Rendalls Rambles

[tm4tj]

RENDALLS RAMBLES

We have created a nostalgic look back at our first 25 years thanks to James Rendall, a fan from the start who has been sharing his love of this club with all. Were you at these games and what do you remember. I will add some comments from the site to the articles if they are relevant and will add to the enjoyment of the article.

James also has his own world football blog of his travels and that can be found HERE. Certainly worth a read from our well travelled fan.

I hope you all enjoy these articles which we will add a couple every week. The first three are published now

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Enjoy a walk down memory lane with Caley Jags and world football fan James Rendall. He's a well travelled football connoisseur who has been following the Caley Jags from the start. He has put together a fascinating nostalgic review of Inverness Caledonian Thistle's first 25 years as witnessed through his own eyes. Thanks James, a remarkable commitment to the beautiful game.

Take a walk in James' shoes and relive the early days..............

 

 

[The Mantis]

Some good memories there. 

I was at the Shire game where Wilsie scored the first ever goal - the date is easy to remember as it’s my brother’s birthday. Followed up on the Saturday with the 5-2 v Arbroath and the following midweek at Dundee where the away strip got its first airing. Red and white stripes and blue shorts. In those days, midweek games kicked off at 7.30.

I then missed a 4-0 hammering at home to Queens Park (boo!) and the Wilsie-inspired cuffing of County at Dingwall (big regrets), before we won at Albion Rovers with a second half strike from ‘spineless Norman’ (Monty Python reference for the young team). I fished out my season ticket for the 3-1 defeat of Forfar, which took us to the top of the league, with Dick Campbell moaning that we were a long ball team, despite having Charlie Christie, John Scott and Mike Noble in the team. I think the season ticket was about £45, maybe £50, which sounds very cheap as I think it was £4 at the gate.

My final game, coincidentally, was a 1-0 defeat at Firs Park in April, featuring out of retirement Billy Urquhart, who had been at the first game as a supporter. My tally for the season was only 11 matches though, as like the team, I fell away badly after exiting the Scottish Cup, and I was still not the biggest fan of the merger.

[Guest]

What a good read

[+Naelifts]

Loving it!

[+standbydave]

Great read,looking foward to the Pele years as he was my landlord at the time and we had great crack

[IBM]

Thanks to James Rendall for this and look forward to reading more.  His main blog is well worth a read as well what a lot of travelling!

[Weekend Hacker]

The game at Tannadice v Rangers, I was down with Billy Urq on the bankers bus.  We arranged to have a drink in the Tangerine Club.  Ooooooft.  Happy memories I think

[tm4tj]

James Rendall's blogs can now be found on our own Blogs Forum

Some fantastic reading in there if you have not already had a look. A must for all footy fans.

[Scotty]

there should be a button to add a "feature photo" . its basically the article image. I also used a standard size from my blog so its cropped to 1200x300 to get a decent pic but not too high/ . go into edit the article and you should see it. 

[The Mantis]

That second season, 95-96, was a low in my attendance at games. The whole ICT thing hadn't really caught fire for me after the merger, and I ended up seeing only 9 matches. Steve Paterson had taken over from Sergei, thankfully, and it wasn't all that long before the difference began to show, in the playing style and the results. The team finished the season in 3rd place behind Livi and Brechin (but ahead of County naturally) but was to sweep all before them the following year.

If I'm honest, I showed up at a few games just to notch some new grounds, but I got my Caley Thistle news from the small band of regulars who travelled away with Caley Thistle, notably John Stewart, ex-Caley committee and his sons, one of whom is of course David, the MSP, and the other, Alan, who is a regular on here. I also became a regular traveller with big Dougie Lynn, and through him, met Ken MacDonald from Point in Lewis who, of course, is the father of big Lewis.

The season started for me at Cliftonhill where 2 goals from Herchie looked to have won it before Rovers equalised in the last minute. Then a goalless draw at Brechin which we really should have won. A place which became a happy hunting ground for ICT in later years. Apparently Charlie scored a late equaliser at Telford Street to salvage a point against Alloa but, unusually,  I can't recall anything of the game.  A week before xmas we had a dour 0-0 draw at Cowdenbeath in front of 230, although at the time I thought there were more people in the main street to see Santa and his sleigh before the game 

In the New Year, a highlight was beating Livi 2-0 at Almondvale with late goals from Christie and Teasdale. But of course the icing on the cake, as it so often was with Caley Thistle, was the Cup. I missed the legendary Herch-inspired comeback v Livi and jumped in at the East Fife stage. As Steve Archibald substituted himself late on in the replay, thinking the game was won, a wee bit of the future ICT spirit was revealed with a late Herchie equaliser and a cool 3-1 win on spot kicks. This led to the famous win at Ochilview as the team, backed by a healthy following, progressed due to a Luggy screamer with 15 minutes to go. From my acquaintances in the game, I can exclusively reveal that Terry Christie was so depressed by this result that the Stenhousemuir board and some of his friends had to talk him out of resigning.

Then there was the Rangers game at Tannadice. A taste of things to come for ICT. Although we were well beaten in the end, most of us would have been happy with a goal, and we almost got one, courtesy of John Scott's drive which flashed narrowly over (I'm sure he went on to be a star somewhere  ). For me, the ICT passion would be ignited next season.

Edited March 21, 2019 by TheMantis

[Kind of Blue]

Mantis, great post and brings back a lot of good memories.  I seem to remember we annoyed some of the locals at a Forfar game in the early days.

[tm4tj]

The latest article from James Rendall has now been published. Hope you are all following this and other articles that have now been posted on the Blog Forum on CTO.

 

[tm4tj]

Ramble on James.

#3 Now published 2000-2003

If you have not already had a look at his blogs on here (published under tm4tj with James' permission) go and check them out. It's like an encyclopedia of world football all taken in on James' world football blogs. Other excellent entries on the blogs from Nareys Toepoker, Scotty, Mantis.......  

 

[tm4tj]

Rendall's Rambles#4

You can read all about the years 2003 - 2006 in the next chapters of James Rendall's ICT25 years...........

There's nothing like a bit of nostalgia when the season finishes.

 

[tm4tj]

Rendall's Rambles #5

Have a look back over years 2006-2009 with James.

Remember the good times, they are not guaranteed.......

 

[tm4tj]

Rendall's Rambles #6 now published, 2009-2012

Catch up on 25 years of ICT and 25 years of Caley Thistle Online...................

 

[tm4tj]

#7 Now published

Cheers James

[tm4tj]

#8 Now Published  

If you have not read these.................. what have you been doing???

[tm4tj]

The final chapter on 25 years of ICT