i dont no if someone has already done one of theses before but

i want to no where you think thoses to teams (caledonian & inverness thistle) would be today if they never joined together??

Caledonian - Would have got into the SFL on their own, if not in 1994 then when Peterhead and Elgin got in. Now a 2nd division club. Still playing at Telford St, with Billy Urquhart up front.

Thistle - mid to lower table Highland League, as before.

Fair theory, i think if Caledonian were admitted to the SFL they would draw bigger crowds and grow, Thistle on the other hand would have to sell Kingsmills and become a club like Clach.

Its obvious that Inverness cant support two teams never mind three, what might have been eh?

This is very hypothetical and to some extent depends on when the "non joining together" happened - ie whether the idea never occurred at all or whether it went so far and failed to materialise, which very nearly became the case in practice.

In the first event, I think Caley or both would have gone for it on their own. Either Caley would have got in or, possibly less likely, the pro Inverness vote would have been split and they would both have failed.

Then I believe Caley would have become another Arbroath or at best Alloa because I don't think they would have attracted the necessary level of financial or personal support in the community to do much better. Thistle would have continued in the Highland League and might well have struggled because it is well documented thqt Jags were on a dodgy wicket by the early 90s. The extent of Jags' and indeed Clach's woes might to a large extent have depended on how successful Caley were in the SFL and how much resources they drew away from the other two in the HFL.

In the second event, if they had both failed to be elected in 1994, or if the merger had fallen apart after applications to the SFL had closed, I think Caley would have got in on one of the later opportunities (unless a second merger proposal carried the day), and you can then recycle the prognosis back to the start of the previous paragraph.

It's especially difficult to make accurate estimates because it's difficult to assess secondary effects but certainly any single team bid for SFL status would never have done as well as the merged one did and certainly Inverness would never have sniffed SPL football.

I know there is a sort of vestige of Telford Street romance that says that Caley would hqve done fine on their own. I don't think it stands scrutiny though.

As a postscript, what if Caley's Carse scheme had materialised in 1990-91? I think a merger would still have been mooted but Caley would have thrown the idea out very quickly and gone alone etc etc etc...

I think Caley would have done fine had they got in to the league when they had a good team.

Remember when folk were locked out of McDermid Park when they did not make the game all-ticket. The ground was full.

That ground is not full very often.

The Howden End would be full to the rafters and the atmosphere would be feckin electric - the Jeggies would either be out of business or amalagamated with the Clach.

:024:thistle would have gone it alone, prospered as they should have when they were first disgracefully denied entry to the sfl. after a rapid rise through to the spl and consecutive top six finishes we would be tasting european football this season. caley on the other hand would be struggling to survive, relying on lucrative pre season friendlies with the mighty jags at the thistle dome to survive and struggling badly in the highland league in front of a pitiful support at the delapidated telford rd hole they call home :011:

:024:thistle would have gone it alone, prospered as they should have when they were first disgracefully denied entry to the sfl. after a rapid rise through to the spl and consecutive top six finishes we would be tasting european football this season. caley on the other hand would be struggling to survive, relying on lucrative pre season friendlies with the mighty jags at the thistle dome to survive and struggling badly in the highland league in front of a pitiful support at the delapidated telford rd hole they call home :011:

Where do you score you're gear? I need to get a hold of some of that!!!!

Tend to agree with Charles, Thistle would probably be in the Highland League enjoying a bit more success than Clach.

Caley might well have gained admission to the SFL and would be plaing third or second division football at a slightly revamped Telford Street.

Caley would be just back from the Nou Camp instead of those other muppets that were there last week  :crazy07: :crazy07:

I think a sole Caledonian bid wouldve produced a SFL team a bit bigger than Alloa or Arbroath, theyd probably be around Ross Countys current level, that is a full time club going nowhere.

Caledonian - Would have got into the SFL on their own, if not in 1994 then when Peterhead and Elgin got in. Now a 2nd division club. Still playing at Telford St, with Billy Urquhart up front.

Thistle - mid to lower table Highland League, as before.

Fair theory, i think if Caledonian were admitted to the SFL they would draw bigger crowds and grow, Thistle on the other hand would have to sell Kingsmills and become a club like Clach.

Its obvious that Inverness cant support two teams never mind three, what might have been eh?

The Howden End would be full to the rafters and the atmosphere would be feckin electric - the Jeggies would either be out of business or amalagamated with the Clach.

Caley would be just back from the Nou Camp instead of those other muppets that were there last week  :crazy07: :crazy07:

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Thank you.........after today's performance I needed cheering up, haven't laughed so hard since the bulldozers rolled into telford street !

i dont think any of them would have made it past the second division if the merge never happened, but what if clach were involved in the merge?

would there be more interest in the home games thus bringing in more cash for building a better team?

would we now be fighting for a european place every season.......... :024:

Why are so many of you so sure Caley wouldve stopped at the Second Division?  Ross County didnt with Mcgregors cash and arent again this year without it, I'm sure Caledonian FC wouldve risen to the level of Clyde, Queen of the South, Airdrie, Raith, County and the Binos, with the odd season like Hamilton are having thrown in once a lifetime.

i dont think any of them would have made it past the second division if the merge never happened, but what if clach were involved in the merge?

would there be more interest in the home games thus bringing in more cash for building a better team?

would we now be fighting for a european place every season.......... :024:

Fighting, scrapping and kicking the living sh1t out of everything that moved I have no doubt.

FFS what does it matter? Inverness Caledonian & Inverness Thistle no longer exist. It's like asking how many more No 1's would Elvis hvave had if he hadn't died. Irrelevant

And if the mighty Inverness Thistle FC had gained entry to the Scottish League in 1973 (instead of Feranti Thistle / Meadowbank/ Livingstone)??  :024:

Now that would have been interesting. Thistle would be an established, successful SPL side with support greatly boosted by former Caley fans disillusioned with the mediocrity of the Highland League and lured by the great success of their former rivals now playing in the big league.  :021:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xyLPdBT75-4

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BLXd78SumZo

I think Caley would have done fine had they got in to the league when they had a good team.

Remember when folk were locked out of McDermid Park when they did not make the game all-ticket. The ground was full.

That ground is not full very often.

You really think that was all Caley fans?  There were hundereds of others from Thistle, Clach, County and non football fans.  It was a evening for Inverness.  Just like 6500 we took to Hampden or the 6500 when we won the first division.

Who care anyway, close this pointless thread that just makes us look like a team divided.  If I can have a caley fan stay in my house it shows that the past aint worth dredging up.

I agree with Govan Jaggie lets move on. :022: