DoofersDad

It goes a lot further than that. It gives the named person responsibility for the well-being of the child rather than being someone who is simply identified as a contact the child or parent may wish to turn to for help and advice. Whilst the intention may be honorable and the concept may or may not have merit, the problem here is that the draft legislation is just unbelievably incompetent. There is serious lack of clarity around what is expected of the named person, what powers they would have and where accountability lies when things go wrong etc. It is envisaged that typically the named person might be a teacher or a health visitor but organisations representing both the staff and managers of these professional groups have major concerns as to how staff would find time to add these responsibilities into their already stretched workloads. Even bodies supportive of the concept in principle are appalled at the ineptness of the draft proposals. The Scottish Government is currently considering the responses to the consultation and hopefully will recognise that it needs to go back to square one in identifying better ways of protecting the well-being of vulnerable children. It is unfortunate that the media tends to focus on the self righteous utterances of the SNP MPs in opposition at Westminster, when rather more attention should be given to the increasingly incompetent performance of the SNP in Government at Holyrood.

Maybe there are secret merger talks going on!

I have no anti-Hughes agenda. Of course he had a significant contribution to the success of last season, but what I am saying is that there were a range of factors in his favour which should be taken account of in forming expectations for this year. We all have our opinions but in debating points can we please base our arguments on what others actually said and not on what you may have liked them to said. I'll just respond to a few points. I say he inherited a great squad of players and you say "His signings are no more or less successful than his predecessors". Could you please tell me who all these players are that he signed and who were such an integral part of our success last year? You state "you are willing to categorise recent signings as a "mixed bag". I'll wait." What I said was "Signings made to date look a bit of a mixed bag on first impressions, but time will tell." So I'm doing what you are doing - and waiting. "Time will tell". Then you ask "You quote 52% possession averages as being "hardly what you would expect" Can you tell me where that figure lies in relation to all other clubs in the league?" Well the average for the league is obviously 50%! A meager 2% above that does not really sound like a top 3 team basing its game on possession of the football does it? You continue with "but I'm sure that you will agree that the difference that you identify between 1.36 and 1.67 goals per game, averaged over a season, is statistically insignificant." Well, no! I won't agree. That's nearly 20% fewer goals! Fans come to see goals so I hope it is not 20% fewer fans also. That would be very significant indeed. You then say "And please, Rangers making the league stronger? Did you see them last year? They were nothing more than a tired old orthodoxy struggling vainly for any kind of relevance in a game that has passed them by." But The Rangers are not going to be in the top flight this season! What I am saying is that the league last year was weaker than previously when Rangers, Hibs and Hearts were all there. I am also saying that I believe the league will be a little stronger this season than last. But yes, Rangers were rubbish last year although you will recall they still managed to knock us out of the League cup because of our negative approach to the game. Finally you say "I'll await this season in expectation, hope and a genuine belief that we can replicate the league achievements of last year. And I'll give Hughes the credit he deserves if it happens." Whilst I don't share your belief that we can replicate last season's top 3 finish, I agree with the rest. If we do have a top 3 finish the humble pie will be taken out of the freezer. I trust that if we don't make top six you will be humble enough to revise your opinion of just how far forward Hughes has taken the club.

After the euphoria of a top 3 finsh, qualification for Europe and winning the cup, I'm glad to see some some sensible expectations here. PerfICT and RiG sum things up pretty well but I think we are more likely to feature at the bottom end of the table than the top. With the success last season many people confessed to eating humble pie regarding Yogi. I have to confess that my humble pie is still firmly in place at the back of the freezer and I remain unconvinced. Of course last year's success was brilliant but I think it is unfortunate that so much of the credit is directed at Hughes. I think our success last year flattered us in relation the general level of performance but nevertheless was rich reward for the club as a whole - to the Board who have managed the finances of the club responsibly over the years and to the backroom staff and volunteers who have done so much to make the steady rise of the club possible. Hughes just happened to be in the right place at the right time and was lucky. He was lucky for a number of reasons. He inherited the best squad of players this club has ever had. It is this squad he has used during his more than one and half seasons here and it afforded him huge stability for his first full season. We were remarkably injury free last season. True Foran was absent throughout, but with the rest of the squad fit he would have been struggling to feature in the starting line up. The season saw the emergence of Ryan Christie from the youth ranks. He became increasingly influential and his value to the team is reflected in the number of bigger clubs keeping tabs on him. The league was the weakest for years. There was no Rangers, Hibs or Hearts. Motherwell and Kilmarnock were significantly poorer than usual and Dundee Utd hit the self destruct button half way through the season. And if truth be told, apart from the semifinal all our ties in the cup were against struggling clubs and we generally struggled to beat them. I'll come back to Celtic later. The record books will show that Hughes has taken us to our highest ever league position and won the cup, but some of the stats behind that paint a bit of a different picture. Looking back over the last 3 seasons and splitting them into the pre-Hughes era and the Hughes era the facts for the 3 league campaigns are these. Points per game: Pre-Hughes 1.61 : 1.49 Hughes Goals scored per game 1.67 : 1.19 Goals conceded per game 1.39 : 1.19 Goal Difference +14 : 0 Given all the positive factors going for us last season, I struggle to see how these figures demonstrate the significant progression of the team that some would have us believe. What is particularly worrying for me is the dramatic drop in the number of goals scored per game (and that was when we actually had a decent striker!) I know we were awful in the 2nd half of the 2013/14 season but last season we only managed 1.36 goals per game compared to 1.67 in the final year and a bit of the Butcher era.. Hughes has radically changed the style of play with an oft repeated emphasis on possession, but are we actually keeping possession? The fact is, our record on that is no too good either. Over the course of the league season last year we averaged only 52%. Hardly the sort of figure you would expect of a team which focuses on possession football and which finishes 3rd in the league. This is why I worry about the coming season. We are focusing on possession even though we are not actually that successful at it and as a result we create very little in the final third and score very few goals. I worry even more following Latapy's departure because I do sense that he was trying to advocate a more positive approach. It is worth saying a quick word about playing Celtic. We do pretty well against them and I think the reason is that they expect to dominate teams and simply try to play through any team at Scottish level. This leaves space behind them which suits a counter attacking style of play. It probably particularly suited Shinnie, Watkins and Mckay who, alas are all gone. We manage to do well against Celtic because when we win possession we are in a position to get behind them. Other teams sit back against us and we try to patiently play a tight passing game through them. Occasionally it works and it can be great to watch but for long periods we get tedious sparring in the middle of the park interspersed by a panicky back pass or two. What I'm saying is that we are at risk of being found out this season. We have lost some key players, the league will be stronger and we may not have the same luck with avoiding injuries this season. This season we will really see what Yogi is made of. Does he have the ability in the transfer market to adequately replace those who have left? Signings made to date look a bit of a mixed bag on first impressions, but time will tell. Will he be able to persuade those he wants to stay to extend their contracts beyond the end of the season? Will he find a way of introducing a bit more creativity into his style of play both to create both more chances and better entertainment value? Unless the answers to those questions are "Yes", then we will struggle this season and gates will fall.

Representing your constituents does not mean blindly voting in the way you think your constituents want. Those in the labour party who have resisted the simplistic rhetoric of the left wing should be applauded for having the courage to act responsibly in relation to welfare spending. It must be clear to everyone that the whole welfare system is a mess and needs reform. It has grown arms and legs and the reason why so many on the political left are up in arms about this is that so many of them have their noses in the trough. It is all about self interest rather than directing welfare funding where it is most needed. Whilst there is much I would disagree with the Tories about, the need to reduce welfare costs by getting people out of welfare and into jobs is surely something every one should support. The exception will presumably be those who are currently on welfare and getting more money than others who are in full time work. The Tories are absolutely right to seek to put an end to the utterly absurd measure of poverty we currently have in this country. Getting rid of that meaningless statistic will allow a focus to be put on those with greatest need. Predictably the SNP are attacking the Tories for wanting rid of the measure. Bear in mind that in a growing economy, if the wealth is shared out pro-rata to current wealth distribution, the measure would still report the same levels of poverty even if everyone had twice as much disposable income. It would do this because it is not a measure of poverty, it is a measure of relative wealth. Knowing the economy is growing, the SNP see the opportunity to bleat to the electorate that despite the UK economy growing, poverty levels in Scotland have not fallen. It is complete nonsense of course, but it is nonsense which can be backed up by an official statistic and which will resonate amongst the electorate. There are people on the right of the Labour party who have come to the understanding that the level of public spending in this country is not sustainable and that therefore welfare budgets need restructuring in order to adequately provide for those with greatest need. Unless those on the left can also accept that basic fact, the Tories will be in power for a long, long time (which is why Salmond is openly supporting Corbyn in the labour leadership contest - not that it should be any of his business, of course!) Meanwhile we can expect the SNP to continue to stir up the left and oppose much needed reform of the welfare system (and they dare to brand themselves as a progressive party!). I'll finish on a prediction. If Scotland becomes independent and if the SNP are the first Government of an independent Scotland, one of the first things they will do is to introduce loads of policy which they are currently opposing. They would have to do that or else the country would go bankrupt (although I'm not sure in which currency it would go bankrupt!)

I don't see a problem. If a player has not received a "better" offer it will be because clubs feel he is not worth the kind of money he is looking for. If a player aspires to play at a level warranting that kind of money then he needs to prove himself. He will only be able to prove himself if he gives 100% to the cause and develops as a player. He might even like it here and decide to stay (if offered an extension)!

I think my gripe would be about the Parliamentary question about contingency plans for a second referendum followed up by Salmond's assertion that a 2nd referendum is inevitable. There should of course be no need for contingency plans because both the then First Minister and the present First Minister stated that the referendum was a once in a generation if not once in a lifetime. No doubt the SNP MP who raised the question raised it because she is well aware that her leaders are completely untrustworthy. Interestingly, one of Salmond's reasons for arguing for a 2nd referendum was the difference in Welfare policy North and South of the border and the impact of the austerity agenda. This really is a bit rich coming from a man who has contributed so much to squeezing public services by freezing the Council Tax - a tax for which increased charges could be afforded by the better off in society and which would benefit the poor and disadvantaged most. All this nonsense from the SNP is designed to distract us from their increasingly poor performance as the party of Government in Scotland. As a result, further criticism at the weekend from GPs about the Government's mismanagement of the Health Service did not get the level of scrutiny it deserved.. The SNP leadership know they have to get a 2nd referendum before their bubble bursts. Unfortunately the bubble seems unlikely to burst whilst Labour are in such turmoil. Expect more SNP nonsense at Westminster and a Holyrood manifesto which opens the door to a second referendum.

One of the worrying aspects of this is the lack of faith being shown in our two young strikers Sutherland and Ferguson. Despite our lack of replacements for Mckay and Watkins, neither of the youngsters was even on the bench for either of the Astra games and we seemed to be one short on the bench in Romania. Maybe they are both out injured but surely this would have given options. I've heard it said that Yogi is reluctant to play youngsters before they are ready . I certainly agree that unrealistic expectations can put a lot of pressure on youngsters but if they are good enough they are good enough. If either or both of them was fit or available I can't think of anything that would dent their confidence more than seeing that empty space on the bench whilst the manager allows a new signing to play the full 90 minutes in stifling heat when, by his own admission, Lopez is not match fit.

Sounds like we were too cagey again. To win the match without it going to the penalty lottery we would have had to score twice. It would have made no difference if Astra had scored a goal on the night because 2-2 would have taken us through on away goals. Never mind. On the positive side we remain unbeaten on our travels in Europe and have yet to concede a goal.

Oh how we could have done with Billy in our two matches against Astra! I was interested to read today that Dundee Utd have tried to sign him several times but that their valuation and that of Wigan are "poles apart" according to Caldwell. Presumably Utd have money to spend so it would be interesting to know how much they have offered for Mckay and what Wigan's valuation of him is. Presumably Wigan want a lot more than they paid for him despite the fact that he has yet to score for them!

H-T 0-1 F-T 1-2 ICT Tansey Astra Budescu Time 33 mins

Celtic are not appealing the ban and I think that is very wise. A 6 game ban is really not very much for such a serious offence and any appeal could result in a significantly longer ban. The surprising thing for me in all of this is that Celtic have actually signed the player knowing what he is like. I just hope they don't condone his thuggery like his previous employers did, although I live more in hope than expectation.

Great draw for us and a massive incentive to get through to the next round. Interesting draw for Aberdeen as well. After their superb win in Croatia they must be favourites to progress to the next round where they would face another trip to Eastern Europe, but a very winnable tie. A win in Q3 would take them just one game away from the group stages and that must be quite a realistic prospect for them now. Should Aberdeen get to the group stages that would be really good for the Scottish game (plus it would probably provide a distraction from league business) so let's wish them well in their European venture.

Racist chanting? I think you are mistaken. I heard no racist chanting but I did hear the Astra players referred to as tipsy because they kept falling over as if they were drunk.

Maybe Yogi has good reason to believe Fon Williams is a better keeper than Esson but I think it was a mistake playing him simply because there will not have been enough time for him and the defenders to get to know each other and develop an understanding. There was poor communication between him and the defence on a few occasions and not just at the crucial free kick. A couple of back passes were played to his left as though instinctively the defender thought it was Esson in goal. Not sure that Lopez offers us a great deal upfront. He seems to have good control and has quick feet, but he won little if anything in the air and his movement was limited. He had one good chance but shot tamely straight at the keeper. Hopefully he will show up better when he gets to know the way the team plays a bit more. Good to see Foran back but did he actually touch the ball? The North Stand gave him a great ovation when he came on but at the end he seemed to storm off the park without acknowledging the crowd in the North Stand and with barely a word for opponents or team mates alike. What was that all about? Overall though we were the better side and for a first game of the season against a different style of opponent and with new faces in the side plus a bit of rearrangement to do, it was a pretty decent performance. Astra are no great shakes and we are still very much in the tie. We do need to get at them though in order to create more chances and we need to strike the ball with conviction when the chances do come our way.

HT 1-1 FT 2-1 ICT Tansey Astra Budescu Time 4

Wow! Never saw that one coming!

Apart from the bit about Miliband, that is the usual nonsense we get from the Nationalist left. It is nonsense to suggest the Lib Dems ditched most of their principles when they went into coalition. Of course they made compromises but that is precisely what coalition government is all about! Of course they agreed with things they didn't like but by the same token they blocked things that they liked even less. Those who don't sign up to right wing tory policy should thank them for that instead of vilifying them. One fundamental principle the Lib Dems clearly upheld was a willingness to act in the interests of the country rather than in the interests of the party. That is not something the SNP will understand. The concept that there is little political difference between the Tories and Labour is also nonsense. It is a lie the SNP put around with the "red tories, blue tories" slogan to capitalise on the Tories' unpopularity north of the Border and to imply that only the SNP offer an alternative. The truth is quite different. I recently heard Kezia Dugdale being asked why she appeared to agree with so much SNP policy to which she replied that of course she agreed with a lot of it because it is Labour policy which the SNP have stolen. But back on topic and the antics of the unrepresentative SNP rabble at Westminster. We now hear they are going to vote in the debate about fox hunting in England and Wales. This is just a few short weeks from when they stated they would only vote on devolved issues which impacted financially on Scotland and when they actually used fox hunting as an example of a topic they would not vote on! Sturgeon has defended this u-turn on the basis that the SNP felt they were being ignored in the Scotland Bill debates and so this would remind the Tories that the SNP were there and that the Tories only have a small minority. This is simple spite and so utterly pathetic. It is perhaps an appropriate Bill on which to abandon any last vestige of credibility. The SNP Westminster rabble are themselves like a pack of hounds who have scented independence and are determined to win their prize regardless of all the chaos and disruption they leave in their wake.

5764 in Perth tonight. Surely we can get more than that for our first ever European match!!!

Now signed for Celtic for £1.5m! There is something far wrong in the game when a player like that is sold for that kind of money. It does seem a lot of money for Celtic to pay just to make sure he doesn't kick Brown in the head again. I wonder if Dundee Utd will make better use of the money this time.

Having vilified the Lib Dems for "getting into bed" with the Tories after the previous election, it really is rather pathetic to see the way Labour and the SNP are whingeing about the budget and the fact that the Tories now have free reign to do what the Lib Dems stopped them doing for the last 5 years. But this of course is what the SNP wanted all along - a Tory Government showing a typical Tory lack of compassion. Had the UK election delivered a Labour Government then we would have had a budget which would have been far more appealing to voters who had switched their allegiance from Labour to SNP, and Labour would likely have clawed back a lot of that support for the Holyrood election. As it is, there is anger in Scotland over the budget and the Labour party have little credibility. No wonder Stewart Hosie was smiling when he was stating that the budget would hit the poorest in Society hardest.

One would like to think that the club would be announcing that all tickets had been sold by now. I don't know what more the club can reasonably do. I think the whole of the Highlands is well aware that ICT won the Scottish Cup and will be the first team in the Highlands ever to play in a European competition. By definition, our first ever game in Europe is something which will never happen again and if people aren't motivated yet to buy a ticket then I don't think anything the club can say or do will make any difference. It will be interesting to see what the crowd actually is, but if we can't get close to a full house for this one then you can kiss goodbye to any hope of ever making significant increases to our average gates.

Is that why he moved to the USA?

A very crude comparison would suggest that as England has 10 times the population of Scotland it should have 10 football clubs for every 1 in Scotland. Top tier in Scotland has 12 clubs so it seems reasonable that the 2nd tier could be seen as broadly comparable with the level below the 92 clubs in the football league. I think what we see of Conference (now the "National" league) football and the players who emerge from there bear this out as a reasonable comparison.

Another angle here is the role Brian Rice has taken on when "on holiday". Players warm up before a game to tone up the muscles to avoid injury. If they don't warm up properly then they could sustain an injury either during the warm up or early in the game and that could lead to some awkward liability issues, particularly if a player was injured doing an exercise specifically directed by Rice. Now I appreciate Rice knows what's he's doing and that he would be doing what he's doing nominally under Yogi's supervision, but the fact remains that a club at our level should not have people who are not employees of the club taking training / warm up sessions with the players. I wonder therefore whether Rice has some contract with the club or failing that, what form of approval for his involvement the club has given. Noting also the public criticism Yogi made of the Board in relation to getting trialists up here, one gets the impression that there are some significant tensions behind the scenes. It is all a bit unsettling at the start of what should be a historic season for the club.