Just received the following from the club and thought it best posted here in the first instance and not delayed in order to prepare a frontpage news article....

Building for the Future

Following discussions between the Management Team and players last week and today all at the Club would like to thank Roy McBain, Stuart Golabeck, Russell Duncan and Grant Munro for their services over the last number of years.

Chairman George Fraser singled out Grant Munro for a special mention being a past captain of the Club and having progressed thro our youth ranks "Grant has been an exceptionally loyal servant to the Club and demonstrates to all in our existing youth set up that with the correct application, skill and determination you can progress to become Captain of the club.

Unfortunately due to the current financial environment generally, but football in particular, Contracts are all now short term 1 to 2 year deals and it is highly unlikely we will see a player with the service profile of Grant at the Club again.

On behalf of everyone at the Club we wish Grant well for the future whilst extending our thanks to all the players who have served the Club over the seasons through the lows and highs of relegation and promotion"

It is always a sad day at any Club when the old guard move on but we must now look to the future and build on the success we achieved this year on our return to the SPL.

I worry, look at Butchers record the one club where he done well ( motherwell ) he done so with a decent squad in place,when he started signing players his record was not so good. That said the only real suprise is Munro, it was obvious that duncans face doesnt fit by the amount of apperances he has made this season

I would disagree .... not normally a fan of Wikipedia, but this snippet seems to match with my recollection of his time at Motherwell ....

"..... Eric Black was briefly in charge with the club floating near the foot of the table before it was placed in administration in April 2002 with losses approaching GBP 2,000,000 yearly. Black resigned, and was replaced by Terry Butcher. The club's outlook remained bleak as they were forced to make redundant or release 19 players and replace them with younger players.

Relegation in 2002?03 - normally automatic following a last-place finish in the league - was avoided on a technicality, as First Division winners Falkirk lacked a stadium meeting Premier League regulations.

Despite the lack of resources, Butcher was able to find a number of young talented players to play for the club; crucially, when many of these moved on, including Stephen Pearson and James McFadden, they brought revenue in the form of transfer fees, and with John Boyle waiving the club's personal debt to him, its financial future was assured by the conclusion of the 2004?05 season with the club's yearly losses falling to one of the lowest figures in the Premier League and the club coming out of administration in time to avoid a ten-point Premier League penalty which was being phased in for teams in administration.

On the field, the club also managed to reach the League Cup final, although they were comprehensively defeated by Rangers. Butcher moved on to Sydney at the end of the 2005?06 season ....."

I worry, look at Butchers record the one club where he done well ( motherwell ) he done so with a decent squad in place,when he started signing players his record was not so good. That said the only real suprise is Munro, it was obvious that duncans face doesnt fit by the amount of apperances he has made this season

You mean the period for Motherwell where he started with a totally depleted squad, no money and was relying almost entirely on young lads? I seem to remember that included a league cup final and two top six finishes!!!

Yeah, I really hope he doesn't manage anything like that here!!!

I think butcher has something up his sleeve. I still have complete confidance in him :)

Of all the players that I thought would be released at the end of the season I really didn't expect one of them to be Grant Munro, I am a bit shocked by it tbh especially for a player who TB has used this season as a first team regular. Something for me isn't quite right with it and must be down to just more than just footballing reason.

Russell I can understand as TB never really favoured him and this was seen from his team selections when he played him then dropped him for a few then brought him back in, Gollie and Roy I can understand and as much as they have been great ambassedors and players for the club there comes a time when financially it doesn't make sense to have players in the squad who aren't playing.

Before I heard the news I was of the opinion that we needed and experienced defender and a reliable experienced midfielder, now that has just jumped up to two in each of those positions and if you consider that the list of players now leaving at the end of the season stand at Gollie, Granty, Russell, Roy and Chris Inness along with the posibility that Ronney could leave on a Bosman and McDonald and Doran are on loans we are looking at a potential 8 faces leaving at the eand of the season, thats a heck of a lot of players on a squad which at times this season has lacked to provide a full 18 listed for games. I assume that he is confident of keeping Chris Hogg otherwise you can add his name to the list as well.

I do have faith in TB and hope that this time in 2 and a half months I am lauding his signings but there are going to need to be a power of them for me to believe that we have the squad capable of sustaining a decent challenge next season.

Lets see what he has planned and hope he can stun us all even more than we have been.

In terms of the players who have been released I really hope the club do something to honour their contribution to the team and club over the years so that the fans can see that they recognise, as well as us, just how much it has been. I would like to thank them for everything they have doen and achieved at ICT and wich them all the best for the future wherever they go and should they play against us in the future sometime I will be the first to stand and applaud them

Edited May 2, 201115 yr by MrCaleyjag

Anyone else intrested in what Butcher has to say about all this?

The only thing I don't like is the bit about not offering contracts for longer than two years. If players that are brought in do what we want them to do, we'll lose them for nothing, and if they don't, then we can offer them another two year contract, or lose them for nothing. I am sure the decision folk at the club think through all the possibilities, but where is the harm in offering 4 year performance related contracts, with a relegation wage cut?

Anyhoo, good luck to those that are moving on but, as someone else said, if we want to move on and grow as a club, the manager has to free up wages for those that will improve us, and bomb out those that, he believes will not. For what it's worth, I think he's 100% correct in regards to Munro and Duncan. Love them both, but the aim of the game is to score goals, protect your own goal, and retain possession. Munro reached a certain level, and stayed there, but it never has been what it could be. I think that whilst Duncan and Munro put in 100% effort and 100% commitment, the technical aspect is a major factor that is regularly overlooked. In saying that, I think Tokely may get to stay.

Interesting post and some great points there TheKnowledge. I'm still wondering about wage demands / contract offers.

Edited May 3, 201115 yr by Top Six Next Year

I think butcher has something up his sleeve. I still have complete confidance in him :)

Butchers Armies?

I think butcher has something up his sleeve. I still have complete confidance in him :)

Butchers Armies?

:laugh:

BBC article on the departure only mentions the 4 already known but states that there are 10 others out of contract....

BBC article

Edited May 3, 201115 yr by Tichy_Blacks_Back

And what about Eric? A relative newcomer with no prior history at ICT and no great contribution to date speak of. . So? Is he staying or what?

It looks as if Terry is determined to stamp his authority and personality all over this team and in the process, perhaps, he feels there is not much room for sentiment or a soft heart?

I think some candid comments from Terry himself about the whole matter would be greatly appreciated .

As an aside I wonder if there is any good reason why this was down now? Obviously there is no good time to tell someone they are not needed but we still have 4 games to go and 7th place is still up for grabs. Surely morale has to be affected??

And what about Eric? A relative newcomer with no prior history at ICT and no great contribution to date speak of. . So? Is he staying or what?

It looks as if Terry is determined to stamp his authority and personality all over this team and in the process, perhaps, he feels there is not much room for sentiment or a soft heart?

I think some candid comments from Terry himself about the whole matter would be greatly appreciated .

Watch this space scarlet.

It's inevitable that when the clearances start not everyone will be happy about it. Until we know who will be staying and who will be added, then we won't know the full implications of these stalwarts leaving. Trust me, there will be more names on the list, but rest assured, every other club will be doing the same, it's not just us. It's hard, but that is the nature of the beast.

Best of luck to all four of these guys wherever they go, and thanks for being here

I also wondered about the morale within after telling these guys now, especially before the Celtic game that they are no longer required, does not make for a great motivational tactic, unless you are a Celtic player. This could be disastrous for our results, on the other hand, those that are staying will maybe pull their finger out.

Can anyone reveal what the courier was building up to in its ambiguous facebook updates regarding Rooney?

Rooney has been offered a new contract according to the Courier and it implies that Stuart Duff will also be offered new terms as well.

gonna join in the chorus of shocked voices. at least in munro's case anyways. Really feel letting an experienced head in the centre of defence leave is a big mistake.

Innes is leaving too (not really a big loss when you consider the number of games he has played) and Rosco, legend and all, is actually not a centre back lest we forget, although he has played a blinder this season, and hogg isn't contracted to next season (yet?) and could easily be seen to go anywhere.

i would have a first choice pairing of rosco and hogg but feel that munro's experience will be sorely missed next season. Some of his perfomances at the start of the season were brilliant. away at kili if i recall right he made some great timed challenges but he has faded towards the end of the season, as they all have. I think this is a mistake and not the way to treat a local lad who as has been pointed has done a lot for this club over the last decade.

to look at it from a playing perspecitve, which is what were about in the end, What is the difference between him and golly/mcbain? it could be asked. well simply age and fitness. munro still has both on his side, the others don't at this level unfort.

Golly and McBain, yep their time had come unfortunately they were kept on this year and only used when the youth players got injured. So best for all that they move onto find somewhere to play regularly at a lower level. For some reason terry didn't rate duncan and we'll never really know why. We only got into our stride and promotion form last season when duncan was partnered with Cox and the best of our results this season game before christmas when the line-up was still roughly the same. However something had changed in the team's playing dynamic and I guess terry thinks it resolves around duncan. So be it. Cox is by a very able successor and i do feel duncan would have spent most of it on the bench next season, but someone has too. lets hope morrison steps up well next season.

Caley Thistle is a highland club and in my book it has always been important to have a sense of community about the club and for local players and youngsters to be integral to the club, in both ups and downs. This has been the case since our birth. We are well placed to continue this with the youngsters coming though (ross, shinnie, shane, morrison as well as some of the youth team in the scotland set up) but having 4 such experienced legends and long time servants moving on at the same time will be a massive upheaval on the club. and removes some of the players that these lads looked up too and want to emulate. I see why it is necessary to refresh the playing staff but feel it is also a big risk.

It sounds mighty like TB has done a deal with Hogg for next season. Otherwise, it is madness to let Grant go.

You have got this one wrong Tel, , certainly with Grant Munro anyway.

He has no obvious injury problems, seems fit for a 30 year old and as far as club is concerned, he is b & b in Inverness.

A snap decision especially as far as Granty is concerned

I am shocked and disgusted with the way Grant (especially) and Russell have been treated. Both have given great service to the club but now discarded even though they still have much to give. To do this to Grant, a local boy who lives and breathes Caley Thistle is beyond belief. I only hope both can find new clubs quickly as mortgages etc don't pay themselves. The least the club could do now is offer Grant a testimonial to reward the loyal service he has given. I don't think releasing Golly and Roy was unexpected as they are both in the twylight years of their playing careers.

The way things have been handled in this instance beggar's belief. Obviously there was no prior inkling that the players in question were being released as both Grant and Russell appear shocked by the decision. The other two I'm not surprised at due to their age. They will all find clubs though. However, the timing seems to be a bit off considering we still have four matches to play and those players will be needed for all those matches. The P&J does indicate they will be away at the weekend so where does that leave us for the run in. We need at least five points from the next four to ensure we stay seventh and our league position is crucial to our finances for next season so I would have thought it would have made more sense to keep the squad happy and wanting to play all those games before making this decision.

Grant could do well to try for a position at St Johnston. They need players of his quality and he would easilly be able to commute from Sneck.

Anyone else intrested in what Butcher has to say about all this?

Yes, and I'm sure we'll get a statement once he's spoken to all the players and each is aware of whether or not they will be offered new deals/still here next season.

As an aside I wonder if there is any good reason why this was down now? Obviously there is no good time to tell someone they are not needed but we still have 4 games to go and 7th place is still up for grabs. Surely morale has to be affected??

No win situation for Butcher...Do what's right for the player and tell them as soon as you can so they have more opportunity to look for something new or be selfish and tell them after the final whistle on the last day because it's what's best for the club. Either way, some will find fault with the timing.

Rooney has been offered a new contract according to the Courier and it implies that Stuart Duff will also be offered new terms as well.

Keep in mind that much of the speculation in the press at this time of year comes from these very forums.

Just read the Inverness Courier online. It says 9 players will not be offfered new contracts....

Eric Odhiambo, Dani Sanchez, Chris Hogg, Gil Blumenshtein and Max Johnson today joined Grant Munro, Russell Duncan, Stuart Golabek and Roy McBain in being told they would not be kept on

It also mentions......Adam Rooney, Stuart Duff, Kenny Gillet, Gavin Morrison and Shane Sutherland have received new contract offers, while Ross Tokely triggered a clause in his contract that will keep him at the club for at least another year

CLICKY LINK

Edited May 3, 201115 yr by kencar

I thought we'd want to keep Hogg - maybe we did but there was too big a gap in the salary expectations? Not surprised about the other departures confirmed today.

We all had high hopes of Gil when he arrived, but what a let down. Delighted Rossco is entitled to stay, but I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't triggered that clause?

Just read the Inverness Courier online. It says 9 players will not be offfered new contracts....

Eric Odhiambo, Dani Sanchez, Chris Hogg, Gil Blumenshtein and Max Johnson today joined Grant Munro, Russell Duncan, Stuart Golabek and Roy McBain in being told they would not be kept on

It also mentions......Adam Rooney, Stuart Duff, Kenny Gillet, Gavin Morrison and Shane Sutherland have received new contract offers, while Ross Tokely triggered a clause in his contract that will keep him at the club for at least another year

CLICKY LINK

Slightly longer version of the article on the BBC from Mr Bannerman

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13262352.stm

I thought we'd want to keep Hogg - maybe we did but there was too big a gap in the salary expectations? Not surprised about the other departures confirmed today.

We all had high hopes of Gil when he arrived, but what a let down. Delighted Rossco is entitled to stay, but I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't triggered that clause?

This is rumour of course but I heard that Hogg's missus wanted to move elsewhere, but maybe he wasn't offered a contract anyway.