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Hi everyone, I’m Jack, I was the Kitman for Caley between 2015 and 2022. To see where this club is going just saddens me. Unfortunately I was part of the relegation from the Premiership in 2017 and was part of the sides that just couldn’t make that final hurdle to get back up for all those years (I’ve always believed that the season that was curtailed by Covid we would have got promoted through the playoffs). I feel so sorry for the members of the back room staff, who I still call friends, whose futures at the club will be in serious doubt now. I know for sure that if I was still at the club there would be no chance of me relocating to Fife. Who knows how this move to Kelty will go, I’m pretty certain having been involved in dressing rooms for over 10 years that it will be incredibly difficult to instil a strong team spirit at a training ground that to the players will feel like being a stranger in someone else’s home, 140 miles away from the city you are supposed to be representing. I loved working for Caley. I loved how relaxed it all was, how kind everyone was. It felt like a place where everyone looked out for each other. I know it’s cliche but it really did feel like a family. It was never perfect but you felt like you belonged to something that mattered. Somewhere along the line all that has been lost and that breaks my heart. I hope it all works out for the best and the club can return to something resembling an institution that Caley fans can be proud of. Unfortunately right now, I just can’t see that happening anytime soon.

No we can't! Why would any central belt player choose to join a club which requires players to face a 3 hour journey to play "home" games followed by a 3 hour journey back - in the middle of winter? We will only be able to attract central belt players who can't get a contract at a club which is based in the area where the ground is. And we might not be able to afford to offer them as much as we would if we were based at home. Apart from the significant loss of gate money that this absurd plan will result in, there will be significant additional costs in hiring the facilities at Kelty and in relocation and travelling costs. More importantly, this move will likely mean we can only sign central Scotland based players. Players who are currently based in Inverness won't want to move South in order to play for Inverness! The idea is preposterous. Players from elsewhere are not going to relocate to the central belt to be close to the training facilities of a club which is actually located 3 hours away. We will be a team stuffed with central belt rejects with no connection with Inverness and who will be off as soon as they get a better offer. The absurdity of this is compounded by the fact that central belt players have never featured particularly strongly in Inverness teams over the years. Dip into your copy of "Milestones and Memories" and look at the biographies of the 25 players who made the most appearances for the club up to 2019. Only 3 came to us from central belt teams (Barry Wilson, Bobby Mann and Mark Brown. Also, Mike Teasdale came to us from Dundee but he was from Elgin and wanted to play closer to home. We had 2 or 3 from Aberdeen (e.g. Dennis Wyness) but most were either local or were signed from English clubs. Other key players for us over years who didn't make the list include David Raven, Jonny Hayes, Adam Rooney and, of course, Billy Mckay, who were all signed from English clubs, and local talent in the form of Ryan Christie and Mark Ridgers. Of course "Milestones and Memories" is a great reminder of all the brilliant achievements of this club before Gardiner arrived. Top of the list has to be winning the Scottish Cup. It is worth noting that only one of the entire matchday squad (Danny Devine) joined us from a Central Belt club. Our club has never relied upon Central Belt players for its success and there is no reason why it should now. To embark on a strategy which will likely mean we can only recruit Central Belt players, and then only those who can't get a contract elsewhere, seems to me to be the height of folly.

All opinions are valid. An echo chamber is never a good thing. If you feel the current regime are right with their stellar record of - failed concerts, failed live streaming, awful commentary on said live stream, alienating the volunteer media team, souring the relationship with the local authority, failed battery farm application, employing Robertson as a Sporting Director (we're still paying him) where he did virtually nothing, extending Dodds' contract then sacking him 6 games later, promoting Raise the Roof and then closing the stand, releasing a WATP orange strip on the 12th of July, paying Ferguson £4k a week with a past record of failure (then failed to keep us up when the manager we turned down kept his team up), failed hospitality, ignoring and alienating the Supporters Trust, damaging our reputation with local businesses, having our lowest finish in a quarter century, stopping all family activities like Christmas parties and end of season events, not having player of the year, having no openness or even basic communication... If you think after all they've achieved in the last 5 years, they're the ones who have the answers, that's your perogative.

WTF! Two days offline and I can’t believe what I’ve just been reading for the past hour - I’m in classic ‘You cannot be serious!’ John McEnroe mode. I’m having trouble digesting this and getting my head around it as so many of you seemed to have on Friday so can’t put together any coherent thoughts. At the moment all I feel is numb and far worse than I did after the abject defeat and relegation last week - I’d been resigned to that fate for some time. All I know for sure, right now, is that I’d rather follow my team as part-timers in a lowly league than this proposed version of a disjointed central belt club playing in ICT shirts with no relevance to the loyal fan base or community. These muppets are killing our club, we must do something to fight them!

Caley , Inverness, Thistle , jags call it as u like . Much more going on the now than being petty .

Nobody is disputing that it is hard to get players from the central belt to move to Inverness. But given that our previous success has generally been achieved with very few central belt players, that fact that central belt based players don't want to move here is simply not the massive problem that the club are making it out to be. But however big the problem actually is, adopting a model which relies on recruiting central belt based players who don't want to live in Inverness, whilst effectively precluding players who do want to live in Inverness, does not seem to be the solution.

Never thought I would say it, but I am coming round to the same point of view. My view has been that whilst I may disagree with much of what the management are doing, it is important to support our team on the park. The team on the park should be the focal point of the club, but if these awful plans get implemented, the players on the park will have very little to do with the club or the area in which it is in. They will live and train down south and be bussed to and from the stadium every 2 weeks like a bunch of mercenaries. They won't be OUR team. Why should I pay money to fund something I strongly disagree with? My season ticket money (and more) will be available to the club when those who are currently ruining the club are out of the door.

It is the Board who need to take stock here. If the massive negative reaction to the Kelty project does not persuade those ICT fans on the Board to get rid of those who are bit by bit destroying this club with their repeated failures and their total disregard of the needs and views of the supporters, then there is little option. I am sure there will be protests, but I am not putting my money into the club to see it used to fund projects which further damage the club. Supporters' money will flow into the club when those who are currently destroying it are gone. If the current Board members want to save the club, they know what they have to do. They should have done it long ago. Withholding money will maybe help concentrate their minds. I'm withholding my money to save the club, not kill it.

If any journalists are reading you can have this one on me. SuperCaleysBatShitCrazyKeltyPlanAtricious

I also hear you but I'm done with the whole s**t show. I'm not contributing one penny to the madness they've created

Drake posting on here like Hello, my name is…. mr Renidrag, yes that’ll do.

Someone's sounding desperate. Resign before YOU kill the club. At least the fans would then have a chance to undo the mess you've created.

Sorry. Its too late. Even if this decision gets reversed tomorrow I'm probably done. Supported the club in 2 guises for a long long time and have never felt so disenfranchised from it ever. Been building up for a while now tbh with the CEO and board not giving a thought about us at all whilst gambling the clubs future. Withholding my money is the only power I have so will not be spending a penny in the near future.

Doofers Dad makes a great deal of sense every time he posts. Perhaps the pathetic individuals on the board should take a good look at his comments and come to their senses before it is too late. Our club will be a laughing stock in Scotland and beyond if this ridiculous state of affairs is allowed to continue. It is bad enough moving everything to Fife but what makes it even worse is that Ferguson and Gardiner are still there when it is obvious to almost everyone that they are the real problem.

Absolutely! You would think that would be the case. But was it? Imagine the scene. Whoever thought it up stands up in the Board room and says "I've had a great idea guys! Let's move our training base to Kelty!" The rest of the room is not going to say "Great idea!". They are going to say "You can't be serious!". Anyone is going to be sceptical on hearing this: look at the title of the thread! You would have thought that the issues raised on this forum would also have been raised by the Board members on hearing the idea. For the project to be agreed, you would have thought that detail was provided which satisfied the Board members that the positive benefits of the scheme outweighed any negative impact. As you say, the Board are all ICT fans and presumably want what is best for the club. So, given the massively negative reaction to the statement and the national ridicule it has received, why have they have not provided some detail from the analysis to allay the concerns? It is very hard to see any positives but very easy to identify a host of negatives. We have not had a peep from the club since this bombshell hit us. It is shameful. Just what is going on?

Well my friends, family and I have spent a small fortune on ICT over the years. This has dwindled as we have not been catered for in last few seasons with less opportunity to spend on events such as dinners, hospitality etc. Our CEO stated at the battery farm meeting that ST money only covers 2 months expenditure so if he is telling the truth the club should be just fine? However he did also state no clubs make a profit in the championship which is plainly untrue. Interestingly the ones that did make a profit are either fan owned or concentrate on being fan focused. The board took their eye of the ball and forgot about small income (which adds up) for Big risky projects. I am not against alternative income BTW and fans were happy to rally round club when asked to lobby Cllrs prior to the battery farm decision. I really don't know how we got to the awful state tbh. I just feel so sad.

It's with heavy heart that I will NOT be renewing my season ticket but as long as Gardiner and Co are still there I am not giving the club a penny more. They have trashed the club and this idea is crazy and will not work! I would rather watch our youngsters playing for the team at a lower level or if the club folds due to these clowns including other board members who agreed with this plan I might go and watch Clach.

Funnily enough, I have erroneously just been sent a draft of a statement due to be released tomorrow. It reads as follows. Dear whoever you are, I am absolutely delighted to announce that as the next phase of our planned strategic destruction restructure of the club and in response to a projected reduction in fan numbers following our relegation, we will be mothballing the North Stand for the coming season. Current North Stand Season Ticket holders will be able to buy season tickets for the uncovered, wind battered section of the main stand. This will ensure our loyal fans will be be royally p*ssed upon throughout the coming season. You will also be delighted to know that we are bringing in stocks of ponchos for sale in the club shop. These will be available at the reduced price of £10 thanks to the generous sponsorship of Kelty FC. Yours in Togetherness Ross Morrison You heard it here first!

I haven’t been to a home game since before the start of the Covid pandemic and only a handful away, the expense of the 1100 mile round trip is just too much for me these days. Consequently, I feel it’s not for me to have an opinion in the same way as a regular ST holder and not eligible to cast a vote in the poll. However, if I were a ST holder I wouldn’t renew my season ticket, I’d be boycotting home games until this toxic regime is gone. I feel strongly that this is the only form of direct action that will have any impact on this board, all they seem to care about is the money. Yes, it is a risk denying the club that income stream but we have to face facts, SG and his mates are killing our club anyway, it’s death by a thousand cuts. And let’s face it, if this plan goes ahead it wouldn’t really be our club you’d be spending your money on to go and support. They may run onto the pitch wearing ICT shirts but that’s as far as it goes, the spirit will have gone, they wouldn’t be part of the community that the club is supposed to represent. Only found out about this shambles today and still can’t believe it - all so very sad that it’s come to this, ultimately because of one man and the fools who hired him.

But if they didn't understand how strong the backlash would be, doesn't that show just how out of touch they are? If they couldn't anticipate the backlash, then it suggests they are unlikely to have identified the problems this plan will create.

I find it highly unlikely that will happen, the Chairman's statement speaks on behalf of the board. Anything otherwise will show a split in the boardroom and show that someone or more are going rogue. On the basis this took months of planning without even a slither of info leaking, suggests to me that the board is united in this decision and everything before it.

Well that was a waste of 7 quid for me to send a clown costume for him to the stadium via Amazon

Then more fool them if they continue to ignore the fans. Read the room. A sizeable portion of an already diminishing fanbase are saying they'd rather have no club than support the abomination it has/is becoming.

I found this quite funny tbh

I hear you but if the CEO et al decide to, effectively, cut off the food supply chain then the blame falls on them and not the fans.

Thanks for your post Jack I am sure there will be a lot like yourself who have been involved with the club over the years who will be wondering what is going to happen to our club. I can see you have your doubts as many posting on here I just hope with enough fan pressure this might change but I don't see the powers at be changing their minds.

Can't be bothered with politicians tbh. They're all only in it for themselves!

Politicians EH ! scratching around for votes. if he knew anything about camper vans, that would be handy to get the players up for home games.

I hear you, but my hope is that the club might be forced into action given the strength of feeling of its fans. The ceo has already contributed to a decline in the club’s revenue, through creating ill will towards the club amongst the local business community, and his latest proposal is likely to exacerbate that!

Not a decision I've taken lightly, having had a season ticket for 20+ years. I'm embarrassed at the way the club is being run and the only way I feel I can protest is by not renewing my tickets. I'll be back when the ceo and management are away.

Just thinking,the current Chair, CEO and board are destroying our club and identity.If all of them are happy with this move then we need to know, or is there any of them unhappy enough to call an EGM. Now aware of the extent of discontent,cognisance has to be taken of this body of strong opinion. Failing that,we as supporters need to act and all we can do is not renew our season tickets.This is the only way we can stop the demise of ICT.Surely if the board see that season tickets are dramatically down, they will rethink and U turn. Whatever the outcome of this latest debacle, the Chair and CEO need to go.We cannot just stand by and watch.

I can't take all the credit, much of it came from Sandy Sutherland on Twitter.

Although the recent Kelty nonsense has deflated me further I made the decision some time ago I would not renew if Gardiner is still employed regardless of other circumstances. I won't keep giving my money while that clown is in charge and bit by bit destroying the club. Scot 'WATP' Gardiner has made it abundantly clear he has no intention of listening to or trying to connect with fans, the Supporters Trust or anyone. The only power I have is to withdraw my custom. To do otherwise in my mind is to condone the direction he (and Morrison) are taking the club. I'm a busy bloke at the weekend anyway and have plenty other things I can do. Maybe even take in a Clach game or two.

I think the 3 main sources of funds in recent years have been season tickets, prize money and Ross Morrison who in some seasons may well have been the largest of those. Prize money in League 1 is obviously much less than in the Championship, cup runs are unlikely too, and our benefactor seems to be turning off the tap and making the club live within its means - so I suspect that in the budget for next season, season tickets will be a much larger proportion of revenue than before. Interesting about the fan owned clubs being the only ones not loss making. Is that perhaps simply because they have no choice but to live within their means, as there is not a wealthy shareholder to bail them out if expenditure exceeds income for any reason? Totally agreed with your final para by the way.

Me?! what am I supposed to resign from?! I’m just expressing my view as a season ticket paying supporter.

Unfortunately, I think there’s a bit of a Catch 22 there, DD, because this would mean that the club would lose those directors with the nous and common sense to see that moves like this are crazy, leaving behind a board even more devoid of talent.

This is such a controversial issue, that if any of the Board members were not in agreement with the majority decision and can't persuade their colleagues of the error of their ways, they should resign. If they were in agreement, then why? When it seems that just about everyone thinks the plan is absurd for a wide range of reasons, what is it that convinces the Board members that it is a good idea? The club statement says very little and there has been no subsequent attempt made to answer any of the concerns. The only issue the statement refers to is the difficulty in persuading players to move from the central belt - a fact we are all perfectly well aware of already. The proposed solution to the perceived problem looks unlikely to attract the calibre of player we would like, whilst actually making it far more difficult to attract players through the routes which have, over the years, produced our best and longest serving players. Board member Scott Young is the clubs designated Supporter Liaison Officer. Scott did have the guts to be out and about and chatting to fans both before and after the Hamilton game and that was appreciated by fans. So please Scott, will you do some more liaising now and address the numerous concerns voiced on this site and elsewhere?

https://www.change.org/p/keep-inverness-caledonian-thistle-in-inverness

Welcome intervention from a Jambo.

Absolutely no c**t of any worth will be signing for this club under the current shambolic regime, be it in Sneck, Kelty, or Timbuktu.

I was thinking exactly the same .. is there a season ticket option for the supporters bus I wonder

If it is D&E it will be empty coach down the A9, team coach up the A9, Team coach back down the A9 and empty coach back up the A9 for a home game four trips double the cost! And our local derby with Cove via Kelty to pick up the team! We will have to hire a team coach for home and away games so I think it will be Gardiners Coaches from Fife

Words fail me. We have one of the most loyal supports. A lot of us don't live in Inverness but do home and away games at considerable expense. Maybe start supporting the OF of you want a large noisy support? We are passionate about our club and are going to fight for the soul of if

You can keep on supporting it. We just don't want you running it.

I hate to break it to you that many Caley Thistle fans don't post on here at all. Many will read, many won't even bother. But times like this will make more quiet fans like me want to say something. I have no idea who the other two names are that you mention but i supported Caley and I have supported Caley Thistle since the merger. My opinion is not less worth than people who type words on a keyboard more often than me.

You have absolutely no idea what community means do you? it’s not just about being in the Premier league it’s about identifying with a club through thick and thin because they are part of your community. the way this has been done is actually the main issue I have. People who have been loyal to the club, people who have developed young talent, people who have supported through the years, all just ignored and this half arsed statement comes out. No one at club knew anything about it, none of the players, none of the youth coaches. It is the worse example of business practice I have witnessed. In one fell swoop they have pissed off fans, players, coaches and it’s all based on a hope that we can get ‘better players’. Did any of Ferguson’s signings or the style of play we had to endure give any indication that this would improve. Did it hell. It was rank rotten, his signings were awful, his man management abysmal and his overall performance pathetic - he drove a wedge between so many. Between himself and Gardiner they just do not get what being a Highlander is about. It is not pandering to the south and the demands of second rate players. Have some dignity

50 new members is very encouraging indeed. Lets get more. It's only a fiver which, in some parts of this country, is less than the price of a pint of beer. Strength in numbers is what we need right now. Just do it.

I have been an ICT fan since I was 7 (now 37) and I use to love being able to bump into the players in the town, down the shops (Paul Sheerin lived round the corner from me) and used to feel like I was in the presence of a celeb. Young fans now are not going to have that joy that I did and that sadden me. Having the players come round your school, take a training session of your school team was just amazing. What angered me the most with this statement was that the board were "delighted" to rip the heart and soul of OUR club and move it to Fife. They say that Inverness will always be our home - at least every other Saturday anyway. This could be the beginning of the end of my beloved ICT

If Grassa Fife etc have voted for this then I’m disgusted

Brilliant idea!! Why not take it a step further though, and come to a ground-sharing deal with Kelty. Then we can play all our home games in the Central Belt, and the away games won't be too far away, keeping costs down. Might be difficult for Inverness based fans though, but what do they matter!