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Can't believe its yet another campaign and we are persevering with Miller to lead the line, the guy doesnt have a great strike rate at club level far less Internationals - yes he works hard but if he is playing as the lone front man he needs to find the net. If we cant resolve the Fletcher situation then we have to give Rhodes the chance - its time for the new generation and by all accounts the biys record shows he has an eye for goal!!!

Press is saying he is on trail at Huddersfield just now, guess they may see him as an option now Rhodes is gone.

Every other post on this thread and infact far too many on this site use the words Tokely & Munro (can the mods add these to the swear filter lol). Remind me were the not stalwarts and mainstays of the team the year we got relegated? Just because they were at the club through the good times as well as the bad, we cant be selective and forget that they had been involved in our ONLY relegation in history. Personally I'm a supporter of ICT not of an individual player and as another manager has said before 'no player is bigger than the club - and that was about players of the calibre of Jaap Staam, van Nistelroy & Beckham). If fans feel that strongly then perhaps they should follow players and support their team as such rather than choosing a single club based on local ties or otherwise ;)

Great oppertunity to get behind the team and reach at least a QF, for too many seasons we havent produced in the cups. On our day we can beat anyone and a cup is the best time for the players to perform and believe it.

I'm disapointed that we dont have Bobby Mann and Darren Dodds, but I get over this, as I have done Rossco and Granty - yet still they seem to be brought up on every thread. I think a big loss was actually Golobart as a younger player with more potential and looked good last year on several occasions. We have to move onwards and forget looking back all the time (although I sense on here this isnt possible) ..........if only we hadn't merged *sigh* We need Hogg back and the new boys that have come in need to adjust to the SPL - its a step up for all of them and they need to get switched on a lot quicker!!!

Its easy now to call for TB's head and get a replacement in - if the popular choices which will be cited I'm sure of Robbo, 10CC, Stevie Patterson, maybe even Granty & Rossco double act then I'm sure all those against Butcher would be happy for a 'tenuious' link to the ICT past in charge, also means for a season even if a new boss was even worse they could be let off the hook by blaming TB signings and any decisions made. Ultimately TB has signed a lot of players and we need to give them time and the manager to find the best combination on field - we are 5 games in with 2 league defeats (yes bad results and shipped 8 goals) but this was to the Champions elect and the runners up last season away. Performances and results have to improve but time is needed, we have the potential for a cup QF if we beat Stenny and have time in the legaue to improve. TB has to find a leader on the pitch to marshall the defence, but for a man with world cup experience and a raft of international caps he should be doing better at this I agree. But I still think time is needed and we will start to improve, if by xmas this hasnt happened then I too will suggest its time for TB to go, but only if there is a candidate out there better who can work within the tight budget to produce a more capable team and drive us forwards - right now dont see a stand out candidate. There is a long way to go and this season could yet prove to have some positive ICT moments (I hope).

Fully agree with everyone who is calling for a strong ICT team tonight, with SPL teams going out it may not leave an easy path but it certainly helps. We need good cup runs at this club, after seeing the negativity surrounding the manager from certain factions he has to try and field a team he think will deliver us as far in the cup as we can get. Killie won the cup last year and IMO are not a great team and probably no better than us, so there are oppertunities there with the right draw etc. But all that means nothing if we cant win tonights game.

Good luck to him, hopefully he is a good product of the Arsenal youth system. Anthony Stokes anyone - 18 years old, 16 games, 14 goals at Falkirk in a 1/2 season loan. if we get the same I will be delighted - so here's hoping and lets support the player and TB for bringing him in!!!!

Really, and the fans on here would accept that outcome? There would be calls for TB to be sacked (more than even now) as soon as we started operating in that manner.

I dont understand the 'fans' on here, while everyone is entitled to an opinion, what is excpected from TB? Seems he can do nothing right for some, what has to be achieved for him to be acknowledged as doing a good/stable job? Attacking fancy flowing football - sadly we dont have the players for this and if we do try it we will probably loose more games than we do right now. Better to play to the strengths we have and try win points and get the first only aim of the season SPL safety sorted. Finishing Top 6 - No other ICT manager (with bigger budgets) have done this, with the SPL as tight between most teams with a good run and being injury free ICT have an equal chance of finishing here as they do bottom - just like 6 or 7 others. Win a Cup - Again as above no other manager has done this or reached a final, but I believe this is where we need to try harder, over the last few years we havent done overly well and if the likes of Killie, County, Gretna, Hibs can make finals we can too. If only some people would stop looking back and dreaming of Robbo, 10CC, Stevie P, Granty, Tokely, Wyness etc etc - these days are past, we have to move forwards and evolve if we didnt the team would be full of washed up players and we would be moving backwards. If experienced players move on because they get offered more cash elsewhere or longer deals then we just have to accept it, not all of this is TB's fault, the board also have a part to play - as a club we have to 'cut our cloth accordingly'.

Fenlon - he has had long enough now to develop a team and over the summer has brought in his own players, but they look weaker than last year. Lomas - Previous work was with a McInnes squad now this is his team, seems top heavy with strikers - but providing Beattie scores goals he will stay in a job.

Perhaps with Billy having such a great insight into the future, he shoud have highlighted to the board at Castle Greyskull that the EBT scheme he was benefiting from would bring the club to its knees, then again maybe he hasnt a crystal ball afterall? He's only selecting us because it means he wont have to write about his old club Dundee being favourites for the drop - probably thinks its safer to be disliked in Inverness as there's less chance he will ever visit than elsewhere in Scotland!!!

Well without wanting to go over old ground, some wks back I said we should have gone after Kevin Kyle as a proven scorer, Hibs and Dunf were mentioned at that time, but now he is on trial with St J which indicates he still hasnt been made an offer. A proven scorer at SPL and championship levels - when fit. From the above list, how many (if any) of these players are available for free as we dont have the cash for a transfer fee. :( What about players who have left the SPL but failed to make it at their clubs down south - Connor Salmon etc, some of these guys and their clubs might jump at the chance of 1st team games.

As I do every season I attend as many games as I can but its not easy when you work away, this year I aim to try time trips better to get to as many games as I can home or away - show faith in the team and board since they listened to our voices over the Newco situation. I know times are tight financially but even if irregular fans can make 1 or 2 games a month, then hopefully if everyone gets behind the team the effects of the lesser money can be bridged.

1. Celtic 2. D Utd 3. Jambos 4. Dons 5. Motherwell 6. Hibs 7. ICT 8. County 9. St M 10. Killie 11. St J 12. Dundee I think that St J had an exceptional season last year with Sandaza and Sheridan getting them off to a great start - this year they wont get a lot of goals as a team. Killie may have won a cup last year but were a poor team, this year they will struggle and maybe even go into administration. Dundee have had no time to prepare so its not been fair on them but I think they will be quite weak.

A few wks ago there were a deluge of threads on this site complaining that we (ICT) are not performing well enough and that simply playing each year in the SPL for league survival shows a lack of ambition from fans, management and board. There is an general expectation that we should be a top 6 side and challenging more - how can this be achieved? Spending money on better players and higher wages, essentially ensuring every year we maximise our available buget to provide the best resource available on the pitch. Going back to points I have made before, we are a provincial club and just being in the SPL is an achievement, survival year on year is all we should be expecting and if we can get good cup runs then thats what we should all look to. Being a yo-yo club isnt a bad thing IMO and until the rest of the fans lower expectations to realistic levels then the pressure on the board will continue to make us fly close to the financial edge. If the board dont invest more fans walk away as they cite a lack of quality and ambition, so investment is the only option to keep or try increase bums on seats (revenue).

Now to vote and reform the SPL, voting structure and the distribution of monies etc - 11-1 can be abolished

Do we get transparency as to who voted what though? I'm expecting some will have obstained and left others to vote yes to avoid upsetting the former Rangers fans. If you didnt vote 'No' then in my opinion you are supporting financial cheating in Scottish football. According to Doncaster a Rangers in SFL 3 is not viable? Bet it would have been viable if this situation was any club other than one of the OF.

Looking at the whole SPL situation everyone accepts that Celtic will win the League, however whereas in the past perhaps teams come out and suggest taking any points of the OF is never usually expected in a season, with only having 1 major team now surely this should act as encouragement for all teams? Not that I would suggest teams dont try against the OF but for certain clubs who have appauling records of no wins or points for many years suggest perhaps a lack of fight in these games and already accepting defeat (thankfully we are not one of those clubs) - maybe the situation now will install more belief? If Celtic are going to win the league I'd hope every team and player out there makes it as hard as possible - thsi is the best chance in decades for anoyone outside Glasgow to mount a challange. Sadly with the state of finances nobody can invest heavily in a squad, although I think Romanov could at Hearts if he wanted? How the teams perform against each other, as usual point will be dropped and its going to be competitive but for a Hearts, D Utd to win or mount a serious challenge we need every club to play against Celtic the way they would against any other SPL club - if the season starts with Celtic steam rollering over teams with huge victories then Scottish football will be on its arse. As for clubs in danger, it could be conluded that from those who haven't gone public regarding voting 'No' - ie the west coast clubs that they all fear for their futures - Kille, Midden, Motherwell - sadly they have the problem of being gographically closer to the OF therefore although there is a bigger populus of potential fans there is in effect less due people not supporting their local clubs but being either 'glory hunters' or selecting a club on the basis of religious grounds.

God, how quickly the fans turn. Whatever HIS decision was, whether it be football or financial then he was a good servant when he was with us so I wish him well, whether its the right move or not time will tell but it was his choice to make. To those who dont see Aberdeen as a step up, they may be in the same league and not been that competeitive over the last few years, but they have got to cup semi's regullarly and bigger crowds regardless of being good or bad than we do. The potential is always there for Aberdeen to be the 3rd (or now 2nd) force in Scottish football - sadly for us that will probably never be the case!!

Whats the anaology I'm thinking of..........something along the lines of 'rats and sinking ships'.

Any further updates? Talks taken place or anything yet? If we could manage to persuade one young ex-Rangers talent to try his luck up here, that might help with getting some others who decide not to transfer to Newco.

Hopefully he can stay fit and perform well this season, I'm sure if thats the case then come Jan discussions of a new contract would take place (well thats my hope). Being on a tight budget its a risk signing an injury prone player long term if the problem proves to be presistent. Lets hope he can find form and get back into the Wales set up - would further boost our club profile.

Well Aberdeen are looking a bit foolish now anyways announcing a done deal nearly a month ago and still nothing happening. Longer this story goes on the more hopeful I am Jonny will be with us next season - goes back to the thread about footballers and greed, if no other offers are on the table he may have to rethink his decisions and spend another year with us. Whether through choice or cir***stance if thats the case I will be happy to see him in an ICT shirt again.

So if my understanding is correct - publically against Newco Hearts, Hibs, D Utd, Dons, ICT, St J Teams who have yet to 'decide' Motherwell, Kille, St M, Ross County, Celtic Excluding Ross County as they are only just promoted and joining the SPL board etc - that looks like a 'west coast mafia' all sticking together? Will we assume that these will now obstain as this means they wont be the villians in the eyes of Newco fans and think it will appease the fans of other clubs who will not carry out their threat to boycott as there is not a 'No' vote made? Or am I reading too much into this too early on?