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well today saw 24 players and 3 coaching staff attend a team bonding day at RAF Lossiemouth. the guys arrived and were given a welcome brief and split into four teams. the idea behind the four teams was to give an element of team bonding but also to give a competitive edge to the day. the first event lined up was a session in the gym run by the PTI's . it started with the guys shooting some basketball as a warm up and trying to score points for the section...... the less said about Ryans performance the better lol after that the guys had the real work. two teams competed in a crash mat race where they had to launch themselves onto a mat and make it slide along the gym floor. they then sprinted to the end of the gym before running back to tag the next team member. while the senior teams were battling out on the mats the two younger teams were put through there paces on a crossfit circuit. boy did they work 20 burpees to bar, 20 swiss ball pikes, 20 squat jumps to box , 20 press swing to dip 20 med ball toss and lastly 10 20m shuttles. the guys did themselves proud and worked hard throughout . after we finished in the gym the guys had a lesson on the rifle to prepare them for the afternoons activities. lunch in the mess was followed by the real meat of the day. once again the guys were in there four teams and we had a small round robbin set up for them team one went onto our indoor rifle trainer to try some shooting team two had a mental challenge (tower of hannoi) team three were put through there paces on a practice grenade stand, with points for accuracy through a target window... may of helped that we had pictures of the management team and the ross county crest in there lol team four had a drill lesson with the Flight Sergent and learnt how to march, the next couple of hours were spent rotating the guys through each of the stands while the coaching staff had the opportunity to asses the performance of the guys. once every team had completed all the stands a trophy was presented to the winning section by the station commander. once i can i will get some pictures uploaded but it has to be said i was really impressed by the guys today and it has raised my hope for the season

Don't worry, that close up is of me wearing it, so it actually has incredible slimming properties.

We also got relegated in a predominately blue shirt. Maybe we'll get league reconstruction in a predominately blue shirt. It's certainly different. I think I like it, but i'll need to see it up close. However, i'll be at the club shop to buy it tomorrow. It would be great for us to have our biggest quantity sales of strips ever considering the current finances!!! No matter what the colours are, there's a Caley Thistle badge on it. That'll do for me.

No point playing us then. I see you have unfortunately met one of our mentally deranged supporters already.

It's what's inside it that counts.

Apologies in advance but just could not resist....

I'd be gutted.

No, it's one of Dundee FC's unpaid tax bills!

Hi'ya CTO..... hi'ya pal's

Stroke of genius by the club - how to stop the fans moaning about Kenny Cameron's press release!

I quite like it, but then again I don't get hung up by the whole "not enough this that or the next colour" or "where's the stripes, starts, polka dots" carry on and just take the design for what it is in it's own right. The fact so many are "hating" it is also reassuring, as I'm pretty sure the last strip to get that reaction ended up being one of our best sellers!!!

Don't think any of us were expecting that sort of design. Very modern. I always prefer our Barca stripes but this effort is very smart, thumbs up from me.

Surely one of the reasons that we do not splash out on players is that we actually do watch the books. To me it is as much about how we play and how we entertain more than anything else. Surely if you go to a game and feel that the team has tried to play football, that they are playing for the shirt and have that "togetherness" factor that yer hard earned spondoolicks are more readily handed over.

I'm glad we are signing / hoping to sign Simon King. I was impressed with him at Helgin. I think going with youngsters to fill the gaps is the only thing we can do. Finances of the Scottish game have dictated who Butcher can and cannot sign. This is it. If Simon King is added to the squad then we have our squad complete for the new season. It's time for the youngsters to make their mark - not just at our club, but at every club. Lets get behind every single one of our lads. They need our support!

I kinda thought the same on first reading, but you know what...sometimes you just need to draw a line under the negatives and keep focus on the positives....god knows there have been few of them recently. Still going to be tough, and needs everyone pulling together. Absolutely agree - as long as we understand that drawing a line under the negatives does not mean that we don't learn the lessons from them. We cannot afford a repeat of Friday's PR disaster. Hopefully good can come out of it with much better communication in the future. Fans are much more likely to pull together with the club if they are kept properly informed about what is happening.

Sky Sports would like to apologise to subscribers for wrongly advertising they could watch Rangers in 3D. The advert should of course have said Rangers in D3.

If you are having a drink ot two you might need to use the toilets in the pubs. This can cause confusion and embarrassment if you don't know the local customs. You'll find the gents is often marked "Laddies" (although spelling can vary). If there is no writing on the door it is usually marked with a symbol of a man wearing the kilt. Enjoy your visit.

I must say as well, that of all the grounds I go to, Elgin are always the most unwelcoming. Bitchy, bitter comments towards fans and the team the whole match. It's not a nice place to go to. They're still stuck in the past thinking they were watching Caley.

Does this mean you'll no be watching ICT this season. Apart from when the Dee's are in town. Looking forward to seeing you in the Innes for that one.

We've missed you terribly HD, by the way is that a white flag your waving?!

Must say the more I look at it the more it grows on me, my opinion has gone from terrible to not that bad, I will probably love it by tomorrow

I have to say I really like this! I like stripes but it doesn't have to be every time.

Too much feckin red.

Prefer it to any of the recent strips.

Just wear an Elgin scarf and IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER will look after you

I am glad to see the club listened to the fans opinions....

B*gger me - all this time waiting and it's still not finished....

That strip is absolutely minging , far to much red and black in it .

Bit too much red though

Very lazy design effort. Concidering how long we have waited for it, would have expected something better. Cue "Rangers of the North" crap

Truly awful (woops nearly said Truely Blue) PS - so much for the stripes and keeping our identity - somebody at the club really has no idea about branding - shocking decision

Tough on the Pars though as Rangers or whatever they are called were the team dumped out of the SPL because of their cheating activities. I would be pretty miffed if I were a Pars fan.

From Wikipedia - now I am confused.... In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Rangers of the North, also known as the Dúnedain of the North, were the descendants of the Dúnedain from the lost kingdom of Arnor. Their menfolk ceaselessly patrolled the boundaries of Eriador and were by necessity skilled with the sword, bow and spear. The Rangers were grim in life, appearance, and dress, choosing to wear rusty green and brown. The Rangers of the Grey Company were dressed in dark grey cloaks and openly wore a silver brooch shaped like a pointed star during the War of the Ring. These Rangers rode rough-haired, sturdy horses, were helmeted and carried shields. Their armament included spears and bows. Like their distant cousins, the Rangers of Ithilien, the Rangers of the North spoke Sindarin (or some variation of it) in preference to the Common Speech. They were led by a Chieftain, whose ancestry could be traced back to Elendil and beyond, to the ancient Kings of Númenor. During the War of the Ring, the Rangers of the North were led by Aragorn, but the northern Dúnedain were a dwindling and presumably widely scattered folk: when Halbarad received a message to gather as many of the Rangers as he could and lead them south to Aragorn’s aid, only thirty men (the Grey Company) were available at short notice for the journey. The Grey Company met up with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli at the Fords of Isen in Rohan, and at Pelargir, along with the Dead Men of Dunharrow, they captured the ships of Umbar. The Dead Men then departed and the others continued on to fight in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. There, Halbarad was killed. They are also mentioned as part of the army Aragorn commanded at the Battle of Morannon. Are the 'Dead Men of Dunharrow' our friends from across the Bridge? PS - I realise that by doing this I may have brought this thread too close to Dougal's favourite terminology

A few wks ago there were a deluge of threads on this site complaining that we (ICT) are not performing well enough and that simply playing each year in the SPL for league survival shows a lack of ambition from fans, management and board. There is an general expectation that we should be a top 6 side and challenging more - how can this be achieved? Spending money on better players and higher wages, essentially ensuring every year we maximise our available buget to provide the best resource available on the pitch. Going back to points I have made before, we are a provincial club and just being in the SPL is an achievement, survival year on year is all we should be expecting and if we can get good cup runs then thats what we should all look to. Being a yo-yo club isnt a bad thing IMO and until the rest of the fans lower expectations to realistic levels then the pressure on the board will continue to make us fly close to the financial edge. If the board dont invest more fans walk away as they cite a lack of quality and ambition, so investment is the only option to keep or try increase bums on seats (revenue).

Unlucky to the caley tonight, was a hard hard match from both sides. Thanks to everyone on the sneck side that made things happen. A video will be up for the highlights.

Also, once in the SPL, the effect of pride in accomplishment beomes more pressing and the other influence of "keeping up with the Jones's " then comes into force. It's rather like a compulsive gambler who has a wee bit of success--he keeps on spending because he loved the way it felt when he first won and feels sure it will come good again--and soon.

Glad to see the club coming out with this statement and hopefully we can move on from here. While I think that it's disingenuous to pretend that Friday's statement was anything other than an expression of disappointment and frustration that Sevco could not take their place in the 1st, the club have reacted quickly to allay fears of further corruption in response to that decision and it would be nice to think that this marks the end of our involvement in the affair.

I kinda thought the same on first reading, but you know what...sometimes you just need to draw a line under the negatives and keep focus on the positives....god knows there have been few of them recently. Still going to be tough, and needs everyone pulling together.

Guess it's not such a good idea that I should admit to wearing a replica of The One Ring then!!!!

If there's anyone, anywhere in the whole setup with the slightest sign of a brain cell then the SFA will force the Joint Proposal for Reform and a Merger on the SFL & SPL.....just as they should have done the minute Rangers were liquidated and this whole sorry mess reached the point of no return. Regan will leave the SFA "by mutual consent", no position will be found for Doncaster in the new setup. The league reconstruction (assumng NewCo can win promotion next season) will see NewCo end up in the second tier for season 2013/14. The SFA, the only ones in Scottish football with any money, to bankroll the transition with SKY/ESPN not being as harsh on cutting the existing deal as they might have been because, despite what Doncaster might have us believe, they actually want a larger more competitive top league as well. Any attempt to give NewCo a foot up by any other means will be suicide for the game and we may as well turn out the lights the moment such an announcement is made.

I've heard today from a usually reliable source that ICT's disappointment with the SFL decision was all to do with the rejection of the league restructuring proposals (expanded SPL, play offs, fairer distribution of income etc) and most definitely NOT because of what league Rangers were put in. When you actually read the statement with that in mind it makes a lot more sense and seems to stack up. Hopefully we'll get some further clarification after the emergency board meeting. I'm also quite reassured to see that we had a trialist at Elgin today, which we surely wouldn't have done if we are on the brink of financial meltdown.

The statement is disappointing for a number of reasons, but I think some people need to untwist their knickers.

Wow - I have to concede that I am totally fed up reading about all this Rangers crap BUT this must clearly show to the Muppets (and they really are feckin muppets at the moments) that the fan base are mainly furious at this embarrassing statement. In my opinion it needs to be read several times with an "open mind" and it then comes across as being wholly open to different interpretations and is sadly "amateur" in its content. I am one who has been shouting from the rooftops about communication from the club and it has been significantly improved this pre season - albeit in line with the Newco fears. But it is one thing to post information / comments about new signings and football related issues but any political statements should really have been proofread by somebody with a PR background (I would have advised saying feck all at this junction, holding the Board Meeting and then making a positive statement). Lets have a wee exercise and break this muppetry into sections INVERNESS Caledonian Thistle chairman Kenny Cameron says the decision to place the 'Newco' Rangers into the third division next season could "spell the end of football as we know it." - that is the most ridiculous opening statement as it immediately makes the hairs on the back of yer neck stand up, It simply broods the expectation of negativity. Scottish Football League clubs met at Hampden Park this morning to come to a decision on where Charles Green's newco Ibrox club would play,and 25 of the 30 clubs voted the club into the bottom tier. Cameron has said the club's directors are set for an emergency meeting this weekend to discuss the financial implications of the decision. What was needed to be said was that the board were meeting to review the overall effect on the club and to look at short term and long term action planning. The word "emergency" again is muppetry. In a statement, Mr Cameron said today was saddening for Scottish clubs, and that no club would escape the consequences. Again that has all been said and does NOT need to be repeated. Kenny may not have actually used the word "saddened" but that is the word that will evoke emotions and appear to be owned by our Board, The statement, in full, reads as follows: "There will now inevitably be serious consequences for the game in Scotland. Again WE ALL FECKIN KNOW THAT !! "We have all, as clubs, accepted the views of our stakeholders in making the initial judgement to uphold sporting integrity. Great and add that we as a Board fully supported that decision and will continue to work with the fans to get us through these difficult times. "All clubs will now have to live with the repercussions of this decision. Scottish football was at a crossroads today in terms of what was on the table for all clubs regarding reorganisation, financial distribution and a road map that would have taken the game forward. "But this has now been thrown in to disarray by this decision. This is a sad day for all clubs in Scotland." Absolutely shocking - it is a clip from media crap not a feckin statement from ICT - it has been copied and feckin pasted. Smacks of total negativity and a sense that ICT fully agree with th enclosed statements. It could be construed as an "attack" on the SFL. Mr Cameron added: "None of us will escape the financial fallout from this. There was an opportunity on the table, in terms of the joint agreement tabled at today’s meeting for us all to come together and a genuine willingness to improve the game substantially over the coming years. More media crap and a perceived attack on the SFL -!! "But it now looks as though this will once again be kicked back in to the long grass. A once in a lifetime opportunity to bring forward change may well have been lost. Total negativity. "The directors of ICTFC are fully aware of the financial implications of this latest decision on Newco. The loss of either our fans or our sponsors was never going to leave any of the clubs in Scotland in a healthy financial position and for some this could spell the end of football as we know it. If the Board are "fully aware" then just be positive and get on with Plan A, B or feckin C. "Certain clubs in the SFL have perceived the financial information they were receiving as a 'big stick' to beat them into accepting Newco in the First Division. This was definitely not the case, as far as I am concerned. What they were being told was the reality of the situation." By far the worst sentence of the lot IMHO and then he heaps pressure on himself with the use of the "I" word followed by a "they" statement. The chairman concluded: "We will be convening an emergency board meeting over the weekend to discuss the very serious financial implications for us as a club going forward." Just look at the usage of the words "emergency" and "serious". And I am afraid that the damage has been well and truly done and this is a statement that will be thrown back in our faces for a long time and one that we cant rubbish or heal with the greatest of apologetic "get outs". My only concern is that we step in the dog poo again with the follow up statement.

Surely it hasn't escaped your notice that the SFL teams actually voted in their own financial self-interest? Every one of them will get 2 home sellouts against Rangers plus a likely SFL TV deal and improved sponsorship. The only people who have voted for 'sporting integrity' at the direct expense of their own self interest were ICT and 9 other SPL teams.

Just in case you didn't see it in the other thread. Dear Mr Cameron. I feel your statement regarding newco Rangers admittance to Division Three was badly timed, poorly worded and a PR disaster for our club. You listened to the voices of the supporters of the club who opted for sporting integrity and voted against newco’s admittance to the SPL. I feel that your words today have given many fans the impression that you did this on the basis of a sleazy plan to bully SFL clubs into admitting a newco into SFL 1 to preserve a model of football in this country that is now unsustainable or that you had expected SFL clubs to ignore their fans and the principles you claimed to follow with your initial decision. Need I remind you that two seasons ago ICT were an SFL club and we may be in the same position again in the future. The thought of our club having any part in any sort of bullying tactics would be unforgivable in my opinion. While most fans appreciate that there will be certain financial tests over the coming seasons, many people feel “the end of Scottish football as we know it” is not necessarily a bad thing. Personally I would much rather see ICT operate at a lower level as a sustainable club than have the club be a leech and rely on another club being in the same league or indeed money from television companies. I have the upmost confidence that this can be addressed and I urge yourself and the board to share any issues with the supporters. If anything has come from this whole shameful Rangers episode it’s that the fans can be a powerful force in football. ICT has a loyal support and I very much hope you will adopt a transparent approach in what could be a difficult time. Please do not misconstrue this email as a series of accusations against the club or indeed yourself. I am just concerned given that I renewed my season ticket after your statement of intent regarding the newco/SPL vote and I am now unsure of the intentions and direction of the club. We have a chance to change things for the good and make it easier for a club such as ourselves to survive and prosper. The last thing we need is an unhelpful, pointless and ultimately detrimental comment from the club like the statement this afternoon. I would welcome a public response to the fans from yourself to address any of the comments raised in this or any other email you receive tonight or indeed a personal, private one via this email address. Yours sincerely James Proctor

I've made 2 or 3 posts calling for Doncaster to go. I repeat that tonight, but this time he can take our Chairman with him. His statement is wrong on just about every level and, like many others I am embarrased to be associated with the club tonight. Let's look at some of the things Mr Cameron has said today. He states "Scottish football was at a crossroads today in terms of what was on the table for all clubs regarding reorganisation, financial distribution and a road map that would have taken the game forward. But this has now been thrown in to disarray by this decision" What he is saying here is that the clubs of the 3 divisions of the SFL have destroyed the opportunity to move the game forward with their vote today. He is saying it is OK for the teams in the SPL to vote for sporting integrity but nothing short of a disgrace for teams in the SFL to do so. He goes on to say "A once in a lifetime opportunity to bring forward change may well have been lost." But why? Is he saying that he and others were only prepared to discuss restructuring and other changes if Newco were placed in Division 1? Clearly if there is an appetite for change then it matters not one jot whether Newco are in Division 1, Division 3, the SPL or the Govan Sunday league. The opportunity for change is only lost if the clubs refuse to work together for that change. It really is contemptible that he is acting as Doncaster's stooge in this. There are two issues which should be competely separate. One is Newco's application to join the SFL and the other is league reconstruction. His statement also says "There was an opportunity on the table, in terms of the joint agreement tabled at today’s meeting for us all to come together and a genuine willingness to improve the game substantially over the coming years." But if there is a genuine willingness, there will still be opportunity to take things forward. What will have damaged that willingness to work together for change is not the principled vote by the SFL chairmen, but the ICT chairman having the brass neck to accuse them of putting proposals into disarray because they voted on a basis of sporting integrity just as he had apparently done earlier. What his disgraceful remarks today mean is that he hadn't the guts to vote the way he wanted but is slating the chairmen of smaller clubs for not doing his dirty work for him. Why on earth would any of the other chairmen want to work with him when he treats them with such contempt? Mr Cameron has done the game in Scotland and this club in particular a grave disservice. He should have welcomed the vote to admit Newco into the SFL and accepted the SFL Chairmen's decision to vote for entry at Division 3 level. He should then have welcomed the fact that the Newco saga was now settled in terms of where they will play this season and then called for all clubs to put that behind them and work together for the restructuring Scottish football so desparately needs. That would have demonstrated some humility and leadership. Instead he has alienated ICT from most of the other clubs and has made the task of obtaining a consensus on the way forward that much more difficult. May I suggest that the first item on the agenda for the Emergency Board meeting should the appointment of a new Chairman?

And maybe your username will reappear as a Newco Now there's an idea......."The Inverness Thistle Football Club PLC"

Very disappointing statement from Cameron, topped off by a post from Caley100 that contained all the hallmarks of a raging currant bun. For Cameron to come out blabbering about a once in a lifetime opportunity to change Scottish football just begars belief. The attempt to place Sevco in the 1st was evidence of Scottish football's unwillingness to change at all costs, and the decision that SFL clubs made today gives us a chance, just a chance, of reconfiguring the game away from the tedious Old Firm domination that we have all got so sick of over the past 20 years. It will be tough. It will certainly be on a smaller scale, and more clubs will probably end up having to start afresh in the 3rd, but personally I would prefer to watch under 19's in the 3rd than a bunch of loanees from the English lower leagues trying to keep us in the SPL at all costs so that we don't lose our slice of Old Firm generated tv money. That's not sport for me. It's just a televised entertainment show in which we are suppossed to be grateful for our bit-part. I salute the SFL 25.

I'm really disappointed in this news. I had posted on P & B that I would be thoroughly ashamed if ICT were one of the clubs trying to bully the SFL teams into parachuting Rangers into SFL1 and that's exactly what I am right now. There is something seriously wrong when, it would seem, so many clubs appear to have a business model that is almost wholly dependent on the presence of one or two big fish. We need to wean ourselves off this dependancy quickly.

http://www.highland-news.co.uk/News/ICT-chairman-blasts-newco-decision-a-sad-day-for-Scottish-football-13072012.htm All clubs are going to have to look at the consequences of their actions. I'm quite sure Kenny will not be the only chairman calling a board meeting over this weekend. If SPL clubs believed the ramblings of Regan and Doncaster then they are just as guilty of the bullying of the lower league teams. The way forward is to get people in who can market our game. Get all parties working together under one executive and do the right thing to improve our game. The time for change is long overdue. Now is the time to act. What I wonder though, in the interests of sporting integrity, has there been things going on behind the scenes at Hampden thinking it would be easy to persuade SFL to vote for Div 1 entry? Were the SPL chairmen easy about voting Rangers out of SPL because someone persuaded them that SFL was in their back pocket? Have the hopes of the SPL chairmen backfired and if they have then wheres the sporting integrity in that? For all clubs outside Celtic there is now a chance to show how competitive they can be. There is a real chance that any one of them can achieve second place and the vast share of the pot that that will bring.