KirkieRobRoy

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Did anyone else briefly go "Aaaargh!" when Mutombo took a touch instead of taking it first time?

Oh, yes. Yes indeed.

Like everyone else, disappointed, but if we need a replay to dispose of Stirling Albion, not surprising that we need the same with Hibs. Hopefully they'll either be depressed, or have overcelebrated, after the LC Final when the replay comes around.

Hopefully we can then dodge the Billy McKay banana-skin, and in the final face an ordinary Celtic team (who will surely dump the taxdodgers in the lesser semi-final) and make up for the recent loss at Celtic Park.

It may well have been, Charles. As I recall I tried to avoid looking at it.

There is no Glasgow bias. It's Old Firm bias. People in the Greater Glasgow area who support Thistle, St Mirren, Morton, Motherwell, Albion Rovers, Pollok, and, er, Kirkie Rob Roy detest the Old Firm as much as anyone in the Highlands.

Ah, the Highlands - I remember when we played Rangers at TCS the big banner among the visiting hordes was from 'Lewis RSC'. There are probably more Old Firm supporters (albeit many of them watching all their fitba on the telly) in Inverness than support ICT. Whether you're an ICT supporter, Ross county, St Johnstone, Montrose, Raith, Hamilton Accies, Ayr United, whatever, you'll see local folk wandering about in rangers and Celtic jerseys, or buses piling off to Parkhead or Aye Broke on match days.

I don't think most journos are necessarily from Glasgow. Deffo many of them don't live there. But they love the Old Firm. Not because they are based in Glasgow. But because they're so BIIIIIIG.

Sadly, yer Scottish fitba 'writers' are unanimously of the view that things are much more interesting when the same two teams win everything.

If Aberdown get to the stage where they can field an entire ex-ICT team, will they stop trying to sign our players and maybe, you know, develop some of their own?

I notice some others have had a go at Pat Nevin, and quite rightly so. At one point he said something like 'if it stays eleven against eleven, Celtic are gonnae win.'

I seem to remember in the highlights programme after the Big Cup semi final, he said almost exactly the same about our win over Celtic, referring, of course, to Craig Gordon's sending off.

Bitter and repetitive, it seems.

As a near-Weegie who came to Caley and then ICT support by marriage to an Invernessian, I don't feel the County-hate that the native Sneckians do. And so I'm delighted to see a proper team - any team - put one over on either half of the Old Firm. Good on them. Over the next week or two, of course, they'll have to put up with all the same whingeing about reffing decisions from the club and their whiney supporters and their partners in Scotland's Old Firm lovin' media  that we had to put up with after the Big Cup semi last season.

Poor show. Albion did their homework better than us, frustrated our attack and fancied themselves attacking down our left (that will need fixed before the replay). They gained in confidence and often left two up front when we were in possession in the second half.

Having said all of that, will surely put it to bed at the second attempt. They can't play at such intensity twice, nor can we be so bad. Can't go, but I still hope it doesn't go on telly as the crowd for a cold January Tuesday night will be miserable enough anyway.

Re Craig Beattie - his problem was always injury proneness rather than Riordan-style self-destruction. And he is 35. I thought their starting No 9 put in a terrific shift.

Ryan Baptie's goal v Wick in the Cup. I hope the Wick bloke he dispossesses with ease before shooting isn't ex-ICT...

https://amp.twimg.com/v/d38b2d69-6c89-4bbd-a2ad-bdc9e377dce5

There is this peculiar registering as a junior/senior thing but I've no idea how it works with loans. Certainly, loads of seniors do still have loans in the juniors so there is maybe a red-tape repellent to make it easy. Peterhead must've lobbed him to Rose because they couldn't get him a decent loan in the Highland League, and the East Juniors are a higher standard than the North Juniors.

Talking of senior-junior loans, I've seen an amazing pic of a Celtic loanee scoring for Cumbernauld United v Kirkie Rob Roy in 1967. One K Dalglish.

Baptie's goal for Rose was credited in some reports to some chap called 'Ryan Batty.'

I take it there's a cash gate? Nothing on the website.

Saw a fair bit of Collum (and Dallas) in the Juniors before they got promoted to glory. General opinion about both is that they were mince and there was both relief and amusement that they wouldn't be seen in the Juniors any more. They sure can pick 'em.

Sometimes on here there's a bit of Weegiephobia related to the Old Firm. Fact is the dreaded twosome are probably the most popular teams in Inverness (as they are in Kilmarnock, Perth, Motherwell, Falkirk and, indeed, Kirkintilloch). And so even players, whose fathers are ex-players, and who are born-and-bred locals, are lifetime Cellick or Sevco supporters. Their market penetration, if that's what it is, is infuriating and difficult to counter. And bad for Scottish football, since many who identify with them never go to a fitba match, anywhere.

This isn't going anywhere. It's something I find distressing about Scotland and its fitba. If you have any solutions, glad to hear there.

The Wales team bus.

'Hi, Gareth, how are things going at Real?'

'Not bad, boyo, but looking for a move. What's this Inverness like?'

'Oh, it's not too bad, look you.'

'Right, I'll have a word with my agent...'

We can always dream.

Think Celtic are taking the mickey, getting £11.5m for VvD and initially only bidding half a mil for Christie. Hope the final amount is much greater but I'm not confident. Presumably he can't play v Celtic. How about Scottish Cup and League Cup games - presumably they don't want him cup-tied?

Very depressing business. Welcome to the two new loan chaps. Hope they're good, like it here, and want to stay. And for goodness sake let's see more of the Development Squad, er, develop.

Away to Livingston - that brings back memories of 10, 15, 20 years ago! Will be there.

Nooooo - go to England, not Celtic.

2-0 Friendly defeat for Kirkie Rob Roy v Airdrie last weekend. Brian Prunty scored the first Airdrie goal. Far from a legend but will always be remembered for the sclaffed shot that went in to equalise at Ibrox.

His brother Jamie (a defender) played at Rob Roy for several seasons.

Thought the Herald report was fair;

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/13439233.Inverness_facing_early_European_exit_after_narrow_home_defeat_to_Astra_on_debut/

Have avoided the P&J to escape the crowing of their Aberdeen fanbloke.

Would dissent from much of the above. Thought Astra looked highly professional and were quite happy to let us get on with the long passing movements that never reached the danger areas. After the goal (from a free kick after we cheaply lost possession after one of those long spells of passing) they became a lot more forward-going.

No point whingeing about the time-wasting or play-acting - this is Europe, get used to it, if we manage to get an advantage over there, I hope we do it too.

Main hopes are 1) with a competitive outing under our belt the team performance improves and 2) The incentive of a West Ham tie inspires them to greater efforts. In fact, would be worth shelling out for a few Brazilian players on a week's loan to get through for the WH tie.

Going to home gemme. Managed to get train tickets for £45 return from Glesca - I thought that was pretty steep, but those of you paying £60 or whatever must be shopping at ArthurDaleyTrainTicketsRipOff.com.

We tend to have a kind of B team playing some of the smaller clubs, made up of youth and fringe players, in pre-season? Might still be some of these on?

My annual plea to get on the blower and plan an away friendly v Kirkie Rob Roy...

I was surprised (and disappointed) at how quickly the Falrkirk end emptied when the whistle went. Their players did very well to get to this stage, gave everything and played well on the day against a better team. When Falkirk went up to collect their medals they got well deserved and very respectful applause from all the ICT fans but there only a fraction of their own support was there to see it. I'd like to think we'd have stayed for the presentations had it been the other way around, as nearly all of us did at the League Cup final

Perhaps, but I remember, after a quick applause for the team, getting out of Cellick Park sharpish after the League Cup last season. Couldn't bear watching Aberdeen lift the trophy. Perhaps they felt the same.

I was wearing my '3rd Division Champions 1996-97' scarf as I have done at every game I've been to since then, whether the legendary Celtic Park win or getting humped 6-0 at Airdrie. But it really made me think yesterday; 3rd Division Champions just 18 years ago, and there in front of us was the Scottish Cup on its way to Sneck. Great stuff.

The BBC HQ in London don't like making the Scottish Cup Final too obvious. They have to justify spending more on Gary Lineker than they do on the whole of Scottish football. We're supposed to be more thrilled by watching Aston Villa roll over to Arsenal.