davie

We simply need between 500 and 1000 additional people through the gates in addition to our core support at every home game. This would create an income against our cost base that would allow the club to be run sustainably and allow it to plan ahead. We've known this for years.

I find the above by DD quite puzzling. If there was ever a beautiful illustration of taking a collection of unattributed and, in some cases only half utilised, stats to illustrate what amounts to a delusion (a preconcieved idea, fixed and not amenable to rational examination or alteration) regarding Hughes, that's it. Please, please abandon the anti-Hughes agenda DD, almost everyone else has. Or give me a rational basis to agree on. Let's look at this; our success flattered us. Over the course of a season, you get the success you deserve - luck eventually runs out. That's what makes a league competition so difficult, and success in one prized. You don't get lucky. Hughes happened to be "in the right place at the right time" Has he done nothing to influence matters? Actually, he completely altered the style of play from the Butcher era and initially the team suffered. He brought in people who could play that style and is building on that - managing. It's his side, not Latapy's. His signings are no more or less successful than his predecessors. I could dig out the excoriating criticism levelled at Billy Mckay on this forum as an example of this. However, on the basis of a couple of pre-season games you are willing to categorise recent signings as a "mixed bag". I'll wait. There are genuine questions as to us requiring an out and out striker (on the grounds that one might have capitalised on the many chances we created against Astra) but one of sufficient quality to gel quickly, be fully match fit and be guaranteed to hit the ground scoring would be beyond our means. They generally cost in excess of £250K minimum. You quote 52% possession averages as being "hardly what you would expect" Can you tell me where that figure lies in relation to all other clubs in the league? In isolation, it means nothing. I know that you are worried by the dearth of goals that we score, but I'm sure that you will agree that the difference that you identify between 1.36 and 1.67 goals per game, averaged over a season, is statistically insignificant. You also can't compare a "year and a bit" against a season. It has to be like for like. As for this year's league, it may or may not be stronger and we may or may not suffer injuries. Neither you nor I know. Hughes has added to the squad - Wedderburn, for instance looks like adequate cover for Draper, a player previously seen as indispensable and that will help when injuries intervene. By the way, you omitted to mention injuries to Brill, Vincent and Raven that impacted upon their seasons and ours. Overall, we were lucky, but not that lucky. I agree that Ryan Christie is a marvellous talent, to be nurtured and progressed. He is not, however, a one man band - if you recall there were games that he struggled to impact upon and that was to be expected. Finally, the league was what it was. You can only play the teams that are there and I'm sure that supporters of Aberdeen, Hamilton, Dundee and Celtic would disagree that any of the teams that you mention would have offered more than them. Hamilton, for instance,were in the league because they beat Hibs fair and square for the privilege. And please, Rangers making the league stronger? Did you see them last year? They were nothing more than a tired old orthodoxy struggling vainly for any kind of relevance in a game that has passed them by. They would bring nothing to the premiership. There you are DD - they are my thoughts, nothing more. I'll await this season in expectation, hope and a genuine belief that we can replicate the league achievements of last year. And I'll give Hughes the credit he deserves if it happens.

I think Lopez is being given a rough deal here. Ok he has tired in games (I tired just watching in Giurgiu) but to imply a lack of effort is off the mark. his final pass is out because he's getting to know the people around him and he needs to get fitter. Both of these things will improve with time and that's precisely what we didn't have. Lopez is full of praise for the style and quality of the team he's landed with and seems genuinely excited at being here - at least that's what he's told me. I agree with rene about the shape of the team, it looks good for this year and when we gel the goals will come. We need a striker and one of sufficient quality and experience to fit into the team instantly and hit the ground at speed (or at least we did for the Astra games) but they cost amounts of money that we just don't have. Bucharest was quite brilliant, I would have liked more of that but there's always next year and the year after that etc. What a week!

I'll probably get shot down for this but here goes. The OP contains so many assumptions that it makes much of the rest a bit of a fairly scatter-gun rant, which to be fair, he acknowledges. I'd be stunned if the club didn't tell fans where and how to purchase kit when the details are confirmed. As far as information and the imparting of it goes, the club is in a position where it can only go public when it is absolutely sure of the information it has, otherwise the label of "second rate amateurs" gets chucked around by the habitually disgruntled and the marketing of the club gets another on line bashing. As far as timing goes, it's only three weeks after the end of the last season, and in normal circumstances an August launch would be perfectly appropriate and acceptable. If anything, there's probably been an under-estimation of last season's achievements when this deal was set up and given that a fair few on here were predicting a season of middling mediocrity is that surprising? No wonder there's a bit of risk aversion when it comes to publicising things. People on here have moaned for years about the relative inaccessibility of the club shop and its limited opening hours but somehow the retail park is worse. Eh? I fully realise that people want a year round town centre presence for the club but at present (as far as I know) the figures just don't stack up and there are other things that have a more pressing demand on a limited kitty. You simply can't have everything. Except two cracking shirts of which I'll have one of each. Size L.

Keeper looks like he can't deal with crosses (insert dracula joke here) and that back four look really flat. How that boy from the blue team stayed on the park was beyond me and if that's how they challenge in Romania we'll need a strong referee. No question that they are a good sidebut they don't look unbeatable.

Aye, rest in peace. A gentleman.

Astra, hard team, it's not that far from bucharest (near the bulgarian border) you can fly there from Luton with Wizz beers about 90p a pint and your average hotel room costs £29.00. Could be worse.

Rijeka you can get to by Ryanair via Stanstead for £40 each way. Now that would be a great place to go. Historically ruled by the fabulously named Uzkoks of Senj (pirates/ dodgy/ exceedingly violent) and cheap as chips. Plovdiv from same aiport £41, quick side trip to sunny beach for the uninitiated. Hideous but very cheap.

There is the point though that it wasn't covered because the SFA/SPFL had decided to put the playoff game after the final. It's disrespectful and the BBC just compound it. There are lovely people who I respect individually who are at BBC Scotland, but they should just call it BBC central belt and be done with it. Pretty poor to concentrate on some lunatic kicking another in his central belt area and ignore the yards, nay miles of good news around us and Falkirk.

happily ignorant, always wrong.

Took a half day. Mind wandering for some reason.....

I'll be there with as many as I can drag along!

This argument reminds me of these competitions in primary school latrines where people clamoured to see who had *****d furthest up a wall. I didn't bother then, certainly don't now. We'll have loads of people there shouting us on and if they have a good day that's literally all that matters. Crowd figures? whatever.

I believe there were two points selling. You can also buy online. We are a small club with limited resources and staff so folk will really just have to be patient. Lots of time left to buy as well. That is a pretty poor excuse. Two selling points to sell thousands of tickets. If I was a casual fan thinking of going would I bother to wait two hours in a queue when I most likely have other things on. The only thing it could possibly lead to is reduced sales. Compare this to the final when County got there. If I remember right they had about 10+ selling points to meet demand. They also ordered in thousands of extra strips to sell for the final, selling them in Tesco as well with other stands in the town. Also busses were sourced from all over Scotland and even England to meet demand. I just have this feeling our club won't be as organised, with two selling points on the first day a good example. Will we run out of tops in the next week as well? Joe, It's not poor and not an excuse. She's just telling it how it is. The rest of your post is just "what if" . Chill, you and thousands more will get their tickets and buses and enjoy a day out like no other. Of course, if what you say comes to pass then complain after the final. After, mind.

I have this vision of him tonight watching sky sports news, sitting slumped on the sofa bottle in one hand and a revolver in the other. Never mind Terry.

I am delighted for him. I am fortunate in that I get to speak to the big guy more than most fans and he's a gem. No matter the result, no matter how much he's been wound up he's an absolute pro. Will talk about the game - with a depth of insight that would surprise some, always talks up his players and has a real affinity for the club. Will never sulk, never avoid the issues and never act the prima donna. He can be devastatingly honest at times (and not always for his own good) but his knowledge of people and how to get the best out of them is second to none. His predecessor was always praised for motivating people but if anything, Yogi is better. There's also the fact that he's a genuinely good bloke. When he was appointed, I remember being taken aback at how enthusiastic Kenny Cameron was about his appointment. There really was no other person who came close to surpassing Yogi. Wasn't wrong there then! Well done.

I'd be more concerned if we were losing games or (in the ones that we are losing) losing by a margin. We aren't. Apart from Partick and Aberdeen, who can't do any wrong against us, we are nip and tuck with anyone else. A 1-1 draw away from home against St. Johnstone who are fourth and pushing is not a bad result. We're not "throwing it away" , others are fighting just as hard as us for their season. As for changes yesterday, I think that Ross and christie were left out because they would have been battered by a big, physical Saints midfield. There was also little point in having ball carriers on that pitch - hod carriers would have bbeen more appropriate. Vincent shores it up when the usual "enforcer" isn't there. Doran justified his inclusion, so has Ross every time he has played. Swings & roundabouts, but limited by the squad size and not evidence of not knowing your best side. Tell you what though, tuesday becomes important and it's against a side that are beatable. Get there and support the team instead of getting on here and worrying. It'll do more good.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/04/22/uk-soccer-scotland-inverness-idUKKBN0ND1FP20150422

I am sick to the back teeth of this. Penalty kicks decide games week in, week out and I would take it that the compliance officer will be required to review all such kicks from here on in. The sheer spinelessness of the SFA in this is breathtaking - to respond to an avalanche of criticism that has varied from the measured to the ridiculous by hanging out their officials and a player to dry because they are unable to stand up and follow the spirit of the rules that has always been in place is astounding. The referee is the "sole arbiter of fact" in the rules of the game. His decisions are final. it doesn't matter what you, me, Yogi or Deila think - the referee decides fact. That is the law of the game. This decision relegates referees to being no more than technical advisers to the compliance officer and his panel, who sit extrajudicially and in complete anonymity and therefore open to question. By reason of having this complaint referred to the panel, the compliance officers employers have shown themselves to be complicit in an unprecidented interference in the outcome of a game and for what? Because a big club from their powerbase in Glasgow was beaten by a team who played better on the day, scored more goals and were tactically better. And the best they could muster? wheedling and entitlement ridden complaints of masonic interference, religiously motivated chichanery and a psychotically delusional paranoia about some nebulous "establishment" You couldn't make it up, except that someone has. My club has been in the senior leagues for 21 years and is third in the premiership and in a cup final. The SFA can't (despite continually trying) change that. By all means give us kick off times that our fans can't get to year after year. Give us as many fixtures as you can before major finals. Ignore our matches and don't attend them, and snub our players for international recognition. We will simply keep going. There are implications, apart from the compliance officer ones. How can Josh Meekings be selected for games this weekend (he's in no fit state to play) or on the final day of the season at Parkhead? Is there a case for ICTFC to take legal action against the SFA for indirect discrimination by denying Meekings the right to work when he has breached no rules? Is there a case for ICTFC to decline any ticket allocation for the final game of the season? Is there a case for legitimate protest if or when ( we are fortunate enough) win the cup? Do we ignore the customary handshake of the governing body's representative? Celtic fans are, and I get this completely, upset about the result that went against a team that they felt should have won but they have no idea how a young club with a small fan base feels on reaching their first Scottish Cup final. It's tanished, irrevocably - you couldn't even see us have one day in the sun. As it turns out, despite the tweets last night that wished me deid from celtic "fans" I'm still here. As will Caley Thistle be for a long time to come. Get used to it.

This is utterly unacceptable. It has been done simply to appease the knuckle draggers who, on Sunday night, were tweeting that they "wished Meekings dead when the bus crashed" on the way home. My first instinct is to simply say that we shouldn't bother contesting their cup if that's how they wish to treat us. It's shameful and I really hope Celtic are proud. I would also wonder why a single fan of this club would want to attend the last game of the season.

my head is broken. what a day.

Charles, please. I'm much more genteel than that. On second thoughts.......

Clockwork's craft lager and pacific IPA were very tasty indeed last week. Crackin bar.

Absolutely buzzing for this, and if I had to walk to get to this game, believe me I would. Like TheKarl, I had an interesting conversation with an ST holder who's not going on Sunday because "we'll probably get humped". No reason or evidence for this, just a feeling. Also told me was still unconvinced about Hughes because he "doesn't like the way he speaks" You can't account for attitudes like that when all of the evidence points to the contrary, and I don't suppose he liked the way I talked to him after that last point! Football stirs the passions though, and if doesn't it's maybe time to find something else to occupy your thoughts and spare time. I know that if there's one team that Celtic didn't want in the semi, it's us. If there's one team in Scotland that they are wary of, it's us. There are few teams that would have come back at them as quickly and decisively as we did on Saturday because of the way that they are coached, the passing game and tactics they employ and the character of the side. If there's a manger they respect, it's ours. I know this, because I was told all of the above by a very nice norwegian man after the game at the weekend. Now, why on earth would you not want to believe that this might, just might be our year?

I said achievable, not expected! I'd love to see what a semi-final win would do for performances - could galvanise this team. Much against DU will depend on the first game against them. They're not great at the moment and if we win that one, they might be scunnered for the second because they won't catch us. Dundee away? Done that already this year. St. Johnstone away I always fear because we've had some gubbings off them when we have least expected it but they don't seem to be the team they have been in the past few seasons. Aberdeen? Depends on whether they are on their holidays or not and Celtic? Hopefully they will be all out for revenge. They can have that. So that's my thinking but it'll probably bear no resemblence to the actual event. That's football.