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Keeping it in the Family It should be no surprise really, but Andrew Shinnie has continued the family ownership of the CTO Player of the Month awards as he scooped the title with some sparkling displays in October, and with his Hat-Trick at Killie he looks as though he will be a strong candidate for November as well. Hislopsoffsideagain has compiled the stats once again and here is his findings.................. The Shinnie brothers appear to have a monopoly on CTO's Player of the Month awards just now! Andrew Shinnie's hat-trick performance at Rugby Park was no one-off - he was voted man of the match twice in October and comfortably gained more votes during the month than any of his team-mates over the four matches. David Davis and Gregory Tade picked up the second and third most votes respectively. Andrew's brother Graeme may have had a quiet month, but he continues to lead the Player of the Year standings with Tade second and Ryan Esson, last year's winner, in third. OCTOBER VOTING Player Votes Andrew Shinnie 61 David Davis 42 Gregory Tade 39 Ryan Esson 37 Ross Tokely 37 Josh Meekings 20 Thomas Piermayr 20 Richie Foran 10 Chris Hogg 10 David Proctor 10 Graeme Shinnie 10 Greg Tansey 10 Nick Ross 5 Shane Sutherland 4 Aiden Chippendale 2 Kenny Gillet 1 OVERALL STANDINGS (to end Oct) Player Points Graeme Shinnie 32 Gregory Tade 20 Ryan Esson 16 Greg Tansey 15 Andrew Shinnie 10 Ross Tokely 10 Richie Foran 8 David Davis 5 Gavin Morrison 3 Thomas Piermayr 3 Owain Tudur-Jones 3 Chris Hogg 2 Aaron Doran 1 Roman Golabart 1 Nick Ross 1 Jonny Tuffey 1 Previous Player of the Month awards Month Player July 2011 Greg Tansey August 2011 Graeme Shinnie September 2011 Graeme Shinnie

Killie Pie Time Inverness make the long haul to Kilmarnock next and must be wondering what they have to do to win all three points. It's back to the scene of the famous Killie Pie song, this time on SPL business, and in desperate need of three points to start the climb off the foot of the table. Last week saw a decent performance ruined by Motherwell's smash and grab effort as they came from behind to steal the points in one of the greatest robbery's since Ronnie Biggs was around. This week it gets no easier with a trip to Rugby Park, (*what a strange name for a soccer stadium). Always a good day out, and bolstered by the Central Belt crew, we used to enjoy a modecum of success in Ayrshire, but more recently we have found the going tougher against opponents who are noted for open football at times and can play with the best of them on their day. An often high scoring affair, I see no reason for this one to be any different as we continue to bleed goals and Kilmarnock are steering a steady course towards the top half of the table. *Apparently Kilmarnock first used the present site in 1899 and it was further developed in 1994-95 to the present day all seater stadium we now see. This is Killie's fourth location. The Grange, Holm Quarry and Ward's Park all housed the football club until they moved in 1877 to nearby South Hamilton Street, then the present site. Cricket and Rugby were played at the Hamilton Street location and when the club went to the present day site, the name of Rugby Park went with it. The new ground originally had a running track around it. During the second world war the ground was used as an ammunition dump and the park was restructured with the aid of Italian prisoners of war when hostilities ended. The rest is history as they say and the place is now more famous for it's pies than Rugby. Capital Caley is one of our Central Belt crew and he has opted to give us the information which we hope will lead to the downfall of Killie...................... Read on ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nostalgia never grows old Caley Thistles first ever trip to Rugby Park was a memorable one. Not for the performance, nor even the score line, not because it was a Scottish Cup replay against an SPL team, but for the weather wreaking havoc. ICT were just getting into their stride when barely half an hour in, the referee noticed an abominable snowman on the sideline. It had managed to freeze the pitch over within a matter of minutes. Turns out it was just Bobby Williamson who had over indulged in ice cream and was suffering from brain freeze. The ICT faithful travelled down again one week later and were treated to an excellent performance by the team but just losing out 2-1. Ally McCoist was a second half substitute for Kilmarnock on that evening not long before he retired from football. He may have to go into temporary retirement again if HMRC have anything to say about it. The first fixture at Caledonian Stadium was heartbreaking. A last minute wonder goal by Barry Robson looked to have given ICT passage to the next round, before Garry Hay equalised for Killie with the last kick of the ball. Kilmarnock of course, claimed to have won the game as they believed a first half shot had crossed the line into the goal behind Jim Calder. TV evidence showed that the ball was at least 2 yards in front of the line. Bobby Mann also confirmed this before drifting back to the previous years Cup exploits and reminding everyone that it was his goal. In reality though, the ball was so far over the line that a goal was awarded in Dingwall. This is where I would love to make a joke about County not being used to that sort of event happening at Victoria Park. Considering their current form though, I'll let them off. However, the high flying gudgies (sitting 13th in Scotland) are getting excited at the moment. Almost as excited as the time the Mallard handed out a free sheep with each pint. Lady luck was on our side that day against Killie, in contrast to the current season. Terry Butcher feels ICT are being harshly punished by referees. In some cases he is absolutely right. There have been major turning incidents like the Ross Tokely Challenge against Rangers and the penalties against Hibs. However, many of the performances have been poor. One of these weeks, we will get the luck. We will get the victory that will kick start our season. If not, then Harrys Bar may beckon once more. The last time these two sides clashed at Rugby Park in Kenny Shiels first game in charge at home, a 1-1 draw officially consigned Caley Thistle to the bottom half of the SPL. The prospect of finishing seventh was disappointing considering our early season form. If only our worries were the same, seven months later. At this stage in the season, most Caley Thistle fans would probably settle for eleventh. There has been hope on the horizon though. Caley Thistle were the victors against Killie at the Caledonian Stadium back on the 27th August with a well deserved 2-1 win and our first victory of the season. Needless to say, the ICT faithful were happy as Larry that day with the hope of a new winning streak. Since that game, there have been more woeful performances than victories and we are still sitting at the foot of the table. The inconsistencies in the performances have frustrated the Caley Thistle support. However, displaying an improved performance against Motherwell last weekend and the return of key players from injury could be the mark of a fresh start for the current campaign. The Motherwell game was one of the few this season that we should have won. With Rangers worrying about points deductions, champions elect Motherwell may start to run away with the title now, especially with Celtic starting to join the relegation battle. Many ICT fans believed the 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock at the end of August was going to be the turnaround in the season after our traditional slow start. It wasn't to be, but could our return fixture at Rugby Park be the true beginning of a revival? Ask me that at 1645 on Saturday and I can give you my opinion. Not even Mystic Meg can predict the standard of a Caley Thistle performance these days. No matter what the score is on Saturday, Kilmarnock is one of my favourite away days. Especially the moments where Govan Jaggie annoys the locals by hijacking the jukebox at the Hunting Lodge and we're treated to some fine music that would make Love2Love feel like a morgue. Fanny by Gaslight bar in Kilmarnock, where a sign saying 'no drugs on premises' is another delight. You would expect to meet Marvin in there, if he wasn't banged up – but it is right beside the train station so it would be rude not to enter! I look forward to my quick dive into Fannies before heading onto the train. It will taste even better if we have won the game. With players starting to return from injury and an excellent performance against the new favourites for the SPL title, we may get something from this game. As I write this, there is also hope that Chris Hoggs red card will be over turned. We certainly need him. We have a reasonable record at Rugby Park and took 4 points from there last season. Kilmarnock have been inconsistent as well this year. They have a League Cup Semi Final against bitter rivals, Super Ayr to look forward to. I doubt this will affect their performance on Saturday and some of the players may even be playing for a place. I predict a scrappy game but a deserved point, with plenty to be happy about come the end of the match. A score draw, 1-1 is my NPL prediction. I may even put a 10p bowling bet on. Now let's all say aye to a Killie pie! Latest Team News Inverness will be without central defender Chris Hogg. His appeal was dismissed, surprise surprise, by the beaks and he misses this weekends game with Killie. Just when we get some players back from injury, we get hit with another body-blow. Hogg made his return against Motherwell last week and was controversially red-carded by Crawford Allan who adjudged Hogg to be denying Jamie Murphy a goal scoring opportunity, albeit still with some 25 yards to go. Thomas Piermayr is also suspended. Josh Meekings looks to have recovered from a stomach strain and he will be needed with Hogg absent. This could also give Roman Golobart the opportunity to impress Butcher. Jonny Hayes came through his return cameo unscathed and Lee Cox was rested for another week but has suffered a dead leg in training. Nick Ross has a groin injury to overcome but David Proctor should be back after a head knock. The long term casualties are still out, Doran and Tudur-Jones and this will leave boss Butcher with the problem of who to leave out, rather than who to put in. The players that started last week minus Hogg could be set to figure at Rugby Park. Kilmarnock boss Kenny Shiels won't need to make many changes as his side are relatively injury free. Cammy Bell is still having problems with his elbow and Ryan O'Leary is out long term. So a fairly settled Kilmarnock side should line up against an anything but settled Inverness. Heffernan has taken over the mantle from last seasons star man Alexei Eremenko and Gary Harkins has been a useful addition to the squad. So, considering the continuity of the Killie squad compared to our own changelings, then a difficult task at hand and as Capital Caley has hinted, if we can escape with a point, that can be seen as a positive result for us. Other SPL news Steve Lomas has become the new manager at St Johnstone after the departure of Derek McInnes to Bristol City. 37 year old Lomas is a former Northern Ireland midfielder and joins from being in charge of the West Ham second string. His arrival coincides with the announcement that Chairman Geoff brown will step down after 25 years at the helm, handing the vacancy over to his son Steve. Hearts have paid an overdue Tax bill of half a million pounds and this has sparked a wage reduction excercise which could see the top earners being moved on. Oh dear, it had to come to an end sometime as Mr Romanov looks set to turn his interests to basketball. Slam dunc comrade Vladimir. Celtic put their SPL troubles behind them to see off Rennes in the Europa league game at Parkhead on Thursday night. Goals from Stokes (2) and Hooper clinched a 3-1 win for Scotland's last European hopes. Incidentally, Ex-ICT hitman Adam Rooney played for just over an hour for Birmingham City against Brugge in the same competition. Birmingham's game ended 2-2 after they came from 0-2 down to snatch a draw.

Gringo goes talent spotting Gringo has been on his travels to check out the talent, the talent at Inverness Caledonian Thistle and unsurprisingly after witnessing the sombre goings on at Perth he did not spot much talent. Here are his thoughts on our progress so far. All this was penned before the Motherwell game, so maybe there is a glimmer of hope as we start the long haul off the foot of the table. And that's entertainment? We are a quarter of the way through the season already (how time flies when you’re having fun) and it’s safe to say that we (ICT) haven’t set the SPL alight with dazzling displays of fast flowing football. In fact Terry Butcher's new side have been blowing hot and cold in much the same way as the weather. Yes, we could all blame the injury crisis and, in TB’s words, it’s the worst that’s been seen in his managerial career. It’s also the worst in my ‘supporting’ career as I can’t remember a time quite like this. Having said all the excuses that exist each week we still have a great bunch of professionals in the side that have stepped up to the plate and filled in the gap left by the crocks. Unfortunately, although at the time of writing this, we are only a single point adrift it could have been so different if we could have finished off some great chances that we created. Gregory Tade surely needs some kind of coaching to help him sharpen his goal scoring skills or be forced to watch videos of Manchester City. He really does work hard and deserves the rewards his hard work creates. The defence on the other hand have always looked very shaky and during our first game of the season at Motherwell I witnessed a very inept back four who could only look around and blame each other after conceding the three goals. Not much has changed since that day as we continue to concede in every game. My latest visit to see the team was the abysmal affair at St Johnstone where I witnessed yet another shoddy display from a side that should have gelled by now. I think Terry Butcher was right in his summation of that game by stating it felt like he’d picked up some strangers on the A9 to form the team. Maybe he should change the route next time and travel via Barcelona! As the injuries subside and the guys return to field it will be interesting to see how the side will shape up. It is true that we have missed Hayes and Cox but will their return really make a big difference? At the end of the day we can create chance after chance to all eternity but it’s not going to be much use if we can’t put the frigging ball in the net. Is MacKay the answer? I have my doubts but let’s not write him off just yet – like we did with Paul Richie and others. For me Foran has had his day. He is not the striker of old and certainly didn’t show any signs of being a great captain either judging by his display in Perth. His head was the first to drop. As captain he should be inspiring the team to get back into the game and motivate them. He doesn’t do it for me. I can only base my thoughts on the two away games I’ve seen but judging by the match day thread on the forum I am not alone in my thoughts. During my compilation of the forum gossip for The Scotsman article, he is constantly mentioned and it’s mostly negative. He has, of course, set up a couple of goals so I suppose it can’t all be bad. The announcement that Terry and Mo’ have signed a new two year deal was met with delight from me as I think these two will, eventually, get us playing the way that will shock a few teams and see us challenge better in the SPL and, who knows, that elusive top six place and possibly a cup success. This announcement also coincided with our worst performance of the season so far which is akin to being voted manager of the month. Pure coincidence, surely!! When TB was appointed the manager’s job after Craig Brewster I couldn’t help feeling a little bit disappointed. I don’t think TB’s managerial record is anything to shout about (I still don’t) and definitely thought that we were jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. However, he has made me change my views. He almost saved us from relegation but the damage was already done. To bounce back at the first attempt was incredible and now we see him building ‘his’ team. I was upset when he released Granty and Russell but, with all due respect to them both, I really don’t think we’d be any better off in the league than we are right now if they’d stayed. Terry’s tactics demonstrate to me that he is no tactician. He changes the formation week in week out with the injury crisis being touted as the reason. I’d wager that if he played the guys in their correct positions we may be further up the table by now. My confidence in him is waning slightly but we’ll see what happens when he hasn’t got that same excuse in his locker. So, my report card for the season so far is a 6/10 – must do better. I’ve only made two games this season so far and both have been dire affairs. Performances like those do not inspire me to make the effort to suffer Richard Branson’s poor excuses for trains for most of the day. But it’s not only the poor performances on the field that sometimes make me think twice before travelling it’s also the way we, the fans, get treated at SPL games. We know that there are rules but surely we shouldn’t be subjected to overzealous stewards who wear the ‘Jobsworth’ badge. We are singled out because we are a small group and I firmly believe that the stewards, not only regard us as an easy target, but also as a practice session to sharpen their chucking out skills. There is absolutely no way that they’d perform in that fashion when big boys come to town. Not only is this situation a big put off to me (especially considering the amount of travelling I do to attend) but also the costs of attending games. It’s not a cheap day out anymore and the entertainment side of it is practically non-existent except for the banter in the pub or on the bus. Singing ‘1000 Green Bottles’ was a delight but someone kept miscounting and we had to start again…and again…and again, until, that is, we settled on starting at 100 and getting to the end. The end was met with a great cheer until we heard…”If one green bottle was put back on the wall…” This banter continued en route to the ground but the dire 90 mins of ‘entertaining’ football had the effect that Christmas was over, you’d opened all your presents and now you couldn’t be bothered. The journey back up the road was very subdued indeed. There was a discussion in my part of the world about the costs of attending football matches. Not only is the price of watching EPL astronomical but watching games in the Championship is also wallet busting. The discussion involved the fall in attendances and the cost was ‘voted’ the highest factor. There were quite a few guys (and girls) saying they’d never attend the likes of Villa Park or St Andrews until the price fell (which it won’t) and now go to non-league grounds at the likes of Kidderminster, Tamworth and Nuneaton to get their football fix. The high costs, of course, are attributed to the players’ wages and is a situation that is only going to get worse instead of better. Watching football on the ‘terraces’ in a few years time is going to become a pastime for Lottery winners et el. So, what of ICT for the next quarter? My gut feeling is we will continue to struggle along and we will end up in a relegation battle with either Dunfermline or Hibernian. Our next four fixtures will, I’m sure, make the picture perfectly clear. These games will not be easy for us to nick points. It will need all the players to pull together and show us what they can do. It will need the loan players, some of which are only on the books until January, to put themselves in the shop window because on current form nobody will want them. Hopefully the return of Hayes and Dorran will add that wee bit of bite back into the side. Maybe the defence will knuckle down and stop leaking goals. Maybe I’ll be totally wrong and we’ll go on a winning streak. Only time will tell of course but I’m going to give the lads a helping hand by putting money on our opponents to beat us. This would virtually guarantee us a point because I never win my football bets. Gringo

McCall's Marauding Motherwell take on Butcher's Basement Boys Motherwell are the visitors on saturday in another tough SPL match for Butcher's stuttering strugglers. The Steelmen sit second in the league on merit after a fantastic start to the season, one which saw them sink Inverness 3-0 on the opening hazy day in July. That result for Inverness was a taster of what was to come as we have struggled to overcome injuries and personnel changes which have seen the spine of the team disappear and the customary Highland courage replaced by players with little heart for the battle. It has been a torrid time for the players and fans alike, with no two displays showing the same continuity and leaving the fans a little perturbed, likening the poor run of results akin to the demise of Craig Brewster (version 2). However, the shoes are still on although a few people have taken to wearing slip on's for match day and are questioning whether the manager should have had a new contract whilst the club sit bottom of the league. Personally, I believe it affords us some stability from within and once our hospital bill decreases then that should, hopefully, see us steer a gradual course away from the relegation arena. Stuart McCall on the other hand has transformed Motherwell into a well oiled machine since taking over the tenure at the end of 2010. A flying start by crushing Inverness when the season started early in July have seen Motherwell only being defeated by Celtic, Rangers and St Johnstone. McCall himself was a tenacious box-to-box player and some of his own traits are evident in the Well line up, with players like Murphy and Humphrey able to take the ball from one end of the park to the other at breakneck speed. A couple of shrewd acquisitions in the close season have seen Nicky Law and Michael Higdon join up at Fir Park. Twenty three year old Englishman Law, was signed on a free from Rotherham and has become a firm favourite at Motherwell and Higdon's aerial ability and bustling centre forward style is perfect for the wingers to aim at. Last weekend Inverness disappointed at home against what were supposed to be a poor Dunfermline squad, but it was the Pars that made most of the running and they deservedly took a point away from the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Liam Buchanan being upended by a ridiculous tackle from Proctor, one that will give him nightmares. In his defence, he was left exposed after we lost the ball on the halfway, but there was no need whatsoever for him to lunge into the tackle. Penalty was the correct decision and that undid the first half goal by the industrious Gregory Tade, albeit against the run of play, but he finished with aplomb, or should that be a bomb, a diving header into the roof of the net. Motherwell on the other hand ended a run of three wins with a draw against an equally enterprising Kilmarnock side. Away wins at Easter Road and Tannadice had been preceded by a narrow home win over the Don's. That all brings us to where we are now, Butcher's boys at the foot of the table with nine points, and MacCall's miracles a whopping fourteen points better off in second spot. Our goal difference of minus eleven is a bit of a giveaway in contrast to Well's plus one, although it has to be noted that they have also conceded more than three goals on three occasions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Granty24 has been doing his homework for this game and here are his findings...................... Chris Hogg will hopefully make his long awaited return to the squad for Saturday's visit of the current Old Firm splitting side Motherwell. Stuart McCall's men, who are currently a single point ahead of Glasgow giants Celtic after a superb start to their season, a season that begun with a 3-0 beating of... us. Hogg will make his comeback after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury that required surgery, his last appearance coming in our first win of the season against Kilmarnock on the 27th of August, but will be unlikely to start, so a place on the bench it looks like? I say, if he's fit, get him in! Jonny Hayes will not be seen tearing up the flanks on Saturday, the tenacious winger suffering an injury setback and will be out for a further few weeks. While wishing I could say the same about Aaron Doran, I can't. Hayes' fellow Irishman out for another month or so with his dislocated shoulder sustained in the win against Kilmarnock also. Still no word on Tudur-Jones? Anyway, off the injury front for now; Josh Meekings and Lee Cox are in contention for a place in the starting XI after making impressive cameo appearance's against Dunfermline in our last outing. Austrian Thomas “can't time a tackle” Piermayr will also be available for selection after picking up his sixth booking of the season, but he will miss the trip to Rugby Park next week. Questions were asked after the loss of a valuable 2 points against Dunfermline last Saturday about team selection, so will TB keep faith with the side he has in recent weeks? Or will he give starts to the likes of Billy McKay, and Shane Sutherland who have been champing at the bit to get a game over the likes of our under-performing captain, Richie Foran. The Steelmen will be without talented youngster Bob McHugh for at least 5 weeks after picking up an ankle injury and fullback Steven Saunders is still unavailable for McCall's men. Granty's Stats 'Well haven't managed to score in their last 172 minutes of SPL football, their last goal coming from Jamie Murphy in the 8th minute in their match against Hibernian on the 15th of this month. Ex-St Mirren Striker Michael Higdon has netted 4 times this season for 'Well, level with that of our top scorer Tade who also has 4. Their defence, however has been fairly impressive this season, conceding 13 goals in the opening 12 games, leaking just 1.08 goals per game. However, they have only scored 14 times so far, 5 at home, 9 away. But of our 22 goals conceded thus far, just 7 have come at the TCS. So, with Motherwell scoring more and picking up more points away from Fir Park, ourselves conceding less at and picking up more points at home, what's to expect from today? Last six P W D L F A Pts Inverness 6 1 2 3 5 10 5 Motherwell 6 3 2 1 7 6 11 The Granty24 predictor:- Always the optimist; only way to be for me! Predicting a shock on the cards here with a cheeky 1-0 to the home side, Tade netting in his 5th consecutive home game to sink McCall's boys back to 3rd in the SPL table! Top six is still a possibility, with a string of a few good results and who knows where we could end up... BELIEVE!!! Latest Team News Inverness boss Terry Butcher is adamant that Jonny Hayes needs more time to recover and Owain Tudur-Jones and Aaron Doran are also out longer term. The good news is that Chris Hogg is ready to return to the squad and could help to shore up our porous back line, Ryan Esson being the exception as none of this is down to his abilities, but more to do with being exposed by the players in front of him. Motherwell have no fresh problems. Bob McHugh has been told he may miss up to five weeks and Lee Hollis will be out after hip surgery. Steve Saunders is still out, but boss McCall has a reasonably unchanged squad to pick from. Good news for Motherwell then, their recent form should see no reason to alter a successful combination. Other SPL News:- Peter Houston has kicked off the shoogly peg syndrome. The Tannadice gaffer is under fire as his side have slumped to just above Inverness in the table. The United board have categorically dismissed reports that his job is under threat as mere speculation..............Aye right, looks to me as though the shoes are off and Housty is on his way out if the Arab's can't take care of the Pars this Saturday. He has been called to the office after this game and he better have his excuses ready. Houston won the Cup with United in his first season in charge, months after the departure of Craig Levein, United beating country bumpkins County 3-0 to lift the trophy. United have only two wins this season, one of them being against us, but things have gone pear shaped for the Arabs as they struggle to climb the league. The early kick off today is Aberdeen v Rangers (12:00) in a day with a full SPL card.