From the Inverness Courier - 6th October 2006
US oil man ready to invest in ICT
A WEALTHY businessman with strong links to the American oil industry could be about to invest money into Caley Thistle.
The mystery individual, who is originally from the Highland Capital, held talks with new Inverness chairman, Alan Savage, and director of football, Graeme Bennett, at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium last Saturday after watching Caley Thistle's 1-0 victory over Dunfermline.
Further discussions have been planned for next month with the person in question and Bennett remains hopeful a deal that is suitable for both parties can be agreed.
"The talks went very well,” he said. "In fact they went so well that we are planning to have another meeting in November.
"I now have to go back to board just to inform them of what's happening and talk about how we can move it forward from here.
"The new chairman made it clear when he came in two months ago that he has good connections through his business links, particularly in America, and that is an avenue we are actively exploring.
"As a result of people he knows in the USA, the players could be going out to America next year for pre-season, so that is something we'll have to start thinking about and getting organised."
The arrival of Savage, managing director of the Inverness-based engineering company, the Orion Group, has resulted in a general overview of the football club with a firm focus on trying to attract outside investors.
With Caley Thistle currently operating in the black, however, Bennett was quick to point out money is already available to strengthen the footballing side of the club.
"We are busy at the moment pursuing various avenues of investment and hopefully something on that front should come to fruition over the next few months,” he stated.
"However, our prudent approach to finances over the last five to six years is now beginning to pay dividends and I've been having regular discussions with the board about the budgets for the footballing side of the club.
"Although I don't know what the final figure will be, I am hopeful they will be quite flexible which is good news for both myself and manager Charlie Christie."
The possibility of an increased budget is certain to be welcomed with open arms by Christie given he has several first-team players out of contract next summer.
Mark Brown, Darren Dods, Grant Munro, Roy McBain, Liam Keogh, Craig Dargo, Graham Bayne and Rory McAllister are all free to leave the club next summer when their current deals run out.
It is understood McBain is close to agreeing a new contract, while Bennett also insisted the club were keen to keep a hold of goalkeeper Brown and last season's top scorer Dargo.
"Talks with Mark and Craig are ongoing,” he added. "They were both given offers a month or two ago, so we'll sit down with them at the beginning of next week to see what's happening.
"Without a doubt they are two key players and it didn't help that there was all this hysteria in the summer regarding them possibly moving to other clubs.
"It was the same with Darren and he is another player I'll be speaking to because I want to find out what the position is with him.
"Given the next transfer window is only a couple of months away, I am keen to talk to all the players out of contract and we have been holding ongoing discussions for a while now.
"The talks have been encouraging and I'm hopeful we will have some positive news on that front fairly soon."
Inverness Courier Story - 6th October 2006