DoofersDad

He hasn't looked great but I wonder how much that has to do with the tangible lack of confidence and trust in each other in the back line. I didn't have great expectations for Chalmers but I was expecting more from Elsdon. He is still a young lad but has done well in the youth set up at Middlesborough and has caps for England at U17 level. His poor performances can't be down simply to being rubbish, rather it seems to be that he simply doesn't seem to know where he is expected to be at anyone time. He looks as though he is someone used to playing in a well drilled and cohesive set up who is now being thrown into a situation where there is little organisation or leadership. If it is true that OFW may now be available for selection, then I think the defence would all benefit from that and as the unit begins to develop a bit more confidence and trust, Chalmers may not look quite so bad. Mind you, with Tremarco back, Chalmers is unlikely to feature much in any case.

Some of OFW's poorer performances last season were when he was carrying injuries and probably shouldn't have been playing. Whilst he is undoubtedly a better keeper than Ridgers, he lacks a commanding presence in the box and our central defence is in desperate need of that. But with OFW back between the sticks I would expect the defence in general to be a bit more solid.

You may have also noticed that qualifiers for the Women's World Cup have started so expect even more hype. But to be fair, some level of hype is justified as the England Women's team is pretty good just now. Their first match against Russia was live on BBC2 last night and it really was a very entertaining game to watch. Robbo could do worse than sit his squad down to watch a video of the game. The score was 6-0 but it could easily have been double figures. They had 32 attempts on goal. The English women played with a real purpose and showed a great awareness of their team mates. There was a real connection between players in playing balls into the spaces. There was also great awareness of when shooting opportunities and a decisiveness in getting shots away. In short, going forward and decision making in the box was everything that it isn't with us at the moment. It really was refreshing to watch. If they continue to play like that, expect a lot more hype!

Rather than kicking on, Mulraney seems to have gone backwards. When he first came here, Foran was clearly very excited that he had signed a young, attack minded player who was going to be a bit special. Early signs seemed to justify that and he would beat defenders all ends up and leave them in his wake. Sure there was a lack of end product and some rough edges but I think we all shared in the optimism and he got voted as POTM on more than one occasion I think. His decent performances then might have been a reflection of his confidence then - a confidence which will have totally evaporated now. I doubt that his failure to kick on is due to poor coaching because you don't need to be a coach to see what he does wrong. I think he's so busy looking at the ball at his feet that he never clocks what's going on around him. If you are the sort of player that can pull defenders out of position (which he is) then you create space for team mates to run into. But he doesn't see that. His decision making is very poor.. I'm sure there is an attitude problem too but the main issue might be that he simply doesn't have a footballing brain.

Last year Mulraney had 13 starts and came on a a sub 19 times. This year it is 3 starts and on as a sub 5 times. That is 40 games he has been a part of and he has yet to score a goal and yet to make an assist. It's up to him to make an impact when he is given a chance. He has been lucky that he has had so many chances to impress but unfortunately he continues to flatter to deceive. It really is time for someone else to get a chance.

I perhaps should have clarified that I meant Clach serve no useful purpose to ICT. It is really rather self evident that Clach serve a purpose for those who choose to support them! But when people resist change because of their loyalties to the status quo, they tend to forget that what they are remaining loyal to only came into being in the first place because others were willing to embrace change and create something new. No doubt there were those opposed to Clach being formed all those years ago who felt people should continue to do what folk had done for generations past.

I wasn't at the game on Saturday but am surprised to hear Robbo aiming the public criticism at Oakley and Mulraney equally. From what I've seen of him in other games he seems to have put a decent shift in. Criticism of Mulraney is fair game though. Clearly the lad has pace and great ball skills but he doesn't get any end result out of anything good he does. He's had over a season to prove he can cut it and must be close to the manager saying enough is enough. For all his skills, he seems to lack both the motivation and a footballing brain. At the Q&A session earlier in the year Robbo referred to some of the youngsters and said that if they are good enough they are old enough. Time to give youth a chance I think rather than keep hoping against hope that Mulraney will come good.

Inverness FC would have been good. Personally, I can't see that having a Highland League team in Inverness as well as ICT serves any useful purpose. All it does is reduce our gates and income a little bit more making success that little bit harder to achieve.

I started to support ICT because I was living in Inverness when they were formed and bought into the club believing this was the best way to bring a better standard of football to the town. Having bought into the club and supported them since then, I will always support them through thick and thin. I must say I get a bit hacked off with those who seem to think that because we have had the success we have, we now have some divine right to remain in the top echelons of Scottish football. We don't. We are a small club with a small core fan base and no rich benefactor to buy success. Without going into my views for the reasons for our rapid fall from grace, the fact is that we are where we are and we are probably in a more precarious position than many folk seem to realise. As a result of poor management over the past 2 seasons, our financial position puts us at serious risk of a second relegation. Immediate promotion is not and never was on the cards. But we will only get stronger again if people continue to support the club and support the team on match days. We get success because core fans support the club through the good times and the bad. If we are realistic about our place in the grand scheme of things then that makes success all the sweeter when it comes.

It seems as though I'm the only one who found this afternoon to be thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable. But then I was at my Grandson's first Birthday party. I wasn't the only one not there though. The falling attendances are a real worry and they won't improve until there is a major improvement on the park.

Of course it would be stupid to treat swearing the same as letting off flares or committing criminal damage. I'm not suggesting for a moment that the club actually would treat them the same, but the point is that the club statement suggests they would. The statement needs to be judged on what it actually says and not on what you assume they mean.

Just to elaborate on my earlier post. let's have a look at a couple of sections from the club's statement. 1. "The Club is also aware of a group of supporters who operate under the name of the “Ultras”. They are a particularly vocal group of supporters, something that we have no concerns with, providing, going forward, they temper their language, cease setting off smoke bombs and cease causing damage at home and away grounds." It is clear from this that the club is putting bad language in the same bracket as the criminal activities of letting of smoke bombs and causing criminal damage. If folk are being banned for the latter two, the implication is that unless the youngsters "temper their language" they could be banned for that. So what are the club doing about the foul and abusive language from older supporters? And what are they doing about the swearing from players on the park? The 2nd point from this section of the statement is "They are a particularly vocal group of supporters, something that we have no concerns with". What miserable wording! The club should be celebrating the fact that these lads give vocal support. It should be encouraging them to continue to do so. Instead, it comes across that this great vocal support which most of us love to hear is something the club simply tolerates. The 3rd point is that "cease setting off smoke bombs and cease causing damage at home and away grounds." almost implies that all the lads in the group are guilty of letting off smoke bombs and causing damage. They can't "cease" something that they have not been doing. They are all being tarred with the same brush. 2. "Unacceptable conduct is conduct which is deemed violent or disorderly. Violent Conduct includes any actual, attempted or threatened physical violence against any person or intentional damage to property." Well, I think we are all clear what "violent" conduct means but "disorderly" conduct could mean different things to different people. What might be simple youthful exuberance to someone could be considered disorderly behaviour to someone else. There is a need to elaborate on what they mean by "disorderly" and the club has chickened out of doing so. The worry here is that in the event of a complaint, "disorderly" may mean whatever it is convenient to the Board to mean. Of course the club was right to ban those identified engaging in criminal activity. And of course the club was right to issue a statement. Unfortunately the statement is hugely unhelpful in moving forward. It is particularly disappointing that such a naff statement should come so soon after there were promising signs that the Board was wanting to engage constructively with supporters.

No. It's a bad sign. The faffing about at the back in the Hughes era was tactical faffing about. It was part of his master plan to keep possession regardless of which direction the ball travelled in. The current faffing about is because defenders are making mistakes.

Apologies if I'm being thick, but the Board makes a number of points. Just which point are we supposed to have misunderstood?

It's a green dot from me PF. I don't know why others are taking issue with this post. This is a perfectly reasonable point to make and earlier in this discussion I also made the point that one can't be too hard on the youngsters when they get set such a bad example from the foul language of people very much older than they are. The club can't have it both ways. It can't tell the youngsters that unless they moderate their language they will be banned, and then completely ignore the foul mouthed abuse that some of our older supporters dish out. Whilst I certainly support the banning of those letting off smoke bombs and causing criminal damage, I don't think the statement is very clever in it's general tone. There really needs to be more words of encouragement to what I am sure is the vast majority of youngsters who go to games to support the team and have a bit of fun and who, from time to time, may overstep the boundaries when egged on by the small minority who want to cause trouble for some reason. It reads like a statement written by someone who has never done anything naughtier than running through a field of wheat. These lads need to be told their vocal support is greatly valued by the club but for the sake of the club and for their own sakes, that enthusiastic vocal support must be kept within the boundaries of the law. To me, the statement read as though those youngsters who have not been banned will be tolerated and a close eye will be kept on them. Hopefully the youngsters will have enough sense to appreciate that they come along to support the team and not the Board.

Great draw for us but really intriguing ones for Elgin and Cove.

Well, who would have thought it. A Hampden crowd cheering an England goal and Scotland, whilst beating Malta slipping down a place in the table. But still, the key thing is that with Slovakia losing, Scotland's fate is in their own hands - win their remaining games and they make the play offs. Scotland's match next month against Slovakia should be an absolute cracker

The only ranting seems to be coming from the likes of you complaining about the fact that those associated with the club are taking some actions against a handful of idiots whose behaviour damages the club. What Fraz is saying seems to be very much the same as me and others. The overwhelming reaction form older fans is simply one of sadness that the actions of a small number of idiots is harming the reputation of a lot of decent young folk who have been giving great support to the club. Of course the youth are the club's future! That is why it is important that actions are taken which mean they can continue to give enthusiastic support to the club without getting sidetracked into behaviour which which both damages the club and which might have serious implications for the youngsters themselves on a personal level. I don't know what your agenda is but the fact is that any suggestion that anyone in the club is trying to alienate the youth could not be further from the the truth.

It doesn't sound as though you have taken anything on board at all. You say "some of which they know fine well didn't do any damage." but my post was all about the fact that this is not just about the damage. It is about behaviour in general and the absolute need for the bus driver not to be distracted. I acknowledge that you have not defended the actions of anyone on the bus and I assume from that that you at least acknowledge some folk behaved inappropriately. What you seem unable to appreciate is the seriousness of this. I am sure you accept that sanctions must be taken against anyone causing malicious damage but the more pertinent issue here is what actions should be taken against those whose behaviour was not in any way malicious but which, nevertheless, was inappropriate and inadvertently put people at risk. My knowledge of events is only what I've read, but whatever the truth of what went on is, the key consideration here must be to ensure that this kind of thing does not happen again. It is clear that there are some at least for whom a ban is completely justified. It may be that there are several youngsters who got sucked into the bad behaviour by peer pressure and perhaps against their better judgement. It would be a great shame if they got banned when a talking to and getting them to appreciate the potential consequences of such behaviour might well do the trick. But then again, some of these lads may well have been warned before for all I know. What I do know is that the actions of the club and the Travel Club will be aimed at ensuring that safe travel is available for people who wish to support the team. If some innocent lads are being unfairly banned then the fault for that lies squarely with the morons who caused the trouble in the first place. The club tries to provide a service which offers as cheap and convenient transport to games as possible. Remember, people give up their own time to organise this on a voluntary basis for the benefit of others. If you want to use the service, you abide by the rules. That's the deal. And please don't spout that cr*p about the club losing a group of fans for good. If the club has lost a small handful of morons then good riddance to them. The genuine fans amongst the youngsters will keep coming to the games - because that is what fans do.

But it's not just about the damage. I don't know what the Travel club have decided or why, but there are general points which apply in any situation like this. The driver is responsible for the safety of everyone on board and for other road users. If the driver is briefly distracted then disaster can result. One only has to think of the tragedy down South recently when 13 people died in a minibus crash when it appeared that the driver did not realise soon enough that the lorry in the motorway lane in front of him was actually stationary. I personally had a narrow escape a few years back when stationary at traffic lights on the A9 Spey Bridge at Kingussie. The driver of a coach behind did not realise the traffic was stopped until too late. The driver slammed on his brakes whilst I looked in my mirror with increasing concern / horror about whether the coach was going to stop in time. As it happened, the last of the traffic going in the other direction had passed and the driver was able to move into the other lane and finally stopped level with me. It was a very scary incident with my life literally in the coach driver's hands. Whether people are guilty of damaging the bus or not , over exuberant behaviour, even when good natured can be distracting for the driver and puts people at risk. Most people understand that, but it seems that some of the youngsters have yet to grasp that simple truth. D&E may not have banned anyone but they may well have told the Travel Club that they will not be hiring out buses to us if there is any repetition of that behaviour. As for the mess: if I gave someone a lift and they left empty cans and bottles and chip papers (and probably a few chips) strewn around my vehicle, you can be pretty sure I wouldn't be giving them a lift again. I don't see why D&E should be expected to tolerate such ignorant and disrespectful behaviour The more mature and sensible lads amongst our young support will appreciate that the club and the travel club have absolutely no option but to take firm action here. I fully accept that some lads who are generally innocent of the bad behaviour may be affected by this, but the only people who are responsible for that are the the moronic ring leaders of the trouble. It is to them they should direct their grievances. Of course, if 30 are being banned from travelling with the Travel Club, that should be enough to hire their own bus and take the responsibility for that. They just might see things differently then. What a shame that the great job many of the youngsters are doing in providing enthusiastic vocal support for the team should be ruined by a small number of d*ckheads. Get rid of these morons lads, and get back to doing what you do so well.

It's not that bad. From Scotland's perspective it makes no difference if Slovakia win or draw. A draw would be fine for Scotland so you don't have to hope for an England win. In fact, a draw would be the best result for Scotland as it also opens up the possibility of catching England and actually winning the group. Given the way England laboured against Malta on Friday, a boring draw is maybe the most likely result.

France were held to a draw at home tonight by Luxembourg. Just goes to show that the unexpected can happen. Provided Slovakia don't beat England then Scotland's fate is in their own hands. Their game against Slovakia in October would be a massive game, but win that and they should reach the play offs. Kenny apart, is there genuinely so little enthusiasm amongst Scots for these qualifiers or is that you simply can't admit there is a game of football you don't want the English to lose?

Come January, Carl may think that if he wants to play Premiership football next season, the better option would be to stay where he is. On the other hand, my head tells me that's about as likely as Kim Jong-Un being awarded the Nobel Peace prize this year. If given the opportunity to move OTB I am sure he would jump at the opportunity to join his mate Draper. They were, after all, together at Macclesfield before coming here just a year apart.

A convincing win for Scotland tonight. So often, Scotland have nearly reached a major championship finals but in the end have narrowly missed out. I wonder if this time, after having been written off by just about everybody, they will pull off a surprise and make it through? It seems that Strachan has finally understood that having Celtic players as the core of the squad has the advantage that they know each others game and that this makes the whole team a more cohesive unit. However, even with 7 points from their last two games Scotland would almost certainly finish 3rd and therefore they have to beat Slovakia at Hampden in October. They really should beat both Malta and Slovenia, so beating Slovakia as well would give them 20 points. With 20 points Scotland could theoretically win the group but that would require a highly unlikely sequence of events. 20 points would almost certainly be good enough for the play offs should they finish second, but 20 points might well see them finish 3rd. Assuming Slovakia beat Malta and lose to Scotland then Slovakia would need to beat England on Monday to finish ahead of Scotland. That would give them 21 points. Two wins or a win and a draw against Slovenia and Lithuania would also put England over the 20 point mark.. But a win and a loss in their last 2 games would leave England level with Scotland on the 20 point mark. Should Slovakia draw against England then they would end on 19 points - one behind Scotland. This would put England on 18 points so a win against either Lithuania or Slovenia would see them topping the group. The key game is therefore on Monday when England host Slovakia. If Slovakia fail to win then Scotland's fate will be in their own hands. A win for England would put them already on 20 points with a vastly superior goal difference to Scotland. A draw would therefore give Scotland an outside chance of winning the group in the event of England then slipping up against Slovenia and Lithuania. The fact that Scotland could finish equal 1st or 2nd with England means that goal difference is decisive. Scotland should therefore be looking to score as many as possible against Malta on Monday whilst hoping Slovakia don't beat England If Slovakia fail to beat England, and Scotland beat Slovakia next month, then Scotland should reach the playoffs. Monday should therefore be one off those rare occasions when Scots don't want England to lose!

Dougal is right when he says people have been warned time and time again. Previous incidents have led to this kind of discussion on numerous occasions. In all those discussions I cannot recall a single person ever suggesting our supporters should "sit quietly". Time after time, old "fuddy duddies" like me make a point of saying we love the atmosphere the lads create. If there wasn't a rogue element amongst them, I have no doubt that more youngsters would join in and the atmosphere would progressively improve. And the more people who join in the vocal support, the more likely others are to join in. Some of these youngsters don't seem to grasp the fact that engaging in the type of behaviour which occurred on Saturday could result in them getting a criminal record. That could then have serious implications for them when they start looking for a job. The club and us "fuddy duddies" don't want decent lads getting sucked into wrong kinds of behaviour with all the implications it may have for them. That is why the club's firm line is to be applauded. Nobody here is against the young crew. We are very much for them which is why they have been warned time and time again of the consequences of their behaviour. Stewarding may be heavy handed from time to time but you can hardly complain about stewards and police evicting people from the ground when a criminal act has taken place. And time and time again, when stewarding has genuinely been heavy handed, the "fuddy duddies" come to the defence of the youngsters and in some cases have personally intervened. It is rather sad to see that utterly pathetic statement which was posted above. If any of the lads involved in that group are genuine fans of the club they will not associate themselves with that statement. Genuine fans of this club will come and support it. Genuine fans who give great vocal support to the team will always be welcomed by the club and their fellow fans of all ages. It is only the tiny number of Idiots who break the law, who put their so called mates at risk of legal sanctions and who damage the reputation of our club who are not welcome. Instead of playing the victim, it is high time that the majority of decent lads stood up to the idiots and stood up for the club.