The Long Man

Well, a perfect tonic for the new season.

Yes, that was it! And he ran them ragged the whole game, that is my overriding memory, seeing him set off on his mazy runs. Great to watch.

Come on, such a lack of belief for the first game in the season. We beat them last season, then ran out of puff at the end, coupled with some dire refereeing. No reason we can't match them if we play to our strengths and have a half-decent official. Good game to start with, to see where both teams are. I am assuming they will be the favourites so a good test, and a point or three would set our stall out nicely.

He was a very exciting player to watch when he was with us, I seem to remember him destroying County one winter game. I have no idea if he is the same player now, but if he is, would definitely be worth a punt, though i would prefer to see him on some kind of trial first, rather than getting lumbered with a player if it doesn't work out. But if he is up to his old tricks, he could be very valuable as a supplier to the front line, as well as scoring a few himself. Would be fun if he comes back with that smile he used to play with, like he actually enjoyed playing for us.

Hi Danylo, Although the old Inverness distilleries have gone, there are plenty within within easy reach of Inverness. Here are eight of them: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/articles/8-distilleries-to-visit-in-and-around-inverness-scotland/ Of these I would recommend trying Glenmorangie, Macallan and Glen Moray. Cheers, or as we say 'slàinte mhath' (good health)! Does Ukraine produce vodka?

You are rather missing the point of the article, which starts off as an amusing anecdote, using Berwick as an example of a club not understanding or profiting from social media (the volunteer social media person got sacked and is now in a well paid football job - so Berwick lost out from a potential boost which, who knows, they might have benefitted from). The Motherwell example is far more enlightening and relevant for clubs like us. Social media won't affect your results, but it *might* improve your profile, winning you fans from afar, as well as improving relations with your own fans, and in turn improve your finances.

I'm not knocking them at all, but there are some interesting examples in that article of how you can reach fans outwith your own club.

Here's a very interesting article, starting with Berwick, about social media and footy clubs: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/17/football-clubs-social-media-berwick-rangers-bayern-munich-roma-celtic-motherwell Motherwell sound quite switched on. Maybe our club could take some inspiration from the examples cited, particularly the philosophy of getting fans, not just from our club, involved.

Cheers, Danylo, glad to hear you are still rooting for us. Should be an entertaining season. Top three?

White or Walsh to score first.

I expect Robbo is of the view that whatever the height of the challenge or the intent, studs were raised as he went in. It may look worse than it was, but they are very likely to rule it dangerous play whatever the appeal - it's one of those things that tends to be an automatic red whatever the circumstances and they are unlikely to give any latitude around.

Not a disaster. Heads didn't go down, even after a rather fortuitous rebound. Polly was daft raising his boot that high. But we know what we have to do now, and we are capable of it. Should be an exciting match.

Thankyou, Huisdean, for saying what needs to be said.

Hi Danylo, Thanks for your reply, always interesting to find out why people take a shine to a club from far away. Your reasons are sound, and I hope you get to see the view from the stadium yourself one day. I was in Kiev a few years ago, and had a good time, met some great people. I really wanted to go to a game but didn't have the time unfortunately. Maybe next time. As for your questions, we did sell Christie to Celtic, so we got some money for him. Shinnie i think was at the end of his contract. Rooney I can't remember. But you are right - we are a relatively small club, with modest attendances, compared to big city clubs from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. We have a very good track record of developing players, bringing in those who need an opportunity, as well as giving young players a chance. We have built some great squads over the years with that approach, and are doing so again. The downside is of course that the best will get offers which we cannot possibly match, as well as wanting to play for bigger clubs. So you have to accept that, enjoy them while they are here, and hope that we can reinvest the money in good players. Yes, in theory we have the whole Highlands to draw on for our support, but I think you will find most of the Highlands is quite empty! But you are right - there is a constant battle to get new investors, or sources of income, if we can. The best hope is promotion to the SPL which will great increase our income. It is a constant battle keeping financially afloat, for a club like ours. I hope you get to watch the semi final in Ukraine.

This is great. So who is doing the commentating?