SCOT GARDINER will leave crisis-torn Inverness Caley Thistle as a NEW consortium bids to take control of the club.

SunSport can reveal a Highland-based businessman is fronting a group who want to take over from Ketan Makwana.

Windsor-based businessman Makwana only assumed control of the League One club in the close-season.

Chief executive Gardiner had indicated in June that he was ready to resign - but would stay on to assist with new investment.

But it's now believed he is leaving the club with details of the fresh takeover bid set to be announced in the next few hours.

The former Scottish Cup winners have been embroiled in financial uncertainty since relegation from the Championship in May.

SunSport Online revealed yesterday that Dundee and Ross County have complained to the SPFL after Inverness failed to stump up loan fees owed to them.

The two Premiership clubs were furious about not receiving money for players farmed out to them last season.

Dens defender Cammy Kerr spent the second half of last season at the Caley Stadium along with Staggies striker Alex Samuel.

After finishing second bottom in the Championship, Caley Thistle lost 5-3 on aggregate to Hamilton in the relegation play-off final, condemning them to the third tier of Scottish football for the first time in 25 years. Following their drop the club announced the controversial decision to move their training base 136 miles away in Fife.

When fans hit out at the move, the club made a u-turn before their board warned administration may be the only option.

Its from the Sun so I will believe it when its actually true and he has handed in his keys. Positive start to my day though 🙂 

6 minutes ago, Scotty said:

Its from the Sun so I will believe it when its actually true and he has handed in his keys. Positive start to my day though 🙂 

I hear he had his keys removed 

6 minutes ago, Hearach said:

I hear he had his keys removed 

Where had they been inserted ?

did they ceremoniously take a pair of scissors to his club tie? and also remove his AAA pass? It's all in the details!  

Seriously though, if he has indeed left the building then the real work now begins. Lets hope the rumours floating around social media are true and the finally legacy of this era is Ketan sailing off into the Dubai sunset on the QE2 with SG for the 78th venture. 

It won't be easy rebuilding, and we won't have bucketloads of cash if this is true, but hopefully what we will have is a solid core of local business people who actually care about the club, can find them without the aid of google, and are of a mindset to right the wrongs of the last 7 years. That should get all of us back behind the club with the same vigour as we were against this 'takeover'.   

ELVIS HAS RE-ENTERED THE BUILDING...SOMEHOW...POSSIBLY THROUGH THE BOG WINDOW...

1 hour ago, Jack Waddington said:

ELVIS HAS RE-ENTERED THE BUILDING...SOMEHOW...POSSIBLY THROUGH THE BOG WINDOW...

WTF? 🤷‍♂️

Superb article here on Scot Gardiner...https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/24542638.inverness-struggles-scot-gardiner-come-no-surprise/

Yes, thanks Celtic1Caley3, for posting that link about Gardner's record at both Hearts and Dundee.  We are well shot of him, and just in the nick of time. At least, many of us feel more comfortable about Savage being back at the helm, if only temporarily.  Now we need to win a few matches and learn how to score goals again. Whether we can do that with Ferguson still here is doubtful, but I'm willing to be proved wrong.

Onwards and upwards.

From the P and J yesterday - Consultant and former chairman Alan Savage said sheriff officers visited the club today to collect money the former CEO says he is due.

Doesn’t that mean SG has got a court to agree that the debt is payable?

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/13492915/inverness-chairman-scot-gardiner-demands-70000-administration/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=ScottishSunSportTwitter&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1725649576-1

1 hour ago, CELTIC1CALEY3 said:

From the P and J yesterday - Consultant and former chairman Alan Savage said sheriff officers visited the club today to collect money the former CEO says he is due.

Savage says that there was no paperwork to back this up - just a threat.

Do sheriff officers act just on someone's say-so?  I must try it..

So what next? Police Scotland reveal that they have impounded a £100,000 campervan parked in Gardiner’s mother’s driveway?

On a more serious note, in this morning’s PandJ report, Alan Savage reveals that turnover (which doesn’t have to be disclosed in the accounts of a small company) as being in the region of £2-2.25M. Now I’m not sure if losses have been £1.7M as announced by Savage last week or the £1.5-1.6M he refers to in today’s paper, but either way, these losses are a phenomenal percentage of turnover. The other question is how can a club that has allegedly been under a stringent economy regime for some years whilst playing in the championship managed to spend in a year something in the region of £3.5-4M which isn’t far, even index linked, from what it was spending in the Premiership?

And the final question, which is fundamental, familiar and recurring - what level of control has the Board been exercising over the club in general and Scot Gardiner in particular across the years that this financial catastrophe has been visibly been building up?

A real parting shot from nasty Gardner, no words can describe him. The board has got to explain a few things too.

P&J article from Paul Chalk

Sheriff officers visited Caledonian Stadium on Friday regarding the matter.

It is understood the demand for money relates to finances Gardiner claims he is due as a result of previous loans made to the club during his time as CEO.

Consultant and former chairman Alan Savage said: “The club has been served today by sheriff officers a demand for loans made by Scot Gardiner to the club, but I believe that one of the loans was made to the concert company (Inverness Caley Thistle Concert Company Ltd), which has been liquidated.

“Interestingly, there was no paperwork received with the threat. It is just his word.

“We will be dealing with it.”

Gardiner, whose five-year spell at ICT came to an end last month, has been contacted for comment.

Probably more relevant to the investment thread but suggestions that some of those with money saying they would help now changing their mind is a little concerning.

5 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

And the final question, which is fundamental, familiar and recurring - what level of control has the Board been exercising over the club in general and Scot Gardiner in particular across the years that this financial catastrophe has been visibly been building up?

The key seems to be that Gardiner was not professionally qualified, was out of his depth, but allowed through an authoritarian management style to outwit the Board and especially the two Chairmen he worked for or under.

A ceo doesn't run a business into the state we are in without at least someone on the board being aware. What did they think those hundreds of thousands/millions they were handing over in loans was being used for?

6 hours ago, tm4tj said:

P&J article from Paul Chalk

Sheriff officers visited Caledonian Stadium on Friday regarding the matter.

It is understood the demand for money relates to finances Gardiner claims he is due as a result of previous loans made to the club during his time as CEO.

Consultant and former chairman Alan Savage said: “The club has been served today by sheriff officers a demand for loans made by Scot Gardiner to the club, but I believe that one of the loans was made to the concert company (Inverness Caley Thistle Concert Company Ltd), which has been liquidated.

“Interestingly, there was no paperwork received with the threat. It is just his word.

“We will be dealing with it.”

Gardiner, whose five-year spell at ICT came to an end last month, has been contacted for comment.

There are very few times I use the word 'hate' as I find it too extreme an emotion in most cases. I would rather dislike, distrust, or have other negative feelings towards a person, place or entity. However, this person falls into the category of people I absolutely hate without reservation or chance of redemption. And all of this despite never actually meeting the person.  I cannot even put into words what I think as it would surely put me into danger of being sued for defamation or libel. 

Suffice to say I have heard most of the stories out of the stadium or out in public that reference his style, or how he dealt with situations, or people. Some of these things sounded pretty shady and I really hope that AS has had the opportunity to discover them and see if any of these can be used to "deal with it" as he noted in the article.