Alex MacLeod

v Rangers at HFA Dingwall 2:0pm Friday 15th

Where now? I think last season we achieved probably the best we are likely to achieve in terms of league position and big cup win. I dont see us, or any other team, being in a position to match Celtic and Rangers to win this league. Another Europa run, with maybe getting past the first stage, would be a step forward but for me survival each season is where I'd want to be.

36 minutes ago, RiG said:

Gavin Gunning has been released by 'mutual consent'

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11794/10240137/gavin-gunning-leaves-dundee-united-by-mutual-consent

14 hours ago, Renegade said:

Can someone who wants Foran installed as manager answer these questions - what management/coaching experience does he have? What does he know about training? What does he know about tactics? What does he know about contract deals and scouting? If the answer for any of these is 'He doesn't' then he's not qualified to be the manager, not yet anyway. 

What did any manager know before they took the first step? Christie, Brewster, Robertson and every other manager in football started somewhere. Those I've named cut their teeth at ICT and didn't actually do a bad job in the beginning.

9 hours ago, RossP said:

Dean Brill also got another 90 mins under his belt. He's played quite a few U20s games now with most of them being clean sheets.

4

8 hours ago, Renegade said:

Stuart Cosgrove was saying on Off The Ball the other week that due to McDiarmid Park's proximity to the biggest crematorium in Tayside, it's not unknown for St Johnstone to make more in a single day of holding funeral meals etc. than it is from a St Johnstone home game!

Fortnight waiting list for lunch at McD. They have one of the best lotteries in the land and as CaleyD says their conferencing and astroturf facilities are booked solid.

21 hours ago, ICTRoughi said:

Injuries are difficult to judge but what's the point in having a big squad and wasting wages to ensure we have many squad players that hardly feature 

I dont think 22-24 is a big squad. Apart from the injury thing I think it drives players to work hard and win their place in the team on match day. Without competition for places the work-rate could suffer.

6 minutes ago, ICTRoughi said:

17 would be excluding youth players.

Yes but assuming the injury list of this season can you really expect to be playing youth players twice a week which is what would have happened?

According to this article we are third bottom ahead of Partick and County http://stv.tv/sport/football/1321105-celtics-average-wage-bill-is-25-times-higher-than-ross-countys/ I dont know where they got the figures from or how they worked out player wages over company wages (Players and staff)

20 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

The cynic in me notes that a full strength Hearts side were fit enough this evening to come from a goal down to beat Aberdeen and effectively confirm Celtic as league champions...

The cynic in me notes that 22 players were in U-21 national squad and yet only two carried the bug back to their team. Both of these from the same team. No epidemic at Reading, Celtic, Inverness, Bradford, Rangers, Aberdeen, Falkirk, Dundee U, Man U or Sporting Clube de Portugal. Maybe it has something to do with deficiencies in immune system being as they are from Edinburgh

35 minutes ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Well the fat lady is singing but she may still be smiling and laughing. Personally the bottom five games are better for us, especially if we pick up another three points on Tuesday. Looking forward to Hamilton and the Plastic whistle and will hopefully get a home midweek match when I am back in Sneckie - hopefully Dungdee. Beat the Jam Tarts and 10 points and a better goal difference than Killie will ease any nerves. When are the fixtures announced.

 

Now that the split is known I'd hope the fixtures would be out monday

12 minutes ago, ICTRoughi said:

 How big a squad do you have and what is the breakdown of this squad in numbers for each position?

Not very large squad but equally not a slim squad too. The focus should always be to bring in quality over quantity to have a good squad of players. Breakdown on our budget: 2 GKs, 2 RB, 3 CB, 2 LB, 4 CM, 4 Attackers = Squad of 17. 

 

 

 

 

 

A squad of 17? Thank christ we had more than 17 this season or we'd have been forfeiting the majority of our games. Personally I think 22/24 is a decent number 

Yes we have Rig but, as has been said earlier, many good players in the lower leagues dont want to turn pro simply because they have ood paying full time careers and are not prepared to risk losing all that. When I worked in Grangemouth many moons ago I worked alongside players who were constantly being asked to turn pro but where they worked they had careers with great promotional prospects and a job, till retirement, with good pension and welfare benefits. They just weren't interested in giving that all up. Its very difficult to give up a career for the prospect of another short career when you can do one and still enjoy the other

Dont know how far RF is with coaching qualifications but I believe he has been working on them with support of Kenny C. I'm with Renegade on this one. Lets see RF in a coaching role with under a decent experienced manager for a time before throwing him to the lions. That could be at TCS or it could be at another club. Most decent managers cut there teeth under others and gain knowledge and experience from them before stepping up.

7 hours ago, ed said:

Alex MacLeod bringing Irish politics into the debate on the 5th April and claiming a grievance.

 

Alex MacLeod claiming he did not bring Irish politics into the debate on the 7th April and was not offended.

 

 

 

Clever spin on words ed. I said I felt offended by a phrase that was used by . That is far from bringing Irish politics into the debate. Suggesting that one group of people refer to another group of people, both groups of whom I have no desire to be associated with, has nothing to do with politics

As this election is a two method system of counting I think you should have made two polls to reflect the constituency and list choices.

22 hours ago, ed said:

The Nationalists have a real obsession with Ireland at the moment.  Irish politics should have no place here Alex, and do you really think there was anything anti Catholic / Irish in Charles' post?!  The world is not against you, so please remove that massive chip from your shoulder.

 

Regards, 

 

55% of Scotland.

I have no view one way or the other on Irish politics and did not bring that into this conversation. And as someone who was indoctrinated into the faith of the 'Wee Free' but who, for many years, has been anti religion I'm hardly going to have a chip on my shoulder about anti Catholic / Irishness

Schemes like this have been discussed and debated long before SNP came to lead SG. As has been stated the scheme has been trialling in Highland and, I believe Lothian, for around 8 years now. I haven't read the proposed legislation but understand that although some amendments have been proposed it is generally accepted by all parties as well as various other bodies.

What I'd like to see, before offering positive or negative response, is comment from parents and children involved in the trial scheme

6 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

Try this definition which originates from the bigger world, furth of the unfortunately parochial constraints of Scotland

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the+great+unwashed

Winding up Oddquine? Of course! And great sport it was too while it lasted. I wonder how things are going outside Holyrood? Never mind, in Alex we seem to have the new Oddquine who, give or take occupying the odd Post Office and shooting a few British soldiers, was at least pretty civil.

Apology???? Of course it wasn't!

Little bit stupid and assumptious Charles. The name is MacLeod. The origin Scalpay Harris

DD, just to put things in perspective 'the great unwashed' is the orange term for the Irish catholics and thats where I feel offended. I'm a Macleod. My family are from Harris yet because I support SNP policy I'm being tarred

 Charles I remember your words of apology outside the Gellions last year. What was it....I'm just winding up Oddquine....Sorry friend you are an idiot and a bigot and if this site wants to kick me out for being honest then so be it

10 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

Alex, that is pathetic and not worthy of you.  For all Charles' flippancy or offensiveness (whatever you want to call it) he has actually made more reasoned and evidenced points in this thread than all the SNP supporting contributors put together.  In any case, if his posts are deemed to be offensive then, as you well know, there is a mechanism to warn and, if necessary, ban people from contributing to a particular thread.  Failing that, you can simply choose to ignore his posts.

Of course, just because you find Charles offensive is absolutely no reason not to engage in debate with others, particularly when some folk other than the usual suspects have recently joined the debate.  It really does smack of finding any excuse to avoid defending the indefensible.

And please don't include Oddquine in  your indignant little claim to the moral high ground.  It was Oddquine in the Referendum debate, you may recall, who posted that she sometimes wondered whether the independence movement would have achieved independence had they copied the Irish and killed for it.  Now that really is offensive.

Several serious points against the SNP and it's strategy and policy have been made on this thread which nobody has even tried to counter.  Unless you or anyone else can come on here and debate these points then the only conclusion I will draw is that you don't dispute the arguments made.

I did always take on board many of your views DD but when that idiot refers to me as one of the great unwashed then I take offence. Now I see you defend him. CB, in his last post has totally lost the plot. His is not a view of the political health of the modern country that is Scotland but an unhealthy hatred for one party. Much akin to the religious hatreds that have jeopardised our country for too long. 

Oddquine, just like me, is choosing not to debate with abusive little people like Mr Bannerman. Some of his comments are not about debate but just downright offensive.

13 hours ago, bdu98196 said:

Midweek rescheduling a midweek reschedule of an original wknd fixture is an opportunity lost. As per my earlier post, should have put it on Sat 16th as both teams are out of the cup and hopefully would have drawn a decent size crowd with a reasonable kick off time. Chance for common sense missed again. Disappointing but not surprising.

Common sense is to play it as soon as possible. Waiting till the following saturday would leave only a week to get fixtures, times and TV sorted.

Game officially off and rescheduled for Tuesday 12th 19:45 ko.

Penalty to Falkirk results in a goal 2-1 min 62

Full Time 2-1