Gable Endies Trip North

 

A week is a long time in the changing faces of Caley Thistle. Montrose are the visitors this weekend as news of a Savage intervention overpowered the extra sensory perceptions of fantasy that were wafting around the Caledonian Stadium as if they were going out of fashion. Not since the early days of LSD have we been subjected to such psychedelia and hallucinatory fables that we were experiencing at the moment as philanthropist or fantasist Ketamine McWannabe attempted to pull the wool over the eyes of those we once trusted to lead our club in search of the holy graill. He did manage to bluff his way through a few clowns, but sense and sensibility will now take over as the prodigal son, Alan Savage, returns to stabilise the club. The club motto is 'Pride of the Highlands'. It was about to be altered to 'Laughing Stock of the North'. But wait! There is a God afterall, his name is Savage, Alan Savage. Was it written in the stars...

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Match/Ticket Info

Savage Intervention

Supporters Trust

Forensic Audit topic on CTO

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On hearing the news, the fans turned a Whiter Shade of Pale:

We skipped the light fandango, turned some cartwheels across the floor, I was feeling kind of seasick, when the crowd called out for more. The room was humming harder, and the ceiling flew away when I called out for another drink the waiter brought a tray... 

Apologies for the lack of Football information on the preview this week. Unfortunately a lot has happened in a very short space of time and it's difficult to keep abreast of the situation as it changes everytime you log in to the laptop. What we do know is that Alan Savage will conduct a 'forensic review' of all that is concerning the club in these difficult times. Scotty has started a topic on CTO to discuss this. Scot Gardiner has been shown the door and with Alan Savage at the helm we can be assured that all will be upfront and integrity will return. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg and the deeper they dive, the more we will know about our plight. We are not out of the woods by any means, but it is the first positive step forward in what will be a long arduous trek after years of self inflicted decline from within. 

 

Last Time Out

Inverness lost out again at Annan as they did on League Cup duty when a Tommy Goss penalty was the difference between the two sides. Goss also scored the only goal in the League Cup game. A disappointing result on the back of a 1-1 draw against Dumbarton in the League opener at the Caledonian stadium. Danny Devine opening our account on half time but a resurgent Son's perked up after the break and got a deserved equaliser. Billy Mckay makes his 300th appearance for Inverness tomorrow. What a legend sitting on 112 goals. Note to Dunc. Billy is a striker, so let's see him strike please.

 

 

Montrose have drawn their opening two fixtures in the League. A 1-1 draw at home to Kelty was followed by a goalless draw at Arbroath. Craig Brown scored the goal on the hour against Kelty who hit back soon after through Cunningham. Surprise surprise, but Michael Gardyne was sent off after an hour against Arbroath and will be suspended for the trip North.

We will find Montrose a stubborn team and our last encounters with them saw us scrape through the play-offs at the end of last season. That's sort of irrelevant now with our playing staff decimated and morale at rock bottom.

<<<That was their starting XI against Arbroath last week. No massive squad changes from last term but Gardyne suspended.

In: Ben MacIver-Redwood, forward (Stirling University); Craig Smith, defender (Heriot-Watt University).

Loan in: Blair McKenzie, defender (Aberdeen); Callum Hannah, defender (Raith Rovers).

Out: Liam Callaghan, midfielder (Arbroath); Ben Hermiston, forward (Deveronvale, undisclosed); Craig Batchelor, forward.

 

 

9 hours ago, Leaky Blinder said:

Caley Ciuin - you keep on face palming till you knock sense into yourself but these hard of thinking boneheads frightened my wee girl so I'm going to call them out 

Been taking my girls to the north stand from when my eldest was 8 weeks, they're now 10 and 13. They've never once been frightened. 

No offence but it's a football game not the panto at Eden Court. We have one of the most laid back supports going. 

Of course it is very disappointing to not to beat a 10 man part time team at home, but I felt there were a lot of positives yesterday.  We laid siege to their goal for lengthy periods in the second half and created more chances than we have for a long time.  It got the crowd going and was quite exciting to watch.  (Dunc, please take note.). A mixture of very narrow misses and weak efforts meant we couldn't find the winner but it could just have easily have been a victory by 3 or 4 goals.  How that would have changed the mood!

Fans got their wish and Billy started up top in his 300th appearance for the club.  We were all willing him to score but sadly it was not to be.  He was denied once by the woodwork and once by the keeper, but he also had 2 other good chances where he fluffed his lines.  It has to be said that Hester looked way sharper than Billy.  Having said that, when he went off near the end, the drive and energy in the team just seemed to disappear and instead of finding openings and creating, chances we were back to the side to side passes, creating little but increasing frustration in the crowd.  Part of that will have been that we were missing the way Billy draws players out of position and creates pockets of space for team mates.  His replacement, Ferguson Jnr trotted around pretty aimlessly and was largely ignored by defenders who focussed attention on others who presumably were perceived as more of a threat.  I sincerely hope those of us criticising young Callum get egg on our faces soon and that some of his old man's ability in front of goal comes to the fore.  Goals win games and we desperately need a half decent striker up top.

 Mackinnon was the pick of our players and took his goal very well.  He came very close shortly after but just dragged his shot wide of the near post.  Generally he seemed to show a very positive mindset and looks as though he could be a really important player for us this season.  Bray was another youngster who impressed.  Longstaff gets a lot of criticism, but he runs his socks off and is willing to run at players and get behind the defence (when the manager lets him).  He got a deserved ovation from the crowd when he was subbed.  I think I would credit Hester rather than criticise our new keeper, Musa Dibaga for Montrose's goal.  Apart from that he looked very solid.

 

 

The goals only

 

The rules seem pretty clear to me.

ICTFC takes a zero-tolerance position in respect of unacceptable conduct and any behaviour that could tarnish the clubs reputation. This includes any form of abuse towards staff, visitors, players, officials and other supporters. Anyone found to be engaging in this conduct will be ejected from the stadium and may be referred to the police or arrested. The club will also issue bans to offenders.

We want our supporters to make a noise and create a great atmosphere for the players to help drive them on hopefully to victory while making it a daunting place for visiting teams but please do so in an appropriate manner.

1 hour ago, old caley girl said:

So what would you suggest after yesterday? Ban at least half of the north stand for showing displeasure? Get real 

TM4TJ puts it across a lot better than I could

 

• 
• 08: Site Admin

The rules seem pretty clear to me.

ICTFC takes a zero-tolerance position in respect of unacceptable conduct and any behaviour that could tarnish the clubs reputation. This includes any form of abuse towards staff, visitors, players, officials and other supporters. Anyone found to be engaging in this conduct will be ejected from the stadium and may be referred to the police or arrested. The club will also issue bans to offenders.

We want our supporters to make a noise and create a great atmosphere for the players to help drive them on hopefully to victory while making it a daunting place for visiting teams but please do so in an appropriate manner.

59 minutes ago, tm4tj said:

The rules seem pretty clear to me.

ICTFC takes a zero-tolerance position in respect of unacceptable conduct and any behaviour that could tarnish the clubs reputation. This includes any form of abuse towards staff, visitors, players, officials and other supporters. Anyone found to be engaging in this conduct will be ejected from the stadium and may be referred to the police or arrested. The club will also issue bans to offenders.

We want our supporters to make a noise and create a great atmosphere for the players to help drive them on hopefully to victory while making it a daunting place for visiting teams but please do so in an appropriate manner.

The Supporters Trust Board fully endorses the statement above, and it is disappointing to hear about the behaviour of a minority fans yesterday.

We do not have access to any CCTV from the ground, so we suggest that anyone who witnessed and was upset by the events contacts the club by e-mail, with the option also of contacting the SLO through the dedicated e-mail address. These are the contact details on the club website:

https://ictfc.com/contacts/ 

1 hour ago, tm4tj said:

The rules seem pretty clear to me.

ICTFC takes a zero-tolerance position in respect of unacceptable conduct and any behaviour that could tarnish the clubs reputation. This includes any form of abuse towards staff, visitors, players, officials and other supporters. Anyone found to be engaging in this conduct will be ejected from the stadium and may be referred to the police or arrested. The club will also issue bans to offenders.

We want our supporters to make a noise and create a great atmosphere for the players to help drive them on hopefully to victory while making it a daunting place for visiting teams but please do so in an appropriate manner.

They also state:

"Anyone arriving at the stadium under the influence of alcohol, or any other substances, will not be admitted to the stadium and again may face arrest."

Therefore anyone who's been at the pub before or in the stadium bar or Boardroom having a couple of drinks can expect to be refused entry/ejected and possibly arrested? 

1 hour ago, tm4tj said:

The rules seem pretty clear to me.

ICTFC takes a zero-tolerance position in respect of unacceptable conduct and any behaviour that could tarnish the clubs reputation. This includes any form of abuse towards staff, visitors, players, officials and other supporters. Anyone found to be engaging in this conduct will be ejected from the stadium and may be referred to the police or arrested. The club will also issue bans to offenders.

We want our supporters to make a noise and create a great atmosphere for the players to help drive them on hopefully to victory while making it a daunting place for visiting teams but please do so in an appropriate manner.

Abuse such as any threats of physical harm, racism, homophobia or any other bigotry has no place both at ICT or society in general.

However, it’s a football ground first and foremost and you will never sanitise foul language at a game and is delusional to think so. Things are going to be shouted at players, managers and opponents, that’s inevitable.

We are also going through arguably the most torturous time in our existence as a football club and tensions as others have mentioned are understandably running high. 

Do I sympathise with people with young kids hearing foul language at games? - Absolutely.

Do I feel people deserve to let their feelings known at those running the club and performing on the pitch, especially at this current time? Absolutely.

ICT is a broad church and the creation of the family section in the North Stand was designed for exactly that. It’s great to see so many young families going to games and long may it continue.

The Young Team at the other end of the stand are our most and only section of vocal support and credit to them travelling home and away week in and week out supporting the club through thick and thin. If it wasn’t for them the stadium would be more of a library than it already is.
 

Edited August 18, 20241 yr by TheNorthStander

2 minutes ago, TheNorthStander said:

Abuse such as any threats of physical harm, racism, homophobia or any other bigotry has no place both at ICT or society in general.

However, it’s a football ground first and foremost and you will never sanitise foul language at a game and is delusional to think so. Things are going to be shouted at players, managers and opponents, that’s inevitable.

We are also going through arguably the most torturous time in our existence as a football club and tensions as others have mentioned are understandably running high. 

Do I sympathise with people with young kids hearing foul language at games? - Absolutely.

Do I feel people deserve to let their feelings known at those running the club and performing on the pitch, especially at this current time? Absolutely.

ICT is a broad church and the creation of the family section in the North Stand was designed for exactly that. It’s great to see so many young families going to games and long may it continue.

The Young Team at the other end of the stand are our most and only section of vocal support and credit to them travelling home and away week in and week out supporting the club through thick and thin. If it wasn’t for them the stadium would be more of a library than it already is.
 

It wasn't only young people shouting yesterday. I'd say half North stand was shouting. I'd rather folk didn't feel they have to bit also hate it to become so sanitised that passion is discouraged. 

As ST post says if you have a complaint then put through proper channels. As much as I'm sorry one 8 year old frightened this seems a social media storm in tea cup. We had kids in our party yesterday younger than 8 who weren't bothered. 

 

 

15 hours ago, Leaky Blinder said:

Shame about a very small minority in the North Stand at full time giving it the big I am,  directing a tirade of unacceptable abuse at the full time whistle. I won't be taking my 8 year old back till this type of behaviour is addressed by the club, never mind pyros these are an embarrasment to themselves and their parents and they ain't kids.

If it was a choice of keeping Ferguson as manager for the season or being in earshot of their cretinous shouting I'm firmly in the Fergie camp. I now want him to succeed to shut these up. 

I wouldn't let a small minority stop me attending. For me yesterday was a celebration of new beginnings and it was lovely to see the increased attendance. I'm assuming you spoke to stewards and if so did they take any action?

3 hours ago, CaleyHedgehog said:

When the North Stand was built, there was a section for families, where the general idea was that it would be free from any kind of anti-social behaviour such as swearing and shouting abuse. It wasn't the most exciting area to sit at, but it felt safe to bring our children to and they met up with and made new friends and generally enjoyed themselves. 

I think this area has gone by the wayside over the years (although I may be wrong) as children grew up, but maybe we should bring it back.

I'm sorry that the day was ruined for you and your daughter LB, on what should have been a memorable event.

It's been at least a decade since that was really a 'family section' folks kids grew up and apparently people complained they didn't want to move seats so over time it bacame no different than any other general area. 

I've asked the club numerous times over that last few years about creating and having a clear 'singing/standing section' for the more boisterous and vocal fans. That way they have a clear space and others can avoid if that's not something they want near them. Recently they had been congregating at the front of Section E when then causes issues for those behind who are forced to stand up or move elsewhere. Of course in typical fashion the club never replied or did anything. Apart from I suppose the attempt in the West Stand, which in true Gardiner fashion failed without so much as a whimper or explanation. 

 

I thought the new strips looked very striking on the pitch. The stripey bit looked a wee bit like a bib over the top of the main shirt and the red looked almost fluro pink from where I was sitting, but it looked good, none the less. So glad they arrived.

5 hours ago, tm4tj said:

The rules seem pretty clear to me.

ICTFC takes a zero-tolerance position in respect of unacceptable conduct and any behaviour that could tarnish the clubs reputation. This includes any form of abuse towards staff, visitors, players, officials and other supporters. Anyone found to be engaging in this conduct will be ejected from the stadium and may be referred to the police or arrested. The club will also issue bans to offenders.

We want our supporters to make a noise and create a great atmosphere for the players to help drive them on hopefully to victory while making it a daunting place for visiting teams but please do so in an appropriate manner.

Ok tm4tj, please tell me who is responsible for identifying the culprits, apprehending them, taking and verifying thier name and finally ejecting them from the ground? 

I counted three ground stewards at the Montrose match in the north stand (seating along the wall between the field and the stand). Their responsibility (no legal authority), I expect is to try and prevent fans getting onto or at the pitch/players. (Hamilton game springs to mind).

I do not see the stewards remit being responsible or have the legal empowerment to control the fans in the stands (or terracing were they available), and intervene where offensive chants or cursing was observed. It would be the police in my understanding that would have the powers and authority to enforce the Law, which may determine an offence has been committed. Can the club confirm? 
We can retread the clubs policy and announcement at the beginning of the games. Yes it’s all to the objective of getting the attending fans to respect a certain behaviour code, but as I say without any policing it is just background noise and no one really takes it seriously. 
Football is an entertainment that has its roots in the working man’s escape and right or wrong it retains a ‘course’ edge to the language ‘enjoyed’ at the games. Again not condoning it, just saying it’s difficult to change behaviour, police and manage (fund) when it’s been around football grounds as long as I can remember attending (1960’s). 

Edited August 18, 20241 yr by big cherly

You will need to ask the people that made the rules. I just copied and pasted them. Maybe try asking the club, not me. 

If people really don't understand the rules then that is a problem they need to seek help and clarification on.

I'm sure someone who identifies as drunk would be reasonably easy to spot.

14 hours ago, Leaky Blinder said:

I've been standing on terracing since the 80s and understand the distinction between shouting and abusive behaviour. 

I won't be taking her again

Isn't it incredible that us gen xers seem to be responsible for producing a generation of snowflakes?  If only kids were half as resilient now as we were then.

1 hour ago, tm4tj said:

I'm sure someone who identifies as drunk would be reasonably easy to spot.

True. They'd probably have it on a tshirt and be waving a flag demanding equal rights for drunks.

4 hours ago, ICT Supporters Trust said:

The Supporters Trust Board fully endorses the statement above, and it is disappointing to hear about the behaviour of a minority fans yesterday.

We do not have access to any CCTV from the ground, so we suggest that anyone who witnessed and was upset by the events contacts the club by e-mail, with the option also of contacting the SLO through the dedicated e-mail address. These are the contact details on the club website:

https://ictfc.com/contacts/ 

Well endorsed!!

9 hours ago, bishbashbosh said:

Let the yobs win, come on ocg.
Youngsters are the future, no young fans and a few years on no supporters. 
 

Paradox, we want young fans more than anything, but the attraction for a lot of them that are not accompanied by their parents (young teenagers) is the attraction of experiencing an environment where they are amongst slightly older teens that behave more risky. That generally involves acting more unruly and following the ‘mob’ or ‘pack’ behaviour. Swearing and shouting is part of that behaviour. 
 

If the team improves we will I am sure expect to see the ‘heavy mob’ of the ‘young team ‘ return. As mentioned elsewhere they bring much needed atmosphere and noise to the game (and for the most encourage the team to play better). They bring that element of offensive language and behaviour we would normally not endorse or want to see. 
So do we want them to attend (taking all the negatives) or tell them to F off. 
Couldn’t resist the pun!! 

Edited August 18, 20241 yr by big cherly

17 minutes ago, big cherly said:

Paradox, we want young fans more than anything, but the attraction for a lot of them that are not accompanied by their parents (young teenagers) is the attraction of experiencing an environment where the are amongst slightly older teens than behave more risky. That generally involves acting more unruly and following the ‘mob’ of ‘pack’ behaviour. Swearing and shouting is part of that behaviour. 
 

If the team improves we will I am sure expect to see the ‘heavy mob’ of the ‘young team ‘ return. As mentioned elsewhere they bring much needed atmosphere and noise to the game (and for the most encouraged the team to play better). They bring that element of offensive language and behaviour we would normally not endorse or want to see. 
So do we want them to attend (taking all the negatives) or tell them to F off. 
Couldn’t resist the pun!! 

If people are offended by expletives in 2024 when heading to the football then they seriously need to give themselves a shake and get a grip.

As I mentioned earlier, the stadium at the best of times has the atmosphere of a library and God forbid a bunch of young guys trying their best to generate something resembling an atmosphere. 

Who has the right to tell them as you mention above to “F off” when as far as I understand the only complaints yesterday relate to excessive swearing?

Personally, all power to the younger guys who vocally made their feelings known to Scot Gardiner and the board throughout the majority of last season. At times last year I wondered if there was a greater number of fans voicing similar would change have come earlier.

I do feel on the whole these negative and unfounded attitudes from the Worthers Originals section of our support (only fair seeing as people want to point fingers at them) towards these younger guys will only push them away longer term.

 

21 hours ago, Leaky Blinder said:

Caley Ciuin - you keep on face palming till you knock sense into yourself but these hard of thinking boneheads frightened my wee girl so I'm going to call them out 

This is exactly why I posted what I did on Thursday night regarding the statement put out yet I also got face palm emojis but I just let it pass as I was expecting them but your post has justified my point of view! It's just not fair on the young kids such as your daughter to feel "frightened" at the stadium due to the antics of some mindless idiots, I just hope it hasn't put your wee one off going to matches! 

 

If you're an old duffer and/or pearl clutcher, sit in the Main Stand.

If you're a cool kid, cool adult or cool senior citizen, sit in the North Stand. 

Problem solved.

49 minutes ago, CaleyTennis85 said:

This is exactly why I posted what I did on Thursday night regarding the statement put out yet I also got face palm emojis but I just let it pass as I was expecting them but your post has justified my point of view! It's just not fair on the young kids such as your daughter to feel "frightened" at the stadium due to the antics of some mindless idiots, I just hope it hasn't put your wee one off going to matches! 

 

Please define what you mean by “mindless idiots” I’m genuinely intrigued.

If you believe these people are “mindless idiots” for:

- Calling out a board who nearly sunk the club with the mass debts racked up;

- Calling out a manager who has us playing the worst football I can recall from an ICT team (and is earning still megabucks for the privilege);

- And calling out our players to perform better against a part time team with 10 men.

Then sign me up as a “mindless idiot”.

 

Edited August 18, 20241 yr by TheNorthStander

8 minutes ago, TheNorthStander said:

Please define what you mean by “mindless idiots” I’m genuinely intrigued.

If you believe these people are “mindless idiots” for:

- Calling out a board who nearly sunk the club with the mass debts racked up;

- Calling out a manager who has us playing the worst football I can recall from an ICT team (and is earning still megabucks for the privilege);

- And calling out our players to perform better against a part time team with 10 men.

Then sign me up as a “mindless idiot”.

 

What I mean by "mindless idiots" is very clear, I am clearly referring to the ones that FRIGHTENED A YOUNG CHILD so I can be fairly certain that bad language would not frighten a child nor would what I'd call necessary chanting about these duds that you mentioned above, again, words don't frighten children. It's more the manner of these people so maybe it was the fact it was teenagers etc but I can't answer that, that would fall at @Leaky Blinder door to tell us in what way their child felt frightened 🤷🤷. As I said there must be a reason why a child would feel frightened and that would come down to "mindless idiots" causing trouble in an aggressive way or maybe the fact that the chants were coming from teenagers etc.

 

10 minutes ago, CaleyTennis85 said:

What I mean by "mindless idiots" is very clear, I am clearly referring to the ones that FRIGHTENED A YOUNG CHILD so I can be fairly certain that bad language would not frighten a child nor would what I'd call necessary chanting about these duds that you mentioned above, again, words don't frighten children. It's more the manner of these people so maybe it was the fact it was teenagers etc but I can't answer that, that would fall at @Leaky Blinder door to tell us in what way their child felt frightened 🤷🤷. As I said there must be a reason why a child would feel frightened and that would come down to "mindless idiots" causing trouble in an aggressive way or maybe the fact that the chants were coming from teenagers etc.

 

Not wanting to get into a slagging match however it was not at all clear what you meant by “mindless idiots” hence my question as to my knowledge there was nothing out of order from the young guys said or done yesterday as I sit literally right behind them. Legitimate concerns about the shambles of a club we support right now are rightly seeing those young fans challenge the board, players and management team and they have the same right as you, me and any other paying fan to do so so long as it is within the law and from my experience that is more often than not the case.

Secondly, @Leaky Blinder has already said “cretinous shouting” was the reason his child was upset. Obviously, thats not good to hear of her having a negative experience at a game and I hope she can come back in the future and have a far better time. However I would say that frankly taking your child to any game for that matter up and down the country you are going to hear unsavoury things that you won’t like, unfortunately thats just life. Considering the Summer in particular we have just had and the last few weeks especially, there was always a high likelihood if not certainty that fans would be making their feelings felt. There are more than plenty areas in the ground where i’m sure any young fan attending his or her first game can go and enjoy the game in peace away from the Young Team in Section D.

@Fraz made a great point in the thread about us having one of the most laidback supports about and its true. As I mentioned earlier I genuinely believe this is a reason frankly that the board for the longest time got away with what they did for so long as not enough people were vocal enough at games to call out the mess behind the scenes as it was seen as a small voice in an otherwise silent support.