Charles Bannerman

They probably think they're being terribly progressive by having a woman in their ranks. One does have to wonder how much public money is being wasted on antiquated nonsense like this.

The story actually broke late March in the Daily Record. They should have sat on it and run it on April 1st to see how many people actually thought that it was an April Fool.

These are they very photos which I didn't know what "you just have to click on" to reproduce but I think they do say it all. Date check - this is 2015.

I have once again been unsuccessful in reproducing a photo on this forum. (How on earth IHE does it, goodness knows, but PLEASE no one send me a message beginning "you just have to click on...." ) Anyway, I would still suggest that someone more teckysavvy than I am should post a photo of the comedian responsible for this nonsense. It would provide a timely reminder of where our money is going at a time when our schools are crumbling and our hospitals are struggling.

I am told that there was an article in last week's Highland News that was highly scathing of the Lord Lyon Pantomime and supportive of Airdrie. Quite honestly, publicly funded nonsense like this in what is meant to be a modern democracy is absurd. The article concluded with the suggestion that the said Lyon King should pull on his fancy gear (which makes him look like a walking advert for Irish Lager and the local zoo) and take a walk down the main street in Airdrie to expalin his problem to the local punters. This now means that all football clubs whose emblems include letters inside a shield will have to run scared of this circus clown.

To Hampden? Are you sure it wasn't Seville? Ian Broadfoot's book says that for the 2004 semi final at Hampden the total crowd was 13,255 and the Inverness fans were outnumbered, which suggests that 7000 is something of an over estimate. I would be surprised if it was more than 5000, which is in the ballpark of previous big cup games like v Rangers in 1996, Celtic in 2000, Hearts in 2002 and the 2003 semi-final.

I suppose it is possible that the said "Durrty Weekurs" having travelled "doon ee rodd" to Inverness felt they could get two for the price of one and nip over to Grant Street after they had watched the only member of the Top Six from south of Perth at the Caledonian Stadium. But Alex... I take your point about what is wrong with Scottish football. Two clubs which have acquired much of their critical mass as a result of West Central Scottish sectarian divisions are as a result acting like footballing black holes and using their inflated gravitational fields to suck in far too much cash and support from far too far away from where they are based.

According to Ian Broadfoot's book, after ICT's 4-3 defeat/4-0 down after 22 min at Livingston on 1st May 1999, Livi still needed one point to secure the title. In the end they beat Forfar, who had already been relegated, 2-1 so indeed the only significance of ICT's 1-1 draw with Alloa was to complete an unbeaten home record.

Hope he stays there a bit longer than with this club.... which sounds as if it may have Basil Fawlty as its Chairman!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32217226

The concept of shinty's Premiership and National Division with North and South area leagues below that is great, but the problem there is viability. They now have a very good 10 team Premiership, but below that can only find seven clubs who feel able to operate at National level, so that league only offers a 12 game programme. Many of the area league sides are actually the reserve teams of the bigger clubs. On the other hand shinty and club rugby are amateur sports with far fewer resources even than moribund football teams. As I said earlier, I still also think that viability is also an issue in football. Despite having a disproportionate slice of its resources hogged by two large clubs, Scotland still persists with 42 teams playing National League football. That's the equivalent of England having something like 460 teams in national leagues. The reasons are largely historical the days are long gone when the likes of Clyde, Albion Rovers, Montrose and East Stirling can survive in such a setup. So yes, although I did suggest retaining 12-10-10, a couple of National Leagues of 14 would be fine as well, with regionalisation below that.

When this whole Brora saga began with their assembly of an all-star team of ex-SPL players, there were some aspects that I was a bit uneasy with, especially the "here's a really good day job and we won't give you much for playing football" bit. My reservations about that have receded slightly and my take on the Brora scenario is now rather more dominated by the SPFL playoff issue and in sympathy with Brora. Sources from within the club have been telling me for almost a year that they don't want to go into the SPFL for reasons stated already. However it does seem that Brora voted for the pyramid system in the 17-1 Highland League poll - although allegations that this was under duress have since emerged. The alleged duress was that the SFA threatened to set up their own Highland League if the clubs didn't agree to the pyramid. To do so wasn't any great deal for the dozen or so clubs who have absolutely no chance of winning the league. But Brora obviously realised that they were voting for an outcome which they didn't want and for which they were most likely to have to carry the can. Consequently, it might have been politically more astute for Brora, in the knowledge that the unaffected majority would push the move through anyway, to have voted against it, so at least they held the moral high ground when the sh!t finally hit the fan. It just seems nuts to me that this three line whip on 650 mile round trips for part time teams should be forced on reluctant lower league clubs while regionalisation below League One would have been far more realistic. Does the SFA not realise how close to the margins of viability the entire Scottish game is sliding? Given that Scotland already has far too many national league clubs, the only case for others to come in has to be among those who really want to.

Funny you should say that! Around 1130 I met someone who told me that quite a lot of Dees had already arrived in Inverness and were packing out........ Dobbies Coffee Shop????

Alex, you are absolutely bang on!

I don't actually think thay have. What they have said is that they really don't want to, but will reluctantly go into the playoffs despite serious reservations about the cost of travel (up to 650 mile round trips potentially midweek) and the danger of losing players, some of whom are ex full time pros who went to Brora because they were no longer in a position to commit to the travelling necessary for national leagues. So the Board doesn't want it and the players don't want it but they are now stuck with it. This issue is by no means new, by the way. Brora officials were openly expressing reservations as long ago as the beginning of this season about possibly having to do this.

I can't imagine the kick off time being any impediment to you IHE! Presumably you will take the precaution of an extensive pre-loading the previous night

I'm far from convinced that Brora want to go up. They now seem to be saying that they are prepared (reluctantly?) to go into these playoffs but I could imagine that, with the prospect of part time players potentially having to make near 700 mile midweek round trips, they wouldn't be crying their eyes out if they were to fail one or more of the criteria for SPFL 2 which they also need to meet. I actually now think that, after decades of Central Belt protectionism keeping the Highlands out, demand for National League places has to a large extent been satisfied.... so ironically we are now seeing reluctant clubs press ganged into SPFL membership. By the way, Montrose and not yet numerically doomed to the play offs although this is looking pretty likely.

And here I was thinking they normally maximised their sense of journey once they passed Castlecary Arches.

While not all semis used to be at Hamden, the games that attract bigger crowds used to be played there. There is no way a Scottish Cup Semi against Celtic would be played anywhere other than Hampden if it was available. But the point is they don't have to be. This game could be played at a neutral venue, not in Glasgow, be a sell out and would still be able to be seen on TV. Atmosphere would be miles better that will be generated at Hampden. Still maintain the SFA could have had our game on the Saturday which would have been a bit better than the Sunday. On a personal level, having the game on a Sunday makes it more difficult for me to travel to so am in danger of not being able to attend. Having been at all our major cup semi finals before, this really annoys me. What 'neutral' venue do you have in mind?! The Global Energy Stadium?

Does defeating Partick Thistle and their posse of QCs in the eventual vote to get into the SPL in 2004 not count as an away win?

And here I was desisting from making the same suggestion for fear of being called an old pedant!

“The English are not very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity” - George Bernard Shaw.

Agreed. I did hear a cricket journalist on the radio earlier today make a similar point, suggesting that England's approach to the shorter game is influenced far too much by the traditional attitude to the format which lasts for the best part of a week before being rendered a draw by some rain, despite one side absolutely dumping on the other. (Well he didn't QUITE put it that way!) The comments brought back memories of a chronically immobile Colin Cowdrey (under 50s need not recollect) returning six blocking shots straight to the bowler, whose maiden over was promptly hailed by that time honoured round of slow, pedantic, laboured applause.

I think a combination in the Inverness area of the rain moderating and the high winds helping a lot of water to evaporate from the surface should hopefully save the day. Strange, isn't it, how weather forecasters uniquely seem to speak in shorthand. The quoted forecast doesn't have a finite verb or hence proper sentence to its name! This seems to be a way of life in the weather forecasting community. Could you imagine chatting up a weather girl in a pub. "Do you come here often?" "No, just meeting friend and going to cinema." "Do you fancy a drink some time perhaps?" "Not really. Meeting friend in five minutes so have to go." "Would you like to give me your phone number?" "Boyfriend not happy about that. Bit of a jealous sod." "Is he from around here ?" "No. Severe Gael from the west and not expected to moderate in foreseeable future."

They didn't actually qualify in 2003 and 2011 but have done so on three occasions - 1999, 2007 and 2015 and have lost all 12 games to date when they have qualified.

It's off anyway because their last remaining St Kilda sheep's bladder got blown into the Atlantic following a corner in the last game.