dougiedanger

Town is buzzeen...

Forgot to factor in the Aussie refuseniks.

You'll be okay DC.

For folk's sake.

DC will be in aboot them.

How exactly do you "ping" an email?

As original mods, the Who were always going to want a UJ flag, no point moaning about it now.

Fair play to Roger Daltrey and the boys.

Would you stop going because of a name change ? I doubt it. Plenty did stop going because of the MERGER, and the identity crisis many - like yourself - hold onto keeps those wounds well and truly open. I had a colleague, a Thistle fan of over 30yrs, "I aint supporting a team with the word Caledonian in it", he said, and who to this day watches Clach instead. Want more people thru the gates imho you're going to have to eliminate the barriers that restrict that desire, and your identity is one big barrier. Many years ago, John Boyle proposed a merger between Motherwell, Accies and Airdrie. Had he called it MotherwellOniansAcademical and played in claret/amber/red/white no one would have entertained it. Had he called it Buckfast Utd and played in Blue n Yellow for example ...... it just may have stood a chance. How do you know 'plenty did stop going because of the merger' ? By the end of our Highland League days the combined hard core of Thistle and Caley fans was circa 500 and while a number of those shunned the merged club, the vast majority followed ICT. Whatever the reason for our somewhat disappointing crowds it's not the name which has a unique stamp compared to the ubiquitous City or United and reflects over 250 years of combined heritage nor is it the fact that a handful of bitter and vocal anti merger brigade stay away and shout loudly about doing so. For goodness sake that was two decades ago and the initial 150 or so refuseniks are outnumbered ten to one by fans who if the think of Kingsmills or Telford Street at all, think of houses or a retail park, The issue is perhaps not so much the comparative numbers, but the types of fans who supported the old clubs and those who follow the new club. I come from a family with strong footballing links, both in playing and supporting, and for all three clubs, but mostly Caley. Of all the males in that family, only one has continued to support the new club, and many are hostile to it. Organizing a reunion with old friends in the summer, it also strikes me that all of them followed Caley as teenagers, but none now goes to watch the new club. People talk about the 150 'refuseniks,' but there were many hundreds more who went along to the odd game but who now do not follow the new club at all. The club has done relatively well to attract new fans, those who did not go to games before or who are new to the town, but it has lost whole generations of hardcore Invernessian football people.

Normally don't mind Dougal's posts, but this is a poor show I would say. Charlie was probably the most accomplished player to have come out of Inverness. Maybe things could have worked out differently at Celtic, but he was a young man and there were no real precedents for making the massive switch from Inverness to a team like Celtic. Think also about the coaching and preparation Charlie worked with, which was a world away from what is in place today, and certainly would not have prepared him for the challenges of living in a new city and playing for such a big club. Anyway, unlike others he stuck with the game and went on to be as I say probably the best ever player from Inverness. More than that, he seems to have raised a fine young man, and nurtured his footballing talent to produce a player who should hopefully have a bright future. How many of us could say we have done all that and had such an impact on football in Inverness and the Highlands?

what happened quizzer?

So ye beat the runs at Tynecastle.

Disagre totally Sneckboy I've been a Chelsea fan since the early 80's, ICT fan since merger, pre-merger Caledonian. I would rather watch ICT week in week out but "make do" with Chels as I live in West London. It costs me a wedge to fly "home or away" to watch ICT so I head to the Bridge, but if / when we play Chelsea in Champions League I'll be in the Caley end. I also support any Scottish team that plays Chelsea in Europe so I beleive I can still support ICT 100% but be a bit of a slut and watch Chels..... "Chels" FFS.

Nice one Scotty!

To be fair to Cowan, women's football is pretty sh*te.

Was that not the original Wine Shed beyond the main stand? I have vague recollections of my first footballing experience in Inverness, being in among the Clachers in the Wine Shed, and being scared at all the shouting, and the heady smell of booze.

Once again, a shockingly lenient 'punishment' handed down for gross misconduct at the new club.

Maybe it was an exciting game.

Probably East End neds that are bored, neglegted and do not know any better. Unfortunately the East End has massive social problems with high youth crime rates. It would be unfair to associate such an incident with Celtic FC much as I despise them. Their fans were excellent towards my son and I today. Glad nobody got hurt. They were nice to you but you despise them?

That your flegs flying behind ye too?

A piggery would be fit for pigs FFS.

Think this will be glossed over.

Never had you down as a Daily Mail reader, L. Big shock that.

True, the Scotland squad worries me more.

Interestingly too, the Rangers seem to be on a one-way trip to administration.