dougal

No what's sad was the vile and sickening songs that were sung for his benefit albeit by the moronic minority I may add Think Vigurs was well entitled to give it to us back considering the abuse he was receiving Not that it well ever happen now sadly, but I would love to see Vigurs back at ICT he has developed into a top player and his close control and touch is top notch A huge mistake by Butcher showing him the door in the first place Can see him getting plenty of offers this summer from north and south of the border and he will be a loss to Highland football when he moves on but a player of his quality deserves a bigger stage Dougal

BUTCHER OUT!!!!! Grow up little boy!!!! Unlike a fair few that could be mentioned on CTO I've never posted wanting Butcher sacked I'm not blaming Butcher at all for the failure to give Mackay Steven a contract, I'm blaming the short sightedness of the ICT board Dougal

How about "Temporary North Stand" don't think there's any point bigging it up into something it's not Dougal

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

Nah qualifying for Europe would be a progressive step for the club and I would see that as a positive to be honest As ive stated on another thread my only worries would be getting a bad humping by a club from Ireland or some other diddy country which could do more damage than good for the long season ahead when expectations are now higher than they ever were before due to this seasons success It all depends on the draw, realistically we are looking at only one tie, I can't see many travelling to some hovel in Albania or Kazackstan can you? Dougal

Very strange time for this sort of article to be released in the press is it not? Someones going to look a little bit silly next Sunday should it go all wrong and European football is not achieved Sounds like a grovelling apology to me albeit twenty years too late, and one I personally won't be accepting Dougal

Yes you would never have thought about this scenario while waving your tricolour furiously in the Jungle Dougal

Ok the result was disappointing but what I really found galling was the scorer of their winning goal The same lad if I'm not mistaken that wasn't good enough for us yet he's gone on to be one of the best young talents in the country There's something far wrong when a lad with such talent is only given a short run out at Clach before being told NO Maybe a review on the way we offer trials or the period of time lengthened needs addressing Dougal

An amazing climax to the season next Sunday, it's been the best SPL for years and the fact the Orcs are absent is certainly no coincidence To be honest I'm not overly confident about next Sunday as the pressure is all on us, County now have nothing to play for but the fact they have failed to beat us this season should be motivation itself Think the key will be the first twenty minutes and how quick we can settle into the game as it will be played at a frantic pace, providing we don't concede an early goal I think we could nick it but it will be close and patience is the important factor Awful feeling the likes of Fraser,Munro and Vigurs could have a final say in the proceedings or the result but I'll be delighted if this was not the case Surely this time we will sell our allocation despite failing miserably to do so in the two previous derby games in Dingwall I'm going to predict a draw in Dingwall and hopefully a draw or a defeat for the Saints in Perth enabling us to sneak into Europe through the side door Dougal

Possibly the result of the season we really should have had it sewn up when 3-0 up but to get the winner all be it against ten men shows we have some bottle Wee bit disappointed that Utd couldn't have taken at least a point from St Johnstone but it's still very much in our hands Looks like the game in Dingwall will be judgement day it's going to be some end to the season Dougal

Look I'm not saying European football is a bad thing but it all depends on the luck of the draw, if we qualify I will be just as excited as an any ICT to see who we get paired against The only real money to be made in the Europa League is for the clubs that qualify for the group stages, I'd hazard a guess that most clubs who don't make it struggle to break even never mind make any money in the initial ties Anyway does anyone know how many ties would we have to win to qualify for the group stages? Dougal

Willie Young refereed games from the centre circle due to his lack of mobility, hence why he got so many decisions wrong regarding penalties Sadly Scottish referees have declined in standard at the same alarming rate as Scottish football has done Dougal

All the same.... just don't take the bait!!!! With all due respect I look at our stadium as a fan whereas you look at is a freeloader Let's face it wouldn't matter one hoot how many stands it has in your mind, just as long as you have a comfy press room with access to free hospitality with all your cronies Poor man's Frank Gilfeather in my opinion Dougal

We are the only top flight Club in Scotland to have three stands. There are numerous grounds in the Division 1 that are more pleasing on the eye than our gaff In 1994 we were promised an all seated modern stadia somewhere that Invernessians could be proud off. Well I'm still waiting!!!! What I find galling is the decision to construct a so called stadium on the present site was made by businessmen from a business view and not football men from a football view We deserve better Dougal

This coming from the poster who has called for Butcher to be sacked after every bad result How many times is that you've posted an anti Butcher tirade? Dougal

Mahonio sorry to break this to you but there will be no managers in Europe tonight losing any sleep worrying about drawing a Scottish club in Europe We ARE also the diddies whether you like it or not, Scottish football is at an all time low and we are in the same league of diddiness as Wales,Ireland,Luxembourg,Kazakhstan etc I personally think Europe is a step too far too soon and I'll be delighted if I'm proved wrong but I very much doubt it Dougal

I've already posted on this subject but a stadium that only has three stands is not suitable for top flight football in Scotland never mind Europe Unfortunately we will always be a laughing stock while are stadium remains in it's current form i.e not complete and open to the elements and subsequently losing the atmosphere It's simple if we have no ambition to build a fourth stand we need to start looking into new sites to build even if it meant slightly reducing the current capacity Dougal

The way Motherwell are playing I'd take a point from this one therefore a 5-4-1 formation could be the answer Let them come at us and hit them on the break, that way we can make sure we limit the chances big Higdon will no doubt get from Ojamma and Humphreys Dougal

My grave fear is that should we qualify for Europe we could actually lose out financially depending on who we draw Yes it would be a feather in our hat I suppose to say we qualified but let's take a reality check here. Leaving Celtic out of it the most ourselves, Motherwell and Hibernian will get will be one two legged pre-lim or first round tie Scottish clubs and I include the old firm in this have being falling at the first hurdle for years now With the Orcs out of the scenario, Scottish clubs entering Europe next season will be the poorest standard of clubs that have ever represented Scotland It is therefore mind boggling that certain posters think we will be playing at McDiarmid Park in the group stages!!!!! European football is not the be all and end all for me and to be honest I'd rather miss out this year if it meant getting pumped by a Welsh/Irish outfit or a club from an equivalent diddy country The club has taken a giant step forward this year by achieving a top six finish the last thing we need is then to take a step backward Dougal

Remind me of your whereabouts pre-merger? Remind me when you started taking an interest in Inverness football? Remind me of your birthplace? Another ICT incomer lays down the law. Why am I not surprised? Dougal How can I remind you when I haven't told you before? But for your information the answer to your questions are: Remind me of your whereabouts pre-merger? Inverness Remind me when you started taking an interest in Inverness football? 1975 Remind me of your birthplace? England I know I've only been in Inverness for 37 years so I would be really grateful if you would advise me how much longer I need to be resident here to be able to have a valid opinion on the subject? Fair enough Doofersdad I can only apologise for singling you out without knowing your background I'll be first to admit if the answers you gave are correct then you are probably more qualified than myself to voice your opinion considering I wasn't in Inverness during the murder( sorry merger) although I was born in Raigmore and lived in the Sneck before and after/now Anyway I think it's time I took a break from CTO as it's not doing my high blood pressure any good especially when there's threads like this one on the go Sorry again Dougal

Remind me of your whereabouts pre-merger? Remind me when you started taking an interest in Inverness football? Remind me of your birthplace? Another ICT incomer lays down the law. Why am I not surprised? Dougal

Think Terry has made the right choice in staying put but I reckon there will always be temptation now if more established championship sides come calling I'm still convinced Terry sees himself back at the Orcs one day in some shape or form and I wouldnt be surprised that he will team up with McCoist when they eventually return to the top flight Anyway Barnsleys Loss is ICTs Gain tonight that goes without saying Dougal

Still on the subject of track and field I'm having difficulty deciding who was the best long distance runner of all time, I'm torn between the Moroccan Said Aouita and the Eithiopian Haile Gebrselassie. Now I have not got a clue on the subject but I'll go for Aouita mainly because I've just decided I'm an expert on World Athletics. Anyway back on topic going back to the merger meetings I've done a bit more digging today and I've unearthed a few more questions that really need answered before we can move on. 1. At the very first vote in the Muirton Motel why was the result given as 55-50 when there was just under 100 that allegedly voted? (what beggars belief was the way the vote was carried out and the count was done by a show of hands!!!!!) 2. Why did the fans allegedly get duped into voting for a merger when they weren't told at the time that should there have been a NO vote to merge there would have been a second vote for a sole Caledonian FC or Inverness Thistle vote, so fans were misled into a take it or leave it scenario? 3. Why were proxy votes from fans that lived outside of Inverness and not able to attend in person not allowed? 4. Why were both sets of season ticket holders from both clubs allegedly told that the SFA preferred a merged Inverness application when this was not the case at all and something the SFA denied in the aftermath? Dougal

Butcher's intentions are at least clear in that he is now actively looking for a step up in his managerial career. Ok Barnsley are languishing at the foot of the championship but like all championship sides they have better set ups and playing staff than all the SPL clubs out with Celtic. I still think he will end up at the Orcs one day in some capacity but he could well be willing to use the likes of Barnsley or a similar club as a stepping stone. Dougal

Fair play to Reef for unearthing the johnny come latelys amongst our support. I find it quite sickening that the very same johnny come latelys are the ones that are the most vocal on merger debates yet they rarely or never attended football at Telford Street or Kingsmills pre-merger. One things for certain there are a fair number of guilty consciences evident on this thread. I'd even go as far as saying I don't particularly trust a section of the older ICT support, judging by the underhand revelations that allegedly went on back then. On a parting note I know very little about track and field but maybe I'll start writing a book about athletics. Dougal