As one of the younger members of the ICT fan base I don't know a lot about the merger but ive been surprised to hear that it has kept many fans from both teams away from supporting ICT? Find it quite silly TBH

 

Anyone want to give me ONE shred of evidence why a lone Caley OR Thistle in the SFL would have been any less sucsessful than what ICT have acheived. I reckon they would have had a bigger, more loyal fanbase. And been every bit as enticing to the local business community.

You've had almost 20 years to find this out yourself. Why didnt you?

 

Whoosh!!! the point being...in 20 yrs...i have found no evidence to support such assumptions.

I remember a crowd of 7,000 at Kingsmills for a midweek friendly. So what. The fact is by the early nineties neither side could regularly attract more than a tenth of our current minimum fanbase.

The interest was obviously there, it just needed stirred up. FACT, Caley in the Highland league days of the 50s and 60s enjoyed support that easily matchs todays ICT support and the twon was a fraction of the size it is now. Caley had a lot of sleeping support, some of whom, now choose to follow C*unty because of the merger

Edited December 20, 201213 yr by SMEE

Anyone want to give me ONE shred of evidence why a lone Caley OR Thistle in the SFL would have been any less sucsessful than what ICT have acheived. I reckon they would have had a bigger, more loyal fanbase. And been every bit as enticing to the local business community.

You've had almost 20 years to find this out yourself. Why didnt you?

Whoosh!!! the point being...in 20 yrs...i have found no evidence to support such assumptions. It didnt happen, we've got what we got, it's been a hue success, whys it matter now?

The shadows on Twitter are lapping this thread up.

I think it's a decent thread especially since the OP asked for it and we haven't had one for, er, a bit....

If the Labour Party, SNP and Church of Scotland can have internal debates it's good enough for us too! The Shadows are still The Shadows.

 

 

 

Anyone want to give me ONE shred of evidence why a lone Caley OR Thistle in the SFL would have been any less sucsessful than what ICT have acheived. I reckon they would have had a bigger, more loyal fanbase. And been every bit as enticing to the local business community.

You've had almost 20 years to find this out yourself. Why didnt you? Whoosh!!! the point being...in 20 yrs...i have found no evidence to support such assumptions. It didnt happen, we've got what we got, it's been a hue success, whys it matter now?

 

This is what grown ups do luke.....they reminisce, they debate different topics. Thats how forums work

Quite frankly who gives a flying f**k about the merger, we have been a successful club putting the highlands on the Scottish football map and I am happy for it. It's a bit like 20 years after marrying your wife still obsessing about the the guy she pumped before you met.

 

I remember a crowd of 7,000 at Kingsmills for a midweek friendly. So what. The fact is by the early nineties neither side could regularly attract more than a tenth of our current minimum fanbase.

The interest was obviously there, it just needed stirred up. FACT, Caley in the Highland league days of the 50s and 60s enjoyed support that easily matchs todays ICT support and the twon was a fraction of the size it is now. Caley had a lot of sleeping support, some of whom, now choose to follow C*unty because of the merger

 

Fact...East Stirlingshire, who's average attendances over the last ten seasons have been below 500, could, during the same period you mention, enjoy crowds in the thousands. Hundreds of thousands of people enjoyed the release of the saturday match after a hard weeks work back in those days from war ending till the hooligan element spoiled it all.

Quite frankly who gives a flying f**k about the merger, we have been a successful club putting the highlands on the Scottish football map and I am happy for it. It's a bit like 20 years after marrying your wife still obsessing about the the guy she pumped before you met.

or twenty years after marrying your wife still wishing you'd stayed single.

I was never a fan of the pre-merger teams and would have had no interest in going to see either Caley or Thistle if they had joined the SFL. I'm sure there are dozens more theoretical refuseniks just like me.....

Quite frankly who gives a flying f**k about the merger, we have been a successful club putting the highlands on the Scottish football map and I am happy for it. It's a bit like 20 years after marrying your wife still obsessing about the the guy she pumped before you met.

or twenty years after marrying your wife still wishing you'd stayed single.

There's always divorce! You can't however go back and change the past.

the mergers the thing im most greatful for. it gave me an spl team to support. i wasnt around for it and i know many were hurt by it, but its been for the greater good.

 

Best feckin merger post EVER - it is only the sad old cnuts that bite and contribute to this - and as fer a once bitter, stay away Howden Ender - 02feckinB.

It will not be long before those of us who actually care are posting while sitting on our incontinence pads during ever rarer lucid spells between ever lengthening afternoon naps.

Edited December 20, 201213 yr by Kingsmills

Here's my tupppence worth

 

Had theThistle team of 1972, which were truly sensational, got into the league instead of ferranti they would have drawn Juventus this morning in thechampions league......  

Just another 50 years or so to go before everyone who has some prejudiced view about the merger is dead and buried and ICT can finally get the City united behind it. 

Aye Stephen and Cowie were a forward line to conjure with but they would probably tire after an hour or so against the Old Lady.

Red, Black or Blue
Not just for the few
Together longer and longer
Like the team we get stronger
Not just Inverness Thistle (or Caley)
But Inverness Caley Thistle ;-)

 

Anon (1885 -1994)
 

Edited December 20, 201213 yr by Tichy_Blacks_Back

Anyone want to give me ONE shred of evidence why a lone Caley OR Thistle in the SFL would have been any less sucsessful than what ICT have acheived. I reckon they would have had a bigger, more loyal fanbase. And been every bit as enticing to the local business community.

You've had almost 20 years to find this out yourself. Why didnt you?Whoosh!!! the point being...in 20 yrs...i have found no evidence to support such assumptions.It didnt happen, we've got what we got, it's been a hue success, whys it matter now?

This is what grown ups do luke.....they reminisce, they debate different topics. Thats how forums work

Personally I'd much rather talk about current events at ict, like how well we are currently doing.

But if I'm to much of a child for you. I'm extremely sorry.

This thread makes me want to shoot myself in the face. Same garbage from Bannerman every time - Self appointed merger expert.

Off for a lie down in a darkened room.

I remember a crowd of 7,000 at Kingsmills for a midweek friendly. So what. The fact is by the early nineties neither side could regularly attract more than a tenth of our current minimum fanbase.

Kingsmills.. yer jokeenmun! There is no way Kingsmills Park could ever have accommodated 7000.... even including the bacteria in the away dressing room!!

And to suggest that this was for a midweek friendly seriously redolates of the Horlicks ad!

 

But you do make the important point that attendances have significantly dropped right across the game in recent decades.

Edited December 20, 201213 yr by Charles Bannerman

Capacity of Kingsmills circa 1970 7,550. Full to capacity for a match on a Wednesday night in a match against Celtic to inaugurate our then new floodlights. The Jags won 2-1 against a Celtic XI including a sprinkling of first team players.

 

Until Jock MacDonald had a few dozen seats boarded over to avoid having to comply with safety regulations post the Bradford fire disaster we had the largest Grandstand in the Highland League.

Edited December 20, 201213 yr by Kingsmills

In my opinion Caledonian Fc had outgrown the Highland League long before the merger happened and that is the reason why crowds were down, there was no interest in run of the mill games at home to the likes of Rothes, Fort William, Lossie or Thistle, the game had become stale As a result there were a lot of dormant Caley fans in Inverness who would come out in numbers for your Elgins, Countys or Scottish cup ties Thistle always had sh1te crowds and the ones that did go were more than likely rugby fans that also frequented Murrayfield for the home internationals I'm quite saddened to say this but by merging the two clubs they ripped the football heart out of the average Invernessian hence why ICT suffer badly now when it comes to getting punters through the turnstiles The fact County have a higher average home attendance this season as we are challenging for the honours while they are fighting relegation only backs up my point I've said it before and I'll say it again ICT have been lucky that Inverness has had a huge influx of incomers to the city and what with the emergence of youth who were not scarred by what happened almost 20 year ago It's going to take a generation or two to build the fan base, let's face it Rome wasnt built in a day Dougal

If Caledonian had outgrown the Highland League how come it was dominated by Steve Paterson's Huntly at the time and not the mighty Caley ?

 

Does the same argument apply to Perth which has a similar population and similarly poor crowds ? Get a grip on reality.

Edited December 20, 201213 yr by Kingsmills

This thread makes me want to shoot myself in the face. Same garbage from Bannerman every time - Self appointed merger expert.

Off for a lie down in a darkened room.

 

Isn't the purpose of a forum to enter into discussion on a relevant subject which interests you?

 

And put your views and opinions across?

 

Whenever the subject of the merger comes up, a lively discussion always follows, and Mr Bannerman is perfectly entitled to share his views, as are you and everybody else!

Let's face it dougal caley like the jags were at times medium size fish in a small pond. Today they are in the big pond and not doing too badly. Neither would have been as successful as the current set up whatever we like to imagine.

Those that stay away are part of an ever reducing group which in reality if they actually bothered to turn up would make no real difference to the income of the club. Sad but that's how it is.

Edited December 20, 201213 yr by Tichy_Blacks_Back

I once supported Caledonian FC and followed them all over the country. I was a founder of "The Animals" fer fecks sake - Caledonian FC - as in the case of Inverness Thistle FC - are no longer in existence. Ifs and buts are pure toss. O2B.