FoolPhysio

We actually do this with the Cadets, using chairs and larger numbers. The solution is surprisingly simple but it is great fun standing back and watching the kids get totally flummoxed! Great leadership test, simple to set up. Let the confusion reign . . .

Will this have any affect on our presently poor FIFA ranking? Something Scotty said in the other thread on summer football prompted me to take a look and I see we have dropped another point, most likely due to other teams playing and gaining points while we are dormant. I presume then that if we did well in this competition that the points would potentially lift us up, even if only by a bit. It was somewhat galling to have to go to page 2 to find Scotland while RoI (35th) and NI (38th) are on page 1. Mind you, I had to go to page 3 to find Wales (116) ! http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/lastranking/gender=m/fullranking.html#confederation=0&rank=201&page=2

Brave . . . dropped Foran and Rooney? Understand where you are coming from but can't see TB ever doing that to any of the Dubliners unless absolutely forced to, let alone two together.

I was thinking along those lines too until I noticed the killer line in the newspaper - all the teams have access to an extranet where they could check that the players have been registered. So the "it was in the post, honest" line was no longer a reasonable excuse. If they had made a minimal effort they could have seen for themselves if the registration was acknowledged and if not, contacted the SFA to check. Victims of their own ineptitude really.

What a disappointment - thats just 2 points from the last 18

CaleyD, you are a star! Report makes very interesting reading and it explains where the 88% figure has been coming from. The most striking thing was that the fans preferences were towards the 16-18 club leagues. The comments at the end were very illuminating on the reasons why this was being so strongly supported. Doncaster and his cohorts have been claiming there are no alternatives being offered - really? Have they not been listening to anything anyone has said . . . oh, wait, silly me - there have been alternatives offered, it is just they pooh-pooh them as unrealistic. The call has been on the SPL (and to an extent the SFA) to provide evidence on why a 10-team league would be so much more viable than anything else. I think we all know why, it is a question on whether they have the cojones to admit it - it's all about television and sponsorship. I am in the middle of reading Hunting Grounds by Gary Sutherland - fascinating, and it really puts a lot of this into perspective. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunting-Grounds-Scottish-Football-Safari/dp/1841587354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295458180&sr=8-1

Any protest has to stop short of boycotting the Clubs - they certainly cannot afford to be damaged economically and to do so will only make the lure of filthy TV lucre more appealing. We need to be encouraging numbers up, not down!

It is rapidly apparent that the thing missing here is a coherent confederated Supporters Association that in instances such as this, would be able to represent the bulk of the fan-base. Or perhaps there already is one? At present it looks like the only recognised authority are the Clubs themselves, and it all depends on how much they are willing to listen and represent their own fans views. This in turn depends on whether or not they have a formal fan association or similar representative group. The only other thing we have is the media . . . good luck there then.

As the old business adage goes, it is 10 times harder to win back a customer than it was to win them the first time. Once bitten and all that . . .

All I ever hear as soon as Lennon opens his mouth is: "waaahhhh . . . . waaaaahhhhh . . . . waaaaahhh . . . . it's not fair . . . . waaaahhhh . . . . " Big bairn. Question is, does he do it by being cunning or is it just 'cos he is a natural pr1ck?

Maybe I missed something in the excitement of Christmas, or maybe Santa was especially generous this year, but it seems that the 25 point penalty that the SFL imposed on Dundee in November has been rescinded - or is it at least postponed while an appeal is in progress? I recall that immediately after the announcement in November Dundee was bottom of the table on -11 points. When I saw the table on Friday I was astonished to see they were currently placed 2nd and only 1 pt away from the leaders, Dunfermline. So what happened while I wasn't paying attention?

Did we not have a bodhran player at some point who was denied entrance to one or more grounds? Seem to remember that from when we first got to the SPL but perhaps memory is failing me. Sweetie, anyone . . . ?

Another one!!!!!!!!!

Gooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal Sanchez

I don't think that is a fair comment DC. The 1950's were a very different time to the one we currently live in, which is one explanation for the reduction in attendances - TVs, internet, increased social mobility, the expansion of working hours (especially in retail) to move towards a 24 hour economy, the vast number of leisure pursuits available compared to even 30 years ago, let alone 60. And surely a fan is a fan? Do we not need to encourage more to attend games, rather than marginalise one half of the population? Or was the comment tongue-in-cheek without the smiley being added . . .?

Totally agree - and not only as a quote in the media but put on the official club website for all to reference. Obviously it is for the Board to decide but the Chairman is the one who attends the SPL meetings and he will be briefing them on what went on, what is on offer and his recommendation. Based on the comment about how ICT is a community-based club it is clear that he for one was not convinced that a 14-16 team league was financially non-viable, as the SPL were quoted as saying in the initial press reports (spin?). Evidence of bully-boy tactics already from the SPL and their puppet-masters, the two ugly sisters. This one has a long and I fear bitter way to go yet . . .

Did the stewards not do anything? Verbal abuse towards your opposition and then your own seems a fairly straightforward breach of protocol to me. And I agree - football doesn't need that type of numpty to "support" it. Last away match I was at was the one at Pittodrie and I was pleased to see one fan have his youngsters along to enjoy it, despite the sometimes colourful language being used but it was all mostly banter.

Plus ?a change .. .

Who ate all the pies?

Totally agree. Where is the incentive to do even a half-decent job if there is a level of uncertainty and paranoia wondering when the axe will fall? Only the ugly sisters ever win the league, so best you can hope for is a reasonable placing and possible entry in European competition and / or a good cup run. Taking local cups out of the equation, that leaves you with two. And since the ugly sisters usually win at least one of those each year . . .

Slightly off-topic, but there is another forum I frequent where there is a "thanks for this useful post" function, which actually puts your username in to show who it is that appreciated the comments made and/or support the points given. And for those that really disagree, there is always the "report this post" where you can give the moderators a reason why you object and leave it up to them to decide. I agree with the comment above but only to a certain extent - I am using the green dot but I find that the quota limit is restrictive so I don't always get to support all the good points that I agree with, and I have only used the red dot about twice and only because I was really supporting others on the site to show how unwelcome the posts actually were. I don't agree that you need to respond in writing every time just to say you support a good comment, I think there is a place for a "thanks" function, but I do think that if you disagree with a point then unless someone has already said it for you (and you can then thank them to show support) then you should write it down as part of the discussion. Anyway, back to the thread . . .

http://tinypic.com/p...p?v=2ikpsee&s=7 Brilliant CBB - several angles and a slow mo, superb. Butcher's reaction was well understated!

Which was his intention all along . . . prime site for the all-important sea views.

That may be so, but there is no guarantee that Aberdeen have bottomed out - after all, there is still one league placing between them and the drop zone. I can see how a move away from Motherwell can be seen as a shrewd move by Brown, but not to Aberdeen!

Excellent find - and superb article. A very fair report on our current fortunes and a positive boost for the challenge ahead.