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I'd rather gouge my own eyes out than discuss Scottish politics online and it's completely unrelated to anything being discussed so I'll leave your opening sentence to one side. We have had an absolute abomination of a season. Four wins is abysmal, unacceptable. There is no other team in Scottish football who have a record as bad as us. It's one of the worst seasons in recent SPL history, it's certainly the worst team we've had in the top flight. The idea that booing after a 3-0 home defeat represents fans being very quick to turn in the club is bizarre. I think our fans have been too slow to express how bad things are, mainly because of who the manager is. Listing comeback wins from the past is all well and good but we aren't talking about those games. We are talking about this team, this season and, based in the evidence we've got, relegation is overwhelmingly likely. We need to win about as many games in our final six matches as we've done in it's 32. I can't see anything in our recent performances to suggest that we are in the verge of a step change in how we play. I hope we do and the split can throw up unexpected outcomes but I'd say that we are odds on to go down.

It isn't the fans who have won four games all season or assembled the assortment of dross we have a first team squad. The idea that we have an ultra demanding fan base is laughable, plenty of other teams supports would've been baying for blood months ago. Fans should hold the team to the highest standards possible, not just happy clap along as the fat lady sings.

The NHS in Scotland is better than the NHS in England.

The poster concerned never lets mere facts and statistics get in the way of a dig at the democratically elected Scottish Government even when entirely irrelevant to the topic of the thread.

It's a statement that means 'Stop bothering us!' It's a ghastly situation. I'm convinced sacking Richie would solve nothing (who would want to replace him at this stage?) and I don't even think it would help right now for the board to sack themselves. Who needs that disruption when we have a handful of games to stay in Spiffle 1?

It still staggers me that Foran was kept on after that shambolic defensive show at Ross County on December 31st. He had 3 weeks to get an organised defence and blew all the beans on bringing back McKay. As much es he is better than Doumbuoya or Fisher, what we needed was a defence. That's been the case all season, and he hasn't bothered getting one. And the one player with a decent defensive mind, Draper, was sent up front, presumably to hold up the ball. Who would win the ball in the first place never came into the equation. A sorry state of affairs, and I would sack Foran at the split no matter what the result on Saturday. There'll be 5 games to save our skin mostly against other teams who have struggled, and an impact on the mindset is needed.

Nobody has given up.....but a lot of us are fed up.

Something that I've seen mentioned recently is that none of the players really seem to be taking any leadership in recent weeks either. No one like Draper, Tansey, Warren etc. (the more senior and / or experienced players) are trying to keep the rest of the sides spirits up and give anyone any encouragement. As soon as we concede a goal all the players trudge back to the half way line with their heads down. There seems to be a complete lack of leadership all over the pitch right now. I would love to be proved wrong on Saturday of course!

Precisely DD. The purpose of the STV story was to imply that, presumably following Saturday's latest setback, the board were going to take some extraordinary measure to consider the future of the manager. The club's statement in response in effect denies that any extraordinary measure is planned but that by no means excludes the matter being discussed during this week's board meeting. In fact, given the ongoing, deepening situation, it would be surprising if this WASN'T discussed. The other consideration is that if a need had been seen for emergency discussion, would that not have been more likely to have been at the start of the week, such as Monday, rather than right on top of a crucial away game? Again I get back to all the "bogus exclusives based on rumour" that regularly appear in football and "emergency board meetings " are pretty high up the list. I actually think that the statement that was issued was probably the best option available to the club. Speculation about the manager's future is probably inevitable but its very existence is actually damaging any chance of escaping from the current, very serious situation. As a result, the best strategy until there is something concrete to report - be that relegation/salvation or retention/departure - is to do everything possible to dampen the issue down to give the team the best chance for what remains of the season.

Before or after he relegates Raith Rovers?

Don't you think you have used the John Hughes card often enough! Let it go FFS

Whatever your view of Foran there is little doubt that his loyalty is to the club. By the end of his tenure with us Hughes's only loyalty was to himself and his bank balance.

Can't see Richie improving anything : he seems to be in denial mode.

Sustaining a Premiership team long term in a remote location with a turnover of £3-4M, crowds often struggling to reach 3000, relying on windfalls and asset sales, and with no current benefactor is a highly marginal activity. Rather like walking a tightrope (there you go - non-political analogy this time!) it doesn't take much of an error somewhere for things to go badly wrong and that's what may very well have happened this time. The nature of any errors can certainly be speculated about, but any inquest is best left until a final conclusion has been reached. Efforts are meanwhile best focused on maximising such chances of survival that remain. Getting angry about the situation isn't going to make it any better. If anything is remarkable, it's that errors capable of upsetting the tightrope walker which is ICT have been as infrequent as they have. Indeed the largely error free transition (one major exception) from the Highland League to the Premiership in 10 years and remaining there for 13 with just one instantly redeemed hiccup is what has been truly remarkable, and not that the odds this time appear increasingly likely to catch up with the club. I wouldn't perhaps go as far as saying that Premiership status has become taken for granted. However I do think there needs to be a greater awareness each relegation time of the "there but for the Grace of God go I" principle (religious analogy now ) which has often given Inverness Caledonian Thistle a hefty rub of the green in very marginal circumstances.

'To get the best out of what remains' do you not think it would be beneficial for the club (board) to make a defined statement then? Either stating they are backing the manager and have faith in his ability - thus stopping all the media pressure and speculation which is only fuelling the fan unrest with it? As you state highly important games yet there is a growing air of uncertainty now around RF so how can we expect the players to focus when they've struggled most of the season before the pressure really started to build - make a statement and put everyone's mind at rest so they can fully focus on what needs done on the park. You seem to suggest that the team is consistently not performing well, yet provide no position other than looking to prefer the status quo and have the board ignore the unrest and situation they have created. I have to agree with RiG there is a lack of leadership shown on the park and off it appears not much better - nobody seems keen to step up, show fight and take control of this situation.

That's all very well, but it's also somewhat revisionist. What "should have" been done is a matter of debate and you may well be right or wrong. However the reality is the situation which applies at the moment and that is a team which has consistently not been performing well sitting four points plus goal difference adrift of safety and with six games to go - three of these against the two sides immediately above them. What has happened can't be changed and the best possible course therefore must be to make the best out of what remains until a numerical conclusion is arrived at one way or the other.

".....to give the team the best chance for what remains of the season." Agree, but this team lacks confidence and desperately needs leadership - something which RF has not provided and doesn't look like doing so.

I would be happy to see him in charge for our remaining games. What evidence do you have that Brian Rice isn't capable of doing this job on a temporary basis?

So you would be happy with Brian Rice in charge for our last 5 crucial games? no feckin thanks!

The Board's statement said nothing. What is has done though is show us (me) very little confidence in those that have, effectively, put us in this situation. They really needed to take action here to correct their own mistakes in my view. They haven't done that from what I can see.

Just get them to call the Hospice, they have quite a few for sale!

A very odd statement. A few lines that say next to nothing and nowhere does it refute the claims about Foran's future being in jeopardy as was mentioned by STV. The title claims it's clarification....and then clarifies essentially nothing. Why put out a statement saying nothing? Just adds fuel to the fire. Might just be me, but the bit about everyone being focussed including the fans seems awfully like a backhanded compliment.

Cheeky git.. that would be me, AND I support Fort William too!

The Six Game Shoot Out League - Standings Pl W D L GD Pts Kilmarnock 0 0 0 0 -2 9 Ross County 0 0 0 0 0 7 Dundee 0 0 0 0 -1 5 Hamilton 0 0 0 0 -3 4 Motherwell 0 0 0 0 -8 4 Inverness 0 0 0 0 -7 0

At the moment, the only thing worse than being an ICT fan is being an ICT fan whose "English team" happens to be Sunderland......

So any prospect of bringing through any good young players for the first team is virtually nil. Lets just keep filling the squad with below average players from the Engish conference and bring in players on loan that are not good enough to play for their own clubs at the expense of our own youngsters.. Absolutely shocking news, the way the club runs their youth development is an absolute farce and needs completely overhauled, these guys should be the future.

i gave the Fish top marks for being the only player to applaud the fans who suffered til the bitter end. and apart from that, he actually, as always, worked hard and fought for every ball. a guy who has always given his all to the cause!

Certainly a defined and effective statement or indeed rallying call aimed at focusing minds in the face of desperate danger would be beneficial and very probably overdue. The main problem is that in terms of delivering it, Winston Churchill has been dead for over 50 years! To continue that analogy, this is like when the Germans were continually bombing the airfields during the Battle of Britain. One can only hope that Hamilton and/or Motherwell do Inverness a favour and make mistakes such as bombing London instead. One or two Churchillian exhortations wouldn't go wrong either though. Quite frankly, there aren't too many options left now and you can analyse what did, or didn't, happen in the past until you're blue in the face but it won't make one iota of difference. The ONLY options that remain are those which will maximise the points take between now and the end of the season - especially in the three games against Hamilton and Motherwell. I also believe that a certain sector of the Inverness fans need to take a look at themselves in all this. Constant undermining of players and management in various ways, including booing at matches, will have done nothing to boost confidence and morale. This is without doubt a "perfect storm" scenario where a number of adverse factors have conspired together but the reaction and to be blunt, the Holier Than Thou self-righteousness of SOME fans has most definitely contributed.

Agreed : and let's hope giving RF the boot is number 1 on the agenda. As I have said before, I would be happy to go without a manager until the end of the season. Performances have not improved and RF as far as I can see contributes nothing from the sidelines. I would love 11th place right now. How the feck did we get into this situation??

Course foran should walk hes gotta be the worst ever manager at a top flight club dunno who we could get in on a short term basis would like to see billy reid ex hamilton in! When we go down its gonna be a mare getting back up specially if the board persist with forlorn

Funny c#nt eh wasted talent u should be on stage! Your talking ***** bout reid as well the point i was possibly since i use a tombola to construct sentences trying to make was reid managed to get players from the youth team in playing and sold at a huge profit wheres our youth whys there development stalled

To the fan who decries and downplays Richie's past performances with ICT you need to take a close look at past videos. If you put the shirt on, your performances might pale into complete insignificance compared to what he has achieved in his career as a player. He scored some absolutely incredible goals and was an inspiring figure when in full flight--.i,e to those who were willing to learn from his example! Whatever has happened after his appointment as manager we may never really find out but I'm sure that if he DID get a strip back on he would not be making the mistakes made by some of our current team and would still be an example to his team-mates. It looks as if that will never happen so it's "grin and bear it " time. No wonder Billy looks totally exasperated, since he rarely ever seems to get the ball...... As for the Canadian brew, Molson Canadian is a very good one but now I find Ironhorse somewhat more pungent and it's brewed in British Columbia which helps.

Interestingly, STV made no reference at all to the club's statement on their 6pm sport bulletin.

That sounds a wee bit like the claim that the NHS in Scotland is OK because it is allegedly better than the NHS in England. What I am saying is that there are SOME Inverness fans, including those booing loudly at full time on Saturday, who have been very quick and early to turn on various parts of the club. One concern I have is that, notwithstanding the fact that the team's situation is indeed very bad, some fans are already assuming that relegation is inevitable so are demanding a reckoning now rather than at the end of the season. It's just as well James Vincent didn't come to that conclusion in the 2015 Scottish Cup Final, or the scorers of the four goals after Ayr United went 3-0 up or the team and management after Dundee built up a huge lead in 2010.