Eagle4Caley

Yes I must admit when I was up for the Dundee game, Doumbouya didn't look the brightest, and seemed unable to use his size to any advantage, although he scored with decent header....he does look a player than will need a fair few chances per goal. Fisher looked a bit more clever when he came on for that game, yet has no better on the strike rate, and what ever happened to Scott Boden, who when he first arrived apparently looked half decent in the league cup games, but is pretty much on the sidelines. The trouble is we are very much fishing in the backwaters for players, Doumbouya has played in the Belgium 2nd division, Fisher came from National League Torquay, and Boden from League 2 Newport...if they were capable players they would have featured for higher level teams. The concept of using all three's wages for one decent player falls apart the moment that one player is injured or suspended, we just about got away with it when we had Billy Mckay, because we also had Andrew Shinnie. Still rescuing a point when you have had a poor game bodes well for maintaining SPL status....but it will be a long winter at times

Rather disappointing, we started brightly then after 10mins or so it rather fell to pieces, Doumbouya very isolated, and Rangers just did what they had to better than us.....once I heard Kenny Miller was on 99goals for them I kinda knew he was going to score...to be fair it was a great effort, but finishing was the difference between the sides as Doumbouya and Fisher both had decent chances in space. Thought the defence was pretty good, we were hardly battered although OFW pulled off a fine save to keep out a second. Is it me or does Warren (and Draper) pick up cards rather too easily? Mckay was decent at CB but was also a bit rash a couple of times, lucky to stay on. Game changed a bit with Mulraney and Doran coming on and for the last 20mins there seemed every chance we could get an equaliser, but our finishing let us down. Terrific crowd as well for a Friday night match on the box, are there a lot of locals who support Rangers?

Looking forward to seeing this match on TV! Could be a feisty game, but I have a good feeling about this game Well done to Foran, for MOTM, has done well to recover from a shaky start, and is exceeding my expectations (including in the transfer market) Strangely Palace are also live on the box this weekend, and we've had a season that seems to match what ICT do....so hopeful of a positive weekend all round!

Had a brilliant weekend up in Inverness with my wife, who is a confirmed Caley supporter now. Best game I have seen at the TCS, Dundee might not have been brilliant, but you have to beat whats in front of you and Caley's game shaped what Dundee could do. Have to say the defence is looking pretty sound, Tremarco has come on so much in a couple of years, almost Shinnie-like in solidity and influence going forward. Brad Mckay looks a decent full back and had two brilliant assists, can you ask for much more? David Raven is going to have to accept some bit-parts this season (unless there are injuries) but still a pretty useful guy to have around. The front three (or four including Fisher as sub) all impressed me, given they came for bugger all. Wasn't sure what to expect from Doumbouya, but he's definitely an upgrade on the centre forwards we've had in the last season and a half (as is Fisher), quite mobile, decent touch, does a fair bit of work and wins some good headers, but he doesn't use his size to his advantage enough and thus misses out on headers for long balls out of defence, also a bit clumsy in challenges ...but as we say at the Palace, if he was the finished product he wouldn't be playing for us. Overall though Draper had a good game, especially in the first half when he was further forward, yes he can give the ball away, but I think that what happens when you in the thick of it alot. So all in all the early season doom and gloom, doesn't currently look justified, given what we had sitting on the bench as well (and no Raven?), but it's a long season of course. Yet another trip where the weather was pretty good, so another bonus, and we took the train up from Edinburgh to enjoy the trip through the Highlands (which you can do if the advance 1st class ticket is only a tenner!) and also went past Raith Rovers ground in Kirkcaldy which for some reason excited me! (Nice beaches nearby I think which could top off a trip for an away match sometime in the future). Had to laugh at the over officious security at Inverness Airport who made us change our zipped plastic liquids bags for something they approved of, and then gave mine back unsealed, with the statement 'yeah, well, we know the bag will seal' ...seriously? As usual our Easyjet flight back to London was delayed, which is just a bit irritating

That's a brilliant point, the first SPL team to take one off Celtic, sounds like OFW had a brilliant game, and great for both Fisher and King to score. Haven't seen any highlights yet although it was on Sky as I was at the Palace game (and forget to set my Tivo box to record) ,,,anyway let's hope we don't blow it against Dundee next week when I am up for the match.

And play Tiki Taka?...ah hold on Yogi isn't here anymore.

I saw Wimbledon's very first league game at Plugh Lane against Halifax, and I also saw them play Leeds Utd in an FA Cup replay at Selhurst Park (Palace's ground)... Later on we then endured the ground-sharing arrangement with Wimbledon, when they had to move out of their ground, and can recall them beating Palace 5-0 at Selhurst Park, when they were technically away, a low moment indeed. Palace largely had the upper hand overall, but we have never matched the 'Dons' epic achievement of winning the FA Cup, despite two attempts. All credit to the bunch of supporters who faced down the opposition of other interest and indeed the Football League to re-surrect their club. For some obscure reason they don't like Palace, which seems a bit unreasonable given that the ground-sharing arrangement kept them in business. During that period the two respective chairtman hatched a plan to merge the two clubs (sounds familar?) and met with hostility from both sets of supporters (sounds familar?), although it was probably a none starter. I shall watch their progress this year with interest.

Yes an excellent result, especially coming back from behind, having seen Celtic today anything other than a thrashing next weekend will be a very good result! Then I'm up the following weekend after that for the Dundee game, can't wait!

Blimey clearly not much happening on transfers today if ICT are getting mentioned on the Skysports Transfer website..... next thing you know we'll be paying a transfer fee!

Both my teams scored in stoppage time to get points out of the game (ICT a bit more than Palace) so makes for a lovely weekend...also a good weekend for Caley Mad in Berks, who had several golfing chums up for the match, that result will have made him well happy.

Three points and what sounded like a pretty decent performance, whats not to like! Especially after last week. Coming up for the Dundee match with Mrs E-4-C, and can't wait..be nice to get a point or two from the next two tough fixtures before then though

A pretty good summing up of the situation from itcfcsince94, the gist being there is no budget, we have to get used to it and we should be prepared for the championship, because the board isn't going to bankrupt the club to stay up. Arguably a club of our size playing in the SPL is actually us punching above our weight, so to have finished third, won a cup and played in the final of a second (noticeably all under Hughes albeit from the core of a team created by Butcher) is a mighty acheivement. It's clear that the Hughes/Board fracture revolved around whether the latter would find decent money to replace good players who had gone for little or nothing, and the Board obviously felt they couldn't. The Raven/Hughes situation was really a side show which got the fans on Hughes back which worked in the Boards favour. I'm sure that DR will still put the effort in, now he has the benefit of a longer contract, but in a club where every wage has to be effective, lets hope Raven still has the legs and brain to deliver. One lesson that has been learned (probably too late to retain our status this season) by the Board has to be the way that our best players were on short contracts which meant that we have not really been able to generate much in the way of funds from transfers. I've got to be honest the appointment of Foran as manager, didn't really excite me, but a 4 year contract tells me that the Board realise that they have done all they can to compete financially and have decided to start from scratch. Unless we are able to find another CB and perhaps a forward, this year is about whether any of our youngsters can step up to the mark and make the first team, and not have such a bad time of time of it that we lose too many players in January and go through the trapdoor so fast that we end up in League 1! I still hope that players like King, Mulraney, Doran and Polworth can give us moments to treasure this season Still I find myself looking at the Championship teams with a bit more interest than before! Oh yes and given Roberts latest injury at Crawley, your right itcfcsince94

Ooops, not a good result at all, although according to the BBC we had nearly as many shots on target as they did?? That was effectively our first team out there...(I presume Billy King was absent due to terms of his loan?)... but already we seem to be down to 5 substitutes. That early season optimism has rather gone up in smoke hasn't it. I think we may be about the find out what a good job both Butcher and Hughes did on sparse resources (and small squads). The loss of Storey and the strange decision not to keep Jordan Roberts is already looking costly on the back of some of the other players that left the club in the summer. The board need to find some money for some quality players (now where did I hear that before?), but I doubt RF will see very much, and in reality the monetary benefits of being in the SPL compared to the Championship wouldn't justify risking the financial survival of the club, whereas in the possible event of us being relegated, we would be competing with clubs with similar finances to us.

Well judged post, obviously a bit of a bummer that we've lost three games in a row, but going to be a classic 'transitional' season which we may or may not survive, but we have a young in-experienced manager at the helm. Hopeful Meekings will be back soon as he is a big miss. However lets give the new guys a wee bit of time to blend in. A top six position is possibly a tall order this season, just need to avoid becoming the 'whipping boys'. At my youngest daughters wedding on Saturday and only this result and Palace's put any sort of dampner on the day.

I agree, a Premiership team losing to a lower ranked club in the early stages of the League Cup, in August, is a shock, but not an earthquake...it happens all the time in the English version. ICT lost to the same club that knocked out our closest rivals, so arguably predictable if we weren't fully focussed. Annoying? Yes .....could be an interesting season

http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Football/Aaron-Doran-closing-in-on-Caley-Thistle-return-28072016.htm Very encouraging, sounds like A.D. could be part of the team by the start of September, in better shape than before his injury, and I suspect more focussed

Quality video....loving that strip, decent looking stadium.....also strange to hear the 'Glad all over' song when Dunfermline score as that is very much Palace's theme tune

Well this is quite relaxing!

Surely if we don't progress from the group stage, some one will have to start a 'Foran out' thread!

Excellent!.... just keep schtum about the home match against Dundee the following week, since I have flights, train tickets and a flat booked that weekend for me and the missus!

I know a few Palace fans who will be envious of the home shirt, as we have done away with the stripes this year to a certain amount of 'wailing and gnashing' from some fans

Sadly both Rangers home games clash with Palace home games...but Dundee in September looks on, and the missus will join the ranks too. Ross County home in March in the diary too. Might have another bash at Hearts away in Feb (my attempt in Dec saw the match called off due to weather)

You mean players at English League 1 clubs, rarely first choice for their host club, constantly on loan, scoring a mere handful of goals for any side he plays for...I am sure there are, but that takes a hell of a scouting system. 13 out of his 24 goals came for us in one season, so spotting his potential was a big plus for Yogi. It also shows how much of a gamble it is

He's never heard of Ross County, doesn't even now where it is! As a Palace supporter, who was there on the famous Crystanbul night which put paid to Liverpool's championship, I look forward to Caley giving BR more Red n Blue nightmares

Meanwhile back at the FA Cup It was fun being part of this!