DoofersDad

Me too. In fact I thought it was Butcher himself.

...and still nothing official. Should reach 4 figures!

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

As I write this, Butcher is probably sitting in some poncy Edinburgh wine bar with Petrie picking over the bones of a dismal defeat. What he should be doing is celebrating a great victory with a great bunch of lads by picking the bones out of a fish supper.

I would have thought that either at the point that the Board gave permision for Butcher to talk with Hibs or when Butcher and Hibs agreed terms and informed our Board, the Board would effectively have put Butcher's contract on hold. At that point he is not doing the job he is contracted to do and therefore should not be paid. If that was the case then it would be reasonable for him to state that he is a neutral for the game. But what I find distasteful is the fact that he was at the ground with the Hibs Board and yet still there is no announcement. The very fact that he was there in those circumstances was a clear statement of what the position is, so why not just make a verbal statement? All that needed to be said is that personal terms have been agreed and that a further statement will be made following discussion between the clubs regarding compensation. If he didn't want to say that, he should simply have stayed away. Inverness fans and the Board have been very supportive to Butcher over the years but his antics this week show him in a very bad light. He's a big boy at a big club now so he thinks he can treat those at the little club who have been supportive of him with disdain. Complete lack of class.

An £897million deal! And yet they cant afford to upgrade our local phone line to allow us to get broadband via the land line - despite all the public money they get to do just that.

Fixed it for you!

Don't expect a statement until we've beaten the number of posts on the Barnsley thread. Still another 120 to go.

I demand a statement as to why there is no statement

There is a real sense of irony / déjà vue ?!! What's the tune to that, IHE?

CaleyD, are you still sure he's staying? You're awfully quiet.

I've just read the report on the BBC website and got the same sort of impression as Dargo20. If Malpas and Marsala like working for ICT then why would they leave just because Butcher would like them to? As a management team they have achieved a lot here and are appreciated by the club and the fans. They also have the real chance of winning something big this year. But despite the excitement of what this season could bring, I think both club and fans are realistic enough to know that at the moment the team is punching well above it's weight and as long as we stay in the premier division there is no chance of their being dismissed by the club. They have a level of security they wouldn't get in other places (certainly not at Hibs) and they are genuinely appreciated here. It's hard to know what to think. I would have thought that if Butcher and Malpas (and to a lesser extent Marsala) work as a team they would have talked about the potential of moving before and would know that if a management opportunity came up which interested Butcher then it would be clear that the other two were either in or out - and the offer would involve them. If Malpas was considering going to Hibs as well then I would not have thought he would be looking after the team just now. That is an encouraging sign. Whilst I said previously that whatever the outcome, this episode is damaging to the club and perhaps it would be best if Butcher left and let the club get on with the recruitment process, that was probably said out of frustration. What I think would really be best is for him to realise that he has got a good job here until he retires and to stay and commit to being here for as long as the club wants him or until he retires. He really could achieve legend status then. I wonder if he really appreciates what he has here? CaleyD was right before and seems confident that he will stay. CaleyD has good knowledge of the machinations behind the scenes and I am encouraged by what he says. I get the sense that Butcher likes it here but probably has the dream of leading a bigger club to glory. The reality is that that probably won't happen - but it is like an itch you can't stop scratching. He knows he should stay put but he just can resist. I hope CaleyD is right, but if Butcher is going to stay then lets hope he really stays and doesn't put the fans, the club and, most important of all, his players, through this trauma again.

The only way he will stay will be if there are factors outwith his control that prevent him going. After the Barnsley fiasco there is no way he would be talking to Hibs if he was not serious about wanting away to a bigger club. The Barnsley fiasco was unsettling for the club and despite all the happy clappy, pats on the back stuff about his decision to stay, his actions demonstrated that actually he wanted away and the form of the team took a significant slump soon afterwards. If he cared for this club and actually wanted to stay he would not risk that again. Having then pledged that he was committed to seeing his contract out, he has now broken his word. The message this gives to the players is that he does not believe they are capable of winning silverware or getting into Europe this year. If he really believed in the team then surely he would stay on and enjoy the experience and kudos that success would bring. Let's face it, Butcher has never won anything as a manager and he's not going to win anything at Hibs. He is destroying his own chances of success as well sabotaging the club's chance of success that he has been instrumental in creating. Any credibility that he had belief in and loyalty towards the team has been shot to pieces. Whether he goes or stays, the damage has been done. Best for the club that a compensation package is thrashed out as soon as possible and we can get on and appoint a manager who actually does believe in the squad and can restore their faith in themselves. We then just might go on and achieve the success that this season has been promising.

No, that was just a rumour which I thought had been scotched.

What the ICT Board are prepared to pay a manager may not be as much as some clubs but it is a lot more than most of us get paid! It would be nice to think that there would be at least one high calibre manager out there with the background to do a good job who recognises that the wages on offer are enough for a good life and that what really matters is that this is a club where there is a chance of success and where loyalty to the club will be repaid by support from the Board. It is just unfortunate that Terry Butcher appears not to be that person.

Can County not have a 12.00 kick off? This would also allow them to complete the game in the light?

Interesting take in the Telegraph "The former England captain would appear to be a sound choice. It is understood that he is aware of the terms on offer and finds them to his liking, although there has been no official contact between the clubs". Does this mean that he has not spoken to the club but is aware of what the terms are and that Hibs are aware that he likes the terms? That would mean Butcher was being truthful when he told Kenny Cameron that he has not spoken to Hibs. Truthful maybe, but rather economical with the truth. I hope this is not how it is because it would reflect very badly on Butcher. Whatever the outcome, it is not good.

"We've got a bridge and a castle ....."

And Terry is Santa.

That may well be the case. The other option no one has mentioned is that he may have agreed terms to take over next season. If that was the case then he would not need to seek permission to talk to ICT and he would be true to his words after the Barnsley fiasco that he will stay to the end of his contract. Also, agreeing terms does not mean that he has signed a contract. He could then realistically use that offer as a negotiating tool in securing a significantly better deal here. Looking at the set up Hibs have relative to the expectations of the club and their fans compared to what he is on the cusp of achieving here, I think he would be absolutely crazy to leave.

2 games abandoned and neither one as a result of the state of their ground - I suppose that will be responsible for postponements later in the season.

What were you doing on the County bench?

You read the Daily Mail?

Butcher seems to have found a formula here that works. That will be partly down to him and partly down to the nature of the club. There is no reason to think that he will suddenly turn a failing bigger club around. With Rangers currently out of the picture, we have a great chance to win silverware this season and get into Europe. Why would he walk away from that opportunity? Not only would he just love to lead his team out at a cup final and lead a team into Europe, but his stock would rise hugely if he achieved that. If he does want to finish his career at a bigger club (and I wouldn't blame him if he did) then he needs to see this season through and have the record of real acheivement under his belt. Don't forget, after the Barnsley fiasco he did publicly state that he would be here till the end of his contract, so I for one will be pretty hacked off if he breaks his word on that. But what the Barnsley episode demonstrated was that for all the talk of unfinished business here, Butcher does aspire to move on to a bigger club. My guess he will be here at the end of this season but almost certainly not at the end of the next. I also doubt that he will enjoy the kind of success elswhere that he has enjoyed here. Not that I'm biased of course, but I think the best career choice for Terry would be to sign a contract with ICT to take him up to retirement. He will then be able to maintain a healthy income as a pundit and after dinner speaker etc whilst continuing to enjoy the high quality of life the area offers. Sounds like a good life to me.

Maybe I'm weird.......but I think that there is a big difference in tone and emphasis between not acting for/on behalf of Scotland (or, as you put it, "looking after Scotland's interests") if it chooses independence ....which was something to be expected......and part of the reason for the campaign, tbh, given the interests of Scotland are not always the same as those of the UK....and McDougall saying : fall into the trap of acting against Scotland until Scotland decides to leave the United Kingdom. Think about it! I have thought about it. He is saying that after independence you can expect the Westminster Government to act against Scotland. By that he simply means that they would be competing against Scotland for investment etc. and presumably that will include taking a hard line in any post referendum negotiations. That is to be expected. Some Westminster politicians may be tempted "act against Scotland" now in favour the rest of the UK over Scotland in terms of funding rounds as a sort of punishment for daring to even think about independence. That is the trap McDougall warns about. To do that would only antagonise the Scottish voters and make a "Yes" vote more likely. Nothing sinister here. Just harsh political reality and certainly nothing that should bother folk who think Scotland will be better off as an independent nation.