DoofersDad

But whilst the team is usually known as England, it is in fact, the team representing the England and Wales Cricket Board and therefore as a Welshman, it is your national side. And whilst you hear of Ireland and Scotland competing in ODIs, you never hear of a Welsh side. Cricket is still fairly healthy in the central belt and is boosted by the number of players of Indian and Pakistani origin. Someone told me a few years ago that there are actually more Cricket Clubs in Scotland than Rugby clubs. Not sure that is still the case.

I've not seen Laurence play so can't make an objective comparison. However, I'm very happy to have such a talented youngster as Roberts in the squad.

No Luke!! He's on trial at Birmingham. A Brummy is a person from that city. Had you used the colloquial term Brum, which incidently is short for Brummagem, a name used for Birmingham in the middle ages, then you would have gotten away with it. Whatever happened to that other high scorer who left Scotland for Birmingham........ah yes he's with Swindon Town. No Alex!!, Luke would not have got away with using the term Brum. Brum is used to refer to the city of Birmingham and not to that city's 2nd football club. A player could be on trial there and be desribed as being on trial in Brum or at Birmingham - but not at Brum. Saying "at Brummy" is equivalent to saying someone playing for Liverpool is "at Scouser". In any case, "Brummy" is a mis-spelling and the correct spelling goes against the normal spelling rules and is "Brummie". Now I've got that off my chest, I think i'll have a kipper tie - with milk and 2 sugars. Don't you just love that accent!

I don't know how many travellers there were in the queue but there were certainly a lot of commuters for whom yesterday was no laughing matter. I left my house at 7.30 and even then took 25 minutes to cross the bridge. Others setting out a little later took 3 hours. Travel website on the BBC described this as a "moderate" incident! If this is a taste of things to come when the bridge repairs start next month then it's going to be a nightmare.

Brown's statement of "We have had no contact with anyone in connection to this player" could be interpreted as "I've tried very hard to contact Terry Butcher about this player but have not been able to speak to him because he's been in bloody Barnsley!"

Move teams in closer proximity between leagues? Yes. They've been doing it for years in England at levels 2,3 and 4 of the pyramid system and without any particular problems. And please don't use the argument that distances are not as great as they are in Scotland because for some they are greater and with poorer transport links. Some teams in the English Midlands could find themselves in a league which takes them to East Anglia one year and Cornwall the next. There can be considerable change in a regional division from one year to the next but it is accepted because of the overall advantages of the pyramid system. Would it not be the same team that is always flipping from one league to another though? Yes it is. It is the teams roughly in the middle of whatever region the leage covers. They may find they play teams predominantly to the north or east of them one year and then teams to the south and west next year. Perhaps a bit unsettling but the positives are they and the fans get to go to different places and the overall travelling distances are far less than if the league was not split on a regional basis. Folk seem happy enough with it. It's more variety.

Move teams in closer proximity between leagues? Yes. They've been doing it for years in England at levels 2,3 and 4 of the pyramid system and without any particular problems. And please don't use the argument that distances are not as great as they are in Scotland because for some they are greater and with poorer transport links. Some teams in the English Midlands could find themselves in a league which takes them to East Anglia one year and Cornwall the next. There can be considerable change in a regional division from one year to the next but it is accepted because of the overall advantages of the pyramid system.

No team has any guarantees of any derbies at all. You will get a derby if your local rivals just happen to be in the same division as you. You are more likely to get derbies the more teams there are in the league but if you have fewer teams in the league and play other sides more than twice, when you do get derbies you get more of them. Assuming that two different league set ups result in the same total number of matches then things will average out that you have the same number of derbies. I appreciate that this mathematical fact gets distorted in that some derbies will occur more often than others according to which structure you have. In the current set up, for instance, you can expect Hibs and Hearts ubsually to both be in the top flight and therefore get a lot of derbies, but on the other hand East Stirling never get a derby against their Falkirk rivals. What the proposed new set up would do is to increase the movement between the divisions to allow derbies between sides that rarely get them at the moment. The other side of that is that there may be some years when there is not a derby that almost always occurs with the current set up. So if Hearts end the first half of the season in the bottom 4 and end up getting relegated then it would mean no derby the next season. All that does is make the next derby when it does occur that much more tasty. The greater variety of derby fixtures can only be good for the game IMHO. If you want more derbies, the only way you can guarantee that is to have a regionalised structure and that is a no brainer for the top flight. But, as CaleyD says, it makes real sense as an alternative to the proposed 18 club 3rd tier. (Rangers playing in the 3rd Division West next season has a nice ring to it!) I also don't buy the argument about season tickets. I appreciate that folk would be buying into a bit of an unknown package but aren't they now? At the moment you don't know how many home games you are paying for, you have no idea which clubs you may see twice or only once and you have no idea whether you will see end of season matches which will see the club fighting for a European place or relegation or whether they are relatively meaningless middle of the table matches. I'm not hearing anything peruasive to suggest this proposal is not worth exploring further.

That's what I like to see. An opinion backed up by objective argument. I think the answer to the OP is "Yes". County shouldn't need to strengthen in order to secure survivial but despite their current position they are not that far off top six and will be aiming for that. Not only would that offer provide some money spinnig games at the end of the season, it would provide some real credibility for the club. Offering contracts to mix of experienced players and players from abroad who are looking for an opportunity to get on the radar of bigger clubs in the UK sounds like a sensible strategy to me.

Very sensible suggestion to split the bottom tier into regions. I'd go with that.

Now sold for 50p.

I think I'll take a minority viewpoint here and say that I'm actually quite taken with the proposals. Previously I've been in favour of a league of more than 12 but I think there are sufficient positives here to overcome that. In no particular order, advantages include:- Meaningful games for nearly all teams for most of the season. The opportunity for half the teams in the top two leagues of 12 to play against a total of 15 different sides in the year. Potential for up to 4 sides to get promoted each year. This is likely to provide far more movement of clubs through the structure so it won't be a constant round of playing the same clubs year after year. A real incentive for clubs to maintain standards or else they will find themselves dropping down the structure. The introduction of a pyramid structure which will bring fresh blood in and get rid of the dross at the bottom. The re-introduction of standing at matches in the top flight. Amalgamation of the SPL and SFL management structures into a single body. Rangers will remain in the bottom flight again next season. It's not perfect but few things are. The problem we have in Scotland is that we are a small country and simply don't have the population to support sufficient big clubs necessary to make a really competitive top tier league. In my view there are some real advantages here, most important of which is the way it will freshen things up and provide real opportunity for smaller clubs to move quickly through the leagues. This will force other clubs to make sure they maintain their standards. There have been a lot of comments about teams resting players late in the first half of the season when it is obvious which group of 8 they will be in. That will probably happen but then it happens now! For instance,within the current set up as soon as it is clear that County are not going to be top 6 then they will have nothing to play for. With Dundee being cast adrift they are likely to have the last third of the season planning for next season and experimenting in matches which could have a major significance for other teams. In any case, why would clubs rest many players around the mid point of the season? Players need to be match fit and to play together as a team to be best prepared for the crucial end of season games. One of the reasons we are doing so well this season is that we have a generally settled team. Keeping the team playing together might be the smart move. To be honest, I don't know how similar this structure is to those which have failed elsewhere and I would be interested to learn why similar systems have been scrapped elsewhere. But for the moment, these proposals look to me to be the best that have been proposed for years and there is an opportunity to revitalise football in Scotland. In the absence of any alternatives offering significant change, I think these should be seriously considered but we really do need to see a bit more detail and get a better understanding of the implications before we can come to any firm views.

That's what I call making amends for an error. And whilst we have no football to watch this week, it is good to know that youngsters in Greece are trying to emulate our passing game. http://news.uk.msn.com/blog/trending-blogpost.aspx?post=bcf9d7d7-1018-40af-9351-ddbcd334ba9e

Except all four call-offs are due to waterlogged pitches. Oops! I was just going by what Fraz said in an earlier post. Maybe the waterlogged pitches have frozen.

Isn't it ironic! The SPL takes a short mid winter break, but before it does the heavens open and games are called off because of a waterlogged pitch in Dingwall. Then the break comes so folk decide to take in some Highland league foooty. The weather is drier but colder with the result that games are called off due to frozen pitches. Meanwhile SPL pitches are perfectly playable because of the heating but no-one is playing on them because of the break. Cue snow for next weeked and a postponement for safety reasons.

Agreed!, But relaxing the rules on seating requirements is a very positive and welcome move.

Sitting is an SPL directive. If the new structure is run by a new merged body which is not the SPL then standing could be allowed in all grounds.

I just hope they re-introduce standing soon whilst I'm still able to stand.

This thread has moved on a bit since my last post. The reason I haven't posted on this thread for a couple of days is that I've been in Yorkshire. I was phoned by a brassy Barnsley divorcée who was looking for a new "companion" . She said that if I took up her offer I would get double portions of roast potatoes with my roast beef. Despite being a happily married man I must admit that it sounded like an attractive proposition. In any case, I felt it would be rude not to at least listen to what she had to say. So I flew down South and spent a couple of days in "discussions" during which she made very clear exactly what she had to offer. Wow! You should have seen the size of her Yorkshire puddings! I have to say I was really tempted. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But at the end of the day I decided that there's a lot of good things happening up here and in truth I'm happy enough with my wife's Scotch Pancakes (even if I only ever get "Flora Light" on them). So I thanked my brassy Barnsley belle and came home. And what a welcome I got! Unbelievable! Everyone was saying what a wonderful chap I was. What a gentleman I had been in having the courtesy to go and listen to what the nice lady had to say about her kind offer, and what a wonderful loyal man I was in turning down the offer and staying in the bosom of my loving wife and family. Mind you, there was some odd quine from up the road who gave me dog's abuse and questioned my integrity - but there's always one, isn't there? As for my wife, she said very little. When I first told her I had received the offer she shrugged and said that if I thought I could do better elsewhere she wouldn't stand in my way. She didn't say much when I came back either. Whilst everyone else was slapping me on the back and saying what a great guy I was, she simply issued a statement which said she was glad I was back and that I had intimated I would be honouring our marriage contract (don't know where she got that from!). Some have interpreted that statement as a "hands off" warning to other admiring ladies - but I know better. It's a "stay boy" warning! Naturally after this episode I've been careful to say all the right things. I've been talking to everyone who will listen about how wonderful my wife is and how many things we want to do and achieve together and .... Sorry to cut this short but I'm going to have to dash. Another plane down to Yorkshire, would you believe! I've just had a phone call from a dusky Doncaster doll who was whispering something about toad in the hole in the most sultry of tones! Of course, I'm really happy here, but I guess I'd better go and check out how the Doncaster gravy compares with that in Barnsley - after all, it's the honourable thing to do.

Dougal, hats off to you for apologising. Much appreciated. But don't take a rest from CTO. I for one welcome your posts provided you keep off off the subject of the merger. I don't always agree with your posts - in fact, I hardly ever agree with your posts - but you often express a valid alternative point of view and say things other folk aren't prepared to. A lot of folk make derogative comments about you but that is not done in a nasty way, they actually enjoy your "alternative" posts and the opportunity it provides them (me included!) to give a smart *rse response. We love you really! Keep the posts coming but, as Basil Fawlty would say "Don't mention the merger!"

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?

I wouldn't argue much with what Caley D says either. I think the fact that Terry has decided to stay gives a hugely positive message. He has given a message loud and clear that there are more important things than just money. Importantly his decision shows this club up in a very postive light indeed. But I really don't think you can deny that it has been an unsettling 48 hours and I have to say that the positive message would have been stronger still if he had said "no" a little sooner. Surely the message about the reasons for him staying would have been stronger if he had said it had been an easy decison rather than a difficult one!

Absolute bo**ocks. He conducted himself like a gentleman. The message he's sent out is that anyone, having been given proper permission by the club, has a right to listen to what potential suitors have to offer. It's no surprise to me that he prefers the Sutors that he can probably see from the upstairs windows than the other kind and good on the man. If I were a player, this is the sort of manager I'd dream of playing for, someone I'd want to work my guts out for. Someone who shows, and expects loyalty but isn't going to stand in the way of a player's progress if things are done by the book. We're lucky (but deserve) to have him. I wonder if Rooney's reading this. Apart from the "absolute bo**ocks" bit I don't disagree with what you're saying - but you seem to miss the point. The point is that he was seriously considering leaving. I find that disappointing. But having then made the right decision he has then conducted himself very well indeed in committing himself for another year and a half. He deserves loyalty in return for that but not as much as if he had not

Think you're being a bit harsh on Terry there. He conducted himself professionally, spoke to them for the right reasons, decided to stay for the right reasons, and set an example to the players that you can turn down a massive pay rise to stay at a club that has something special about it. Also it was the chairman who gave TB permission to speak to them, could `ve just said no. I don't dispute he's made the right decision for what appears to be the right and very honourable reasons but he could done that sooner. Make no mistake about it, he very nearly decided to leave as he made abundantly clear in his interview. But as I say, he has undone the damage by committing to the end of his contract. I'm delighted he's staying but disapponted that the way the affair was conducted resulted in a record breaking 21 pages of speculation.

Whilst I am glad he's staying, I have to say this episode has been unsettling for the club. Having two days of talks at another club hardly gives his out of contract (or indeed his in contract) players a message of loyalty to them or the club just as we launch into the January transfer window. Togetherness has been the watchword this year and we need to maintain that if we are going to achieve what our current league position and place in the cups suggests we just might. By talking to Barnsley over two days, Terry gave a message to his players that he was seriously thinking of leaving them just when they've come so far. The players in turn can be excused if they also look to pastures new. He should have rejected the approach sooner. To me, the important thing now is that he appears to have undone the damage by committing himself to the end of his contract which means that not only will he be here to the end of this season but to the end of next season as well. That commitment should be enough to persuade players to sign on for next season to continue the journey. Let's hope that some contracts will be signed in the next few days.