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For your information the Supporters Travel Club already pays for their own travel to the games. We take nothing financial from ICTFC, in fact by organising Supporters buses we are actually adding to the overall club experience.

We have seen the team show resilience all season. They can show this again by getting a result on Sunday. They are more than capable as has been shown in various games this season. Let's get down to Dundee in numbers on Sunday and help write another bit of Scottish cup history.

I have to admit having lived in Aberdeen and now Angus for past two years this is similar to the aberDNA idea Aberdeen fc introduced at the start of this season. Over 11000 AFC fans signed up to a 2 year commitment and got certain benefits like season ticket discount, merchandise discount entered into a draw for hospitality chance for juniors to win a mascot package discounts to cup games and they were given different levels they could donate monthly from £10 to I believe £50 a month those on the higher donations were also given a free home shirt. Yes we are smaller, we are not going to get the 100,000 + quid this generates for Aberdeen but it has been ring fenced for the Aberdeen playing budget. If you could ask the fans what they would like the money to be contributing towards, what they would like to get back from the scheme and what level of contributions could be made, then devise a plan and present that to the fan base, hopefully It would invigorate many among the not only regular attendees but folk like myself who live large distances way to help contribute regularly towards the success of the club in the future?

Not sacking Foran when he was clearly out of his depth will haunt this club for years to come.

The Travel Club fund raise to ensure fans can go to all away games to support ICT. Buses cost money - the fares are low due to the fundraising by a few loyal fans, the Club and players appreciate the travelling fans. What’s your problem with that?

Entertaining game for one we didn't manage to score. Took a while to settle to the diamond midfield and Utd could have been out of sight. Gradually worked our way into the game and were arguably on top despite not creating much. Second half was really open and end to end. They were on top for a spell when they won the pen. I would have said it was a fair award. Coll lunged in to block the shot but took the players legs before the ball. Mchattie took an awful touch to draw pawlett into a rash challenge for his second booking. This killed the game as our lack of creativity against there solid unit meant the classic sit deep and let us punt it. Colls last second deflected shot was the closest I think we got. Draw might have been fairer but safranko did miss a great chance late on. If that is their starting 11 on Sunday we should hold no fear. They are a solid unit but hopefully tremarco, mccart, doran and another winger return so we can play 4-5-1 again. Tonight they targeted Rooney and got a lot of joy down his side. Thought Welsh was mom. Most played well I thought.

Taking paragraphs 2 and 3, you may have a point but that would almost certainly mean the end of full time football for ICT for many years and we would become a bit of a yo yo club like the Forfars and Arbroaths. Nothing wrong with that but is it what the fans really want, if so they need to come out and say that as that is the reality of what you suggest. As for paragraph 4, that to me is the major problem, we cannot seem to attract increased interest from the public in Inverness. Even when the club has been doing well, attendances have not increased and we even struggled to sell our allocation of tickets for the Scottish Cup Final. If we couldn't do that, it highlights a major problem that nobody can solve. Don't disagree with your point about the marketing and communications director. Disagree entirely with your comments in paragraph 5. The current board inherited multiple issues from previous boards, they did not know about the rental issues with the stands for example as far as I know and various other issues of a smaller nature also surfaced. It is easy to blame the board (or the manager/payers) but some of the blame rests with us as fans who don't turn out in the numbers they should. Statements like the one you make may well appeal to some fans but do not generate any real answers. I am not a cheer leader for the board but genuinely think they are trying to do the best they can for the club and are every bit as much of a supporter as the rest of us. In reality, our financial situation is nothing new as we have been in deep financial troubles previously, the major difference is that previously we had a white knight who rescued us and we were heading upwards, in football terms compared to where we are now. We have always struggled to break even or make a profit and, more often than not, made a loss. Just think of the situation Ross County would be in if Roy MacGregor did not pump money intyo it annually. Didn't he write off a million pound debt recently for them? In essence, the club is at a crossroads and cannot continue as it is without some sort of financial injection or becoming something radically different from what we have now. To suggest something different is, in my opinion, not facing up to reality.

The time to consider such 'get out' clauses was when the contracts were initially negotiated and agreed. For whatever reason, those managing the club at that time did not take that prudent step and we continue to pay the price for that.

I suspect rent/mortgage ain't too much of a problem on £1800 a week or whatever it is.

The Auditor's comment relates to a point I made in an earlier post regarding the strengthening of the balance sheet through the addition of new assets (stands) and the basic solvency test. Without the addition of the asset then the short term liabilities and cah flow difficulties over the past year would have made it difficult to demonstrate that, in lieu of a credible increase in income, the club was solvent. The comment specifically shows (understandably) that the Auditors have concerns that the value of the asset cannot be realised in the short term to act as a liquid asset (to offset liabilities coming due). The current month on month P&L (and resulting run rate) is needed to understand whether this is an improving situation which through further reduction in expenditure and increase in income can be controlled. The lack of external debt is a positive in relation to all this however I view it telling in terms of cash flow that we decided to move Oakley on in the last window. I would add that the current board are in many ways dealing with the hand they have been dealt with. Removing the remaining large wages off the books (and I would ask whether we are still paying Foran?) will assist however I'm not convinced that this will balance things out. In simple terms further injection of cash is likley to be needed over the current finacial year Winning the Scottish Cup again or at least getting to the Semis where the attendance monies are pooled would be a major help......

I think you will find a club has lots of other expenses. Running hospitality, corporate stuff, outside advisors etc. Some of which generate money and some of which don't.

I have replied on the AGM thread to most of the points you made already, but will agree fully with your final statement and that whatever is done needs to be sustainable and as part of a long term strategy and not just short term fire fighting. Bringing out the begging bowl to fill the cash hole regardless of which administration is at fault wont rectify the underlying issues which any investor whether bringing pennies or pounds should have full visibility of. If the club want help then they have to demonstrate to fans why we are in this mess and lessons learned to avoid this becoming a reoccuring issue which may mean hard and unpopular choices but if presented as a plan to fans most will understand and see the long game.

What I am suggesting is that a hard look and difficult choices are made, in business in its very basic terms, money in must exceed money out. Therefore cutting the outgoings needs to be looked at further, this is the only way for the club to survive. No point having a begging bowl asking fans for yet more without outlining what the club are doing - for all the challenging of my posts on this nobody seems to think that the questions regarding where the monies have gone should be addressed - who has had payoffs, how much in wages, whats spent on maintenance & running costs and finally while directors dont take a salary we all know expenses can be manipulated - without full honest and transparent disclosure then why would any fan give away their money? For me, I'd be happy with a long term goal - cutting the playing staff costs by removing some of the still higher earners and those who seems to make little impact or contribution, use some of that to increase the youth budgets & investment and pack the team with young guys who are on lesser financial contracts, include incentives based on club income & success and overall develop a product that may get us to stability & maybe even players to sell on (imagine that!!!!) - its longterm vision which may mean dropping down or even PT to come back stronger, other teams have done this so why cant we. It may not be popular with all fans especially those focused on the Premiership as a holy grail but better to be here for a long time than just one good time. Unfortunately for those on the board they went into the positions they have with greater transparency of the clubs position than us fans (I hope so anyway) - they have to be prepared for hard questions and tough decisions otherwise why are they there - cant just have good times. While it may not be the fault of the current regime they have a duty to fix this and thats what comes for the roles they have taken. I've posted before where I feel the club fails and primarily its engaging with fans - we have communication, marketing and image issues yet have people dedicated to these roles. Directors coming on here saying 'we dont know what to do'. 'we need money' - theres pages of threads & topics the mods can direct them to with numerous great fan suggestions on improvements without any real cub outlay. Phase 1 of any improvement plan is to perform a Lessons Learned on whats gone wrong before then strategise how in small and manageable steps we can work towards an end goal. Have the club done this and understand what to do or just blaming the old regime stating the mess isnt their fault but give us money to fix it?

Hopefully trying to paint on the track of the 500 - during the race.

Many thanks to the fan who left a spare comp ticket with the turnstile operator. ?

For clarity you’d rather see the club go down without a fight? And a plaque, on that basis, will be of use to no one as the club will be consigned to history. I’m far from affluent but I’m certainly not wishing to see my team disappear. Nor am I naive; I’d certainly look for transparency and a plan as to where the money will go and what it will be used for but in principle I support the idea to crowd fund. A lot of what we shouldn’t do in your post but I’d like to see what suggestions you have to drive the club on. I’m sure you must have some as your posts are clearly well constructed and thought out. NOT sarcastic for clarity. We need input from everyone as to how we go forward?

Bravo. Eloquent and factual. We can bitch and moan about the past and who is doing what but is this not a call to arms which, if not answered, will see us facing the reality of no club at ICT?

Maybe the club could introduce a cost cutting initiative in the boardroom. Replacing Diet Coke with tap water for the local press would save on the supermarket bill at least. Every bit helps no matter how little. Dougal

Me and some of my friends would like to know how effective the commercial staff, and their management are? If we do not receive as much cash from the league then we need to find a way to generate it ourselves. There are a lot of players left unsponsored and hospitality is seldom full these days. I remember a previous chairman stating that there was no need to replace Mike Smith as CEO because his wage was too high and the day to day stuff could be handled by other staff and the directors. If we are in such bad shape financially, why do we need a CEO who seems to be all but invisible? For all his faults, Mike Smith was very visible. Why cant we sell our sponsorship or hospitality?

Thats not the kind of spending I am meaning WH. Im not meaning the football or youth kind of spending.

Its not for me to tell you how to fix running your business. I'm not the one begging the public to fund the holes and plug the gaps due to financial mismanagement. Demonstrate what has been achieved with the current youth programs - we have had little to no break through into the first team historically. Right now removing some full time (experienced if you call them that) players to use that money back into youth development might be a better longer term strategy. This chasing a dream of getting back to the Premiership and everything will be rosy is a falsity and not all fans buy into it. Go search and look for posts and threads, even mine if you like as there is plenty said about footfall, lack of communication and the lack of marketing strategy. For a club that announced it has a dedicated resource in charge of this - then why has there been no improvement and if by general consensus its gotten worse? I'm sorry you come on a public platform announcing your position and get upset with opinions, but the reality is that not everyone on here will cream themselves because they can access a board member. Statement coming out of the club constantly cause concerns and suggest that its all been smoke and mirrors for years (especially the finances) - while you may be all trying your best and whether the investments are pennies or pounds its a choice that you make so don't bite the hand that feeds you or start criticising fans or you may find footfall drops further.

Look at the numbers though. Let's say 2000 home fans. Not all will be Full price (kids/ concessions etc) so if we agree an average gate receipt of £17 a skull just as an example. £35k for a game. This is to pay operating expenses - catering, gates, stewards, ground staff, management etc - as well as playing staff from FT, coaching and youth/ apprentice. These just don't stack up I think we'd agree and IMHO confirm that the club are not spending way above or on the wrong things - our spend is perhaps aspirational but I don't think any of us want a return to PT football or to cull the Youth? That's why we need to consider SheepSlagger's crowd funding angle? For clarity I'm not on the board I'm a season ticket holder in the family section in the North Stand.

Sadly more too it now as well. Looks like we are either spending money on wrong things or spending way above our means?

That's standard accountancy speak in annual reports. They have to weigh up all the potential contingencies, however remote or unlikely and report it in dispassionate terms. Nearly every company trading at a loss will have something like it in their annual accounts.

simple. we can't afford him. that's why he was/is out on loan.

Firstly, Ross I wish you well in your new role and hope you make a success of it. I have liked the way you have engaged with the fans on here in your first couple of weeks. I’m not sure how I would feel in contributing even more money to the club. I have been an ICT fan for 25 years and a Thistle fan for 10 years previous to that. I’d say I’ve probably had a season ticket for on and off for about 25 years of those 35. I will have contributed thousands of ££ in tickets, merchandise, car parking, food and drink at the stadium plus at the social club and wider throughout Inverness and Scotland for away games. Why would I want to contribute even more in addition to that? Why should fans of other clubs pay what we pay but get Premier league football, new signings, good catering, nice stadium, not seeing all their best players leave, positivity. But we don’t? It’s not my fault all the supporters and money have all slipped away. It’s the job of the people in charge of the club to keep the fans engaged and look for constant new investment. This hasn’t happened, clearly. I’ve kept my side of the deal. That said, personally I am willing to give this new board a chance. I feel it has a willingness to recognise there are big problems that need addressing. For any additional investment from fans though there needs to be tangible benefits. Wether that be free hospitality for a game or even a discount at the catering outlets. Just something. We can’t just be taken for granted all the time. Robbo blaming the fans the other week was a big own goal for me. Rather than moaning about them he should of been thanking them profusely for turning up and keeping the club going when so many others have turned away. Also, I’m not sure how I feel about using any additional money from fans to give to players wages. I feel in general that footballers wages are completely out of control and that filters down to our level. I’m not sure how I’d feel if I was contributing extra money each month and that money was going to guys on good contracts playing in the Scottish championship, who then disappear when another club with even more money turn up. These guys are probably earning more money than some fans and it doesn’t feel right to me. Ross, it’s not easy and you have a hell of a job on your hands, but I wish you every success with it. I probably would contribute a little extra if you follow through with positive changes.

Are we skint or what then more cuts required on the playing front?? Foran should kit us out free gratis with his new sportswear kit seeing as it was that Fudd along with the previous chairman who backed him who have pretty much fcked our club!

Wev all milked a full paying sick scheme in fact I was sacked for it once upon a time lol! Foran be punting moody PSG tops in magaluf this summer flights and accomadation curtesy of ICT FC!

So since we are in sharing mood. What exactly are the situations with OFW and Mr Foran ?

Entirely agree. I think appointing him was a reasonable risk to take. Giving him a five year contract was incomprehensible and failing to act when it was clear he was neither a manager or a coach and we were heading for relegation was negligent. Unless we are somehow promoted this season we will see just how negligent very soon.

So you disagree they could try and raise money at games? I don’t quite understand why. Surely anything made by using buckets would be beneficial.

The fans or a lot of them were right behind foran desperate for yogi to get the sack madness putting a rookie in charge! Mind the last game of the season the players getting a standing ovation from sections of fans not moi obvs for a complete disaster of a season with ramifications could last for years wtf

maybe the travel club could rattle buckets outside the stadium to raise money for the club and then pay for their own travel to games which might help