FoolPhysio

So . . . business as usual then?

Aye, true, but there is an old story about two bulls standing at the top of a hill and the young one says "let's run down there and have one of those cows" to which the older one replies "naw, let's walk down and have all the cows". Point being, the older wiser heads may have the experience to be in the most effective positions they need to be (right place, right time) while young 'uns are running their socks off and getting knackered more quickly. Anticipation, ability to read the game, knowing where your oppo is going to be without having to look etc etc.

Long may they understimate us. Although Lafferty's comment was probably more aimed at upsetting Celtic fans than a jibe at us.

I almost resisted responding to this, since whenever there is an OF derby I never watch it as it is impossible to watch something where you want both teams to lose, but just for consistency - couldn't give a monkeys chuff really, as far as I am concerned they might as well toss a coin at the start of the season, save on all the aggro and BS and just play all their games against the rest of us as exhibition matches so their brightest and best can sell themselves on the market stall so they can GTF out of Scottish football!

Well deserved - his level of consistency has been commendable throughout the season. Others have had noticeable dips in form and others have suffered through injury, but Ryan has saved the team on many an occasion and indeed probably has to work harder when the odd cylinder is mis-firing in front of him! BZ Ryan.

Fixed it for you.

Good grief - it's like the Wee Frees all over again . . . So it is a case of "dae whit we want as we'll gan dae it anywie". Hardly a threat, since without promotion/relegation it would become a bore for the remainder outside the OF who are still not winning it and have nothing to play for except a European spot (if they are lucky enough to still have one) and some cash. Pathetic. Personally I would be delighted to win the Scottish Championship league every year, just for that authentic Celtic/Rangers experience . . . until it got boring, which it would fairly soon. How do they cope with the boredom? . . . oh, yes, by hating each other and having a false sense of superiority over everyone else.

The highlights show a pretty good angle from the side, and it looked as if the ball would have gone across the face of the goal had it not hit Mulgrew. Would love to say that it was simply a deflection off of Rooney's shot but it does look more like an OG, but I suppose the debatable factor is time - it was so close that Mulgrew couldn't have done anything else but knock it goal-wards so maybe that should count more as a deflection. Won't stop Adam from claiming it though!

There seems to be a fairly simple, if likely to be protracted, solution to all this. Complain to the Club direct, each and every time, if you sincerely believe you are justified in doing so. For example, this is taken directly from the AFC website Supporters Charter: I would expect that the term "customer" to refer to both home and away fans since we have all had to purchase a ticket / pay for admission at some point. Make sure the complaint is in writing and if you don't get a response, there is an offer for the complainant to correspond direct with the Managing Director. You may be sceptical and think "what's the point? I'll just get fobbed off with some paltry excuse" but there are two things here - strength of evidence and volume of correspondence. If 5 people all wrote in about an incident then it lends weight to the complaint. Be sure to take the name of the steward or stewards at the time - after all, according to the back of their jackets on Saturday, they were there to help! By the way, I am NOT suggesting collusion. Like cheating at exams, it can be usually be found out quite quickly. But if you really feel that strongly that you have been badly dealt with, then do something positive about it. Make the complaint relevant - there is little point in justifying rule breaking and even less so if it is contrasted with "well the Aberdeen fans got away with it". It wouldn't work in a court to justify being caught speeding by claiming that everyone else does it and then expect to be let off! So, make the complaint more to do with the way the stewards were confrontational, used abusive language and were unwilling to listen to reason and seemed intent on using harsh penalties from the off. Every single SPL club has a website and most, if not all, will have a similar charter in place - here's ours: http://www.ictfc.co....2214411_1002424 You will note that we only invite emails to an Admin account and not to the MD himself! If you are going to moan then moan to someone who can do something about it, otherwise it is just pointless whining.

Aye

Where and when?

Yep, I'll be there too - bought the ticket yesterday so I am committed now! Angling for a lift in with a couple of dye-hard sheep (pun intended) so when we win, that will be an interesting run home - better make sure I have cash for a train ticket, just in case . . .

Spot

For the record, the assistant referee is restricted under Law 6 to what they may do, but the actual application at each match will be under the direction of the Referee who retains absolute responsibility and authority throughout (Law 5). This explains why an assistant who will indicate fouls on the pitch one week will not do the same the following week - it depends on the brief that they get given by the Ref before the game. So just because they can have the roles and responsibilities outlined in Law 6, does not mean that the Referee has given them the authority to use it. They could, for example, be restricted to offsides, ball over the line and substitutions. Remember, these people are qualified referees in their own right but may be under training for the higher leagues by having this support role, although some are happy to remain as assistants as their area of "specialisation". When I left, the SFA were developing a system where you had to chose to become one or the other, but I am not sure if that system is still in place. Regarding waiting for the Ref to indicate the direction of a throw-in or goal/corner kick, this may also be part of the direction but could equally be that the assistant did not actually see it and believes the Ref did, but if neither saw it or are both unsure, the Ref has the responsibility to make that call. When I refereed, that was the brief I gave - if you are certain then raise your flag and I will indicate, if not, wait on my call and raise to support. If I give it one way and you are certain it is wrong, raise and hold and I will change.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, expect nothing

Hell

Interesting - so this may be a more effective methods of not just keeping the rain / snow off, but can also heat up frozen pitches? Mind you, will it heat it to sufficient depth? If this really is the better option, why not buy it and install it? SPL may stipulate that we have USH, and we have. But do the rules specify that we need to turn it on though . . .? Cut out the running costs (and don't bother with the maintenance unless for safety reasons) and use the better method just to prove it actually IS better!

Spot on Scotty - reading the pre- and post-match reports are a pleasure, whatever the team, whatever the result.

Superb result - more of that please!

Despite the defeat last weekend, we are still one of only five clubs to have a positive goal difference. As pointed out in another post, this may be crucial should we tie with points. It is still all to play for and we can still be masters of our own destiny. The loss may have been a knock but surely it should be considered a means by which TB can encourage the team to greater effort, rather than being a prediction of what is yet to come. None of these teams are invincible, not are they significantly better than us. DU has a particularly hard run coming up and we can take advantage of that. Motherwell may well have their tails up after the victory over Celtic, but you can only judge each game as it comes. C'mon the Caley Jags!

I just snorted coffee out my nose reading this . . . absolutely brilliant. Set the day up for a good start!

Bhuddist

Totally agree - the games we have remaining are against those competing for the top 6 finish, while they still have the top teams to play at least once. A winning streak is needed again, draws could be tolerable but of course that means other games have to start "going our way" and losses will definitely create a slide down as it is still very close. Basically, from now on, every win matters more as it will allow us to cement a place at 5th / 6th and start to leave the others behind. Not quite the excitement of last season but still keeps the interest up.

The 5 or 6 comments regarding the spelling of "apologise" were quite amusing - of course, I wouldn't expect a septic to even realise that they call it American-English because there is a distinction . . . mind you, those replying to the dimwits did so quite diplomatically I thought.