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http://ictfc.com/news/team-news/1745-board-update-for-fans Good to see the board realising a statement on incoming players, looking forward to hearing the players we have signed on pre-contracts. This is what the fans have been looking for rather than being kept in the dark. Brilliant news on Polworth, with him, Tansey and Draper all signed up for next season this gives us a great foundation to build on and if we invest in some good attacking players, we can look forward to having a better playing squad than this season and hopefully a more successful one.

Well done to the Board for issuing a really informative statement. Not only is it informative, it contains a number of encouraging bits of news.

This statement from the board is, to me, confirmation that the discussions that we take part in on CaleyThistleOnline are being witnessed and considered by the board and therefore our opinions are valued. Rather than a 'them and us' type of club, we belong to one where we all have roles to fulfil and without all the different groups considering each other, we would not have ICTFC. Well done to the board. Thank you for listening. (Now if you could you just find a contract for David Raven, I'll buy the cakes for your next board room meeting?).

A monthly news update like this would go a long way to get the fans behind the club rather than always suspecting the worst . Silence always results in suspicion yet we hear some real potential progress with this statement .

I travelled down to Edinburgh by bus yesterday and back today. I took the opportunity to read the latest report in some detail. I think perhaps you should too, Lawrence. There has now been a massive amount of evidence collected and there is absolutely no evidence of any coordinated tactic of the sort you imply. Released CCTV footage from outside the ground shows no such coordinated attack on the gate. Of course there were some fans with no tickets and of course there were people who had too much to drink but there always are on these big match occasions. There is no evidence that the level of this was any different from usual and in any case the police have a responsibility to deal with such people and prevent them causing danger to others. The difference at Hillsborough was that there were not enough turnstiles open and there were insufficient police to cordon the fans into proper queues. The police also failed to delay the kick off time when they became aware of significant congestion outside the ground. It was a combination of these factors that led to the fateful decision to open the exit gates and nothing to do with a tactic of ticketless hordes. Laurence, I appreciate that you do not specifically allege that ticketless fans were responsible for this tragedy, but the implication in your post is quite clear. You should be ashamed of yourself

Polworth signs a three year deal. Excellent news!

What I thought was quite interesting was the way the Accies side worked managerially. Beuzelin, who is the club assistant manager, was in the dugout while their manager, Canning, played himself. I believe Alex Neil also used to play himself in these fixtures often (I recollect seeing him in the dugout for an U20 game at the Caley Stadium before he went off to Norwich). It's a good idea if you're in that position, the manager plays himself and talks the rest of the team through the game. If you've got a player/manager it seems like a really clever idea, especially for players so young.

Fair enough. Football fans are mostly idiots (and I include myself in that sweeping generalisation as well). ICT fans will moan if we pass the ball along the back screaming for the players to get it forward at which point, when the ball is launched forward, the same fans will rage about, erm, launching the ball forward. Just ignore them and get behind the team.

Good news Polly!!! he's one of our own! And finally some communication from the board - tells us enough to keep us happy without saying so much that they give away targets etc to other clubs. Unfortunate that nothing mentioned regarding the future of the Rave...is he really going to go.....?!

Very good news indeed now a two or three year deal for David Raven please.

I felt they brought a buzz to the match with their energy, passion and commitment, my only concern was that I didn't want to see one of our fans getting a very long ban, or worse, just for setting off a flare.

Hang on Laurence. You're saying you were at a game involving Liverpool... you haven't got a clue when, except you reckon it was before 1963 on the strength of having sold a motor bike... but you still seem to remember Liverpool fans discussing how to get in through a gate without tickets. It's maybe at this stage that we need the question.....”and your point is?”, because you don't actually say what your point is. However it would be reasonable to infer that, because you think you heard Liverpool fans discussing a ruse to get a gate open on some date before 1963 which you can't even remember, you appear to be suggesting that this is evidence that Liverpool fans in 1989 attempted a similar ruse. The inquest jury listened to two years of evidence before coming to 14 considered verdicts.... but you seem to think you know better because you went to a football match that you can only remember because you sold a bloody motorbike in1963!!! It's like Corporal Jones ranting on about the fuzzywuzzies in the bloody Sudan! Or have you just started a new job as a PR man for the Sun?

Do you think their mums grounded them for coming home covered in red dye. I very much doubt it's from anything posted on here as they have got better things to do than to read this. I'll tell you what though. The Young team emerged on the back of a pay what you can initiative. With low attendances, maybe an under 18s go free or something for the televised Friday night fixture. Collectively I'm sure we can do our bit to advertise it across the secondary schools and elsewhere especially with having a Monday free. Just a thought though as the club still need to make money.

I tried that but discovered that the voice I was getting fed up with was mine. I don't hear much moaning in Main Stand section G

My issue was more with comments during the game...the incessant criticism of every single touch or pass is really grating. If you have a bad meal, you discuss it afterwards, or while your eating it, but you don't stand and shout through to the chef in the kitchen and criticise how he is producing your meal; we may know how to cook, But it certainly isn't our profession. Criticism in this way would likely have a negative effect on his ability to perform to the best of his abilities... Ditto with the idea of a film-would you stand over the shoulder of a director and tell him he's not filming the movie correctly, that you know better? However it's acceptable to criticise the players during a match, which they CAN hear - this is likely to frustrate the players, and negatively affect their performance. And if you were at a movie, and another cinema-goers commentary was affecting YOUR enjoyment of the product you'd be pissed off too! As ive said before, the constant bemoaning of every single choice or pass or touch by the players is draining! This forum IS the place for that, I agree. Some people might talk absolute guff, myself included, but it's better to do it on here than shout and scream and boo our own players.

I certainly hope a certain Mr Stokes is not on the radar. In fact I'd sooner see him anywhere else! When it was first mentioned he could come here I was one that was optimistic about it. Now, having seen wat he's done to hibs since joining, I'm glad he never came to us. And let's be serious that would be a hell of a wage to pay, a wage that would be better spent on David Raven and these forwards Yogi's talking about! Btw, if you go Inverness CT Loyal page on Facebook there's a petition to stop Raven getting released! And if anyone knows how we could get it to the club then I'm all ears.

Rumour doing the rounds is he's been lined up as the next Brora manager.

That is indeed an articulate, informative, realistic and encouraging statement. After all the incoherent, negative and somewhat inconsistent 'statements' from the manager it is refreshing. Perhaps he would be better served by attempting to manage the team and leave such public utterances in future to others...

Thanks, Sneckboy. Informative as ever! Sorry not to have picked up on this sooner but rather surprised nobody else has commented on this rather alarming and important statistic. Now I appreciate that an early kick off on a Sunday with the game live on TV will affect the gate, but we have had televised games before and not had such a poor gate. One also needs to bear in mind that this was a very important game with a win virtually assuring Premiership football next season and that should have encouraged a few more folk to come along and support the team. Bottom line is people will attend matches more if they feel they are being entertained and getting value for money. The appalling crowd on Sunday is evidence that more and more people are not being entertained and don't feel they are getting value for money. Our budget is tight enough as it is without it getting tighter as a result of falling gate receipts. Ironically, I thought there was a more positive approach on Sunday, but we need to build on that if we are to persuade the occasional fans to come along a bit more often. Great post by bdu98916. Absolutely spot on! I think ictfcsince94 misses the point slightly as the criticism on here is more akin to writing a review on Tripadvisor or Rotten Tomatoes after a meal or a film. We support the team on the day but criticise later. I do agree though that some fans are a bit too vocal in their criticism during games and not vocal enough in support. But it is fair enough to allow a certain amount of displeasure (not abuse) at the time. After all, if you are in a restaurant and your steak is well done when you asked for medium rare, you would complain at the time surely?

If the budget is cut yet again we can look forward to championship football the season after next.

The budget IS unrealistic for SPL football - a fact you are unwilling to accept. As far as costing the club in excess of £500k I would ask you what the club has done with the near £1m he made in the past? You seem to knock his every move but considering his selection problems during the past season and his budget restraints I believe our support should be happy with 7th or 8th place. All things considered I would be happy with SPL survival every season.

I remember very long time ago I had a Norton motor bike. I stopped riding it before 1963. The reason I mentioned that it helps me place the date of a Burnley v Liverpool cup game at Turf Moor. I know I went to the game on my bike. . When I got there all the tickets were sold , so I stood outside listening to the transistor radios , of the game. The Liverpool fans were discussing a tactic they had used before of f getting the police to open the gates. However they thought there was not enough of them to create the havoc needed to influence the Police, I always think of that day when this topic comes to light.