DoofersDad

England were well and truly Schoen up and Schaafted last night. Of course, you don't need to go to Barcelona, Amsterdam or Germany. You just need to watch Wales's next opponents.

I hadn't realised John Hughes had taken a role with England to advise on tactics. But well done Iceland. They were superb and actually looked more likely to score a 3rd than England did a second.

There is! Just click on "Home" in the Forum menu bar and all the different categories will be displayed. You can then give your views on the referendum result! (That's not in the General Nonsense section by the way although some of the comments probably should be.)

Very good. I set myself up for that one!

I believe that France, Germany, Italy, Spain and England are now all in the same half of the draw. There is no team in the other half of the draw that has ever won a major tournament so there is a real chance of a surprise team going all the way. It's turning into a great tournament - just a great shame that Scotland aren't part of it as well.

And well done to the Replublic as well. I know it was a weakened Italian side but it was still a superb performance which deserved more than a one goal margin of victory. And we now have the mouthwatering prospect of Wales v Northern Ireland in the last 16 for which the Welsh should be favourites. What odds OFW in a penalty shoot out in the final!

It's sounding a bit like the central belt based media on here with attention focussed on matches involving the two big Glasgow clubs. Whatever happened to our entirely justified outrage that The Rangers should be in the Premiership at all following the failure of the authorities to deal appropriately with matters following the liquidation of Rangers? And whilst we have to realistic and accept that we can't change things and games with The Rangers will actually be in our financial interests, that does not mean we should forget what happened. We will not be playing Rangers this coming season - we will be playing "The Rangers".

He's obviously been brushing up on his opponents and filling in his squad on how to approach things. They may be undefeated but if they are to get through they will need to give Austria a good pasting.

I was interested to read Duncan Shearer being quoted in "The Inverness Courier" yesterday as saying "I think in the past couple of years, the development side has been lost somewhere along the way." The sale of Christie and the contribution Polworth made to the side last season clearly demonstrates how integral youth development needs to be in the management of the club. I sense with Foran's appointment, appropriate prioritisation will be given to developing the youngsters.

That's a shame. He was the one Hughes signing who looked as if he could be a real find. There was clearly some real quality about him although he spent most of his time with us injured. He might have been a bit too much of a risk. It would be interesting to know if he was offered a new contract.

Whilst he didn't impress whilst here, to be fair to the lad, I don't think he was ever given the opportunity to impress. He was badged as a midfielder but was usually pushed up front as a sub because of his height, then, when he did get on the park he didn't see a lot of the ball because he was playing under a manager who was far more concerned about playing to a system rather than adapting systems to play to the players' strengths. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he does a decent job for Barrow.

Well done Wales and well done the Welsh fans. As an Englishman, I am yet again hugely embarrassed by the behaviour of a significant number of imbeciles who claim to be English "fans". They are not fans but mindless idiots who shame their country and shame their team. I really feel for the players who can't but be affected by what is going on off the field. Such behaviour is a disgrace at any time, but this year, the French police are fully occupied in trying to keep everyone safe from the terrorist threats following earlier ISIS outrages. They should not have to be dealing with the scum of one of their closest neighbours and allies. If these idiots want to fight then perhaps the authorities should round them all up, drop them off somewhere in Syria and take back some deserving refugees in their place. Hopefully the young English team will restore a little bit of English pride later tonight, but to be honest, the sight of those odious thugs has largely drained me of the anticipation I had for watching England in this tournament.

It is certainly an interesting concept and I am sure it will be interesting to see how the U20s fare against lower level senior teams and also how the top Welsh and Irish clubs fare against the likes of Hibs, Dundee Utd and Falkirk. But whilst it is an interesting concept, I have my reservations about whether it will work in practice. Most of the Div 1 and 2 clubs have very tight budgets and are unlikely to be too enthusiastic about having to go to Wales or Northern Ireland for a match. Nor will they be too chuffed at the prospect of being embarrassed by one of the U20 outfits. I think it is worth giving it a go but the real test will be what the impact of this is on the budget of the clubs taking part. I rather fear that the impact will mean this format will be a one-off.

He sounds like just the sort of player that should suit us. He has scored a good few in a poor team but sounds like the sort of player who will do better with better players around him by benefiting from the more accurate passing of players who can spot his movement. He could be a bit like Billy Mckay, but we would do well to remember that it took Billy a good while before he scored with any regularity.

Just because Wigan have said he's returning for pre-season doesn't mean they won't be open to offers for Billy. They might also be happy for him to be out on loan again - although not to a Scottish Championship side I would imagine.

You mean you want him to be manager of Norwich? Hands off!

We may think, and with some justification, that Hibs would be mad to appoint Hughes as their manager again, but he has been installed as the bookies' favourite. He simply cannot be the bookies favourite based on his managerial record. Were he to get the post then I for one would be smelling a rat.

The statement of 24th May specifically referred to his "departure". You can be assured that Hughes has tippy-tappy-toed his way out of the door.

Hibs would be mad to look at Hughes. They will now be desperate to get back into the top flight and need a manager who adapts the tactics to the strengths of his players. They also need a manager with a proven track record of using available cash wisely. What they do not need is a manager who wants to completely reshape the way the team plays in order to satisfy some romantic image of the way the game is played.

I think the appointment and the Chairman's excellent statement sum up what this club is all about. Richie 's lack of experience is a concern but he will have learnt an awful lot over the last few years from both Butcher and Hughes and will now have the full support from the players, the Board and others at the club. I am sure this will be a popular choice with the fans as well but I only hope people don't set their expectations too high. He'll be on a steep learning curve and will be working on a tight budget. If we can stay in the top flight whilst playing rather more entertaining football than last year. I'll be happy.

Oh Danny boy, the Caley fans are calling From glen to glen, and from the high Cairngorms The gaffer's gone, and all your mates are staying Tis you, tis you must sign your contract forms.

I do hope Devine's decision to consider other options is not driven by comments from fans on this forum. A small number of folk have been pretty harsh on him. And in defending Raven against the appalling treatment by our ex manager, many folk talked Raven up by talking Devine down. But it's not a question of Raven or Devine - we need them both. For all the difficulties we have had this season, our defensive record has been good and Devine has started more games than any other outfield player. So he really can't have done too bad, can he? Sure, he has made a mistake or two but who hasn't? Personally I would rather see Meekings in the CB role with Warren although to be honest, there's not a lot in it. But regardless of the pecking order, we need defensive cover and what with injuries and suspensions Devine would be assured of a lot of game time next season even if he wasn't the new manager's first choice. He is also a lot younger than both Raven and Warren and could easily develop into a player who would be a first choice CB for many years. I think Devine has a good career in front of him and I would love it to be with ICT.

Another thing about the Chairman is that he listens to the players and values what they say. If Foran gets the job we can be pretty certain that the appointment will have the full support of the players. IMHO the "togetherness" that would bring will more than compensate for Foran's lack of managerial experience.

I would like to see all those 3 signed up for different reasons. Devine has been an important player for us this season and regardless of the Raven issue, we absolutely need cover in defence. Devine is still young and could well mature into a very fine player. Mutombo is a bit of a maverick player. There is no doubt that he can be exciting to watch but sometimes he flatters to deceive. There is certainly potential there and if the new manager can harness his talents more effectively then he could turn out to be a great signing. I haven't seen much of Roberts but he clearly has a lot of quality and is capable of scoring goals out of the top drawer. I would like to see him given a chance. I'm not convinced he is really suited to the Hughes style of play but I do think he can fit in with well with a style which better suits the players we currently have signed. He could well be Yogi's stand out signing.

I think the point is that the statement explicitly said that pre-contract agreements with "at least 2 incoming players" would be finalised within the "next couple of weeks" - and that was 4 weeks ago. This suggests that negotiations are not going as well as expected. Perhaps better if the Board asked CaleyD to word their statements. Saying contracts are being "worked on" without giving any suggestion of when completion is expected makes it easier for any follow up statement.