Bridge_Ender

How could it be anything else? Point remains though, why is it in the main forum?

Why is there a thread about someone who doesn't want to read another thread on the main forum? If you don't want to read it, fine. Well done you. Have a gold star for whatever point it is you're trying to make!

Who cares? They're all wonderful

It's not particularly feasible and the crowd levels certainly don't demand it but I'd like to even a small structure go up along the length of the west side just to complete the stadium. On 3 sides I think the ground looks fine but whenever cameras catch that west side I cringe a bit as it just looks so unfinished. Can't imagine there are any plans afoot to do anything about it though! Certainly not a priority at the moment.

Citylink. All blue strips shirts. The terrace at Stenhousemuir. Going to the open day at the TCS when it was pretty much all just steelwork. Only having one stand. Voting on the club name after moving to TCS. Taking a couple thousand fans to Livi and being 0-3 down after 22 minutes (still one of the best fightbacks ever...). Ridiculous scorelines weekly during the Pele years. Pele. February 8th 2000. Drawing with Dundee Utd with a Mark McCulloch wondergoal. Calling Pittodrie 'home'. The first SPL game in the Highlands. Skelping Liverpool 5-0. Clach Park for the Inverness Cup Final v County in '95 (?). Being delighted with a cup draw at Tynecastle in our 'lucky' strips. There's been a few...

What a pathetic stance from what is fast becoming a laughing stock of a club. Do these morons not realise that by boycotting United will benefit? Lower stewarding and policing costs and, presumably, 100% of the ticket income given they must surely be forfeiting that under the circumstances. Also, were ICT ever in a similar position that would be a game I'd be pulling out all the stops to get to and show them that as a club we're here to stay, a show of strength if you like. They really are a ridiculous club nowadays. Never lost any love on them before but even any grudging respect for their achievements is gone following the last few months. The decent minded Rangers fans must be embarrassed and increasingly fed up with it all.

CaleyJags.com - Pic 38 Sums the whole evening up perfectly! :laugh:

The season ticket which gives discounts at various restaurants, cinemas etc. is a great idea and can drive business for both parties as everyone loves a discount! It might even encourage people who go to games regularly and choose not to get a ST to get one if the offers were good enough? Also, has Groupon, or similar, ever been considered for a ticket offer? Not totally sure of the %'s involved so may not be worth it but surely for smaller games, i.e. not County/Celtic/Aberdeen, it could drive sales if, for example, a £30 adult + 2 kids ticket or a 2 for 1 was offered? As has been noted above, half of something is better than 100% of nothing! Another thing which can work well is the Fan Appreciation Day. Nominate a perhaps quieter game at the end of the season, get a few interactive games going on inside the stadium from 2/3 hours before kick off where you can with prizes which obviously will be covered in ICT logo's (caps, hats, scarves, t-shirts, miniballs, whatever) which are relatively cheaply produced and with sponsorship could be basically free for the club? Maybe not directly fundraising but anything which creates a positive relationship between fans and club can only encourage the fans to spend their hard earned with the club longer term?

Rangers at home are a very different beast to Rangers away and the appetite from their fans and the club in general to stick it up the SPL and it's teams is pretty huge. They looked decent against Motherwell in the last round, who albeit offered nothing on the night, and will be similarly motivated against us. Having said that, this is definitely a winnable game and if we play like we did last night against County there is absolutely no reason we cannot progress!

My point was more about getting the Trust/CJT organised so that a pool people are in place to undertake projects before offers of help are made so situations where assumptions need to be made are avoided. Advertise for people to take ownership of specific projects who could then be called upon to do some regular tasks. I don't believe there isn't, for example, one ICT supporting tradesman/handyman in the Inverness area who wouldn't be keen to head up a maintenance group of volunteers/college students who gave up a couple hours a month to go in and help Tommy with groundstaff chores like painting toilets or whatever other odd jobs need done. Or that there are no ICT supporters among the Business and Marketing Students at the UHI who wouldn't be keen to add to their CV by running a marketing and promotions committee and arranging some of the things above. Free match tickets and a good reference on someone's CV would be all these things cost. I'll take your word on the emails being sent out, I've obviously missed them, but I'd imagine that in this time of information overload most people barely glance at them. Personally I've always argued this is the biggest fallacy about the worth of direct email communication - sure, it's free and it can look great at next to no cost but it only takes 2 clicks to delete and when it's bundled in with the other 15 emails from whatever else in your inbox it simply isn't going to be read properly. Also, and again not in a 'having a go way', a generic 'who wants to help' plea is, in my experience, rarely going to gain much response. A lot of people who volunteer didn't realise initially that they have skills that are useful to others or that the opportunity to practice and utilise these skills even exists.That's why I'm suggesting that if these opportunities were created and targeted specifically there may be a better response. Then again, the traditionally apathetic Inverness response may still dominate and you'll continue to p1ss into the wind... You're right though, it is easy to sit behind a keyboard and demand this and that. Especially when you live too far away to offer practical assistance and don't have the free time to offer anyway. **Edit: This isn't a dig at the progress that has been made with regards to communication and how the club and those involved with it are approaching fans as that has all been very positive with some definite changes for the better. It's about how to develop it further.

Surely this is something the Supporters Trust/Caley Jags Together should be trying to coordinate? I've been a member of the Supporters Trust for a couple of years now and rarely receive much communication. The email last week was the first I can remember recently. This isn't a negative dig, merely an observation. Maybe a 'volunteers vacancies' part on the website identifying exactly what the trust is involved with and recruiting people to do it could help in that respect? Perhaps the Supporters Trust/CJT could identify what the members feel could improve the experience, perhaps from a members poll or online suggestion box, and then organise the opportunity, get people involved who may have the skills required and are willing to devote 5 hours a week, or whatever, to it. Surely one of the main points of having CJT is to provide the means for fans to get involved with the club and I'm sure it will in time. Maybe have an incentive for volunteers to get free tickets for matches? I used to sell the 50/50 tickets for free but got to stay in the ground to watch the game as recompense. It's not as if we're short on spare seats after all! A few things, off the top of my head, that could be coordinated by a volunteer marketing group locally to raise awareness and would only take a couple hours of people's time if organised correctly: weekly run round the local shops, tesco, asda, morrisons, eastgate as well as the hotels, bars and B&B's with posters advertising the next match ticket giveaway competition running weekly with the draw live on MFR? stall in the eastgate on weekends selling merchandise and match tickets and raising awareness of how to get involved with the club identify local fairs, shows etc. where a stall could be taken to promote ICT and the trust

Stewards have no additional powers to you or I so cannot lay a finger on you without it being treated as an assault, be it for searching or ejection purposes, without your permission unless they are reacting in self defence and only then with 'reasonable force'. However, they do have the authority to refuse you entry to a private place of business , i.e. a football ground or a bar, if you fail/refuse to meet entry requirements without being obliged to provide a reason to you. If when you are inside said private business and are asked to leave and you refuse they are allowed to use 'reasonable force' (that grey area again) to remove you from the premises. In practice that means whilst you are well within your rights to refuse a search when going in then they are also within their rights to refuse you admission for failing to agree, if it's in the stated entry policy. Unfortunately it also means that when they ask you to leave/'come for a chat' during the game it's the fan rather than the steward who is potentially breaking the law if they refuse and that's when the Police can become involved as I believe it is an offence to refuse to leave a private place of business when asked to by management, or agents of management as stewards are... The old phrase 'if you pay peanuts you get monkeys' comes into play here as most security companies do indeed pay minimum wage or thereabouts, therefore... The criticism also has to be applied to the club management who will stress to supervisors and managers of the company that this is the entry policy that must be adhered to who will then stress to their subordinates that no deviation is acceptable as they ultimately run the risk of losing the contract and consequently staff lose hours/jobs. Personally I avoid going to Hibs, Dundee and United given the way stewards have behaved towards me personally and ICT fans generally when I have visited there. I don't make nearly enough home games any more to comment on what happens now but it does seem like every week there is a gripe or a moan about the stewarding. One final point, if the steward doesn't have a valid SIA badge on display when their on shift then they can perform none of the roles described above and have the same authority as a shop assistant or usher does. May be worth remembering and checking next time anyone is in conversation with one...

Off the top of my head Martin Kelly, Dani Pacheco, Jay Spearing and Nathan Eccleston are still at Anfield and have all progressed to play for the first team with Kelly also becoming a full Engerland International. Dean Bouzanis, the goalkeeper, had an absolute howler that night if I remember right!

What do the SFA do next after the Court of Session have agreed with the Rangers lawyers that the sanctions imposed were not within the powers of the SFA? There seems to be 4 main options: 1) Suspension from the Scottish Cup 2) Suspension of SFA Membership 3) Expulsion from the SFA 4) Do nothing With FIFA and UEFA now taking an interest it appears 4) will no longer an option. So what is a fair SFA sanction to be imposed on Rangers? And, perhaps more importantly, realistically what wil the SFA do? Personally, I thought the SFA tried to do the best they could by everyone involved by putting the transfer ban on them. Under the circumstances and how seriously they are taking the case it looked like they were taking tough action on Rangers whilst in reality the club were unlikely to ever be in a position to sign many players over the next 12 months anyway. If Rangers had engaged the brain before complaining they would have realised they had got off lightly. However, by taking it to the Court of Session they have put the SFA in a position they would not have wanted to be in by attracting the attention of FIFA/UEFA and surely toughening of any penalty that will be imposed next. Rangers own arrogance and stupidity in taking this to the civil courts beggars belief. For that reason I'd argue a years suspension from the Scottish Cup is nowhere near enough while permanent expulsion, as much as I would like that to happen, won't realistically happen. I think a years suspension of SFA membership is the most appropriate. Realistically, I can see the SFA caving and only issuing a years suspension from the Cup.

So you are happy with the quality of the SPL then? You want the best players to leave? This perochial attitude is part of the reason why Scottish football is so low. I'd imagine it's because he doesn't want him at a rival team and inevitably damage us next season as opposed to a parochial attitude?

Ok... I seem to have touched a nerve there... Of course you're right. If the guys aren't up to the standard required then we should continue to invest in them just because they are local. God forbid we use more talented players from different areas to try and raise the standard of player at the club! It might even encourage the local lads to be more competitive and emulate them? Or should 'Raigmore Hospital' as your place of birth be the prime selection criteria for a position at ICT? In all seriousness though, is it not better the players who are not up to standard with the rest of the players at their level across the country are released for their own benefit as well as the club? They're either going to get the opportunity to prove themselves somewhere else, if they really are good enough, or they can change career and take advantage of other training opportunities/further education - opportunities that can begin to close as they get older. If they aren't going to make it then surely that is better for all concerned? I do agree that there should be a local heart to the club and until this season we have been lucky in that we have had an exceptional group with us for a long time who had/developed that. Hopefully it will return but at the moment I see nobody out there (Munro and Mackay Stevens arguments aside) that are good enough to be playing SPL for us that is not already with here and has ties to the area. As far as Butchers signing policy goes, I'd like to see many more permanent signings, rather than 6 month loans, and guys who are hungry to prove themselves after being released from a bigger club join us, much the same as Hayes and Cox. As for the community aspect, no idea how you got that from my post but for what it is worth I don't think ICT get into the schools and work with the local kids enough and this is one area of the club that definitely be vastly improved. Maybe there is a rough diamond out there we're missing, I'd like to think so.That is a debate for another time though. Finally, I don't aspire for ICT to be like any part of the Old Firm. What a truly ridiculous suggestion from someone who has evidently never met me.

A tiny percentage of kids make it through the youth system of clubs and we're no exception. As it is, our u-19's finished bottom of their league which would suggest that the vast majority of the players involved in the squad are not up to the standard required and that the correct decision has been made surely...? Don't really see what all the fuss is about, it's not as if we're releasing youth internationals or guys who've been in the first team squad. It's how football works, literally hundreds of talented kids all over the UK are being released this month.

Alex, the 1/12 of 48% is the equal payment each club gets just for being in the league. All the figures are from the SPL website. The real disparity is in the placings money - 2% between 1st and 2nd then the value of 3rd place almost halves from that of 2nd place before stepping evenly again!

I totally agree that discounting tickets is pointless and proven not to really work and also that we are highly unlikely to gain 2000+ fans in the current climate. I'm arguing that this could be the opportunity for Scottish Football to completely reinvent itself and switch to summer football, a move that, for example, saved Rugby League in the UK from a not dissimilar position Scottish football finds itself in now. Summer football and a more competitive league without Rangers, or even both the Old Firm, would attract more fans, sponsors and TV would follow. Even assume there was a TV deal worth half of the upcoming one, so £8m per year. Suddenly the additional fans required to make up the shortfall halves and it all starts to look a bit more realistic that these other factors could improve attendances too. It's all a pipe dream anyway as it's never gonna happen and Rangers will prove to just be the first of many to go to the wall unless there is a radical shake up of the Scottish game.

With a bit of spare time on my hands I thought I'd do the geek thing and run the new TV deal numbers to see what it adds up to. The deal is reportedly worth £80m over 5 seasons to the league and I've tried to break it down into what that means in 'additional' fans per season and home game based on £20 gate price. These are pretty rough figures and don't take into account of other incomes from sponsorship etc. or costs like the parachute payments, league running costs, taxes and such like so you can take as much or as little from these figures as you like. It was more just to get an idea of it's rough worth should the TV deal be cancelled. Standard Payment per club (1/12th of 48%)= £640,000 Placing - TV Money - TV Total Worth - Fans Per Season at £20 a ticket (per home game (18)) 1st 13.0% - £1,081,600 - £1,721,600 - 86080 (4782) 2nd 11.0% - £915,200 - £1,555,200 - 77760 (4320) 3rd 5.5% - £457,600 - £1,097,600 - 54880 (3049) 4th 4.5% - £374,400 - £1,014,400 - 50720 (2818) 5th 4.0% - £332,800 - £972,800 - 48640 (2702) 6th 3.5% - £291,200 - £931,200 - 46560 (2587) 7th 3.0% - £249,600 - £889,600 - 44480 (2471) 8th 2.5% - £208,000 - £848,000 - 42400 (2356) 9th 2.0% - £166,400 - £806,400 - 40320 (2240) 10th 1.5% - £124,800 - £764,800 - 38240 (2124) 11th 1.0% - £83,200 - £723,200 - 36160 (2009) 12th 0.5% - £41,600 - £681,600 - 34080 (1893) On average this means 50,027 extra fans through the turnstiles in an 18 home game season or 2779 per home match. Even if we work with hitting 9th every season it's still over 40,000 extra fans or 2240 a home game. I don't know how realistic this would be to achieve but if you consider the potentially positive impact on attendances a switch to summer football and a much more competitive league could bring and add a TV deal of even 50% of the worth of the one that is about to begin then, to me, it doesn't seem like the demise of Rangers or the Old Firm is as catastrophic an event as is being predicted by some. It could actually be the opportunity for Scottish Football to really invigorate and reinvent itself but, being cynical, who really expects the Self Preservation League to do that...?

Standard of football definitely seems higher than nowadays! Brilliant to see a Stewarty chip shot again, especially one against the Gypos, and also a full Telford Street - brilliant memories and great work Caley!

Ok, I should have made myself clearer. What I meant was does anybody on here know if the ICT board would, or did given the resolution has been made public, support or oppose a Rangers NewCo being admitted straight back into the SPL?

Does anyone know, or have the club announced, whether the ICT Board/SPL Representative would vote in support of Rangers NewCo being readmitted or not?

We'll always be the first to have got into the SPL, they'll be forever in our shadow! As for the merger stuff - it's nearly 20 years ago, get over it... The biggest effect on attendances - everywhere, not just Inverness - is that now the floating football fan, who might have watched his local team 4/5 times a season, spends that money on Sky/ESPN etc. rather than going to the odd game. Who really wants to spend £20+ to sit in a cold stadium in January to watch mid-level football that you aren't that interested in when you can watch the Premiership/La Liga/etc. at home or in the pub? Only those really dedicated are going to! Until live football makes itself more attractive (pricing, summer football, etc. etc.) the downward spiral of attendances will continue, simple. Anyone who thinks the merger has anything to do with attendances nowadays needs to get out more... County coming up is great for us and great for the Highlands and I hope they stay up, as long as we continue to finish above them . Imagine if the SPL engage the brain and we get a double header home and away over Christmas and New Year...?

A 'Legends Game' or renenactment of the first game with the old boys is an awful idea! Sorry, but I just cannot see the attraction. A commemorative shirt or '20 year' crest on the shirt sounds interesting though. At first I thought the idea of the using the Caley for home / Thistle away idea wasn't particularly good but it sounds better the more I think about it. The history pre-1994 is an important part of the club heritage and I think that if after 20 years people are still choosing not to watch ICT because the were either Caley or Thistle fans before the chances are they're not going to change now, and why should we bother about them? Old Caley colours for the home strip and old Thistle colours for the away kit for season 2014/15 - great tribue to the history of the club and what has been achieved in such a relatively short time.