DoofersDad

We may not like it but we need to accept it as a fact of life. We are a small town club with a correspondingly small fan base. As long as the club relies on income from gate receipts, merchandising, TV rights, payments related to league position etc then we will only ever be able to pay players wages which are not competitive with those offered by other clubs. Players have to make a living and think about their long term financial position when their short playing careers are over. We really can't blame them for moving on whether it be to our rivals or anybody else. This is why the success this year is so important. A range of circumstances have come together which have led to us winning the cup and securing 3rd place in the league. We won't always be able to put together such a good squad as this season and our opponents will not always be as weak as this year. One thing that could harm our club is unrealistic expectations for the future. For a club with our resources just staying in the top flight is an achievement and anything else is a bonus. So savour what has been achieved this year - the memory of it may need to last a lifetime.

It may not be McCall in charge. It appears that talks have been held with Mark Warbuton who has done a great job at Brentford. Brentford announced back in February that Warbuton would be leaving at the end of the season which is a pretty unusual situation for a manager, particularly when there was a reasonable chance that Warbuton could have taken Brentford to successive promotions and into the Premier League. That smacks of Warbuton having a lucrative contract elsewhere lined up because I would have thought it unlikely that Brentford would be wanting him to go. There are some serious decision to be made by whoever takes on the job at Ibrox and one would expect a decision on that needs to be made pretty quickly.

Adkins is confirmed as the Blades new manager so Yogi is not heading there.

Absolutely. There are many who would like to go more often but who, for whatever reason can't. Nobody should be critical of people in that position. I think what people are hoping for is that the cup final success will persuade people who previously have not wanted to watch ICT on a regular basis to come along more often.

There is still no word on this on the SFA site. It was suggested in the BBC report over a week ago that it might take some time for any notice of complaint to be issued, but I am not sure whether the delay is because of the seriousness of the issue or because the compliance officer is on an all expenses paid holiday in Turkey. I trust the SFA will not allow the shameful scenes at Motherwell to allow the Ciftci incident to slip off their agenda.

Stayed at the Premier Inn near the Buchanan Galleries. After going out on Saturday night for a drink and a meal we headed to the hotel bar for a nightcap. I thought a nice Highland Malt would be a good way to round off such a great day, but not only did they not have any Highland Malts, they did not have any Scottish malt whisky! I had to settle for a Jamiesons diluted with a splash of tears.

I was disappointed when the red dots disappeared but I've changed my mind. I understand the feeling that one wants to express disagreement or just a dislike of a post, but quickly pressing a dislike option is too easy and clearly is subject to abuse. If you don't like a post then either put up or shut up. If you disagree with what someone is saying then respond to it and say why. Or "like" a post from someone else whose view you agree with. There are a small number of posters on here whose posts usually make me cringe if I read them and who I therefore usually ignore. But they are just as entitled to express their opinions on matters as I am and no doubt other forum members enjoy their posts. A dislike option only serves to inhibit people from posting which is the exact opposite of its purpose. As I say, there are other more constructive ways to express disagreement and if a post is really inappropriate, there is always the mod system to fall back on. On the other hand, a "like" option gives people an easy way to simply express agreement with what someone says without having to spend time to post much the same - and let's face it, the forum would be boring if it was filled with posts all making the same point or saying "I agree with ......". A like button is also a simple way to acknowledge a post which doesn't necessarily make a particular point but which just entertains. I'm for just keeping the "like" option - but I reserve the right to make occasional use of the red button should it return!

Really sad news. It was a great shame that his health problems prevented him from being as effective latterly as he had been earlier in his career and also that he will not be around to make a contribution to the European referendum. He was always passionate about Europe and seemed to encapsulate more that just about any other politician the understanding that politics has it's heart in the local community but that whoever we are we are also part of national and international communities as well. He was a great believer in coming to opinions through reasoned debate and his common sense, integrity and wit will be sorely missed in the world of politics.

Not only that, but they had the 4th best goal difference in the league! Only 15 points separated top from bottom compared with 62 in the SPFL. Guess it keeps the interest going without the need for play offs.

Thanks. And well done to Motherwell for soundly beating The Rangers and keeping them out of the top flight for at least one more year.

HT 0-1 FT 0-2 1st ICT Shinnie 1st Falkirk Shinnie (o.g.) Time 42mins 1st Yellow Shinnie Crowd 40,011

If you didn't have a psychiatric problem when you entered the building, the colour scheme certainly ensured you had one after.

That would have been before there was a sewage treatment plant! Yum yum.

It would be nice if there was a bit more media focus. Footballing headlines at the moment are very much focused on the FIFA situation and it strikes me that there is a real story here in the contrast between the money grubbing corruption at the top of the game and the honest endeavors of players, officials and volunteers associated with small clubs like ICT and Falkirk. Here's two clubs who don't have much cash but who have shown great commitment in winning through to the final. Maybe Hampden won't be full but there will probably be more people there who have never been to a final before and win or lose it will be a day they will remember for the rest of their lives. It is a day for the small clubs: it's a day when hard work and commitment triumph over buying success: it is a day for fans who dream rather than fans who expect. Whilst the international body tasked with leading the game shames the world of football with its greed and corruption, two small teams with small supports will tomorrow show the world that football is still the beautiful game and still the people's game. Win or lose it will be a great day out, and I for one feel privileged that I will be a small part of it.

I hope they can extend that lead on Sunday! It will be important how they approach the game - if they look to simply hold onto the lead and contain The Rangers then they put themselves under pressure. Concede one and it becomes very nervy. They need to take the game to Rangers and look to score. Play offs can play hell with your nerves and composure. Last night's rugby play-off between Worcester and Bristol for a place in the English premiership was a case in point. Worcester edged the 1st leg 29 - 28 at Bristol and led 16 - 9 at half time. In the 2nd half Bristol then scored 3 tries to lead 30 - 16 with 10 minutes to go - and then self destructed. Two players were sin binned and they gave away a penalty try. Worcester then scored a converted try in the last minute to tie the game 30 - 30 and edge the tie by a single point. Anything can happen in these high pressure situations so I'm taking nothing for granted, although I am delighted Motherwell are 2 goals ahead and not 2 behind!

I'm not sure how they assess how many will be on each train when they are not allowing reservations. People will have open returns which allows them to travel there and back on any train and not a specific one. Hope I manage to get a seat because I'll be standing all afternoon!

Apparently it clashes with some good sport on the telly

The Treaty of Union was cobbled together when the people had no democratic freedoms of the kind that have developed since then. Rather than go back through the mists of time to a point in history which happens to suit your desire for independence, can you not respect the basic democratic rights of all citizens of the UK regardless of race, creed, colour, sex, intelligence or whatever and accept the basic tenet of democracy in a modern civilised society that everyone's vote is of equal worth? You complain about the larger partner nation dictating to the smaller ones but yet apparently see nothing wrong in one of the smaller nations dictating to everyone else! But the issue of the EU referendum is not a case of Scotland being dictated to by its larger partner, it is about individuals within the UK expressing their view as individuals and having an expectation that each individual's vote is of equal value and that the view of the majority will prevail. Now I fully accept that if the overall result in the UK is significantly different from that in Scotland that might justify people in Scotland wishing to question their place in the Union again. That would reflect Scotland's privileged status as a nation and would provide an option not open to the people of Yorkshire or London should the vote go against their wishes. Why on earth can nationalists not acknowledge their privileged position instead of this constant whingeing and asserting that the votes of their fellow citizens south of the Border should only count if they vote the same way the Scots do.

No. In case you hadn't noticed. Despite not being a nation state, Scotland is a nation with many of the trappings of such. Notwithstanding their respective undoubted charms, The Highlands, Tayside, Greater Glasgow, The Western Isles et al, whilst constituent parts of Scotland, are not nations. Just how far do you propose to distill it down ? Are you proposing that Dalneigh should have a veto should it vote no or perhaps you wish to distill it down to the Bannerman household. If you are going to debate for goodness sake have some sort of coherent and reasonable point to make. The definition of a "Nation" is a minefield which I will not go into because it is actually irrelevant to the debate. Sturgeon's latest offerings are nothing to do with the rights of a "nation" but simply provide further evidence of her lack of respect for the principles of democracy and for the views of the majority of the people living in Scotland. The referendum demonstrated that a majority of people in Scotland wish to remain in the UK. What that means is a collective accountability and acceptance for the views of the majority within the UK in line with the democratic process applied. It means that if a majority of UK voters vote to leave the EU then so be it; we accept it even if we don't agree with it. What is equally obnoxious is the fact that she seems to think that the views of less than 10% of the UK population should override the views of the majority of UK citizens. What she is saying is that she doesn't give a toss for the democratic rights of citizens in the rest of the UK. If she had her way and if the other 3 nations voted 70:30 to leave the EU but Scotland voted 51:49 to stay in, then the UK would stay in the EU despite the vast majority of its citizens wanting to leave. Why would the English even bother to vote! The idea is preposterous and simply illustrates Sturgeon's complete contempt for the democratic process. It is just another example of the SNP wanting to be disruptive to the UK Government and to cause tensions and divisions between Scotland and the rest of the UK. What would be reasonable for Sturgeon to say is that of course she will accept the majority UK opinion, but that if the Scottish people vote to stay in the EU and the overall UK vote is to leave, then she would regard that as a materially changed circumstance which would justify a 2nd independence referendum. That would be a perfectly reasonable thing to say and would respect the democratic wishes of both the Scottish and the wider UK electorates.

That's very interesting. I've been a Villa fan since my childhood and certainly hadn't clocked this strange coincidence. But here's another one. Villa finished 17th in the EPL this year. Falkirk were 5th in the Scottish Championship and therefore also 17th in the league structure. In their respective finals, both are playing the team that came 3rd in the league

I certainly saw compellingly persuasive photos in one of the tabloids. What we seem to have is a mark on one photo which looks like a bite on McAlister's leg at exactly the point corresponding to the position of Ciftci's mouth on another photo of his face apparently in contact with the said leg. He obviously saw the mark and selflessly kissed it better

I believe McAlister was taken to hospital after the game. Not sure whether it was just for an assessment of the alleged wound or whether he had a rabies jab. But even if there is a medical report which states that McAlister has a bite mark on his leg the SFA will presumably find no evidence to prove it was Ciftci. It will be interesting to see what action (if any) the compliance officer takes this week

If you want to be different you could always wear a Celtic shirt and a Rangers Scarf. I don't suppose there will be many of those being worn on the biggest day of the Scottish football calendar. The outfit should also guarantee you a friendly welcome from all the locals as you go on a celebratory pub crawl later in the evening.

I agree with the first bit of this and to me that is the most important thing. As long as we play with a high tempo and look to get forward quickly it doesn't really matter which two of Doran, Christie, Williams Ross and Vincent we have starting as we should be too good for Falkirk. But personally I think we should start with Christie as his outstanding performance against Celtic showed what he is capable of on the big stage. He also showed he can keep it up for 120 minutes so I would start with him and look to run their defence ragged from the word go. I would start with Williams with a view to bringing Doran on around the hour mark.

Hopefully some support for us from St Johnstone fans as a win for us secures European football for them.