Scottish Cup Final (merged)

[Guest]

Wouldn't ever shout for them, cou;dn't do that, so agree there. But by the same measure, I was happy for them to beat Celtic as they are an underdog, and i like to see the status quo broken, and see an upset. I wish them well, but i am not rooting for them in the final or wanting them to get into europe before ICT do. I just don't hate them in such a way as I wasn't unhappy to see Celtic lose, as the OF win lots and are usually shoe-ins.

[staggy4life]

Our stadium is suitable for European matches i am pretty sure. That is why the goals at both end are right up against the barriers these days as the pitch was extended a few years back so that it was suitable for European competition.

Not sure about the seating though.

Edited April 12, 2010 by staggy4life

[Kirishima]

Our stadium is suitable for European matches i am pretty sure. That is why the goals at both end are right up against the barriers these days as the pitch was extended a few years back so that it was suitable for European competition.

I see. As Gretna were at Fir Park, was there anything to do with minimum seating, undersoil heating, etc etc. I have no idea...

By the way, congratulations on your win!! :(

[Croylo]

I was pleased that a 1st division team beat Celtic it furthers the cause for a bigger SPL. I am also pleased that both highland teams are doing well, just as I would be if any of the highland league clubs came into the 3rd division and were doing well. I cannot bring myself to want County to win the Scottish cup before us but it would be one hell of an acheivement. It has been good to be in the same league as them this season I have enjoyed the derby days again and I personally wish the Spl was made bigger as it would be a lot more exciting with ICT, County, Dundee and Queen of the south in it.

To the usual suspects who were attacking the original posters point of view you are no better than the old firm bigots. Telford Street was a long long time ago I personally disliked Thistle much more than County but those days are gone now. This team is not caley or thistle both those teams are finished, ICT is a new team for anybody in Inverness and if the younger generation are going to hate county let them do it for there own reasons.

[Joe DiMaggio]

Our stadium is suitable for European matches i am pretty sure. That is why the goals at both end are right up against the barriers these days as the pitch was extended a few years back so that it was suitable for European competition.

Not sure about the seating though.

Affraid not! I'm pretty sure for Uefa games you aren't allowed standing spectators.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

@ SMEE , Revbirdog and all the self confessed " old school " Caledonian fans , have you ever stopped to think of the irony of not wanting to see our rivals winning against one of the Old Filth yet supporting a team that is an amalgamation with arguably our ( Caledonians ) biggest rivals ( Thistle ) . I would have thought you would have been refusniks with such hard core hatred for any rivals of your team !

[Harry Chibber]

@ SMEE , Revbirdog and all the self confessed " old school " Caledonian fans , have you ever stopped to think of the irony of not wanting to see our rivals winning against one of the Old Filth yet supporting a team that is an amalgamation with arguably our ( Caledonians ) biggest rivals ( Thistle ) . I would have thought you would have been refusniks with such hard core hatred for any rivals of your team !

It's a new age... there's always someone else to hate

[Oz647]

Oh God, here we go again.

[Alex MacLeod]

This thread is beyond any rational, sensible understanding. One person opens by suggesting a get together to go to the Scottish Cup Final and then we get nine or ten pages of arguement and counterarguement on the rights and wrongs of attending, the good supporter bad supporter, and the Caley v Thistle bit tossed in for good measure. Christ sake people get a life. If any of our supporters want to go to the cup final and if they want to add to the atmosphere by choosing to select one preferred winner over the other then so be it. It doesn't make them any more or less of a supporter of their own team.

I know a number of non-travelling fans of Edinburgh and Dundee teams who quite openly go to another ground in these cities to watch football. I know a few ICT fans who have gone to Dingwall when ICT have been away just as I know of a few County fans who come to Inverness for the same reasons. Many people love to watch live football but they don't like, for whatever reason, to travel to away grounds. If they choose to go and watch a local rival then that is their business and not anybody else's.

[+Gringo]

:P :025:

[Joe DiMaggio]

It would be great for Scottish football if this game is a sell out. They were saying in 1997 that the Falkirk v Kilmarnock would be lucky to get 25,000 but it was a 50,000 sell out so I see no reason why this game can't also push close to being a sell or at least be 40,000 + as a lot of nutreals would like to go to a cup final like this. For that reason I booked my bus yesterday to go down for the day to take the game in.

Now I just have to get myself a Dundee Utd end ticket :P

[TheKnowledge]

Our stadium is suitable for European matches i am pretty sure. That is why the goals at both end are right up against the barriers these days as the pitch was extended a few years back so that it was suitable for European competition.

Not sure about the seating though.

Affraid not! I'm pretty sure for Uefa games you aren't allowed standing spectators.

Do Dortmund and Barca not have standing areas?

[RiG]

Don't know about Barca but Dortmund do. Whether they can use those areas for European games I'm not too sure though.

[Joe DiMaggio]

Our stadium is suitable for European matches i am pretty sure. That is why the goals at both end are right up against the barriers these days as the pitch was extended a few years back so that it was suitable for European competition.

Not sure about the seating though.

Affraid not! I'm pretty sure for Uefa games you aren't allowed standing spectators.

Do Dortmund and Barca not have standing areas?

Barca used to about 13 years ago but it's all seated now. Dortmund have sections which can be converted from seating to standing rows, they are allowed to use these in the league but in Europe they convert them to seating.

QOS moved their game from Palmerston to Airdrie's ground for their game in Europe.

[Scotty]

According to this year's rules, the following applies:

UEFA Cup: http://www.uefa.com/multimediafiles/downlo...70_download.pdf

a] category 2 stadium for the first and second qualifying rounds;

b] category 3 stadium from the first round to the semi-finals;

c] elite category for the final.

UEFA Champions League: http://www.uefa.com/multimediafiles/downlo...60_download.pdf

a] category 2 for the first and second qualifying rounds;

b] category 3 from the third qualifying round to the semi-finals;

c] elite category for the final.

Stadiums:

Category2

• Stadiums must be all-seated and have a minimum capacity of 3,000;
  
• The playing surface dimensions must be 100-110 metres in length and 64-75 metres in width;
  
• Stadiums must have a security control room;
  
• Must provide seating for at least 400 VIPs and 200 visiting team VIP;
  
• The floodlights must light the pitch to an illuminance of at least 800-1400 lux towards fixed cameras and 500-1000 lux towards mobile cameras;
  
• There must be at least two TV studios within the stadium with dimensions 5x5x2.3 metres;
  
• In case of power failure, independent back-up power supply to provide no less than two-thirds of the equivalent light intensity without interruption;
  
• Minimum of 100 VIP secured parking;
  
• No standing spectators allowed.
  

Category 3

• Stadiums must be all-seated and have a minimum capacity of 3,000;
  
• The playing surface dimensions must be 105 metres in length and 68 metres in width;
  
• Stadiums must have CCTV both inside and outside and a security control room;
  
• Must provide seating for at least 750 VIPs and 200 visiting team VIPs;
  
• The floodlights must light the pitch to an illuminance of at least 1200-1400 lux towards fixed cameras and 800-1000 lux towards mobile cameras;
  
• There must be at least two TV studios within the stadium with dimensions of 5x5x2.3 metres;
  In case of power failure, independent back-up power supply to provide equivalent light intensity without interruption;
  
• Minimum of 150 VIP secured parking and 400 buses in the vicinity of the stadium;
  
• No standing spectators allowed.
  

Elite

• Stadiums must be all-seated and have a minimum capacity of 30,000 with 22,500 to be covered;
  
• The playing surface dimensions must be 105 metres in length and 68 metres in width and entirely fence-free;
  
• The playing surface must either be natural turf or FIFA-licensed artificial turf;
  
• The substitute benches must seat at least 13 people;
  
• The dressing rooms must seat at least 25 people;
  
• There should also be a separate delegate's room, doping station, and first aid room;
  
• Stadiums must have CCTV both inside and outside and a security control room;
  
• Must provide seating for at least 1,500 VIPs, 200 visiting team VIPs, and 400 square metres of a hospitality area;
  
• The floodlights must light the pitch to an illuminance of at least 1400 lux towards fixed cameras and 1000 lux towards mobile cameras;
  
• There must be at least three TV studios within the stadium with dimensions of 5x5x2.3 metres;
  
• In case of power failure, independent back-up power supply to provide equivalent light intensity without interruption;
  
• Minimum of 150 VIP secured parking and 400 buses in the vicinity of the stadium;
  
• No standing spectators allowed.
  

[Joe DiMaggio]

What category would the Caledonian Stadium come under? Not sure about the vip and lighting regulations.

Pitty that standing isn't allowed, it's complete nonsense that you are allowed to have a full stadium at home in the cup against Hibs and it's deemed safe but your not allowed to play them at home in the league as it then becomes unsafe?

As standing is ruled out 'if', thats a big if, they somehow fluke the cup :tonguecheek: would their games in Europe then be played in Inverness? If we fall in one of the categories 2-3 which I'm sure we would do.

Edited April 12, 2010 by Joe DiMaggio

[Harry Chibber]

This thread is beyond any rational, sensible understanding. One person opens by suggesting a get together to go to the Scottish Cup Final and then we get nine or ten pages of arguement and counterarguement on the rights and wrongs of attending, the good supporter bad supporter, and the Caley v Thistle bit tossed in for good measure. Christ sake people get a life. If any of our supporters want to go to the cup final and if they want to add to the atmosphere by choosing to select one preferred winner over the other then so be it. It doesn't make them any more or less of a supporter of their own team.

I know a number of non-travelling fans of Edinburgh and Dundee teams who quite openly go to another ground in these cities to watch football. I know a few ICT fans who have gone to Dingwall when ICT have been away just as I know of a few County fans who come to Inverness for the same reasons. Many people love to watch live football but they don't like, for whatever reason, to travel to away grounds. If they choose to go and watch a local rival then that is their business and not anybody else's.

Not for me... I don't buy it at all

I can understand looking at teams in different divisions or maybe clubs that are not in direct competition with your club but C*unty are. We have been competing with them since (ICT) existance and always will.. I don't ever want to see them do well because it generally means that we are not. I felt sick when I was hearing the score line the other day and doubt I'll be watching the final incase the worst does happen.

[ICTCM]

This thread is beyond any rational, sensible understanding. One person opens by suggesting a get together to go to the Scottish Cup Final and then we get nine or ten pages of arguement and counterarguement on the rights and wrongs of attending, the good supporter bad supporter, and the Caley v Thistle bit tossed in for good measure. Christ sake people get a life. If any of our supporters want to go to the cup final and if they want to add to the atmosphere by choosing to select one preferred winner over the other then so be it. It doesn't make them any more or less of a supporter of their own team.

I know a number of non-travelling fans of Edinburgh and Dundee teams who quite openly go to another ground in these cities to watch football. I know a few ICT fans who have gone to Dingwall when ICT have been away just as I know of a few County fans who come to Inverness for the same reasons. Many people love to watch live football but they don't like, for whatever reason, to travel to away grounds. If they choose to go and watch a local rival then that is their business and not anybody else's.

Not for me... I don't buy it at all

I can understand looking at teams in different divisions or maybe clubs that are not in direct competition with your club but C*unty are. We have been competing with them since (ICT) existance and always will.. I don't ever want to see them do well because it generally means that we are not. I felt sick when I was hearing the score line the other day and doubt I'll be watching the final incase the worst does happen.

:tonguecheek: I completely agree

Edited April 12, 2010 by ICTcalumICT

[Scotty]

On the one hand, I do congratulate County for their achievement. We all know how it felt to win THAT game in Glasgow and like "England 66" we have trotted out "Feb 8th 2000" as our crowning achievement ... hell we even released a DVD (Night to Remember), recently held a 10 year anniversary dinner and are releasing a 10 year commemorative video. Was it the most important result in our history, it certainly felt like it at the time, and it probably was, but I would argue that we have had bigger since that date - like promotion to the SPL, or actually reaching the semis of the cup twice.

County went there and played out of their skins against a Celtic team that thought they just had to turn up to win it. That is very similar to our game in 2000. So for going there to play football and overcoming the odds to actually win it I do congratulate them wholeheartedly. It has put them on the map, maybe even moreso than it did us and they should be allowed to bask in their glory. I dont know how many times I answered the question "Who are Ross County?" when I was in the pub watching the Toronto game on Saturday night !!!!

However, right now I can honestly say I care not a jot who actually wins it although I am leaning more in the direction of United !!! If County do actually win it, there will be a lot of rubbing our noses in it because they will qualify for Europe and they will be able to say they won the cup, both things that ICT have never done. Not sure I like that idea. I certainly could not go along and support them (or United) as I support only two teams - ICT and TFC and if they are not involved I am really not interested enough to splash the cash on a day out where I have no investment in hoping for a particular outcome.

If some ICT fans want to go along as neutrals or even to support one or other of the teams then that is up to them. I will not be as presumptious as to call them better or worse fans than me or anyone else. It is their choice and that choice should be respected - just as mine should.

At the end of the day, both teams have earned their places in the final and come the day, may the best team win ... even if it happens to be County (as much as that sticks in the throat :tonguecheek:).

[+Wanderer]

I don't ever want to see them do well because it generally means that we are not.

I'd love the idea of 2 x local highland derbies per season in the SPL in a 16 team league. If that means both teams are successful, so be it.

[Joe DiMaggio]

The County chairman was on the STV news earlier saying he hopes to take around 20,000 fans down to the final!! :tonguecheek:

[Scotty]

What category would the Caledonian Stadium come under? Not sure about the vip and lighting regulations.

Pitty that standing isn't allowed, it's complete nonsense that you are allowed to have a full stadium at home in the cup against Hibs and it's deemed safe but your not allowed to play them at home in the league as it then becomes unsafe?

As standing is ruled out 'if', thats a big if, they somehow fluke the cup :tonguecheek: would their games in Europe then be played in Inverness? If we fall in one of the categories 2-3 which I'm sure we would do.

I would think we would definitely be category 2 but might squeak into category 3.

VIP seating could be accomplished in the main stand - these seats would not be in any season ticket package for any european game so they could workaround the requirement.

Lighting might be a worry. I know we had to upgrade ours when we went to the SPL but I have no clue what the specs are ....

TV studios could also be accomodated probably - there is the current press box, but some form of temporary structure could probably be erected if it needed to be - a bit like what happens when SKY broadcast. Alternatively, some of the boxes up top might be used or the media room at the front of the stadium?

What I posted earlier were just the bullet points from Wikipedia ..... There are loads of other hoops to jump through regarding the stadia and I have a copy of the 2006 stadium criteria document from UEFA but no idea if that is still current. I assume that this document goes hand in hand with various aspects of the club licensing program that ICT had to undertake in the SPL.

regulationsstadiuminfrastructure_e.pdf

[Scotty]

This is also a fascinating read: http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Downlo...45_DOWNLOAD.pdf

[Renegade]

Here's the way I look at things with this. First of all, I don't buy into either argument. I don't buy into this we're Highlanders so we should support them cause they're a Highland team stuff. Nor do I buy into this somewhat petty argument of "I support ICT, so I have to hate everything Ross County". I am an ICT supporter and a football supporter and what Ross County has achieved is very good and they should be commended for it. Good for them, they've done something that will go down in their history and have done something I sure wish ICT had done, whilst also playing a style of football, both effective and entertaining, something that I feel is lacked in Scottish football today. What I also admire about their style is that they took a stance of confidence and courage and applied that to their game. Too many clubs come up against the OF and essentially shut the barn door. The game is lost before they even step out onto the field. The way County approached the game shows great self belief and the reason why they won. In many ways in reminds me of the ICT of old.

Am I County supporter? No. Am I a County hater? No. If County win it, they win it, if they don't they don't. I'm not bothered either way, nor will I be attending the final. They are another team, and nothing more. Thankfully I'm not a member of either of these groups, two groups that in process of their arguments have made themselves look very petty, very childish, and quite sad.

[Scotty]

Renegade ..... I agree with you