davie

I can confirm that Ryan Esson and Gary Warren are sadists. At least the press up victims thought so. A good session tonight, and some lessons learned for sunday. We'll be ok if we keep our shape and talk to each other. All fans be at TCS by 1:00 pm at the latest - we have a game plan to talk over. Seriously, many thanks to Ryan And Gary for giving up their own time to support the fans side. Quality.

A certain John Robertson has been added to the Legends side. I think he qualifies..........

Fingers crossed Gringo - the forecast looks not bad! Not exactly tropical, but not bad.

ICT fans XI v ICT Legends & Friends XI Come along on sunday to watch the match the weather never wanted you to see! A legends and friends XI including Charlie Christie, Jimmy Calder, Barry Wilson, Stuart Golabek, Al Hercher and others managed by Mike Noble are taking on a fans XI at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium at 1:30pm. If you want to know all of the legends that are playing, you'll just have to come along! It's organised by ICTFC and Caley Jags Together and sponsored by The Castle Tavern, MacDougall & Hastie, Paul Cumming and The Innes Bar. Entry is free, but Caley Jags Together would appreciate a donation which will be used to promote ICTFC and its fans throughout the Highlands. Entry is through the away players entrance and the main stand will be open on the day. The sports bar will also be open for the duration of the game for food & drinks. This is the first match of its kind that we have organised, and all of the fans have paid for the chance to play on the pitch against a legends side full of ICT heroes and we need you to come along and create an atmosphere that they won't forget. We can't promise SPL quality football (well I can't anyway!) but we can promise you a laugh and a bit of nostalgia on a football free weekend. We'd be really chuffed if you could come. Davie Balfour Chairman, Caley Jags Together

Unfortunately Smee, they are not. It appears that their horse drawn universe ran out of straw yesterday and imploded. Their leader dug in his hoofs and threw a tantrum as big as, well, culbokie. At a push. I really don't fancy their chances against Killie. Shame really.

BEST.EVER. Top 6 at last! Now let's aim for Europe - together. If we get there, it's a dream come true. If we don't it won't be for the want of trying.

Thanks to everyone who has responded to this thread, viewed the video, tweeted and facebooked about this. OK, it's a bit OTT, but I had actually pressured the ubergeek (Caley D) that did it even more so. So you're a lucky lot really. But it's done what it set out to do - with thousands of hits, it's got people talking about this game and thinking of going. Only question is, what do we do for the next one? Ritchie & OTJ as spartans? Terry & Mo as gladiators? Deek as an itinerant knife sharpener? It's a good day - let's make it a great one. Mon the Caley Jags.

Not sure where that comes from..... I understand that the club are really busy today and that tickets are shifting. If people are concerned, get your mates on board, get them to buy tickets and get them in the Caley Jags end. You know it makes sense.

It's not that sad Gordie. Every club in europe has much the same problem ; there ain't that much money around and if it's a question of tightening your belt (as it is for a lot of people) then things like footie go first. we'll see what the crowd is like on Saturday, but I'm relaxed about it - as long as we win!

I'll go halfers with you on that one

Caley Jags Together stands fully behind Terry Butcher and his Team in calling on every Caley Thistle fan to get behind their team this Saturday for this crucial highland derby. All of our support needs to be in the stands to shout, sing and outchant our neighbours in what promises to be an epic battle for a place in the top six in scottish football. The least we might achieve on Saturday is the most we have ever done, so be there to see it. Buy your tickets now. Get down to the stadium, get on the phone, get online and make sure of your place. Tickets are selling fast, so don't leave it to chance. Wear your colours all this week - a tie, a scarf, a shirt. Wear them to work, to the pub, in town. Let everyone know we are here. Sound your car horn when you see a fellow fan; get on the phone to local radio for phone in's, requests, whatever. Make sure that they know who we are and what we are and that our voices are heard above all. If you are coming to the game on Saturday, bring a friend - it shouldn't be hard to persuade them. You can be sure that our "noisy neighbours" will be as up for this as us, so we have to make sure that we have the voice. We have the team, we have the numbers and we need you to make sure that there is only one winner this Saturday. Go here to be inspired! Davie Balfour Chairman, Caley Jags Together

^^^^^^^ what he said. I do think that other teams have learned how to stop us playing and we need to mix it up, and after we get top 6 anything is possible. Over the bridge might as well be 1000 miles away for all I care about what they do. This is about us.

My match report's done.... But that was a horrible surface to try and play on - it was like glue. The penalty boxes were both ploughed and it was really only when I walked across the pitch at the end that I could figure out how strong the wind was out there. Allied to the fact that Dundee fought like hell, it wasn't a bad point.Glad we won't have to go back there this season all things being well.

I suspect that many, like me are scared stiff of how this might all pan out, and people react to that in many different ways. Some will downplay the significance and then enjoy an explosion of relief (ooer...) when and IF things go our way. Some will just enjoy the journey and some (like me) will have bitten their fingernails to the elbow by the time the split and then the end of the season comes! But just nip back to August/ September's forum posts and look at the ambitions we had for this year of armageddon. We've fulfilled them all and more and even if we didn't win another game this season that would still be true. I know that expectations adjust as circumstances change but I tell you what, it's now more than ever that this team need a positive vibe around them to get them to the finishing post. They need us, the supporters, to get right behind the team - especially this week. Every ICT supporter worth his salt needs to bust a gut to be there on Saturday and to leave without a single vocal chord intact. We need to outnumber, outsing and outsupport our neighbours if we are to get where we want to be. We need drums, we need flags. Saturday will get us into the top six for the first time ever and after that, who knows. Maintain third and anything is possible without any real pressure. We need unconditional, unequivocal support all week. We need CTO, P&B and OTB to be flooded with our agenda, our team and we need everyone there on saturday. I'll be there, doing my best to crank it up in the local media with a Caley Thistle agenda right at the front. I confidently predict Caley D will stir the pot to boiling point on the day and that Terry and the team will be jumping for this one. You never know, it might just work.

More certified than licenced I think manfer. No McGonagall or anything - but I'll no be back in the sneck by 19:00, never mind reporting.

Well I wrote that preview and I stand by it. With all due respect to dundee, we've beaten them 4-1. twice. they are bottom of the SPL and we are third. By any logic, that means we have a right to suppose they should win this one. Just saying.

That original statement is quite funny really. I did wonder who they were when I saw reference to them on the BBC website, but quickly got the message that they were a third division pressure group for a new club that is trying to establish it's own identity. Oh wait...............

Win everything. Liking it. I'm really confident of making top six at least and I can't see any sides other than Celtic and Motherwell who are genuinely better sides, so eorpa looks a decent shout at the moment. I don't think that the club would care one iota that we might lose money on the deal because it might be the one and only time we ever make it. I care not whether it's a one horse town in the Ukraine, somewhere barely thawed out in Norway or somewhere in the balkans so bad you need an escort in and out. I'm going. PS: Why can't kilmarnock defend like that against us?

Foran might well be key for the derby, his height is something we've missed and along with Warren should terrify the wheels off county at set pieces. I thought our passing was exceptional at times last night, and there looked to be times in the first half that united could barely live with it. It's amazing how quickly teams shut OTJ down now if he gets the ball anywhere in their half. Devine and Andrew Shinie were exceptional for me - if we ever have the makings of milion pound players at the club, they have that potential. Happy with that point and roll on Saturday.

We look so tired yesterday, and Motherwell looked loads fresher not having a midweek game. The first half was the best showing we've had this year against Well (which ain't, I admit, saying much) who looked every inch a second place side. We played some neat stuff, and Shinnie's goal ? Should have stood really. Their second goal killed the game stone dead, and for about 15 minutes our heads went down and we lost a lot of coherence. Thought that Shane and Phil Roberts looked ineffective when they came on, but that was probably due to us having to chase the game whilst Well were already home, dry and knew it. I think that Butcher put Draper out wide because it provided an out ball for Esson because Ross, McKay and Shinnie were winning nothing in the air down the middle. As for Roberts, his style of play looks what the papers would call "languid" if it works and "lackadaisical" if it doesn't. To suggest that the guy is getting a game when he doesn't care or try is stretching it. So is suggesting his personal popularity has any bearing on it. Do you like everyone that you work with? One thing is certain - if he was the complete player, he would still be at arsenal. He isn't and that tells it's own story - he's lightweight and inexperienced and looked it yesterday. Still third.

yep. I'll be there

This is probably one of the most negative posts I have read on here. Let's get this right - The weather's rubbish. Barnsley get bigger crowds than us. County are "suberb" at attracting crowds. we need to improve the product from being second in the league. We are never going to have a bigger fanbase. We make sarcastic remarks about "punching" that never happened, but we ought to stop moaning. Precisely how? It's a serious question.

what a fundraiser that would be!

I read TB's comments with a real feeling of inevitability. As a manager who lives and breathes the club and believes passionately in his team, it must be frustrating. As fans on the other hand, we're lucky in some ways in that we have a choice as to whether we get into all that - or even if we turn up at all. The fans, though are the lifeblood of the club and is 2500 or so really what we want to see when we're second top of the league? Of course not. The big issue seems to be prices, and ideas for lowering them. How can the club bring down ticket prices permanently in mid season - all that would result would be a storm of protest from season ticket holders who would (with some measure of justification) feel they were bankrolling the scheme. the club has tried bring a friend schemes and two matches for the price of one already this year and attendances haven't improved. The club regularly distributes tickets to schools etc, but again attendances have stagnated. The club builds bridges through community development, the all together now capaign etc. and a lot of that is designed to get more through the gates. I am as mumped as anyone about the prices, but we are'nt paying more - the £20 nominal admission price often quoted was worth £9.48 in 1990, and about a tenner is roughly what I was paying to get in back then (old age!) This year especially, I think we feel poorer because our banks bu**ered up the finacial system and now we're paying for that too. People moan as well about the product. We are second top in a league that has less than ten points seperating us and second bottom and if that's not compeditive I don't know what is. We didn't want "hoof ball" that we'd complained about for ages - well we certainly don't have that now. You can moan about the manager, the tactics, his loan signings etc. but evidence suggests that he's doing something right. You can moan about the board as well, but their budget is built on an income that has been pre-identified. Less income = less club. Literally. As well as the above, there's a feeling around that the club just can't please the punters at all, no matter what. Nick Ross talked of the disappointment of being booed off on wednesday - we're second in the league for goodness sake. There have also been boos directed at Phil Roberts and frank verbal abuse at the manager and it detracts from what we try to promote as a family based, close knit club. Some of the stuff on CTO has been pretty negative in tone as well.Fans really do have some responsibilities as well as rights to voice their opinions in public (and on national radio on wednesday) Caley Jags Together have an AGM on 28th of this month and if you want to tell them what is wrong with the club and get it through to them, come along and make your point. Then there can be real meaningful debate and we don't have to air our dirty linen in public as we are right now. Shouting abuse and booing from the stand ain't going to do that. It's up to people, at the end of the day, whether they sit in and watch barca on sky sports instead of going to the game on the relatively rare occasion when these things clash. But in 20 years time, when your apathy has killed everything below la liga, the premiership and Ligue 1, who will you moan to?

Hold on, up front with McKay? Who do you then get shot of? Foran? Doran? Shinnie?Ross? IMVHO Shane is not the equal of any of these players either skillfully or tactically and is in what is probably the best position he can expect in this squad. I'm not being harsh here, he's a lovely lad with considerable ability but what's in front of him is probably impossible for him to overtake.