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Whether Drapers stays or not, this is the most radical overhaul of the squad we have undertaken in our history in a single close season. Very different from the last time we were relegated and retained our management and very nearly the entire first team squad including the prolific Adam Rooney. I hope that fans will bear that in mind and be patient without getting on the players backs early in the season if we do not get off to the best of starts. I would anticipate that it could take six to eight weeks at least for this new team with a new manager and a different style of play to gel and find their collective feet. We need to give this team at least until October before even beginning to pass judgement.

Ok time to swallow the bitter pill and get better. Our club has been run exceptionally well over the majority of its history. With a small fanbase, limited cashflow , and multiple financial external issues that have heavily impacted other clubs over the same period. The same external issues have resulted in at least 4? Clubs becoming bankrupt/ morally bankrupt over the same period. Rangers, dundee, hearts, hibs who were all almost rubbed out. (I am sure some pedants will correct this) We have taken bob a job players and developed the majority of them and created some classy footballers. Rooney, shinnies, draper, christie, watkins etc. As they developed they have contributed to stunning performances in league and cup . Stable top 6 team , europe , cup semis etc. We created a dread for teams coming to the stadium which we have now lost. And for several years (3)? were the biggest thorn in celtics side . Taking the most points of them in league. We have the best song in the world that always makes me smile 'bridge and a castle' Yes there are things the club could do better but endlessly knocking the people who have given their time to run the club does not help and is not healthy. Yours positively

I won't make any of the friendlies this year but I'm not bothered about how the players react to playing HL teams in what is usually a glorified training session. It must be a bit surreal for them. Last year we got all hot and bothered about Richie's team in the friendlies and then the shyte hit the fan when we started playing for real. We just scraped through the league cup group before getting humiliated at Alloa and the same at Firhill. See (some of) you at Forthbank.

There's already roughly a £200,000 difference between keeping and selling Draper - what's that, about a fifth or a quarter of our entire wage budget for the season? Easy to see why we might sell him and bring in several additional players, but hard to imagine that any of them could be of the same calibre and influence as the one we'd be losing.

We absolutely must not sell Draper. Simple as. 200k or whatever it is we'll accept for him is nothing in terms of what a sustained period in the Championship will cost us. He is by far our best player and someone we simply have to keep this season. Can we as fans show the board how desperate we are to keep Draper? We stood up over season tickets and look what happened. We just can't afford to lose our best player so late into the transfer window and the season kicking off in 9 days.

Watching the first half at Brora the doubts in my mind were synonymous with what I felt last year at the same match. even in the warm up the lack of cohesion and ambition was obvious, however It did pick up when Rice went across to them and got them organised . notables in the first half were Raven, Draper Baird Mulrraney ( though his play was sussed out and made to obvious at first) Oakley showed some promise but ran offside too often. Ridgers I am afraid filled me with dread with his mishandling of crosses in front of goal, flapping personified I would call it , positioning and drilling were much better .Esson however will have to find a solution to his handling of crosses, Ridgers is a tall lad and should be able to do an awful lot better in removing danger. Second half for the team was a different story organisation and cohesion came into play and we suddenly looked a very much better side, confidence grew as the goals went in and we started to look hungry. All in all comparing last year and this I am more confident of getting something out of this season, whereas last season I could not see any promise. Draper must be kept unless he himself is not happy being with us ' He is going to be the goalmaker and came close on two occasions to scoring #himself, I wont pick out notables from the second half because there was a different aura about the side and each contributed. That is, whatever it is worth, my summary of the way we played at Brora and the possibilities I could see for us this season.

Are we talking about the same guy who knocked an extra 10% off of the season ticket prices, extend the early bird closure dates, included the first cup match for free and offered a monthly draw for boardroom hospitality. There's been a lot of changes and the club probably needs a bit of time to sort itself out.

That's why it's good to have someone connected to the club and also local living. CC would have no great will to move away but could structure the make up of the club from senior to youth teams over several managers so that whilst we might change we retain a long term ideology and continuity.

There is no need for any general manager to have had any previous connection with the club. Indeed, if we can find a suitable candidate, there is a great deal of merit in bringing in someone with a more objective perspective and fresh ideas.

I have heard clarence seedorf to create an Ajax style school of excellence.....?

I really hope not, but suspect you may be right - worth offering Drapes a contract extension, to show how much he is valued & provide a bit more security for him & his family?

On the other hand, we could be optimistic and forward looking rather than dwelling on past errors.

I see Wrexham have officially signed Scott Boden so we can finally truly say cheerio to one of our worst ever strikers.

Or better yet we find out if the lad has a twitter account and all pester him to get his uncle to sign as well! Because we're a "family club" Oh and uncle Clarence would absolutely boss the Scottish championship even at 41.

How long are Riccardo Calders arms ?

Clearly no player at the club is, "not for sale", but selling Draper to County would be a massively negative move and would paint a very bleak picture in terms of emphasising the power shift in the Highlands. I very much hope we can keep hold of Ross but pray that he goes anywhere but over the bridge if he is departing. With regard to OFW by my reckoning we currently have six (6) goalkeepers on professional contracts; OFW, Ryan Esson, Mark Ridgers, Cammy Mackay, Daniel Hoban & Martin MacKinnon. Unless I'm misinformed and one or more of the younger lads have moved on? Seems like rather a sizeable number of keepers to have on the books at one time.....

It would be nice if OFW were to find himself a new club imminently to free up one huge wage and take the pressure off any temptation to consider county's mediocre offers

Definetly-there can't be anyone on here who would be happy to see Drapes go, whatever the fee involved is! I'm suprised that no other club is in for him-kinda expected him to be heading along the A96...or down the A9 to Perth...glad he is still here, long may that continue!!

If we had journalists willing to investigate and report the way our club is run then i wouldn't give a damn about their spelling.

Impressive gobbing technique, gets far more power and volume than most players at Championship level can muster. Great to see it in slo-mo.

The rapid increase of signings that appear from first glance to be more useful and dynamic players than signings made by both Yogi and Foran is starting to fill me with optimism for the season ahead. Perhaps Robbo coming back is a stroke of genius? Only time will tell but I'm starting to get really excited!

Sh! We're trying to hold on to him. Don't go bigging him up!

I would certainly have a fat chance of getting a wage from anyone if my spelling, punctuation etc. were as bad as yours!

There are just so many rumours flying about just now. I heard another one this morning, but because it's no more than a rumour and a well tried one at that, I'm not going to propagate it. Rumours tend to be like new manager predictions - 90%+ of them are wrong.

Something to do with bread?

If I win the Euro Millions tonight, I'm buying the club.

Sounds to me like the club are trying to show the fans a sense of fight and resistance, but ultimately I'd be surprised if there's not already an agreement behind the scenes. It'll all come down to whether or not Draper feels it's a good move for him, money wise yes... Top flight football yes... But to leave a club very close to his heart when they are in a great position potentially with the management of Robbo and the type of players he's able to attract and the strong liklihood of being involved with a team pushing for promotion and the attention that will bring... No! I don't think any of us know Drapers thoughts but reading between the lines I would say he's got far too much integrity and respect for ICT and the fans and himself, to simply hop across the bridge for a wage similar to what he's on now, especially when he's so obviously held in high regard by Robbo and the club

season loan this is the club press release: