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The renewing members link doesn't work for me for some reason. So I've just gone through the new member option. Could I suggest that this player sponsorship option is advertised on the official club Facebook/Twitter feeds? I feel a larger audience would be reachable and more money would be taken in.

No words needed...

The merger happened and is part of our history but the key word there is history, as in "the past, olden days, bygone days, the old days, long ago etc.". It should never be forgotten, and those who chose not to support the new team are as much within their rights to do so as those of us who chose to embrace (Inverness) Caledonian Thistle. But no-one can say with any degree of certainty what would have happened had the two teams chosen to go alone ... not Charles Bannerman, not IHE, not any single one of the 'refuseniks' or anyone else because that did not happen ...... Would two Inverness teams going alone have split the votes and ended up with County and someone else from the south getting in ? Would Thistle have got in due to Jock's contacts, leaving Caley floundering in the HL or would we have got in in place of County? Had one or both teams not got in would that have affected the support for each team? Would a go-it-alone Caley or Thistle have been so successful? If you have an answer to any of those questions then you are deluding yourself. You can have an opinion, perhaps even an informed opinion, but you cannot know what would have happened unless you have been to a parallel universe where it did !!! (ok, maybe IHE will know ... he is often on a different planet). For my mind, I prefer to remember it thus .... The merger happened. It was painful. We came through it. We are stronger now. We are successful. We are ICT!

cheers. can link to this thread if you want

You may find that the phrase "traitors in the stand " refers to the management and pro merger population of Caledonian FC. As ever it was tongue in cheek. Good luck with the humour bypass operation. SHEESH

If he was a dog he'd be put down.

Oh dear. Nothing emotive in that terminology then. Well done in encouraging ICT fans. Sheesh.

Not sure we have copyright to Caledonian Thistle now that we've stuck Inverness in front of it. Besides rather than boo them perhaps we should get 12th man to persuade them to come support their namesakes.

Looks like Mr Bannerman is struggling to make a rational argument again and just continues to view the number of those that he rather derogatorily refers to as refuseniks as being thin in numbers. That is becos he does not and never has been "in touch" with the real footballing fraternity and listens to the upper echelons who have their own warped view. He also now appears to be supported by the traitors in the stand populous who are apparently ICT from the off. At least Sneckboy can understand the argument - and how many, if they were honest , would agree with his side note - my numbers would be 20-30 and only 2-3 of their kids support ICT. Scotty summed it up perfectly. Again I agree wholeheartedly but my point was about the numbers that have been lost because of the emotions of the merger - and that is clearly thousands rather than hundreds.

I see both sides here. Scotty makes good points with his recent post, Inverness is very much on the football map due to the success of the merger. 'Success' meaning the club has seen a level of success few could have foreseen. But I also see IHE's stance that there was a large latent support for the clubs before the merger. Agreed they'd fallen away somewhat but it was likely apathy - same old Highland League teams etc.: but Scottish Cup games fairly brought out the crowds. What's annoying is the 'blazers' that ran Scottish football denied Northern teams access to the closed shop of the Scottish League until recently. Scottish Football League places were at a premium and opportunities to join were limited. Thistle famously denied in 1974 by Ferranti/Meadowbank/Livingston - rumoured soon to be re-named West Lothian FC - a joke club, built on shifting sands that's effectively a franchise. Caley and Inverness Thistle had longer, richer histories than that joke outfit. What's particularly poignant is that this season introduces the first year of inclusion - whereby, if you're good enough, you get a shot at the Scottish League via a play-off system. Only minor adjustments are needed to join - such as floodlight brightness, tannoy volume and possibly a match-day qualified physio to be present. Obviously, 20 years ago, we couldn't have forseen the opening-up of Scottish football. Younger fans, who only know ICT, must wonder what all the fuss is about - but, again as mentioned by IHE, It's like Inverness and County now merging to get admission into a British League - as Highland United. Could you support them with the same fervour? It just irks me that other, dare I say, lesser, Highland teams like Buckie Thistle, Deveronvale, keith and Brora can get a crack at it whereas caley and thistle were denied that chance. With the subsequent growth of Inverness over the past 20 years, there's every chance that if we hadn't merged, Caley and Thistle would both eventually be in the SPFL. Derbys would attract huge crowds. The interest would be huge. Both would likely develop into Championship sides with Premiership football the obvious target. Championship games, Caley v Raith Rovers and Inverness Thistle v Falkirk, would certainly, even on the same day, have a greater combined attendance than ICT v Hamilton, for example. If Ross County can make the highest level of Scottish football (top 6 of that, no less), I see no reason why Caley or Thistle couldn't have done likewise. Our clubs would still exist if the blazers had 'opened up' the league to all clubs years ago. I support Caley Thistle because they're my home-town team and are effectively the merger of my team with another, but, I can honestly say that even the League Cup final didn't invigorate me as much as a Scottish Cup game (any round) at Kingsmills! As an interesting side-note; of the 6 guys I used to regularly meet-up with at the Corrie before games, only 2 of us now go to ICT games. The 'refusnik' estimate is always played down!

In that case and that case alone count me in the 'Better Together' camp.

Oh! for Goodness sake why can't we all just support the Sneckie team. The Union was made between the two teams to further the cause of quality football in the Highlands, it has worked, we are a successful SPFL contender, so get behind the pride of Sneckie. The marriage worked let's just remember that and leave the separatism behind like our neighbours over the bridge................... IN OUR SHADOW

Hadn't realised until Caley Mad pm'd me at the weekend...so now have train booked from Euston as well (1 hour behind Zoid it seems)