Well it appears we have started assessing trialists for next season already

Just caught word of a player Luke Denson who played in a trial match on Tuesday for us. Currently playing with Colwyn Bay in Wales but obviously looking for a move

Their official site bio describes him as:

Luke Denson is a Wirral born right-back, who joined Colwyn Bay FC from league one club Tranmere Rovers in the close season of 2009-10 and was an integral part of the squad that won promotion to the EvoStik premier division, followed by a second promotion to the Blue Square Conference North. Luke is a pacy player who can also play at right-midfield and centre-back when needed. He is a player who can over-lap the man in front of him, as well as get back quickly into position after moving forward. Strong in the tackle, Luke Denson is a robust player who is not scared to put his foot in and a great crosser of the ball.

Found an article here: http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-sport/conwy-county-sport/2012/05/10/callie-trial-for-bay-s-luke-55243-30933808/

Not so sure of the spelling of Caley in the article though

Anyone else heard of any trialists heading North to try and win a move?

I wonder if Jamie Stevenson of Ayr will get another trial this year, not sure how he got on last year, maybe he isn't worthy of another trial?

If he was on trial last year and deemed not good enough, I doubt he'll be good enough this year! :wacko:

A couple of things worry me about TB.

First, he doesn't seem to have a lot of confidence in his players in SPL matches. He has too much respect for the opposition and hence we seem to be discouraged from playing it on the deck. When we abandon the big punt we actually look a decent side.

Secondly, although you have to search high and low for players in our financial situation (i.e. skint), and that includes these kind of trials, he seems to have a very low hit rate when it comes to finding players suitable for the SPL.

Even though most people think the SPL is crap, that doesn't mean anybody with experience of League 1 or 2, or even the Blue Square, can automatically make the step up. I give you Eagle, Stratford, Aldred, Chippendale, Blumenstein, etc etc etc. Arguably you could add Tansey and McKay to that list too. I appreciate that some of these names have been with Championship clubs but that means nowt unless they were getting a game.

Colwyn Bay !?!

Give me strength - another non-entity with no concept of who we are, where we've come from and what we're about as a club. Someone within the upper echelons of this club seriously needs to take TB aside and point out that we are a Scotish Premier League side and it might be an idea adopting the radical ideology of signing one or two Scottish players, or heaven forbid a player with some connection with the area.

I'm not expecting eleven Invernessian diehards out on the park every week but personally I'd rather see us signing Highland League/3rd division players than witness a repeat of the 11 non-Scots debacle.

This season has undoubtedly seen a lack of fight, spirit and passion and filling the squad with itinerant journeyman on one season deals has to be a contributory factor in the predicamenet we find ourselves in.

Cue the racism debate - especially from the English bestards !!

Colwyn Bay !?!

Give me strength - another non-entity with no concept of who we are, where we've come from and what we're about as a club. Someone within the upper echelons of this club seriously needs to take TB aside and point out that we are a Scotish Premier League side and it might be an idea adopting the radical ideology of signing one or two Scottish players, or heaven forbid a player with some connection with the area.

I'm not expecting eleven Invernessian diehards out on the park every week but personally I'd rather see us signing Highland League/3rd division players than witness a repeat of the 11 non-Scots debacle.

This season has undoubtedly seen a lack of fight, spirit and passion and filling the squad with itinerant journeyman on one season deals has to be a contributory factor in the predicamenet we find ourselves in.

Ok ymip, can you name any of those good enough Scottish players who'll join us for under £700 a week? There's as much chance of unearthing a gem from Colwyn Bay as there is from Raith or Arbroath.

Butcher has brought in some not so good players but then so has every manager we've had. Some of those we've though of as duds are maybe very good players if they get a chance to string a few games together with the same team. Sadly that is something that hasn't happened all season.

Personally I aint fussed where our players come from but I'd love to watch the same eleven start for a string of games.

I appreciate that it's not always easy attracting young Scottish players to Inverness but are you honestly trying to tell me that you believe Tansey and OTJ are on £700 a week ?!?

I'm not picking on the non-Scots but starting a game without a single Scot in the team is, imho, not acceptable.

A major factor in the decline of Scottish football over the past 15-20 years has been the reliance on average inpats to the detriment of the development of young Scottish players.

As I've stated previously I've felt little or no affinity for the guys out on the park this season who appear to be going through the motions and don't appear particularly committed to the cause. Can you really blame them when they're on one year deals and know full well they'll be moving on again each summer?

Just look at what County achieved this season with a largely Scottish squad of players. They've finally realised that stability and a strong nucleus of guys who are settled in the area pay dividends. It's exactly what got us from the third division to the SPL but we've ditched that for a model which I feel is destabilisng the historic ethos of the club.

Take a look at Motherwell. Apart from Lasley, Hamell and Murphy how many of their main squad is actually Scottish? I would hardly go complaining about that given what they've achieved this season and im willing to bet if Caley had done that neither would you.

We are what we are becuase buisness has had to be conducted that way. Unfortunately like Alex says its hard attracting other Scottish players here due to the wage restrictions and the fact that we dont carry the ambitions of somewhere like the Championship but at the end of the day some of the lads we have brought in from Down South have done the buis e.g Hayes, Golobart.

And yeah County achieved that with a squad full of Scots but look at what Dunfermline have achieved this season...zilch.

If Butcher only tryed to get Scots people would complain that he wasnt using the foreign market...there is just no pleasing everyone.

Colwyn Bay !?!

Give me strength - another non-entity with no concept of who we are, where we've come from and what we're about as a club. Someone within the upper echelons of this club seriously needs to take TB aside and point out that we are a Scotish Premier League side and it might be an idea adopting the radical ideology of signing one or two Scottish players, or heaven forbid a player with some connection with the area.

I'm not expecting eleven Invernessian diehards out on the park every week but personally I'd rather see us signing Highland League/3rd division players than witness a repeat of the 11 non-Scots debacle.

This season has undoubtedly seen a lack of fight, spirit and passion and filling the squad with itinerant journeyman on one season deals has to be a contributory factor in the predicamenet we find ourselves in.

Ok ymip, can you name any of those good enough Scottish players who'll join us for under £700 a week? There's as much chance of unearthing a gem from Colwyn Bay as there is from Raith or Arbroath.

Butcher has brought in some not so good players but then so has every manager we've had. Some of those we've though of as duds are maybe very good players if they get a chance to string a few games together with the same team. Sadly that is something that hasn't happened all season.

Personally I aint fussed where our players come from but I'd love to watch the same eleven start for a string of games.

Alex it's not the fact he's at Colwyn Bay, it's that he's already had a step down from Tramere surely!