Oddquine

I've just noticed the bit at the bottom of the front page Most users ever online was 1,342 on Nov 6 2009, 01:06 AM. That was some load on the servers.

Anyone remember why/what for? Was it just an insomniacs' convention?

Cricket? You mean the insect? What does that have to do with anything remotely resembling sport?

Strikes me that for many years we have had summer football by default to an extent, because the league ain't finished until the league is finished..and called off games still have to be played.....however far into the "off-season" that takes, don't they?

At least a specific winter shut down does let you know where you are from the off...and I'd do it for the six weeks or so mid-December/January. May not hit all the bad weather everywhere, everytime..... but will it ever really? But it seems easier trying to fit in the odd game into a full calendar than six weeks of games for all the leagues for sure.

Not being in the best of health, I'd not be attending games, however rabid a supporter I was, in temperatures which were verging on the cusp of freezing for weeks........even undersoil heating does me no good at all! So my donation to club expenses would certainly stay in my pocket.

Change the set-up and professional footballers get a month off over Christmas and New Year and a couple of weeks off in Summer........comparing their lot to those 9-5 wage earners, with a 28 day entitlement to holidays, who dish out the cash to pay their wages......... the problem is exactly what?

I'd be keen for us to see out the festive games against C*unty and Dundee before writing off our (realistic) chances of pushing for the top.

If things haven't picked up by then we should definitely start looking to blood the younger lads and prepare for the inevitable exodus at the end of the season.

Inclined to agree, CaleyD.

But having read the thoughts of so many on this forum, even if the manager decided to bench some of the younger players when the team is safe and can afford to lose games to give them a run out......are they going to be trashed in the same intemperate terms as the current players are?

ICT's biggest mistake was to pull out of the SFL under 19 league.........because that would have been an ideal opportunity to bring on good under 17s who don't necessarily attract a wage.........and keep the u-19s who don't regularly figure in the first team match fit. With the best will in the world.......how can you assess how good bad or indifferent an U-19 player is going to be in a competitive game just by watching them at training?

Out of interest, has Butcher and/or Malpas ever actually watched the older youth teams in their games on Sundays to look over the possibilities for the future?

typical. Dundee United have cancelled the game on Sunday and didnt give a reason. 17s wont be at the cup final then, as a bit late to change everyones transport plans.

Tom Smith is a talented full back, and a good prospect. Been at ICT for a good few years now aswell, training 3 times a week and a game every weekend - his parents car must have chalked up a few miles

Shame that....they were looking forward to it, as well.

It's definitely in Dundee at 12. One of the lads I take to games plays for the 17s and is getting picked up in Perth on Sunday morning, and dropped back in Perth for the final (he hopes!)

As far as I know, the reason for the early kick off is to get the lads to Perth in time for the final.

Given all the threads arranging pub meets ahead of the cup game...good to think there will be thirty or so stone cold sober people at the game! <joking>

son plays for the 17s and they were told the arteficial pitches beside mcdiarmid park, as they walking over to the cup final afterwards!!!

Last time I was on looking at the youth fixtures.....before checking just now....it said venue to be confirmed.

Looks as if the idea didn't come off.

Pity though.........the youth teams often play better football than the big boys!

Will it make any difference?

The manager doesn't kick the ball on the park..and whatever his ability in the motivation stakes.........he can't make world-class players where there are none.

I didn't mean to be so down on the guys who competed. They done well but weren't able to hold on to the finish. Keep your head's up kids and perform to your best. Success will come.

Much better than Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie.

The youth set-up is a good one, and it is a pity that ICT didn't continue the u-19s........if only for the fact that they may very well lose some very good U-17s at the end of this season as they have nowhere to go in ICT under the present set up with no u-19 or reserve football to hold them and give them competitive games.

On the whole, the youth teams have more than held their own against their age group equivalents from much bigger SPL teams......and the U-17 squad has many very good and some exceptional players, like Liam Polworth, for example, within their ranks......and who will most likely at the age of 17 be ditched by ICT to find their football elsewhere.

Does ICT really want a youth set up which produces players for every team in the league but themselves........or do they want a future for ICT with home grown players who will play their hearts out for the club which gave them their training and their chance at their dream?

Great post and the final question asks it all - But yet again it is all about experienced management.

By that, I assume you mean club management as opposed to team management. If so, I totally agree.

I didn't mean to be so down on the guys who competed. They done well but weren't able to hold on to the finish. Keep your head's up kids and perform to your best. Success will come.

Much better than Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie.

The youth set-up is a good one, and it is a pity that ICT didn't continue the u-19s........if only for the fact that they may very well lose some very good U-17s at the end of this season as they have nowhere to go in ICT under the present set up with no u-19 or reserve football to hold them and give them competitive games.

On the whole, the youth teams have more than held their own against their age group equivalents from much bigger SPL teams......and the U-17 squad has many very good and some exceptional players, like Liam Polworth, for example, within their ranks......and who will most likely at the age of 17 be ditched by ICT to find their football elsewhere.

Does ICT really want a youth set up which produces players for every team in the league but themselves........or do they want a future for ICT with home grown players who will play their hearts out for the club which gave them their training and their chance at their dream?

My mate was playing against Airdrie

Was he? You know what the team was?

The ICT site doesn't bother with Youth Team info.

Got humped out of the Scottish Youth Cup by Airdrie. Report

Humped seems a bit hard.

Given that Airdrie plays regularly in the SFL U-19 league......and ICT's team was a one-off team of under 19s, 2nd year u-17s and 1st year u-17s I thought they did as well as could be expected...........after all the u-17s played on the Saturday as well (and beat St Mirren 4-3).

Appears that the first half was better for ICT than the second. Some tired ICT legs.......or an Airdrie half time "talk" that Butcher could take a lesson from if he is looking for a good effect?

If this is a remotely correct statement No evidence has been been forthcoming of a written transfer request and the Inverness majority shareholder, David Sutherland, was quoted in April 2008 questioning whether Niculae?s reported ?4,000-a-week wages could be maintained.Furthermore, Graeme Bennett, the Inverness director of football, admitted on the day of Niculae?s sale: ?It is a straight deal although Marius is entitled to a percentage of the fee agreed.? from Here then the ICT Board is expensively whistling in the wind.

The current board as a whole couldn't run a party in a brewery, far less a football club.......and is the biggest part of the problems perceived within this club imo.

3-2 elgin

well I hope that was the youngseters getting a competitive game and not a bounce game.

It was a mix of fringe first team players, recovering first team players, under 19s and under 17s..mostly for the benefit of getting injured players match fit again, I should think.

Are expectations too high? Absolutely, they are....and it's the fault of the board who made promises of plans and intentions to "bounce straight back up". The fans were quick to latch on to that idea, which was understandable as it's what we would all like, but the Board have done nothing, zip, zadda, zero to demonstrate that it was/is anything but hot air and/or telling fans what they thought they wanted to hear because it would somehow relieve the pressure on them for the events that led to our relegation in the first place.

The biggest problem with the high expectations is not the fans wanting/expecting to win, it's the pressure that it's put on the Management and Players to deliver....and that's where I think the problem lies, and why we perhaps perform a bit better on the road away from the pressure of the home crowd.

Terry and the Players are out there trying to deliver an impossible promise, a promise delivered by faceless Directors with comfy day jobs who will suffer not a jot from how well we do or don't do, Directors who opened their mouths and let their bellies rumble and have done nothing to bring in the investment required to deliver on the promise.

Exactly. Very sensible post.

I'm still wondering what qualifications Graeme Bennett has to be Director of Football, for example. It kinda worries me, when you go to the Director's page on the ICT website, and every one of them are advertising their businesses and not telling us of their footballing CVs.

Makes the cynical wonder if ICT is just a vehicle for getting their businesses in the public eye furth of the local community.

Imo, that is a Highland League standard, not the standard for even the SFL, far less the Premier League. Have a read of the Ross County FC website and see if you can find their Directors promoting their businesses via the official website bar as Match/Ball/ Man of the Match etc sponsors.

I also kinda wonder just how many in the main stand are truly ICT supporters at all, and how many are "guests" of the directors. I know that when ICT were in the Premier League, the Clydedale Bank were entitled to seats for "corporate hospitality".....and it would not surprise me at all if the same entitlement does not apply to the businesses connected with the directors.

We need more out of Cox, Sanchez, Eagle and Hayes.

Think Eagle heard you!

It really is a detective challenge especially if you come across a relative with a name like Donald Macdonald and they were born in Inverness-shire!

Try Fraser in Inverness-shire. :018:

My paternal line is Fraser........and in my father's maternal direct line, there are a further four Fraser families, so far unconnected....and darn difficult and expensive to pin down.

Not found anybody interesting except for my 4xg grandfather who was John MacLean "the Inverness Historian" and my 3xg grandfather Finlay who put his words down on paper. Historical and Traditional Sketches of Highland Families and of the Highlands

<snip>

We don't have the money to buy in a squad of experienced players, and some of ours are getting past it.. What Butcher is doing is the only course of action possible...

If you sack him, then your not only not giving him a fair chance, you are also going to put the club in a even worse financial position. As paying him off and getting in a new manager will only result in a smaller, weaker squad.

Wake up and smell the coffee folks, we had 5 seasons in the SPL a good run for a club our size. Now we have to start again.. build a new team, get consistancy, find new talent, that is going to take time.. We have brought in 6-7 new players with next to no first team experience, if 3 of them cut it, we will be doing well... we also have our existing youngsters who also need brought on...

Good post.

But how do you bring youngsters on and give them experience without losing games........when there will undoubtedly be people then coming on here and complaining that the youngsters should not have had a chance and Butcher picked the wrong team/subs again?

It is counter-productive to be talking about getting rid of a manager four games into the season.

Just had a visit from a Dundee fan who is no more pleased with Dundee's performance to date, and they did have money to spend..........but he is not baying for Jocky Scott's blood and is prepared to give the team a chance to bed in with most of the season still to go.

Maybe an idea for ICT fans?

having read the report.... I get the feeling young Ross will be somthing else I just hope he's signed up with us for a few years... he got a touch and has done nothing but impress me!!

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought young players were discouraged from signing long contracts but that clubs are entitled to reasonable compensation if they were to move on.

I think that is correct. Certainly to under-17 level the contracts are renewed......or not......annually, and I would assume the same would apply to under-19 level as well unless they have been offered full-time contracts.

If youth players move on while still contracted to the club, the club is entitled to recoup a set amount for each year the player has been contracted in to the youth system.