Laurence

I don't know if it is relevent or not

But I am a great fan of Peter Kay the comic from Bolton Lancs

He has a funny line about a Lancastrian abroad who is served Garlic Bread, he says very loudly in his Lancs accent " Garlic Bread " , ( two or three times, )  like he dosn't believe it. the most outrageous thing. he gets lots of laughter.

Anyway my point is at a recent function in Lancashire I was talking to some reletives who live near to Old Trafford and they were telling me of the traffic problems for the 80,000 odd gates they get passing their door. I casually said, I wish we had that problem in Inverness.

The girl looked bemused , and in a very loud Peter Kay  Lancastrian voice went " INVERNESS2, " INVERNESS ", in total disbelief, and amazement , she then said that every week from now on she would check the Calley Thistle result,

Now please, please do NOT feel that this is a fishing trip or an insinnuation or a derrogatory statement - I am actually being serious.

I have just watched the Clark Carlisle programme on Racism and I have been saddened and actually shocked at its content.

But could WE at the present time be considered to be a racist club by some inedpendent observers ?

Do we actually have any black, Asian or other "coloured" personnel working within our club ? Do Ross County ?

The content of the documentary really got me thinking and how many clubs in Scotland could be branded with the "racism" branding.

As many of you will know my son is mixed race and some of the "comments" that we heard at the recent Chorley v Preston match were quite simply concerning although we both could view them as just being ignorance - eg "Yon Preston nigger on the wing looks good" - "makes our nigger look like a real African" - cue laughter !!

It is a few years ago now but I have never forgotten the Chorley v Bury cup tie , which was a giant killing feat by Chorley

The story goes that the Bury centre backs were missing  from the line up, and Tony Cunningham the Shakers normal centre forward who is black played centre half, Bury also had Ronnie Mauge and Roger Stanislaus also black in the team. At the time Bury were steaming high in what is now League one and Chorley played in the Northern Premier League.

I couldn't get a ticket for the away end so I stood behind the goal at the home end. I was surrounded with calls of " Shoot the nigger" , and similar chants for the whole match. In fairness to Chorley I think they were Preston fans , because Preston were not playing that day.

I mentioned the problem to a policeman at half time, but he took no action, in those days racism did not have the high profile it carries today. I must admit I felt sick, not just with the unexpected result but with the behaviour of the fans. Tony cunningham a former Man City star looked positivly distressed and upset.

I am not surprised this kind of behaviour is still prominent in what is otherwise a very desirable and friendly area of Lancashire. I know very well.

My wife recently went into W H Smiths of Ormskirk Lancashire  to buy stuff for her Sister in Law's Funeral cards and that for the service and the wake.

Using notes issued by a Scottish bank

She was point blank refused not just by the staff but by the management.

She was forced to use a credit card

I was certain that Scottish bank notes were legal sterling tender throughout the UK

How suprised I was to find out that they are not legel tender even in Scotland

My information comes from this forum

http://www.avforums.com/forums/general-chat/1462570-why-english-shops-refusing-scottish-money.html

What do you think ???

Whe comparing players you have to ask yourself a simple question

" If you were the manager of both players which one would you write first on the team sheet " ?

Answer VanPersie

Barcelona stop Ronaldo everytime, the fullback closes him down, the centre half Pique clatters into him.

You obviously have to know the ladies scream from time to time when they are happy.

Your kinness is beyond belief

Anyone watching Sarah Taylor on Sky today would know why Cricket is a great game.

^{I am struggling a bit to come to terms with the loss of a close friend  I had known for 45 years. Shankley was wrong to say football is more important}

A moot point in a way but Laurence - were you at the game ?

Unfortunately no

I was attending a family berevement in Ormskirk Lancashire

No point moaning the game is over

We had our chances and blew it

So all that is left is the double now the treble has gone

Onward and upward

I go when I can, ##

I don't particulary like away matches especially important ones.

The last one I went to, a play off in England at Bournmouth as an away fan, we were totally surrounded by police in full riot gear

A most unpleasant experience. To be treated like vermin or a criminal because the Police decide so , is totally out of order.

I hope the police are not overtly visible for the Hearts game

I once went to see a fight and a Ice Hockey match broke out - Te he

Whoever designed the North Stand ? nuff said

My view is constanly being interupted with fans walking up and down stairways. getting pies , drinks and going to the ablutions. Many stop on the stairs if there is an attack or see  something interesting and block views for those sitting.

Any sensible design has exit routes and cafeterias and loos at the back .

I am reminded of a game at Blackburn I once saw. A man left early ( A Fireman I knew who was going on duty he had to be  on duty that night many miles away at 6pm).

As he went towards the exit, the crowd started chanting " Part time supporters ". The guy turned round and said  in a loud voice   " see you at Plymouth? ", Blackburn's next match, many hundreds of miles away and a night match to boot. The chanting stopped immediately. The point is nobody knows why people leave. Its a free country you know.

As I keep saying on here it is a free country and all opinions are valid.

Like I said just an opinion

Given the oposition and the potential

and the here and now

This is the biggest game ( in my opinion) in the clubs history ,

Not even in the top 10 IMO.

Like I said my opinion

And looking at it another way, Hearts will be taking less than their typical home support for a trip just a few miles across the city. We'll be taking about 2/3rds of our home support for a long journey in the middle of winter, so it doesn't compare too badly.

Look at it anyway you want . This is the biggest game ( in my opinion) in the clubs history , Go to it guys. I just wish I could be there but family reasons prevent that.

Enjoy your day out

Treat every  big day game  as precious.

Hearts are a famous old club, their fans have got spoilt with many big games in the past ,  ICT are young and  building a reputation.  This is new and unknown  territory  this is fantastic for the City of Inverness and the club.

Never played this before   Don't know names of Hearts players

Both our centre Halves to score from corners.

Hearts to score from long throw ins

3 3 Caley win on penaties

17,000

They have a funny old sport called  Primories , where members of the same political parties , slag each other off, spend more money than the Greek debt, then , afterwards smile and say the other guy ( who won) is fantastic and should become President.

A man of great passion - one of Ireland's best ever managers , that's for sure, to be sure, to be sure, so it is

Amazing result

Congratulations on a first in the modern game with a Wembley final for a 4th tier team

( Rochdale v Blackburn was a final played home and away) - might be wrong from memory not research

Everybody keeps inventing the wheel

What is the biggest sporting event in the world based on viewing figures , is to be dominated by the  two  Harbough brothers

One is head coach of The Baltimore Ravens

One is Head Coach of The San Fransisco 49ers

I think this is the biggest head to head by two siblings  in sporting history, when yo think a sport as big as the NFL and the size of the USA and the small number of NFL teams it is absolutely incredible

The nearest comparison is the Williams sisters , but this is bigger.

 N.B. No paint dry cracks or zzzzing  or yawns please. If you don't like NFL, it is a free country and you are entilled to your opinion, but silly cracks are very childlike annd serve no purpose.

Non so blind as those who can't see

The North League seems to go in fits and starts. As one club goes on the up another seems to slump, so the league never seems to really catch fire and capture much public imagination which is a shame. But Scotland has produced some decent cricketers. Wasn't Mike Denness the only Scot to captain England at cricket and didn't Bradman once play in Forres?

 

Doug Jardine in the 1930s had Scottish parents but he wasn't born here so presumably didn't count in those days. Denness became capt after Welshman Tony Lewis in the mid-1970s. 

Although Douglas Jardine the bodyline captain was born in colonial India, he would refer to himself as a Scot.