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At the 2017 AGM, fans were told that the transformation of ICTFC into a community club would be done by 2019/2020 and that the club would live within its means, be transparent and involve the supporter’s trust... When the season ticket call comes out, it will almost certainly not come alone - there will be an emotive plea to unite and 'get behind the club' attached to it, and all the usual stuff. The only difference is that it will be an administrator from a solicitor's behind it. That is the fan's core investment. It has brought millions of pounds into the club. The fans are the best investor a club has! They don't ask for, or get, a floating charge. "Ah, but they get entertainment!" - in an age of YouTube and PPV TV with the best football products available from anywhere in the globe, live, into smartphones...being from "Inverness" is doing a lot of heavy lifting now for this investment, especially when under Rae and Morrison the fan base has been seen as something to be endured. Genuinely opening up the club more to the supporters trust -as was promised - would create more revenue. Sadly, because the last two Chairmen have reneged on the 2017 AGM, and wasted hundreds of thousands of their, but also the fans', investment (which they currently expect back-no recourse for the fans), supporters will yet again have to set aside being lied to, and blindly put money in to retrieve the situation. That has to be recognised in the model that goes forward - substantive fan representation. As Doofer's Dad says, it's now a pre-requisite for the club to move forward constructively. And I believe it would lead to a lot more investment.

Thing is he's not gone, he's hanging on like a dried on skid mark on a toilet bowl. He's created a situation where he's held so much control that everything has to go through him and he's the only one 'able' to much of the processes. DD about has expressed this much better than I can. My red line is as it has been for months, no ST until he's gone. He's still there slithering around.

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.

Keeping the club afloat is exactly what the fans and the Supporters Trust is trying to do. It wasn't a case of administration or Kelty, it was a case of which of the 2 alternatives was less damaging for the club. Whilst the Kelty deal was presented as a way of avoiding administration, the club didn't provide a shred of evidence to demonstrate that it would. Fans presented plenty of reasons why it wouldn't. Kelty was Gardiner's plan and it is he who threw the **** at the fan (and the fans!). The fans are trying to help clean up the mess. The club desperately needs more money and Gardiner has alienated so many of the very people who just might provide it. They are not wanting to pump money into the club if it is simply going to be thrown at the latest ill thought through, harebrained scheme which ends up damaging rather than benefitting the club. The fans and the Supporters Trust are not fighting a battle of who's in what position, they are simply urging the club to make sure the biggest barrier to future investment in the club is removed as soon as possible. Gardiner has never wanted fan engagement. From the beginning, the Board were duped into thinking that with his background at much bigger clubs, Gardiner would have the ideas and experience to make us an established premiership club. They meekly went along with his ideas, including ignoring the Supporters Trust. The Board are culpable here, but the fans are being pragmatic enough not to be calling for the entire Board to go. Moving forward must include having a democratically elected representative from the Supporters Trust on the Board. Had we had a fans' representative on the Board when Gardiner was appointed, we wouldn't be in this mess now.

@bigterrybutcher first of all welcome. Must have been some task reading through everything posted over the last two weeks in such a short space of time and gauging fellow fans thoughts. Just out of curiosity, how much do you feel in actual £s, as you put it, do you feel is a reasonable amount for each fan to put in? I only ask as most fans probably can't afford the sums needed and if buying a season ticket and say a first team strip isn't enough, where does it stop? If I'm buying both the above then I reckon the £350-£450 it would cost is quite an undertake for a normal fan. I for one could afford it, if I wanted to, but there's an awful lot that would feel it's a lot and couldn't. My point being, that every extra £ put into the club by any fan, is a £ that the club wouldn't already have and is very welcomed. Everything counts. Fans are well entitled to voice their opinion and speak out, it doesn't mean it signs them into a contract to spend money. Everyone is well within their right to step back and wait to see what happens in the very near future before spending anything especially having seen what the club has done in the past with the money fans have put into the club in one form or other.

Do we, a first division side, really need a CEO? Could various duties not just be shared between present staff? Let’s be honest - what did he do well?

The tangible assets - the overall 70 years left on land leases (stadium situ, adjacent car park), land sub-leases (car park area), stands, pitch, floodlights, plant/machinery (others?) - prime site. Intangible assets such as players' transfer value - if only! Johnston Carmichael LLP, or other Insolvency Practitioners (IP), will likely first put out a desperate and urgent request for fans to buy x number of season tickets, to save the club from insolvency. From then suppose it's the IP that calls the tune - appoint/be an administrator to do/oversee some/any of the following to get out of administration: sell the leaseholds and other assets (e.g., a Dundee), or a group could do a takeover via share-buying (e.g. a Livingston - unlikely for ICTs context), Ross and directors could waive their personal debt (e.g., a John Boyle at Motherwell), or administrator could invite formal bids to buy the club (and whoever gets preferred bidder status attempt a CVA with Ross, directors, RBS and other creditors for pennies in the pound - e.g., a Hearts), or if none of those - liquidate (e.g., a Gretna, a Airdrie). Whichever, Ross is -technically - sixth in line: (1) secured creditors with a fixed charge - ?, (2) insolvency practitioners’ fees and expenses (3) preferential creditors - PAYE staff/HMRC (4) secondary preferential creditors-HMRC again (5) prescribed part creditors - any ring-fenced fund for unsecured creditors (6) secured creditors with a floating charge (7) non-preferential creditors-suppliers (8) shareholders. But only the courts /administrator will know the ranking (as number of unsecured creditors, assets, and the actual loan agreements with ICT could influence it). This is why the 'Accounts Overdue' in Companies House is such an issue - the failure to file those speaks volumes about the last gasp nature of Statkraft - it really was their last hope - and it looks like the CEO and Chairman overplayed their hand there. It also means the scale of severity of the issue is not known outside of the board - giving advantage to the creditors. Those on the Trust will be kept occupied (beyond the media enquiries) - not only in what they choose to do, but what they choose not to do. I wish them well and it seems they are positioned well so far.

Which is why it is imperative that a body representing the fans, such as the Supporters' Trust, has influence over major decisions taken by the club.

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.

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.

With all this doom and gloom and rightly worrying about our future, one positive I noted from one of the articles on the Inverness Courier is that "several people are interested in investing/buying the club" and that "discussions are ongoing on that front" so hopefully we get this sorted by next Midweek then we can completely rebuild this club We simply CANNOT let administration happen to this club as we could well be demoted and also under a transfer embargo which is the last thing we need seeing as we hardly have a team as it is!

The Supporters Travel Club is delighted that in the past week the Kelty nonsense has been brought to an end and the C.E.O. has resigned. We realise that there is still a hard road ahead of us but once a certain individual has cleared out his desk and left the building for the last time we shall be renewing our season tickets and sponsorships. We shall continue to run buses to all away league and cup games and as always we are here to help Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club in any way we can.

When people say 'investment' in a football club, what that really means is some rich person throwing a part of their fortune at the club, never to see it again. Investment is not the word, more like donation.

I think it was nailed in another thread... the CEO is so autocratic that there are certain tasks that are needed and only he is aware of how to do them. No-one has likely ever been trained in those tasks and with time being short to the start of the season, he needs to get those done before he goes. That is the only scenario that sort of makes sense to me. GB is never the most eloquent speaker when interviewed as he will often speak frankly and without filter before processing the words into corporate speak. I hope what he is telling us is this, and it's a case of tying up those loose ends before the loose end of the CEO gets tied up himself. Anything else is a new title on an unchanged situation.

These constant rumours and counter rumours are becoming so, so feckin annoying - and I am not referring to another fairy tale book. Surely somebody / anybody at the club can see that this secrecy is just doing more and more damage. And more worryingly who is looking at the playing squad for next season and where is Big Dunc ?

Fanny. Where have you been Mee

Will this be the informed opinions of Mr dodds with irrelevant input from Miller and bonner?

The problem is Scott Gardiner is still hanging about and I don't think any serious investor (if we can call the that) will be interested while he is in the building as mentioned on other threads. While I would like as all fans to see the club saved there are still barriers to overcome, we will have to wait and see what happens next week fingers still crossed!

I meant club secretary for any paperwork relating to registrations or other items ahead of the new season. The problem with that idea - which I don't disagree with - is safeguarding that monies. If fans put £180K into the club as per your math above, then they will want that to be used responsibly to get us out of the current mess. Yes, it may be used to pay down debt or to keep the lights on in some fashion, but with the CEOs feet still under the desk, most will be less than confident that any funds put in will be used to best effect, and for the good and benefit of the club. There has been no transparency for years and no reason to think there will be until he is gone, and - it has to be said - no way to know if we go from frying pan to fire or to a better place. I would hope that the Trust, as a supporter's society, with a now fairly large membership, would democratically follow the wishes of the majority of its membership. I don't hold any position on the Trust other than member, but as far as I know, the whole reason this Sharesave plan is being run this way currently is because the fans don't like the way things were being run and wanted change. If things are running better, and there is transparency and engagement then by definition things will be a lot better. We will never all agree, but it would hopefully not get quite as low as the baseline is today. Perhaps in future - if things are or appear to be more sustainable - a direct pay scheme may work.

The club will need £300k+ immediately to pay creditors. They'll also need sufficient funds to cover operational costs/shortfalls and a high likelihood that we could be due Kelty. There's then any money directors have put in that they may want back in order to relinquish control. We've been led to believe Ross Morrison has put in £1.5 million but have no idea how much others have put in. That's at least £2 million to wipe the slate clean but it's likely be a good deal more than that. With the club facing the very real possibility of administration and no guarantee anyone will bail it out from that then adding 1500 creditors to the list by selling season tickets they may not be able to honour would be irresponsible.

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.

As I indicated earlier someone has to carry out key administrative duties. If both the Chairman and CEO had walked at the same time who would have the Company Secretarial skills or knowledge? As others have indicated Gardiner is entitled to serve his contracted notice or be paid for it. Gordy Fyffe will doing press releases. They are normally just good news stories but recent ones have been toned down. Graham B now seems to be the Board's spokesperson. In order to provide comfort for the fans and staff, it would be useful to know Gardiner's last day of employment (assuming new buyers or investors do not materialise pretty quickly and bring in their own person).

I've bought a Euromillions ticket and if it comes up I want Immortal Howden Ender in as Chairman

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

The chief executive of Inverness Caley Thistle, Scot Gardiner, has resigned but remains with the club for the time being to work his notice period, according to board member Graeme Bennett. Mr Bennet said: “Listen, Scot has had a fair bit of grief and stress through the relegation process but we need to stick together and find a way out of this – everybody has to pull together for the sake of the club. “Scot Gardiner has resigned but I have asked to help us out and he was good today at a meeting of the staff, he is working his notice and doing everything he can for Caley Thistle.” He added that no interim-chairman has yet been appointed either because given the current predicament nobody wants the job while it is not one he seeks for himself. “Nobody really wants that mantle,” he said. “I am a director, ex-player, etc – I just want to do my best for the club and it is very hard to entice people to join the hierarchy given the predicament we are in. It is not my forte.” - Inverness Courier

She would definitely 'shake it up' .... ok, no more puns, I have reached the end of my Taylor Swift knowledge now ... knowing our recent track records though, we'd be more likely to end up with Kanye.

What sort of "buyers" are we talking about here? One of the reasons for opposing the Kelty move was to preserve the essence of the club being embedded into the community. People felt passionately about this. What we need to be wary of it someone buying the club as a personal plaything only to dump it a few years down the line. We need to be looking for a happy compromise here. It is certainly encouraging that there seem to be potential investors out there.

Can we surmise it's so SG can answer the insolvency practitioner's immediate questions, unlock the filing cabinets, open the books. If administration does happen, and the administrator calls for season tickets to be purchased while Gardiner is still on the premises, it would be a major block and mis-step. But that being the case, any half-decent insolvency practitioner/administrator would soon show SG the exit, to join the other gardening leavers, to get the best deal for creditors - which includes maximising season ticket money.` It is very, very positive that there appears to be buyers - I just wonder what Ross and directors' conditions will be.

Well, the last club book was Ian Broadfoot's brilliant book to celebrate ICT's first 25 years - "Milestones and Memories". Given that everything has gone tits up since then, it could, perhaps be called "Millstones and Mammaries"? (With apologies for any offence this rather non PC suggestion may cause. Sorry, I couldn't resist! )

Makes sense. Initially I imagine the local football team seemed community based then maybe certain actors got greedy.

It would probably be wise to get season tickets on sale as soon as possible so that those who don’t want to boycott can purchase or at least save towards the cost of these. We seem to be particularly slow on this front in comparison to other league clubs. Cash is clearly an issue so surely all potential income streams (however minor) should be accelerated.

Resigned but still employed at the moment by the club !. Something smells bad about this to me . Needs to leave before I commit to buying this seasons season ticket . No way am I buying whilst the club are still paying this guy wages . An official statement by the board would be a start but not holding my breath . Same old boardroom antics it’s getting tiresome .

There must be assets? Why put a floating charge on otherwise?

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.

Probably a chance that some of those people will be away on holiday with family etc (possibly not even in the country) given its only just over 2 wks since the season finished - finding out information through platforms such as this or social media wont help any anxiety either.

I’d assume it would be to brief them on the CEO’s resignation and the content of the statement before it was released so they didn’t see it in the media, here or on social media. If I’m right, it is a good sign about those remaining in charge wanting to treat staff properly.

Brilliant, snorbens! I actually thought briefly about another book a few days ago, but ruled it out fairly quickly - largely because, unlike in the 1990s when a great deal of the action took place in the public domain and I had been much more directly involved with all the parties from the start, a lot this time has been subject to commercial confidentiality and some important parties involved would also be unprepared to cooperate.

Kids go sledging there, it'll be rejected

its been suggested that ex CEO may be working on a consultant/contractor basis. Employment law ( for obvious reasons ) relates to employees so maybe he can be gone sooner than later.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And make sure to disable all his computer accounts and change all passwords.

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

Hopefully we can move forward now.

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.

Unless he walks of his own accord he’ll still be with us next season, we simply can’t afford to get rid - our only hope on that score is for a new investor with plenty dosh who'd be willing to pay him off.

Can you pick up from Kelty, and do you have space for 25 plus bags? Asking for a friend.