Leaderboard

John Hughes was extremely lucky to get the job as our manager in the first place. No other team in our position would of gone near him. In my view he is now degrading the club and our ambitions by his negative comments. This was our season to progress and establish ourselves as a Premier League club but this has not happenend. Hughes continually talks us down and his negativity must surely detract players from wanting to join us. When you have a solid, consistent and very good player like David Raven desperate to sign a new contract and you decide not to, in my view it is a disgrace. We are Inverness Caledonian Thistle, we know we are not world beaters and are not going to win cups every season but we want to see players with heart and passion who want to wear our shirt and sweat blood and tears for us and David Raven is this kind of player. I for one feel Hughes is forgetting about the essence of our club and taking us down a road many of us will not want to follow.

It's nice to see everyone coming together to stand up for one of our most universally liked players. He's never let us down and represents our club well on and off the pitch. A warm, welcoming, happy, familial workplace environment makes a huge difference to any professional, and has been a hallmark of our success over the years. It's almost part of our clubs identity. If managment start treating our players like garbage, as in this case, all of that will unravel. Brewsters aloofness and callous man managment was his undoing. Sadly Yogi looks like following in his footsteps.

Hughes is quoted in the P & J as saying that Doran is his main priority once he has sorted out a new deal for Tansey. I've no idea what kind of wage Raven might be on but I can't imagine it would be one of the highest at the club. I'm pretty flummoxed by this bizarre episode. If money is tight and we can only afford to retain a certain number of defenders whilst strengthening the forward line (fair enough on the surface actually) surely you keep your best defenders which to pretty much everyone on here would be Tremarco, Warren, Meekings and Raven but Hughes seems to prefer playing Devine at CB and Meekings at RB thus squeezing out Raven. Very odd. Of course there is the real possibility that the whole wages thing is just a cover story for the fact that Hughes just doesn't like the guy. As others have said there are slight similarities to Tokely and Munro leaving but I would say that they were a bit more past it than Raven but for the most part Butcher was better at sourcing replacements. With Hughes I just don't trust his ability to source out adequate replacements for when we lost players. As Renegade (I think) mentioned, given the difficulty we have in getting players to come up here we find ourselves with a dependable, competent right back, who wants to stay, is part of our best defensive line up and is unlikely to command a high wage yet we are looking likely to release him. Mind boggling.

Well that was awful viewing. Essentially saying that he doesn't really want to keep Raven keep but maybe he will but only as a last resort. What an awful message to say to the fans and the players and what an awful way to treat a loyal player to this club.

OK - I'm going to stir the pot here. Yogi implies that his priorities are (1) Doran (2) extended contract for Tansey - if these fall through, he might entertain something for Raven... If he's lucky. Here's what I'd suggest as an alternative (controversial!): 1. If there's an offer on the table for Tansey, sell him and put the alleged £200k in the kitty. 2. Sign Raven on an enhanced salary because he's worth it. 3. Forget about Doran - he's allegedly the Highest earner at the club and we have no idea what he'll be like after a terrible injury. 4. Use the earnings from Tansey and savings from Doran to bring in a decent front line and attacking midfield. Note: I really like Tansey and Doran, so this is not a reflection of their quality, BUT, if we are going to lose players, I'd prefer them to go for a fee (Tansey) or because there's an injury doubt (Doran) than on a free (Raven).

That was effin awful viewing. He does not seem to know we are playing Sunday not Saturday as he suggested more than once. Spinning plates is truly awful patter even in the world of sales (which I'm in) All faith ( for me )is lost in the guy now which is a shame because after last season the potential was there however, his dialogue is truly awful and like it or not it must transfer directly to the dressing room and player morale. Finally I'm willing to guess that this top quality up top he is sacrificing our best players for will in fact going by his previous signings be utter shi...dross

Spot on - to say this publicly shows a really poor grasp of man management. Even if by some miracle DR does stay how much respect will he have for a manager who effectively said he's not good enough to stay? The momentum and feel-good factor generated last season has been totally undone. Partly this has been beyond the Club's control with injuries and key players going on to bigger and better things. However the Board seems to have gone AWOL and JH has got carried away with his own hype and is increasingly making baffling tactical decisions and clumsy statements. Someone at the Club needs to be man enough to tell Yogi to take the blinkers off.

Like other posters, I hope this gets resolved and Raven stays. There are two images I will never forget: 1. The sheer joy and surprise on his face when he scored the winner in the semi against Celtic. 2. Whilst I was sobering up in Glasgow so only saw it on You Tube, his leading of the singing at the celebrations after the final. I agree, let's make "Stand by me" our song for the rest of the season!

Sat 23 Apr 2016 Felipe Morais, recently back from long term injury, scored his first goal of the year for Bradford City in a 4-0 win against Walsall in EL 1.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

So basically depending on what donkeys Huges unearths Raven may or may not get a deal. Raven must be pretty unhappy with the manager. Time surely for the Chairman to step in here. At least Raven knows the fans value him

Shoes Hat Pants?

The green dots for this post reflect the feelings of fans. I dread to think what our season ticket sales and gate receipts will be like next season.

Gregory Tade scored this evening (23 Apr) for Steaua Bucharest in a 3-0 league win.

Will there be a special guest speaker? I seem to recollect John Hughes turning up for it once.

If hes sacrificing 2 or 3 players like raven for someone quality up top, im expecting a quality striker coming in on record club salary. While we know up front its been light this season should we not be reducing holding and defensive midfielders instead of getting rid of our only natural right back. This all suggests he is keeping horner but more worrying who else will go.

Plumbing the depths?

From the horse's mouth....

Rory McAllister misses penalty, then sent off, for violent conduct, all within the first 11 mins in today's match for Peterhead v Ayr.

I might be slightly blinked in that I like Raven, i have to say I find the way we do business is bizarre to say the least. It is as difficult to understand as is the way we play and who we use. I am not sure but since our last assistant manager left our forward play has been chambolic. I will be pleased when this season is over, we went from a dream team to a chambolic team albeit we did lose players.

Just for context, although it is going a wee bit OT, Hughes says that "the first thing" he wants to do is "tie up Greg" (oo er) as he is pivotal to the way ICT play and although he has a year left of his contract Hughes wants to tie him up and "committed to the club." He continues "after Greg we're probably looking at Aaron.....another who excites me at the top end of the pitch." For Raven Hughes says that "No decision has been made.....we're sitting waiting to see where we are going to finish.....it seems very unlikely he will get something......I want to invest in the top end of the field.....someone has to be sacrificed......I'm not saying it's David but it might have to be."

Totally agree - some of the comments in the press which are assigned to Hughes are mind boggling. Of course they could be taken out of context but as a player or board member I would be pretty disappointed to be reading that type of thing in the press this morning. If this is Raven's last season with us there are better ways of going about it. Potentially looks like we will be back to another pre-season of scrambling around for players to make up the numbers in our squad. Maybe we are just seeing another step in the great unravelling.

Ah, missed the Doran comment. I would hope Doran will be signed on a reduced wage. Big gamble given his injuries. Can't see many clubs after him for this very reason

The Club is bigger than anything and anyone. Has anyone tarnished the name of the club by their recent actions ? Just as I was falling into the depths of despair salvation has come. We still have Tremarco's left arm. Oh No - think again ? Was that the arm that dragged somebody back in the cup final ?

And where does the journalist get his facts from if not from sources, be they official or unofficial, associated with the club?

True fans will always have a relationship with the club but I agree it could be a turning point or tipping point for the manager.

This decision has nothing to do with finances. Raven seems to be a good honest professional who has done an outstanding job for us and would continue to do so. There is a definite link between our average performance this season and Raven's absence. This decision is Hughes doing and could be a turning point in the fans relationship not only with him but the Club.

Strange how every player in that photo has left us

Fair point, DD, but again you question the merits of voicing this in public. If I were DR, I'd sign my pre-contract with County immediately: The undertone is "we'll only sign him if our other targets turn us down and we have to scrape the bottom of the barrel". Well, thank you very much indeed - I'm glad you value my services so much!

Hughes is not saying he definitely won't offer Raven a contract but clearly he is not going to if he is successful with his other signing priorities. Leaving aside his stated priority for quality up front, he still only has 3 defenders signed up so there is a need to do some work on that front. Devine is not signed up yet so presumably Hughes thinks Devine as a centre back and Meekings at RB is a better option than Meekings in the centre and Raven at RB. That's not my preference for sure. But even if you accept that, where's the cover? Is he planning on having all our defensive cover coming from the development squad? However you look at it, it makes no sense not to offer Raven a contract. Interestingly, he talks about finishing as high up the league to get that bit more money in. So just how tight are the club's finances after last year's success and the sale of Christie? There certainly seems to be something worrying about the financial position. Perhaps some contracts will be signed once survival is assured as players will not want to commit to the club and then find they are playing Championship football next year. Even more need, therefore to ensure we win on Sunday. Maybe then there can be something confirmed about David's future.

Aye. Looks like he's being ousted to make way for forwards. Personally I'd have dumped Horner and kept Raven but I'm not the manager

...and yet he is happy to spend money paying wages to defenders far inferior to Raven both in terms of reliability and commitment.....

I would like him to stay. Devils advocate though means I cannot be outraged because I do not know the full picture. As fans we only get a glimpse of things on a Saturday afternoon, we do not know the financial situation of contracts, attitudes at training, personal relationships amongst players, potential replacements available. David has said he would like to stay, im glad this is case. I don't know the club reasons for not offering a new contract but I presume there will be one. We may find out we may not. This is the way football is. If we are struggling next season then fans can blame the manager/club for poor decision making, if we have an excellent right back and a successful season noone will talk about the decision to release Raven. If I'm honest I think the first scenario is more likely but time will tell.

Think you have got it bang on. Maybe time for the Chairman to stick his head above the parapet and re-assure us with his vision for the future.

Another pic of Raven in happier times! Looks like the last 'survivor' from this photo is also on-his-way. This photo is from just 12 months ago (almost to the day!)

Quite possibly three of the most passionate players ICT have had but sadly it doesn't appear to tick any of the boxes at the club :-( .. Any update in today's press re David Raven ?

Unlike the message from public enemy - they do believe the hype. We seem to suffer from managers having some success or taking the club forward with plaudits from media and peers then they seem to go off the rails and become ego maniacs. Rather than continue their initial philosophy and humility which brought success they become so hungry for more they end up destroying what they built or inherited to promote themselves further.

The Tokely and Munro situation was similar yet different, both were stalwarts and club legends who had given so much, but both were past their best and fading fast - it was never going to be an easy decision or time to move them on but had to be done. Raven however is still performing at the highest level and has consistently done so since arriving with probably another 2 years left at least.

Hopefully not another summer of awful trialists and vague comments in the press about the lack of money then...

A picture is worth a thousand words

This is yet another shambles from the club. Yogi said the day before or day after hearts game that Monday passed was the deadline for players to re-sign and now it's Friday...nothing's happened! Polworths deal was supposed to be competed last week and it hasn't. It's seems the club has been bullied into waiting for players as they've become desperate for them to resign. Then of course there is the story that the club are going to release David Raven...one of if not the best right back we've had to date and it's not like he's passed it. And he's one that wanted to sign, seems that the club officials have totally lost the plot this time.

Gellions are running a bus for the Partick Thistle Game. Please contact the Facebook page "Gellions Bar ICTFC supporters Club" If interested. Thanks

Absolutely gutted by this news, if true. I must admit I had a 'feeling in my water' that it might happen, only due to the inordinate amount of time it was taking. I feel sure Raven would have been good for another couple of years, and I doubt very much that we've seen the last of him in Scottish football. I'd hate for him to end up at one of our competitors, especially 'over the bridge' He has been a great servant and will always be remembered for, amongst other things, his great extra time winner against Celtic in the Cup semi. I'm sure we will all wish him well.

I would expect to start seeing more of Horner playing, JH seems to be keen to oust some of our key players over the last few seasons in favour of those he is bringing in whether better quality or not - similar to his match tactics he is becoming more stubborn in his approach at the club. Very disappointed to see DR leave, but really comes as no surprise - he has been a great player at RB and really made the position his own - I will be even more gutted if he goes to another SPFL club which I'd say looks probable. He will forever be remembered for running into the box and scoring the winning goal to get us to the Scottish cup final.

Raven hasn't left! Oh, and I think that might be Tremarco's tattooed arm?

As we all know Hughes likes to emphases keeping these developments in house (most of the time), but here he's almost thinking out loud about Raven's future. Is it really as he says? I doubt it. What his comments say to me, is that this is a definite invitation to other clubs to him sign a pre-contract. He wants another club to swoop in and sign him so he can turn round and say 'Nothing to do with me, it's out of my control'. This is a pre-planned move by Yogi, no question about it and I for one think far less of him because of it.

Having read the BBC article all I can say is that John Hughes hasn't got a clue. Nothing he says ever makes much sense anyway but in this case he is totally wrong. I can only hope that he realises the error of his ways and offers Raven a contract NOW.

Ok, so in relation to this thread..... .... what would you prefer, for instance, in a situation like this? Information created by a club, or information gleaned and processed by professional journalists seeking the facts?