Darren Dods was my player of the year last season and would always be one of the first players I would want in my starting X1. He has become a bit of an icon/legend in his time at ICT. But may I now suggest that we banish the revered Machine to the reserves fer the rest of the Season and out of the first team squad.

WHY? He has pledged his future to the Arabs - ICT have to look ahead and have the opportunity of trying out other defenders and formations - in the SPL but not under pressure. Why should we keep him match fit and match sharp. He chose to go did he not. Will be another challenge to the constitution of CC.

So who agrees  with me:

TOTAL RESPECT TO THE MACHINE  :011: :011: - THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES BUT GOODBYE.

Oh - and the same goes fer McSwegan - fer different reasons.  :015: :015: :015: :015:

We should continue to play him until 7th place, and the financial reward for fininshing in that position, are secured.

Now that a top 6 place has gone it is definitely time to pursue other options - I would like to see Rossco given a chance in central defence - he could also take over the captaincy.... :022:

It's only fair on McCaffrey that he get's the chance to gel with Munro.

Therefore I agree  :003:

Agree 100%, as I have already said, I would have done it as soon as he decided to leave. Caf is due the chance for his loyalty.

Inverness act with dignity and that has to be one of our strongest virtues when attracting players.

We do not want to waste another £180,000 ( we 'lost' £250,000 on the Parkhead replay) by sliding down the table. However, looking back on the season, the Darren Dods factor has pschologically played a part in some of our underlying results. Other factors such as the lack of a regular goalscorer has not helped.

We therefore should start planning for next year's survival bid and from that point of view may need to take difficult decisions.

We still aren't mathematically safe from relegation so until we are we shouldn't chop and change the team too much

Doesn't have to be dropped from the starting XI, but thats not to say that where the game allows he can't be hooked in order to give Caff longer spells on the pitch.

Also, if we get our pre-season preperations right then that should give Caff (assuming he is to be Dods replacement) ample opportunity to be part of the squad and gel with the rest of the back four (asuming we stick with a back four for next season).

As well as being a solid player for us Dods is also an inspiration to many of the lads in the team.  When it was announced that he had signed a pre-contract I could see the merits in the argument for dropping him but he has shown us that would have been totally unjustified by continuing to give his all since.  He is showing the lads in the team that look up to him that you can and should continue to give everything to the team paying your wages and who's badge is on the front of your shirt -  a quality that is slowly dieing out in modern day players.

Some players would be moving on to their new club and leaving a sour taste in the mouth of the fans they were leaving behind, but I think Dods will move on having gained just a bit more respect from the ICT fans for the way he has conducted himself in the whole affair.

In short, he has earned the right to represent the ICT badge until the end of the season.  To hook him now would be a slap in the face for everything he has given to us in his time here.

Plenty folk here said Dods should be dropped for the matches against his future employers.

Two wins, two clean sheets.

We know he'll give 100% right til the end of the season, and with every point having the potential to be worth £70,000 to us we still need our best team out there, until the games really do become meaningless.

ICT are paying his wages until the end of the season. I say he should play if he's intrumental in us finihing a couple of places higher up the table then he may well fund his own successor.

If Caff is being earmarked as the replacement fer Dods ya just have to play him now to establish what kind of partnership he forms with Munro at an SPL level. Otherwise it would be guesswork fer next season. Dods is a professional - he should understand/accept such a rationale. We seem to be saying reward Dods fer his services to the club but what about Caff's loyalty?

We seem to be saying reward Dods fer his services to the club but what about Caff's loyalty?

A lot of our fans also appear to have no faith in Caff as well. How insulting is it to suggest that by playing him we're going to drop a few places in the league??? If that's the case then he best leave now, as, according to many of our fans we'll be up shitstreet with him in our defence next season.

Caff/Munro should play every remaining game. Caff is as good as any of our other defenders, and it's only through bad luck, and defensive solidity, that he's been on the bench the last couple of seasons. Face it, Dods is away...Caff ain't, so Caff should play.

There is absolutely no reason why we can't finish 7th without Dods in the team, and I for one look forward to seeing Caff back at the centre of our defence.

Oh Pleaseeeeeeee.

You really should stay off the HRT as it's making you over emotional and prone to reading far more into whats being said than is really there.

Not fair - the flavour of many of the posts is that we can not win without Dods. Augurs well fer next season eh!!  :008: :008:

...............................................In short, he has earned the right to represent the ICT badge until the end of the season.  To hook him now would be a slap in the face for everything he has given to us in his time here.

Sorry CaleyD but IMO he lost all rights when he signed for DUFC. It was ICT who took the slap on the face when he decided to leave! Caff has shown far more loyalty and deserves a run until the end of the season. This will also help CC decide what players he needs in the summer.

Dods gave more to this club than he ever promised to do.  When he came here the club were aware of his personal circumstances.  He then made an offer to the club that he would commit the remainder of his playing career to us and move his family up here if they would offer him one year more than what they had put on the table and the club refused.

So please don't give me any BS about Dods having in anyway been disloyal in agreeing the deal he did to move to Dundee United.

Dods gave more to this club than he ever promised to do.  When he came here the club were aware of his personal circumstances.  He then made an offer to the club that he would commit the remainder of his playing career to us and move his family up here if they would offer him one year more than what they had put on the table and the club refused.

So please don't give me any BS about Dods having in anyway been disloyal in agreeing the deal he did to move to Dundee United.

It has absolutely nothing to do with "giving more than he ever promised to do" He is paid to do a job! I didn't say anything about Dods being disloyal, I said Caff has shown more loyalty by staying with us when he was out of the picture. However, loyalty is not normally a quality of the modern day player. I would also like to point out that this my opinion and just because you don't agree doesn't mean it is BS. Your statement "don't give me any BS" suggests you may have a problem dealing with opinions other than your own. :024:

I would agree with CaleyD that Dods is not showing a lack of loyalty. He has consistently stated that he wishes to move back closer to home and has seen out the term of his contract (even when there has been options for him to move). It is his right to look elsewhere for better terms, personal reason or footballing reasons. Whilst we would all have wished that he stayed, we cannot call him disloyal.

I would however dispute the view in relation to him moving his family up. His girlfriend has commented to the other 'WAGS' that she would not move up from Edinburgh under any circumstances.

It was ICT who took the slap on the face when he decided to leave!

I didn't say anything about Dods being disloyal

:015:

Your first comment is not only proposterous it has no basis on fact - i.e. it's BS (just my opinion mind, I'm sure you have no problems dealing with opinions other than your own)

And if suggesting Dods is the one to have slapped ICT in the face isn't paramount to saying he is being disloyal, then what exactly is it you are trying to say?

Yes, Caff has stuck around whilst not getting a game, but lets face it, other clubs haven't exactly been breaking down the door to sign him from us - and lets not forget he too has been getting paid from the club and has been doing far less than many other players to earn his wage.  It really is hard to buy that kind of loyalty!!!

It was ICT who took the slap on the face when he decided to leave!

I didn't say anything about Dods being disloyal

:015:

Your first comment is not only proposterous it has no basis on fact - i.e. it's BS (just my opinion mind, I'm sure you have no problems dealing with opinions other than your own)

And if suggesting Dods is the one to have slapped ICT in the face isn't paramount to saying he is being disloyal, then what exactly is it you are trying to say?

Yes, Caff has stuck around whilst not getting a game, but lets face it, other clubs haven't exactly been breaking down the door to sign him from us - and lets not forget he too has been getting paid from the club and has been doing far less than many other players to earn his wage.  It really is hard to buy that kind of loyalty!!!

You are absolutely spot on - I do NOT have a problem dealing with the opinion of others!

If Dods was so willing to move his family up here why didn't he when he was offered a new contract to keep him here to the end of his career? Maybe you shouldn't believe so much BS!  :024:

As far as Caff is concerned,  when you say that "he has been doing far less than many other players to earn his wage" and " it is really hard to buy that kind of loyalty!!!" really is quite insulting to a player who has been at the club for so many years. He didn't make the decision to play in the reserves and sit on the bench so maybe you should show him some respect.  :33:

Munro is suspended for the Dunfermline game as well so it'll be Dods and Caff this Saturday anyway  :023:

Darren Dods has made his decision to move on at the end of the season. He has made that decision for his future career in fotball. Likewise ICT must now make the decision for their future, and give Caff his chance to show that he will be the ideal replacement. We should all thank Dods for his contribution to the club, but our future is now without him.

P.S. I would like to wish him every success, but I can't, knowing where he will be playing next season. :012:

For me, this is a no brainer and I cannot understand the dilemma.

Dods, contracted to the club until the end of the season, paid by the club until the end of the season should be played by the club until the end of the season. Any doubts expressed about his commitment should have been put to rest by his performances against his next employers!

Alternatively, we could drop one of our defensive lynchpins (the most significant IMO) and bring in a lesser replacement who, despite always giving his best and showing loyalty when excluded (this is easier when there appears to be no alternative i.e. teams expressing an interest)has not, IMO, demonstrated he has the capability of filling the void.

No brainer!

If Dods was so willing to move his family up here why didn't he when he was offered a new contract to keep him here to the end of his career?

Think you have misread what I typed earlier......

He was never offered such a contract at the time.  What he requested was ONE year longer than the offer on the table.  He felt this would have been long enough for him to justify moving up here on a more permanent basis and ICT would have had first dibs on him as a player if he was still playing beyond that.

IMO the club were extremely short sighted in not giving him the extra year and by the time it came round to the January Transfer window any offer they were making had lost 6 months of "appeal" to Dods as he'd just spent that time travelling up and down the road.

In short it wasn't Dods who was showing a lack of commitment to the club, it was the club showing a lack of commitment to him.  Not only do I think he has another good 2 or 3 seasons left as a player but he would have been a valuable addition to our coaching staff as he is held in high regard by the rest of the squad and leads by (good) example both on and off the park.

OK CaleyD we could argue the point all night but I'm sure we both have better things to do.

Dods has been a good player for us once he got his place in the first team. He did however arrive here with the reputation of being a bit short in many aspects so I can understand why the club wanted him to prove himself.

As you state, I'm sure he is well regarded by his fellow players but this does not guarantee he would make a good coach.

I do wish him well in his new job but IMO he is now history.