I hear there is going to be an announcement next week. Does anybody have idea what it's to do with?

...but we were told they were going to do that back in September?

... Only a lighter note CaleyD, are you thinking about changing your profile from "Erse Licking Happy Clapper"? 

Actually, I'm wondering whatever happened to that Stadium Development Project that seemed to be active a while back? 

3 hours ago, bdu98196 said:

Constantly looking across at RC and deeming ICT success ............ other than through rumours and leaks.  

That's a very well argued post, much of which I would agree with, but maybe in my earlier one I should have been clearer about what exactly I meant about Ross County. One of the central doubts I now have is whether the inner Moray Firth has the capacity to sustain two major football clubs, even when one is nourished substantially and long term by a benefactor. There wasn't much of a problem back in the 90s in D3 but I think that at the level of more recent years, something was bound to give. But as it happens, a second thing may be about to give in the next few weeks.

So it's not a matter of measuring success as being "better" than County, it's now a case of "this place ain't big enough for the two of us" and irrespective of any desire to avoid comparisons, the reality is that to some extent, both clubs are competing for the same, scarce local resources.

Can this topic thread be moved to the Rumour Mill until there is confirmation of an announcement.

2 hours ago, caleyboy said:

Maybe the Inverness public just don't want /deserve a full-time football club.

Caleyboy has clearly been addressing the same question as I have - and with the same dilemma over "want" as opposed to "deserve".

Does the Inverness public "want" a full time football club? Well, given that maybe half of them won't even be interested in football and many of those who are will follow teams from outwith Inverness, the number of people in Inverness who actively want  full time club - possibly from the level of following the score on Saturday nights or even Monday mornings upwards - probably isn't that big a slice of the population. In other words, to be brutally realistic, most people in Inverness couldn't give a toss about Caley Thistle - and that also reflects what I've seen on the streets over the years trying to assemble ICT voxpops. It's actually quite difficult to find enough people interested enough to comment.

So does the Inverness public "deserve" a full time football club? Well to deserve one, you have to want one first and then you need to behave in a way which morally justifies your desire. But given that most people aren't interested, then the question doesn't actually arise. I used to think that Inverness actually didn't deserve a full time football club because of the lack of support for a body which publicised the city, brought some trade into it and, for instance, provided a road to open up the harbour etc. However I've changed my view on that over the years, in that the founding fathers of the club put it there to promote football in Inverness, not to create collateral benefit - however much they used that to gain brownie points in the early years.

So, in conclusion, a relatively small number of people in inverness want a full time football club but, while the concept of deserving one becomes redundant, you do have to wonder if there are enough of them to make this a sustainable, viable option?

2 minutes ago, Kind of Blue said:

Can this topic thread be moved to the Rumour Mill until there is confirmation of an announcement.

That would be a very sensible idea, given that even the existence of an announcement is simply speculation while on top of that (with varying degrees of seriousness) further speculation about what it's meant to be about has ranged from administration to the colour of the strip to cut price pies.

On the other hand, some of the spin-off discussion about fundamental viability has been quite interesting!

1 hour ago, cif73 said:

... Only a lighter note CaleyD, are you thinking about changing your profile from "Erse Licking Happy Clapper"? 

Too soon.

I don't know if this is related to the elusive announcement or not, but I have heard that a new club museum is going to go where the sports bar is.  I don't know if this sports bar and museum will be one thing, the bar is going to be moved or if the bar is being done away with altogether though.

7 minutes ago, Renegade said:

I don't know if this is related to the elusive announcement or not, but I have heard that a new club museum is going to go where the sports bar is.  I don't know if this sports bar and museum will be one thing, the bar is going to be moved or if the bar is being done away with altogether though.

Just what we all need to safeguard the future of the club, a museum 

18 minutes ago, Renegade said:

I don't know if this is related to the elusive announcement or not, but I have heard that a new club museum is going to go where the sports bar is.  I don't know if this sports bar and museum will be one thing, the bar is going to be moved or if the bar is being done away with altogether though.

I'd be shocked if they closed the bar (which generates income and is the only one for fecking miles) to put in a museum (which won't make any money).

If they put in a wee 'history of ICT and perhaps Caley/Thistle' area it's a nice idea if we had the spare cash and real estate. It's possible that it's being put together by volunteers which is great but there's percious little room at the stadium. Another thing we've never invested in. 

If they do put in a museum they can have a wax figure of John Hughes put in place so wynthank15 can create an official shrine to him and have candlelit vigils every home game.

20 minutes ago, RiG said:

If they do put in a museum they can have a wax figure of John Hughes put in place so wynthank15 can create an official shrine to him and have candlelit vigils every home game.

Won’t the candles melt the dummy?

We could get the knowledgeable local historian Charles Bannerman to be the curator and tour guide.

Surely you can use the space for a bar and a museum with the displays being the decor for the bar. After all, from what I’ve seen there are already some pretty ancient relics in the bar!

Are you referring to CB ?

2 hours ago, HawkeyeTheGnu said:

Won’t the candles melt the dummy?

Nah - he left us a while ago...

Are we going part-time perhaps ? If there is going to be an announcement from the club then get on with it so all the speculation can be brought to an end. 

16 minutes ago, Glen Mhor said:

Are we going part-time perhaps ? If there is going to be an announcement from the club then get on with it so all the speculation can be brought to an end. 

And IF there's not going to be an announcement, what then? An announcement that there's not going to be an announcement..... setting an interesting precedent in response to future red herrings?

If they are going to start putting more stuff into the Sports Bar area, then they need to do it properly.  There are already historically important items hanging on the walls in direct sunlight and fading fast as a result.

Due to the lack of space at the stadium, I touted the idea of a "virtual" museum; using augmented reality to turn the entire stadium into a platform for 'displaying' stuff....which could include so much more (and for so much less) than a traditional museum.

Perhaps the announcement that will send fans into fits of rage is that we've extended our catering contract with Lindleys?

That's another thing that was going to be tackled from the fans meeting. There were some nice fancy samples put around at the fun day as I remember trying the wraps, but once again that was the last that's heard of it. 

At least the Taste-T Ness van brings some decent fresh food. At artificially increased prices of course, as I understand he's forced to put them up to stay in line with the club's serveries...

20 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

And IF there's not going to be an announcement, what then? An announcement that there's not going to be an announcement..... setting an interesting precedent in response to future red herrings?

That's a long way from the argument often used by the press/media to coax statements from the club!

When the board commit to being more open and communicative then there's justifiable expectation that they do that.

Some, yourself included, say that talk of administration is entirely speculative....I would argue that the communication coming from the club has not only generated that speculation, it has fuelled it.  A couple of months back the Chairman issued a statement trying to debunk talk of financial troubles but, in the very next breath, stating that the club was still in need of additional investment...directly lifted from the statement (http://ictfc.com/news/club-news/2138-stadium-green-light-is-welcomed)

Quote

"The club had advised at the recent annual general meeting that further inward investment is required to ensure the immediate future of the club and to lay the foundation for a more sustainable financial model taking the club forward."

Since then we have had the Manager saying that the club will face further substantial budget cuts next season...with no qualification on whether that would be the case only if we failed to gain promotion.

It's hardly surprising that talk of announcements would lead to speculation that it's bad news (financially) when we've not had anything to suggest that the previously stated need for inward investment has been met and the immediate future of the club secured.

So, whilst I agree that the club should no be responding to wild rumour, that is far from the situation we are facing here.  Regardless of rumour, I would say a statement on the position highlighted in February is past due....no?

12 minutes ago, CaleyD said:

That's a long way from ............is past due....no?

All I can do is to reiterate that this now lengthy thread - on the strength of an unsupported, speculative post, with no substantiation whatsoever - began with a claim that an unspecified announcement was allegedly imminent. Very quickly indeed, this has been extrapolated to equally unsubstantiated speculation that this announcement will be about administration.

Now is this a new administration....or the same one that rumour said this was imminent two or three months ago?

Please note that I am NOT saying that administration, or indeed any of the other speculated subjects of this alleged announcement,  is NOT going to happen. (And I will quote that last sentence in the event of any future "I told you so".) All I am saying is that what we have heard makes none of the speculated outcomes more or less likely since it is not accompanied by any evidence.

For instance, a guy in the gym changing rooms has been telling me with total confidence that Dougie McGilvray is on the point of taking the club over. The trouble is that the guy has been telling me this regularly for the last three years or so. If Dougie ever were to do so, then I'm sure my informant will remind me that I heard it from him first..... in a manner similar to some newspapers when a managerial appointment is confirmed - conveniently ignoring the other 19 names they sprayed about that were 100% wrong. This present rumour may - or may not - follow a similar pattern.

On the performance of the current board, I suppose it's inevitable that CaleyD should find so many deficiencies in it, especially compared with the previous one ....... of whose complete infallibility he spent so long advising the world.

53 minutes ago, CaleyD said:

...I touted the idea of a "virtual" museum; using augmented reality to turn the entire stadium into a platform for 'displaying' stuff...

You could look at the pitch and see grass on it!  Then peer underneath and see the Longman Aquifer...

2 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

All I can do is to reiterate that this now lengthy thread - on the strength of an unsupported, speculative post, with no substantiation whatsoever - began with a claim that an unspecified announcement was allegedly imminent. Very quickly indeed, this has been extrapolated to equally unsubstantiated speculation that this announcement will be about administration.

Now is this a new administration....or the same one that rumour said this was imminent two or three months ago?

Please note that I am NOT saying that administration, or indeed any of the other speculated subjects of this alleged announcement,  is NOT going to happen. (And I will quote that last sentence in the event of any future "I told you so".) All I am saying is that what we have heard makes none of the speculated outcomes more or less likely since it is not accompanied by any evidence.

For instance, a guy in the gym changing rooms has been telling me with total confidence that Dougie McGilvray is on the point of taking the club over. The trouble is that the guy has been telling me this regularly for the last three years or so. If Dougie ever were to do so, then I'm sure my informant will remind me that I heard it from him first..... in a manner similar to some newspapers when a managerial appointment is confirmed - conveniently ignoring the other 19 names they sprayed about that were 100% wrong. This present rumour may - or may not - follow a similar pattern.

On the performance of the current board, I suppose it's inevitable that CaleyD should find so many deficiencies in it, especially compared with the previous one ....... of whose complete infallibility he spent so long advising the world.

You'd be well suited to a position in politics with your whataboutery and inability to deal with the point at hand.

My post was not about whether or not their was any truth in the rumours....it was debunking the claim that they had no substance, by referencing the irrefutable comments from both chairman and manager.

On that basis, there is justification for the fan expectation that the board make some kind of announcement/statement to clarify the situation.  In fact, to quote the club board (as I have done previously).....http://ictfc.com/news/club-news/1974-board-statement-14-08-17

Quote

"It is clear the lack of regular information updates from the Board continues to fuel speculation and concern amongst some of our supporters and the media."

So they have identified that there is an ongoing issue about their actions (or inactions) in regards to communication fuelling speculation....and they haven't (yet) moved to dispel it.

I've never once claimed the previous board were infallible....find a single instance of me stating that and I will delete my account from CTO and never darken it's door again.