giving everything to it. Imrie could never play such a role. He wanders off to look for the ball too often and leaves spaces for teams to attack through. Morais may be similar in that respect and i wouldn't expect him to walk back into the team if he doesn't fit into the system we're playing. Butcher is utilising the resources we have in the most effective way. It's not all that pretty and it doesn't leave much scope for creativity in midfield, but we are difficult to beat again.

This is a great opportunity to pick a few points and get to Hampden. I'm really gutted that i can't go to these games. Watching ICT just got good again.

Foran - Yes. Proctor - No. And Butcher knows it. Once everyone's fit Proctor will go back to the bench.

Lionel's done well in the last few games but some people are getting carried away. While he offers a physical, aerial and attcking threat, he's prone to losing position and concentration. He was primarily responsibly for Duncan having to make that challenge yesterday. I'd like to see Hastings back next week. He's got his weaknesses but knows the basics of defending

Very good game. We had loads of fighting spirit and looked dangerous on the break but played very little football. United pumped ball after ball into our box but we kept dealing with them. In the 10 minutes leading up to the sending off we were threatening to score a second goal and if Imrie had used the ball more intelligently then we would've had one long before that. It's difficult to criticise Dougie though. His passion is incredible and he has made himself the focal point of this team. If him and Eric can build a better understanding then we could see the return of great counter-attacking away days. Russell Duncan was my man of the match. In the first half he was winning everything and playing the simple pass afterwards. He is hugely important in away games and did what he had to do after Lionel's mistake. We've got loads of hope and belief under the new regime - the next step is to convert that into home wins.

You've said that Rooney is the most natural goalscorer at the club and i agree. Why do you think he has started such few games this season?

I'm with you Kingsmills. The cup allows us to dream; of Hampden, of Europe and of silverware. Many of my favourite games supporting Caley and ICT have been cup games. The romance is definitely still alive for me. I think Scotty's hit the nail on the head though. The monotony of the SPL means that many season ticket holders and others may see cup Saturday's as an opportunity to do something else.

But Foran isn't playing as a striker. I think a lot of us expected him to be striker because he scored a fair few goals at Motherwell but it seems that Richie Foran is a left midfielder. Over the two games i don't think he's contributed a great deal going forward but he has certainly worked hard and helped the midfield to keep its shape.

I was checking that as well, Alex. Blackie's suspension was a nasty surprise. RossP, Fernandez was sent off for violent conduct which means he missed the next SPL game, whereas McArthur was dismissed for two bookable offences so he serves his suspension in the cup. I have no idea why they make this distinction.

We can't afford to have Imrie out wide at the moment. He won't stay where he's told and his head goes down to easily when we're on the back foot. I don't know where is best position is in the long-term, but for the rest of this season i'd like to see him roaming around behind Rooney, making life difficult for defenders and creating space for others.

He was at Rugby Park this season giving it "we want more" etc. for the whole 90 minutes. While his wholehearted backing is to be applauded, he seems to be a bit of a maverick and i don't know if his enthusiasm can be harnessed towards more collective efforts. That is to say, he doesn't feckin sing with everyone else, just on his own.