DoofersDad

Maybe with Rangers not being in the SPL next season 2 things will happen. 1. Local Rangers fans deprived of Premier league action will go along and support ICT when they play Celtic. And who knows, even when they aren't! 2. The occasional supporters who might go to watch one or other of the old firm will have no choice this year. If they want to watch ICT play a big team they only have Celtic. In addition, if we are playing a more attractive brand of football and having a bit of success we may have an increase in gates next season. No doubt I'm clutching at straws here but we just might fill both the North and Main stand when Celtic come calling. We certainly should be able to. Why can't football fans be like rugby fans and then we wouldn't need segregation and this debate would be irrelevant.

But when exactly did doubles become a game for players who aren't good enough to play singles? I remember when all the top players used to do doubles too, and would even win their singles title and then play the doubles final the same afternoon. Those were the days. And no tie-breaks either! The game has changed though and the old serve and volley game is no longer a viable tactic - even on grass. We now get the cat and mouse rallies from the back of the court which can be entertaining but it does make the game longer and more demanding of the players. The top players simply have not got the physical reserves for lengthy matches in both singles and in doubles. But a title is a title. Personally I prefer wathching the doubles and no doubt there are some players who prefer playing doubles to singles. It is not necessarily that they are not good enough to play singles, it is just that different qualities are required.

Yes, I was going to point that omission out to you but you beat me to it.

Well, we've already had an English player winning the men's doubles at wimbledon today and becoming the first Brit to win a mens doubles title for 76 years so hopefully Andy can follow suit tomorrow and get the Scots into the record books. Jonathan Marray's achievement is actually quite remarkable. He got a wildcard entry and has had 4 five set matches and has beaten 4 of the top 9 seeds in order to win the title. I've a good feeling about tomorrow. As Ronaldo says, Murray can beat Federer and has a pretty good record against him. There will be a lot of pressure on Federer as winning the title will mean he equals the record of the most ever wimbledon men's singles titles. However, whatever happens tomorrow, my nomination of sporting achiement of the week goes to the New Zealeander Bob Charles, the left handed golfer who yesterday fired a 66 in a European Senior Tour event. Charles is now 76 years old and therefore shot a round 10 less than his age! This beat the previous record for a tour round (which he held) by an incredible 5 shots. It's quite unbelievable. As I approach retirement I am happy if I shoot 9 holes in less than my age. Good on you, Bob. Whatever it is you're on, will you send me some?

I signed a one year contract in Inverness in 1975 and was looking forward to my stay. I'm still here.

Thanks for the correction. Sounds a bit unfair but if that is the way it is then it at least removes an obstacle to Newco going into division 3.

It might be reasonable to assume that in accepting Newco's application, the SFL will, at the same time, decide where they will place them. If, by that time, there is a vacancy in division 1 they may simply place them there and bow to the pressure of the SFA and the TV companies. It does not need Newco actually to apply for division 1. Of course, a further complication is that if Newco are placed in division 3, who then fills the vacancy created by either Dundee or Dunfermline moving to the SPL and then who goes from Div 3 to 2? It is not as simple as saying that the teams which lost the play off finals move up, because who is to say that the team the promoted club beat in the first round of matches would not also have beaten the runners up. They really haven't got long to sort this out and without doubt, sticking Newco in the first devision is the easy option and is what the big players in this want to happen. I think it is far from certain that Newco will be in division 3 next season. More than ever, it needs supporters to pressure their clubs to ensure that a Newco placement into Division 1 does not happen but instead to have them placed in the bottom tier.

It is certainly a very interesting statement both in what it says and what it doesn't say. It is well worth reading. There is a lot of information clearly set out about the way the TV deals would work out in various scenarios. Stenhousemuir conclude they will stand to lose £50k if Newco go into division 3 but significantly less than that if they go into division 1. Indeed they suggest they may actually be better off because this would involve a TV deal if Newco are in division 1 but not if they are in division 3. That makes sense but what I find extraordinary is that the statement makes no reference to the increased revenue the club will get from playing Newco 4 times in the season in division 3. Their share of the receipts at Ibrox will be considerable and clearly the crowd for the 2 home games will be massively boosted due to the away support taking all their allocation plus a lot of local interest in the fixture. Some additional overheads will go with this but surely the net result of all this would more than compensate for the loss of £50k TV revenue. I smell a rat. What will really threaten teams like Stenhousemuir is for the league structure to be opened up to create a pyramid structure as in England. This would be good for Scottish football as it has been in England because there are good junior sides who are, without doubt, better than many of the perenial under-achievers of the 3rd division. Perhaps the deal here is that if if Newco's bid for Division 1 is supported, there will be no radical overhaul of the Scottish game. After all, if Newco are in Division 1 this season, they are likely to be in the SPL next season - the OF will be reunited and the TV companies will be happy. And isn't that what is important here?

I note Stewart Regan is an anagram of "e Rangers tw*t".

Maybe other businesses will do better as they will get trade from all the people who stay out of town when Rangers fans come in to town.

Doncaster is not the only one who doesn't get it. In his statement, Green said he was disappointed that their application to "rejoin" the SPL had been rejected. Rangers Newco have never been in the SPL (or any other for that matter) and therefore it was simply not possible to rejoin. His statement should have said that he was disappointed the SPL chairmen had put footballing integrity first and had rejected his club's application to join a league they have absolutely no right to be a part of. Mr Green, I'm available to write your press statements if you wish - and seeing as its you, I'll waive my usual fee.

First Whyte, then Green then Brown and now Black. What a sorry picture this paints.

It's the bus fares to the Highlands that cripples them.

If he had an ounce of integrety, Doncaster would have resigned ages ago. If those who employ him had any concept of what is important in Scottish football they would have sacked him ages ago. Their contempt for the fans and for the clubs who are now expressing views reflecting the fans' anger is quite outrageous. Mr Doncaster, your actions suggest you are probably a great admirer of Bob Diamond, so may I suggest you follow his fine example and resign with immediate effect?

I enjoyed your post as I'm sure many others did. The thing about satire and, indeed, any form of humour, is that some will get it and some won't. If people miss the humour, so be it - having to explain it always dilutes the humour. It can be frustrating when indignant responses follow on from a comment that was not meant to be taken seriously but it can also be quite funny to see how folk tend to completely miss the humerous intent when the subject is something they feel very strongly about. Keep the satire coming!

I'm looking forward to the Queen's Park / Rangers derby. Will it played at Loftus Road?

Ah! Now I understand why he let Munro and Tokely go.

Sounds like a really good performance from our youngsters. Well done lads!

Ross Tokely proudly displays the scarf he will be wearing whilst sitting on the bench this coming season.

Now that's what I call a team. They are all good in their own right but it is the way they work for each other and have an awareness of where their team mates are that is so impressive. This is not just about the creativity upfront which is so exciting, it is the closing down in midfield and covering at the back which means that opponents get so few chances at goal. It is obviously a wonderful achievement to have won the last 3 major championships but the remarkable thing is the defensive record behind that record. They have now gone over 1,000 minutes of football in the knockout stages of a major championship since conceding a goal - Zidane in 2006. It is that sort of defensive record that gives the attacking players the confidence to express themselves and which piles the pressure of the opponents. Good though that record is, it does, of course, pale beside Scotland's record of never having conceded a goal at all in the knock out stages of a major championship.

I like your optimism. There's a lot of "ifs" in this but whilst I would like to see more signings of proven quality I appreciate that the club is not exactly flush with funds to attract that sort of player. The club has unearthed some gems from lower levels of English football before and there is no reason to believe that there wont be some real talent emerging from this season's signings. Last year we were unlucky with injuries and certainly in the first half of the season we were also unlucky with some of the refereing decisions which went against us. If things go as well for us this season as they went badly last season then there is no reason why we can't do well with the team that is now emerging. Young players like Sutherland, Ross and MacKay hardly set the heather on fire last season but they are all talented youngsters who are capable of doing well if they can overcome the lack of confidence that dogged the side last year. For me, the key is not who we have in the side, it is what the tactics are. If Terry can clock that Shane is not a winger and Billy is not 6' 3" then we should be OK.

But does that not mean Newco starting in the Southern League or Highland League or equivalents to get the required three years of audited accounts etc that every other team which applies to join the SFL is required to have...or alternatively, buying a Club in one of the other divisions and taking their place as Airdrie United did? Every other brand new team takes a minimum three years, unless they go the alternative route, to even get to the application stage, so Newco should be looking at a minimum of five years in the wilderness before hitting SFL1....which should be plenty of time to ensure that by then, Scottish Football has sorted itself out...and stopped running the whole of Scottish football for the benefit of two teams and the flaming TV.. You may well be right. I don't know enough about the rules to say whether they have actually have any right to apply for the SFL in the first place. All I am saying is that if they do then it has to be division 3 or not at all.

It's not a question of punishment. This is a new club - it is the old club and those who are responsible for all the wrong doing who need to be punished. The point is simply that a new club should enter an established league system at the bottom and work its way up. If they are good enough they will get into division 1 in 2 years time. If they are not good enough a club that is good enough will move into division 1 instead. Meanwhile it would be quite wrong to deny a place in the the first division to a team that is good enough, who play by the rules and who therefore have earnt that place. It is exactly the same argument as that which says they have no right to be in the SPL.

I think it is healthy to have a debate about these things and air views when we are unhappy about the strategy that is being followed on and off the park. We may have very differing and strongly held views on these issues but the bottom line is that wherever the players come from and how long their contracts are for, they are playing for our team and we should join together and welcome them to the club and support them on the park. If we, the fans, can't support the club, why on earth should any of the players be expected to play for the shirt and extend their contracts if they get better offers elsewhere the following year. And if we don't give support to the players we have, we can be pretty certain the club will not be able to afford better players next year.

Been away for a few days so this is my first chance to say a heartfelt "well done" to Kenny Cameron and the Board for taking the right decision and putting the integrety of the game before short term financial considerations. I was just delighted to hear the news. But next season will not be easy. The club cannot afford to pay the sort of wages to attract and keep the sort of players we would like to see playing at the TCS so if we want to see the club progress we need to get behind the club and keep supporting the team through thick and thin. There have already been several excellent posts pledging support but we need folk to come through the turnstiles week in and week out and we need those who spent most of last season knocking the club to get behind the team and give them encouragement. The club has given its support to the fans. Now it is time for us to get behind the club and give it our support through the coming season.