Curiously there is an 18 game rule after which a player is automatically suspended if they reach 6 cautions. I have been through the BBC records and by my count Sean played 6 games for us in the Championship. When Inverness played Queens Park at Hampden in early April it was his 13th game for them. He then played in their final three games without missing a game.

I may be wrong, but I would assume that it was the responsibility of the SFA to issue a suspension notice to the club. If they fail to do so, then the player isn't suspended even if he should have been. But it could be argued that the wording of the rules makes clear the circumstances where a player is subject to suspension and therefore as there is no need for any decision to be made by the SFA, the club should know when a player is suspended whether they have received the formal notification or not. I agree the club need to raise the issue.

I think Cameron Harper gets the vote in both categories

You are right He had one yellow with us in four games and if the BBC stats are right he has had 7 plus the yellow/red that he was suspended. I hope someone at our club are looking at this!

Maybe save this speech for the League two playoffs

Yes and this has occurred in an era of 5 consecutive managers who had been forwards themselves!

I suspect that at that point we may have been financially OK. It was after that - paying inflated wages, paying Yogi off, paying Foran off, etc etc - that the financial slide started. Football-wise, we've never really had a reliable, consistent goalscorer since Billy Mckay first left us in 2015. I know they don't come in six-packs at the supermarket, but we really should have done better. As folk have said, look at our goals for and goals against this season, and that will show which end of the field our problems are at. Club management and directors - I only know what I read here, so I have nothing to say.

It is a big straw and surely valid? Why should one club headquartered at Hampden not be subject to scrutiny?

Robert - Sean was also booked playing for Inverness against Ayr in the 3-1 win away. I am assuming the two yellows he received in his sending off equalled one red. He served a one match suspension for that. In the Championship this year he had one sending off and a further 7 cautions. By any stretch of the imagination that leads to a further one match suspension in April 2024. By definition he was ineligible to play but who is responsible for enforcing that suspension? Is it the SFA or is the club liable for not seeking guidance from the SFA?

His red card on 27 January was for a second booking. Would both cards in that game be wiped by the one match suspension? He had no cards during his limited game time with us before he joined Queens Park, so he was starting there with a clean slate. Presumably referees report yellow and red cards with their reports to the SFA. It is definitely an issue the club should be checking with the SFA.

It is all quite simple and it’s solely down to the so called guardians and blazers who correct me I’f im wrong initially handed out free season tickets and hired in help to outvote the real fans and members? Decades of deliberately failing to communicate with the new fan base probably using the naivety of same fan base to inflate their egos and take the club down this route of destruction. Vast overspending and paying inflated wages chasing the pipe dream that Inverness could support an SPL club despite having such a very poor fan base and no rich backer. This amazingly continues today if we are to believe what big Duncan’s rumoured wage is. Yes we got to the SPL won the Scottish Cup and entered Europe but at what cost? The cost is what we are currently witnessing serious decay due to gross mismanagement and neglect it would be difficult to argue otherwise although there are still sadly some happy clappers/deluded halfwits on here that will. It could be argued the next 2/4 games are the most important games in the clubs short history failure to get through these successfully is a quite frightening prospect. Dougal

You know that The Mantis has been a model of discretion this season. Although I must say that nothing about this story surprises me...

My thanks too, to Gringo for keeping this going. It is always a bit of fun and very quick to take part in. Hopefully a few more taking part next season. Congratulations to Robert for his back to back successes. I left it too late again and didn't quite manage to pip you on the post. Bring on the new season!

The administration were such awkward a-holes to the volunteers who did it over time they pretty much all jacked it.

Tremendous work Roddy. I'm sure this was a storyline in an episode of Last of the Summer Wine in 1983. You just needed Compo, Foggy and Clegg (usual ICT suspects standing in obviously...) and a handcar firing down Drumossie Brae to complete the storyline.

Aye Richard. I was looking forward to meeting yous all in the Innes and having a couple of pints pre match.

Queens Park kept poor records last year which resulted in ICT gaining a three nil win in the Scottish Cup because they played an ineligible player. Sean Welsh joined them in January 2024 and was soon sent off. He served a one match suspension on 27 January 2024. He was then booked on the 24 Fbruary against Dundee United. Booked on the 9 March against Partick. Booked on the 16 March against Raith. Booked on the 23 March against Ayr. Booked on the 6 April against Dundee United. Booked on the 13 April against ICT. That's six bookings and the SFA rule is ' 1 match dated suspension Effective from 14th day Accumulation of six cautionable offences in (For every further accumulation following date of match when the same Competition (including cautions of six cautionable offences, sixth cautionable offence incurred under Part D below) the suspension applied will be occurred and to be served in extended by one match.) the same Competition.' By my calcu;lation, those 6 cautions means he should not have played against Arbroath against whom he scored? The SFA have only just published suspensions for April with his suspension not listed. Does anyone know if it is the clubs responsibility to keep accurate records of suspensions and if so take responsibility when making a team selection?

Fair play to you coming clean on that one Rod! However, if Mantis had found out and posted yer story... well.

Just to cheer you up a wee bit. I travelled north on Friday and holed up in Nethybridge, a favourite haunt. Armed with train timetables I plotted my day and slept easily.......contemplating a mighty do or die game.......on Saurday at 15.00hrs!!!!. Sprung out of bed on Saturday morning and , on reading the news, realised the season culminating games had all taken place on the night before. My wife laughed and, after 3 or 4 hours, I joined her. What a f,in plonked!!!!

Can't wait to possibly play Hamilton in the play offs, such an odious club and not one that brings a lot of positive memories with that one top of the **** list

Without going over the same old points I've made before some of which are already above. Ponder this, in many sections of the media Dougie and hid Morton are lauded for an amazing season and yet only 3 points above us which turns out to be 5th and best if the rest. Similar the job of Brown at Ayr and Davidson at QP is again praised yet both within 2 points. Has Dunc been as poor as some fans suggest or is it an exceptionally tight season? Point being we have been poor but it's at creating and scoring, our defence was 2nd best overall and we have positive goal difference. Still enough room for optimism for play offs and to build on. Recruitment last summer was poor and Dodds tenure this season set us on a negative path. Whether he knew the cost cutting was coming and chucked it, who knows but Jan saw an axe yielded and influx of loans with blame allowed to be directed at Dunc when it's the board driving that philosophy. Perhaps the fact he isn't phased by this criticism and negativity suggests he's gotba 'thick skin' so is the right character to take the inevitable backlash when this summer more players are cut and deals struck to minimise player costs at the expense of known quality.

Indeed, massive congratulations to you on retaining the CTO PL Bragging Rights title. I don't keep a record of winners but, I can't remember anyone retaining the title before. You could be the first but I'll stand corrected. A poor show from me this season and never looked like hitting the top spot all season. The CTO PL will return next season and hopefully without adding teams we've never seen in this league before. It's just a shame we can't attract more players to the contest. Well done.

Thanks for keeping this going Gringo. I’ve just seen the final table: two in a row, which I’m amazed at given I normally back ICT to win. Looking forward to another close battle next season, and hopefully some new players enter.

Davide Xausa just got elected to the board of directors of “Canada Soccer”. With the 2026 World Cup prep happening and a new national team manager to find after John Herdman took the Toronto FC job at the end of last season he may be a busy man.