absent friend

I take it John, that with our Scotland make-shift team, you are siding with the bookies and giving us no chance this next two games?

Hi S1 I have never, at any time, differed with anyone on this forum re tactics - I could have, with my apprenticeship in football management, time served, on the terracing at the jags park! This, I would submit, is the level of tactical understanding the ex Caley fans aspire to. However, I do differ with some comments on here and get a reaction, when I point out the obvious. Attacking a player, via a chrystal ball, is nonsense. Stating that players are afraid to pass the ball to a fellow player/ are covering for a fellow player, is absolute tosh! The manager standing on the line, sober, having coached the players all week cannot see this?? Don't be daft! He would have the problem player off the park in two seconds flat and replaced. Our tactics on Saturday - we went for it when we lost the goal(s) and left gaps at the back. Is this a fault? If we had managed to get a point it was a good exercise, we lost another two goals because of this, so what, it was worth a try but it did make the defence look iffy! Bad management? Don't think so! Bad fans reaction? Maybe! .

St Johnstone are on record, want to keep him until the end of the season. I wondered when I read it, as he did not get very good reports, on here, when he signed for us. Maybe he will be in the team in place of Lionel.

You also now have joined the ranks of knowing a players ability better than our International assistant manager, ex England captain, ex Rangers captain, professional TV pundit, ICT manager and of course his assistant manager. Now I don't know if Hastings, at this time, is better than Lionel and without Mystic Megs ball I don't know how players will perform in the future but I do think our well qualified management team are in a better position to judge! For the record, I feel that Duff should be introduced sooner rather than later as, I think, he will accept responsibility as he did when he came on late in the OF game and strolled through the remainder of the match.

Oops! Belated Happy Birthday! It's your own fault - you don't look/behave any older! .

You would think our management team would have noticed this, if they were worth their salary! Oh! - Wait now.... the honeymoon is over, that management team know nothing in comparison to some posters, I hope they have heard of the 20! .

Now what is wrong with a rose coloured ersehole?? I could think of a worse colour! Gain respect by bad mouthing your own players? By challenging people to fight? Don't think so! .

After the hard feelings engendering, on here, by the '20' - I stated that the club support would never be the same again. Feeling of power and all that! Look out to our new management team:- THE '20's' COMIN' T' GET YA!

DO WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE BOTTLE? Well the reaction, on here, after Saturdays result, would indicate that the fans may not have!!

Once upon a time lived a beautiful Queen with voluptuous breasts. Malcolm the Dragon Slayer was obsessed over the Queen for this reason. He knew that the penalty for his desire would be death should he try to touch them, but he had to try. One day Malcolm revealed his secret desire to his colleague, Horatio the Physician, the King's chief doctor. Horatio thought about this and said that he could arrange for Malcolm to more than satisfy his desire, but it would cost him 1000 gold coins to arrange it. Without pause Malcolm readily agreed to the scheme. The next day, Horatio made a batch of itching powder and poured a little bit into the Queen's brassiere while she bathed. Soon after she dressed, the itching commenced and grew intense. Upon being summoned to the Royal Chambers to address this incident, Horatio informed the King and Queen that only a special saliva, if applied for four hours, would cure this type of itch; and that tests had shown that only the saliva of Malcolm would work as the antidote to cure the itch. The King quickly summoned Malcolm. Horatio then slipped Malcolm the antidote for the itching powder, which he put into his mouth, and for the next four hours, Malcolm worked passionately on the Queen's voluptuous and magnificent breasts.. The Queen's itching was eventually relieved, and Malcolm left satisfied and hailed as a hero. Upon returning to his chamber, Malcolm found Horatio demanding his payment of 1,000 gold coins. With his obsession now satisfied, Malcolm couldn't have cared less; and, knowing that Horatio could never report this matter to the King, with a laugh told him to go away, .... off! The next day, Horatio slipped a massive dose of the same itching powder into the King's underwear. The King immediately summoned Malcolm. The moral of the story :- Pay your dues.

Well you have nailed your colours to the mast!! As you can see I have now added your views on the West Coasters to the others below. ''Gaelic is dead, an embarrassment to all the local English residents, only the thick West Coasters use it, why can't they speak English like us'' they are 'Johny come latelys' I see you have not addressed the following:- Just ponder on why Inverness and Dublin are the best English speaking places in Britain!! The result may answer your own points raised. .

We just seem to have less pride in our heritage than Wales. It always surprises me that Wales, so close to England, can defend their identity and yet we, away up here, seem to be so keen on Anglicisation. ''Gaelic is dead, an embarrassment to all the local English residents, only the thick West Coasters use it, why can't they speak English like us'' So sad and so wrong! In Wales they rejoice in their native tongue and indeed I have heard it used for their regional news on TV. Just ponder on why Inverness and Dublin are the best English speaking places in Britain!! No wonder we let our natural resources outflow from our country and give thanks for Kishorn, Cromarty and Ardersier, a bone thrown to the locals to keep them happy. Backbone? I don't think so! Wales wins at more than rugby, I'm afraid. .

If you're worried about this site, click on the "donate button" at the bottom left of every page. Unlike you I was not looking at this site in isolation! I was raising the point regarding the possible lack of advertising revenue into, primarily, sport, embracing, of course, ICT. .

When the dripping roast, the income from advertising, reduces or dries up, I wonder just what the financial effects will be. If we look at this site, funded in the main by adverts - sport, transport, right down to the hospitals, how will they make up the loss of revenue? If we look at the SPL and our club in particular, the loss of income from corporate entertaining, hoardings and Setanta will all impact, to the extent that we could be a semi-pro outfit. We would not be on our own as this loss of revenue would impact on all the clubs and some, more in need of ongoing funding than ourselves, would be first hit. We can see it already with Channel 4 having the budget cut and ITV following suit, with no apology, as it is evident that no buyers means why advertise! Formula 1 could be in the firing line first, high costs low returns, do not add up! Teams could pack in, drivers incomes reduce and with the growing emphasis on saving the planet, how long before it attracts activists, causing the death nail - not the best advert for your product. Horse racing, without sponsors money, big problem. Golf, Tiger will be the last of the big earners for a while, maybe. The Olympics could be another casualty, not totally but big cut backs to the planned event could result. If recovery comes early maybe the impact will be minimal but if prolonged, the mind boggles!

If he has helped to keep us in the SPL - that's goodski!!

Yes fair point maybe then on a sheet of A4 collected from the club shop At Pittodrie the Ultras put the sheets (I said sheets) on the seats for the sing alongs. At Hibs they go round the local pubs in Easter Road and hand out the song sheets.

In my ignorance I do not know the 4th official's job, apart from subs (could be done by linesman) stopping managers from kicking lumps out of each other, spoilsport (could be done by police) and I therefore think they could watch a telecast of the match, alerting the ref that the ball did go over the line/a dive/bad tackle etc. Unlike rugby where there are 20 bodies in a pile, where the ball is being kept up from being grounded and many camera angles are required to award the try, in football this rarely happens. The camera sees the ball over the line, the dive,the tackle and the ref/ linesman does not, so the 4th official gives a call to the ref and, hey presto, the goal etc, is correctly awarded. The game is already called back for infringements, by the refs, if advantage does not take place, so where is the problem? The sin bin and 10 yard rule, however, is a must. The 10 yard rule to cut out the backchat to the ref. Each outburst resulting in the free kick going another 10 yards nearer the goal area and maybe resulting in a penalty kick. I can see Smith tying a gag round Ferguson's mouth as he crosses the line onto the park, at the start of every match! The sin bin is a great idea and should have a varying time there, dictated by the ref. This action would not then deprive us, the spectators, of enjoyment of the match. A red card for a second yellow can often be harsh and sin bin could be an alternative. Sending off, if you think of it as a fitting punishment, is nonsense! Esson gets sent off in the first minute, we lose 89 minutes of the player, he gets sent off in the 89th minute and we lose nothing! In the latter situation, in the next game an equally good player is on in his place, so what is the penalty of the red card? Esson comes back 2 games later refreshed and raring to go! Big deal. The following match should be played with 10 men for 89 minutes, in my opinion. Whilst I am on my soapbox, I also think it is totally unfair that a bad tackle gets a yellow card and the innocent, injured player, is then off the park for treatment, with the team that has created the damage being rewarded by having an extra man on the park during this time. My solution, to be even handed - the player that caused the problem, the yellow carded player - should stand on the sidelines until the injured player returns. Now ref, argue against my thinking! .

You woill find a few 'spirits' in there, no doubt!

Amazing supporters we have - BBC radio .......''the ball has now broken to Djebi-zadi and - would you believe it - a tense silence has broken out all over the stadium, all that can be heard is the intake of breath by IHE as he prays for a mistake to back up his Forum theory'' Aye, right, we have the message!! You are such a bitter person - I have already been proved rite unfortunately. You just look at the positive attributes that I describe about him. He is unorthodox and nearly everybody I spoke to at the weekend agree with my comments. I can assure you it is not I who is bitter! Just read your own offerings re this guy! You being 'rite' that this player would make a mistake I must concede BUT you could have carried out your vendetta against Grant Munro and been equally correct. Against Esson and been equally correct. For the record, their mistakes could have a bigger impact on our future than DZ's. Our whole team of players are problems waiting to happen, we are a small team, our players reflect this and therefore they make mistakes!! Even the great MU on Saturday made mistakes and they are not a wee team!! To finish on DZ, I obviously have more trust in the management team than you do - I feel that the guy is there on merit as the competitors for his position are all back to full fitness - the pundits, the professional ones, all seem to give the player pass and above marks each time he plays - for Heavens sake , give the guy a break!! .

Rig, just a thought, but is Mega Bus, Aberdeen /Stirling a cheaper possibility - with Stirling/Falkirk bus price unknown but it can't be that expensive.

Names like Donnie Fridge, Kanses, Mildred et al strutted their R & R stuff there. Drainpipe trousers, DA haircuts, long, almost kneelength, jackets. It was a long time after that before Harry Shore, in the Caley Ballroom, allowed a wee bit R & R in the areas at the side of his band (away from respectable dancers like Jackie Packer and his sister) For me, following the likes of Bobbie McLeod and his Band, it was off to Drumnadrochit, Kiltarlity, Strathpeffer and sometimes Culloden Hall. Nairn or Tradespark was not even on the Tuchter circuit, too modern. The week was - Thursday, Meeting Rooms(Ted Heath Band -Lita Rosa/ Dickie Valentine, singers) - Friday, Teuchter circuit(following the, unchaperoned,West Coast nurses) - Saturday, Caley Ballroom and dependant on luck, last hour in the Meeting Rooms(Wee Willie Harris upstair/Bobby McLeodish band/nurses downstair) The rest of the week?? Build up strength for the next Thursday, Friday, Saturday. The town was full of soldiers with the Cameron Barracks and Fort George filled to capacity, with Irishmen working at the Hydro Dams and I don't remember many fights taking place or this modern childish thing of throwing up after a pint!( to quote my Dad 'Can't hold their drink'! and that was after a pint ... of spirits!) Wonderful Memories!! .

Amazing supporters we have - BBC radio .......''the ball has now broken to Djebi-zadi and - would you believe it - a tense silence has broken out all over the stadium, all that can be heard is the intake of breath by IHE as he prays for a mistake to back up his Forum theory'' Aye, right, we have the message!!

Not one of your better attempts at stirring up trouble or discontent. The attendance, which was officially declared by ICT early in the second half, was 4005. Charles, I think he is referring to the cup game and not Saturday's.

I don't know how many season's tickets holders ICT have but do they all get counted, as present, in the crowd number, before any cash payers are counted?? If this is the case no wonder I never get my predicted crowd number correct for home games!

Now birdbrain, my point is simple, even to you, when abroad you have to cope with bilingual signs even when driving on the 'wrong' side of the road but in the Highlands bilingual signs put the lives of innocent people at risk, in your opinion! Your logic is difficult to understand or is the Gaelic content that upsets!