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Think this will be deserving of its own thread as details emerge of the sheer state of our finances ... but let me start controversially by saying THANK YOU to Ketan Makwana ! The utter nonsense of your 'takeover' bid, the corporate phygital gobbledygook coming out of your mouth or your linked in page, and your history at companies house woke up some of our giants of the past in Messrs. McGilvray, Sutherland and Savage. You were the straw that broke the camel's back, the final grand scheme that saw all of our CEO's cards collapse, that one domino that started the progression that will surely see more dominoes fall. I want you nowhere near our club, but you can take heart that even without buying the club with imaginary money, you may well have played a part in saving it. Clearly the reality of our situation is far worse than even the most cynical fan expected now that we have had some straight talking from Alan Savage and it all started with the idea that 77Ventures were random new owners overnight just a few weeks ago. But onto the main focus of this thread - the money, or more specifically the lack of it or of any oversight on that front. AS went in just 3 days ago and in that time he has discovered that we are not £300K adrift, that quickly ballooned to £450K then £700K and now closer to £900K. We don't have new strips FOR THE TEAM let alone the fans, because we have not paid the bills, and we apparently have a pre-order for £120K of strips sitting with Puma as part of that £900K. Given that the average cost of a strip is around £50 retail that's 2400 strips, but profits on these are decent so do we really have upwards of 3-4000 new strips waiting to be sold once we pay for them wholesale first? Not having strips for the start of the season is right up there with not having seats for the Tynecastle stands and having twice as many as we get at the stadium on a good crowd day, sitting in a container somewhere is as ludicrous as it sounds. I am sure AS will discover all sorts of 'anomalies', unexplained or lets say 'less than optimal' spending as he goes through the accounts with a fine-tooth comb, but my ire on that one is directed back at the board. How in f*** was there no oversight on this. SG did what SG was there to do. To operate as the CEO of ICTFC. The fact he seemingly did that without a shred of governance is not his fault. His performance and ability to do it correctly and economically should have been something benchmarked on a regular basis by the board. Did he have no performance reviews since 2019? If not, why not? Thats not a failing of SG, that's a failing of the board. Red flags have been around for a while. I recall the comment about Ryan Christie buying footballs for the youth team and I think that's what Charlie is referring to in today's article in the Courier which is well worth a read. The last three days with Alan Savage and now acting CEO Charlie Christie have seen more public communication from the club in 3 days than we have experienced in the last 5 years since the former CEO was put in post. https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/this-club-for-far-too-long-has-been-losing-too-much-money-358498/ A few great bullets raised by Charlie: He is confident that working alongside Savage, it will lead to the club having a brighter future. The staff get frustrated too and a lot of that has been from resources. He, as academy manager, has had to do without things that were needed. The mood at the club has been great since Alan came in. Some of the staff don’t know him. He is fair, but demanding - and very professional.. He will want a paper trail for everything, as there should be. He will want more corporate governance in his time at the club and I don’t think that's much to ask. It is good for any business to have that. That’s what he’ll bring. We’re all delighted because we feel it is a step in the right direction. Watching the ill-feeling towards individuals at the end of last season, it is not good for Caley Thistle. It is something I’ve never seen. Fans have a go at managers, myself included, after poor performances. That goes with the territory. But not what we witnessed last year at times. Hopefully that’s dead in the water now and we can move on. I like the comments I have heard that some creditors are already paid, and the things Charlie mentions in that article. I especially like the comment that the mood at the club has improved. there are many hard-working and crucial folks down there doing thankless tasks who do not need to be micro managed and for them to finally be able to exhale and maybe show what they are capable of is a relief. We do have to get back to basics, we do have to stop all the pie-in-the-sky bullshit and the loss of money hand-over-fist. We do have to put football first and try to get out of this league and back up to the Championship and hopefully over time, the Premiership. One step at a time, one obstacle at a time, and all in a sustainable or responsible manner. With Charlie and Alan Savage at the helm now, I think this is a good start to the process but let's not stop looking inwards. The CEO was allowed to do what he did for many years, and those who allowed that, or didn't bother to look at what he was doing also need to take accountability for that.24 points
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Still no accountability from our board though ... and more worryingly, still an undercurrent of thought that Makwana was a viable investor! As I make a personal comment on each of those quotes I highlighted below from the email from Panos this morning I am getting angrier and angrier at how much he is seeking to whitewash the board's role in this and their lack of governance. Whoever wrote this email for him is trying to spin a situation that has already spun out. Utter honesty and admission of failure would have been more appropriate in this instance. Really? You had no idea before? Thats an admission that you employed ZERO governance on the former CEO. Think you have this reversed. What about seller expectations? and buyer ability? If you seriously considered this then you are utterly incompetent. 100s of unqualified fans who spent 5 minutes or less googling raised enough red flags in just a few hours that would have kept Mao Tse-Tung happy for decades. Thats more googling than the prospective 'owner ' did by his own accounting. You then spent weeks wooing this serial fantasist and even now the courier articles from back then are cringeworthy at how gullible everyone seemed to be (except the fans, Alan Savage and Duncan Shearer). Did we investigate who gets commission on this deal? At full retail that's 2500 shirts per year for 3 years. Given that we won't pay full retail for these and there is an insane markup of football shirts, that could be as many as 5000 shirts per year or a combo of various merchandise. Seems insanely high and not a deal worked out based on the size of the club fanbase, nor the level of our merchandise sales and therefore quite possibly not to the benefit of the club. Something doesn't smell right in this deal. No shit Sherlock! A little bit f***ing late for all of that now. When asked 5 years ago, many of us presented ideas that were summarily ignored, or perhaps left in unread emails. Hundreds of supporters have reported they have sent emails to the club without response and NOW you ask us for ideas. Where were your statutory duties back in 2019 or 2021 or even 2023? What condescending sh1te. For the last 5 years the fans have been ignored and looked down upon by the very same people (Alan Savage aside) who are now coming at us with the begging bowl and hailing supporters as lifeblood. Which one is it? You can't have it both ways. The Supporters Trust have been derided publicly by the [former] CEO - who was allowed to do so by the board - and as the main, formally recognised, fan body, ignored by you all until we are now in the last chance saloon. This board really do beggar belief. Hypocrites. So -£5 million quid in 5 years and not one of you had a f****** clue that we were in deep financial doo-doo and/or had the balls to call either of our former CEOs who held those purse strings to account? Again, where were your statutory duties when this was occuring? Online broadcast and questions for the diaspora outside of Inverness? Lots of committed fans in Scotland, elsewhere in the UK, and internationally. Probably not then. That will be a f****** first. But given that it's unlikely you will make this an online meeting here's a few to be going on with ... I will likely think of many more, as will others on here. You say Alan Savage gave you clarity... WHY did you not have this before? Given your professional qualifications as a respected orthopaedic surgeon would you care to comment on the treatment dished out to our injured players, specifically the accusation made against you by Aaron Doran, and also in general to the club's treatment of other players who were - based on opinions expressed - 'cast aside' by the club over the last 5 years, in some cases while recovering from injuries. This may seem like old news but given the success of a crowdfunding request by one of those players cast aside (Sutherland), on behalf of another (Doran), and the sheer speed by which it reached and surpassed its crowdfunding goal, it may be pertinent to clear the air 'frankly' as you seek to use the same platform to crowdfund for the club. Please explain the internal governance methodology employed over the last 5 years that has seen the previous model of fiscal responsibility at the club (which also struggled to make ends meet each year) torn down and replaced with schemes that seem to have generated a shortfall of £5m in 5 years. Was the board aware of this and if they were, why was it allowed to get to this stage. If not aware, why not? Why did we rely on the assumption that one after another pie-in-the-sky schemes would come to fruition rather than work with what we had, taking small positive steps, and view these schemes as a windfall IF they happened. Please explain why you have failed to communicate with fans over the last 5 years. It is not a secret that this has been happening, so saying you did not know is utter BS, but yet the action of not responding, or not taking any action to instruct those who should be responding has been allowed to continue and is therefore condoned. Do you feel that you and the board of directors have behaved in a manner that is always for the good and benefit of the club? If not, why have you remained in place? That would be a question to each and every board member individually not collectively. Final Thoughts IF the club fails Panos, you and every single one of your board will forever be seen as 'Neros'. Fiddling while ICT burns. So let's see who prefers to be a Hero rather than a Zero.23 points
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Wishing all the moderators, posters, and visitors to CTO a very Merry Christmas and especially a Happy New Year, filled with joy, happiness, a lack of administration, and loads of points won by Scott K and the team to keep us free from playoffs or relegation.21 points
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We are happy to, and to provide some comments that may assist non members in particular. The Supporters Trust Board currently comprises eight members, who all voluntarily give their time and effort due to a shared passion for the club and for ensuring that fans' voices are heard by those running the club. The Board covers a wide range of ages, skills and experience. For example, the youngest member is 19, whilst others have significant business experience. One Board member leads on media activity, but all Board members have the opportunity to comment on draft Press Statements, and they are only issued once the Board agrees them. We make no apologies for the content of yesterday's statement, and we are grateful for the significant positive feedback on it from members. We had seen the club's announcement on Tuesday, and knew that the media would be speaking to Alan Savage. We therefore wanted to have a different emphasis and put our message across from the perspective of fans, linking back to key outputs from the Fans Meeting in May: Walking away from the Kelty plan. Securing the future of the Academy. Having a change in the leadership of the club, particularly the departure of the CEO. We wanted to recognise the significant role of all fans in these outputs being achieved. Our release had to be founded on facts, rather than rumour, speculation or opinions. That is why we did not explicitly refer to Seventy7 Ventures, but it was implicit in our welcoming of Alan Savage. There have been comments that the Trust was in some way endorsing the Seventy7 Ventures attempt to take control of the club. That is simply not the case. We did welcome the announcement that new investment had been found but we were clear that we needed to understand their vision, motives and plan. We were promised a meeting, but we received none of the details that we had sought. The fireworks were intended to bring some welcome light relief, and reflect the joy and relief fans are feeling with the confirmed departure of the former CEO, and the relief that Alan Savage has become involved. Now the former CEO has departed, it is time to move on, and that is what the Trust Board has been doing since his resignation was originally announced. Board members have been having significant engagement and dialogue with other key stakeholders, including Alan Savage. We recognise that there is a long road ahead, and there will be many challenges and twists along the way, but we are ready to play our part in that. As mentioned in our Press Statement, we are about to issue a survey to allow fans to show how they can play their part and join the Trust in working more closely with the club. This has been ready to be issued for some time, just waiting for confirmation of the departure of the former CEO, but we did not want to bombard members yesterday. We know that many fans are ready and willing to give their support. We also intend to continue with Fans Meetings this season, and details will be provided once the first date is set.20 points
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To be fair - the fans saw right through him immediately. We are all Marge Simpson (monorail reference). 100% agree. The current board should hang their heads in shame, not just over this last scheme but every single fuc**** nonsensical hail-mary scheme that went before it. It is like a Las Vegas gambler trying desperately to get back to break even and failing at each turn. They have no right to be there. They are elected (or co-opted) to do what is right for the club, to be custodians of the club, to make sure everything that is done is for the good and benefit of the club. They have failed at that single task miserably. Individually, there are ones on the board who I know, and who I trust(ed) but in true parent fashion, I am not angry at them, just deeply disappointed. They should have walked or raised their voice when all this shi* was going down. If some combination of MM, Savage, Sutherland, McGilvray Jr etc is going to come in and save us, then hopefully egos can remain in check and they can work together for the greater good. McGilvray Sr got us on the path to Premier League in the first place (and did it in 10 years just as his vision document stated). Sutherland and those that followed who were associated with him or Tulloch steadied the ship and made us fiscally responsible. Savage was always there or thereabouts, and I certainly trust him a lot further than who is there now, and even MM had the right idea but what they lacked was the right representative IMHO. There is plenty of credit to go around if they can raise ICT FC from the ashes, rebuild the community and local business support, rebuild fan trust, rebuild the trust of other clubs (ie. paying for our loan contracts), and rebuild the morale and trust of players and staff alike. This is something that has taken the current board and management a very short time to erode and destroy. Rebuilding it will take a lot longer. On a personal level - what I would like to see Gardiner out the door permanently (appears to be in progress) An under-performing manager out the door replaced with a hungry young coach eager to prove his/her worth and able to work with scant resources we have and will have in the foreseeable future. Ryan Esson springs to mind but that may be sentiment on my part. I will leave others to suggest who might fit the bill. A complete rebuild in the boardroom with representatives from all the major shareholder camps working together and remembering the ethos is to do what is right "for the good and benefit of ICTFC". A public acknowledgement from the incoming board/club management of the hideous actions of the last few years and an apology to the likes of Shane Sutherland, Aaron Doran, Ryan Esson and others. You simply don't treat people like that, least of all those who have given almost their entire carers to ICTFC. Those that earned testimonials should also get them as a way to try and build bridges in the support again and show we are back to being a community focused club. Its going to be a long road back, but if the right people are at the helm and are open and transparent with us, where business confidentiality does not preclude it, then we can get there.20 points
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What a brilliant weekend away that was! Got to Dumbarton from London Gatwick good and early [early enough to have breakfast in MacDonalds!] ...then took in the Scottish Maritime Museum [where a delightful lady told me all the history about the shipyard and Denny boat testing tank], a walk up the coast past the ground to the Castle [where an equally delightful lady took me around the castle and told me a great story about Robert the Bruce's heart!]... Enjoyed a drink in the bar, with a Manchester City supporter ticking off another Scottish football ground Anyway.... Always thought this was going to be a gritty match, the pitch hardly helped, it seemed almost impossible to play a true ball [esp for poor old Nolan!]. Generally we were much the better side, especially in the first half, yet Dumbarton had the more dangerous chances [in the second half], Dibaga and the bar saved us a couple of times, which made the last 10mins decidely nervy especially with Dumbarton winning late corners. But in the end Bavidge came up trumps and I experienced 'limbs' as everyone went bonkers with delight. It was lovely to share the full time celebrations with the team...and what a great turnout from our fans. Well done everybody Playing Brannan at the back to allow Bray to play further forward helped mitigate the absence of Longstaff. I must say we did very well to get Savage last year and Dibaga/Allan this, and Gilmour really is becoming a worthy successor to some quality midfielders we have had in the past...and obviously the signing of Bavidge is the one that saves our season [unless things go strangely awry] To cap off a great weekend both Palace & Sutton United won, I got upgraded at my hotel, and had the entire row to myself on my plane back home....A weekend of football doesn't get much better than that [other than winning the Cup]16 points
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ICT musicals: The Lying King Rats The Book of Moron We Will Shock You Shitty Shitty Business Plan Joseph and his Amazing Technocolour Battery Farm16 points
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Scott Young approached Laura Grant, one of our Board members, this afternoon to see if the Supporters Trust could provide volunteers to allow the Sports Bar to be open tomorrow. Laura was delighted to assist and has found volunteers which means that the Sports Bar will now be open from 1 pm tomorrow, with last orders at 2.30 pm and the bar fully closed at 2.45 pm. This is an early example of how beneficial volunteer fans can be to the club, and we hope that many fans attending the game tomorrow will now be able to enjoy a pre-match drink (or two) in the Sports Bar, providing the club with additional income. A number of the Trust Board members will be there, both behind the bar and as customers, so please say hello to them.15 points
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More remarkably, without our 15 point penalty we’d be level on points with Arbroath at the top, compared to the end of October when we were bottom of the league on merit ie even without the deduction. What an impact the change of manager has had. Well done SK.14 points
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Hello, I'm a Dundee FC fan and would just like to confirm what the previous poster has suggested - Gardiner, or 'Spoofer' as we referred to him was an absolute cretin to staff and club supporters and there's not one of us that wasn't delighted when he left. He got lucky when the club was sold to the current owners and he left when he realized he wasn't going to be allowed to do whatever he wanted anymore It has been genuinely astounding to most of us that he was ever allowed near a football club again. Incompetent to say the least. It saddens me to hear of ICT's plight and hope things improve for you. However, the second period of administration for Dundee FC led to an amazing undefeated run which helped us overturn a 25 point penalty and finish 3rd or 4th in the Championship using a skeleton squad with youth and trialists playing every week. The situation injected a determination into the side and it was a great time to be a supporter as we knew that every player on the park was cutting it above their weight. So hopefully we'll see the same at ICT, good luck!14 points
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It is with a heavy heart that I post this message today. Our friend and fellow supporter John MacKenzie, known as "Johndo" or Immortal Howden Ender (and likely quite a few other things to some of you) passed away this morning while waiting for surgery. More details and tributes to follow from many of us I am sure. On a personal level, I have known Johndo since I was a kid in Dalneigh. Johndo was a few years older than me, and he was always one of those you looked at as one of the cool kids. Quite apart from his role as Dad and Granddad, he was also a hardworking and dedicated mental health medical professional in real life, but outside of that stressful environment, most of us knew him more as a joker, irreverent character, and a wind-up merchant extraordinaire when it came to the football, whether that was Caley before the merger, or by embracing Caley Thistle after the merger, and inevitably becoming a lightning rod of criticism for those who didn't agree with his choice to follow the new club. Above everything else, Johndo was a friend to all who knew him. If there is a group picture of Caley Thistle fans, be it in Romania, at Hampden, or some far flung lower division ground, Johndo is probably in it, marshalling the support somewhere. I am really lost for words of tribute for him right now as I have a thousand memories going through my head ... being led astray in the Tarry on occasions when visiting in recent years, unexpectedly seeing his mug on my telly in Toronto when the fans got interviewed at Hampden, or just reading his pearls of wisdom on here and looking beyond the wind-up merchant to the deep thinker he actually was. Rest in Peace Johndo. I will miss you my friend. Will raise a large Voddie & Coke to you tonight and I know you will be having a sesh up there with Brosno, Big Stew and others.14 points
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They should replace the entire board - they all signed off on the Kelty move, they all signed off on the Makwana takeover, they all signed off on a massive deal for Ferguson, they all signed off on continuing to employ Gardiner, they have all stood there as the club withers while we try and pull off strange property deals to make a quick buck.14 points
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A wee heads for all of Johndo's mates, friends, fellow Caley and ICT fans, For fans who may know of him but never met the man. The club have agreed to make an announcement before the game and will also have a wee tribute to Johndo on the official site. There will also be a minutes applause at the 6th minute of the game and it would be a fitting gesture for all to join in! Johndo's daughter Isla is making the journey north to be at the game, and i'm she will appreciate this tribute to her Dad.13 points
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7 of those 13 companies were dissolved. 4 of those 7 companies never had any accounts submitted prior to them being dissolved. Makwana resigned from one company in October 22 which remains technically active but appears to be simply existing. Makwana is involved in 5 active companies as follows:- Seventy7 Ventures Ltd. This deals in "management consultancy activities other than financial management". Makwani is the sole director and only employee. Latest accounts show net liabilities of £15,898. On 28th June this year, a charge was filed against the company by a Jersey based company. If Seventy7 Ventures cannot repay the unspecified loan, the Jersey firm has the claim on all aspects of an unspecified project. I can't see anything other than ICT being "the project". Cryptolytx Ltd. This is involved in "other publishing activities" and "new agency activities". He is the sole director and there are no employees. Net liabilities are £19,935. ! am for change C.I.C. (whatever that means). The nature of the business is described as "other social work activities without accommodation not elsewhere classified". There are 2 other directors. It was founded in July 2022. No accounts have been submitted and they are overdue. A notice was published just 5 days ago that "unless cause is shown to the contrary, the company will be struck off the register and dissolved not less than 2 months after the date shown." ELI APP Ltd. Involved in "Other information technology service activities", Makwana is the sole director and only employee. Net liabilities are £86,945. An active proposal to strike off is currently suspended due to an objection. Enterprise Lab Ltd. This company apparently provides "educational support services". Makwana is the sole director and one of 2 employees. The company has net liabilities of £50,634. There is absolutely nothing in all of this that would give me the confidence to give Makwana £10 towards running an ice cream van, let alone taking control of our football club. There are red flags everywhere. It would be good if the club would explain to its shareholders, season ticket holders and supporters in general, what it is about Mr Makwana that gives them the confidence that he can both finance a majority stake holding in the club and then finance and manage the long term development of the club.13 points
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There's a big difference between wanting to give young local players a chance and wanting a squad almost entirely made up of young local players. I don't think anyone was advocating for the latter. It feels like some people (including Ferguson) are trying to rewrite what fans have been saying in a way that says "you got what you want and if it all goes wrong it's on you". To them all I say '**** You'. The fans are in no way responsible for where the club finds itself right now. Our board, CEO and manager have and continue not to learn anything. In their view they have and can do no wrong. That's why I'm pretty much done with the whole thing.13 points
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Yesterday was epic, we thoroughly deserved the win, Billy's goal was magnificent...the wait at the end for Annan's result just added to the moment Keeping Bray to see out the season one of many crucial decisions I wish him well for the future [maybe I will see him at Palace!] Well done Scott Kellacher, cometh the hour cometh the man I said elsewhere that ultimately being docked 15points was more significant than we thought, the club has rediscovered itself, team and fans as one Inverness is such a fab place, the air is so pure, you guys are lucky It's a privilege to be an ICT fan ------- Got home at 2am, and watched the Palace v Villa FA Cup game, I didn't dare even follow it on my phone so only found out the result when I got to Inverness Airport Ignoring the cash differences (!) there are similarities with the two teams that draw me. Palace fans support is epic, which I see at Caley away games, and the noise from the North stand was great yesterday, we need to build on this What a lovely weekend12 points
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Surprising result given that Kelty are able to attract all those players from the Central Belt.12 points
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For me the question is whether the leadership is there to galvanise that mindset in the players. I don't think Big Dunc has that belief so if he doesn't have it, he can't pass it on to the players. Barring a miracle, we are headed for administration and a 15-point penalty at a minimum. If that happens, DF has already given up and needs to be replaced with someone who will try to have the players scrap for every point ... I would rather go down fighting than meekly give up.12 points
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I've just watched the video and found it very disappointing. It was a total poor me show from the remaining directors who spoke more like they felt they were victims when they are in fact the enablers who allowed this to happen. The audacity of Gordy Fyfe to stand up and wax lyrical and take credit for the community trust whilst totally ignoring his responsibility as a director of the football club is other level. I still can't understand how they can claim ignorance to what was happening when so many fans on the outside could see it. As I've said before where do they think all the loans they were giving were going? They prattled on about puma deals and losing money on young players who moved on but that's only accounts for a fraction of the money the club has lost in the last 5 years. They avoided questions they didn't want to answer by saying they wanted to look forward but spent most if the time themselves talking about how they'd been duped in the past. Grassa even tried to defend Ross Morrison at one point which was unbelievable. Scott Young is the only one I'd make any allowance for and the other two should hang their head in shame at having pushed him to the front the way they have. Now more than ever I want administration. Not only to try and fix the clubs financial position but because the last of that board (Scott aside) also need to be gone.12 points
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Good "team" performance today with everyone playing their part. 3 good goals and it should have been more bar the woodwork and a couple of poor passes from Billy in the second half. Encouraging performance played at pace at times and no little skill by the team.Shame so many fans have spat their dummy out and won't go to watch and support the team. So many posters on here saying they won't buy tickets, attend games while the board are still in place, Fergusons comments blah blah blah. Would you rather the club went bust. I think the fans have probably achieved as much as they can, scrapping Kelty move, chairman and CEO resigning so now is the time to get behind the team and give them your support by attending games. Fully expect a big pile on now from the usual suspects telling me I'm talking nonsense but don't worry, I won't be reading or responding to any replies and comments. All I'll say is be careful what you wish for.12 points
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tm4tj has finally had a well earned day off with our league finished for the season. I remember when he worked a four day week, I bet he would like to do that again It will seem a bit strange with play offs and other football still going on tomorrow we will be thankfully looking from outside waiting to see what the setup will be for next season. With the weather we have had recently it brings a thought for summer football but it's not likely to happen in my lifetime. I will be busy in the garden and check the results later and no PotY or stats to do tomorrow Hope you all have a good day.11 points
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If it stops halfway and then starts going backwards, we'll know that he DID write it11 points
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A disappointing afternoon. The early goal gave Annan something to defend, and a mixture of the woodwork, great saves and poor finishing cost us. I’d like to see the penalty incident when Savage looked to be clearly fouled again, along with the alleged foul that caused our “goal” to be disallowed. I’ve said before that we’d have bad days and setbacks, but we picked a bad day for this one. However, back on 26 October when we had -3 points and were 15 points adrift of 9th, we’d all have grabbed being 8th in mid March and in control of our own destiny. We need to put this behind us, regroup and focus on getting a win next week.11 points
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Sizeable turnout today and vocal for large parts. It’s what was needed to reaffirm to the players we’re behind them and to confirm to prospective buyers we’re a solid investment. Lengthy and solid clapping the troops off the field at the end in spite of the result was a nice touch of solidarity and support.11 points
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I doubt he had any wish to be in this position and I commend him for sticking with it whilst others ran to the hills. A real honourable person in my eyes11 points
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You can now rest in peace Johndo. Your work on here is now done and Alan Savage will hopefully be the man to get us back on an even keel. I'll send you some old Canned Heat LP's. How about On the road again. That might be appropriate for you given the mileage you put in following the club. For now you must rest as Big Stu & Bronson are waiting for you with a double voddie and coke. Rest easy and let us carry on your good work.11 points
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Ferguson is a large part of the reason we are in this mess. From his dull as dishwater style of football, his awful signings, allowing better players to leave, freezing out others who were miles better than the dross he continued to select, seeing us relegated to his cannot be bothered to be here attitude and so on. He deserves to be emptied and sent off down the road so he can promote his Everton book without wasting our time.11 points
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If that's the case, then we are still shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic. This man must be gone as part of any deal. He should be gone already, and anything that extends his stay is pure folly. The fans do not like him, the staff do not like him, the players do not like him, and his record at other club's mirrors his record with us. All credit to him for managing to cling on by his fingernails in this situation. I just don't know how he does it. I do know however that this site, and myself personally, will not raise a single penny in sponsorship nor spend a penny on merchandise while he is employed by it. It is non-negotiable.11 points
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T'was I in the layby, and I'm just sticking to my guns that I refuse to put a penny into this club until Scot Gardiner is shown the door (as are many who just decided to dodge the game altogether). I put £400 down to sponsor Niko's shirt, ~£300 for a season ticket and however much it was for the home and away tops (as well as cup tickets and food), aaaand frankly I feel like I've been had on for a jolly, hence the protest(s). Gardiner's torn this club limb from limb and pile drived it firmly into the ground. The Concert Co., the Battery Farm, Clickbait Proponents, WATP55 Kits on the Order's most celebrated day, Dodds and Dunc, Evaporated P&R deals, Relegation, late tax forms, and most importantly, sending club stalwarts down the Ganges. The list goes on. Once that muppet has gone, I'm more than happy to put my money back into the club, but why should I assist someone who has shown nothing but distain for the fanbase and taken us all for a bunch of imbiciles?11 points
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If there was ever an interview that’ showed someone so uninterested or not really wanting to be there this was it. Obviously still getting extremely well paid because that is the only reason he is still here as is Bollan. If we have to go with young local players we should go with a young local management duo too. It’s clear Duncan doesnt want to be here well it’s also clear we don’t want you here either. Off you trot down the A9 now give Kelty a shout when you are passing you never know they might be looking for a youth coach. Dougal11 points
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And Relax! We have all been on the emotional rollercoaster in a turbulent season that saw us go from potential promotion candidates to administration casualties, relegation favourites, possible liquidation fatalities before we pulled through with Scott Kellacher lifting the spirits sufficiently to enable us to retain our League1 status as Alan Salvage dug deep to stabilise our off-field activities and leave us all with fresh hope and a renewed vigour for next season. Aaaaand breathe! For the first time this season we can relax. Relax in the knowledge that Scot Gardiner is gone, Duncan Ferguson and his Duncball tactic is a fading memory, Bar94 is thriving thanks to the Supporters Trust, the ladies toilets are working again, the feelgood factor is back and Administration is on the verge of departure. Enjoy Montrose away, for the pressure is off and it's time to rejoice in our new found joy. The joy of having a football club to support and one that will rise again from the burning embers of near extinction. Mon the Caley Jags. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Supporters Bus/Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Final quarter of the season: W L D L W L D W ? Let's forget the rest of the season: Despite injuries, suspensions and administration taking it's toll on the squad we dug deep with a superb penultimate game win over the Smokies. The last phase shows we only had three wins, but all were emphatic and vital. A 4-1 win in the re-arranged game at home to Stenhousemuir and a brilliant 3-0 win at Cove plus last weeks superb performance against Arbroath. A disappointing home defeat to Annan was followed by another disappointing home draw against Alloa. It got worse the week after as QotS battered us 4-1 and following the win at Cove, Kelty dumped us 0-2 in the Highlands, that was another three points that went abegging. We almost pulled off a good result away to Stenhousemuir after the Kelty game but a 91st minute own goal left us with just a point after Billy Mckay had scored his first goal for three months, but what a strike it was, earlier in the second half. Them's the breaks, as disappointing as they are. With three minutes to go, we were sitting in 7th place in the table until Montrose equalised against Dumbarton and Stenny levelled with us. We did get up to eighth in the table last week though after a swashbuckling performance in a 3-0 win over Arbroath and that is the one that makes the final game against Montrose more relaxed with safety guaranteed. Billy Mckay with another stunning strike along with goals from Keith Bray and a Paul Allan penalty dribbling over the line. Waaahayyyyy! Three games with Montrose this season. Both fixtures in the Highlands ended 1-1 and we pi$$ed off Gardyne the Gudgie with a comeback win in early December. Webster and Lyons had Montrose two up before we mounted a comeback. Longstaff scored after the hour before Montrose were reduced to ten men with Steeves sent off. The comeback was completed when Paul Allan scored twice in the 88th and 94th minute, direct from a corner. Limbs! Latest Caley Jags News: Marcus Gill will fill the breach once again with Musa Dibaga still unavailable. A clean sheet for young Marcus last week and another this week would be nice to round off the season. Inverness look to be coming out of administration soon and 32year old Danny Devine is keen to stay on. Adam MacKinnon is our only player with a contract for next season at the moment although with the feelgood factor surging through the club he feels that many might consider it prudent to return next season. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 35 16 63 2 Cove 35 16 54 3 Queen o Sth 35 5 54 4 Alloa Ath 35 9 51 5 Stenny 35 2 50 6 Kelty 35 -7 41 7 Caley Jags 35 5 40 8 Montrose 35 -7 40 9 Annan Ath 35 -25 36 10 Dumbarton 35 -14 20 Last Six: W W L L D L Despite faltering over their last few games, Montrose have made the 'cut' and will play in League1 next season as well. A 3-1 home win over Annan was followed by an excellent 3-2 win at Ochilview. Two defeats at the start of April, at home to Arbroath (0-1) and at QotS away (2-1) before drawing 2-2 at Dumbarton with a 2-1 defeat at Alloa allowing us to jump above them in the table, albeit on goal difference. Owen Stirton, on loan from Dundee United, is their top scorer with nine goals in just thirteen games. That's a good return from the young striker. Blair Lyons has seven. Callum Sandilands is another hungry young forward. Good experience through the Gable Endies ranks as well. Gardyne the Gudgie is still at Montrose as is Matheus Machado. Wiki said: The first Montrose Football Club was formed on 25 February 1871 after a meeting of local young men seeking to organise the practice of the 'national game of football' on the Links of Montrose. The variety of football played at the time did not resemble the modern game (nothings changed) and was more akin to rugby. Friendly matches amongst club members and townsfolk, Montrose Academical, Arbroath and Aberdeen University were played over the next few years before the club was dissolved. On 8 September 1877, a new football club was formed at a meeting at Montrose Academy. During the new club's annual meeting on 13 October 1879 at the Town's Buildings, the committee unanimously resolved to change the rules of the club to those of General Association, with an association rules match amongst club members played later that week on 18 October 1879. The club played their first external association rules match against Arbroath Wanderers on 8 November 1879. Given the fact that the Montrose side were unfamiliar with new rules of the game, the team unsurprisingly lost 4–0. They are the 18th oldest association football team in Scotland still in existence. It's rumoured that they still don't know the rules10 points
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Relegation Fight Intensifies Given our circumstances, our relegation fight looks likely to go down to the wire with Annan Athletic, and Kelty Hearts our main adversaries over the final five games. We still have to play Kelty, but our other games feature Cove (a) this weekend followed by Kelty (h). It's then a final three of Stenhousemuir (a), Arbroath (h) and a final game at Montrose (a) that will make or break our Admin season. All this will happen without Luis Longstaff, Alfie Bavidge and the rest of our longer term casualties. Cove will be without the suspended Mitch Megginson. Declan Glass and Arron Darge are facing a fitness battle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Bus/Info ICTFC Monthly Magazine Admin Topic on CTO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LINK ABOVE This issue contains: The latest from Head Coach Scott Kellacher Focus on feature with Danny Devine Charlie’s Chat – Latest from Interim CEO Charlie Christie Scott Young on the 30th Anniversary Dinner Staff Insight with groundsman Dale Stephen Loan Watch: Sam Nixon at Forres Mechanics ICT Academy Update ICTWFC with Karen Mason Meet the Player: Alfie Bavidge ICT Community Trust Column ICT Supporters Trust news Venue: H2H Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 7 4 2 1 18 10 +8 Away 5 3 0 2 6 7 -1 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 12 7 2 3 24 17 +7 You can see when the power shift started in earnest and that is all down to Administration as Cove have picked us off easily in the last two meetings since we caught them late in the League game back in November. Only half a dozen games ago we were banging in six and four goals at the Caledonian Stadiums. How quickly times can change Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Cove 1 - 4 (H) 0 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 6 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) Happy New Year: Inverness began 2023 with a crushing win against Cove. Two from Billy Mckay and one from Danny Devine countered the opening goal from Jack Sanders. Two quickfire own goals within five minutes of the restart put the hosts 5-1 ahead. Mckay notched his hat-trick from close range as we ran away with the game. Big win to start the year, just what we needed. Jay Henderson started in his first game for the Caley Jags after a signing on loan for the rest of the season. Zak Delaney returned after injury but he was the only returnee with a sparse bench, Oakley and Boyd were the only senior outfield players on it with returning loan players. Gilmour and Logan missed out for Cove who had Iain Vigurs on the bench. After a minutes silence for the legend that was Pele, the game got underway on a crisp afternoon in the Highlands. Billy Mckay struck the post in the first minute from twenty yards. Megginson flicked a header just over five minutes later and Longstaff shot over after fifteen minutes as Cove got to grips with the pace of the game. Doran has a shot blocked by McKenzie and Billy Mckay put the rebound just wide. Hyde then saw McKenzie block with his legs as Mckay put him through on goal. Jack Sanders headed in the opener after twenty two minutes. Doran went close soon after, his deflected shot sliding past for a fruitless corner. Just after the half hour Billy Mckay drew Inverness level with a diving header from six yards after a Sean Welsh cross. Danny Devine put Inverness ahead five minutes before the break with a half volley into the bottom corner, Sean Welsh again the provider. A minute before the half time whistle, it was 3-1 when Billy Mckay netted from the spot after hand ball by Jack Sanders. Just after the interval a Dan Mackay shot/cross ended up in the net via Kyle McClelland. It's raining own goals now and Scott Ross was next to put through his own net. Mark Ridgers denied Fraser Fyvie and Luis Longstaff with excellent saves and Dan Mackay went close on the hour. Billy got his hat-trick and Dan Mackay went close to number seven. The three returning youngsters came on for the final ten minutes and more followed as we saw out the game. Who saw that coming??? And a Billy Mckay hat-trick INVERNESS CT The Season So Far D L D D W D D D L / W L D W W W L W L W W L W W L W D W / W L D L Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game the next weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot. It was then on to Palmerston on the Tuesday night but in a five goal encounter we went down 3-2. Alfie Bavidge notched his third goal in three games and Keith Bray added a second but goals from Adam Brooks (2) and Jordan Allan kept the points in Dumfries. We bounced back with a resilient 1-2 win at Alloa in our third away game on the bounce, Dunfermline bound Keith Bray with his fourth of the season and Alfie Stewart. We got our revenge at home to QotS (1-0) with Alfie Bavidge scoring his fourth goal in five appearances. Alas it was a bridge too far at Arbroath and we went down losing three without reply. The Stenhousemuir fixture was postponed and was re-arranged for March 11th. We went to Kelty and came away with a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Alfie's 5th goal in 7 appearances. Montrose proved to be stubborn opponents and it took a superb diving header from Keith Bray to rescue a point in a rather turgid encounter after Sandilands had opened the scoring in the first half. A last gasp win at Dumbarton on the Saturday with Alfie Bavidge scoring his 6th goal in 9 games. Unfortunately Alfie was injured early on against Stenhousemuir in midweek but that didn't stop us running up a 4-1 win with goals from Brannan, Gilmour, Bray and Allan. Annan came North on Saturday in a six-pointer and it was a disappointing defeat after Annan parked the bus after scoring in the third minute. Next up was a 1-1 draw with Alloa despite hitting the woodwork twice and missing a penalty. Another bad day at the office last weekend at a wet and windswept Palmerston after Queen of the South blitzed us with three second half goals to run away with a 4-1 win in Dumfries. Meh! One win each and a draw in the League games so far this season but Cove also won the Scottish Cup tie 2-0 at Balmoral Park. They hammered us 4-1 last time out at the Caledonian Stadium Scott Kellacher was dealt a massive blow with the news that he will be without Luis Longstaff and now Alfie Bavidge for the remainder of the season. That's massive as we enter the final five. Latest Updates from Scott Kellacher talking to Paul Chalk @ P&J: Unfortunately Alfie Bavidge's second scan results will mean he will miss the last five games. Calum MacLeod returned last week coming on as a second half sub but he has a hip injury and Musa Dibaga was back in goal after his international trip abroad. Remi Savage was badly missed at Dumfries but will return for this one. James Nolan came off injured at Palmerston but no info regarding this although he has been seen training with the squad, so hopefully he is fit and good to go. Casualty List Luis Longstaff (groin op recovery) Alfie Bavidge (hamstring recovery) Lewis Nicolson (knee op recovery) Jake Davidson (knee op recovery) Calum Davidson (hip) Ethan Cairns (appendix post op) Jack Walker (tonsilitis) Shae Keogh (calf) Ben Corner (knee cartilage recovery) Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 31 18 57 2 Cove R 31 17 49 3 Stenny 31 11 49 4 Queen Sth 31 -2 42 5 Alloa Ath 31 4 41 6 Montrose 31 -4 39 7 Kelty 31 -1 37 8 Caley Jags 31 1 33 9 Annan Ath 31 -24 33 10 Sons 31 -20 13 LAST SIX: L W W D D L Six games in March for Cove starting with a 2-1 defeat at Alloa followed by a 3-1 home win over QotS and a big away win over Kelty (0-4). A 2-2 draw at Montrose and a no scoring home draw v Stenhousemuir was followed by last weeks top of the table clash at Arbroath that ended with a 1-0 defeat and a red card for Mitch Megginson. He will be a big miss for Cove, being the joint top scorer in League1 with 12 goals. Fear not Cove fans, Adam Emslie has bagged 9, Findlay Marshall has 7 and Fraser Fyvie 6. Defence wise, both sides have conceded 35 times, the big difference is that Cove have scored 16 more goals than the Caley Jags. Will Gillingham and Quinn Coulson are back in the squad while a late decision will be taken on the fitness of both Declan Glass and Arron Darge. One win each and a draw in the League games so far this season but Cove also won the Scottish Cup tie 2-0 at Balmoral Park. They hammered us 4-1 last time out at the Caledonian Stadium in one to forget. We did win here back in November. Caley Jags Get Vital Win: Top versus bottom ended in victory for the Caley Jags who climb into positive numbers at the foot of the table. Cove had made one change from the win at Dumbarton as they looked for their fifth win on the trot. Findlay Marshall replaced Arron Darge. For Inverness, graduate Sam Reid took his place on the bench with Lewis Nicolson missing. On the field, Charlie Gilmour returned to midfield to bolster the squad with Connal Ewan out injured and boss Scott Kellacher would be looking to get into positive numbers with his positive team talks. However, it only took Cove ten minutes to get in front through top scorer Mitch Megginson. Megginson failed to convert a first half penalty with Dibaga saving and two minutes later it was all square when Adam MacKinnon drilled high into the net. With 25 minutes left, Keith Bray popped up with a much needed and deserved winner. This was a great result played out at Cove, sharpened at Inverness but made in the Isle of Lewis.10 points
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The first thing Scott has done without doubt, is prove what a completely clueless charlatan Duncan Ferguson is/was.10 points
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A positive thread for once Wishing the team of Scott Kellacher & Billy Mckay a winning start to their Head coach / Assistant roles. Going to be tough ask to make up ground, but we have to get behind them and support like we have never supported before! Its not impossible.10 points
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Even though this was expected it still hits you that your football club has been run into the ground by shear incompetence at the top of the tree. The rot started (for me) after we won the Scottish Cup and gradually got worse. I'm confident that we will bounce back..in time. Tonight I feel really sorry for all those good folk who will probably be out of work now. Sad times indeed.10 points
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A sad sad day for the club! Let’s hope we can come out the other end of Administration with a club with a viable future that can rebuild and work its way up the leagues.10 points
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There are also a few conversations on social media where people who have donated to the fund believe that if it does not reach the £200k their donation will be refunded. If we roll back to 7 weeks ago we were told that the club had been saved from administration and a lot of fans bought season tickets and merchandise on the basis of that assurance. We were then told that the club needed £200k by 16th October to prevent administration and then it was strongly intimated that even with £200k administration was still very likely. It was then spun that the crowdfunder would somehow help get the club through administration because it would add to the money the club already has in the bank. I took the first instance at face value and purchased a season ticket but the crowdfunder and accompanying narrative was a huge red flag so I haven't contributed. Fool me once etc. Absolutely no detail was given during the fan meeting which was little more than a 'we're all in it together' PR exercise which leaned heavily on rallying everyone behind a dislike of Gardiner. Savage said in the press that fans deserved to know everything 'warts as well' but we've barely been given sight of a prawn mayo stain on a boardroom tie. Have we had full honesty? I don't believe so and I suspect there's a lot being kept under wraps to protect directors (present and recently departed) from legal accountability. If we're being real there's not a single person who's going to put £3.5 million in to clear debts and another £1.5 million to get to end of the season. Why would they when they can wait for administration and 'buy' the club for a fraction of that price? Administration is inevitable and what we need to hope for is getting through that and having someone both willing and able to run the club on the other side.10 points
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I'm struggling with this Go Fund Me malarky tbh. £200k in two weeks? What happens after that? Another Go Fund Me for November etc etc? Don't get me wrong, I don't want ICTFC to die. Those folk at the top that got us into this mess in the first place have more money than me and they're all collectively responsible for it so maybe they should cough up.10 points
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We are one of only two full-time sides in the league and the bulk of our starting XI have plenty of Championship experience. There's no "big-ish" club fallen on hard times in the league and every team I've seen this season has been bang average at best, so yes the league is there for the taking in my opinion. I agree that the astro pitches in this league are appalling but if he hadn't managed to relegate us then we would be playing on grass in the Championship so time to suck it up and get on with it. If he dislikes them so much perhaps he should consider his position. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on Ferguson's tenure and mine is that over the 12 months he's been in charge I've seen absolutely nothing to suggest he's in any way the right man for the job. I don't think I'm alone in reaching this conclusion but I appreciate others may see things differently.10 points
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I'm just back from picking up a couple of orders and the staff are flat out. Sales have exceeded all expectations. Please bare with them while they work their way through all the orders while the shop is busy and a match on Saturday to prep for. Big hand for the amazing staff10 points
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Latest from Paul Chalk at P&J is that Alan Savage is in "no rush to sell the club now" and "as long as I pay the bills, why do we need to dash into anything? “For better or worse, the club is under my control, probably for quite a while. The mission is to do it game by game". Alex Ferguson has not provided any financial funds to the club but has offered advice. The transparency is almost frightening compared to the clandestine dealings we were subjected to over the last few seasons. This man is an absolute legend.10 points
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You have to bear in mind that regardless of how awful anyone involved in running the club may be, the Supporters Trust have to do their best to work with them. If the Trust publicly slags off these people, then the club simply stops engaging with the Trust. That is in nobody's interest. Given what the Trust has had to put up with from Gardiner over the years, I think a bit of "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead!" is perfectly justified. There's a message in this for the Club Board too. The Board were the ones responsible for making the decisions at the end of the day and they were the ones who kept faith in Gardiner. By publicly slagging off Gardiner, the Trust are indirectly criticising the Board. The Trust will need to keep working with the Board, but by enthusiastically welcoming Alan Savage and simply not mentioning the Board at all in the statement, the Trust is giving a message without giving the Board any excuse for not working with the Trust. The Trust statement ends with an appeal to fans to join the Trust and to get involved. People can criticise the Trust all they want, but the simple truth is that the Trust is what the fans make it. It's a democratic body. Anyone is free to join and contribute to the process of voting for the Trust Board members or even putting themselves forward for the Board. Anyone is free to help out in any other way. The more people who come forward to help or simply to join the Trust, the more effective the Trust will become. Collectively, we fans have a lot of power. We can use that power or we can open the door to another Gardiner or Makwana. Personally, I prefer supporter power.10 points
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I don't get why you keep saying this tbh. Most of the folk I know that haven't renewed are long standing fans not glory hunters. I've supported the club through 2 guises for 48 years. What league we are in is not an issue to me10 points
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FT 3-0. Not sure any of us expected a comfortable win like that, but well done ICT, after last season’s misery it’s good to get a home win and a few goals too.10 points
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Now it is clear Ferguson & Bollan remain as management team, folks should not forget he had 30+ games to keep us up……. And didn’t!, Took in numerous loanees who were no better than what we had, got rid of, or sent on loan good players who would have fought hard for our Championship survival. Then just when you need a manger to be vocal and take control in relegation ( for which he must shoulder responsibility ) and potential administration, he goes silent, doesn’t even speak with players or football staff out of professional courtesy, to then sign his own son, is beyond belief !!!!!! People say we can’t afford to get rid of him………… can we afford to keep him!!!!! Get Him Gone!10 points
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Squad for Season 2025-2026
tm4tj posted an article in News 2025-26,
Some familiar faces re-appearing in Joe Chalmers, last here in season 2018/2019 and guys like Paul Allan and Remi Savage coming back for more alongside our experienced players in Danny Devine, Billy Mckay, Luis Longstaff.-
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Season Tickets 2025/26
Scotty posted an article in News 2025-26,
Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC are delighted to announce 2025/26 Season Tickets will be available from Monday 9th June 2025 at 10am from the Club Shop and online from eticketing.co.uk/ictfc-
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Site Upgrades - Summer 2025
Scotty posted a topic in Caley Thistle,
We will be upgrading the site to a new major version of the forum software during the summer. The look and feel of the site will not change too much, but some features may be added or deleted based on the capability of the new software.-
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Lewis Nicolson Leaves Football
tm4tj posted an article in News 2024-25,
Lewis, 21 years-old, has suffered two serious knee injuries during his time with the club and has now decided to pursue career opportunities elsewhere...-
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CTO Player of the Year 2024-2025
IBM posted an article in News 2024-25,
You picked him and he is your CTO Player of the Year....
It's 11 goal Keith Bray-
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