With the news that Imrie and Barrowman have been transfered to Hamilton Academical and Ross County respectively i was wondering if fellow fans think the re-building process is under way already?

I am a wee bit undecided because i would say yes because we have got rid of players who don't get a game or just to free up cash but i would also say no because we haven't got our management situation for next season sorted out and also only 4 players signed up for next season and maybe Duff if he comes so i need your help to help me decide.

Edited February 2, 201016 yr by Mahonio

Gentlemen ... PLEASE. I know most of you loathe this website and many of the posters on it but NONE of us would be here if we did not care DEEPLY for OUR club. We know that most of you have done good work in the past and we know you can do it again in the future and most fans would like to work TOGETHER with you to make that happen. However, to do that we need some leadership, direction, and honesty. We know its a tough time, the drop out of the SPL has been devastating for all both emotionally and financially but by burying heads in the sand and saying nothing whilst providing no leadership or direction things are only getting worse.

Will someone (anyone) be the man who will step up and have the balls to say "ok, we screwed <insert incident> up, but here is our plan to fix it"? Will someone take the criticism on the chin, admit to mistakes (your only human after all) and then move forward showing that lessons have been learned? Will someone take the bull by the horns and start working with the fans, be it supporters trust or some other body, to move the club forward? Lets hope so ... because ICT has always been a club which operates far more effectively when all of its parts - Board, Players, Management, Staff and Fans work as one team pulling in the same direction.

Well said Scotty..

Gentlemen ... PLEASE. I know most of you loathe this website and many of the posters on it but NONE of us would be here if we did not care DEEPLY for OUR club. We know that most of you have done good work in the past and we know you can do it again in the future and most fans would like to work TOGETHER with you to make that happen. However, to do that we need some leadership, direction, and honesty. We know its a tough time, the drop out of the SPL has been devastating for all both emotionally and financially but by burying heads in the sand and saying nothing whilst providing no leadership or direction things are only getting worse.

Will someone (anyone) be the man who will step up and have the balls to say "ok, we screwed <insert incident> up, but here is our plan to fix it"? Will someone take the criticism on the chin, admit to mistakes (your only human after all) and then move forward showing that lessons have been learned? Will someone take the bull by the horns and start working with the fans, be it supporters trust or some other body, to move the club forward? Lets hope so ... because ICT has always been a club which operates far more effectively when all of its parts - Board, Players, Management, Staff and Fans work as one team pulling in the same direction.

Well said Scotty..

Totally agree with Harry.... Great post.

We should all print that one out, endorse it, and send it to everone that matters at ICT, from the Chairman down.

Is it really too much to hope that they could issue a statement that might allay our worst fears?

Scotty for Chairman!

YES WE CAN!

(which seems to be the complete opposite of the club's current mantra)

Scotty for Chairman!

;) No Thanks !!! I get enough grief from running the website !

Johnboy, Make it so, I'd print, sign an if needs be put my CTO Username and ST number on it if they wanted to check that it wasnt just some mass spaming.. However they will just think its Fan mail and ignore it....

Scotty for Chairman!

Do you get marionette strings that long? ;)

Will someone (anyone) be the man who will step up and have the balls to say "ok, we screwed <insert incident> up, but here is our plan to fix it"?

They don't even need to take the first part of the sentence. All they need to do is say they are instigating a 3 or 5 year plan and:

- Butcher has been offered a new contract and has accepted/declined

if accepted:

- talks are now ongoing with important first-team players to enable Butcher to build, whilst seeking out new players

if declined:

- talks are now ongoing with finding a future manager to take the club forward. On his word, player contract talks will soon begin.

Otherwise, it would appear the board is fiddling while Rome burns.

and also only 4 players signed up for next season

Is this still the case now that Barrowman has moved on? Was he one of the 4 making it now 3 tied after the summer.

I find it curious that there has been nothing said, is it a case of the silence being louder than words, i.e we are fecked. Or is that there is no problem, just over-exaggeration on the fans behalf? I really hope so, most clubs are in some degree of debt, they still function. The lack of communication is a real pain, stinks of un-professionalism.

and also only 4 players signed up for next season

Is this still the case now that Barrowman has moved on? Was he one of the 4 making it now 3 tied after the summer.

Correct, we now only have 3 players set for next season, which makes me all the more worried about our future prospects. ;)

I Beleve once it is mathamticly impossible for us to go back up then we should i hope see some exstenciens, but by then i'm willing to bet that the likes of Hayes/Sanchez/Foran and the others will be snapped up by bigger teams if we dont act soon.

P&J clicky

All sounds very amicable when Terry says it..

CALEY Thistle manager Terry Butcher believes Irish winger Jonny Hayes will excel after the departures of Dougie Imrie and Andy Barrowman this week.

The 22-year-old Hayes has shown flashes of potential on the left wing, tormenting First Division defences with his skill and pace.

Butcher was not bound by financial necessity when deciding to sell Imrie to Hamilton and terminate the contract of Barrowman before the latter?s deadline-day move to Ross County.

The Inverness manager spotted Hayes when the player was in Reading's youth team and is sure the Dublin-born attacker can improve his game.

Butcher said: Jonny offers us so much. I think he is going to be a super player.

He takes our set-pieces. You generally give the responsibility to someone with a bit of experience.

He is only 22 and has no experience of playing competitively at a high level, but he has been tremendous.

He has learned a lot this season and developed into a much better player.

Butcher is satisfied after trimming his squad and believes fringe players Eric Odhiambo and Robert Eagle are capable of forcing their way into his first-team plans.

He said: There was no financial need to sell Dougie Imrie and Andy Barrowman. I was never told by the directors we had to sell players. Dougie's contract was up at the end of the season and Hamilton showed interest in him as well as Kilmarnock. He was a commodity which had a value and it was a chance for him to play in the SPL again. Andy was at the club for some time and had not tied down a regular first-team place.

Everything was very amicable with him. Every player needs to play on a Saturday and, unfortunately, he did not have the chance to do that with us.

Also, there is still a lot more to come from Eric Odhiambo and, with Dougie Imrie going, it opens it up a bit for him to come through. Robert Eagle will also have a chance.

Are we making something out of nothing??? or is this a smoke screen???

Edited February 5, 201016 yr by Harry Chibber

Brilliant news :D Robert Eagle is coming back into the team.

Brilliant news :D Robert Eagle is coming back into the team.

Oh Goodie!

Probably a bit off topic, but Eagles would be a much better player if Butcher put him in the centre of midfield. Although he doesn't have much pace/trickery, he can spot a pass. Rooney thrives off the passes played into the channels inbetween the full-backs and the central defenders, Eagles would fit in perfectly.

On topic, it seems that its going to be at least a few years before the fans decide they've had enough of the board members faffing, and take decisive action :D and we manage to keep a decent squad together for more than a season and push for promotion.

The biggest positive out of getting relegated is stories like this, and the stadium ownership deal, finally coming out into the open. In the SPL, people were too happy for us to be successful to care about whether we owned our stadium, or if the board was leeching off that success.

Edited February 5, 201016 yr by tokelyisvictorious

Probably a bit off topic, but Eagles would be a much better player if Butcher put him in the centre of midfield. Although he doesn't have much pace/trickery, he can spot a pass. Rooney thrives off the passes played into the channels inbetween the full-backs and the central defenders, Eagles would fit in perfectly.

On topic, it seems that its going to be at least a few years before the fans decide they've had enough of the board members faffing, and take decisive action :D and we manage to keep a decent squad together for more than a season and push for promotion.

The biggest positive out of getting relegated is stories like this, and the stadium ownership deal, finally coming out into the open. In the SPL, people were too happy for us to be successful to care about whether we owned our stadium, or if the board was leeching off that success.

You are bang on big yin...

I'm starting to get a bit excited about ICT at the moment. Kilmarnock tomorrow is what i used to love about being in the first division. Life here isn't too bad and if we're here for a few more seasons while we get back on top then i'll be behind the team all the way.

This is going to be a really excited and maybe scary summer for ICT and i'm looking forward to seeing how it all pans out for the following season.