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We did not continue player sponsorship last season mainly because of this man. This site has sponsored a player for the last 25+ years, either personally by me out of my own pocket for the first few years, or via a group of the users on here, or sometimes both. We always tried to sponsor young local lads as they sometimes did not get the same attention as bigger names. We are proud to have sponsored Grant Munro through his entire ICT career, from youngster on the bench to club captain until he left ICT, and until last year, had been doing the same thing with Cammy Harper who it seems will unfortunately (for us but not him hopefully) take the same path and leave ICT. Once it has been confirmed that SG has handed his keys over and left the building for the last time, then we will be happy to have that conversation with the club about reinstating sponsorship of one or more players and will try to get as many people on board with it as we did before, provided the club are keen to work with all supporter groups and bodies (Supporters Trust, TWS, CTO, Travel Club, and anyone else) so we can all pull in one direction for the good and benefit of ICT FC. #TogetherNESS #INverNESS

Gardiner should have been sacked long ago. The Board have created a problem for themselves by trusting Gardiner and allowing him to have far too much control in the running of the club. Gardiner's management style is of the control freak variety. He has never wanted anything done without his say so. There are things which should have been delegated but which he would keep to himself. As a result, I suspect there genuinely are a lot of things which realistically, only he can do. For instance, we are due a club AGM and this had previously been administered by the Company Secretary. We haven't had a Company Secretary since April last year and I would imagine that it has been the CEO who has taken on the Company Secretary roles. There may be nobody else in the building that would know what to do, where to find the relevant files etc. On the other hand, the Board also know there are people who do not trust Gardiner and who will not put a penny into the club until he is finally out of the door. They will be aware that of all the loose ends to be tied up, he is the biggest. I would assume he has at least 3 months notice to work, but if the club is to move forward quickly in a meaningful way, he needs to be away before then. The Board therefore need to identify what "loose ends" there are which Gardiner needs to action and give him a clear timescale to get them sorted. They need to identify who will now carry out his former management roles. They then need to identify what information he has which needs passed to others to allow the club to function, and make sure it is passed to the relevant people. That should not take more than 4 weeks at the most. After that, he should be away on gardening leave for the rest of his notice period. Of course, if Gardiner was even a remotely competent manager, none of this would be necessary because he would have trained his staff properly and kept relevant staff appropriately appraised of issues. This should be routine practice in order that other staff can seamlessly take over the reins in the event of unforeseen absence. There should have been no reason for him to stay in the building beyond the day he resigned.

Those fans likely will dig deep but the devil will be in the detail. There is currently no detail. EDIT TO ADD: If I resigned at work, I would be walked out immediately regardless of notice period as I have access to confidential business info and full system access to many areas where I could do damage if I chose to. It's not that I would do that, it's the risk that I could do that which would have my bosses twitchy. Similarly, if sacked, the same would apply, and in both cases, keycards, computers or other company property would be returned and my computer access and permissions would be gone by the end of day at the latest. Any outstanding salary owed, or severance would be paid while on 'Gardinering leave' To say he is still there "tying up loose ends" begs the question of why? He is the focal point of fans' ire, and for good reason. He IS the loose end in most fans' eyes. What possible role could he be doing that is for the benefit of ICT when almost everything else we have seen has been farcical or far-fetched. If there is a valid reason, then fair enough - communicate that - I am sure there are some things needed before the season starts and perhaps he does need to keep those particular plates spinning ... but in all honesty, don't expect a penny from most fans when those same fans told you they would not put a penny in while he is still there.

Time for another book, Charles? Written from the fans' point of view, and titled "Against All Frauds"

A list of people that may have led/lead to administration (through their actions, to differing degrees): Graham Rae Ross Morrison Scot Gardiner Duncan Ferguson A list of people that did not cause administration fans ICT non-executives / staff Local businesses In terms of Kelty, that would have caused administration, but it didn't come to pass - as the Statkraft deal (worth over the lifecycle of between £1.4m-£1.7m) fell through. I'm surprised by posts saying 'fans/trust got what they wanted'. Over the last seven years, Graham Rae, Ross Morrison, Yvonne Crook, Scot Gardiner, Battery Farm rejection, Concert Company Ltd liquidation, Statkraft withdrawal, Kelty cancellation, Company House accounts overdue, Billy Dodds, John Robertson, Duncan Ferguson...and Ryan Christie having to buy footballs, it's the fans who get the bill because they expressed outrage alongside Duncan Shearer, Ryan Christie, Alan Savage, Roy MacGregor, Richard Gordon, Tom English, etc.? Don't distract from all that just because of a contrastive expression! Lenders - especially Ross - could automatically trigger administration, very easily. This Kelty chapter looks to be over. The next chapter, "Statkraft: the goose that didn't lay the golden egg" - is why Ross walked from both Chair and Director, and probably to move on to the next act: Lender. Gardiner and Kelty pale in comparison to what Ross does - or doesn't do - next.

I think the question needs asked to the club .. what keeps the wolf away from the door and then what do we need from folk going forward.. outside of what's expected from ST and Merch. I just think if there is a business model which is sustainable then the fans need to be part of it and the hearts set up sounds just the way forward of ensuring fans have a voice and the board has additional money . There is no Roy Mcgregor here , the fans have called for Morrison Gardiner to go Kelty carry on to stop and Robbo and Dodds to go the fans have won that war - the same fans need to dig deep if they want a club to support .

Well, that's just shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic then isn't it. The two main things voiced recently were the Kelty scheme had to be punted and so did the CEO. If he is still there in any capacity then nothing has changed on that front. He is the bigger fish to fry. The club cannot move forward with his hand on the rudder. If there is a valid purpose for him actually working his notice then perhaps the board can start the new era of communication by explaining it. Presumably we still have a club secretary, whose attention to detail got us back into the cup last year, so she can handle any league paperwork needed. We also hopefully still have other competent staff who can continue with or take on some of the things he did. I am guessing in many cases they may outperform him.

I’d like to know how long his notice period is and when he actually leaves the building - until then the champagne is on ice.

Anxiety amongst staff and contracted players or those whose contracts are due to expire shortly will be very worrying. The fear of losing your job, the fear of redundancy is debilitating. We have been pre-occupied with the fans position but for example, if you are a player who has had friends who have been through administration you would want to know your rights. Whilst your agent can also help you would expect your employer to provide information too.

Agreed, but as you know contracts have many clauses - we have sen numerous employees at the club get gardening leave and/or be paid for month or years after dismissal. Hopefully if (as the media state) this is a resignation (not being forced out by the remaining board members) as indicated he will only have a month long period at most, but it seems football is not like other real world scenarios unfortunately.

Still a long way to go but I am back to fully supporting the club and hope we can survive in some form.

Just a quick note to say that Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland will be running a discussion on Caley Thistle round about 3:30 tomorrow (Sat) afternoon.

I’ve always vowed that if I ever won the lottery, I’d help ICT. I started buying tickets recently and would you believe it, I won! I am now in a position to buy the club, and then treat myself to a pie or two with the change.

Just for clarification, when I said that "The Supporters' Trust isn't the club.", I meant that it was safe to contribute to them without the possibility of your contribution disappearing into a creditor's pocket!

As with any tick or leech you can't just rip it off. It needs to be extracted properly so you don't do more damage in the process.

Given today's news, and the comments we received from many who supported our Stronger Together initiative that they (understandably) would not contribute to the initiative whilst the CEO was at the club, now is a good time to "bump" this thread so you can easily see how to contribute. Full details are also on the Trust website by following the "donate" button at: https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/stronger-togetherd

Ding, Dong.....if anyone can rustle up an AI generated graphic of our ex CEO in full lodge regalia under a scale replica of our battery farm I'd be forever in your debt. On a more serious note now that we have the desired regime change and the Kelty debacle has been put to bed how do we ensure that any season ticket monies are protected in the event of administration? Is there a way that we can ring fence these funds via the Supporters Trust?

If we survive this horror show, I really hope the emphasis will be on the recruitment of local players with a bit of passion and loyalty to the "Inverness" brand.

I am concerned by the charge he holds on club assets. Time will tell if he turns out the ultimate villan. At the very least they've gambled and lost on the clubs future.

Glad he is gone, should’ve happened the day after relegation, but also glad he is working his notice because there is a complete void in the club now, so fair play in that respect.

In the immediate aftermath of yesterday's announcement by the club, members of the Supporters Trust Board were very busy responding to the content, doing interviews with BBC, STV and MFR, whilst the Courier published an article based on one interview that took place a few minutes after the release was issued: https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/supporters-trust-call-latest-ict-statement-step-in-the-rig-352519/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook We have seen this morning's breaking media reports and it is clear that things are moving very quickly at the club. Once again, we thank all our members for their feedback and continued support. We continue to attract new members, which we are delighted about. If you are not a member of the Trust (anyone joining now will have their membership apply until the end of July 2025) you can join using this link: https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us Use this link to make a subscription or donation to Stronger Together, and we would highlight again that the Trust Board will only use this to purchase shares in the club when it is has sought and received commitments from the club Board: https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/stronger-together

I think there needs to be some realism here. The fans have demanded, and got what they wanted. Gardiner is leaving and some are unhappy that he is working his notice. Well he either works his notice or we pay him off so either way it's a cost. As I said in another post, fans now need to start putting there money where their mouth is, in buying season tickets etc. Club need to get these season tickets on sale ASAP to generate some revenue. Some fans won't of course until everything is resolved to their satisfaction but by then it maybe too late. I also have a nagging doubt that all the anger generated by fans over the issues will actually be transferred into revenue for the club.

-Remember to order the seats for Hearts' new main stand (v.urgent) -Email Cammy Mackay to buy footballs for the Youth Academy -Text Robbo to see which other club's games he should start attending to butter up gullible Chairmen

I thought Grassa had walked? The more locals on board the better BUT we still don't know what extent of damage has been done and we have not been given any inkling of how we can get out of this mess.

Hopefully we can move forward now.

Tying up loose ends ? Laughable truly laughable . I’d not let him into the stadium again. it would be collect your belongings at the door and go . Trust him I would not .

I don’t often comment online on my own reports, but in view of the public interest in the issue - It’s my understanding that a staff meeting has been told by a director that Scot Gardiner resigned last week but is staying on short term to tie up loose ends.

Thank the Lord! https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/breaking-scot-gardiner-resigns-from-caley-thistle-but-remai-352545/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Part-Time or Full-Time? There are many Part-Time good quality footballers in the lower leagues, who prefer to remain P/T as financially they are better off with the income from the full time jobs/ careers supplemented by the income from part time football. Even the local football scene could easily produce a few gems who would wish only to play part time football because of it.

@IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER is referencing Anders Povlsen in the HMS Sneck thread. Probably appropriate as his love for Scotland started when he was fishing!! However, we could do worse! According to this BBC article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-47803110 he and his wife have a manifesto of sorts which describes their deep connection with the area and their pledge to: "Restore our parts of the Highlands to their former magnificent natural state and repair the harm that man has inflicted on them". Given that all of us want to repair the harm "that man" (SG) has inflicted on us, and restore Caley Thistle to their former magnificent natural state, then perhaps its a good fit. Besides, the ground at the Longman is a small part of Scotland he doesn't own

Do you really think they could go on running the club in this fashion for ever?The fact they delayed posting the now late accounts was a huge red flag. Long before the fans had enough. None of this mismanagement is our fault ie the fans

Improving the matchday experience already

I personally sponsored a player and Supporters Travel Club did likewise. As Scotty says, once SG has left the building we will be continuing this.

I agree the supporters club isn't the club that's what I was meaning the foundation of hearts put money directly into the club via there initiative and rangers fans fighting fund did the same , raised money and it went directly into the club. Hearts one was more successful in terms of how it runs .. fans pay a some of money each month which went to the foundation directly into the club cash flow . Something like this needs to happen to allow the club to continue.

I suspect that if the club survives and we get new club management, then a financial appeal to the supporters will be high on their agenda. I wouldn't put anything directly into the club itself until things become clearer. It might just go into paying off creditors. The Supporters' Trust isn't the club.

Oh well there’s a first for everything!!

Excellent news. I'm glad the boss -eyed weasel has gone. Very good of him to work his notice. He could do that from home and as far away from our club as is possible. I wouldn't allow that orange rat anywhere near the club now.

The Trust has issued a statement just now, which has been e-mailed to members. You can read a copy here: https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/post/ceo-resignation We will continue to work on behalf of our members and the wider fan base, and we would welcome further members. You can join using this link (and anyone joining now will have their membership apply until the end of July 2025) you can join using this link: https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us Many of you who supported our Stronger Together initiative indicated that you would not contribute as long as the CEO was at the club. With today's news, now is the time to get behind Stronger Together, either through a subscription or making a donation. As confirmed before, the Trust Board will only use this to purchase shares in the club when it is has sought and received commitments from the club Board on behalf of the Trust's members: https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/stronger-together

If the Council are looking for a new CE they could do worse. Skills include Can talk a good game Alienates staff Angers local communities Bespoke financial analysis skills Fond of a pet project Rarely ventures into the real world other than occasional photo ops and self promotional activities. In his spare time Scot enjoys perfecting impressions of the invisible man, counting his pencil collection and parking his caravan on municipal sites across Fife.

It's not the fumbling of paperwork I'd be worried about.

Gee I thought this was a new Idea from Scott Gardiner

That would be true if there was oversight on a daily basis... repeatedly we have been told (from sources) there was not. SG basically had a free run of the place. Even on the POD he was not in a position to answer direct questions about what was going on at the club on what sounds like the same night he resigned. Repeatedly, stories come out about the dictatorial style and how things are being run on a day-to-day basis at ICT. These come from staff, fans, and also businesses. Leaving aside the fact there are usually 3 sides to any story, the anecdotes are all so similar that they sound legit. Past history shows failures at other clubs long before he landed at our door. That was long before the litany of failed schemes we have listed in various places by fans. While I don't welcome administration, and all the hurdles and challenges that it would/will bring, it may mean that we go back to fiscal responsibility. Saw a couple of posts last night mentioning former chairman Dougie McGilvray. If he were interested then he has both the knowledge and past experience of navigating the club through tortuous waters. He had the plan of Premier football within 10 years of formation at ICT and that happened. Thats a real statement on getting stuff done, and was the backbone of our future success even if it did come with many challenges. Same with messrs. Savage and Sutherland. All brought something to the table in terms of business acumen, ideas, knowledge and direction. One of those back would be great. However, if all three could find some way to work together for ICT then even better ... it would be like getting an offer from all the Dragons in the Den ... with hopefully the first action to roast the CEO.

... that we can field at least 11 players next season!

Even if there isn't things couldn't ho on the way they were? This is not fans fault. The board are custodians of the club and have allowed things to get out of hand and the CEO to do what he wanted with no checks and balances.

Step in Mr Savage?

I hope his CEO contract is as watertight as all the ones he was doing for the club.

Gardener is already in the departure lounge. He knows his time is up, it’s just a matter of when!! He will have (some weeks now I expect), contacted his lawyers to see his contract is watertight to squeeze every penny he can from what is left from the club. It’s his common base self-interest line and always will be. So I expect what is left of the Board have told him his time is up and to look for a safe exit route without damaging what’s left of the club and their reputation. I expect unless he gets his considered pay off fee he’ll get the lawyers involved to drag it out! I hope the remaining board members have started knocking on doors for both chairman and CEO replacements, (take the time and get it right for once in a decade), as the next step will dictate what we do for the next five or so years imho. Administration may or may not be the route we’re on, but it shouldn’t prevent those key players with the clubs interest and future at heart to look at each scenario. A reset with the fans would be a simple and welcome first step.

My thoughts exactly. Gardiner is the problem. Always has been. He treats fans with contempt. He has failed so many times that I have lost count, and yet he is still there. In the real world, the levels of incompetence shown by Gardiner would have had him out the door a long time ago. Hopefully, now his little orange buddy has gone he will follow suit. Dunc took a paycut, and who knows he might come good at a lower level, he wasn't a million miles away in the championship given that Dodds gave those around us an 8 game head start. Maybe a season in League 1, a weak looking League 1 at that, might be just what we need to regroup and rebuild. Hit the Championship running the season after, same thing again build and consolidate.

The Supporters Trust have been amazing at keeping in touch with supporters over the last few weeks. Their updates and clarification on everything that is going on have been most welcome. Their updates testify that I'm not the only one who doesn't know what is happening - no one does either. The silence seems to speak volumes - more secrets to come I fear.