Last Saturday I received, as an ICT shareholder, notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting of the company on August 3rd. Three doses of paracetamol and four cups of strong coffee later, I concluded that the twin 200-odd word sentences of compressed legalese defining the agenda meant that 1) The Board wants to increase potential share capital to £5M. (According to the latest accounts, it is £3.9M, so that would imply asking permission for the release of 1.1M shares to the market); and 2) They are asking the current shareholders to waive their rights of pre-emption (ie "first shout") on any subsequent allotment (which appears to mean that they could then be sold to anyone the Board chooses).

I have been surprised at how little public reaction there has been to this, especially on here. I do know of a friend who has also received the same communication and it's clear from one of his earlier posts that Caleyboy has as well. On the other hand, this seems to have generated virtually no "talk of the steamie" and indeed as of this morning (Thur) I have become aware of a number of shareholders who apparently have no knowledge of this meeting. (Admittedly, the legalese is so intense that anyone could perhaps be forgiven for not realising what they had received!!)

Clearly this begs the question "Why?". Is the "major investor" that people have been speculating about for years now waiting in the wings, and these combined resolutions would clear the way for a major uptake? Or is this, despite the Manager having already made several signings, for team building, as the Chairman's covering letter appears to hint at? Or is there any link to the "conspiracy theory" which has been circulating that there was a considerable deficit from last season, which now may need covered retrospectively? Or is it to finance getting rid of the puddles in the pie queue?

 

Edited July 13, 20177 yr by Charles Bannerman

36 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

Personally, I think that us wanting to have a colt team in the Highland League smacks of the same sort of arrogance as the Ugly Sisters wanting to have colt teams in the Championship.

Well said.

If a colts team in the Highland league benefits Caley/Thistle develop a few future first team players then I hope they are successful with their attempts to join. It also means we have a home game in Sneck every Saturday and a local derby with Clach.

Have we got any colts/development players left? Most of them seem to have been loaned to HL teams in any case and our under 17s would get pumped every week in the HL, so what's the point?

This is pie in the sky stuff. The Highland League are never going to allow a Caley Thistle Colts team in.  It's a complete non-starter. 

There is more change of the club being able to issue a coherent, sensible and timely statement than being able to enter a team in the Highland League.

13 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

Personally, I think that us wanting to have a colt team in the Highland League smacks of the same sort of arrogance as the Ugly Sisters wanting to have colt teams in the Championship.

Indeed.  Why should we (and/or Ross County and/or Aberdeen etc) be allowed to enter a Colts teams into (what I presume would be) an expanded Highland League, when there are junior sides who have already expressed an interest in filling that void - Banks O'Dee and Halkirk to name but two (while there are probably a few others who, with some developments to their infrastructure could also enter, such as Culter and Golspie Sutherland).  I'd say they have a far more legitimate case than we do, especially after our decision to withdraw from the SPFL Development League.  Think I'm right in saying we couldn't enter a reserve team in the HL just now anyway under the current legislation and a return to the North Caledonian League would be the highest league we could enter a reserve side.

Edited August 5, 20177 yr by Renegade

Puzzles me that people think the club is "arrogant" by exploring the possibility of doing this and putting in a request to the HL. Arrogance would be an expectation from ICT that because we are a big club in relative terms, the HL ought to simply bend over backwards to accommodate us, but there would appear to be no evidence of that being the case.

It may well be a fruitless request, but I don't see why people are so keen to criticise the club for exploring something that would be good for ICT. 

Pretty much more or less along the lines of what everyone expected then?

I do like the idea of having a colt team in a lower league to develop younger players and the Highland League is very convenient from our point of view in regards to regional proximity and overall competitiveness. 

I certainly don't see how it's arrogance to explore the possibility and at least ask the question.

Even if we don't actually set up a new team for the league (Which itself might be a bit of a headache cost wise) is there anything to stop us looking at forging an official link with an existing team in or around Inverness that's already a member of the Highland League. A place we could send a batch of our young players each year which would help them invest their own money on more experienced players. These young players would then be able to fight for a place in that team alongside seasoned HL players. We would also have the option of taking some of their better players on.

A feeder team essentially if you will.

In return we could help them with infrastructure, further exposure etc.

Wasn't there the idea - back in the early days of the club - of using Clach for that?

Interesting thread and  comments.    I'm learning from this.

Since it was the Highland League that I grew up with  the names of the other leagues mentioned is a mystery.

What I do remember, however, was that there were some very hard working and good players in the Highland League and the pace was often pretty hectic.   What standards would you say is now the norm?

Speaking to a friend at Nairn and they told me that ICT and RC had been invited to consider a colts team in the Highland League. So it seems that they do want it.

18 minutes ago, Shorty said:

Speaking to a friend at Nairn and they told me that ICT and RC had been invited to consider a colts team in the Highland League. So it seems that they do want it.

Not saying they dont just that they certainly were not interested in 1994. 

17 hours ago, Renegade said:

This is pie in the sky stuff. The Highland League are never going to allow a Caley Thistle Colts team in.  It's a complete non-starter. 

 

30 minutes ago, Shorty said:

Speaking to a friend at Nairn and they told me that ICT and RC had been invited to consider a colts team in the Highland League. So it seems that they do want it.

I love this site. ?

26 minutes ago, old caley girl said:

Not saying they dont just that they certainly were not interested in 1994. 

OCG... my recollection from 1994 was that the prospect of a CT "reserve" team in the HL wasn't even an issue and that the HL would have said no even if a request had been made. This did concern me at the start because it would have meant that Inverness's historic links with the HL (eg six of the inaugural seven teams in 1893) would have been completely severed. Clach's decision to go it alone, certainly for me and I believe Inverness as well, therefore solved a problem.

On a colts team in the HL now, I'm not sure they would be too keen to extend to 19 or 20 teams for fixtures reasons. On the other hand a multiple intake, perhaps to 24, would allow two divisions of 12, with the added bonus of eliminating the kind of mismatches we see too often, since all the weak teams would be in D2.

As long as someone with more money than sense then doesn't start throwing sillybucks at a lower light in D2....

8 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

OCG... my recollection from 1994 was that the prospect of a CT "reserve" team in the HL wasn't even an issue and that the HL would have said no even if a request had been made. This did concern me at the start because it would have meant that Inverness's historic links with the HL (eg six of the inaugural seven teams in 1893) would have been completely severed. Clach's decision to go it alone, certainly for me and I believe Inverness as well, therefore solved a problem.

On a colts team in the HL now, I'm not sure they would be too keen to extend to 19 or 20 teams for fixtures reasons. On the other hand a multiple intake, perhaps to 24, would allow two divisions of 12, with the added bonus of eliminating the kind of mismatches we see too often, since all the weak teams would be in D2.

As long as someone with more money than sense then doesn't start throwing sillybucks at a lower light in D2....

Yes Charles. I believe that is the case. I dont believe a formal request was ever made as John Grant made it crystal clear that it would not be welcome. 

12 minutes ago, old caley girl said:

Yes Charles. I believe that is the case. I dont believe a formal request was ever made as John Grant made it crystal clear that it would not be welcome. 

There's a video on YouTube of the last Caley v Thistle game and I'm sure someone (I think it's the Thistle manager) says that the new club planned to enter a reserve team in the East of Scotland League.  I assume that would the kind of league the likes of Lochee United are in.

Edited August 5, 20177 yr by Renegade

Lochee Utd play in the juniors, East Region.

there is a North region, don't think it's of the same standard as the East or West.

I'm surprised that nobody has raised the comments from Robbo about the ridiculous demands of the top clubs about loanees. That was quite astonishing, and good for Robbo to call it out.

. 

23 hours ago, ictchris said:

Lochee Utd play in the juniors, East Region.

there is a North region, don't think it's of the same standard as the East or West.

I think that Renegade was referring to Lochend United.

On 05/08/2017 at 11:07 AM, Yngwie said:

It may well be a fruitless request, but I don't see why people are so keen to criticise the club for exploring something that would be good for ICT. 

Because I don't like the idea of the competitiveness of the Highland League being diluted for us to develop our younger players. I would be furious if we found ourselves in a position where we were playing Rangers B in League One and I can't imagine ICT would be too happy at that either especially if it prevented them from getting promoted.

Perhaps we could then get players from the likes of Buckie Thistle to stay in the HL and play for our Colts ?

On 05/08/2017 at 11:29 PM, The Long Man said:

I'm surprised that nobody has raised the comments from Robbo about the ridiculous demands of the top clubs about loanees. That was quite astonishing, and good for Robbo to call it out.

. 

What did he say?

1 hour ago, ictchris said:

What did he say?

As I recollect, the receiving club pays £350 a week if the player plays but £850 if he doesn't?

Yes. He was asked about taking players on loan, and said he wouldn't, especially from the big two and Hearts. The reason being that if they play, as Charles says, we pay them £350 a week. If they don't play we have to pay them £850. For high-handed arrogance that takes some beating. If we take a player on loan, in order to benefit the player and his parent club, we are fined, or blackmailed by £500 if he doesn't play, even if he turns out to be a dud. What a farce, and a ridiculous attempt to force small clubs to play their players or be charged. I wouldn't mind an incentive to play their players, but that should be the other way round - e.g. the parent club contributes towards their development, but we don't suffer if the player is injured or not a useful addition.

Well done, Robbo, for saying so.

And given the amount of players the big two hoard and whose development is stunted because of their confinement to the reserves, then it is also deleterious to the Scottish game.

Edited August 7, 20177 yr by The Long Man

I guess you have to look at it from  the parent clubs point of view. When loaning players out they want the player to get games. Any attempt to stop these youngsters wasting a year on the bench. They may as well remain playing with the reserves in the development league.

I wonder if it means they have to start games. Could just bring them on in the 89th minute each week. 

 

As to the colt teams, I repeat that i don't think we need to waste our time with the headache with the infrastructure issues of setting up a new team where we could set up an official link with the likes of Clach. Rather than have a development team, just send the kids there. We keep paying wages. And rather than having 20 permanent names on their books they'd maybe only have 15.