Eagle4Caley

Yes...that was a great result. I see West Ham as our closest London rivals in terms of squad and performances over the past few years, once they get in to the Olympic statdium that will take them up a notch in terms of support and prestige I reckon (there is a view down here that West Ham have got a rather unfair hand up by the authorities in their desperation to find a permanent use for that stadium....be nice if Palace got some of that money for redeveloping our 'atmospheric' stadium) West Ham play The 'Toon' today so hope they give them a going over!

Fantastic result....second half sounded better than first, first match back for Vincent and he gets a goal....thats 2 in 2 now! And welcome to Miles Storey...always good to score on your debut Meekings back, and apparently Hearts had not one shot on target? Vigurs influential? Certainly a good way to start the weekend!

During the summer he joined Boluspor in the Turkish 2nd flight. Played 3 games so far, no goals yet. Ok Right....the player profile website I was looking at obviously not updated...funny how footballers seem so keen on Turkey whereas Syrians can't wait to get out.....

Blimey...the last first team game (if that's what you can call it) this lad played in was a YEAR ago for Welling Utd. He could be the next Ryan Christie....but I don't see him playing many games for us. It's staggering that Edward Ofere doesn't have a team, and yet what ICT were offering him wasn't enough to stay...what were we offering...Scotch Pies? Be interesting to see the teams' accounts for the previous season...we must have made a serious loss.

We had much the same scenario down here when Man Utd bought Wilfred Zaha and loaned him back to Palace for half a season.....most of us thought the transfer was inevitable, but actually were happy to see him back for a while and indeed he helped Palace get promoted......in the same way Ryan could be instrumental in getting us enough points in this half of the season to help us stay up. I appreciate the sentiment against Celtic in Scotland seems stronger than the equivalent view of Man U (by other EPL fans) these days, and I'm sure for many there's also a slightly irritating feeling that after last seasons 'punching above our weight' we've been somewhat slapped down by forces we don't fully understand.

Lets be fair to the lad, he is a young man who has just joined what is without doubt the biggest team in Scotland, earned a tidy increase in salary and a good chance of playing in the Champions League next season, he is going to sound excited, he may well have said 'obviously grateful to ICT for the break' etc etc, but this may not have be reported that's all. He played a major part in our best ever season, one that we may not repeat for some time, and now another side has offered him a massive break. In the end it's the way football is.

I take my ICT scarf to Palace anyway....whereas I wore a vintage red n blue stripe Palace shirt to Hampden for the final!

ICT being faced with the brutal realtities of football, especially a small club with little income in a financially poor league. I don't understand the vagaries of football contracts but we seem to be unable to offer the sort of long term contracts that would have allowed us to get some return of the development of Shinnie and Watkins. I suspect the fee will be driven more by what we need now, i.e. funds and a proper striker. If we get £500k for Christie plus a loanback and even a decent player on loan that will be a half decent deal. Yes would be great to get more for him, but seriously doubt Celtic have much competition for his transfer, as I believe, Ryan has some draw to Celtic. I can't imagine him going to an English club where he would disappear into obscurity.

Thanks NoHo.... Palace are of course my English team (and the shared colours are just one reason for my affinity to ICT), it could certainly turn out to be a special season. Palace are often considered to be 'punching above our weight' and in London terms are certainly second fiddle to Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs....I would save level with West Ham, but they have been 'given' the old Olympic Stadium on favourable terms. Certainly have been a bit of a 'yo-yo' club as well....but the difference for Palace over Caley is the amount of money swirling around the EPL...we have got (over?) rewarded for coming 11th and 10th in the past two seasons, about £145M, whereas ICT have got rewarded bugger all for decent league finishes in the past two years and winning a cup....which is why Caley are losing all of their best players. The side issue with Palace is watching the Newcastle fans go bonkers at Pardew's decent run with us having driven him out last season. Certainly the best away record in the EPL this calendar year is something to be proud of

My impressions from down based on snippets in the press, BBC and bits of highlights was that Mutombo was a half decent player, who probably should have gotten on the scoresheet....My impressions from this forum on Lopez is that he is useless (or has some qualities but either unfit or unsuited to Scottish Football)..... is Mutombo worse than Lopez? In any event Yogi will have to come up with a Plan C in Mutombo's enforced absence.... however I now see BBC reporting on Celtic's bid for Ryan Christie, if he were to disappear by Tuesday night for the £500K then there can be no greater example of the financial predicament the club is in that a potential relegation (as a consequence of being able to bring decent replacements) is not a significant threat to the clubs existance compared to not being able to balance the books. Some talk of a loan back though, so perhaps the best deal we can hope for?? Definitely a season where Yogi will need our backing to get through a sticky time

Just saw the goals and sending off on SSN, biggest blow is Mutombo, one the one hand seems more like a booking because it didn't look that dangerous, but I guess if you wrap your levels round a player it is....maybe the ref sent him off for being plain stupid. Good news??? Given the injuries, we are not getting stuff, Mutombo does look a decent enough player, the international break might see a player back from injury and we're not cast adrift

I've not yet seen any highlights from this game, my first instinct at seeing the line up was that Yogi was going for damage limitation, this against a team that seems to be hoovering up the best of the talent in the SPL and the only team in the league that have some capacity to hold their own in the early stages of the Champions League. Given that our defence is somewhat makeshift, and the midfield not the settled unit from last season I suspect the 'easiness' of the two early goals was down to Celtic's overall superiority. Given our previous recent heavy defeats at Celtic Park, coming away with only a -2 adjustment to our goal difference is almost a plus. Goals for Christie and Lopez even if Celtic had switched off is still morale boosting for those two players...whether the result would have been much different if they had played the whole game is a moot point. I'd be interested in how, those who were there, rated the contribution of Vigurs and Mutombu, my instinct are that these are useful additions that strengthen the side (even if Vigurs recruitment is controversial for some). Given that Dundee Utd our rivals for third place for much of last season were smashed at Hamilton, it sort of puts our result in some perspective. I've booked to come up for the Hearts game away in December, with my daughter....that's starting to look a tough game already!

It's a sickener to lose a goal and two points late on, but with an unrecognisable defence and a new attack, two men short on the bench, it sounds like we played well, great to score a goal and secured a point at a difficult place to go So pretty satisfied, well done Caley

Bottom.... I afraid, we'd have been lucky to get even a win, I mean who would have scored the goals??

I suspect that's maybe because there's no money left in the budget for anymore players so he knows we've got to get on with it? Pretty much what Yogi has told the Inverness Courier: http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Football/No-scope-to-bring-in-injury-replacements-says-Caley-Thistle-boss-John-Hughes-02082015.htm That's barely disguised code for 'we're in the s#it' I am happy with Devine at CB, but if Meekings is missing against St Johnstone, I think we need to play Draper as the other CB. Tremarco being injured is also a problem as I see him as a decent LB (not in Shinnie's class obviously)...so Horner has to play there With Vincent out (for how long?) Wedderburn can play next to Tansey, which gives us Williams and Christie to give us energy and creativity....Mutumbo and Lopez are left up front Which leaves us nothing on the bench other than Polworth and the one think that I don't understand with Yogi is why we don't put our youngsters on the bench even if only for the matchday experience....or can't we even afford the sub's fee? Let's hope that Mutombo is a real find, as without any real threat up front the ball will just keep coming at us.....Celtic away in a few weeks will be like the Alamo! On the bright side Fon-Williams sounds like a half decent keeper

This is probably true...my only beef here is that you'd think the club would have spent what they had on a striker....or shall we say more than one. Even non-league teams ensure they have some strikers! Am I being unfair, is Roberts a striker? 6 goals in 42 appearances last year and 10yellows+1 red, suggests an interesting contribution if he gets fit Unfortunately what is also true is that signing players on short term contracts means the best players like Shinnie and Watkins go without us getting any compensation....does a three year or four year contract cost that much more at the outset? If we had needed to sell either of Shinnie or Watkins early for budgetary reasons people would understand.

Blimey my concern for the defence has come much sooner than I expected with Warren getting injured and out seemingly for some time, and Meekings having a bad enough knock to be subbed for the second half with Warren already off Injuries are already at crisis level with Doran out (how come?) Foran starting to look an unlikely contributor, no sign of Roberts, and Tremarco out (for how long?)...to start the first game of the season with a subs bench short of numbers is very worrying Of the new guys, Lopez does not appear to be giving much cause for optimism, Wedderburn off very early yesterday (for tactical reasons?) but heard some decent reports. Mutumbo only on for an hour so too early to judge although it sounds like he was an improvement This looks like a season where we are going to be caught out for having a threadbare squad, and a failure to invest in true strikers with any quality about them...if ever a large influx in the playing squad were needed it is now, but I think this is unlikely to happen.....it occurs to me that with the difference in TV money between SPL and championship not that great, it doesn't justify the cost of transfers and wages when the budget to run the club on is so small It is of course way too early to write a season off, but there is something about Blackpool's situation last season that seems reminiscent here... a relegation scrape I think it is then!

After a brilliant season last year, how do people think we are going to do this year in the league? I must say that I have some trepidation that our squad is even more threadbare than last year, where we started with one recognised striker in Mckay, sold him, soldiered on for most of the spring with Watkins chipping in with goals, and Ofere finally getting chances and despite being a lump, scoring a decent number of important goals. However both Watkins and Ofere have gone, replaced by what? Too soon to rate Lopez I guess, and Foran is back (sort of) and if he can get match fit over the season, might be a useful contributor still. I hear we may have Mutombo signed by the weekend, although I'm not clear if he is actually a striker. Somehow I feel much will depend on whether Doran kicks on, whether Christie can maintain and improve on his achievement last season, and if Williams steps up fully to replace the influence Watkins had on games. Midfield is strong for us, as long as Tansey and Draper don't miss too many games through injury, Vincent is less injury-prone than previous seasons, and Williams/Christie/Doran regularly provide the creativity. I have no idea what Roberts is like Defence will rely alot on Meekings, Warren and Devine staying fit...although it's frightening to think how exposed we would be if we lost two of those three for any length of time I'm sure I sound a bit pessimistic which is unlike me, the upside is looking at what other teams have done in the transfer window, which is pretty uninspiring, but shows how little money is in the SPL. So I think Yogi is going to really earn his money this year, and a 6 game August looks like a crucial period for us.....if Yogi feels we punched above our weight last season, which is probably true then this season we may be in for a hard slog..... I hope people realise that a repeat of last season's finish is unlikely and come the end of the season we might be 'celebrating' being top of the bottom half (oops I've said it now) Given the awkward flight times Easyjet are offering, it looks like my trips up to see ICT will be away games.

Come on you Caley.... if you can do this, we could have the delights of East London next!

As an 'outsider' not even born in Scotland let alone the lovely Inverness, this is quite an interesting thread for me.....on the one hand I would like to think everyone from Inverness would celebrate ICT winning the Cup, however I am reminded that football more than any sport is incredibly tribal (and there's nothing wrong in that) and just because the level of support for the two teams that amalgamated was small in relative terms it probably isn't a surprise that some in Inverness still only identify with their original team, it would be the same if the two Manchester or Liverpool clubs were to merge for instance. Back in the day there was a proposal for Palace and Wimbledon to merge which created quite a stir at that time...indeed when Wimbledon relocated to Milton Keynes a very large proportion of their support were having none of it and formed AFC Wimbledon, whilst arguably MK Dons have gone on to decent things, but as a completely different entity. People often say that that if you cut them their teams colours run through them such is the bond.... I still would like to think that no-one will have begrudged ICT their triumph given the joint ancestry

At the end of the day Graham Shinnie was the guy who lifted the cup for ICT, and as far as I am concerned has always put in a proper shift for us and moved on at the end of his contract not after forcing a move It's a fact of life that a footballers career is short and they will always be looking for a decent (or better payday) as we all do, and if a 'bigger' * club comes calling that tends to be the way of the world.... My only regret is that we got no fee for him 'bigger'* = I have no wish to debate what bigger means except to say that even though my other club Palace have finished 10th and 11th in the EPL that wont stop a whole range of clubs above and below us trying (sometimes successfully) to nick any of our players that have shown decent form, often on the basis that they have a bigger fanbase (and hence resources), pedigree, or better prospects to tempt them with

What game was that before / after? Birmingham - don't you recognise the dodgy pub in the background? I was at that game with Caleymad...it seems suuuch a long time ago, and after the match there were a few concerns for the season from some, ended up OK didn't it?

Tremarco for me...he put in a great shift on Saturday, until he stood on the ball! It can happen to anyone...remember Stevie Gerrards slip last year against Chelsea. If Watkins is going I see Williams being more influential furthur forward

I thought we had everything under control first half, but I agree about Ofere...the worst I've seen him play, and both Christie and Doran were a bit too quiet 2nd half, which meant we were over-run.....Devine was superb, must have won virtually every header. I actually thought Tremarco was having a very good game until he trod on the ball! Watkins was superb and the difference between the two teams, and Vincent's run from his own penalty box to support Watkins and get to that loose ball will live with me for ever

Surely he's already brought ICT to the promised land, by winning 'The Cup' getting us into Europe, and a top three finish in the league.....given the level of resources available compared to others, that's almost as good as it gets I understand your comment about reaping the rewards of others...but that is the case for virtually every successful team (other than perhaps Revies Leeds, Ferguson's Man Utd , and Wenger at Arsenal)...getting this much out of players that are 'not your own' is probably more credible. Look at my other team Palace this season, and compare Pardew with Warnock and how much better one did than the other with virtually the same players...interestingly 6 of Palace's regulars actual played in the championship under Dougie Freedman some 5 managers ago! Yogi has a very different test next season, as we adjust to life without Shinnie, possibly Watkins and Ofere......I see the Europa Cup as a rather different pre-season diversion to a tough challenge of finishing in the top six again