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It's got a bridge, and no bouncy castle, oh Inverness...

If people want to have a curry and some cheap pisswater beer then head to Auctioneers on a Saturday afternoon. If you want a bouncy castle and face painting go to a party. A lot of this stuff seems to be dancing around the issue at hand which, in the most succinct way, is simply a lot of fans have stopped enjoying going to games because the team don't win as many games.

'Balls'. Well, quite. Since 2003, Ipswich's average league attendances have dropped from 25,433 to 16,272, so they are hardly the best example to cite of a club that has sustained its supporter base by developing the 'matchday experience'. Moreover, they are in, if memory serves correctly, the fifth most lucrative football league in the world, and so have far more scope to throw money at developing the various activities and attractions listed above. It's not just unrealistic to criticise ICT for failing to invest in a similarly wide-ranging matchday experience, or for failing to match the sort of 'value for money' that a vast business like Wetherspoons can offer; it's deeply, deeply unfair. I agree that more imagination could be put into ways of attracting supporters - the idea of allowing different food outlets to compete and offer more variety seems pretty sound, and @RedCard has some excellent ideas about flexipasses, for example. But this thread is full of people trying to justify their waning interest in football in general, or in ICT in particular, by placing it largely at the feet of the club, and a lot of it seems really disingenuous.

Don't forget the darts!

Sunderland I'm sure have a big offering. Rightly, the club has trimmed and cut and whatever else. But is there room for more ? Absolutely. Stalls: Harry Gow, Black Isle Bar, Tomatin, Loch Fyne Oysters, Loch Duart Salmon, Cairngorm Brewery, Spey Valley Brewery, Salar Smokehouse Flaky Smoked Salmon - how many are taking advantage of 2000-3000 people? We simply can't have central belt factories churning out pies if the by-line is community focused and also sustainable. Not ok.

I didn’t really know who my loyalty lay tonight as I am a fan off both clubs?❤️?? , I seemed to be the only one at claggan Park semi-enjoying myself ... atleast one of my teams were playing good football ?? not much opposition to judge against but Ricardo Calder was fantastic , it’s gonna be another long season for us fort fans ?

I really like this. Yes, once you take away the glamour and razzmatazz of Premiership football, Niculae-esque signings and Scottish Cup success, what are you left with. 1000-1500 fans. I will not write, ostrich-esque, what that level of support warrants. I will say that we are approaching a QoS and Morton model, and despite that, if Livingston can do it, then why not. The finances are worrying. Again, I'd prefer not to go there.

That's not my point though, my point is that if your income drops by £1.2M...and you make cuts of £1.1M then your shortfall is only £100k.....if you've had investment of £900k, then the financial position should be pretty good. I don't have the accounts to hand, but there was a healthy chunk of money in the bank account at the end of the last financial year as well, so unless costs have increased elsewhere we should be sitting on circa £1M. Why then is the Chairman stating that more money is needed? Something doesn't add up!!

Didn't see the game and only switched on the radio in time to hear Hearts first three goals. Only listened up to half time as had work to do but the commentators seemed to indicate that while Hearts were worth their lead, we were unlucky and had played okay. Whether these comments were accurate, I cannot say but perhaps puts a slightly different complexion on some of the comments posted. To have some posters virtually writing off our season is ridiculous. Results like this happen and our season will be defined by how we do in the league. Judge the team and manager on that performance. One thing that I would agree with is that I think our defence does need some work. I have only seen the Raith game but thought only Donaldson played okay that night. Changes needed for Saturday perhaps?.

My son works at Ipswich Town FC. This is what their fanzone consists of...…. No I don't know where we'd put it but great idea!! Search text FanZone Information What time does the FanZone open? 12pm-2.45pm for Saturday fixtures 6pm-7.30pm for Midweek matches How do I gain access, and is it free? Access is free with your match ticket When does it close? The Fanzone closes 15 minutes before Kick Off Will it be open post-match? There are no plans at present to open Post Match. What drinks are available? Fosters, Aspall Cider, London Glory Cask Ale, East Coast IPA, Bottled beer and a selection of soft drinks What food will be available to purchase? For Saturday matches we will have a variety of different food vendors for each match, these are advertised in advance. For Tuesday matches we will have Portman Pies available What else is there to do in the FanZone? We will be showing Live matches on the TV screens There will be live singers/bands, ex player appearances, along with some themed events which will be advertised in advance What is there for kids? Mini Football Bouncy Castle Face Painting

I doubt that having some noodles on offer at half time was going to keep pulling in the crowds up during our shocking run of form under Foran in 16/17.

Was bad enough watching it the first time around... I even avoided the STV news just in case. Gotta hope this galvanises the team into looking for revenge on sat otherwise were in for another slow start

This is all stuff that was done regularly before. Not sure about the current policies, but it used to be that any school could phone up and request tickets, the community department had tickets to pass out at kids courses for every home game etc.. The challenge for some schools is/was getting enough volunteers to accompany the kids...and that's not just with bringing them along to football, getting volunteers (from staff or outwith) is a growing issue. The 100 kids v players thing started back in Terry Butchers time....and wasn't even limited to 100 kids! The day was a bit more structured with skill stations and fun football challenges before having a mass kick around. Even better still, there was no need to purchase anything to qualify....all kids were welcome, regardless of whether their parents could afford to buy a shirt or not (or what preference they had for home/away shirt). D&E provided/help with transport for bringing in school groups. There was open training sessions where the team were put through their paces whilst the manager/coaches provided commentary over the mics...the first one of these we ever did had over 1000 fans in attendance, and it was pouring rain! Exclusive events for Season Ticket holders etc are great for adding value, but they should be in addition to the open, free offerings.....not instead of. Unfortunately, the "nothing for nothing" approach seems to be the direction the club is being taken down just now.