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Nothing to do with jumping ship. If you read all the posts of those with the same opinion as myself you'll see that, if sporting integrity is not upheld and the newco forced to apply the the SFL, then we are turning our back on football. As I've said on a few post I cannot bring myself to support a sport that allows lawbreaking and tax dodging to go unpunished. If I dont pay my taxes I'll be severely punished. The same must apply to any business.

Dear Mr Cameron, As I'm sure you are aware, with the impending liquidation of Rangers FC not too far away and the highly likely prospect that you and the other chairman of the remaining SPL clubs will vote on the matter as to whether to allow a "NewCo Rangers" to join the SPL. As you know, the fans are almost completely of the opinion that a NewCo Rangers, should they be allowed to join the league system, should start at the bottom of the ladder in the Third Division, just as the newly formed Caledonian Thistle FC had to do back in 1994. Mr Cameron, vote for the wishes of the fans. Vote for dignity. Vote for justice. Vote against an organisation that has exploited sectarianism and bigotry for it's own gain. Vote against a NewCO of a club that has stolen millions to buy itself success. Vote for you to be seen as a man and ICT as a club, who said NO. Mr Cameron, vote NO to NewCo. Yours sincerely, Renegade ICT Season Ticket Holder

Reading some off these posts makes my blood boil. Are we meant to be i c t supporters or what ?This threatening not to renew your season tickets unless our chairman votes against the newco is shameful .Regardless the rights and wrongs of the rangers fiasco we are supposed to be Caley jags fans and the true ones like myself who renewed mine 2 weeks ago will back the club whichever way they decide to vote . Seems to me that many off our so called loyal fans are looking for an excuse to jump ship !

Dear Mr Cameron This will be the most important vote this club has had to make since the votes in 1993 Now in them days the existing fans were clearly shafted resulting in a very large numbers of stayaways which still has repercussions to this day hence our average attendance Call it a warning from history but I sincerely hope the club has learnt from the catastrophic mistakes from the past and vote a 100% NO to re-admitting a Newco to the SPL The last thing this club needs is to increase it's number of refuseniks all be it for a totally different reason I've not emailed the club this but if CaleyD could read it in it's entirety at the next supporters trust get together with the club I would be very grateful Regards Dougal

I'll take Dundee away for the opening game.

I agree that this is not ideal prep. Not so sure about the need for 'glamour friendlies' but at least if we are staying in Scotland, games against the likes of Falkirk, Partick Thistle etc. They are probably on par with quite a few bottom half SPL teams.

What a load of nonsense some posters againput on this forum. Pre season friendlies are to get up to speed fitness wise first and foremost, then to get the playing system in place. It doesn't matter who we play or what results we get in these as long as we start the season positively.If anyone thinks that a friendly against a "bigger" team/teams will really benefit us in the season ahead, they are sadly deluding themselves. Bigger teams would presumably also want cash guarantees for playing which is money we can ill afford.

That line up fills me with as much excitement as it would developing a bad dose of haemorrhoids It seems a life time ago now since we welcomed the likes of Real Sociedad or Royal Antwerp After the disastrous preseason last year I thought it would have been a priority for the club this summer to organise at least two glamour friendlies against some quality opposition No disrespect to the highland league teams but they are simply not good enough to provide an SPL team with meaningful workouts Playing vastly inferior opposition achieves nothing in my book and will only result in us having a very poor start to the season when the real action starts Dougal

IMO this is without doubt a last ditch attempt to ensure the Newco remain in the top flight of Scottish football A freemasonic smoke screen to try and get the fans back on side while they sneakily usher the Orcs through the back door when no-one is looking Dougal

Football-wise and financially I think the Germans will put them in their place

Here is the email I sent to Mr Cameron. As you can see its slightly altered from the one posted on here earlier but thought I would add it in case there was any other valid points etc. Dear Mr Cameron I am a Caley Thistle fan writing to express my opinions on a Rangers Newco. I am of the opinion that a new version of Rangers should under no cir***stances be voted into the SPL. While I appreciate that you have a huge decision on your hands and that you have probably received a number of emails on the subject, I feel it is only right that I contact you personally with my thoughts and to plea to you to vote NO to Newco Rangers. I have contacted the ICT supporters Trust with a similar message as well as expressed my opinions on calythistleonline.com. From an ICT perspective I feel you should not vote for a newco for the following reasons. Football is still fundamentally a sport. While there has often been a clash between commercialism and football; this is the reason the SPL scores are reported in the sports section of the news and not at the same time as the FTSE 100. To let someone (in this case a football club) off for cutting corners in order to achieve commercial gain eliminates any notion of ICT being a sports team and Scottish football being a contest. Dwaine chambers was a big name in his sport but was still banned from competing for breaking the rules. Surely allowing Rangers Newco into the SPL would have an adverse effect on the reputation of Scottish Football abroad? This would make Scottish Football look low-rent which for a league with a number of International TV Deals could have a negative impact on the reputation of ICT and other clubs overseas as a result. Inverness Caledonian Thistle had to jump through a number of hoops to get into the SFL and even more to get into the SPL by sacrificing two clubs with passionate independent support and going to great expense to meet stadium criteria. Many figures at the club have worked hard over the years (the late Jock McDonald for example). Our neighbours Ross County are upgrading their stadium as we speak to play in the SPL. Why should a Newco automatically enjoy the privileges of SPL membership others have had to go to great expense to achieve? Inverness Caledonian Thistle have always tried to live within their means and remain debt free. It could be argued that trying to do things the right way has meant the club has struggled to compete with teams who spend more and are in debt as a result. ICT voting Rangers Newco back into the SPL would mean the club are being hypocritical and devaluing their own good ethics. Why should the club go through the annual frustration of not being able to hold on to their top players when other teams that have effectively cheated can keep theirs and achieve higher league positions and cup runs? Why should members of the board such as yourself spend so long trying to balance the books when others are less scrupulous? The television deal with SKY is often used as an excuse to ensure Rangers stay in the SPL. In my opinion Scottish Football should not rely on television money as TV is a fickle industry. It’s possible that if TV ratings for the SPL or football in general decreased SKY could pull the plug regardless of the presence of the Old Firm? British Professional Wrestling has never fully recovered from being pulled from ITV by Greg Dyke in the late 1980’s; this was a TV sport that famously got higher ratings than the FA Cup Final that soon after disappeared from the airways. Football clubs should ensure that they can survive without this money in the long term as one day it may not be there. I would also like to point out there has been no guarantee that SKY would pull the plug completely on the SPL TV Deal should Rangers not be in the league. I also feel that Scottish football would still appear on TV without the Old Firm. After all SKY show football leagues with less appeal than ours such as the Australian Hyundai A-League and other fringe sports like Elite League Ice Hockey. I fear that if ICT voted for Newco Rangers and fans of the club found out, there could be a backlash and a decrease in support which I fear the club could not afford. I fear this may not just come from our own supporters. I have spoken to a good friend of mine who is a Celtic Season ticket holder and a member of a Celtic supporter’s club. He has informed me that supporters clubs of many SPL teams are planning boycotts of the grounds of clubs who vote for Newco. I am unsure on how accurate or widespread this is but I feel the club may suffer in terms of attendances if this were to happen. Both halves of the Old Firm have expressed interest to leave the SPL which shows a disregard for the wellbeing of other clubs in Scotland. Why should these clubs be sympathetic to them? A few years from now when Rangers are in a better position there is nothing stopping these clubs from saying the same thing again. The SPL clubs (ICT included) should try and ensure they can survive without the Old Firm regardless of how difficult this is. I would rather see ICT playing in a lower league and living within their means than see them being subsidy junkies in the SPL. Having only one half of the Old Firm in the SPL will make it easier for ICT and other SPL teams to renegotiate voting rights and distribution of wealth. This would mean if/when Newco Rangers reach the SPL things are a lot fairer than before. With Newco Rangers automatically allowed into the SPL I feel this would be difficult. Finally, making a Newco Rangers begin life in the Third Division may be a once in a lifetime chance to show how difficult it is for a team to survive out with the alleged land of milk and honey that is the SPL and to ensure that things change for the better down the pyramid. For a club like ICT who have had recent stint out with the SPL and may very well find themselves in that situation again, I feel this is vital as it will impact on the club's future. I appreciate the opportunity to express my opinion on the matter and I also understand that you are privy to information regarding the club and the Newco situation that fans such as myself are not. I hope that you will make the right decision as chairman of the club, I have every confidence that as a businessman and as a man who as always tried to do whats best for the club and it's fans that you will. I do not envy you having to make the decision but I genuinely feel you and the other SPL chairman have a chance to make a real step forward in Scottish football. Yours sincerely James Proctor

As I've stated in other threads I will be turning my back on football therefore I wont be watching any. My view is that if cheating and law breaking are seen to go pretty much unpunished, and if football clubs are prepared to support the lack of punishment, then this game is not worth my support. It is written that the game in Scotland is finished without Rangers. If thats the case then so be it. The founder members of the SPL let it happen. They all tried to buy some form of success and they all have been close to liquidation. If they've now allowed themselves to have to be dependant on TV alone then they have sat back and allowed the game in Scotland to die. As an aside maybe the SPL leaders should be out drumming up business from other TV companies. BBC, ITV, Virgin, ESPN, BT, Eurosport etc. Sky is not the only crowd out there.

As much as I agree with much of what has been said on here and share many of the same feelings on the subject, I find myself coming back to the question I asked before. Are fans willing to step up to the plate and plug the (potential) financial shortfall that comes with the loss of the "Rangers" related income (notably the League Sponsorship and TV Money). The hows and whys of how we got here are, when push comes to shove, irrelevant. We can continue wasting our time arguing about how Chairman should or should not vote (a vote that's not even on the table yet and may never get there)....or we can start thinking and preparing for worst case scenario. Whether we like it or not the worst case scenario, financially, is no Rangers related club in the SPL. If we, the fans, get what we want in that regard.....then what next? Where does the money come from to put a team on the park? Where does the money come from to honour existing contracts? Who pays the bills, who pays the wages of the off-field staff? Just to be clear, I am not making an argument for accepting a Rangers NewCo into the SPL here. What I am asking is that will fans be as passionate about fighting for the survival of the club if such a move doesn't transpire as they have been about giving their opinions on what should happen? If not, then the game's a bust regardless of what happens and we may as well all pack up now, wind up ICT and save ourselves the grief of even trying to make it work.

Sorry DD but that's not what posters have said. It hasn't been a case of "don't get too excited" but definitely more "he's not good enough". Oddquine has very eloquently pointed this out and I'm certainly in her camp regarding giving these players a chance. Nobody's seen this guy play, but several posters claim he's not good enough - on what basis? OK he's a late starter, but that might just mean no-one's noticed him as he's not been in the shop window. Isn't that the same as the Hull striker Steve Bull, who hit the headlines with a late starting career - and then went on to play for England! I'm with Oddquine. Give the new guys a chance, don't write them off before you've seen them play, and don't p*ss them off by writing negative drivel that they might read before they've played (or even signed). Positivity can breed success, but negativity will certainly breed failure. I think you need to go back over this thread and read the posts again. I think only KenCar said he wasn't good enough and if you read his post it is pretty clear he meant it not in a literal sense as he, like the rest of us, have not seen the lad play, but in the sense that in general we would not expect players playing in struggling conference sides to be what an SPL club is looking for. Read ICT Paisley's excellent post at number 68 for an example of a more considered view of the news. And who is not for giving the boy a chance? It's not that people aren't prepared to give him a chance, it is just that some of us don't have unrealistic expectations of him. The lad himself has talked about the move being an opportunity to advance his career so I hardly think he is going to p*ssed off by supporters who wish him luck but feel he will have to prove himself. What may well p*ss him off is people such as yourself and Oddquine who seem to have such low expectations of what this club needs that he will be thinking he's taking a backwards step by coming here. What I do agree with you is that positivity can breed success, but negativity will certainly breed failure. The question is who is being positive and who is being negative here? I explained in my post why not getting excited over Warren's potential signing is a positive stance to take. I can think of few things so negative as meekly accepting that signings of players with no particular track record from struggling conference sides is the future for an SPL side.

Don't want to labour my point, however I don't feel the quality is the issue. TB has signed some good players but where are they? My issue is that by bringing in loanees and signings from English lower leagues is NOT providing the continuity and stability that the club so badly needs. Almost every topic raised has someone mention that the team ethic has gone. It will never return staffing the club with guys up here for a year's holiday or at best putting themselves in a shop window, albeit only a slightly bigger shop. I couldn't agree more - don't judge the man before he has kicked a ball. However I am no Mystic Meg, but if he turns out to be any good he'll be off after a year. If not so good he will follow Aldred and probably as quickly. I just see no building for the future just a stopgap for a season, also when I mentioned local I meant more Scotland rather than the Highlands alone. I would finish by asking one question to back up my point. Apart from Foran who is the longest serving of TB's signings left?

What folk are saying is that we should not get too excited about a player whose only full time football has been with a club that finished 19th in the conference and who, incidentally, has actually not signed for us yet. Terry may have unearthed a real gem and I am sure that if he signs we will all wish him well. But I don't think it is being negative at all to suggest that those who appear to think that this signing will be our ticket to European glory should tone down their expectations. With regards to Tokely, he was 17 when he signed for us and we were in Division 3. There is no comparison. We are an SPL side and fans would like to think that one year we will have enough success to win a domestic trophy and get a shot at European football. Signing players from the lower reaches of the conference does not fill me with expectation that this success will come next season. That is not being negative, it is being realistic. The manager will sign who he signs. Hopefully the new signings and those already here will gel into a good unit which will help bring the fans in and we can build from there. I will support the team whatever it is but reserve the right to voice my views on this forum and elsewhere if I feel the manager is not making decisions which are in the best interest of the club. I think that's a positive thing to do.

The tale of two wummin !! CallieAnne is presenting the "middle ground", realsitic post with a rationale for expressing for her concern and apprehension (not pessimism in my book). It quite clearly comes from the heart. Oddquine - some more advice from a professional and personal perspective. I am finding that your posts are as negative as others. You are the perfect "target" for the fishermen but you tend to provoke argument and more heated responses by practically highlighting the negativity and feeding the anger and frustration. You are also answering questions with questions in an avoidant manner. If anyone is projecting pessimism it is in your innocently "inflammatory" responses. If I was Warren and read through this then I would be thinking that I would be doing my uptmost to prove everybody wrong. If I was Terry Butcher reading this forum I would be reflecting on some of the "middle ground" posts and taking on board the actual level of frustration that is held by ICT fans - and then using my undoubted charisma to "change" and attempt to bring the "togetherness" back". I also don't think that it matters how long that you have been a supporter or how many times that you watch the club to have an opinion. BUT if you are not witnessing the ineptness of some of the performances and the didtinct feeling that the "togetherness" is dissapating then you dont get the same feeling. I wholly admire season ticket holders as they are paying good money to watch dross. I am sure that many are forking out mainly in hope that things will be changed around. The "events" that have been happening recently have not exactly strengthened the "hope" factor. Their opportunity to voice their fears to an "audience" are CTO and I suspect that when they are challenged back by a "happy clapper" that it only fuels their frustrations and ups the anger value of the probably reactive response. There is no way on god's earth that any fan could profess to feeling comfortable at the moment and having whole faith that it will be turned round, taking in to account finances as well. I concede, with a degree of embarrassment and guilt, that I deliberately avoided travelling to several away games at the close of the season because I was beginning to find it difficult in holding back my anger and frustration of, in my opinion, seeing the same "mistakes" being made over and over again. The increased viewing on Sky and Alba only added to the feckin pain. In conclusion - Tokely is a fine example - He got lauded last season because he always showed 100% committment and was one of very few who looked like he was playing for the shirt, appeared at times to show anger and frustration and always found time to pay "homage" to the travelling support when others trooped off the park, albeit being sometimes reminded to go back by Butcher. Tokely was extolled becos he was "one of us". The other example would be Esson and does he get pilloried other than for making mistakes. If Foran was more personable then he too could acheive such status.

I for one can fully understand the common despair throughout this topic and several others. The reason being:- I was unlucky enough to miss only one home game last season. There were times where I was in dire need of the number supplied by Kingbeastie. We managed to survive to the end of the season but enough is enough. Either several of the posts on here are from people who don't attend games or their pain threshold is extremely high. I too despair if for one minute someone had ANYTHING positive to say about last season - other than it is over. We truly had all optimism well and truly beaten out of us throughout a very painful season. The games against the old firm were dreadful - the team didn't turn up. The games against Aberdeen were so poor, mirrored by the dismal attendance at the last one. This will continue as long as the entertainment value is so low and dropping. I have posted before that to my mind if we were to source local talent this would encourage more loyalty both from the players and the fans, and rebuild the team spirit and performances that we enjoyed in previous years. This was mainly due to the good work of Pele (now with Rosscoe leaving that era is gone). It doesn't have to be lost forever though. I would use St Mirren as an example, lauded for playing attractive football with a manager prepared to shop around the lower leagues of Scottish football and take in experienced journeymen. This will continue to pay off in the future as they will attract more crowds and retain their squad. I don't see shopping in the lower reaches of English leagues as being the foundation on which to build a steady ship. There is no doubt that some of the players brought in have been good, but where are they? They are not here for the long term and neither are we. But unlike them we hope to return.