I am fairly certain that most fans/posters on here know that at the end of this season there is likely to be a mass exodus of players leaving so my simple question is, would you rather we replaced them with experienced players or youngsters because I am clearly in the youngsters camp but would also believe that we may need some experienced players no matter what league we're in but especially if we're in league 1 which is the worst case scenario but also the most likely unless we can win our 6 pointers against Arbroath, Queens Park and Dunfermline 🤔.

I don't know who's here for next season but I would imagine that the key ones to retain if at all possible are Billy McKay and Mark Ridgers : ictscarf:

12 hours ago, Pele_Is_God said:

Dunfermline really!? 

Dunfermline are a far bigger club than us right now. They even have 3 times as many fans as us at home games currently. We just can’t compete with that unfortunately.
 

15 minutes ago, ICTPaisley said:

Dunfermline are a far bigger club than us right now. They even have 3 times as many fans as us at home games currently. We just can’t compete with that unfortunately.
 

All true, but I think what people are querying is why he has moved to the bottom half of the championship when he is better than that.

12 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

All true, but I think what people are querying is why he has moved to the bottom half of the championship when he is better than that.

Dunfermline won’t see themselves as a bottom half championship side, as we don’t see ourselves as a league 1 team, hence the sacking of mcpake on 23rd December and putting tidser from kelty in charge 17th January. He has obviously come across bray a couple of times this season, likes what he has seen, but not enough to make him a squad player just now, hence we keep him to the end of the season. 

interested to hear kellacher take on the move, some managers are not keen on playing players who have signed pre contracts to leave for another club.

i know this isn’t pre contract but the player is in the same situation, seeing out the season.

anyway hope it works out well for the lad.

Trying to figure out why the deal has been done this way rather than Dunfermline just doing a pre-contract with Bray? Same outcome for them ie they get him in the summer. Same outcome for ICT as we still have him this season. I suppose difference is that this way we get paid now, as opposed to a development fee paid in the summer?

8 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Trying to figure out why the deal has been done this way rather than Dunfermline just doing a pre-contract with Bray? Same outcome for them ie they get him in the summer. Same outcome for ICT as we still have him this season. I suppose difference is that this way we get paid now, as opposed to a development fee paid in the summer?

Was trying to google administration, but too nice a day here so heading to the golf. Got this far…..

If you do go into administration you may lose some players for fees far smaller than normal as the administrators try to get you out of debt.

maybe the admin people would not allow a pre contract as they want any cash the pars would pay now to help reduce the debt.?

10 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Trying to figure out why the deal has been done this way rather than Dunfermline just doing a pre-contract with Bray? Same outcome for them ie they get him in the summer. Same outcome for ICT as we still have him this season. I suppose difference is that this way we get paid now, as opposed to a development fee paid in the summer?

It could be the administrators are working on what is best for the club financially. 
Bray is a player that I always liked and was not happy when Dunc put him on loan when he was playing well for us and hopefully he will carry on with his current form till the end of the season. 
I will wish him well for the future. 

On 2/3/2025 at 9:02 PM, old caley girl said:

A reality check! 

Any money or offers will be considered. 

Gutted but just illustrates where we are at moment. 

In many respects we got off lightly, retaining the strongest available core for the rest of the season. I can't see Bray doing anything other than his best over the next months with his future assured. Obvs at some stage Davidson will also be back....is it me or has the unfortunate Charlie Reilly quietly left th club [he is no longer on the clubs squad page...loan finished?].  4 challenges over the next 6 months   Avoid relegation, possibly get into play-offs, exit administration, have a decent squad for next season...simples

Reilly was only on loan until January and we couldn’t extend it as he is over 20. 

On 2/4/2025 at 9:22 AM, ICTPaisley said:

Dunfermline are a far bigger club than us right now. They even have 3 times as many fans as us at home games currently. We just can’t compete with that unfortunately.
 

Dunfermline are a bigger club than us full stop. 

Better he goes there than 'over the bridge'

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/defender-will-not-play-again-for-inverness-caledonian-thistl-374434/

Jake's injury was worse than it seemed at the time. However, he has had an operation and now back doing rehab but will not play again this season. 

On 2/3/2025 at 3:17 PM, tm4tj said:

Calum Mackay has departed by mutual agreement

He played for Forres as a trialist on Saturday. 

 

 

Hopefully a good addition but what’s wrong with our youth system? Seems like a kick in the teeth to Callum Macleod and Matthew Strachan no? 

6 minutes ago, LisleRightPeg said:

Hopefully a good addition but what’s wrong with our youth system? Seems like a kick in the teeth to Callum Macleod and Matthew Strachan no? 

12 games [hopefully only 12] to go with a small squad, he can play FB and Midfield, it all helps

42 minutes ago, LisleRightPeg said:

Hopefully a good addition but what’s wrong with our youth system? Seems like a kick in the teeth to Callum Macleod and Matthew Strachan no? 

Ferguson got criticism for not fielding any of our own trainees.

I'm not seeing many highlanders in our current first team. A couple of Lewismen, if that counts. (well, one now!)

I suppose with a 15 point disadvantage we don't want to be fielding too many inexperienced players though - hopefully our own youth get their chance next season. If they stay!

Everything is screwed up right now. Whether it's admin and a total reset or a new owner we just have to hope all the uncertainty comes to an end soon.

20 hours ago, LisleRightPeg said:

Hopefully a good addition but what’s wrong with our youth system? Seems like a kick in the teeth to Callum Macleod and Matthew Strachan no? 

I'm sure if our youngsters were captain of their teams, played for Scotland and had Spurs taking them on trail too then we wouldn't be looking for reinforcements & improved quality within the constraints we have.

9 hours ago, bdu98196 said:

I'm sure if our youngsters were captain of their teams, played for Scotland and had Spurs taking them on trail too then we wouldn't be looking for reinforcements & improved quality within the constraints we have.

Just wish our youth set-up could produce players like that though.

 

At least our team is mostly Scottish, which gives them a degree of relevance to the town they are representing. Even when we won the Scottish Cup there were a few Scots in the team, although certainly not all.

Take a look over the bridge though, where the self-styled "Highlanders" are playing Dundee just now, and have ZERO Scotsmen on the field representing the fair county of Ross-shire! At least they're being urged on by local lad and Caley Thistle reject, Don Cowie!

23 hours ago, buckett said:

At least our team is mostly Scottish, which gives them a degree of relevance to the town they are representing. Even when we won the Scottish Cup there were a few Scots in the team, although certainly not all.

Take a look over the bridge though, where the self-styled "Highlanders" are playing Dundee just now, and have ZERO Scotsmen on the field representing the fair county of Ross-shire! At least they're being urged on by local lad and Caley Thistle reject, Don Cowie!

I think most of us would prefer their situation than ours? 

Just the way modern football is sadly. It would be brilliant to see a Highland team full of locals in the premiership but it's unlikely to happen nowadays 

On 2/21/2025 at 10:34 PM, buckett said:

Just wish our youth set-up could produce players like that though.

 

We are producing some and have in the past but not the quantity we like and for many them seem unable to kick on from schoolboy or youth to adult football. The idea we have a significant number all ready for professional level football like some kind of Busby babes or class of 92 is deluded.

The best of what we have is getting game time and supplemented with better quality within the realms of our limitations right now which can only help their development training and playing with those guys while showing where the bar is - noting they are closer to first team gametime than any equivalents over the last 20 years!!!

Too many want this utopian highland team which they would turn on when the current youngsters who struggled at HL level get taken apart weekly but our opposition.

For the above reasons the 8 8 8 thing is delusional.

Christie would have us believe there's this well of untapped talent that's not been used over the years but even at this level we're shipping in youngsters from other clubs instead of using our own.

Not saying we don't produce or have some decent younger players but not nearly the number we believe we do or is even possible?

I don't expect Christie to be critical of the part of the club he's been responsible for years and I think it does ok all things considered but we do need to be realistic.

If we can't create or honour a pathway to the first team (and not just the bench) in league one then what's to encourage these young players in future and stop them heading over the bridge or elsewhere where they'd at least get better money?

Charle Christie and others have mentioned that the squad next season will be 22-23 players. With only 6 having indicated that they want to remain at the end of the season and no contracts being allowed to be extended under administration, that’s quite a number of new players to find. I suppose if we are out of administration before the last game of the leagues season in May, then maybe more players can be retained. Other than the 6 plus some academy graduates, most players will already be looking elsewhere for where they will be next season. With the current uncertainty of what league we will be playing in next season,  potential investors and players may be put off by that and won’t commit early. Tough times ahead for the management team, even if we do come out of administration, which I’m hopeful we will in the not too distant future. A lot of squad turnover in the summer seems likely.

Edited March 7Mar 7 by CaleyCiuin

2 hours ago, CaleyCiuin said:

 A lot of squad turnover in the summer seems likely.

I would agree, and much of it is currently out of our hands, or the manager's.  Kudos to those who have indicated they want to stay and fight for ICT, and no hard feelings to those who choose not to do so, or who must look to their own family and career first.

Personally, I am hoping for a good outcome to things in the next few weeks, and hopefully, our reputation on how we handle playing staff is starting to recover from the previous 'people in charge'. We also have a manager who has been a breath of fresh air in terms of both tactics and how he handles press and fans, along with a dyed in the wool ICT stalwart acting as CEO who is working for the good and benefit of the club. I am presently more optimistic than perhaps I should be, that we can either retain or attract players who can turn the club around slowly but surely.

It will be a long slow process and there will be bumps in the road, but thinking about it last night, I believe that with Savage, Christie and Kellacher, along with the hard-working staff behind the scenes we do have the right people in key positions to pull in a single direction for the good of the club.   

It's not so much 'only'. More like six have already indicated, even though we're still in administration. I would have thought most are waiting to see, rather than wanting to get away.

Noone knows what will happen next month. Good news and many will stay. Others will be recruited. Bad news, well, we may not need any players.

I don't think players not committing is worrying at this stage. It's to be expected.