Kingsmills

Yeh, playing in Europe has had a devastating effect on St Johnstone's season. No wonder they made no effort to repeat the exercise !

Butcher would have had a very different view if we had won today or if Motherwell had taken anything from Perth. Can we take it from his comments that we will be trying hard not to qualify for Europe next season. I quite like Terry but that comment was ridiculous. The big man has gone down in my estimation. Blessing my ar*e.

I would say that our improved league position this season was a combination of our team being a good deal better ( except when the pressure was on) and a number of other sides including Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen and Dundee United being a good deal worse than in the past.

An inquest into the second half of the season is indeed required. I don't subscribe to the view that this has been a great season irrespective of what has happened in recent weeks or months. While it is true that we have achieved our highest ever league position and that the vast majority of us would have been content with that at the begining of the season, the fact is, considering the position we had put ourselves in at the turn of the year, the season must be considered a disappointing anticlimax. At the winter shut down we were well placed for either second or third in the league, in the semi final of the League Cup and still in the Scottish Cup with a reasonably favourable draw against a Killie side who were hardly setting the heather on fire. Since then we went out of the League Cup, despite taking the lead, to a Hearts side who were in the course of imploding both on and off the pitch and who showed just how mediocre they were by losing in the final to a side who were battling relegation until the third last game of the season. We tamely lost to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup. In the league since the split, we have been woeful. We capitulated in the second half at Parkhead. We were always second best against St Johnstone even before being reduced to ten men, we very nearly throw away a three goal lead against Motherwell and were only saved by Ojamaa's sending off. Last week we contrived to lose in the last minute against a Dundee United side who could hardly muster a e recognised defender despite taking the lead and dominating possession. A United side, I may add, that didn't gain a single other point post split. Today, we were almost always second best, A Ross County side even more ravaged by injury than we were by injury and suspension looked like the side chasing European glory while our lot looked like they were the ones who had little to play for. I do genuinely believe that we have assembled a very competent group of fairly young players and am pleased that we are retaining the bulk of the squad for the next campaign but there is something missing. We lack mettle (bottle if you like) I don't know where you get that from but we desperately need to find it otherwise our otherwise committed and talented players are always likely to stumble whenever they have sight of the finishing post.

Agree fully IHE.

Ross County's pitch problems might yet have very far reaching consequences If the game is postponed then it will presumably be played midweek. It is begining to look as though the date of Hearts insolvency event will be Monday when court proceedings are due in Lithuania. If Hearts are deemed to have become insolvent during the course of this playing season the likely points deduction will be made immediately rather than from the start of next season meaning that Hearts would be relegated. If that is the case, I doubt if the County groundsman will be drinking in Gorgie any time soon.

Segway ?

Great shame but they imploded with the winning post in sight.

Confirmation today in the P&J that he is leaving. Not entirely clear whether the decision is his or the club's. Sorry to see him go as he has been more than steady since his return to first team action. Showed courage and determination in coming back from an injury that could quite easily have proved career ending and probably still has his best years ahead of him. Sorry both for him and the club that his time with ICT didn't prove a happier experience and best wishes for a successful and injury free future.

An unsung hero without doubt and maybe the most important cog in the management wheel.

I tend to agree that, the way things have gone since the split, our best hope of qualifying for Europe lies with Motherwell getting a result against St Johnstone.

Yet another good reason for not watching Wimbeldon....

Managers in days of yore got much more time but in days of yore managers didn't get salaries of six million pounds and half a billion pounds to spend on players.

You could always take the scenic route via Clacnaharry. They say that Beauly is beautiful this time of year.

They seemed to be quite a bit better than us the first three times we played them this season

Well merited for McCall. Motherwell's budget is not that higher than ours but they have been, by a distance, the second best team in the country in consecutive seasons. Seems very fair minded and articulate as well.

My expectation at the start of the season was eleventh place. Given where we were at the turn of the year, my expectation then was second place and a League Cup final. Surpassed expectations in 2012 but, given the standard we set from October to December, 2013 has been a bit of an anticlimax. Sunday represents the final opportunity to put that right.

I sincerely hope so Alex as I have little confidence in us prevailing in Dingwall.

I read this as an article celebrating 20 years since inception. 20 years since a few people had the foresight to realise that an Inverness team could do what many other teams have failed to do even though they've been established for a hell of a lot longer. What I cant see is any reason why anyone would need to apologise for success. Precisely right Alex. There had been previous half baked suggestions about mergers for decades, but - apart from the 1973 vote when Thistle unsuccessfully went it alone - there was never an opportunity to put one into practice. May 1993 provided just that opportunity. I was going to say it's a pity that there are just a few people like Doogie who remain in denial and cannot acknowledge the reality that what happened between 1993 and 1996 has been a roaring and still developing success, which of course makes it stick in the throat of those who did their utmost to prevent it from happening and keep Inverness football in the dark ages. I am also now wondering if Dougal is really a staunch pro-mergerite having a long term laugh by posing as some kind of caricature Caley rebel and posting the stuff he does. I'm not really convinced that anyone could sustain the posting of such demonstrable rubbish and actually mean it. Oh the irony Bannerman, you accuse me of posting rubbish yet you wrote a book full of complete and utter rubbish If it's such a roaring success then why are we the worst supported club in the SPL? Maybe you can explain to me why County have always had a higher average attendance than us when we've both being in the same division? Can you also explain why there are so many Invernessians that have turned their back on the local side to travel 14 miles north for their football? This season has been the most successful in the clubs history yet the attendances are getting worse, id hate to think what we would be getting through the turnstiles if we were in the bottom six at the moment The merger has happened and I agree there is no turning back but I will never sit back and accept things that were done wrongly and pretend things are all rosey in the garden while reading drivel posted by numpties like yourself Dougal Yes, good point Dougal, I've always thought that if we could only get the hoards of refuseniks currently milling aimlessly about Dalneigh on a Saturday afternoon to come along the ground would be full to bursting even for mundane fixtures and we would have to build that West Stand.

Charlie Christie will be devastated.

If we are lucky enough to get over the line next week you can be sure Dougal will see the negative side of it.

Pass those stamps, I could do with a lick !

Yip, I remember when the likes of East Stirling coming to town for a Scottish Cup first round tie was regarded as glamorous and victory was an act of 'giant killing'. We have indeed come a very long way.

Can't rely on Motherwell we need to do the business ourselves in Dingwall next week and the players need to regroup and atone for yesterday's disappointing performance. Ross County can no longer qualify for Europe themselves but will still be highly motivated to rain on our parade. Maybe it's umbrellas we should take to Dingwall rather than beach balls and sombreros.

Personally, if we didn't qualify for Europe, I would rather our friends from just up the road got the final place than St Johnstone.