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Glory hunters! Pure and simple... We're no more immune to that than any other club in the country! Loads of new posters on this forum in the build-up - never to be heard of again. Literally thousands of 'fans' who attended that day who had never been to the TCS before. Literally thousands of fans who attended that day who have never been back to (or indeed, ever been to) the TCS since. We don't have 15,000 fans - we've 4,000. And if that doesn't increase after last season, then it simply never will. Glory hunters!Pure and simple...We're no more immune to that than any other club in the country!Loads of new posters on this forum in the build-up - never to be heard of again.Literally thousands of 'fans' who attended that day who had never been to the TCS before.Literally thousands of fans who attended that day who have never been back to (or indeed, ever been to) the TCS since. We don't have 15,000 fans - we've 4,000. And if that doesn't increase after last season, then it simply never will. Inverness potentially has a much bigger fanbase in my opinion, but it will take time. Too many folks in Inverness and area are Rangers/Celtic/Aberdeen fans, the club needs to get ICT into the mindset of kids in the schools now more than ever while we have had some success, forget bigger attendances for the next few seasons and look at the bigger picture and look to get these kids growing up as Caley fans, then who knows, maybe you then have a club with an average attendance of 6-7000 in 10-15 years time. It may never happen but that's where I see potential in the club, more so probably than any other club in the country. I agree with Sneckboy about the size of core support and the unlikelihood of it increasing significantly. We could do all the marketing and outreach in the world, and even move the stadium to a more central location, and I don't think there's any chance that the average attendance would ever reach figures of 6-7000. It's not just down to 'glory hunters' though, imho: there is a range of reasons why our support is static, some particular to Inverness, some reflecting wider trends in Scottish football. For a start, the make-up of Inverness's population has surely been in a greater state of flux, for all of the club's life and long before that, than almost any other Scottish population centre of similar size. We often hear about it having one of the fastest growing populations in the UK, but many of those who arrive will already have a long-established support for a different football team, or, if they haven't already developed an interest in football, are unlikely to suddenly do so to the extent that many of them will become regular attendees at TCS. Moreover, what is mentioned far less frequently is the number of people who leave the area. Traditionally, Inverness has been a place that young people go away from in order to study, and the club's lifetime has coincided with vastly increased number of school leavers across the UK going to university. I could name maybe 30 people from the central belt who I see at away games or go to away games with regularly, who are all examples of this trend. A couple of them, like RiG and Top Six Next Year, do continue to buy season tickets and attend TCS regularly, but it's a huge commitment for them, and it's not realistic to expect most people in that situation to have the time or money to do this. FWIW, I think that the numbers of teenagers and younger children at our home games makes up a pretty healthy proportion of our modest crowds - a bigger proportion, I'd argue, that in the crowds of many other Scottish teams, based on what I've seen at their grounds - but how many of these regular supporters will we keep when they finish school? The UHI might make a small difference, but people will still want to spread their wings. I think the 'Old Firm factor' is actually overstated, certainly among people born in the 90s and beyond, although I think it has limited our potential audience among those who were old enough to have chosen their 'big team' by the time the club was formed. There were plenty of people I was at school with who I saw regularly at Kingsmills in the 80s, but who also went to Celtic Park, or Ibrox, or (in my case and a few others') Pittodrie a few times a season, and who didn't make the jump when the merger occurred, simply because their allegiance to their 'big club' was too strong, rather than out of any deeply-held opposition to the merger. Celtic, and certainly Rangers are far less exotic or glamorous than they once appeared, and although there will be kids running around in their strips in Inverness, I'm convinced that this doesn't affect us significantly more than any other Scottish team of comparable size, whether in Perth, Ayrshire, Fife or Lanarkshire. The far bigger threat or distraction comes from the blanket coverage of the English Premier League and Champions League, which is encouraging a lot of young potential supporters to see Scottish football as devalued and even embarrassing. In the school I work in in Glasgow, where probably 99% of those who follow football would once upon a time have described themselves as Celtic supporters, and remain privileged enough to be able to afford season tickets if they want them, increasingly large numbers describe themselves and Man City, or Chelsea, or Barcelona or Real Madrid supporters, and disparage all Scottish football. I've heard more than one pupil describe how they were offered a Celtic season ticket for their birthday by their parents, and turned it down. Why should we expect kids in Inverness to be any different? That, of course, is probably a fairly significant factor in explaining why clubs across Scotland like ICT, and St Johnstone, and Motherwell, have not seen significant crowd increases in highly successful recent periods in their histories: the genuine interest in Scottish football that actually brings people through the gates just isn't there (expect for those 'one-off' occasions, like the Scottish Cup Final), although the overall stagnation in support in Scotland is sometimes disguised by recent bounces in crowd size experienced by 'sleeping giant' clubs like Hearts and Aberdeen. I do think that location is a slightly aggravating factor for us, and ticket prices are definitely too high throughout Scotland, but ticket offers and price reductions in the past haven't succeeded in significantly increasing support in the past, as Motherwell under John Boyle found out to their cost, so we are probably stuck with them, as the club has to budget around them. Finally, changes in working patterns have probably had a bigger impact on attendances than many people acknowledge. Far more people now work regularly at weekends than did during the heyday of Scottish football, and so they simply aren't able to make many matches. For my first 10 years of supporting ICT, I worked two weekends out of three; it felt like a real privilege to be able to attend games. I suspect that this is an area in which Inverness sees a slightly bigger disadvantage; as the primary shopping and service centre for about half of Scotland's land mass, it employs vast numbers in the retail and service sectors, and obviously the busiest time for such businesses is at the weekends, so I suspect that a larger proportion of people working in Inverness regularly work weekends than in the hometowns of most other Scottish clubs. This is all conjecture, though - I don't have any figures. Put all this together, and I just can't see us, or any other team of similar size, ever stepping up to another level in terms of the support we command. I suspect the club believes this too, and cuts its cloth accordingly. That's not to say that the marketing couldn't be a lot better and more imaginative - even adding 500 to the gates regularly would make a big difference, and that's not completely unrealistic - but it probably does explain the reluctance to offer Yogi a significantly enhanced contract (back on topic...) and a significantly increased playing budget. I don't think the chairman or the board members always get it right by any means, but I do have some sympathy with their dilemma here.4 points
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To conclude, a point is good result given our latest form and we didn't have a natural striker in the team, give them some credit!2 points
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I thought that was much improved..certainly compared to the last 3 games! Other than the pen and one or two other moments I thought the defence were better and fin Williams much better! From midfield to the two at the top it was a far better display! Vincent looked more comfortable and like himself for 70 mins in the centre, polworth had a better game, tansey looked himself playing the ball forward especially from such a deep position and it was also a good penalty! Vigurs also had some good passes although I think draper would have to play if fit! Then williams and Christie showed signs of wat they're capable of going forward. Williams with some great runs off the ball that only his first touch let him down on but certainly a threat! And Christie really put himself about and of course won the penalty! Big boost seeing warren back, foran took part in some parts of the warm up although that only told me really he's more involved with the coaches! Everyone else bar doran seemed to be walking about with no limps which hopefully means some players back in the next few weeks! By no means a totally dominant display or cause to get excited but certainly an improvement and hopefully we can keep it up!2 points
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Sorry I can not comment on previous games players or squads as I visited for the first time on Tuesday. After a reasonable start I was a little disappointed that the management team did not react to the game situation. For the first 15 minutes Caley got the ball down and played through the channels a poor finish in a one on one with their keeper saw a change in control, their boss shut out the Caley midfield which led to the ball being pumped in the air and not something Storey could cope with, they also identified the space at our left back as the place to attack. At 2-0 down Hughes's decisions were forced on him and the introduction of two players who went wide created space for the best player on the pitch (Christie) to get on the ball to either pass through, or draw out, defenders. This also created space for Miles to run into and he suddenly felt he could do something, which the Ross defenders recognised giving him a few knocks to try to slow him down. I agree with a previous post Vincent is not a striker and was more of a nuisance to Caley's attacking chances than a help. Stay positive guys I saw some hope but the shape must suit the players and not the bosses favourite formation.2 points
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Thank you to everyone at caley. I visited for the first time on Tuesday night you have a wonderful friendly club from the stewards, programme seller and helpful lady in the ticket office. I was sat with two die hard fans who welcomed me and made me feel at home. The result was disappointing although for the first 15 minutes I thought I would get a winning start. With quality like young Ryan Christie get players wide and give him the space to weave is magic in the middle and with 20 mins to go players started to realise that Miles Storey can be a match winner if he is given the ball on the floor. Come on all you locals fill the ground and get behind the boys. Good luck for the rest of the season.1 point
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I thought that was a generally better performance and felt that there was a bit more positivity in the game plan. Without ever creating much in the first 45, we at least looked as if we were trying to with a lot of possession in the opposition half. Once Loy had tucked the penalty away early in the 2nd half I feared the worst as heads seemed to go down a bit and the crowd was beginning to get frustrated at the back passing and lack of urgency. Then Tansey's equaliser from the spot seemed to lift both the team and the crowd and the 10 men played with a belief that they could go on and win the game. Dundee also looked to exploit the numerical advantage. Garry Warren making a welcome and unexpected return off the bench, was given a stern test which he passed with flying colours. We ended up with quite an enjoyable game of football. Part of the more positive approach was Tremarco taking on defenders down the left. He was by no means particularly successful but it did draw defenders wide and created openings when he did get down the line. Polworth was again effective when he pressed forward and I really would like to see him and Tansey get forward more. Christie works his socks off but rarely gets a shot away or makes a telling pass. He undoubtedly has talent but he needs more movement and support around him to realise his potential. But despite an improved display, we still had too few attempts on goal. We need to get forward quicker and we need to offer a bit more variety. With only 3 league fixtures in November we may well be able to get 3 or 4 more players back before a busy December. That would be a real boost and would provide a few more attacking options to support a more positive approach.1 point
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Sat 31 Oct 2015 Scottish Premier A Rooney (Celtic 3 - Aberdeen 1) B Mckay (Dundee U 1 - Ross Co 0) SL1 R McAllister Hat trick (Stenhousemuir 4 - Peterhead 3) Scottish Cup R2 replay D Khutsishvili (Forres 2 - East Kilbride 3) EL 2 A McDonald (Stevenage 1 - Oxford Utd 5) National League South B Greenhalgh (Concord R 1 - Maidstone 2) Danske Bank Premier C Allen (Glentoran 1 - Coleraine 1) Dafabet Welsh Premier J Oswell (Newtown 4 - Gap C Q 2) Highland League A Macleod (Clach 6 - Strathspey 1) Z Sutherland (Inverurie 0 - Brora R 1)1 point
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Thought we were miles ahead of Dundee before the red card. For all their spending in the transfer market they actually look a worse team this season. Good to see the referee awarding us a ridiculously soft penalty to level things up after giving one to Dundee at the other end. Hard lines for Dave the Rave who was basically sent off for standing his ground when a ball came into the box. Some very weak officiating on display today. When Dundee appealed for a decision loud enough, they got it. Good to see Warren back! Gaining some man points for returning from a broken leg faster than most players come back from a pulled muscle. Soccer Am should send 'hard man' expert Danny Dyer up to do a feature on him.1 point
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1 point
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Football goes through trends as well, I believe there were just as many people who went to the halloween event last night as we took to Hampden but its free and its an annual event, football costs money and its more frequent. If you think of an ICT ladder, where there are people who don't even acknowledge a football club in Inverness, these people haven't even climed on to the bottom rung, where higher up are the fans who frequently go to games and buy merchandise etc. There are far more people out there that at least affiliate themselves to our club and are on the bottom rung. There are the ones who now want an ICT shirt or go to one or two games more a season. Its better to think of ways to generate interest as the club do, than do nothing. I hear nothing but positivity from people who get free tickets for youngsters. Which makes a nice change from fans moaning about players It's a work in progress but at least we are moving in the right direction.1 point
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I want to share Renegade's spliff but I am going to hook Tremarco as well and play Esson at centre half.1 point
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At last Bughtmaster has encapsulated it. Yogi is fishing for the best outcome for him, the family and the club. Lets not treat him like Laura Grant.1 point
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I'm glad you enjoyed the experience, its nice to see a positive post on here and that despite the doom and gloom someone can get along and enjoy our fare. Hopefully you and others will persevre because there are times when we click and play well its a treat to watch, just need to get over the sticky patch we are in.1 point
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It's just incredible that after a great run before the last international break, in the space of 15 days we can then lose timidly to 4 mediocre sides (Dundee, County, Kille, St J), with 3 of those games at home.-1 points
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Well if all the happy clappers have had their say, I would attempt to bring them back to earth... Not one attempt on goal.(on target) Tremarco lost the ball the two times he ventured foward. Vigurs flattered to deceive. His work rate is poor, we can't afford passengers in these difficult times. Vincent was terrible today. Nothing came off for him, was he played out of position....again? Polwarth was again way off the pace and missed a glorious chance to score when it would have been easier to hit the target. Williams could not do anything right either, jeez he was shyte. However, I would have taken a point before the game, so it's okay eh.... no Dundee were the worst team I've seen this season by far the worst, so it seems a bit frustrating that we didn't take 3 points Wolwoth-1 points
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Scrappy draw against a poor Dundee side who weren't really in it until the Raven tackle (not a penalty) on Greg Stewart. Good to see Gary Warren back but most surprising as he isn't back in full training yet. Ryan Christie and Danny Williams were our best performers but had too many poor touches in the final third. It should have been Vincent or Polworth who got hooked instead of Williams as they were pretty ineffective in the second half. Vigurs looked out of sorts again and I don't know what Nat Wedderburn has to do to even get a sub appearance. Poor crowd too and I can see a further nose dive in attendances if we keep this up.-1 points
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