First time poster guys - just seeing what's already out there in terms of the fans putting additional resources into the club . Having read through the forum a lot of people would be willing to buy season tickets and merchandise which is great . Unfortunately that's not going to be enough to keep the vultures at bay so just seeing if there are any fans initiatives already on the go which would put additional cash into the club . Much like what Hearts done in there time of need and Rangers with there fund . Just trying to think of a way to help .

2 hours ago, big cherly said:

Paraphrasing what someone else says mentioned earlier, businessmen are on the whole not nice people and mostly look at ‘what’s in it for them’ (that’s how the best succeed). 

I for one will be probably forever grateful for AS saving ICTFC. What form or shape in the future I don’t know,

 

Exactly this. In around all the fanfare and excitement there may still be movements which surprise some and may not be overly welcomed before stability can be built but perhaps better received given the proponent is 'one of our own'.

To me there is a big question mark over the battery farm proposal. One minute we believe the club own the land, they stand to make over £3m which would have paid off liabilities with cash in hand,supporters were mobilised to write to councillors. The club appear to have sold these rights for £250K initially to three people - Morrison, Munro and Cameron. Who signed that off given that Munro became a shareholder? Given the fact that David Cameron resigned as a director of the club well before the submission to the Council what was his role in a company believed to be for the benefit of the football club?  

Edited August 14, 2024Aug 14 by CELTIC1CALEY3

4 hours ago, big cherly said:

Having said that, let’s not quibble here. AS was the only prominent person with hard money to raise his head above the parapet and publicly question the Board since Morrison jumped boat. He saved the youth structure from folding (C Christie deserves a big mention here), called out Gardener for what he is/was (a repeated failed businessman), and finally had the ‘balls’ and courage to put aside any grudges and approach probable lifelong business and personal adversaries and strike a deal that would form a group with the money and experience to see though and kick out that charlatan Kahwana. 

Paraphrasing what someone else says mentioned earlier, businessmen are on the whole not nice people and mostly look at ‘what’s in it for them’ (that’s how the best succeed). 

I for one will be probably forever grateful for AS saving ICTFC. What form or shape in the future I don’t know, but I feel a lot better it’s people that work and live their lives here that for the next few years are in control!!

This has all the hallmarks of a watershed club moment for me. In 2000/2001 we were massively in debt due to lingering costs of building the very infrastructure that now makes the land around us so enticing to 77 78 ventures and no doubt others. DFS came in, squirrelled away the debt and put us on the path to fiscal responsibility that ultimately led us eventually to our greatest achievements of finishing high up in the SPFL as well as winning the cup and getting into Europe. 

The last 7 years have been brutal, first with Rae/Crook and then with Gardiner. Alan Savage is a successful local businessman, a football person and hopefully the man we can trust in the same way as we did DFS to work on making us successful (or at least sustainable) again. He will be motivated to make sure the club returns to its community roots, as damage to his reputation locally would also damage his local business and I think we can see that he is community focused by the fact that he was willing to plough money into the youth setup regardless of the shitstorm going on around him. He also was not shy in saying publicly he did not want to work with our former CEO (man that feels good to say) in any way. the comment he made early on, that I am still using in my signature line resonated with me and I think it sums up how he feels about ICTFC.     

 

2 hours ago, STFU said:

I think we need to manage our excitement and expectations a little. Savage won't know exactly what the situation is until he's completed his audit and it's not only the financials that are a total mess.  He might look at it all and realise that the cost of turning things around is too great for anyone to take on without having to go the administration route or whatever. There may be no money for further signings or worse we have to let one or two go before the window closes. As I said before I am willing to support his efforts by purchasing a season ticket but I still fear we may be in a situation where a further step or two backwards will happen before we can move forward again.

You are probably right. There may need to be some hard decisions to be made and some backward steps taken to go around obstacles from a different angle and facilitate further forward movement, but as noted by Lynne in the P&J article, the grown-ups are now in charge and that feels a lot better. I hope AS takes a leaf out of the Kenny Cameron book. Kenny was open and spoke truthfully to the fans whether that news was good, or a harsh reality. We were not treated like mushrooms, and it brought about that camaraderie and siege mentality that players and fans alike have commented on. We didn't get to hear everything that went on behind closed doors, but some things are, and need to be, confidential, and must remain so even now, but back then, absolutely everything was not shrouded in secrecy which is where we got to over the last 7 years.

 

1 hour ago, CELTIC1CALEY3 said:

To me there is a big question mark over the battery farm proposal. One minute we believe the club own the land, they stand to make over £3m which would have paid off liabilities with cash in hand,supporters were mobilised to write to councillors. The club appear to have sold these rights for £250K initially to three people - Morrison, Munro and Cameron. Who signed that off given that Munro became a shareholder? Given the fact that David Cameron resigned as a director of the club well before the submission to the Council what was his role in a company believed to be for the benefit of the football club?  

I think if we get anything from this it will be a bonus, but I am sure, or I hope, it will now be subject to more scrutiny than before in terms of the 'forensic' examination of everything mentioned.  

I purchased my season ticket this morning over the phone and the girl said that they had been busy with renewals which is good news. 

59 minutes ago, IBM said:

I purchased my season ticket this morning over the phone and the girl said that they had been busy with renewals which is good news. 

I have also reached out to them about our sponsorship this morning. Watch for the thread once I get details .... 

4 hours ago, bishbashbosh said:

From the statement ……… The club have also suspended negotiations with Seventy7 Ventures, who had been seeking to acquire a majority shareholding.

a quick google of “ suspended” gives ……..

The Suspended status means that the contract is temporarily 'suspended' and can be reactivated in the future.

I suspect that it simply means that they have informed Makwana that they are putting the deal "on hold" for now, pending the review by Alan Savage.

So not cutting him off completely - never say "never" - but realistically the chances of Seventy7 returning must be pretty near zero.

4 hours ago, Leaky Blinder said:

 

As an ugly dog selling insurance articulated

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning "

 

A very appropriate metaphor because there’s still a long way to go despite ringing the church bells at yesterday’s news. Tell you what. Let’s make a movie of this…. starring Scot Gardiner as Rommel and Ketan Makwana as the Italian Army.😂

 

EDIT - come to think of it, Rommel was actually respected by his opponents.

Edited August 14, 2024Aug 14 by Charles Bannerman

STFU said;

‘I think we need to manage our excitement and expectations a little. Savage won't know exactly what the situation is until he's completed his audit and it's not only the financials that are a total mess.’

Yes, I expect Gardener’s lawyer has spoken to the Club Secretary and the lawsuit for wrongful dismissal has already landed on the ICTFC doormat. 
 

I still regard this as an example of clearing our feet of the dross and flotsam that put us in the position we find. It’s going to take I expect accepting cretins like Gardener (as possibly, some soon to be heaved existing board members) being compensated as part of the uncomfortable digestion for us fans in the coming months. It may be kept under the radar so not to rile too many, but I for one will breathe easier as soon as this lot are gone for good! 
bc

Edited August 14, 2024Aug 14 by big cherly

48 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

A very appropriate metaphor because there’s still a long way to go despite ringing the church bells at yesterday’s news. Tell you what. Let’s make a movie of this…. starring Scot Gardiner as Rommel and Ketan Makwana as the Italian Army.😂

 

EDIT - come to think of it, Rommel was actually respected by his opponents.

Perhaps audition Herr Gardiner for a different role ..  naff facial hair, narcissistic outlook with grandiose plans, and a bunker mentality when things go t**s up.  

Also lacks b**ls

 

 

15 minutes ago, big cherly said:

Yes, I expect Gardener’s lawyer has spoken to the Club Secretary and the law suite for wrongful dismissal has already landed on the ICTFC doormat.

That would be a difficult case to win, given that he had already resigned!

All that will have happened is that he will have been paid for the rest of his notice period and escorted off the premises.

36 minutes ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

That would be a difficult case to win, given that he had already resigned!

All that will have happened is that he will have been paid for the rest of his notice period and escorted off the premises.

Fair point, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear from him in some shape or other!  

The statement is now on the official website dated 12 August although it wasn’t there yesterday. 
 

I've literally been away from things for A DAY and missed the club's announcement yesterday. 

Very intriguing.

Also, I mentioned Mr Makwana in the latest Substack post which you can head here: 

https://substack.com/home/post/p-147667411?source=queue

On 8/13/2024 at 1:20 PM, IBM said:

To be fair a lot of the fans picked up on it pretty quickly but our club custodians were easily led up the garden path by him which is why they should all go!

The club officials would have had to have been idiots to have been convinced by Makwana which makes me wonder if they are indeed idiots or if they were just playing for time.

My money is on the latter.

On 8/13/2024 at 2:09 PM, Scotty said:

Yes, many in the press did not ask any hard questions, they never seem to do so these days locally or even nationally. Seems they were either scared of losing access to the club from the man who should have been answering these questions or realistically just filling space. The older journos that have been around the block may be less intimidated, but it seemed to work on the Courier and elsewhere who were gushing about this new owner and falling all over themselves to give him column inches. 

I have to say, in all honesty, I was also a little surprised at the Podcast lads too. In the episode just after the 77 ventures "takeover", I felt they let him off the hook a bit too easily with the 'wait and see' approach. I get it that they perhaps had to be a little circumspect and watch their words as certain listeners may want to see if they cross that slander/defamation line, and that private thoughts may not have aligned completely with the podcast content, or perhaps I was just too cynical about the whole thing and was only seeing one side?    

either way, I think, if we do get a local consortium of concerned business people to right the ship, we will all have played a part in preserving the life of our club in its 30th year. #OnwardsAndUpwards

I did.

Makwana wouldn't have it though. 

He actually got quite confrontational with me towards the end.

I've asked him what went wrong, but not holding my breath for a reply.

40 minutes ago, forthefanssubstack said:

I did.

Makwana wouldn't have it though. 

He actually got quite confrontational with me towards the end.

I've asked him what went wrong, but not holding my breath for a reply.

If he did reply to you then I think Karen Dunbar would likely sum it up best .... 

 

32 minutes ago, Scotty said:

If he did reply to you then I think Karen Dunbar would likely sum it up best .... 

 

Ha, indeed.

At some point I'll relay more details.

Just watched the interview with Alan Savage on stv, what a difference between him and Gardiner. He was open, honest and likable and gave more answers in those 3 minutes compared to however many years Gardiner was here!

Finally a safe pair of hands and someone with ICT at heart!

1 hour ago, TheCaleyOne said:

Just watched the interview with Alan Savage on stv, what a difference between him and Gardiner. He was open, honest and likable and gave more answers in those 3 minutes compared to however many years Gardiner was here!

Finally a safe pair of hands and someone with ICT at heart!

He almost winked when he referred to "a bridge and a castle". 😂

Just failed to post the link to the STV interview, there’s a link to it in the Courier article, so hopefully someone else can find it and do the honours.

Most interesting bit for me is the closing paragraph…

”It can’t get any worse, because I am in full control of the cheque book now and Charlie Christie, who knows the club intimately, is the CEO and he knows what the problems have been so we have come together and we are going to control the costs.”

What has Savage found that the board didn't know about? Was financial information being kept from them? 

Oh good lord.

Smells like a lawsuit

Who knows, hopefully Alan Savage will succeed in saving our club, but even if too much damage has been done, at least we know that he will have done all he can do, for the right reasons and for our club and you can't ask for more than that.

Thank you, Mr Savage.

 

15 minutes ago, CaleyHedgehog said:

Who knows, hopefully Alan Savage will succeed in saving our club, but even if too much damage has been done, at least we know that he will have done all he can do, for the right reasons and for our club and you can't ask for more than that.

Thank you, Mr Savage.

 

He won't cos Gardiner's pulled the rug on the club and given Señor Phygital the keys.

I never wish harm on anyone, but I hope Gardiner steps on a landmine...

Edited August 14, 2024Aug 14 by Jack Waddington

Glad you are on line just now. I feel that you have been the perfect fan this season. You have continued to support the team from your lofty position on the bridge, while managing not to risk a penny going in Gardiner's direction. 

If my memory serves me correctly you used to be a wee bit volatile in your early posts, but you have matured into a supporter for ICT to be proud of, and I'm sorry I haven't made it on to the bridge to join you - I am purchasing my season ticket this week. 

Well done for your dedication to Caley Thistle