The Mantis

I was there (the Roker End) around 1994 and I can’t remember seeing this. Nor going up those staircases - I would have remembered that. Looking up the Simon Inglis book it seemed that the concrete supports were condemned in 1982 and the terrace was reduced from 17000-odd to 8000. It’s not clear whether it was demolished. Maybe @Roker Rover will know.

Remember it well as we were seeing it from the same angle as the camera so we were all laughing at Sparky’s effort

Not exactly random, but visiting Stark's Park is always a treat

I’ve been observing Colin Steven since he started in the non-league and he’s always been hopeless. I met loads of refs as part of my job was to pay them at the end and they were mostly all sound guys but he seemed to have a smell under his nose. Let’s face it, none of us are going to beat St Johnstone over two legs given the shiteness of our league this season.

Great pics Jute. Is that a real camera or have you got a very posh phone?

I can only go back to when WW were in it. The home club kept everything and the groundhop organiser made his money off the punters coming up from England, 3 coachloads back then. WW missed out the first year of LL fixtures but they did it the following year. You had to do badges as well. But I’m not defending it, I won’t be at any of it this weekend, over to San Starko to see ICT and home again. Might see you if Bonnyrigg make the playoff.

I remember when they did the LL one, the organiser Chris Berezai turned up at a LL meeting and did a presentation to the clubs. I think once the league is committed to a groundhop the individual clubs are too. Although the fairly strict conditions can be a pain in the erse for club committees they definitely make money.

They plundered us as well, I remember Xausa, Barry Wilson and Mark McCulloch going. Soon after that they whipped us 4-1 at Almondvale which was a shocking result for us, as we had a great record of getting a result there even when our keeper got sent off, or the time we stopped them going up in 1998, they started the day in top spot and ended up 3rd after Sheerin’s late winner.

Love this image…

Featuring the Benburb grandstand following its big money move. Is that right, or are you kidding, thought it looked familiar Have they got anything else at NTP then? Haven't been for a couple of years.

Kilwinning Rangers 0 Clydebank 1. Took advantage of Scotrail's £12 offer to finally visit the Buffs new park. Sadly missed ICT's first win in over a decade but at least I was home for my tea.

Many moons ago I went with a hillwalking mate to see Tom Weir at the Edinburgh Book Festival. We came across him trying to cross Charlotte Square, complete with daypack and tammy. He was absolutely tiny and we helped him across as he looked terrified of the traffic. Hoping to visit Vale next season and catch up with @Craig the Hunter from the glory days at Whitehill.

Was at Musselburgh a couple of months back. This Crow held a Bar Tailed Godwit under till it drowned, then started to pluck it (go easy on the Kenneth Williams gifs). Must have been ill as it never put up much of a struggle.

I realise your post has an element of “know your place” and I understand that. Without descending into “our club is special” you have to realise that from 1994 to 2016 ICT probably was special (apart from an unlucky 37 point relegation in 2009 which we quickly bounced back from). The reason was that we had the right people in place and continually replaced them with more of the right people. When you have that at a club you can achieve pretty much anything. Compared to our richer neighbours across the bridge we made great appointments in Paterson, Robbo, Brewster Mk1, Butcher and Hughes while MacGregor presided over a number of sackings. If you keep making the right appointments you can keep this up almost indefinitely regardless of budgets. We absolutely murdered Dundee in the run-in in 2010 and I see no reason why we would be any different competing with Killie in the league. I don’t recall anybody expecting us to compete with Hearts or to a lesser extent United. When Kenny Cameron refused Hughes permission to speak to Utd in 2016 it set in motion a chain of events which has ruined everything at the club. We’re now in a sort of Falkirk situation which could see things getting a lot worse. FWIW I don’t think Dodds is getting all the stick. Most people seem to think a root and branch clearout is needed. When we recruited Gardiner everybody was pointing and laughing at us, and he certainly seems to have recruited some of his old pals, possibly to our detriment, although for me the jury is out, mainly because the club has stopped talking to the fans, so nobody has a clue what is going on. But no, I don’t think Dodds is a good manager. Maybe a coach but as a manager he has no track record at all. Being a Utd legend doesn’t really help us.

I was at a Tenerife game during a week's holiday in the 90s. Walking up to the stadium I saw a guy with a Saltire draped over his shoulders. He passed by before I could think of something witty to shout (as you do). Then when I got in I saw the far end festooned with flags and the penny dropped... they used to let them in cheap at that end but it filled up really early so it was packed. Most people around me didn't seem all that interested in the game TBH, and with it being about 27 degrees even at 9pm, everybody was buying cold drinks. Many folk had their Real or Barca tops on and the electronic scoreboard was keeping them up to date with the big two who both had fixtures that night.

There’s enough parks in Dundee for a groundhopper convention. I saw two shifty looking groundhopper types today. Maybe they thought the same about me but at least I wasn’t wearing a backpack or taking hundreds of pics

Got to watch the cholesterol these days Crow Mind you I had a pie and beans before I left, Mrs Mantis allows it about once a fortnight

I'm afraid I've given up pies except if I'm desperate. I had a wee look anyway as there was a sign to the 'shop' and I thought they might have badges, but I think it was down a wee rabbit hole and the teams were coming back out.

East Craigie 8 Downfield 0 Trip to Craigie Park to see what the league leaders were all about. Having seen Downfield put up a decent display against Blantyre of the WOSL Premier, I knew that they couldn't score goals, but soon found out they couldn't defend either. Could have been far more, including a missed pelanty at 6-0. Thought the standard was pretty woeful but much of that was down to the bumpy park. The Shipbuilders did get a decent passing game going especially second half. Cracking weather though, amused myself between goals by working out that the white hill with the masts is probably Craigowl.

I believe you're in this shot Although I didn't know you were there at the time

Arniston v Edinburgh Utd ON 2pm following pitch inspection

I’m desperate to get a joke in here about helmets

Got it on the last shot and only then the penny dropped what all the figures meant

I have been experiencing the torture of a kidney stone over the past 48 hours and, whilst I would love to claim to be bravely facing up to it, I actually ended up curled up in a ball on the floor, crying, shouting and swearing whilst Mrs. Nosejob was on the ‘phone to NHS 24. Drink plenty of fluids people. I had forgotten that I posted this so a wee surprise I just checked and it was March 2016. They said there's a 50% chance of getting another in the next 5 years... but that's nearly 6 years and I do try to drink more fluids. The other way of looking at it is I got to a good age without having any. Just to add, mine was from a Friday morning till the next Tuesday night, but the pain was intermittent (thank f**k) and they gave me a packet of DF118 which I still have most of. It was 4mm which is about the max size for passing it yourself. They said I had another 2mm one and I probably passed that later.