Leaderboard

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

After the last derby at TCS, I emailed the SLO about a below average report on the match day experience for friends of ours who came over for dinner after the game. Fair enough, they are County fans but the catering was really poor which reflects badly on the club. I never received an acknowledgment so wonder how effective this new role is proving? Also, I think communication has gone backwards in terms of social media platforms. There must be a plethora of people who could contribute in the stadium with updates, match reports, forthcoming ticket sales, transport etc.? If it wasn’t for ICT Travel on FB, I wouldn’t have known there was a bus for example. Anyone have similar thoughts or just me ?

Well I am up for this one and will be seated between Yvonne Crook and Graham Rae in the North Stand. Cant believe that Lobster Thermidor will be available from one of the Catering outlets. Pre-match communication has been poor but I have sent an e-mail to the SLO's. Anyone have a scooby about who is available or not ? Apologies if this is the wrong forum for football related posts.

Please. Foran was ****, though most obviously wanted him to succeed still feared the worst (which was sadly realised) however being revisionist is something you are guilty of. We didn't get rid of JH to get RF in that's not what happened at all. We wanted to keep him, hence why we didn't allow him to speak to Dundee United. It all deteriorated after that though with his repeated slagging of the board publicly. That's only going to end one way, with his sacking. Foran was a mistake, a huge one no doubt and I said as much once to Kenny Cameron in that I felt he wasn't ready for such a role.

Another game on tomorrow at a different venue! Our U18s are back in action tomorrow as they face @AberdeenFC at the @HighlandRFC, with the game kicking off at 3pm. Come along and support the young Caley Jags!

It was a really interesting session with Robbo last night. He was honest and forthright and didn't duck any questions. In addition to the excellent summary from ICT-Stew, Robbo spoke of his concerns about the pitch which he described as "gone". We can see that with our own eyes and there are clearly major decisions to be taken by the Board in relation to that. Interestingly he referred to the astroturf facility the Rugby Club have and he described that surface as "magnificent". In talking about finances he indicated that he has reduced the wage bill by over £1million which seems an astonishing amount for a club of our size. He also says he has cut down on payments to agents from about £100k to just £9k! I like that! But with no regular investment (donations) coming into the club, he felt there is a need to do more to attract people, particularly young kids to the games. This may be an area where the Supporters Trust can work with the manager to explore various initiatives with the club. On the player front, he said that Angus Beith was now just a couple of weeks away from being ready for selection. We'll keep our fingers crossed that it will be worth the wait. Also, OFW is back and whilst he apparently would prefer to play in the States, nothing has come up yet which he wants to sign up to. If nothing by way of a loan deal for him comes up in January then he would come back into the squad as our highest paid player (I think) until his contract expires. In that case, young Daniel Hoban would likely go out on a loan deal. For me, the over-riding message was that the club has to be realistic about the kinds of contracts it can afford and we all need to understand that we are very limited in terms of the kind of players we can bring to the clubs. Seasoned pros, particularly those with families to relocate, simply are not going to move up here for the wages we can afford. We therefore need to attract younger lads who show potential but who, for one reason or another haven't quite made the grade elsewhere. We have to accept that if they make the grade here, then likely they will move on to in due course. The other route is to develop our own and he spoke with great enthusiasm about the youngsters currently coming through the system. As I say, a very informative and interesting session. I am sure he will be willing to come to Q&A sessions again and I can assure you, it will be well worth the effort to come along and hear what he has to say.

Copied from a post on P&B Some 2nd hand info from the fans forum last night; Polworth will have to take a pay cut to stay on next season. Mulraney's contract from the old board was mental, apparently if we didn't get rid of him, he had a clause in his contract where his wages would double. Contract's handed out by the previous board had some mental clauses in them in general. The 'Bank of Dingwall' gave us 100k for Draper. We were in for strikers who are currently playing in the Championship, wages agreed but agents scuppered the deals wanting their 10%. We offered one particular player £600 a week but was told United 'offered double'. Extremely hard to attract established players, we had to approach young, single players with no central belt ties. Hence Rooney, Walsh, Chalmers. We are 6/10 in terms of first team budget. Those with a bigger one are United, County, Partick, Falkirk and Dunfermline. We can never get the Highland Football Academy as County block book it whether they use it or not. Robbo is against using Hearts youth players on loan as they probably won't be better than we have and if we did use them, it would **** off the signed players. Plus is is extremely excited about Danny McKay and Roddy MacGregor.

I'm quite happy to sing a few songs or read a bit of poetry if people wish to be entertained.

Your first paragraph is a rewriting of history through your own bias. Had we not got rid of JH we would never have been relegated. RF was unproven at ANY level an act of folly by the board who thought they knew something about football. Were you by chance one of those who was cheer leading for Foran? You reap what you sow,.