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I've had and still have some concerns with the supporters trust but some of the recent comments on this thread are a bit out of order. If they have agreed to receive information in confidentiality then I don't think they should be sharing it. It would have been good to get a bit more on what kind of assurances they had received along with the statement that was a complete u-turn on the feeling of fans at the most recent meeting even if that didn't have any detail. They may currently find themselves stuck between a rock and a very hard place. Their encouraging of fans to spend money with the club on season tickets and merchandise might also come back to bite them and ruin their standing with fans.Their total silence since that statement is also concerning. All that said I don't think it's right to be intimating they can't be trusted. Noting has happened to justify that. I fall in the camp of people still refusing to buy my season ticket or any merchandise but I also hope the supporters trust were right to back a call to do so. All fans want the same thing even if we might disagree on the way we go about it. The last thing we need is to be divided and fighting among ourselves.

I have renewed my season ticket for the 24th year in a row , I have also renewed both my sons (under 12s) tickets too. I have always loved the club from day one (an ex Caledonian FC fan pre merger who grew up a regular at Telford St) - I want it to remain a going concern. I also want to be able to take my 2 football daft young sons to watch a game on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe I’m being foolish in renewing our tickets - but I really hope to see as many of you there when the 24/25 season kicks off

I recall buying my season book ( £59 standing I think it was) in year 1 and beginning to wonder when there was still no trace of it in the post on the eve of the season opener at Telford Street. I needn't have worried myself as it was hand delivered that evening by a committee member, a new club pulling together to ensure the supporters weren't disadvantaged. Given the current fan engagement one taxi might just about do it for season 24/25. Learning point for current Board - Aim to get the basics right before trying to impress your league one peers with the shiniest brogues.

Let's hope that tomorrow we have some sort of clue as to who might be actually playing for us next season and whether Dunc is returning. Without any sort of background information this will just explode our frustration yet again - but I'm not holding my breath

The Trust Board is a representative body, democratically elected by its members (with a limited option to co-opt others onto the Board). Just as your MP doesn't ask all their constituents what they think about all the topics which will be discussed in Parliament, neither can the Trust Board seek the views of all its members on all the topics it raises with or discusses with the club. What it will do is read what is written on here and other social media channels and talk to people before coming to a collective view. That view may also be informed by information provided by the Board which is not and cannot be shared publicly. Clearly, as we don't all agree on everything, people will inevitably disagree with some of the things the Trust says and does. If members do not like what their elected Board members are doing, they have the power to change the Board. If members think they can do a better job, then they are perfectly free to put themselves forward for election. You say you have heard nothing on any wider consultation with fans on any given subject. Perhaps you should give the Matchday Experience Survey a read. If that isn't consulting with fans, I don't know what is. Bear in mind that the Trust's role is carried out entirely by volunteers, who do what they can to represent the fans along with work, family and other commitments. They do it because they want what is best for the club and because they want the fans voice to be heard. I can assure you that none of the Trust Board are self appointed individuals, nor are any of them giving up their own time because it suits their interests and needs. You say you "agree there does need to be a more representative fans voice to influence / communicate with those decision makers on the board", so why then go on to slag off and insult the very people who are giving up their precious free time to do just that? With every fan who becomes a member of the Trust, the Trust becomes more representative and its voice and influence becomes stronger. With every member who offers to help out with the Trust be it as a Board member or just helping in some other way, the more the Trust can do in terms of consultation, research, communication, fundraising, collaborative work on projects with the club etc. If you want a more representative and effective fans voice, you know what to do.

It's totally understandable to want to know what the Trust knows or has learnt. We are in Fergie time and we are not exactly flush with options! There's so much secrecy and ill-feeling towards the ICT board, 'CEO' and 'manager' it's hardly surprising there's frustration. But I also dearly want the Trust to play an integral role if there is a new and improved board incoming. They won't get near any board, ever, if they are seen as a leaky ship. Even if - sometime in the future - there was fan representation on the board, they'd not be able to be completely candid, usually out of legal obligations to others, rather than any SG-like desire. I also imagine any prospective interested parties want to remain anonymous while they make enquiries - so revealing anything might actually be an act against the fanbase? It's the incumbents on the ICT board, the outgoing CEO and manager that need to speak out. False equivalencies are common whenever there's deep negativity. If you paint everyone negatively, it only benefits the charlatans like Gardiner. I imagine the Trust are similarly displeased about the impasse and timeframe now, but likely have to defer to the terms of those doing some due diligence/fact checking. CC - It's massively frustrating, definitely, but I guess that if they did divulge, it'd be crossing a line, and would probably only please SG. The Trust has (at least) a 10 per cent voting right and so it's very good it is being consulted (and probably not at the invitation of SG). In the same way the Wyness Shuffle guys had to bite their tongue (to an extent) with Ross on, the ST likely need to respect the other parties' wishes? It's definitely not comfortable - I bet they are feeling uneasy too - but if the Trust are kept at arm's length, then an ill wind blows for all of us, so I'm viewing it positively (but warily). I see ST as reluctant hostages to fortune, but as a member of ST, I have faith in their decision makers. I know hope is not a strategy, but as Christine McVie famously sang: I never did believe in miracles, But I've a feeling it's time to try

Wish I felt as confident as you. Hope you paid by credit card just in case

He seems to have thought of this as a means of getting his dream job at Ibrox, and all of his failed schemes and scams may be seen in that light. They actually deserve each other.

Never mind. We've still got England to cheer on!

We did he was a Caley dissenter appointed to appease the revolting

I agree there does need to be a more representative fans voice to influence / communicate with those decision makers on the board. I do wonder how the Trust could speak with a unified voice. Does each member get to vote on any given topic?, and what happens to those fans voices that are not part of the Trust? Whilst we all may have the same, similar or differing views, the Trust need to gain trust of those they claim to represent, by acting in a clear, consistent and open manner. Currently it seems that a couple of self appointed individuals have put themselves in a position which suits their interests and needs, I have heard nothing on any wider consultation with fans on any given subject, If the last meeting at the Caley Club is anything to go by. However, the Trust do seem to want our money, whilst keeping some conversations to themselves!!!

Never mind the press we should all go out and see who we have for a team.

This coming from the one of the biggest freeloaders that has ever entered the dump. You just can’t make this up, utterly unbelievable!! While the club remains in limbo at present I’d be astonished if anyone in their right mind would purchase a season ticket even if it was at half the price unless you wanted to contribute to someone’s redundancy package. Dougal

Why would anyone want to join the trust when that same trust won’t divulge what appear to be important information to its members. I would also like to know what the trust do with all the joining fees they have inherited of late with the extra members they allegedly have signed up. We have all chastised SG and the club for a lack of transparency but some need to look a lot closer to home. The trust need to remember they do not represent the entire ICT fan base and they never will. I’ve said it before the Trust remind me of the peoples front of Judea having meetings about meetings. Transparency from the club and the trust is paramount now if not it’s going to be too late. Dougal

Been saying for years he's a *** tbh. From the Pixalot and Fan's Forum debacle it was clear he was useless and didn't want any fan engagement whatsoever. I emailed him after 'bald linesman gate' outlining a bunch of suggestions to improve the offering and the awful commentary. No acknowledgement at all. Emailed re the fans forum, same effect, emailed re family events no reply, emailed re kids Christmas parties, guess what? Only in the last few months have I ever had any kind of reply from Scott Young on the SLO email. Hell, fans of various clubs were laughing at us and saying we'd made a massive mistake as he was utterly incompetent wherever he has been (similar to Ferguson). We are generally such a passive support though and even if we spoke up, what avenue would we have? Gardiner set it up so that absolutely everything had to go through him, had no SLO and no present board. Even if we got through to the board they seemed to be besotted by Gardiner for some utterly baffling reason.

Great to see the message board so active again, but where have all these sensible, engaged and knowledgeable supporters been all these years, while SG was ripping the pish out of the club and the daft teuchters he took the fans to be?

Just when you think those running the club can't sink any lower, they do manage to find new depths to go. Regardless of that, I am still an ICT supporter, proud or otherwise. On the one hand I am beyond Derek Adams level seething with our current board and the CEO who are NOT ICT, or certainly not the ICT I want to be associated with. These people will be held accountable for their actions (or inactions) and history will quite correctly not be kind to them. BUT ... WE are ICT. The players, the fans, the city and I still say I am proud to be ICT when I stand next to all of those people who DO make me proud. These are the people who contributed to Aaron's fund, just like most here, or who have been outraged at the treatment meted out to him and others, who have raised questions about our missing manager or who have shown passion and eloquence on the podcast. Every one of us is ICT and that's the ICT community I am proud of still. I am extremely transparent in my thoughts on our current board, elected to, but doing a piss poor job of stewarding our club. I would not and will not raise my hand, in person or via proxy, at any future shareholders meeting to re-elect any of them. With each passing day, and each new comment, it becomes harder in my own mind to accept even those who I thought I would be comfortable with remaining... Also, in another thread where I said we would restart sponsorship, I said it would not happen until the CEO has departed. Rumours online that this could be up to another 6 months... so that would mean we don't do it for 6 months. Its not rocket science, its simple. No effort to commit to any financial obligation, be that sponsorship, merchandise, or anything else until the keys are handed back and the door has closed on him for the last time. In my opinion, he is not to blame for every single thing that ails the club but is one of several lightning rods that need addressed. I would also - as a shareholder - like to know what the notice period for our CEO is as it is clearly a factor in people holding back personal or group investment in the club. I also have fears about the lack of accounts being posted which in some ways worry me more ... is this the sting in the tail just before the season begins? So to reiterate and confirm my last post: I AM proud to be an ICT supporter because it means i can stand with and mingle with people like our supporters and others in our team's COMMUNITY. The ineptitude, inefficiency and seemingly utter disregard for our club from those who should be speaking now will not deter me from that. THEY are not the club. WE are the club, whether we have been here for 30 minutes or 30 years.

I want to believe, but there is still something very un-nerving about the way that this whole situation is being dealt with. Questions from fans seem to be just glossed over without being answered and the way that this years season tickets and kits have been presented has a sort of passive aggressive feel about it, associating fans' loyalty with a commitment to putting our money into the club right now. I'm usually a positive glass half full person, but I feel very uneasy and I am still very reluctant to part with my hard earned cash.

It all makes sense now Dougal, oh you are clever. Didn't know who I was ? What way I voted ? Of course it's now clear we were the first football club applying National Socialist methods to assess memberships and weed out potential "outsiders" Before handing over aforementioned book, he did comprehensively quiz me at length about my previous history, what school did I attend ?, was I left footed ?, could I pronounce rubber bumpers properly?, had I ever fouled Grassa Bennett when playing against the High School U15s ?. He then stamped "undies desirable" on my book which I did think a little odd but I am mildly dyslexic To this day I wear undies to games, (fleece lined October - March)

Its still getting plenty outings

I don't think there is anything suggesting the Trust are untrustworthy? There is no evidence that they areknow much more than us? I know we are all fed up and impatient but all of this is on the club? The silence is deafening! As for joining I'd ask you to do so as numbers are definitely power going forward

I'm a Trust member not a board member. The Trust is regulated by the FCA and for community benefit. A read through the rules might help? The Trust holds the fans voting right and thus votes on behalf of members. It is not a supporters club as some think but obviously the larger the membership the more representative of the fanbase it is. As said above the ST did a very comprehensive survey of ALL fans last year. If you are a member and not happy then maybe communicate with the board? Tbh I hope the fan base stays united as this has worked so far. Sniping at other fans doing their best will only help the dark powers at club

Thanks for that

I have seen the Trusts objectives & aspirations etc before. They don’t quite explain how they will be democratic & representative as they state in objective 1. Like I stated earlier, is that through an in person show of hands at a meeting or via an online facility? Some of their intents are admirable, but words and actions / mechanisms to make this work, is the detail needed.

The Trust's role is described here and I find their website quite informative, but the board will obviously be best placed to say. They are looking for at least three new board members by December this year. The surge of new members and the jolt of the last two months will surely invigorate it further? Very fair point - it could easily be tokenistic, credibility is key, and I agree it is not a panacea or silver bullet either, but marginal gains can lead to more. If the Trust is not being involved at all, it just doesn't bode well for other fan-led stuff. The amount of rolling back on other fan involvement avenues is noticeable. So the Trust, with its voting rights, is kind of a proxy. All told, it is dependent on the calibre of any new ICTFC board and decision making and appointments. The week ahead will surely bring news?

I'll see your McVie and raise you Russ Ballard But I don't believe in miracles I don't believe in miracles But I thought you might show your face Or have the grace to tell me where you are

She also sang “Tell me lies…” but hopefully that isn’t the case here!

I don't have an issue with the Trust and I fully approve of what they are trying to do. I would however question the quality and accuracy of the confidential information the Trust has been given by the club.

The continuing silence from the club on the important issues continues to be deafening. I for one will not wait until early July and so will spend my money on something else.

Have we signed anyone yet? We haven't got a clue as there is nothing coming from the club

Scotty doesn't counter his own point at all. If the Trust is given some information in confidence, then it has to stay confidential. That information may well be helpful to the Trust in understanding a particular situation better and therefore be able to offer an opinion on a more informed basis. If the Trust then goes and puts stuff in the public domain which has been given in confidence, then you can be sure the Trust will again be totally excluded from discussion.

The old adage of ‘no news is good news’ just isn’t working here. Have we got a goalkeeper yet?

I fear the shambles has gone on too long now and if there is to be some sort of new Era for us to look forward to we need to see/ hear whats happening now, immediately!

You counter your own point!!! What’s the point in telling the Trust, if they dont inform the fan base they claim to represent.? What special right do they have???? They claim to represent the fans , so what they know, the wider fan base should know. If the Trust fears need to be “allayed” as you claim, then as they represent the fans…… all need to know. Nature of the beast I’m afraid !!!!

I think a lot of fans are oblivious to how he operates . He thinks he’s clever but clearly nowhere near it .

Not necessarily. Some discussions need to stay private until it is time to make them public. Nature of the beast unfortunately. If the trust representatives were - for example - given some privileged info to allay their fears which would allow them to endorse the call to purchase season tickets but might jeopardise the discussions with potential investors if they divulged that info, then staying quiet is absolutely in the best interests of their members. However, the longer things go with silence from the ivory towers (or farty towels if you prefer), the harder it is to believe they were not just sold a ‘bill of goods’!!

If they don’t……… they are not acting in the wider interests of the fan base !

Down, down, deeper and down....

Oh dear, I’ve probably given Gardiner the idea of a Status Quo concert at the stadium!

Totally agree with your post. Isn’t the Manager supposed to manage ????? Given the money he was and is on, the absolute minimum you would expect. He is NOT the right manager for this Club.!!!!

Knows 10 times more than the board- likely. Rangers Commercial sales manager, Tottenham Hotspur FC Commercial manager and Acting commercial director , Dundee CEO, Hearts COO. The problem is that he wasn't actually competent in these roles. In his second and last year at Dundee, he messed up the shirt sponsorship with no fewer than four potential firms (allegedly) -. It's telling he was 'restructured' out of the club on June 29th 2014 when a week later, July 7 2014, Dundee announced their quite ludicrous new shirt sponsor - 'Hangar Records' - set up less than two years before, dormant, and which never had more than a couple of hundred quid to its name ...which was registered to the son of the chairman. Scot had worked his 'magic' on other sponsors so that's all they could find to save face for less than a year... Dundee non-statement (egg on face) led to a job at Hearts. He was binned again at Hearts because there were no seats ordered for their £14m new stand! That led to them having to play at Murrayfield until the seats arrived- and another exit. Widely reported as a debacle of his doing ! I'll skip over the connection that brought him to the ex ex Chairman's attention while attending games in Inverness as a Rangers Spurs ICT 'fan'... Ultimately, Scot has been out of depth at every club, costing them money and embarrassing them. With ICT: From Daily Record about ICT late 2019: "Administration? Not a chance", he insists... “Our crowds won’t get to 10,000 but I’ll run us correctly. We won’t lose money, we’ll make it " "Take it from me, it’ll be like the tortoise and the hare – Inverness Caley Thistle will win the league" From P&J late 2019: If you were in power in government, what would you change? "I would also invest much more in areas like the Highlands and islands (Kelty??), as they don’t benefit from many of the initiatives enjoyed by more populated metropolises." What do you still hope to achieve? "In the short term, I want to make Inverness Caley Thistle FC financially sound and a pillar of Inverness and the surrounding area – and to get the team back into the Scottish Premiership for good" From Courier Sep 2023: Scot Gardiner says Duncan Ferguson was always Inverness Caledonian Thistle's top target to take over as manager – so much so that they cut the interview process short to appoint him Gardiner confirmed that it was ICT that initially approached Ferguson – whose only permanent previous managerial experience was a short-lived spell at Forest Green Rovers – rather than the other way around This is why the thought of him dealing with any interested investors is such a ludicrous proposition by Graeme/board. He is no CEO, never has been, the board have been taken in for years, and now is negotiating the future? Madness.

That statement from Aaron is a shameful indictment of a club which has completely lost the plot. No humanity, no empathy and no respect for a guy who has been an exemplary professional through some extremely tough times. I am personally ashamed to be associated with a club which would treat a club legend in this manner and would call for a full apology to be issued by the club and confirmation that our CEO's notice period ends today. Utterly disgraceful behaviour.

Since you're 'adding perspective' on a comment you clearly haven't seen or read I thought this might help.

"Give us your money and it'll be fine!". Basically, everyone is being asked to have blind faith that everything will be OK. Blind faith, without any scrap of evidence. There must surely be someone at the club - perhaps even reading this - who understands this and wants to remedy it? Why not do it today?

I just hope we are not being too willing to snatch onto what seems like good news, understandable after the series of disasters we've just suffered. The story about potential investors isn't new - we've heard this one before. The statement seems to be very cautiously worded, and still we're not clear about whether administration is happening or not. It says a few things but I'm a little concerned about what it doesn't say. Are they playing the Supporters' Trust?? Let's be optimistic. But cautious in our optimism!

We've always bought our season tickets early at the reduced rate, but at present I feel that for the sake of £15, I would rather wait until there are a few more certainties.

It’s not sniping…….its an observation that the Trust aims & ambitions don’t seem to have any detail on the mechanics of how to collate the opinions of the fans they represent. The match day survey was a good initiative, is that the means to gather wider opinion? If so you don’t need to be a Trust member necessarily. I may become a Trust member, but when I hear others say they have information from the Club to allay fears and then fail to pass that on, or even explain why they can’t, I have trouble trusting the Trust.

Incoming - friendlies will be cancelled. Then we'll use league cup as pre season.

It's over a week since we were informed of "hugely positive discussions" and it's less than a week till our first friendly. Yet this last week has provided absolutely no update on how the discussions are progressing, whether we actually have any players beyond the few who were on contracts beyond the end of the 23/4 season. It simply beggars belief that when the club has been so strongly criticised by so many for their appalling errors and lack of communication, that their response is simply to be even worse. It would suggest that the discussions weren't so positive after all. Please, please, please, can somebody tell us what is going on?

Why can’t the Supporters Trust tell us what was said between them and the board? I’m getting to the stage where I don’t trust anyone related to the club.