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There seems to be a consensus here that:- a) Josh Meekings is a better central defender than right back b) David Raven is a better right back than Josh Meekings c) Josh Meekings is a better central defender than Danny Devine d) Garry Warren looks a better player when playing alongside Meekings rather than Devine and that therefore - e) David Raven should be playing at right back and Josh Meekings should be playing in central defence. Having said that. it has rather slipped under people's radar that we have the 5th best defence in the league. We may not be able to understand the reason for current selection policy but the fact remains that our defensive record is pretty decent this year. I think some people are being a bit harsh on Danny Devine. Sure he has made some errors, but who hasn't? He has also done a lot of good work. He has started in more games than any other outfield player this year and the fact is that we would not have the defensive record we have if he was as much of a bomb scare as some would have us believe. He's an important and valuable member of our squad and it is unfortunate, to say the least, that he is being given the stick that he is in order to support the campaign to keep Dave the Rave. The fact of the matter is that we have very little defensive cover. Williams can play at left back but he is off to Dundee. A back four of Raven, Meekings, Warren and Tremarco would leave only Devine and Horner as cover. Draper and Polworth can play in defence (albeit out of position) and after that we are down to un-tested youngsters. The bottom line is that regardless of where Meekings is better or whether Raven or Devine should start, we really need both of them in the squad. The Board's recent statement indicated that the budget for next season is similar to last season's initial budget which, in turn, was significantly more than any previous manager has had to work with. Unless Hughes has something a bit special up he sleeve, then I cannot for the life of me see any reason why he isn't doing all he can to keep both these players at the club. And remember, Garry Warren is 31 and Devine only 23. Looking to the future, a central pairing of Meekings and Devine could be a very useful central partnership for years to come. The manager clearly wants to keep Devine at the club and I would certainly support that. But we need Raven too. Come on Yogi - it's a no brainer!

Woaft !! That's a pretty stinging criticism of the manager from the chairman, along with delivering a demanding expectation of no worse than a 7th place finish this season and top six next! Awaiting developments.

'Amicable decision to part ways' perhaps? It's another dose of telt from the board to Hughes. Can't recall the last time we had this if indeed we ever did.

Also a little surprised at this. However, it's in the record books now - and it's another accolade for the club - Inverness Caley Thistle's 11th time winning the award: Craig Brewster 3 Terry Butcher 3 John Hughes 3 Charlie Christie 1 John Robertson 1

I could easily live with him ignoring the fans or even disliking us it's the increasingly poor way he is managing the players that bothers me.

Simon, (Bronson) has asked me to post this on the forum as he tries to raise funds for a great cause and one very close to his own heart. Please have a look and see if you are able to help him reach his goal. Thanks tm4tj See attached document SBCC.docx Simon Macdonald's fundraising page My page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimonMacdonald Thank you for visiting my virgin money giving page. I have decided to enter a charity boxing event with 'Ultimate White Collar Boxing' which takes place in Aberdeen on 11th June 2016. As many of you already know my son Lewis (in the picture) was involved in a horrific scalding accident in our old house which nearly killed him and changed all of our lives forever. This led to 20 odd operations under general anaesthetic, numerous skin grafts, MRSA and the amputation of a finger. He has recovered well and is an inspiration to everyone who knows him. Since the accident we have received amazing support from The Scottish Burned Childrens Club. They have done so much for us, inviting us as a family to a weekend every year where Lewis is able to meet and mix with other burn survivors. As a family we are able to offer and receive support from others who either are or have gone through what we have. Money is tight and all fundraising is ploughed back into the charity. I cannot put into words how much their support has meant to us. You can sponsor me by visiting the web page above or by filling in the attached form. I have chosen £600 as my target but would love to smash through that. I have chosen to take part in a boxing match as I have always had an interest in fighting but have never been brave enough to compete. I would also like to show that I have just a fraction of the fight in me that Lewis has, and continues to show. I am the un-fittest and heaviest that I have ever been, so this will be a challenge!! Thanks in advance. Simon

Hi folks, Sorry if this isn't the correct place to start this thread, please move it if so. There is a growing feeling in Scotland that the OBFA has failed and is criminalising chiefly working class football fans. Campaigns are being put together up and down the country and some of us believe it is time that we have a campaign against it up here in the Highlands. If anyone is interested in taking part in this campaign please get in contact with me - [email protected]

You've already got a quality player and one who has an affinity with the fans in David Raven and yet you're driven to freezing him out...

The awards will only be looking at events on the park and not off it so on that basis I think PerfICT sums it up well. 10 points out of a possible 15 ain't bad. But whilst acknowledging that on a results basis the award is justified, I think it is also fair to say that criticism of Hughes is justified on 4 separate but related issues. Firstly, with the players we have at our disposal we should have done better than we have. This year has seen the top flight as weak as it has ever been. Playing players out of position does not help. Secondly, the style of play has often be very negative and boring to watch. But apart from being boring, it is also ineffective which relates to the first point. When the possession at all costs approach is abandoned and we start being more positive going forward, we play better, we get better results and it is more entertaining. There are at least some signs now that this lesson is being learnt. Thirdly, Hughes has too often been critical of his players or the Board in the media and seems to lack the humility to take responsibility himself for the teams failings. Finally, he has been poor in the retention and recruitment of players. He bemoans the fact that we have lost the likes of Shinnie, Watkins and Mckay but he has failed to replace them with anyone as good despite having a significantly bigger budget than his predecessor. And despite the larger budget, he is having difficulty retaining some players and seems not inclined to sign others that fans clearly want to see retained. Manager of the Month maybe. But that does not mean he's a good manager.

A few folk have said we have the smallest budget in the league. Has anyone got the figures to show that we have less money than the likes of Hamilton?

It is fairly obvious that the relationship between the manager and the board are strained....that the relationship between the manager and many players are strained....that the relationship between the manager and the fans has become strained... Can anyone spot the common denominator ?

The above sums it up excellently, however the more time has passed and I've thought about it and seen how Raven has been out of the picture rightly or wrongly for the last few months, I do want to see more of Horner. I've been critical of him at times defensively especially when he made the 2 mistakes when we drew 2-2 with DUtd earlier in the season, but he does contribute well going forwards and gets into the box and dangerous areas. Devine while making mistakes has been overall steady, he is prone to the odd error but I do wonder if this is partly due to the changes around him, we have played Horner, Warren, Meekings, Termarco & Williams in various combinations this season and I'm not convinced that Fon Williams commands and organises the defence like Brill used to - last year Devine came in with a settled Raven, Warren, Meekings, Shinnie combo around him and I think its fair to say looked very comfortable at this level. I'm not sure of the solution going forwards as Meekings isn't the best at crossing and definitely performs much better at CB alongside Warren, but then where does Devine fit in - as above he is young and a player I think has shown enough that we should keep to try develop - perhaps having a settled configuration around him will help? Not having enough cover around the park is a concern though and if Raven is a high earner and his salary can be better used to bring in a couple of youngsters as cover or shore up the top end of the park then its a means to an end hopefully. We do have a lot of under performing players or those brought in who haven't stepped up but these were gambles and cover for injuries - with the budget next year reverting back to 'normal' levels then trimming is inevitable - its a shame as I think Raven can do a job for the next 2 years and play at this level but Horner/Meekings/Devine are at an age where they will only get better whereas sadly Raven will inevitably fade. I'll be disappointed to see him go but I do hope that Yogi appreciates what he has done at the club and gives him a game on Sat so the fans can show their thanks - its the least he deserves.

Good question DD, I don't think I would be alone saying I would be happy if that were to happen!

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/669042/Exclusive-Dundee-United-face-points-deduction-fine-fielding-ineligible-player-News-Gossip

As title says John Hughes is Manager of the Month for April

Oh sorry. I've read too quickly.

Can i be the first to congratulate utd on a quite brilliant substitution. Will we actually get that 3 points now?

Premiership Edward Ofere (Dundee United 3-3 Partick Thistle) Northern Ireland Premiership Curtis Allen (Cliftonville 3-2 Glentoran)

I got one last week for creating a Preview for Dundee United game. wtf. In fairness for some reason it was hidden, but that's not the way to notify us.

Interesting... http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/669042/Exclusive-Dundee-United-face-points-deduction-fine-fielding-ineligible-player-News-Gossip

Not moaning, it doesn't put me up nor down except when it makes no sense, that is all.

If I've offended someone by saying what I've seen the please tell me. If you are the steward in question....why are you partaking of a football fan forum when you clearly have no clue about football fans.....if people are red-dot ing because they agree that it's shocking behaviour then that's fair enough, but as said before and elsewhere, it's good to back up your dots! I get it when I say something that's an opinion or potentially divisive, red or green makes sense then, but here, I have reported on inappropriate behaviour of a steward????

Any excuse from the in laws to see me get a doing! !

I see it as a smidge of disappoint due to money invested but mainly as a 'where next' message, we are a top six club with top six aspirations and that's the plan for next season. We had a smooth flowing team last season and you could see it was all coming undone from the first match with a new striker who couldn't run and a winger whos main aim was to dribble past every player until he lost the ball, the fuidity was lost. Plenty of injuries on top and even more new players who don't have that inbuilt knowledge of our players abilities. I'm investing in a season ticket again.

Worked wonders??? Hardly..... He made the playoffs which is what should be expected of a club of Raith's size. JH kept us in the league which is what is expected of him, you do realise that even with an increased budget it is still the smallest in the league. yes it's been a topsy turvy season but he has done what was expected.... of course we want more, but hey, we weren't far away from top 6.... at the time of the split we were only 4 points off 4th and a potential European place (While Celtic were still in the cup) I mean its hardly the apocalyptic season everyone is making out.

Are we talking about the current manager of the month ?

In fairness to Hughes, April was solid (at least on paper) - good victories against Dundee United (a), Kilmarnock (h) and especially the elusive Partick Thistle (a) result, justifies the award, with only Celtic doing better. I would argue that the syle of play in some of these games was more direct, which might have been seen as a realisation from Hughes that the tikki-taka style is a non-starter, but the other 3 results would suggest that he will not budge from that philosophy: the Hamilton, Motherwell, Hearts and Dundee United (h) displays were horrendous on the whole - against DU, we went more direct after going 3 down and it worked...but too late! The message is there, JH: tweak your tactics to go a bit more direct and you get the rewards: play slow, turgid football to solely retain possession and we're scuppered.

The board are quite right to apply a modicum of pressure on the manager when results are sub par. Yogi has been taking a leaf out of the CC10 playbook with his expectation lowering, standard reducing, club downtalking shtick every time he loses. He's trying to move the goalposts on what constitutes success and failure to make it look like he's doing a great job at a mickey mouse club. The board are rightly pushing back against this narrative.

....and, given that scenario, there is a fair chance that we and not United would have the very promising Ray Mackinnon who has done wonders on a restricted budget and Kirkaldy and before that with even more limited funds at Brechin. I actually think that Yogi has some decent qualities as a coach but the negatives are increasingly coming to the fore just as they did after promising spells at Falkirk and Hibs. The trouble with JH is that he seems incapable of learning from his mistakes.

The digs at Yogi really aren't that subtle. It has been disappointing to see the manager having digs at the Board in the media but I would have thought Cameron would be above responding in kind. It really isn't good for the club to see this in print. What I find surprising in all of this is that the Board did not give Yogi permission to speak with Dundee Utd a while ago. Had Utd opted to make an offer to Hughes at that point then compensation could have been negotiated and there would have been plenty cash for a replacement. (Hughes salary + compensation) There now seems less and less chance that Hughes will be seen as a front runner in any job he may be interested in. Hughes will be due compensation if he is sacked and that would hit the player budget. I think Kingsmills has it right when he says Hughes will likely be here a while yet. I rather think Cameron will be regretting his own bloody mindedness in denying Hughes the chance to speak with Utd.

If Hibs loose to Falkirk or Killie and Hibs it in the cup I cant see them staying with Stubbs - a 3rd year in the 2nd tier. Maybe then we wouldn't need to find money which would make some fans happy.

Here's the article in full, as some may be restricted by the pay-wall. Am I detecting 'subtle' digs at Yogi?! Caley Thistle chairman frustrated to miss out on top six after increasing budget Caley Thistle chairman Kenny Cameron is frustrated by his club’s failure to earn a top-six Premiership place given the extra money handed to manager John Hughes. The Highlanders have operated with the highest playing budget in the club’s history, but missed out on a top-half finish for the first time in four years. Cameron said: “It’s been a very challenging season. We’ve had horrendous injuries from day one, but that’s not an excuse. We took more players in and backed the manager on that front, but things just haven’t clicked this season. We usually operate with a squad of 18. This season it was 25 or 26, so the manager has obviously had a fair bit more money. But these things happen. All in all it’s been a reasonable season, so if we can finish seventh we’ll be happy. We’re looking forward to next season and getting back into the top six. We’ll always look to be in the top six, so we’ll go from there and see where it takes us.” Inverness were in Europa League action for the first time last summer, going down 1-0 against Romanian club FC Astra, and Cameron reckons the early start may have played a part in Caley Thistle’s problems. He added: “We’ve learned the injuries come in cycles. It’s been about four years since the last time we had it this bad so hopefully next season we won’t have a repeat. It could have something to do with the short pre-season, the players didn’t get a lot of rest. In a normal pre-season they’d get about five or six weeks off, to have a good chance to recover. I think they only got 10 days off, which isn’t great preparation for the season. But would we change it for the experience we had in Europe? No.” With only eight first-team players signed up for next season, Cameron is eager to get contracts tied up as soon as possible, with offers on the table for defender Danny Devine, goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams and midfielder Aaron Doran. Cameron said: “We want it done as soon as possible. We’d like to get as much done as possible before the players head off. There is work to be done but things are progressing well.”

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/913746/cameron-frustrated-by-caley-jags-campaign/ Looks like conformation from the board of contract offers to Devine, Fon Williams and Doran. Also some other 'interesting' points.

In principle a good idea....would like to sign the Polish guy on the right but on past experience we are more likely to get the guy on the left....

Brill Raven Warren Meekings Shinnie Tansey Draper Watkins Christie Doran Storey Manager: Not John Hughes

Even if Raven wasn't playing, our defence would still be stronger with the Warren-Meekings partnership restored and Horner or even Polworth at right back. That pairing last season was the best in the country. It simply has to be restored. I can't help but think though that Hughes is simply doing this to spite the supporters. That's not good management, in fact it's the complete opposite.

Ex-ICT OTJ at CJT?

Joining the CJT Board ?

Same old same old from him I think? i think he's building in some excuses too-tansy is vital-so if we lose him he has an excuse to pull out of the drawer... frustrating to hear him bemoan funds yet again, even after the board have told him he's getting the same as last year!

Oh don't split hairs. You are Yogi's biggest critic on this board and the sooner you give him a break the better - for us all!

Well done Yogi good luck next season. I don't think Scottish Football has tipped over the edge into a farce - maybe it's people like you who never miss a chance to give the big fella a kick whilst supporting the "blazers".

Congrats Yogi keep up the good work next season

"I DON'T believe it!" But, Hughes will see this as justification/vindication/validation of his efforts recently - ta ta Raven.

Scottish football has finally tipped over the edge into total farce.......

Perhaps the persons who gave reds would man up and state their reason for such

Yogi never seems to bother about what the fans think - he hardly even acknowledges us these days. So I won't be holding my breath Wednesday or Saturday for David Raven getting on. Disgraceful.

Second time I've got a red dot for saying the same thing? Unless it's for showing negativity to the steward? no, I never tbh, didn't think anything more of it until I saw him having a drama with the young team. not sure about regular, but he was at the last home game too, took a bottle of water off a guy and tried taking a bottle of juice off a young lassie but he clearly didn't want to get into that minefield!

The budget is not the same as last years, note the wording " next seasons budget will remain similar to this seasons initial outlay" The word similar can be more or less and the reference to "initial outlay" excludes the costs of the additional emergency signings made after the start of the season. So the board and JH are correct in their assertions depending upon how you interpret them.

Had a totally random thought today, whilst surrounded by a lot of polish people... with attendance suffering and Inverness having a large Eastern European inhabitance, it may be prudent to sign one or two polish players? I remember when Boruc was playing for Celtic, a lot of Poles came to the TCS just to see him play. Obviously we couldn't afford a player of his stature but if their was a player out there who matched our needs and budget who was also a draw for 'new' fans then why not?

Also, go get them then.....?!?!!?!? Still no word of tying up th quality players we DO have. No word of Roberts getting an extension...nothing said about trying to keep Storey... is he expecting the board to source the new players as well as bank roll them?