...Liam Polworth he's one of our own FFS. 

Being a highland club I'm ashamed of the vitriol being spouted towards one of our home grown players by a small minority of 'fans'. It's pathetic ! We are not, and don't want to be, OF fans!

Ryan Christie didn't receive the same treatment, Daniel Mackay doesn't receive the same treatment, Grant Munro, Jim Calder, Charlie Christie, Mike Noble, et al. So what is your problem with Liam Polworth ya dafties?

Haters gonna hate! 

 

Think today may be final straw for him. Any club wanting him should be knocking at his door this weekend and taking advantage of this. 

I hope he does leave so he gets a break. This will do ICT no good, but will be better for him as an individual. 

If anyone knows the name of any of the morons, name them to ICT. I don't want poison like that at my/our club. 

5 hours ago, Caman said:

Think today may be final straw for him. Any club wanting him should be knocking at his door this weekend and taking advantage of this. 

I hope he does leave so he gets a break. This will do ICT no good, but will be better for him as an individual. 

If anyone knows the name of any of the morons, name them to ICT. I don't want poison like that at my/our club. 

If he leaves the boo boys win and then they move on to target someone else, where does it end?

In doing so the effect is the squad and the football club becomes weaker and the support becomes weaker.

Polworth is very much in Robbo's plans for this season, he is a vital player for us if we have any ambition on moving forward after last season. Would it not be better for the supporters to get behind him and the team and show their support? If a small minority of so called fans end up dictating a player's future plans then what kind of football club is this?

I would like to think Liam Polworth and Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are bigger and better than all that anyway.

 

1 hour ago, Snafu said:

If he leaves the boo boys win and then they move on to target someone else, where does it end?

In doing so the effect is the squad and the football club becomes weaker and the support becomes weaker.

Polworth is very much in Robbo's plans for this season, he is a vital player for us if we have any ambition on moving forward after last season. Would it not be better for the supporters to get behind him and the team and show their support? If a small minority of so called fans end up dictating a player's future plans then what kind of football club is this?

I would like to think Liam Polworth and Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are bigger and better than all that anyway.

 

I agree to an extent and have been known to dish out a bit in the North Stand myself although never of a personal nature.  And yes it’s part of being a pro footballer. BUT if a group of people came to your work every day to tell you that you were *****, I think eventually you would throw the towel in no matter how strong your resolve is. A decent performance Tuesday and hopefully we can all move on ?

Some of our 'support' stooped to a new low yesterday directing abuse at a member of a player's family.

One of the best players to have come through our youth system and an Inverness lad will likely be away in January or the end of the season and who can blame him.

Just what do these people think they will achieve by dishing out this kind of abuse? The abuse about his family will surely be seen as out of order by anyone with a thread of human decency about them, but more generally, the abuse and the boos directed at Polworth himself affect not just Liam and his family but his team mates too.  Why would anyone want to play for ICT when their own "supporters" direct abuse at the team they purport to support?

One of the things that gives players a boost is when the fans of the opposing team get on the backs of their own team. What the boo boys and the abusers do is give succour to the opposition and disillusionment to their own team.  If you are going to boo and abuse your own team then why don't you do us all a favour and buy tickets for the South Stand

IMO to develop as a better all round  player and fulfill his undoubted potential Liam Polworh needs to move on. I think he has stagnated as player over the last couple of seasons never really nailing down his preferred  central midfield position under any of the four managers he has played under.

Obviously  would hate to see him go but think now is the right time to try and forward his career.

Can someone clarify what actually happened, Polworth drifted out of the game for a while and misplaced some passes towards the end.   Was there an exchange between fans and his family 

From what I’ve been told some young fans started singing “Liam Polworth, your sisters a slag”. To sing stuff like that is ******* idiotic, it doesn’t need saying. 

I do wonder about how we decide which players are fans favourites or not though.  Some players seem to attract criticism - people hated Vigurs and were desperate to jump on him. Going back further there were fans who constantly criticised Paul Ritchie, despite him being a deadly goal scorer. At the same time, Liam Keogh became a cult hero!depite only really playing well for a few months. Fans sang that Keogh song years after he left but we don’t seem to commemorate a guy like Ritchie, who did far more than Keogh during the same rough time period.

its been discussed to death on here by me and others but Polworth is one of the best players in the division and in our squad. In terms of assists and goals he’s unparalleled among our midfielders. If you are going to try and create things then you are going to make mistakes, it’s the nature of the game. Most of the objections to Polworth seem to come down to his “body language”, which is meaningless. 

Its well established that scouts in many sports go for players who look like the perceived ideal player. I think a lot of fans do similar.

I didn't hear the chants but I hope the culprits are identified and dealt with.

I've moved seat this season, and the guy next to me was critical of Polly and big Coll all game, but his pal was standing up for them.

If he keeps that up, I will need to moved seat again, as they are probably our two best players along with Ridgers.

Polly is a confidence player, so I hope we all get behind him on Tuesday and let him know we appreciate his contribution.

But we do need to find a decent penalty taker! Would it have been Doran taking it had he been on the pitch? Or what about Chalmers with his left?

Edited August 12, 20187 yr by Robert

This is a nonsense. Regardless of what people's opinions on his performances I really hope the majority of fans rally round polworth and show him he is appreciated and that some young attention seeking teenagers don't represent the majority.

7 hours ago, Robert said:

I didn't hear the chants but I hope the culprits are identified and dealt with.

If its personal and abusive rather than performance related then it should be dealt with and dealt with very strongly. While we can moan if a player is not playing well, or doesn't seem like he is trying there is absolutely no justification for bringing his family into the mix, especially when you do it to one of your own players !!!!  That is bang out of order ! ......  it used to be acceptable to go there with opposition players (or for the Tartan Army with pundits and commentators like Jimmy Hill) but as the song says ... those days are past now, and in the past they must remain !! (sorry, mention of Jimmy Hill meant I could not resist) ... but if its not acceptable to throw some 'banter' at the opposition for fear of it being called abuse, then its absolutely stupid and moronic to do it to one of our own. 

The fact that some posters on here know what was chanted suggests it should be possible to locate where the chants originated. Decent supporters will have no qualms reporting who the culprits were. Ideally the culprits will come forward if an amnesty is offered by the club on the basis these people deeply apologise and put in 'community service' for the club.

The club could also take their lead from those fans around who obviously feel this is reprehensible behaviour.  I imagine the club will release a statement now it's been reported/discussed here, on Twitter, on BBC, and in replies to their Twitter feed.  

Hopefully such a statement will reflect the almost unanimous condemnation from the vast majority of fans and the desire to ensure no repeat of what is a moronic but isolated incident that has received the response it has.   

Additionally, recognising that such abuse will have come from an individual or small group attending, who are not at all reflective of the 1500-2000-odd long-term supporters in attendance, and echoing the desire - already stated by fans  - to make those responsible stop and also be identified and sanctioned is likely to be issued today or tomorrow.

 

9 minutes ago, Glover said:

The club could also take their lead from those fans around who obviously feel this is reprehensible behaviour.  I imagine the club will release a statement now it's been reported/discussed here, on Twitter, on BBC, and in replies to their Twitter feed.  

Hopefully such a statement will reflect the almost unanimous condemnation from the vast majority of fans and the desire to ensure no repeat of what is a moronic but isolated incident that has received the response it has.   

Additionally, recognising that such abuse will have come from an individual or small group attending, who are not at all reflective of the 1500-2000-odd long-term supporters in attendance, and echoing the desire - already stated by fans  - to make those responsible stop and also be identified and sanctioned is likely to be issued today or tomorrow.

 

these morons have achieved what they wanted - major exposure on this site. Time to let the club deal with it quietly.

I appreciate that some of us are disappointed at the result, which we probably should have won...very frustrating playing against 10men and missing a penalty, in the end it feels like a defeat.

However abusing a players family is the lowest of the low, it might have been a few idiots, I wouldn't call them supporters, but the player clearly heard it...I'd be pretty p#ssed off it that was directed at me. Polworth is somewhat an enigmatic figure, he does a lot of good stuff, but obviously in trying to be the creative player also slips up.....he does seem to get quite a bit of stick on this forum, but I think we would miss him quite a bit if he were to leave.

Unfortunately we do have pretty small crowds and there are a fair few constant 'moaners' spread around...I notice this when I come up and sit in the main stand, drives me mad... players seldom respond positively to constant harping on, so just seems self-defeating. Whereas when we play away the support the players get albeit from a smaller concentrated group is great and it is appreciated by the players.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion or to moan....even if others disagree or think it unjustified.  What people are not entitled to be is abusive, and it's clear that many don't understand the difference between the two.

Those who try to pass off abuse as criticism don't get it.

Those who, when taking a stance against the abusers, also lump in those who partake in a bit of moaning/critique also don't get it.

They are far from the same thing, so let's not paint everyone with the same brush and portray the issue of abusive fans as being any bigger than it is.  One abusive fans is too many, but by blurring the lines we do little to foster support from the vast majority (including the "moaners") who are appalled by such behaviour.

We need more of this abuse.

No one would doubt his attitude here.

Everyone has a bad patch. Just get on with it and he'll turn it round.

Roll on September 22nd.

Tell you what. If you had chanted in public that my sister was of dubious morality, I’d have been a damned sight ruder back to you than Liam Polworth was on Saturday on twitter. I’d have slaughtered you publically. For a guy who, according to weekly shouts from the stands and in these forums, doesn’t care and is downright lazy, it’s a common shout that has its origins in a pack mentality and precious little to do with reality. I’m lucky. I’ve been granted access to our players over the years in a capacity that has allowed me to see the reactions to success and failure close up and personal and Liam Polworth is a player who gives everything for this club. Not one of you saw the absolute roasting he was giving himself at half time for missing that penalty. He does that a lot and I’ve seen on here before that this is him “moaning” at others. Wrong, it’s at himself. I’ve heard it said frequently that he is lazy and drifts in and out of games, doesn’t track back and can’t place a pass. What is happening is that he has to hang back, look for the big picture and try the unexpected. That’s his role. It may or may not come off but look at his statistics – he’s created more in this team than any other midfielder in years. Those with short memories might like to look at the similar treatment Vigurs got when he was here. What both missed was a foil – a Tansey or Draper who would share the burden.  Polworth doesn’t have that luxury.  I’ve watched him go from possibly the quietest and least assertive lad in the dressing room to one who will now step up and represent his team when asked to. He is surprisingly vocal at times. A lot of this has coincided with his becoming a parent. He’s grown up.

However he’s grown up in an environment that is judgemental, unsupportive and is now becoming abusive despite him being one of the players at the club of genuine premier league quality. Why do you think St. Mirren are alleged to be interested? Brian Rice knows this boy, how he trains and performs , what his strengths are and the best way to enable him. No wonder they are interested. Rice knows that Polworth is a player, a performer whose confidence can be fragile. Nothing can destroy that confidence quicker than your own fans constant (and it is constant) criticism and now abuse from our own fans. What worries me most is the air of resigned disgust from some for this – it has gone beyond creating a siege mentality for the team and has become corrosive. I'm heartened to see the support from his boss and fellow players and fans that he is getting now. It's just a shame it had to come to this.

Liam Polworth can do nothing to alter this situation and if it was me, I’d make him captain for the game on Tuesday night, identify the people leading Saturday’s chants (it’s not difficult) and change it.  The only people who can alter things in the stands, however, are the supporters; challenge the abusive ones, temper the criticism and maximise the encouragement. It’s called being a fan.

21 minutes ago, davie said:

Liam Polworth can do nothing to alter this situation and if it was me, I’d make him captain for the game on Tuesday night, identify the people leading Saturday’s chants (it’s not difficult) and change it.  The only people who can alter things in the stands, however, are the supporters; challenge the abusive ones, temper the criticism and maximise the encouragement. It’s called being a fan.

So agree with this.

Make him captain for the day. 

Then let's get a positive song for Liam. We can drown them out if we care to actually sing in the main stand.

 

Wow! 

The youngsters who shouted this filthy abuse needs to be dealt with by the club. Very firmly, if necessary.

Such comments about his family member are completely unacceptable and even appalling and if allowed to pass without a strong reaction from the club will be extremely detrimental to ICT. It should not be too hard to find and identify the culprits, as per the above comments. It should not be necessary to identify them in the local newspaper but a severe warning about possible legal action  in the future and warnings about not being allowed into the park in the future  should be enough to bring it home to these youngsters that enough is enough.

As for Polly,  a big cheer for him at the next match will be just the ticket for him and will surely reassure him that a very small minority of thoughtless idiots can't alter his talented commitment to the club AND that it is greatly appreciated by the overall fan base.

I'll quit whilst I'm ahead.  Phew!

Isn't it shameful that the headline BBC report from Saturday's match is the bang out of order abuse that Liam Polworth received? this is supposed to be a community club and the moment we have an opportunity to celebrate the rise of a local talent, the views of a minority element of our "support" slating the lad make the headlines - really poor!

I don't profess to know everything about football, but I do recognise when a player is playing with all his heart for the club and is prepared to put his body on the line. I totally relate to Davie's points above - Liam beats himself up for making mistakes - he doesn't need idiots in the crowd to indicate when a pass is misplaced. I am totally unsurprised that his form diminished later in the game on Saturday: not only had he missed a penalty, but a section of our own supporters abused members of his family. I challenge anybody to explain how this is going to encourage a player to up his game. He must have felt pretty lonely out there for the 2nd half and been dying for the final whistle to put the whole episode (and possibly this club) behind him.

I never thought I'd say it, but I'm ashamed to be associated with the club right now, albeit because of a minority voice.

1 hour ago, davie said:

Tell you what. If you had chanted in public ....etc

Quite possibly the best post I've ever read on here.

Edited August 13, 20187 yr by AncientMariner

Agree with PerfICT, it is shaming and makes you wonder how we can hold up our heads when the press and other fans will now think of us as hosting a clique of hostile, abusive fans who apparently hate one of our best players so much they abuse his sister. Just unbelievable, and set to wreck years of building a reputation as a club free from the old, ugly side of neddish behaviour. 

The only thing we can do is make sure there is a backlash against these clowns by showing our support for Liam and the team - it must upset the other players too, which is doubly damaging. I have a feeling a lot of people will want to make that point, so let's make it clear if he plays tomorrow night - though I think he might be taken out of the firing line to calm the situation down.

As far as saturday goes, yes we missed a couple of golden chances to go ahead, but in the second half they built a wall of two banks of four, as we have seen in many games, including the World Cup. You don't have to be brilliant in such a team, but Ayr stuck to their task with real discipline and energy, so they frustrated us successfully. That's football, had it been us in their position we would have been celebrating a famous backs to the wall performance. We can learn from that, but it's crazy to go overboard as if we had got a drubbing. We were the dominant team, and will have better days. 

1 hour ago, The Long Man said:

 

The only thing we can do is make sure there is a backlash against these clowns by showing our support for Liam and the team - it must upset the other players too, which is doubly damaging. I have a feeling a lot of people will want to make that point, so let's make it clear if he plays tomorrow night - though I think he might be taken out of the firing line to calm the situation down.

 

 

No doubt the behaviour of the idiots in the crowd was a factor in the rather lack lustre performance following the penalty and the sending off.  I agree that it is extremely important for all the team that they get some proper support tomorrow.  Gates for these cup gates tend to be pretty poor but hopefully fans who were shocked and disgusted at Saturday's events will make an effort to get to the game and give some loud support to the team and particularly to Liam.

I very much hope and expect Liam will play.  He has a point to prove and I imagine after the hurt of Saturday he will be fired up and will have the crowd with him.  After the backlash, he is not going to get abuse  tomorrow night and I fail to see what possible benefit there would be to him or the team in leaving him out.  We are the champions and we will need to field our strongest team if we are to defend our title against strong  opposition.  Nobody should be in any doubt that our strongest team has Liam Polworth  at its heart.