A96

Don't suppose anyone from Dingwall will be using the 'Highland' Football Academy during normal working hours from next season then? :014:

Actually quite enjoyed the County v Gretna match today. Thought it was quite an exciting game of football with some pretty good goals. Standard was way below what we are used to at the Caledonian Stadium though. It was also good to be able to stand on terracing once again. Oh the joys of lower league football!! Spotted ICT shirts at both ends of the stadium - although there were more at the Gretna end. Some of our lads seemed to be having a real celebration as they invaded the pitch at the final whistle too. How unsporting to our poor neighbours from Dingwall :014: As for the 6,000 something crowd - seems like County are still counting the eyes rather than the heads!!

Aye, Arab4Ever, but he's played some pretty good stuff for us. We're gonna miss Faddy, Fletcher and big Elvis but I hope we've enough flair to beat what will probably be a stuffy East European outfit. Anyway I've got my ticket and can't wait for the usual party at Hampden. :brave:

Coronationcages - you are indeed an ICT fan. Glad to have you in the happy ICT family. :love03: But with a shirt size like that Ijust hope you remember to book two seats for your next visit to the North Stand!! :004:

Nice try Bazza - but it was no penalty. He knew he was going to fall. It's just that he kept going until he was over the line. By the way, we don't seem to have had many penalties awarded to us this season. Juanjo - where are you? :004:

Trying to be positive about today's game against Dunfermline, this was a far better game than the one against Dundee United at home 2 weeks ago - we won that game but it was dreadful to watch. Barry played really well today - as usual. Patelainen was good but I'd like to see him skin his man on the wing a bit more often. We lacked real cutting edge up front but that was helped by bringing on Rankin and Dargo. Good subs Charlie but why leave Richie Hart on the bench? We needed his pace today. Young Fraser is a good goalie but I've yet to be convinced that he is taking charge of his box like Broonie did. Today's game wasn't really that bad to watch. Usual goal drought at the home end but there were quite a few things to cheer about. We got gubbed but not without more than a little help from the Referee!! Finally - the part-time supporters. Why not stay in your seats and support your team to the final whistle? It must demoralise players to see their fans pour out in droves with 5-10 minutes to go!!

Aye, but he was good enough to Score the match winner v Iceland a few years back with a cracking header. Glad to see you back in the game again big man!!

Rubbish game with a lot of very poor passing but what a way to end a match!! Just like our home game against United last April - we score to win 1-0 with the last kick of the ball. Absolutely no sympathy for the part-time supporters who left early. See what they missed. They should support their team right up to the final whistle - even if we are playing garbage!! No complaint with Granty's red card. If he did that to someone on Union Street on a Saturday afternoon he would probably be up on a serious assault charge. On the plus side - he prevented what looked like a strong goal-scoring opportunity for United. Barry Wilson gets my man-of-the-match for his persistence and positive attitude to the match

Nice shirt. Nice colours. :022:

I'd settle for second bottom any time - so long as we take our points from the Huns and the Tims!! Tonight's result against the Sons of William is what makes the cost of a season ticket all worthwhile. :003:

John Rankin has an abundance of talent and certainly showed us that tonight. My concern - earlier in the season - was that he was a bit shot shy but against the Huns tonight he showed what he really can do when he is prepared to have a dig from distance. Well done young John - you were a star tonight. The other player who I believe has made a big difference in our attack is Dennis Wyness. I am not too concerned that he has not been scoring himself - that will come. I am glad to see him playing more regularly and his work rate and intelligent use of the ball has been getting us a lot more scoring opportunities . Having (until recently) endured so many dull home games, it is a delight and joy to see goals being scored once again at the Caledonian Stadium. Long may it continue!!

The consolation is that they would have been able to hear about our spectacular winning goal on their car radio. :004:

Sebo, Sebo, Sebo............:moon06:

It's not often we do group hugs in the North Stand - that's how momentous an occasion that second goal from John Rankin was tonight against the Huns!!! Magic stuff!! The best bit of all was watching all those Huns (who had sung and danced non-stop for 41 minutes) looking so sad and dejected as they headed back to their homes in places like, eh.......................Dingwall, Ullapool, Portree, Bettyhill and - er - Inverness!! :016:

Well done against the second-rate teams and in the diddy cup. But the games against the OF are the real proof of quality. :016:

Aye, but your best performance of the season when it came to foul play and trying to con the Ref!! BTW, we've taken 4 points off the Old Firm this season. How many points have Killie taken off them?

Thought there looked less than there was v Motherwell a couple of weeks ago when they said there was 3,600-odd. Mind you, I was surprised at the number of Killie fans there today (even if half of them probably stay in Inverness). At least those who travelled all the way from Ayrshire had something to cheer them on the long journey back home. :019:

Hi Bowers, Welcome to the forum. There is a John Calder who plays in goal for our under-19's. As John/Ian/Iain are considered the same name in this part of the world it could be him - the names are often interchangeable. Check out the under-19 photos on this link http://www.ictfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Squa...~883986,00.html (P.S. Don't worry about the apparent abuse from the Immortal Howden Ender. It's just his way of being friendly to strangers :004:)

We score more goals today than many of our home games this season put together - and we lose. Rough justice but that's fitba. We had entertainment, some good reason to get off our seats and cheer and I would choose this sort of game any time compared to the solid, defensive display against Motherwell where we lost late on to a dodgy penalty. Comical defending didn't help us but I'd rather see my centre half scoring at the other end (as did Darren Dodds twice) than see him sat back in his own half watching the action from a distance. Maybe Golly will get an oportunity to make a comeback just to sprice things up in defence? Good to see John Rankin having a dig from distance. He needs to do more of that. One other thought. Referees are human (allegedly) and if the home fans are going to call his parenthood into question then we shouldn't expect too many favours from him. Shortly after the Ref gets all the abuse, Wyness gets booked for diving (which he didn't) and we don't get a penalty for Dargo being fouled in the box (which he was).

Right now ICT should be running scared of Elgin City or even Deveronvale. We are lower division standard at present and need to do something fast before risking a Scottish Cup embarrassment!

Wee Zander will get the last 30 minutes against Killie next week (give or take a few minutes). Remember where you heard that prediction first!

Now if Dargo had scored that penalty the mood of our message board might have been entirely different. The difference between despondency and feeling good about your team can often be as thin as scoring/not scoring a penalty. In my capacity as occasional 'armchair manager' I would suggest that all our guys (except Broonie of course) should spend every afternoon next week practicing their shooting from outside the penalty box (some shots from the penalty spot are obviously needed too). I can't comment on today's game but - from what I've seen this season at home - our boys are either 'shot-shy' or they endanger the physical wellbeing of those sitting in the North/South Stands (or driving on the Kessock Bridge) when attempting shots on goal!!!

C'mon guys, surely the drama and cut 'n' thrust of the relegation dogfight is much more exciting than whiling away the remainder of the season after the split in the mid-table dullness of 7th/8th place? :005: OK, I'll collect my coat and leave now................................!!

Scotty, You are right, we all want to be armchair managers and know better than the real manager. I also have little expectation that Charlie will heed my instructions for team selection as noted in my "letter" above. What is clearly obvious is that one 20 minute section of play stands out glaringly from anything else we've seen all season and that was the last 20 minutes against Falkirk. The team changes by Charlie were a tactical master-stroke and that spell certainly rates, for me, as the best phase of play I've seen by ICT since joining the SPL. The Hart/ Wyness/Dargo combination is attack-minded. It brought immediate results against Falkirk that day and I am sure there are many other fans who would agree that we need to try that combination again. Watching ICT at home this season has often been a sterile, dull, goalless endurance-test. The emphasis has been on caution. Caution obviously has it's merits in some games but it makes for a pretty drab and uninspiring football match. Personally, I'd rather we had been beaten 3-2 last Saturday than watch a crummy game and lose to a late penalty. At least we would have seen some goals.

Dear Charles Christie Esq., You have my full vote of confidence as manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (unless of course you really mess things up big-time - in which case I may change my mind)!!! My confidence in you is based on the following:- 1. You are an Inverness lad with undivided loyalties (except, perhaps, if offered the Parkheid job). 2. You have a passion for our club. 3. Since appointed, your record has been no bad. You gave us a string of 5 straight victories at the end of last season. 4. We have been clear of the relegation zone since you took over. 5. We have come within sniffing distance of dizzy new heights (were on the point of sharing second spot with a few minutes to go against Aberdeen). 6. You are a human being and therefore capable of making mistakes as a manager - as indeed do all managers at some stage in their careers (including even Alex Ferguson, Paul Le Guen & Kenny Dalgleish). 7. Unlike our last two managers, you know how much it means for us to be up there with the 'big boys' playing SPL footie in Sneck (a stark contrast from when you played the likes of Rothes, Deveronvale et al on a wet Wednesday night at Telford Street/Kingsmills in front a tiny handful of fans). 8. You have only begun your trade as manager of a football club so things (I hope) can only get better as you gain experience. 9. We don't have to pay you a big inflated salary like other managers might expect. I for one give you my full support and would ask you to ignore anyone who might say anything as STOOPID as "Charlie Isn't The Man For The Job". So, next Saturday Charles - Wyness and Dargo up front for the full 90 minutes, Richie Hart on from the start, wee Zander Sutherland on for the last 30 minutes and Caff in central defence. There's your instructions - now go and get us some goals and another 3 points!!!!! Yours sincerely, A96 :003: