Leaderboard

Looks like Ritchie has invested his gardening leave pennies into a new venture.

Busy social diary this week so posting now in case I forget Game 17

To kick it off I doubt whether any of us, even given the availability of a Tardis, would have changed one bit of the post merger histories of Caledonian and Inverness Thistle - from the agonies and soul searching of the initial post merger years through the unbelievable climb up the leagues, the momentous giant killings en route, culminating in a Scottish Cup victory and a surreal jaunt, albeit brief, into what many of us would have termed the UEFA Fairs Cup. As we progressed we were undoubtedly abetted, financially backed (perhaps saved) by injections of cash by a number of previous Board members and one in particular. But to me the Boards were blinded by the light, they spent in an attempt to try and secure a position which was probably well above our potential without a bonafide Sugar Daddy. To me their biggest downfall was that they were "weak". They rolled over like starstruck puppies when played with by the likes of Brewster, moreso Butcher and again by Yogi. Three very big egotistical control freaks. To me Brewster had many positives but he was aloof. Butcher is a textbook narcissist which augured well at the off. We will never be associated by a bigger name in our history. He became the Mr ICT of the media and he wallowed in it. He brought in players through his name and reputation and was abetted by the one of the best scouting system ever in Scottish football. But he was ruthless and his personality scared the crap out of the Board. He probably started off our rise to the top but he also put us on a perilous financial slope. When the Board had a fit of realism and tried to pull back the reins he fecked off and in true narcissistic fashion didn't give a feck what he left behind. So what did the Board do. They brought in a manager in the same vein and allowed him to repeat the process. Although it was feckin great and he also had his strengths. But we continued to overspend and whos fault is that ? Now that is why I get so frustrated over the criticism of the current Board. Yvonne Crook knows more about Marks and Spencers shopping ranges than football. Graham Rae probably thinks penalties are called free throws and you get three points for scoring a free kick from outside the designated box. They were brought in primariy to sort out the finances which is evidently a rotten and difficult task which probably annoys many at the Dump. But they appear to be getting there. Robbo is forthright and has a more personable and stable personality. He is a true communicator and knows his limits. Why is he still here ? Shure the Board were lacking in the communication skills but they have taken on Board people to carry out those roles for them. They take a back seat and let Robbo and the locally sourced Backroom staff to instill the "play for the shirt mentality". Scotty alludes to the future ambition. Of course it simply has to be an eventual return to the Premiership but stabilizing the finances and solidifying a place in the Championship has to be the initial goal. We have become accustomed to success but perhaps the realization is that a return to the Premiership may take a number of seasons and is dependent on an influx of extra finance. MERRY FECKIN XMAS

for those making a distinction between "old board" and new board, just remember that we did not replace the board en-masse ... it was more of a rolling change over a number of years and some of the new board could also be considered as being part of the old board ! its not as simple as its being made out to be. Did the 'old' board make mistakes ? yes, they did. Has the new board? yes to that also. In fact, every board has likely made a ton of mistakes (considering we almost went to the wall twice). The one thing they all have in common I think is that they all thought they were doing what was best for ICT at the time. The board led by KC was trying to keep us in the premiership and was operating on a higher level in terms of revenues and costs and it appears that some silly contracts (for us) may have been handed out, but those contracts might have been sustainable in the premiership if we had remained ! The board led by GR is a board in the championship and although off to a rocky start - in my opinion - have started to pull some things round. They have come in for flak from several corners, including me, but more recently there have been a few things where they have been worthy of praise. The main aim is to cut our cloth to suit our pocketbook and we have done that before. Its maybe harder this time since we are used to premiership players and performances. If the aim is to steady the ship and build from there to get us back to the premiership then I am 100% behind them. If it is to be happy with our lot as a championship side then I am not.

Depends on what you mean by "this type of thing". Dismissal for bringing your employer's name into disrepute is probably in most contracts. Dismissal because of criminal conviction might not be. We have a situation in which a person could well be treated differently by their employer because he is a first team player rather than an unknown member of backroom staff. That's a distinction which won't exist in employment law - though there will be similar cases in the past - so if I was thinking of terminating the contract, I'd make sure that I first obtained good legal advice.