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This quote from Scotland on Sunday is even funnier: Brewster gets a wrong number MANAGER Craig Brewster suffered a stinging attack from his chairman Eddie Thompson as Dundee United again failed to open their season with a win. "I wish I could snap my fingers and get us a win," said the manager. "But we're here for the long haul and while we need to make changes it can't be done overnight." On the evidence of his employer's outburst yesterday, Brewster had better make those changes soon.

Dundee Utd chairman caught blasting Brewster tribalfooball.com - July 30, 2006 Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson was caught slaughtering manager Craig Brewster on his mobile phone after yesterday's opening day defeat to Falkirk. Scotland on Sunday says after spotting the assembled media pack within listening distance, Thompson stood within metres of them questioning the tactics of Brewster and naming Steven Robb, Barry Robson, Mark Kerr and Lee Mair as the chief offenders on the day.

It is perhaps unfair but I cannot recall a player, let alone a captain, being substituted in virtual silence. Golly was first class when he lead us into the SPL but after losing his place through injury just does not breed confidence. The two goals were errors by Granty and Doddsy. Hopefully there will be no more Brewster rubbish this week from Dundee United and the players can build up to a monumental tussle with the Dons. Black played very well despite the battle behind the scenes to sign him. Barry played well while Rankin acquitted himself well.

The third Inverness team are Dundee United in disguise.

See http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/DundeeUnited-Dundee United have an amazingly poor record in the SPL. In 8 seasons they have got as high as 5th just once. That was their only top 6 finish. Three times they have finished 11th. As Charlie said the only reason players go there is for money. Recently the Norwegian Club upped the ante for their full back. The young centre half upped his salary request three times. A queue of players is still heading out of the club with their pay-offs. They are living on memories. Even Brewster only went there to feed an insatiable ego. Most weekends he takes his pay and heads to the fresh air of Inverness to invest it wisely.

Dundee United are getting utterly desperate. Without the grocer's money they are floundering. With Brewster at the helm they are being lead by an arrogant person who this Saturday might just learn the meaning of a bairn.

It's less than a week before the off, and I am sure the ICT crowd in the North stand will get behind Tony Bullock if he is first choice on Saturday. We need to give him the traditional welcome. On the basis Rossco is not completely fit to start the game, all the spice will be on Tony's triumphant return to the big stage and where better than Inverness. Now representing Mr G's Team as opposed to playing outside Mr G's, Tony the Tiger will stand between ICT and our first victory. We can but hope Gus (the new Mr G) keeps him on a leash on the Friday night so there is no breach of discipline. Does any one remember him appearing to punch Brian Irvine or picking up the bit of pie thrown on after we had taken an early lead at Victoria Park-and eating it? The guys got character.

With Barry Robson now believing he's a Caley player after this was uimplanted into his head by the unusually warm applause he received last night, we now have the spy in the cab. Whilst it is important to despatch St Mirren next week, we can but hope Robbo undermines Brew and then signs for Sheffield United - who wouldn't have been impressed with his temperament and crossing last night? Even before today's psychological defeat by Dundee - clearly Brew got a little cocky after his hat trick against Jim Calder last night -'William Hill have surprisingly made St Mirren's Gus MacPherson 4-1 joint favourite with Craig Brewster while Bet365 have Dunfermline's Jim Leishman a short-priced 7-4 ahead of Hearts gaffer Valdas Ivanauskas at 7-2.'(Daily Record) Charlie by the way is a long shot at 16-1. We need to stay focussed ourselves because our start could be very difficult.

The Italian job. He will have a hard act to follow trying to be better than Hoolahan but according to Robbo the deal is not dead. So did the Courier mke it up or will the Pizza man be on the plane?

With all due respect, many of you will be aware that at the grass roots there is a shortage of referees and this threatens games being played. There have been other referees who have booked players twice and not sent them off. The problem here was it was in front of the world's TV and Press. How do you respond when you are criticised for making a mistake at work? Guys like Callum Murray and Dougie McDonald work very hard on improving their game. Referees are part of the game and players have to adapt to them. What is surprising about the second booking is that neither Assistant Referee picked it up nor the fourth official. It was a team failure because a referee can only control so much. Players have become so skilful at diving, tripping over trailing feet, running into players and generally making a referees life absolute **** in front of the baying masses.

So how will the thousands of ICT FC supporters plan where to watch or indeed avoid this much hyped game? It's on 9th July at 7 pm which presumably gives our players just enough time to leg it home from their Italian training camp.

A man of his word and modern day Carnegie. Good luck to our new Chairman who has the right credentials to take us gently forward in a tough league.

So far it has been a disappointing close season without a Court of Session case to be heard on the SPL. Surely damages for constructive dismissal must be just around the corner if professionals are humiliated by their employer without just cause?

Press today quote Grassa as saying the rules would not allow us to recall Michael if Mark got injured so he's staying. Bad news for Michael perhaps but good news for us unless this means no Hoolihan. SPL Reserve League plus SPL Subs bench is still good experience for Michael.

Ralph Milne = Brains = Genious = Mathematician Michael Fraser + Liam Fox = 2 = More than 1 Thank you Ralph for drawing this to our attention.

Does he want pre-season training running around the Almondvale Shopping Centre or would he prefer Italy followed up by a new challenge against Sheffield United followed by easy access to Dublin from Inverness International as and when required?

http://sport.scotsman.com/football.cfm?id=900702006 DUNDEE United's hopes of signing Inverness' Darren Dods increased last night when he rejected Caley Thistle's offer of a new contract. The defender has a year left on his current deal. If he goes it'll be all downhill for the rest of his short career!!!

Brew has problems and to solve them he is in a Greek hideaway negotiating a bolt hole when the roof falls in at Tannadice. The Club have 5 top earners who were to to get out of town. 'We don't want you.' Put bluntly 'a brilliant bit of psychology for the opposition'. Until all those 'rotten apples' are sold from the barrel the shop will be a haven for discontent. New players will be on lower money and look enviously at the big money guys. The big money guys just sit back, keep themselves fit for the move out, and their agents milk the grocer for termination payments. If they don't come they stay and that does not make Brew's job any easier. If United start badly, the Greek trajedy unfolds. Unless of course you like Greece and Brew told us he wanted to Manage there sometime in his career.

And he was injury prone!

That aside, we retain two very promising players and here's hoping they sign extended deals.

If we were offered the Italian place we could go to Italy as preparation and still have time to prepare for the game on 15 July. The rules seem to indicate we might be able to come in at Round Three A stand-by list will be created, at the bottom of the access list, for the vacant places - as not all 52 member countries will enter a team - and these berths will be allocated to the associations in coefficient ranking order. Format change The format of the Intertoto Cup will change for the 2006/07 season. Under the new format, decided in September 2005, three rounds will be played instead of the previous five. The eleven victorious sides from the Intertoto Cup third round will go through to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup, which replaces the old system where the winners for three finals all progressed into the UEFA Cup first round.

Are you sure he didn't say we will be taking the place of the Italian team in the third round of the Intertoto? No Italian teams will enter the Intertoto Cup this year due to the corruption scandal being investigated in Italy. Palermo and Livorno would have competed. 3eme tour : 15/16 juillet 2006 - 22 juillet 2006 1 US Palermo (ITA) B B Pobeda Prilep MKD -Farul Constanta ROM Lokomotiv Plovdiv (BUL) 1 Pobeda Prilep (MKD) Farul Constanta (ROM)

Wednesday 7 June 2006 ROME (AP) - No Italian teams will enter the Intertoto Cup this year due to the corruption scandal in Italy. It's the first significant casualty for Italian soccer since the scandal began a month ago. Following a meeting Tuesday in Munich between Italian soccer federation interim commissioner Guido Rossi and FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the federation issued a statement saying that the ongoing investigation into the scandal prevents teams from taking part. "In consideration of the need to confirm the standings from the 2005-06 season, the FIGC has decided that it is not possible to proceed fast enough to register an Italian team for Intertoto," the statement said. Blatter proposed a July 31 deadline for Italian investigators to impose possible sanctions, and the federation said it hoped to comply so Italian clubs can compete in the UEFA Cup and Champions League. Winners in the Intertoto Cup qualify for the UEFA Cup. Usually, mid-table teams from Italy's Serie A compete in the competition. Palermo and Livorno may have made the competition this year.

Grampian News tonight indicated we cannot pull out of the Intertoto Cup until Friday so maybe another team with financial troubles who may not make it. An outside chance maybe.

Put money on Brewster's team - the pressure after one win in 14 games will be intense. If they start badly the supporters will forget he was a hero and feel he changed nothing. The grocer will be intolerant of further failure especially if he pays a fortune to get rid of high earning players and Brewster still fails to deliver. Brewster will not want to retire as a player and will get himself in knots working out a strategy.Currently they have a destabilised ship and Brewster is not someone who can bring compromise or comfort. He is very strict and authoritarian. Last year the public's choice was Livingston for the chop. Next year Dundee United.