Seeing as the past months worth of games have been pretty poor and have generated quite a lot of negative reaction and navel gazing - is it time to start thinking about rebuilding the squad with an eye on next year, as surely this years chances are beginning to look decidedly ropey.

The longterm plan should be to give up on chasing promotion for both club and fans and spend the next year or two slowly reducing the number of 'journeymen' jobbers at the club and bring through more youth. If it all clicks and we make play-offs then great, but focus on Championship consolidation, more attractive football and a team that shows signs of excitement coming back. From that core of younger players it will hopefully reduce the wage bill and allow for the introduction of select quality additions rather than quantity to supplement and strengthen to aim towards getting premiership status back.

If Dunfermline, Falkirk, Morton and even DUtd cant just steamroller this league and get out then we cant expect to either - some have been here years. Even the likes of PT have shown that its a hard league and not to be underestimated. Next season needs to be about realism and that needs to start from the board level right the way through.

19 minutes ago, Satan said:

Seeing as the past months worth of games have been pretty poor and have generated quite a lot of negative reaction and navel gazing - is it time to start thinking about rebuilding the squad with an eye on next year, as surely this years chances are beginning to look decidedly ropey.

Still seventeen games, almost half the league season, to go. Sort out our depressing tendency to fail to hang on to the lead and a play off place is still well within our grasp especially if Walsh continues his goal scoring form.

We were in a far worse position this time last season yet still only fell short due to a ninety fifth minute equaliser by Dunfermline.

It's not been great of late but, personally, I'm not giving up on this season just yet.

Valid points all and whilst I agree, what impact do we think this “acceptance” of our position will have on attendances?   As we all know, reduced attendance is lower revenue and it goes from there.  Or would improved product, in terms of football,/ entertainment and excitement perhaps bring the crowds back or at least sustain numbers where they are I wonder? ?

6 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

Still seventeen games, almost half the league season, to go. Sort out our depressing tendency to fail to hang on to the lead and a play off place is still well within our grasp especially if Walsh continues his goal scoring form.

We were in a far worse position this time last season yet still only fell short due to a ninety fifth minute equaliser by Dunfermline.

It's not been great of late but, personally, I'm not giving up on this season just yet.

I can see your point,  nothing being mathematically ruled out yet,  I just think we have been taking one step forward and two back for a while now. Every choice, every decision being made reactively to circumstances, chasing the promised land. I would like to have a strategy to play a certain way and players would have to fit in with that style - the youth could then have a clear path to the 1st team as their training would mirror the style of the senior team.

I'm just not sure we would be ready for a return to the top just yet.

56 minutes ago, Satan said:

I can see your point,  nothing being mathematically ruled out yet,  I just think we have been taking one step forward and two back for a while now. Every choice, every decision being made reactively to circumstances, chasing the promised land. I would like to have a strategy to play a certain way and players would have to fit in with that style - the youth could then have a clear path to the 1st team as their training would mirror the style of the senior team.

I'm just not sure we would be ready for a return to the top just yet.

imo all ict teams should play the same system and i would be surprised if this is not the case. familiarity amd understanding is essential for youth players to break in

 

As the resident Seer I would strongly advise everybody to see what the end of this season brings first !!

Why don't you just tell us.

I would love to but I would lose my license. But I can see a big lump of male sugar in the bottom of ma t-cup ??

Liquor licence?

On 1/8/2019 at 10:41 PM, caleyboy said:

imo all ict teams should play the same system and i would be surprised if this is not the case. familiarity amd understanding is essential for youth players to break in

 

We had that under JH but the fans didn't like the system, apparently. I agree with your statement.

On 1/8/2019 at 9:26 PM, Weekend Hacker said:

Valid points all and whilst I agree, what impact do we think this “acceptance” of our position will have on attendances?   As we all know, reduced attendance is lower revenue and it goes from there.  Or would improved product, in terms of football,/ entertainment and excitement perhaps bring the crowds back or at least sustain numbers where they are I wonder? ?

Good points, I loved watching Pele's teams for attacking football though he never achieved promotion to the prem I would settle for having those teams back again, very entertaining, with good players and the odd cup shock thrown in, don't know what the average attendance was during his tenure but it was great entertainment which is what football is about..

39 minutes ago, wynthank15 said:

Good points, I loved watching Pele's teams for attacking football though he never achieved promotion to the prem I would settle for having those teams back again, very entertaining, with good players and the odd cup shock thrown in, don't know what the average attendance was during his tenure but it was great entertainment which is what football is about..

He may not have achieved promotion to the then SPL but the team that achieved that was largely assembled by him and played with an ethos and team spirit installed by him.

Pele is irrelevant to the progress and next season. Why are so many fans wanting to look in the past.

6 hours ago, bdu98196 said:

Pele is irrelevant to the progress and next season. Why are so many fans wanting to look in the past.

If you have no past how do you gauge the present or future. Pele may be irrelevant as regards the future but he set a benchmark for open attacking football and he is large part of our history. His teams should be a standard to which all ICT teams aspire in terms of entertainment.

Pele also had a much higher budget than most of the teams around him at his time in the lower leagues, couple the excitement of a new team and entering a new league both investors and fans came out. Examples of ICT, County and Livi all progressing fast wasnt just down to the clubs management but the ability to sign higher caliber players whether from HL or elsewhere in SPFL. Pele built a team signing some of the top guys in the HL - we even paid 5 figure transfer fees for some and were a full time team in Scotlands 3rd tier.

Yes it was an exciting period for the club but given the budget constraints, lack of fans and feel good factor we are in a worse position that we were then. Whats needed is realism and looking forwards as neither Pele or the money are coming back.

It is the Year of the Pig - the lucky colour is blue - it is a good year to invest and make money. I can see us being bought by a Chinese farmer or butcher and they will save our bacon.

 Bacon,    I'll have streaky please …….lucky ones. 

There’s got to be some sort of hidden gems in the HL we could attract. I remember when we signed Richie Hart, he was probably one of the last we signed from there and he ran riot in the first division. 

8 minutes ago, ICTPAISLEY said:

There’s got to be some sort of hidden gems in the HL we could attract. I remember when we signed Richie Hart, he was probably one of the last we signed from there and he ran riot in the first division. 

Aye, and he played a bit of football as well.

11 minutes ago, ICTPAISLEY said:

There’s got to be some sort of hidden gems in the HL we could attract. I remember when we signed Richie Hart, he was probably one of the last we signed from there and he ran riot in the first division. 

There may be a few decent prospects in the Highland League but the quality there is not nearly what it once was.

The league have lost big sides in Caley, Thistle, Elgin, Peterhead and even County. They have been replaced numerically but by generally inferior sides from generally smaller communities.

That sad fact is amply demonstrated by the fact that Highland League sides hardy ever take league scalps in the cup these days and are quite often beaten by junoir and Lowland League sides, something that would have been almost unthinkable in days of yore.

2 hours ago, ICTPAISLEY said:

There’s got to be some sort of hidden gems in the HL we could attract. I remember when we signed Richie Hart, he was probably one of the last we signed from there and he ran riot in the first division. 

Richie Hart struck terror into Row Z whenever he lined up to take a shot.

Brilliant midfielder though!

Richie knew how to sniff out opportunities. He was signed unseen by Pele for £5,000 from Brora I think.

1 hour ago, wynthank15 said:

Richie knew how to sniff out opportunities. He was signed unseen by Pele for £5,000 from Brora I think.

I hope that you meant that ?

5 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

That sad fact is amply demonstrated by the fact that Highland League sides hardy ever take league scalps in the cup these days and are quite often beaten by junoir and Lowland League sides, something that would have been almost unthinkable in days of yore.

I think the sad fact here is that this statement is factually incorrect. Modern day HL teams reach rounds as far as the likes of Caledonian FC and Inverness Thistle did. 2017/2018 Brora and Cove reached the 5th round (3 rounds from final) both having disposed of league 1 opposition on the way. Formartine also reached the 4th round. 2016/2017 Formartine reached the 4th round again having played from round 1 disposing of lowland / Junior and league opposition on the way. That season even the lowly Wick beat Dalbeatie Star / Whitehill Welfare . 2015/2016 Cove reached the 4th round. So really HL teams of today are still doing as well as those in days of yore. 

Edited January 15, 20197 yr by Caledonianfc1885
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