Leaderboard

Can I just say, following the U18's on Twitter is fun, and beats reading any more tiresome bickering about the board: https://twitter.com/ICTFC Go, lads!

To kick it off I doubt whether any of us, even given the availability of a Tardis, would have changed one bit of the post merger histories of Caledonian and Inverness Thistle - from the agonies and soul searching of the initial post merger years through the unbelievable climb up the leagues, the momentous giant killings en route, culminating in a Scottish Cup victory and a surreal jaunt, albeit brief, into what many of us would have termed the UEFA Fairs Cup. As we progressed we were undoubtedly abetted, financially backed (perhaps saved) by injections of cash by a number of previous Board members and one in particular. But to me the Boards were blinded by the light, they spent in an attempt to try and secure a position which was probably well above our potential without a bonafide Sugar Daddy. To me their biggest downfall was that they were "weak". They rolled over like starstruck puppies when played with by the likes of Brewster, moreso Butcher and again by Yogi. Three very big egotistical control freaks. To me Brewster had many positives but he was aloof. Butcher is a textbook narcissist which augured well at the off. We will never be associated by a bigger name in our history. He became the Mr ICT of the media and he wallowed in it. He brought in players through his name and reputation and was abetted by the one of the best scouting system ever in Scottish football. But he was ruthless and his personality scared the crap out of the Board. He probably started off our rise to the top but he also put us on a perilous financial slope. When the Board had a fit of realism and tried to pull back the reins he fecked off and in true narcissistic fashion didn't give a feck what he left behind. So what did the Board do. They brought in a manager in the same vein and allowed him to repeat the process. Although it was feckin great and he also had his strengths. But we continued to overspend and whos fault is that ? Now that is why I get so frustrated over the criticism of the current Board. Yvonne Crook knows more about Marks and Spencers shopping ranges than football. Graham Rae probably thinks penalties are called free throws and you get three points for scoring a free kick from outside the designated box. They were brought in primariy to sort out the finances which is evidently a rotten and difficult task which probably annoys many at the Dump. But they appear to be getting there. Robbo is forthright and has a more personable and stable personality. He is a true communicator and knows his limits. Why is he still here ? Shure the Board were lacking in the communication skills but they have taken on Board people to carry out those roles for them. They take a back seat and let Robbo and the locally sourced Backroom staff to instill the "play for the shirt mentality". Scotty alludes to the future ambition. Of course it simply has to be an eventual return to the Premiership but stabilizing the finances and solidifying a place in the Championship has to be the initial goal. We have become accustomed to success but perhaps the realization is that a return to the Premiership may take a number of seasons and is dependent on an influx of extra finance. MERRY FECKIN XMAS

It was a really interesting session with Robbo last night. He was honest and forthright and didn't duck any questions. In addition to the excellent summary from ICT-Stew, Robbo spoke of his concerns about the pitch which he described as "gone". We can see that with our own eyes and there are clearly major decisions to be taken by the Board in relation to that. Interestingly he referred to the astroturf facility the Rugby Club have and he described that surface as "magnificent". In talking about finances he indicated that he has reduced the wage bill by over £1million which seems an astonishing amount for a club of our size. He also says he has cut down on payments to agents from about £100k to just £9k! I like that! But with no regular investment (donations) coming into the club, he felt there is a need to do more to attract people, particularly young kids to the games. This may be an area where the Supporters Trust can work with the manager to explore various initiatives with the club. On the player front, he said that Angus Beith was now just a couple of weeks away from being ready for selection. We'll keep our fingers crossed that it will be worth the wait. Also, OFW is back and whilst he apparently would prefer to play in the States, nothing has come up yet which he wants to sign up to. If nothing by way of a loan deal for him comes up in January then he would come back into the squad as our highest paid player (I think) until his contract expires. In that case, young Daniel Hoban would likely go out on a loan deal. For me, the over-riding message was that the club has to be realistic about the kinds of contracts it can afford and we all need to understand that we are very limited in terms of the kind of players we can bring to the clubs. Seasoned pros, particularly those with families to relocate, simply are not going to move up here for the wages we can afford. We therefore need to attract younger lads who show potential but who, for one reason or another haven't quite made the grade elsewhere. We have to accept that if they make the grade here, then likely they will move on to in due course. The other route is to develop our own and he spoke with great enthusiasm about the youngsters currently coming through the system. As I say, a very informative and interesting session. I am sure he will be willing to come to Q&A sessions again and I can assure you, it will be well worth the effort to come along and hear what he has to say.

It seems quite amazing that the "previous board", whoever that encompasses can leave a veritable trail of destruction in their wake and not be held accountable for doing so. These were people who ran their own business but yet seemed to leave the business brain at the door when they enter TCS. Did any of them run their own empire in this manner? No would be the short answer. Chicken and egg - quite honestly, if the club had funds I would be suggesting that the individuals concerned for this situation be pursued and held accountable personally. There is an obvious concern for any incumbent directors if the club gets into financial difficulty as you need to then disclose your involvement in any business which has gone into liquidation etc going forward - most of the new board have inherited a sh1t storm which is not of their own making. On the plus side, I always find Robbo to be very direct at player sponsor evenings and he never ducks a question if he knows the answer - respect for that - and his comments seems completely in line with what most of us are thinking. To be left with OFW seems bizarre and again a legacy of the ludicrous contracts issued by the "old board" - were they blinded by a season of success where the stars aligned for us for once??!!

The boys have to be in bed by nine with school the next day.

Copied from a post on P&B Some 2nd hand info from the fans forum last night; Polworth will have to take a pay cut to stay on next season. Mulraney's contract from the old board was mental, apparently if we didn't get rid of him, he had a clause in his contract where his wages would double. Contract's handed out by the previous board had some mental clauses in them in general. The 'Bank of Dingwall' gave us 100k for Draper. We were in for strikers who are currently playing in the Championship, wages agreed but agents scuppered the deals wanting their 10%. We offered one particular player £600 a week but was told United 'offered double'. Extremely hard to attract established players, we had to approach young, single players with no central belt ties. Hence Rooney, Walsh, Chalmers. We are 6/10 in terms of first team budget. Those with a bigger one are United, County, Partick, Falkirk and Dunfermline. We can never get the Highland Football Academy as County block book it whether they use it or not. Robbo is against using Hearts youth players on loan as they probably won't be better than we have and if we did use them, it would **** off the signed players. Plus is is extremely excited about Danny McKay and Roddy MacGregor.