Council Juice

Well, look at it this way. Since 1966 when England fluked it with home advantage and a shocking decision, they've won FA whilst the WC and Euro winners have included: France Spain Germany Italy (who we all acknowledge as good teams, but why should they fare any better than England, who have had the strongest league over the last 20 years and many superb players?) But also: Czech Netherlands Denmark Greece England haven't even reached a final in all that time, despite qualifying for the vast majority of tournaments. I would also add that recent World Cup semi-finalists since England last got that far in 1990 include: Sweden Croatia Turkey S Korea Bulgaria Since Spain broke their duck a couple of years ago, there is surely no major footballing nation to have achieved so little. The Premiership may be the most exciting league in terms of goals and pace to the game but La Liga is stronger in the terms that most players chose to play there over England (partly to do with weather fair enough but the best players are still there) But maybe it goes to show that having a strong league is detrimental to the national team. Spain are profiting now as there top teams are now full of home grown talent. It was not so long ago the top players for Barca and Real Madrid were Dutch or Brazilian and Spain got nowhere. The Premiership is definitely one of the top 2 leagues, of that there is no doubt, but is full of foreigners. The lower end premiership clubs only have a few average English players but the further up the League you go the more foreigners there are. This is one of the many reasons France were so strong for a 4 year period. Most of their players were playing in Italy Spain of England(Arsenal) and they also had a good strong home based nucleus. Germany have always had a league with many Germans in their teams and Italians are also mainly home based. 2 strong leagues but have a better blend in the top teams. So I don't think that because a league is strong (English 1st Div early 80s stong in Europe, though a rubbish England team as league was full of Scots!) it translates to having a good national team. Underachievers perhaps but only the English and their media think that England are much more than a top 8 side and their form in getting to quarters and no further proves this. However if a team is hyped to win, win, win and ultimately doesn't, then it looks like spectacular underachievement where in reality it's probably about right. How many bank clerks do we have playing for Scotland like? Man U, Birmingham, Old Firm, West Brom, Wolves, Blackpool, Tottenham, Sunderland and Wigan players and most are regulars but no bankers or league 2 stars. Yep I see what you mean there. ;) I see your point, but it wasn't that long ago that Scotland got an embarrassing 2-2 result against a bunch of farmers and fishermen. Let's be honest, Scotland are not a good team, and have IMO zero chance of getting to any major competitions any time soon and I doubt would be able to get a draw against Slovakia, a good Paraguay and a not so good Italy, something New Zealand did. They also play excellently as a team, are very well organised and hard to beat, something I don't feel could be said for Scotland. BTW - I had a wee look up the NZ team and I think they only have one banker, with the captain Nelsen playing for Blackburn, four players who were in the Championship last season, one guy in the Danish League, one at Motherwell, one at NY Red Bulls and a few at some of the higher Australian clubs (some of which will be the same standard as the SPL). So, not the most prolific team in the world, but not as amateur as you claim. The A- league is probably low end SPL. With the MLS top teams around about Rangers/Celtic. The Danish league again of similar stature to the SPL. And I don't know the standard of the Bankers league. Those Farmers and fishermen also nearly embarrassed France (I know France are a little dodgy these days) And that result (2-2 against the Faroes) was for the Euro04 qualifiers over 6 years ago. Lambert was still playing. Vogts was in charge! True our results of late have not been great but that is because Burley tried to make Scotland play expansive football - ain't gonna happen. However if we play to our strengths which is normally good organisation and danger at set pieces coupled with direct fast paced football we can give anyone a game. World cup winners and runners up, a strong Ukraine team. Under McLeish we beat the Faroes 6-0 at home. In fact if we play like New Zealand then we can match anyone and they have shown that they can do it. Pretty sure I managed to name a premiership 11 of Scots last season which is alot more than I could do for NZ. My point though is not a dig at them. And I don't want to come across in a patronising or contrasending way but they proved that by being organised and taking chances coupled with some luck, that you can at least match the big teams and I think we have more quality so we should see no reason as to why we can't.

How many bank clerks do we have playing for Scotland like? Man U, Birmingham, Old Firm, West Brom, Wolves, Blackpool, Tottenham, Sunderland and Wigan players and most are regulars but no bankers or league 2 stars. Yep I see what you mean there.

I'd hate to be either of them this morning. They ain't getting out of bed (coffin) in a hurry!

Had to laugh at the hysteria surrounding Englands win over Slovenia. Yeah sure they picked up. Much better. Deserved to win but it was like they had bloody won the tournament the way people were acting on the Tele box. It was just Slovenia. Had Johnson and Barry been rightly booked for behind the man challenges early on it might have been oh so different. Johnson got away with 2 of them before finally being booked for seemingly thowing himself into the man looking for a free kick. Any other ref and he'd have been off. So lady luck smiled on them in the fact they actually got a fairly decent ref who let the game flow for once. Germany, I suspect will be a whole different ball game. Can't wait to see it as a, ahem, neutral. Will be tasty!

Still not seen or heard that wee turd Chick yet but on the Hansen watch I only saw him refer to England as "they" and "England" last night. Could he have done it accidently sometime and everyone just jumped on it?

To be honest I really don't care how england do, but am sick of the media ramming it down our throats every 5 minutes. It's done in such a disrespectful way to the opposition as well like "once we beat this lot and the next we can focus on the next round" And it's like hang on a minute. Get this game out the way 1st. No wonder England only managed to scrape a draw versus English championship elect Algeria! To quote Kevin Keegan "capello should be saying "If you dont pick up a level you might not win this competition" No... if you don't pick up a level you wont get out the group Kevin. It's like England have a divine right to win the trophy before a ball is kicked. This despite having done nothing in the competition at all, bar a semi final 20 years, since winning a different trophy altogether over 40 years ago. And there was only 16 teams back then! England are a final 8 side at best with two world class players tops (Rooney, Ashley Cole) and if the media could accept that then maybe there wouldn't be such blind hysteria which annoys not only Scots but pretty much every other nation going. One minute it;s Don Fabio, In Capello we trust and the next he is not able to do his job. Hell even the Brazilians have written themselves off and they don't have a weakness in the whole team. The Germans too.... and everyone knows you never write off the Germans. So to the Team; do what you will, the manager; I feel for you but you're getting a decent wage for it, and the fans; support your team to the end. But I can't help but hope they flop just to get it up your irritating press pack.

I DID see Hansen use the phrase "we" shock horror... however he wasn't refering to England but him and his fellow presenters/studio analyists. Ah well!

Great news! And if he has a good season then he can get himself in the shop window for a more lucrative move at the end of season. One which he thoroughly deserves and alas we cannot give him. Tho if I happen to win the lottery I will happily stump up a bumper contract for the season or two beyond this one (By win I mean a cracking jackpot) There you go- in writing. You can hold me to it.

I'd like to point out Im not in any way getting at the ability of a kid I've never even heard of never mind seen play. My only point being that whilst having a large frame is often of use to a keeper it can affect mobility and agility. And even in saying that it could just be the picture.

I don't really know if you could call it spectacular underachievement. They've never really had a team capable of winning it, with the exception of Italia '90. The Dutch and Spanish have much more to answer for.

Surely having a Scotsman at the world cup means we have at least 1 unbiased reporter, even if it is Chick Young? As for his allegiances, i don't really care. He can support anyone he likes and can do that in whichever way he pleases whether that be via a closet or not. If he's the best reporter we can send then it's a bit of a shame but at least we get some coverage as outsiders looking in. And on the Alan Hansen point. Everyone refers to how he refers to England as "we" and "us" but having seen him cover countless games I can't ever recall it. Maybe he has in the past but given he's surrounded by Englishmen and played there for the vast majority of his career and lives there it's probably alot easily to do that be it through habit or just to appease the Enlgish public. I've seen him with many a smirk on his face when England haven't been doing so well and likes to lay it on thick when getting into the analysis of their play, particularly if there has been mistakes.

two words ........ Jimmy Calder !!!! Or Andy Goram?? :party01: And old Roughie was never what could be called less than cuddly . . . Thats fair enough. Andy Goram was a great keeper, though Im too young and never really saw a great deal of Roughie but know he was fairly highly decorated and probably good too. Jim Calder is a legend for ICT but a 3rd/2nd division player in the stark reality of things. Had ability to go further but didn't so we can never know how far. My point is these days, in 2010, you rarely see chunky keepers, even in the lower leagues. Brian Jensen being the obvious exception to the rule.

It might just be the photo but that keeper look a little on the chunky side for a professional football player.

To be honest offering a 2 year deal is fine, so long as contract negotiations are started in the summer before they run out for key players to try and stop them agreeing pre contracts elsewhere. But as for the likes of Rooney, a 2 year extension should be seen as our next priority. He was after all signed on a 3 year deal so for him to have another 2 years to go wouldn't really be any different.

Scotland on their way to winning..............Oh, nothing, as usual. Oh and by the way it's a penalty not a penatly. :P When was the last time england won anything ? Its because of people like you that I hope england dont get past the group stages . Oh I see, I'm supposed to take it but not give it. It's called banter, I'm sure Iamthecaptain1 wasn't offended by my comeback just as I wasn't offended by his opening remark. As for your question about England last winning anything. I think it was 1966 but I'm not sure. When was the last time Scotland won anything? Let me guess 1967 when Scotland beat England. That's about the sum of it, isn't it? If people like me make you hope England go out early, you really should get out more. That way you may be able to get a life. If you really can't handle the banter then I suggest you hibernate for the next few weeks because I can see it getting a lot worse. Damn a typo, actually Oz I was deeply offended. It was such a cheap jibe. :D I was merely only stating a fact. And besides, of all the people for you to lose a charity match to, then few could argue there is none better than Woody Harrelson.

Yeah, Jamie Theakston that was, who to his credit made 3 pretty good penalty saves as well as a few good ones during the match, including Henrik Larrson from a one on one. But they didn't bet one Woody stepping up and slotting it away.

Eh naw

England on their way to losing yet another penatly shoot out - Woody Harrleson - LEGEND!

hear hear

Not the cat! What has a cat got to do with the club, Inverness or the surrounding area? At least Nessie was relevant. An eagle, a dolphin, Nessie, the Highlander...anything appropriate. But the cat is just a character with no attachment to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The cat was a design from schoolkids. ICaT I know, but it's still a nothing character. Couldn't it be more relevant? And a Panda is relevant to Paisley how? For one I'm pretty sure they don't share the animals inability to breed down that way. Caley Cat kind of works in the alliteration sense but I see Nessie as more relevant. One of the most well known mythological beasts in the world to boot. An Eagle or Dolphin would be good representations of the area and it helps with an eagle being in the club badge. Hamish the Highlander would be great if they got the right person in the suit. I reckon we should just have a big team of them.

I was going to come to that. It is a bit cheeky moaning about the fact that other teams don't have huge away supports when 20000 of his own teams fans are no where to be seen most of the season. But hey, what do we care. Dont affect us. Perhaps if he reduces the ticket prices a touch you never know.

It's an extremely sad story. We can perhaps take comfort in the fact, as his family is, in that he achieved one of his life goals in reaching the highest point on Earth. To the above point, mountains such as Everest are notoriously difficult to attempt any sort of rescue. It has to be remembered that this is the Himilayas - hundreds of miles away from any civilisation. There are no helicopters and it is near impossible to stretcher or carry someone down. Once someone becomes immobilised they have, sadly, little chance of survival. The death point, where they as it states in the article, is so called because quite simply that is the main area which claims so many lives, many on the decent like in this case. I find it rash to criticise his fellow climbers and the local Sherpas as they would have had little choice but to leave him or become stuck and probably die themselves. I can imagine it would have been done very reluctantly as most climbers are very loyal and would only do so if there was no other choice. Also where it is not stated in this article, but in others (metro paper), of his fellow climbers many returned to camp suffering from frostbite and hypothermia. It's tragic and someone very frank but had they stayed they too would have likely perished, which I very much doubt, even, i stress, without knowing him, he would want. This Scotsman report gives a little more information on the conditions he and his team would have endured. R.I.P

Yes you are in similar position but have had to release half your squad which affects unity and will need recruitments to shore up the gaps that Harkins and Griffiths can't fill. We had much a similar problem in losing a fair few players bukept a good nucleus. Even so it took a while for the reshaping to kick in (about November) You'll have to either hope it doesn't take that long or you get the extended run we had with a collapse of any front runner. Dundee are in no way dead certs for anything. Challengers, probable favourites as you state, but from a group of about 4 teams all wanting up. Also alot of the mistakes were carried on by the new management team anyway. Any money your benefactor has plowed in is technically debt. And why give Livi and Gretna as your only 2 examples of buying success. Im pretty sure another team has done that, which you may have, erm, missed out. Had players like Kinkladze, Khisnishvili, Caballero, Ravanelli, Caniggia, Sara, Julian Speroni, Adamczuk...... doesn't bode well eh

Maybe he had a smaller budget than us and just couldn't take it in. News that tanning sessions could no longer be put down as company expenses clearly did not go down well!

No he isn't. Not when he mentions 17-20 supporters. Everyone knows we have one of the smaller away supports and obviously it will dip if we have nothing to play for at the end of the season, but it is lying, disrespectful, disingenuous bullsh*t to claim that it will ever be as low as that. Our way support was in three figures for almost every away game last season and the season before that, and I suspect was one of the best in the division for the final quarter of the season. It's fair enough to say that Dundee being promoted would have been far more advantageous to Utd, but why lie like that to make your point? My point was that it's obvious a local derby would be more beneficial to DUTD as opposed to a tricky journey up the road or against a team with a fairly small away support. But it's the same as a local derby would be good for anyone. Im sure Killie would love Ayr to come up (although we all know that'd never happen ) just as we would love to have County to beat in the same league. He's not really lying either. It's much more of a rash speculation to exaggerate on his point. And the reporter has latched on to that for a better story. It's not big news to be honest. I don't really care for what he has to say but hey it's his point of view and he's entitled to think that... whether he's right is another matter entirely. And thats the point I was making there. Of course we'd rather have County over say Hamilton for example but thats not the case and anything else is purely Ifs and Buts and therefore pretty irrelevant.