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We've been over this ground so many times I sometimes think a furrow has been ploughed. I know that many people think that football is too expensive, but it's relative cost is much the same as twenty years ago. You earn more, you pay more and in Caley Thistle's case that's less than all other SPFL clubs (for a matchday inclusive cost) according to this year's BBC survey. If ticketing is discounted, does it result in an upsurge of attendance? Not really. In Inverness' case, the majority of support come from a relatively affluent area, although there are areas of deprivation so if cost were the factor you would expect that to be reflected elsewhere in the leisure sector and it's not happening. So cost, despite what people might feel, isn't the issue for the majority. The matchday experience is continually being surveyed as being value for money, despite the obvious limitations of the stadium. Sure it's out of the centre of town but no more of a walk than to Parkhead or Tannadice or Tynecastle from the centres of Glasgow, Dundee or Edinburgh - although there the similarity ends. Hospitality at Caley Thistle frequently earns good reviews and marketing is becoming more and more effective - look at the stats for website hits etc. The Club knows it is an entertainment business and lives or dies by the product it markets, so I don't think that's the issue. It will always be cold, windy and sometimes wet at TCS, we live in Scotland after all so the only way to address that and make the football better to watch is to move to summer football, move the stadium or install an artificial surface that compensates for the battered pitch at this time of the year. But I don't get the impression that this is the issue, and in any case could the Club fund a move of stadium (which would cost millions) on the back of attracting a couple of thousand more fans every month? I meet a lot of football fans, especially Caley Thistle ones. I meet a lot of non-football supporting locals as well and in all of the conversations that I've had - and there have been thousands - I've only ever met three merger refuseniks. Three. I keep looking for objective evidence that these Caley Thistle resenting thousands are out there but they simply aren't. Inverness doesn't hate Caley Thistle, it simply doesn't engage and that is the issue. The Club is not enmeshed in the community in ways that are true even of our neighbours over the water and that's simply down to the amount of time we've been on the planet. Putting down roots takes time. Caley Thistle does a vast amount of community work that is aimed especially at younger people and that is starting to make a diference, but it won't in the short term and that's what people are concerned with in this thread. What will make a difference is taking a personal stake in making things better. Make it your responsibility - not the guy in the next seat, or the ones in the main/ north stand - to take just one person along with you for a home game. If they think it's garbage, at least you've tried. But not all will. Some will come back regularly or irregularly and that's where the issue lies and that's where you can make a difference.

Hate to say it but C*unty are a bigger club than us . Ok explain...... Bigger support and better stadium to begin with .

Or maybe start a KB for manager thread

....was loving the Hibees on Sportsound last Saturday slating the style of play that they have inherited with Butcher, let alone the results. Did they not know what they were getting? Petrie not done his homework? Butcher has always indicated that his philosophy is to base the team on a stout defence and then get the ball forward as quickly as possible.......HOOF! I think there'll be some brown pants around Easter Rd before the end of the season and I have no sympathy, given the attitude of many Hibs fans after they poached Butcher and Co.

Maybe they were there to prevent Doncaster from moving the goalposts?

Please explain the point of this topic

Im no longer a season ticket holder due to not being in the area but Davie is right in the clubs strategy. I got quizzed by my best mate who is a Heart fan about the Cup final attendance. I told him that the reasons for our low base is mainly due to history as we have none really to buy into as we are so young. Because the Highlands ws left isolated for so long Highland League football was maybe entertaining but most people had a big team including the Old Firm. Most supporters of the Highland league sides have embraced the unified side and seen us climb to today where we are an established Premiership team ahead of teams that have been in existence far longer. But because of that isolation lots of people didnt go and see Highland league football and wanted to support a bigger side. That is now what the club is competing with and it is very hard to change peoples allegiances but in working hard in the community to engage younger people then the club have a better chance to increase the fan base that way. In the short term however well we are doing at the moment is unlikely to see any mass rises in attendances but if the club can engage younger people then we have a chance to develop over a longer term. There are teams in worse positions than us like Kilmarnock and even St Johnstone. These clubs have been around for years but have very small crowds in large stadiums which they have to close part of just so they dont lose money.

Hate to say it but C*unty are a bigger club than us . Ok explain......

Barry Robson wasn't subbed in the league cup final. He blazed free kick over the bar near the end of ET and his sides 1st penalty in the shoot out, choosing not to celebrate it. I think in respect for the ICT fans. Of the one position we need. Just one, its another striker. Hughes to me has a fairly good record in signing strikers. They might not all be prolific but they generally tend to be good. Where Grahame Barrett was not a great goal scorer, he was a good player. Just very unfortunate with injuries which really impacted on his career. He scored 11 goals in 55 appearances. Daryl Duffy in my opinion was exceptional for Falkirk and one of Hughes best signings. 27 goals in 57 games is near 1 in 2 which most managers would take with both hands no problem. His overall record since leaving in 06 is not that bad either. In 328 club appearances he's scored 95 goals. Most strikers would be pleased with that type of record. Currently playing in India, if he's out of contract in the summer and Hughes were to go for him I'd be quite satisfied. Pedro Moutinho. Another striker with a less than prolific goal record, Moutinho from what I remember was often praised by fans and media alike for his ability. Perhaps more of a Dani Sanchez/Juanjo type with his ability to unlock defences. Anthony Stokes, signed by Hughes on loan for Falkirk where he was a revelation (14 goals in 16 games) and then again permanently by Hughes for Hibs, this lad knows where the back of the net is, despite an attitude problem (though never seemingly prevalent when Hughes is his manager.) Alan Gow, his form for Hughes Falkirk won him a move to Rangers. With 2 of these players having come from Arsenals youth set up (Barrett and Stokes), and ICT having a casual affiliation with Arsenal, I'd be interested to see if hughes is ably to utilise that to good effect. Even if he doesn't I'd be happy with his ability to find a player. Mind you Hughes likes sports science and good training facilities. ICT don't have that. Hughes MUST go! Just when it was all looking so rosy there as well.

Got to be vertical stripes. Errea do a top in verticals Change the black to blue and hey presto.

As long as I can bring in Paul Sturrock as my assistant! How about Paul Hartley as then you would be guaranteed success if some posters are to be believed!!

Something like this - This isn't real shirt by the way, just a mock-up for some other team who's fan want to change colours.

Iv always wondered what blue and red hoops would look like. I dont think there is a single side in the world who wear such a strip. That would definatly give us an identity!!

I assume Adams is prayimg that this guy is not drug-tested any time soon. Even IHE at his stamp-licking best wouldn't come out with that guff.

European football surely? I think we should place more emphasis on the 25 year anniversary rather than 20 years but as long as it's stripes I'll be happy. (I'm easily pleased eh!)

Maybe thats why crowd figures are down. Not enough green to reflect the true feelings of the other half of Inverness.

Always thought thi was our best strip! Bring it back with a modern collar

Should Hughes stay or be sacked is the ultimate question !! Answers please on separate threads using similar but slightly deviating terminology.

You mis read the Hiviz, it said bitch control, to prevent any of the Aberdire quines from lifting their leg on the post

A pitch control is a control on an audio device such as a turntable, tape recorder, or CD player that allows the operator to deviate from a standard speed (such as 33⅓, 45 or even 78 rpm on a turntable). Hope this clears it up.

Sorry KB.....got to disagree. Hughes has a car parking space at front of the stadium so he must stay.

This is ridiculous. The Hughes must be sacked thread has over 10 times as many posts... therefore Hughes must be sacked. Some people never wanted him in the first place. And they are not going to shut about it either. Therefore Hughes must be sacked. Now.

Celtic players I think. Allowed to sit there to give them a feel for what it's like to be on the pitch at a cup final.

I go to games to watch my team and to say the 21 pound I pay is for nothing is not true it goes towards keeping my team financially stable while I get to watch my team. Building another stadium or upgrading ours in the hope it would attract more fans would be pure folly.

Even for a man of Butcher's reputation, I found it surprising how he has publicly turned on his players. How he thinks that will help is anybody's guess, but it seems like a desperate attempt to get himself off the hook. Well, if he secretly casts envious glances back at the Highlands I won't feel any sympathy. Had the chance to be a legend, and walked out the door. Hibs are not going to be patient next season, when they expect big things. Who's Terry going to blame then? I see Yogi has a better record at Hibs than TB so far, and will do up to the end of the season!

In all seriousness.......as long as ICT keep their place in the SPL then Yogi would be meeting my expectaions. if we finnished 10th....then he is still meeting my expectations.....if we finnish top 6 then he is exceeding my expectations. ICT are no longer a big fish in a little pond.....we are in with the big boys. We need to be realistic about our expectations. For that reason, id have to say that just being able to stay in the SPL each season is sucsess for me

We'll have a new home strip for next season anyway...and the current away strip will remain and just have the sponsor details changed. Would be nice if it was a home strip that went some way to reflecting our heritage rather than being a Rangers tribute act. Red and Black verticles??

Whether it's the 20th anniversary or the 100th anniversary, it should always be stripes IMO. The first kit in '94 really looking back, was a disgrace for a merged club. It really was nothing more than Caledonian kit and while some of the more recent kits still are too blue dominated and don't have enough red (IMO), they're all still better than that first one. I wouldn't be keen on a recreation of that first kit.