Leaderboard

CJT bus at 1700 on Saturday

Hi, Cambridge fan here and just want to say you are getting one heck of a player and a top fella. The press are listing Liam as an attacking midfielder but he has played just about every position for us. I'd say his best position is a deep lying centre mid or centre def. As his record shows he isn't a massive goal scorer but he has great creativity can certainly pick a pass to unlock a defence. Not afraid to get stuck in and mix it when he has to but certainly not dirty in anyway. He's tall and we regularly put him up against tall strikers when defending corners or goal kicks and he won a LOT more than he lost. He's got a good engine and as you've seen from the video has a shot on him like a kicking horse. We really don't understand the logic in letting him go. He's been a stalwart for the last 2-3 years but a new manager has come in and bombed him & a few others straight out of the team without ever looking at them in a game and replaced them with a number of untried premier league youngsters, none of whom are setting the world alight. One thing you really will get from him is a real connection with the fans, he'll always be happy to have photos taken or sign autographs. Any kids that ask him will get asked if they play, what position etc and he gives a real sense of being genuinely interested in their answers. I hope you enjoy him, he will always get a fantastic welcome from us for the opening goal in our playoff final at Wembley in 2014 that ended 9 years of non league wilderness. Keep an eye out for a U's shirt or two popping up as I've already heard of several people planning a weekend away.

Apparently it was in the contract small print that the £200,000 release clause could only be validly triggered by an offer from a club that has won the Scottish Cup within the last 25 years.

Gellions Bus at 1700 on Saturday

Are they running a bus?

Ok, so I've just logged in and caught up on this thread. I have to say I'm somewhat disappointed in a lot of the posts. First of all let me make it clear, I wasn't at the game in Stirling, nor was I at the CJT board meeting which followed as I was away, so I'm not going to get into the rights and wrongs of what happened and who said what. What I will say is that having a little information I am really saddened by some of the posts in this thread. Not even the posts of the young people who feel they did nothing wrong, but the people who jumped on the bandwagon and should have known better. Do you for 1 minute believe that the CJT board members in attendance would have a problem with singing and having fun? These people are comitted to home and away games and much more while holding down full time jobs, family comittments etc into the bargain. I know a few of them who are really hurt by many of the comments. We are arranging to meet the boys on Friday night to discuss the events of the day and identify what is and isn't acceptable behaviour. We are also happy to hear from them and what concerns and points they would like to raise. Please note that this meeting is primarily for those who travelled on the bus to Stirling I would hope to be able to post a better update when I am more aware of the facts and what the general feeling is on Friday night. I hope that some of the people with strong feeling will consider standing for election at the upcoming AGM.

I don't think anybody has said it yet, but well done to ICT for resisting the temptation to let go of a key player in order to bring in a hefty sum of cash. Better still, just as they stood firm when Dundee Utd wanted our manager, it was good to see our Board fight tooth and nail (with perhaps a bit of hair pulling too) to resolutely fend off the raiders from the east by whatever means were possible. It does no harm to send out a signal that we aren't the pushovers we perhaps once were.

What I see from the various quotes is not that it was a 'representative of ICT' but an 'agent the club have dealt with'. Possibly an agent that represents a number of ICT players. What it all suggests to me is that there is a play on words here and that an agent, and I've no idea who this one is, has seen a few bob in front of his eyes and tipped Aberdeen to the release clause. I further think Aberdeen held of till the last minute and made the £200k offer which all seemed above board and, possibly ICT tried for a bit more whereby someone at Aberdeen reminded us of the release clause so our people pulled the deal. If clause was confidential then it should not have been known. I think now that we should ask SFA to carry out an enquiry into what went on. I further think Aberdeen were at an unfair advantage in any negotiations by knowing the trigger figure. It is not good for clubs to fall out, no matter who they are, as its important that each will help the other out in times of need. Times like trying to push through some league changes or needing backing for some such or the other so I hope this situation is resolved amicably.

Next week the Tansey about turn.

LeaveusinfeckinPeaceDon

Wifie first right wants to be on the gellions bus!

Can I suggest that ALL of our players would rather be elsewhere! The difference is that most of them don't really have a choice of anything better or more lucrative than ICT at this particular moment in time, whereas Tansey believed he did. I applaud him for having maintained thus far a dignified silence on all this, (in public, at least) and hope he has the drive and professionalism to keep giving his all. He may well feel some bitterness just now towards the ICT board - but surely not towards Yogi, his teammates or the fans. In addition, he should perhaps be having some strong words with his agent who at the end of the day, agreed to a release clause that wasn't adequately worded to secure Tansey the move his performances had earned.

Or has he? The Courier are suggesting it's not a done deal yet. Bizarre that there's been no announcement, even on Twitter from the club on these/this new signing. They're quick trying to flog mugs and engage in other 'banter' though....

My son was meant to be on bus 3 but slept in. We would be very interested in joining gellions buses and were hoping to go to Motherwell but I'm not sure what to make of this. It's a thankless task organising things but I know a lot of the young fans fairly well and consider them committed and a real asset to the club. £20 for a bus add ticket and food etc and it's a pretty expensive and long day so fair play to them for supporting their local team. This will hopefully all come to an amicable and successful conclusion.

As a well educated man, I'm sure you are well aware that singing on a supporters bus would hardly constitute a bus suspension.

McInnes acting with integrity.... I'll take that with a pinch of salt given the rumours that fly round about him and his players wives! Fact of the matter is you can come in banging on about release clause being mentioned by ICT source, Tanseys agent should be ashamed of himself, he is not an ICT source and I would imagine has broken a confidentiality clause! And so should Aberdeen, if you knew weeks ago, come in for him then, don't wait till the last day of the window trying to shaft us out of getting time to get a replacement in! Only club to blame here are Aberdeen, conduct your business earlier in the window and don't try to shaft clubs on deadline day. Aberdeen are quick to mouth off about the old firm stealing talent.... Well you've just turned into the third wheel of that, how about getting a better scouting network set up than constantly coming in and taking our best players!

As a born and bred Highlander, whos perspective has somewhat changed (and softened) a lot this past few years...i kinda find myself hoping County win the final and take the Cup back up north with them. BUT, i aslo happen to fully understand Old Caley Girl and others view, about County being a rival when it comes to being a hound for the locals pound. But...at the end of the day.....when it all boils down....its a sport..and really not worth investing any ill will towards anyone. Enough of that and worse, going on elsewhere.

There are parallels with the Hughes episode earlier in the season. JH was denied permission to speak to Dundee United - but that's all it was - an opportunity to 'see what they had to offer'. He hadn't cleared-out his desk. But, Tansey's situation is more difficult. If reports are to be believed, he and his agent were at Pittodrie discussing terms...he may even have said his 'goodbyes' to his Inverness colleagues - it puts him in an unenviable position and if this were politics, a 'lame duck'. It's like reading the paper on your lunch-break and seeing your lottery numbers have come up, then immediately discharging the fire-extinguisher all over your boss and his office before heading home with a defiant GIRFUY...only to discover you'd not put your ticket on! Obviously a ridiculous example, but when you've 'shown your hand' it's very difficult to integrate back in, as if nothing's happened.

Total agreement with Yngwie. Story leaves me with some questions. 1. Was Tansey and/or his agent approached by Aberdeen without ICT permission? 2. How did Aberdeen know of any release clause in contract? 3. What gives the like of Aberdeen and Dundee United, who may be bigger but no more successful in recent times, the right to think they can ride roughshod over teams like us? Many of the comments on here and, indeed, in the press are nothing more than hearsay and speculation. There hasn't been time since the window closed to allow any official statement from either team so maybe we should take the whole story with a pinch of salt at this stage.

Fon Williams Warren Mutumbo Vigurs Williams Hughes Polworth Draper Tansey Williams Storey

There is no Glasgow bias. It's Old Firm bias. People in the Greater Glasgow area who support Thistle, St Mirren, Morton, Motherwell, Albion Rovers, Pollok, and, er, Kirkie Rob Roy detest the Old Firm as much as anyone in the Highlands. Ah, the Highlands - I remember when we played Rangers at TCS the big banner among the visiting hordes was from 'Lewis RSC'. There are probably more Old Firm supporters (albeit many of them watching all their fitba on the telly) in Inverness than support ICT. Whether you're an ICT supporter, Ross county, St Johnstone, Montrose, Raith, Hamilton Accies, Ayr United, whatever, you'll see local folk wandering about in rangers and Celtic jerseys, or buses piling off to Parkhead or Aye Broke on match days. I don't think most journos are necessarily from Glasgow. Deffo many of them don't live there. But they love the Old Firm. Not because they are based in Glasgow. But because they're so BIIIIIIG.

If ICT had acted illegally to stop Tansey speaking to them then no personal terms could have been agreed and Aberdeen had no agreement with the player. However if Aberdeen had already agreed terms then that is tapping a player which is illegal. Aberdeen required ICTs agreement to speak to the player yet they appear to agree that they spoke to the player meaning they did so without the proper consent .Maybe they should be careful what they wish for in asking for an inquiry doth they not protest too much!!!

Higdon, please.

It must have been a crazy day for Tansey yesterday and i do feel sorry for him, he may well currently be very annoyed with certain people within the club for denying him the opportunity to move to Aberdeen. But he is a footballer, and he will want to play football. If he doesnt put in a shift in training, he wont be on the pitch on a saturday. If he doesnt play games, he wont be happy, but also he limits his chances of a move in summer, as it stands he has another year and a half here unless some club want to pay for his clause (the correct amount). His only option really, however pissed off or not, is too knuckle down, impress potential suitors and he can leave in a few months. If he sulks, hes playing a very dangerous game for his own short career. If Aberdeen had come in with the bid a day earlier, they would probably have Tansey just now, but they dont.

I had the same thought about Robbie Williams singing.

Yes, well done to the club in not letting themselves be 'rolled over' by Aberdeen if the proposed deal was not right for us. Doubt if we will ever know for sure whether it was just the 'release clause' issue or not. There have been hints by other posters that Tansey will now be thoroughly unsettled, and even that he might not play for us again. I would be amazed if his own professional pride let the situation degenerate to that level. He is not the first footballer, nor will he be the last, to fail to get a move to a bigger club when negotiations between the clubs come to stalemate (the John Stones Everton/Chelsea saga as an example). Surely Tansey will just buckle down, play to his best ability and make himself an even better prospect for bigger clubs in the summer. Good luck to him.

So, we now have: Tansey (if he ever plays for us again), Polworth, Draper, Wedderburn, Vincent, Vigurs, Williams (1), Williams (2), Mutombo, Roberts (at least) to choose from in midfield, but only 4 fit defenders and one fit striker. Welcome, Ryan, but forgive me for not understanding our signing policy!

I guess you think you're funny but you just bore everyone else here senseless. Boring and predictable.

What about using it to get through the turnstiles with a smoke bomb ?

Evening all, hope you're well. Just popped on to see if any of you are in the know as to why Tansey didn't sign? Just watched our manager on RedTV there, spoke openly about of all this, saying he can't understand why Tansey isn't an Aberdeen player, said he spoke to John Hughes this morning, who's in agreement that Aberdeen acted with integrity and never went behind anyone's back etc.... He said we definitely offered 200k up front, which activated Tansey's release clause, the player himself was eager to join, but something prevented the actual deal going through. There isn't an issue with the release clause being triggered or made public, as it was an agent that ICT as a club use in general, that made us aware of it. I'm not here to give abuse or receive it guys, I completely understand your anger at the whole issue, given that we've signed a few players from yourselves in recent times, but surely you agree that this whole saga has been rather bizarre.

That's a little disingenuous! The run to the League Cup Final in 2014 was/is an historic achievement and one of the indelible marks in this club's history. The extraordinary, 9-man, last-gasp comeback equaliser and eventual victory against Hearts in Edinburgh is one of the most memorable games for many fans. Check back at the Matchday Threads for that game, the Final and the build up - it was a huge deal (You actually used the word 'proud' in one such thread). To now dismiss those occasions and the achievement of our players, as 'mickey mouse', smacks of petty jealousy at Ross County.

Wow! That's almost into the category of the 14 years transportation to Australia that you get for shooting a bird! On the other hand, our soft touch prison policy probably means he'll be out in a fortnight. Seriously, though, much as I loathe this pyro nonsense, this does seem a bit over the top. What would this judge hand out for mugging an old lady then?

Agree with most of that. I'd be interested to know why Aberdeen were meeting with the agent of one of our players and discussing transfer fees and release clauses when they had made no formal approach to us. EDIT: Don't know why some posters chose to be wankerish to a fan of another team. Seemed a fairly innocent question albeit at a time when peoples backs might be up.

Great tip found this came in really handy Getting away from a car park attendant.

I'm none the clearer after this article. McInnes seems to be pointing the finger at the ICT board and their interpretation of the clause, but surely they wouldn't risk litigation if there wasn't a case? Also, the intimation is that the "leak" was via the agent, possibly sanctioned by ICT? Again, seems unlikely that we'd be effectively offering one of our better players for sale and I'm sure Yogi wouldn't have sanctioned it. Mysterious.

Think Tansey`s agent is probably the one that should be getting the blame if the contract was insecure.

I'd like to ask one of those affected, i.e. one of those who were on the bus a couple of questions. The answer may have a bearing on the seriousness of situation. I've travelled on trains with a lot of the young brigade,mainly between Inverness and Dingwall, and as well as singing they love to get bouncing and rock the carraiges. Was this what was happening on the bus? If it was were you all asked to stop? Was this the reason for the driver not being happy? If answer to the first question was yes then this was a very stupid thing to be doing. If answer to all questions is yes then people have put themselves and others at serious risk of accident. A train moving quick pretty much sticks to the rails due to g-forces when cornering and downforces when in a straight line so it would take some very serious rocking and shaking to change its course of direction. A bus, on the other hand, will become extremely unstable if subjected to the same forces and could suddenly veer of course resulting in road carnage. I'm in no way saying this was the scenario but its one I wonder at.

There appear to be ambiguous statements coming from both sides of this dispute which initially appeared on here through the quoted Original Post.... which I have to say looks like a classic example of adolescent distortion of the facts in response to the imposition of a sanction. You see this in schools on a daily basis with the offence always spun downwards, the sanction quite often spun upwards and the resulting conclusion always being that the treatment was "unfair" (q.v. Harry Enfield's Kevin The Teenager) and that those involved have been victimised. Reality almost invariably tells a different story. Unfortunately, much of this thread has developed on the basis that the above hyperbolised claims were accurate. Perhaps CJT should have clarified the situation more quickly (although they did do so within around 24 hours of the OP), but perhaps they were reluctant to become involved in a public forum and perhaps they needed time to clarify their own position. We also need to compare the OP above with this section of the CJT statement:- "Suffice to say, the issue was not about loud singing on the buses. Secondly, the number of fans banned from the Motherwell (and the Motherwell bus only, not all subsequent buses) has been very much overstated. We have a duty to all of our regular travelling supporters to ensure that buses are run within the guidelines set by the bus company and to a standard that the majority of supporters feel is appropriate. This includes several young people who we know travel regularly with CJT." and with the text signed "John Horne" which indicates that the ban is for the Motherwell game only, but on "all persons travelling on that bus". This invites the following conclusions:- 1) It would appear that, in the best traditions of Kevin The Teenager, NPNP94 has gone out of his way to make light of the original offence. 2) NPNP94's statement "banned from the buses" implies a sanction rather more severe than the reality of just from the Motherwell bus. 3) There is inconsistency between the two CJT versions of who are banned since John Horne states "all persons" whereas the later statement says that the number involved "has been very much overstated". Whether or not this change is a result of subsequent discussion within CJT (and possible later identification of individual offenders?) is open to question. However it does appear that much of this thread's ire is in response to an OP which is at best ambiguous and at worst disingenuous. Also, if NPNP94 has, as he claims, not been informed of the behaviour which led to the exclusion, why did he say in his OP that it was for "singing" which is arguably one of the post's most inflammatory features. I would also like to know what level of adult supervision there was on a bus which appears to have been overwhelmingly full of kids - and indeed why a critical mass of potential difficulty was created by putting so many kids were put together in the same bus? I would certainly have expected a significant adult presence which, on the other hand, should have prevented things getting out of hand to the extent to which they appear to have.

Whats wedderburn done to be excluded from the rig lineup, surley a holding mid role at the expense of warren is reasonable?

What a can of worms! Who knows how this will end, but I'm sure it isn't over and I've got a horrible feeling that we'll end up being on the losing end somehow. Fingers crossed, ICT got their facts right and stood their ground legitimately and it was Aberdeen who were squarely in the wrong. I share some of Sir C the 3rd's concerns about the way football is set up and the apparent conflict between maintaining a competitive league and upholding employment law. As somebody mentioned earlier, in what other walk of life is compensation required at all for an employee moving jobs? And why only for 2 short periods during the year? Could this be challenged by a player at some point (Bosman take 2)? Ultimately, despite the efforts of the football authorities to try to maintain some semblance of compensation for clubs that develop and nurture players, the truth is that in the Scottish climate only the biggest clubs can afford (or pretend to afford in one case!) to pay transfer fees and most of the market is on "frees". Small clubs like ours face a terrible dilemma for every player - cash in bofore their contract is up and risk getting less than market value or get the best from the player for as long as possible and lose him on a free to a club that can afford higher wages? What this means is that small clubs that raise their heads above the parapet can only ever be a flash in the pan - I feel the burn, I'm afraid.

Looks like bad handling to me or at least very poor communication. That said, the important thing is that the wrong has been quickly put right and things are now being dealt with in a proper and proportionate manner.

and credit to the OP for raising this issue which might otherwise have gone under the radar for most of us not directly involved or affected.

Have made contact with the guys who are running the gellions bus. Will post with update soon

I would have banned them as well if they were singing that Miles Storey magic hat song constantly for 3 hours.

I'd go as far as saying County have as many born and bred Invernessians fans as we do, they even have an official supporters club in the city run from the Tarry Isle bar I think Whether it being clever marketing or other factors they have recruited wisely and steadily since gaining access to the senior leagues Ross-shire,Sutherland,Caithness,Skye,Western Isles and certain parts of Inverness have embraced County whereas we have struggled as we seem to be playing second fiddle Inverness have also active supporters clubs from Celtic,Rangers,Aberdeen,Hearts,Dundee,Dundee Utd,St Johnstone and even Man Utd in the city When you also throw in the Merkinch/Clach fans who openly despise us it's no wonder we struggle to get fans with an Inverness postcode We have been very fortunate in the last two decades that Inverness has grown dramatically because the influx of incomers to the city has swelled our numbers Dougal

The video is a wee bit cringey if you are an adult but I think it's good for the younger ICT fans to watch. Look forward to seeing a bunch of them doing this in their ICT strips at football pitches across Inverness.

I'm really not sure what Lopez, Sho Silva and Mutombo have brought to the side. Just the one goal between them and precious little else in the way of significant contributions to games. Mutombo certainly looks to be the best of the 3 but seems to lack a bit of awareness of what's around him and he ends up making the wrong choices. If only he could stick one or two away soon he could be a player for us but I can't see him being good enough to be a regular starter. The next few months are going to be a testing time for the manager. The outfield players he has brought in have been no great shakes. Wedderburn also looks like he is struggling at this level and it remains to be seen what Fisher and a hopefully fit again Roberts bring to the team. With so many players with contracts up at the end of the season it seems likely that there will be a significant number of replacements to be brought in at some point and I worry that Yogi has yet to demonstrate the ability to find the kind of players his predecessors were able to attract. It is, of course, very difficult on the kind of budget available but that has always been the case. To my mind, the key signings to make are extended contracts of most of the current squad. The sooner players can be tied into new contracts, the sooner we will be able to identify what kind of players we will be looking for next year.

We can't afford the luxury of continuing to play a player until they become good. Any flashes from Lopez were absolutely minimal and he always looked far too slow and cumbersome, frequently displaying a shocking lack of control of the football and turning over possession time after time. We cannot persevere with a player who was performing as poorly as that in the hope they suddenly become good. I'm sure he's a lovely guy, gobbing on fellow players aside, but the fact is that he was a very poor player and well out of his depth. You need only to look at how quickly Miles Storey has adapted to things to see when a player really does show flashes of talent.