Not a surprise I suppose. Glad that an extension was offered to a cup hero who still does a good job but I completely understand that it needed to be reduced terms. I like the quotes from the club here. David was part of the cup winning team that will forever hold a fondness in ICT hearts but he was also part of the relegation team and shouldn't expect to escape the harsh, punishing financial realities that ensue as a result. Players have to look after their families, this is their job and many are paid handsomely for it ... they create memories but their stay is transient. It is the club and its fans that endure. Thanks for the memories David. We wish you well. 

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-thistle/1368327/caley-thistle-defender-raven-rejects-reduced-contract-extension/

Edited December 1, 20178 yr by cif73
Typo

Is Raven banned for only the Brechin game or Livi as well? Not sure how to look it up on SFA website?

3 hours ago, Caman said:

Is Raven banned for only the Brechin game or Livi as well? Not sure how to look it up on SFA website?

I hope it's just the 1 game - he deserves a decent send off (not of the Red Card variety either....). Was interested to hear Robbo say that Seedorf has been fit for a while but Raven's been keeping him out of the team...says a lot about Raves, considering the club were encouraging him to find another club in the summer.

Should be alright with Seedorf though...

I love Dave the Rave but if I was robbo there is no way I would drop Seedorf to let Him play. It would do nothing for Seedorfs confidence to drop him for someone playing their last game for us. At th moment Seedorf has the shirt. Depending on the circumstances I would bring him on as a sub to say his goodbyes he certainly deserves rapturous applause before he leaves 

Never forget....

 

Thanks RiG brings a tear to the eye! Good luck to Dave and his family for the future wherever he goes.

My favourite moment too, thank you David Raven. Stay in football David you still have a lot to give and a lot to pass on. i wish it was still to be with us. Good luck.

Amid what seemed like a glut of away games against County where we pumped them on their own patch never forget this stunning strike from Raven which nearly made Brittain explode the red faced mess  

 

Just listen to his farewell blast on STV - EAT SLEEP RAVEN We should ALL REPEAT

I saw a reference on a different thread to a video of his interview: is it available on line?

I heard part of an interview with Charles Bannerman on the local news on Radio Scotland earlier, in which he was asking where the money had gone from the cup final win and Christie's transfer.

I hope there was also a positive bit in the interview so would like to see or hear it all.

Thanks RiG for posting the videos: great memories of a great club servant.

Edited January 4, 20188 yr by Robert

4 minutes ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Just listen to his farewell blast on STV - EAT SLEEP RAVEN We should ALL REPEAT

Thanks, that's what I heard on the radio earlier. It would be interesting to know what else was said but not broadcast.

7 minutes ago, Robert said:

Thanks, that's what I heard on the radio earlier. It would be interesting to know what else was said but not broadcast.

In terms of what was heard on the radio and seen on TV, it was the same stuff. Raven was simply expressing his dismay that he and his team mates had won the Scottish Cup in May 2015 and now the club is relegated and extremely strapped for cash. He just wanted to know how money from the likes of that and Ryan Christie's transfer could have been squandered in such a short time and to such little effect?

The other line which emerged at the conference but has not emerged in broadcast yet although may well do in print tomorrow, since newspapers are usually able to do greater depth than broadcast, was that it was put to him that when the fans cheered him off v Livi, they were cheering a contribution which extends far more widely than simply scoring the winner v Celtic. He seemed very gratified at that proposition.

6 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

In terms of what was heard on the radio and seen on TV, it was the same stuff. Raven was simply expressing his dismay that he and his team mates had won the Scottish Cup in May 2015 and now the club is relegated and extremely strapped for cash. He just wanted to know how money from the likes of that and Ryan Christie's transfer could have been squandered in such a short time and to such little effect?

The other line which emerged at the conference but has not emerged in broadcast yet although may well do in print tomorrow, since newspapers are usually able to do greater depth than broadcast, was that it was put to him that when the fans cheered him off v Livi, they were cheering a contribution which extends far more widely than simply scoring the winner v Celtic. He seemed very gratified at that proposition.

It is we fans who should be gratified by the contribution he has made in all the years he was was with us. Very gratified indeed.

https://stv.tv/sport/football/1405623-david-raven-blasts-inverness-board-before-departure/?utm_source=dlv

Very well said David Raven. Thanks for everything.

Back of the net! Nice one Dave and thanks for the memories - you will be missed 

51 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

 

The other line which emerged at the conference but has not emerged in broadcast yet although may well do in print tomorrow, since newspapers are usually able to do greater depth than broadcast, was that it was put to him that when the fans cheered him off v Livi, they were cheering a contribution which extends far more widely than simply scoring the winner v Celtic. He seemed very gratified at that proposition.

It would be good if he realises the esteem he is held in by the fans for all he has done for the club during his time here.

He moves on with my thanks and best wishes for the future.

1 hour ago, Robert said:

It would be good if he realises the esteem he is held in by the fans for all he has done for the club during his time here.

He moves on with my thanks and best wishes for the future.

Spoke to him at the stadium after the game. Rest assured he is in no doubt about the fans' respect and level of esteem in which he is held. It took him a long time to finish all the requests for pictures and just as long to say thanks to everyone who was wishing him and his family well.

4 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

It is we fans who should be gratified by the contribution he has made in all the years he was was with us. Very gratified indeed.

You are dead right. I asked that particular question myself and I think what he was particularly gratified about was the response from fans which he said was "pretty overwhelming and humbling" and that it was "pretty unbelievable the number of comments I've had." Then there was an almost embarrassed pause and exhalation before he concluded his answer with "there's not much more I can say about that...." To another question, he said that he would "always be looking out for ICT and seeing where they go from here" and that this had been "the best time I've ever had at a club."

It's not that often that you get the opportunity to interview players who are leaving clubs, but without doubt David Raven has departed with great dignity.... a word which could equally be applied to his nonetheless categorical questioning of the stewardship of the two seasons following the Scottish Cup win.

Edited January 5, 20188 yr by Charles Bannerman

Raven needs to do the maths. It's just not sustainable at that level of payments. It's not rocket science. Look at the abysmal crowds we attract. That will never ever pay for real quality. In fact, it appears that he was part of the problem with his wages. 

Top man, Dave the Rave - thanks for the outstanding memories! You have a right to question the finacial chaos that has ensued since the cup win - the management has been shambolic.

Unfortunately, in football, mistakes tend to be compounded financially - in this case, the necessity to pay Hughes for garden leave impacted on the choice of the next manager (on account of cost), which got us relegated with falling attendances, leading to poor morale, even more player departures, poor form, early cup exits and falling attendances (repeat).

I think the answer to the question "where has all the money gone?", while fair, is answered simply by the fact that the club has consistently run at a loss of ~£300k per annum for years and the books have been balanced by the various windfalls during that time (league and Scottish cup runs, Butcher compensation, Christie sale). That is a precarious existence, which will go wrong at some point. How wrong will be determined by the shrewdness of the board...ours failed that test spectacularly.

The real issue is, and always will be, how do we get more people through the gate? If you look art the Scottish Prem this year, the league table almost exactly mirrors the average home attendances. The surprise should perhaps not be how far we have slid but just how outstanding our achievments were over those years when The Rave was with us.

Apologies for the negative tone here - after hte game on Tuesday, I'm really quite upbeat about our prospects for this season, but I think we'll need to get used to the constant churn of players, as attendances are not going to recover significantly any time soon.

If we could consistently get a couple hundred more through the gates at homes games then it would make a big difference. I wonder if the extra 200 to 300 at the livi game had any connection  to the premier league break? I' saying extra 200 - 300 because livi had 30 fans at that game and our average attendance is about 1800

12 hours ago, tm4tj said:

 In fact, it appears that he was part of the problem with his wages. 

Totally disagree with this statement. You can't blame the players for looking to get the best deal for themselves. The Board are/were wholly responsible for the purse strings and therefore the current financial situation.

 

1 hour ago, PerfICT said:

Top man, Dave the Rave - thanks for the outstanding memories! You have a right to question the finacial chaos that has ensued since the cup win - the management has been shambolic.

Unfortunately, in football, mistakes tend to be compounded financially - in this case, the necessity to pay Hughes for garden leave impacted on the choice of the next manager (on account of cost), which got us relegated with falling attendances, leading to poor morale, even more player departures, poor form, early cup exits and falling attendances (repeat).

I think the answer to the question "where has all the money gone?", while fair, is answered simply by the fact that the club has consistently run at a loss of ~£300k per annum for years and the books have been balanced by the various windfalls during that time (league and Scottish cup runs, Butcher compensation, Christie sale). That is a precarious existence, which will go wrong at some point. How wrong will be determined by the shrewdness of the board...ours failed that test spectacularly.

The real issue is, and always will be, how do we get more people through the gate? If you look art the Scottish Prem this year, the league table almost exactly mirrors the average home attendances. The surprise should perhaps not be how far we have slid but just how outstanding our achievments were over those years when The Rave was with us.

Apologies for the negative tone here - after hte game on Tuesday, I'm really quite upbeat about our prospects for this season, but I think we'll need to get used to the constant churn of players, as attendances are not going to recover significantly any time soon.

Excellent post. No apology required. 

 

David Raven has simply spoken the truth that we have been mismanaged both on and off the pitch since the dizzy heights of that cup win and rather than building on that success we have squandered it.

If that were not the case we would not be in the bottom half of the Championship and scraping the bottom of our coffers to bring in any players of any quality at all.

It needed to be said and it has been by someone that most fans have a great deal of respect for.

That said, there is no point in dwelling in the past. We are where we are. Fortunately, we now have a different board and a different manager and we are seeing a few embryonic green shoots of recovery. Time now to focus on cultivating those shoots without breaking the bank. We were an established Premiership club not so very long ago and there is no reason why, with hard work and a bit of good fortune, we can't be again.

It won't be this season after our disastrous start but we can go a long way to laying the foundations for success in the future perhaps even as early as next season. St Mirren, who did well to avoid successive relegations last season, are an example of how things can be turned around without necessarily spending a fortune.

 

19 hours ago, tm4tj said:

Raven needs to do the maths. It's just not sustainable at that level of payments. It's not rocket science. Look at the abysmal crowds we attract. That will never ever pay for real quality. In fact, it appears that he was part of the problem with his wages. 

Looking at the number of red arrows you got there are a few that need to do their sums as well!  After winning the Scottish Cup we lost Shinnie and Watkins the board went into panic mode and increased some players wages including Raven (who has been a great servant to the club) which as tm4tj states with the crowds we have had it has led to a downward spiral and the club now has to work on a shoestring.  I hope that is behind us now but the club has to live within the limited resources it has.