Scotty

personally I would hope that 'reviewing our position' in terms of the shirt deal means we tell them to GTF and find or solicit tenders from a shirt company who will deliver a decent kit, on time with the minimum of fuss. Probably a non-starter, but I wonder if there is opportunity here for an SPL-wide deal? MLS does this by having a master agreement with Adidas and I have never seen or heard of any issues. The league does the deal, the clubs do the design (with Adidas) and both sell the kits online and in stores. The kits are fine, always of good quality, the launch dates are always well in advance of the season, and as far as I can tell ... launches occur 'as promised'. Works well in MLS due to the centralised nature of the league administration and setup and probably a non-starter in Scotland due to various factors, but after many years of Errea delivering late and now this mob actually making Errea look good perhaps this kind of approach, or maybe a group of smaller clubs going together as a group to negiotate better terms and such might be a feasible approach.

Time to cut ties with this outfit. If they didnt already have an extensive history of delays I would say persevere but its not exactly a new thing http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/201516-kit-statement-2582175.aspx http://www.bescotbanter.net/2016/08/walsalls-kit-delay-continues-could-jd.html http://avaccessories.net/en_paperblog/walsall-s-kit-delay-continues-could-jd-sports-deal-be-cut-short-1520530/ http://www.saintmirren.net/pages/?p=57113 http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/sport/cabrini-apologise-for-kit-delay-1-1035953 https://m.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/3itx9p/4_weeks_into_the_season_bournemouths_home_kits/ http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/crewe-alexandra-club-unveil-home-and-away-shirts-for-2016-17-season/story-29516326-detail/story.html

fairly good window. RF has (crucially) kept what we have and added players where we all agree we need some help. whether they are the right players only time will tell, but fairly positive about his signings so far. no worldbeaters, but they all look solid enough on paper at least.

ok, lets get back on topic

time to horse this thread I think before someone tries to stirrup trouble.

so long as he doesnt sign too many donkeys. would not want to have neigh chance as we round the final bend !

The first part of that sentence sums up what I said about him when he was here and I formed that opinion after meeting him and listening to his interviews .... the second part, mirrors what I have thought since he left and his comments in the press immediately preceding that. There is no doubting that John Hughes was a successful manager for ICT the stats do back that up totally. The debate over best or not can be argued either way and I am not interested in having that debate as all managers brought something to the table .... but there is no argument that he will forever be in our history as the manager who won the cup and who took us into Europe in much the same way as Robbo took us to the SPL or as Pele took us from D3 to D1 and masterminded our cup heroics over the likes of Celtic and Hearts when we truly were still a wee team from the highlands. I am not going to get all bitter that he left although I am disappointed in the manner of his departure and talking with fans of other teams where he has been manager there does seem to be a pattern of being successful for a short while then conflict with the respective club then a departure. Is it that he is just TOO ambitious for the 'smaller clubs' where he has been manager and has come up against their constraints, or is it something else? I don't know, I am not a psychologist, therapist or any other kind of -ist but I do know that our chairman is a reasonable man and the club in general are not afraid to back the manager outside of our financial comfort zone when they are able - just look at the cash they threw at TB to get us back to the SPL after relegation. What I do find utterly classless are his comments about Richie Foran and I hope that the reporting and quotes are out of context to what he actually meant or the entirety of his statements. Regardless of what he thinks of Foran as a person, or his ability as a manager, you dont throw them under the bus like that in public. Richie has completed his badges - he must have otherwise he could not be our manager in the top division as per UEFA rules - and despite the poor start to the season with a 'rookie' manager, he WILL come good. To go along with the coaching badges and everything he has learned as a player, he also has passion, commitment and a love for the area and ICT, so its just a case of it all falling into place (i hope). It'll be a rocky ride this year I think, but perseverance will be worth it.

moved this to its own thread ..... I took the picture because I thought 'ooh, thats going to get a reaction !!!' and was surprised it stayed up for so long (most of the game). The sh** is definitely hitting the fan now and the supporters group involved (inebriatti) are likely to get yet more sanctions placed on them ... they have had regular run-ins with front office but for the most part they are highly passionate fans. The club are getting hit with social media outrage wondering how this was able to get into the stadium (all signs and banners are supposed to be checked and pre-approved) so right now there are accusations coming from every angle .... and thats not going to sit well ... someone will get it in the neck Its a shame, because its deflecting attention from the spectacular TIFO that was displayed earlier .... its the time of year when the grounds around BMO Field have 'the shows' on them for the yearly CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) and for a long time the Montreal fans have called TFC 'clowns' (I know, very original .... from a team whose official name is Limp Act ... oops, sorry L'Impact) so this TIFO that took 2 months to plan, prepare and fundraise for and which was created by all supporters groups together was quite appropriate .... the circus theme and the big top that was then opened to reveal the message at kick off was pretty stunning. shame about the result !!! Montreal won 1-0, kicked Sebastian Giovinco off the park ... he is now out for a month, and the ref denied three stonewallers (one of which led to the injury to Gio). a typical day in MLS .....

moved the Toronto FC TIFO discussion to here to prevent things going off on a tangent !!!

you mean this one from last Saturday ...... this was something pretty special. https://twitter.com/RudiSchuller/status/769680408464199680/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw Nahh - I am guessing you mean this one (its going to hit the fan for that one). Picture copyrighted to myself (DSM/TFCpics.com)

mmm, not so much .... I belong to one of the other supporters group (U-Sector) and ours just does custom scarves and a variety of T-Shirts every year. The club also give out a new scarf each year with your season ticket package ..... My 2008 (season 2) scarf should still be somewhere in the Innes !! Never noticed it displayed anywhere but it seemed disrespectful to ask for it back LOL. There are also various giveaways that are co-branded with TFC and one of the sponsors throughout the season (eg Kia sponsored car airfresheners, winter hats, free spaghetti (I kid you not)) and all sorts of other stuff. They do have merchandising and marketing down to a fine art ..... My favourite is actually still hanging in my car ... its from BMO Bank (who sponsor the shirts and stadium) and is simply a replica strip that you can hang from the rear view mirror. They were given out in 2007 and its hung on the rear view mirror of 3 different cars since then ! W/regard to other ICT merchandise, I know that ICT had hassle with some of the smaller cheap items in that they had to order a high quantity to meet minimum order requirements and this kind of item is likely part of that issue. Not sure about the clothing aspect. I can say however, that despite the quality or lack thereof with Errea strips, I absolutely loved their polo shirts. I have (had) two of them that lasted 10 years+ and have only now been thrown in the bin. They have been 'gardening wear' for a year or two now but prior to that they lasted really well, were good quality and the badges were fully embroidered.

*** VOTING IN THE POLL ABOVE IS FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE MATCH ONLY *** If you were at the match, please use the poll above to vote for your top 3 players. As a bit of fun, we have also added an option to rate the referee .... Please make sure you vote for 3 separate players. If you make an error, let us know so we can fix it. PLEASE ONLY VOTE ABOVE IF YOU WERE AT THE GAME Anyone caught trying to cheat the system WILL be banned from voting in ALL site polls...this is your only warning. **NOT at the game ?** As a result of requests received, we have made a slight change to how these threads work for site users who watched the game on TV or listened to the full game live on the radio ....... You too will now be able to cast your votes, but should do it in the thread below, and NOT in the official poll above. Just list the three players of your choosing and award 5,3, or 1 point(s). You can give the ref a mark if you want too ! These votes will NOT be counted in the official total, as we only count votes from those who where actually at the game, but it IS a way for you to participate in the process .... which many people asked for .... a happy medium we hope !!!!!

matchday thread online a little early again this week. we've got visitors coming tomorrow and although I hope to get online for the match, its not guaranteed ... updates will follow once the guests leave !

THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Inverness CT -V- St Johnstone PREVIEW 27th Aug @ 3PM, Caledonian Stadium Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO BBC Sportsound Open All Mics [UK Only] TEXT ESPN BBC Sporting Life VIDEO SPL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS TO FOLLOW Tweets by @ICTFC Tweets by @ICTFC

Scotty HT: 1-0 FT: 2-1 1st ICT: Doumbouya 1st Opp: McLean Crowd: 3245 CDN Girl HT: 0-0 FT: 1-0 1st ICT: Tansey 1st Opp: Millar Crowd: 3655 SOS HT: 1-1 FT: 3-2 1st ICT: Boden 1st Opp: Kane Crowd: 3112

Scotty: Arbroath @ 2.00 CDN Girl : Dunfermline @ 1.90 SOS : Clyde @ 2.00

if his attitude stinks - as has been suggested - then that can be a lot more detrimental to the morale of the overall squad than perhaps making do with what we have already. I guess RF is in the best spot to make that judgement.

damn autocorrect ......

3 things to note in this thread .... (which also pervades to a few others) It is becoming increasingly nasty with the personal digs at each other. that stops now or the thread gets closed. end of. I dont want to do that as its an interesting and valid thread and I have my own opinion which I have also posted as it relates to the topic, but if the personal sh** continues then I have no option and it will be the fault of those doing the stirring. This is a fans' forum, and but for a 5 year spell in its 22 year existence when it was deemed the club's official site, it is, and has been independently run by myself and various moderators with no direction or managerial input or control from the club. With the exception of that five year period mentioned, it has never been an official channel to reach or receive an answer from the club on any issue even if they have chosen to respond on many occasions. The club DO read the site and DO respond to things on here when appropriate but thats really for fans convenience rather than it being an official response. the official channels are through their own website, through contacting them via email/telephone/letter, or by bringing issues to the attention of the supporters trust who can bring that to the club too. We have an excellent working relationship with all levels of the club that allows us to collaborate with them on various initiatives and partnerships and because of this they have often passed out more information than other clubs might through the site. I wasnt going to mention this as its my own personal observation and kind of annoys me, but it seems appropriate in this thread to note that there's a fair few, increasingly frequent, veiled (and open) digs at CaleyD who gets it in the neck almost daily because he not only has a position at the club, but also has his role on here as co-owner of our design and hosting company, and his former role as site administrator for CTO that was relinquished when he started doing more work at the stadium. Seems he cant do anything right in some folks eyes and honestly, thats a piece of bullshit too. He provides info, he's being a happy clapper, or a conduit for propoganda. He says nothing and he's accused of some nefarious scheming. It would be quite simple for him to stop posting altogether, but again, because of personal friendships with myself and the site, and his own desire to pass as much info as is deemed in the public domain to the fans he posts it here despite all the crap flung his way. Do I agree with him on everything ? HELL NO !! We have our own disagreements over many issues and I even kicked him off the site for a while a few years ago, but unlike some, we seem to be able to agree to disagree and move on with other subjects .... Bottom line - if you are waiting for a response on this issue from the club on here then please dont hold your breath .... you are likely to get a new shirt from JD Sports before that happens and we all know how long that takes ! If you want a response then I would agree with OCG who suggests writing to the club (or email if you prefer) and asking the question directly. For those of us that are shareholders then I am sure it may also be something that is raised at the next AGM if a satisfactory answer has not been forthcoming before then .....

End of the day, Richie Foran's job depends on results and he is not getting them (so far). If its in his power to get players in who can help deliver results then I am sure he will make every effort to do so but sometimes negotiations or agreements take longer than expoected or other things crop up. Depending on the finer points of the contract (pay as you play? or normal contract?) the injury to McNaughton may have added a significant wrinkle to his plans meaning he has to rejig what he can offer someone in one position (striker) as he now has to go looking for a defender ... whose agent will also know he is a bit more desperate and perhaps try to work a better deal for his client which is more expensive to ICT ... its not all a straight line ! I would rather he takes his time and gets the right person/people than just signs another 'Deano' (or Parratt or Thomson etc etc etc). What is more concerning to me is that players who were performing last year seem to have been under-performing so far. As IHE said in his match report, maybe Richie the player needs to be put away and Richie the angry fiery manager needs to come bursting out !

I once watched Steve Paterson sign something fairly definitive in the boardroom ... 2 weeks later he was in Aberdeen !

you can use stats to say almost whatever you want based on how you present them. One aspect that does not appear to have been considered in this discussion so far is that ICT have traditionally been said to pay lower wages but higher bonuses than some teams. This typically means that when we have a more successful season and get a windfall in the cup or elsewhere more of it is taken up with the player's share of that .... how other teams structure their bonuses could significantly skew any presented stats. If you want my unverifiable and uninformed opinion .... I would say we have amongst the lowest budgets in the premiership at the start of the season, perhaps comparable to 1 or 2 other teams, ... but by the end of the season, if we have performed well then we may have a higher total spend than several more teams dependent on those bonuses. it is NOT an exact science ! Incidentally - as far as I am aware we are not scheduled to receive our payment for OFW participation in the Euros until later in the year (September I think) and although I dont know the details, I am guessing that he might get a decent chunk of it as his signing bonus from prior to the end of last season because if he was unsigned or he re-signed later we would have got nothing !!!