Scotty

No, that doesn't make him to blame for it all ... it actually increases the culpability of those who gave him a job, free reign over all decisions and no oversight! He doesn't get a pass, far from it, but there are more than enough bad decisions and debacles for the blame to be spread around amongst all who are culpable.

I think this is us all. I have not always agreed with individual decisions made by the club but could usually swallow it as I felt they were part of an overall positive mindset and attitude at the club which was to do what was best for ICT, its employees, the players, team and fans. Sadly, this is no longer the case. I hope I am proved wrong by SY or someone else, but it feels like a rudderless (and spineless) ship since May. SG gets the blame for all of this, and he does have to shoulder some of it (most of it) in his position as CEO, it goes with the territory. However, as much as he's painted to be the ultimate Bond villain, there is no way he can be solely culpable in all of this. His personality, general demeanour, and past history at Dundee and Hearts makes it easy to paint him as the sole problem, but every single person on that board has an opinion and a mouth to express it and they have said f*** all! Perhaps some stayed silent as they disagreed but that makes them just as culpable as whoever made certain decisions. Every single one of them is responsible, individually and/or collectively for the demise of ICT, the wholly unacceptable treatment of now former players, and the current situation we find ourselves in. I hope they all feel good when they look at themselves in the mirror each morning and tell themselves that its all SG's fault and their hands are clean. They are not, and fans will not forget.

elected or co-opted is important but makes no real difference in this situation. Their purpose on being on the board, however they got there, is to work for "the good and benefit of" the club. I don't see much of that. We do seem to "re-elect" on a regular basis, its one of those things that get lumped into the AGMs (when held!) as a motion to re-elect en-masse the directors who need to stand for re-election. As there are seldom any actual elections its really just a rubber stamp to renew a term. Perhaps if the board will not co-opt a Supporters Trust member at the next AGM (if and whenever held) then we could nominate one or more people to see if that triggered actual voting!

Clearly - as and when we get a new board or new investors - we need someone who knows how to write contracts! Ours have been like Swiss cheese for years, stinky and full of holes!

I think they got hoodwinked in the same way we all have at some point. There are one or perhaps two people on the board that appear to be trying to get things done, and they (ST) wanted to believe or took a leap of faith that this would happen, and they (Board member[s]) would be true to their word. Whether the board member[s] were farting against thunder and couldn't get things done for some reason at board level, or it was all just blowing smoke at the ST, the assurances the ST got clearly didn't come to pass. I think the line in the sand for many is that the CEO needs to be gone first and foremost. We know he has resigned and is working his notice, but we have no idea what that period is and when he will leave for good. Is it a week? a month? 3 months? 6 months? Rightly or wrongly, he is clearly the largest lightning rod for criticism and the focus of all the blame. We will probably never know the full details but clearly very few people want to do anything at, or for, the club while he is still there. Personally, I am disappointed in the board also. I have never been one to jump on any #SackTheBoard type campaigns but its getting almost impossible to have any other opinion of the current incumbents of the ivory tower. With the treatment of Doran, Esson and others, as well as the complete and utter lack of any communication or apparent action coming from this board, what else are we to think? These people are elected by the shareholders, to work for the good and benefit of ICT FC. Clearly, they have not fulfilled that role on multiple levels and don't even have the balls to come out and tell it like it is, and spearhead a call to get back to basics and foster the TogetherNESS that worked well in the past. We have players not contacted since May. Even if the manager is on holiday, sipping cocktails and enjoying himself knowing his own contract was secure, then surely the Director of Football or another director should be talking to these players. More worrying is the accounts situation. I don't pretend to understand the dates and company law rules, but it is not rocket science to know they will not be good and could be triggering in terms of admin events. The manager gets lumped in with the board here. He should not have gone on holiday without letting his squad know where each and every one of them stood for next season. Some difficult conversations for sure, and maybe some wage negotiations if anyone is a relatively high earner but we want to keep them (and they want to stay) but to completely ignore the squad, is unforgiveable. It certainly seems contrary to the process we used to do as someone mentioned elsewhere in this or another thread. I get that we possibly can't afford to pay him off, and there is likely no way he will walk away as if he does, he will have yet another 'failure' on his record in club management. Best for all would be him swallowing his pride, adjusting his management style (autocrats rarely ever win in the end), and trying to do well this season. If he does well, we do well, and if he does really well, perhaps someone 'bigger' might come looking for him 🙂

... should any actual games take place, then I think we know where the erstwhile 'fans' of Polworth and Vigurs will direct their 'support'.

Would have thought so. Only going of what I read on social media today, no other sources:

certainly sounds from social media that Ridgers is - quite rightly - looking elsewhere now.

Not necessarily. Some discussions need to stay private until it is time to make them public. Nature of the beast unfortunately. If the trust representatives were - for example - given some privileged info to allay their fears which would allow them to endorse the call to purchase season tickets but might jeopardise the discussions with potential investors if they divulged that info, then staying quiet is absolutely in the best interests of their members. However, the longer things go with silence from the ivory towers (or farty towels if you prefer), the harder it is to believe they were not just sold a ‘bill of goods’!!

Just when you think those running the club can't sink any lower, they do manage to find new depths to go. Regardless of that, I am still an ICT supporter, proud or otherwise. On the one hand I am beyond Derek Adams level seething with our current board and the CEO who are NOT ICT, or certainly not the ICT I want to be associated with. These people will be held accountable for their actions (or inactions) and history will quite correctly not be kind to them. BUT ... WE are ICT. The players, the fans, the city and I still say I am proud to be ICT when I stand next to all of those people who DO make me proud. These are the people who contributed to Aaron's fund, just like most here, or who have been outraged at the treatment meted out to him and others, who have raised questions about our missing manager or who have shown passion and eloquence on the podcast. Every one of us is ICT and that's the ICT community I am proud of still. I am extremely transparent in my thoughts on our current board, elected to, but doing a piss poor job of stewarding our club. I would not and will not raise my hand, in person or via proxy, at any future shareholders meeting to re-elect any of them. With each passing day, and each new comment, it becomes harder in my own mind to accept even those who I thought I would be comfortable with remaining... Also, in another thread where I said we would restart sponsorship, I said it would not happen until the CEO has departed. Rumours online that this could be up to another 6 months... so that would mean we don't do it for 6 months. Its not rocket science, its simple. No effort to commit to any financial obligation, be that sponsorship, merchandise, or anything else until the keys are handed back and the door has closed on him for the last time. In my opinion, he is not to blame for every single thing that ails the club but is one of several lightning rods that need addressed. I would also - as a shareholder - like to know what the notice period for our CEO is as it is clearly a factor in people holding back personal or group investment in the club. I also have fears about the lack of accounts being posted which in some ways worry me more ... is this the sting in the tail just before the season begins? So to reiterate and confirm my last post: I AM proud to be an ICT supporter because it means i can stand with and mingle with people like our supporters and others in our team's COMMUNITY. The ineptitude, inefficiency and seemingly utter disregard for our club from those who should be speaking now will not deter me from that. THEY are not the club. WE are the club, whether we have been here for 30 minutes or 30 years.

Yes. players talk and word gets around. We are now a cancer amongst players until we get our house in order.

I will give you a name .... Scott Young He is relatively new to the board and from what I have seen and heard he is more open to fan engagement and enthusiastic about working to right things. He has turned up to the supporters' meetings and generally been positive and as open as allowed to be in terms of interactions or dissemination of information. I have never met him, don't know him, and that's just my impression. Could he have done more recently? perhaps, but as stated above, there are and will be constraints on what can be said publicly or even divulging what's going on behind the scenes. I didn't actually want Ross M to go. He was a fan long before chairman, so IMHO always tried to have the club at heart (hence the money he pumped in). However, he had to go. His biggest mistake - in my opinion - was loyalty for too long to one man and the ceding of day-to-day power to that man. As for the remainder of the board who have condoned the situation we find ourselves in either actively or passively with their silence, and then compounded things with the treatment of Aaron Doran (and others presumably), then root and branch they have to go if the club is to salvage any reputation. A full rebuild with new blood and no bad blood behind the scenes is required.

more like Bertie Feckin Basset

I can understand why he got it, but like others before him, the way it is being handled is not good. The man has given basically his entire career to ICT and not only did they allegedly tell him to 'walk it off' in regard to his ACL injury, but also then made him pay for the required op himself. (Thank goodness for Shane's initiative). He is, and will always be, a club legend. He is up there with the likes of Charlie and Rosscoe for length of service and has earned every bit of the respect he should be afforded. His playing career may be winding down (or over depending on the op results) but as a club we must treat our players (and other employees) right. There is no excuse for emailing a P45 to an employee. You do that face-to-face and look them in the eye, regardless of how uncomfortable a conversation it may be. Anything else is disrespectful or cowardly. Its not going to happen right now given the financial precipice we are at, but I would love to see a situation where long-serving players (like Aaron) have career discussions with the club and the club helps them plan for life after football. Thats what happens when your focus is community. If it is clear a player has dedicated a large portion of their career to playing for ICT then is it too much to ask ICT to dedicate some time and yes, some resources and/or money to helping the player plan the next stage of their career after football, whether that is funding or subsidising coaching courses, college courses or something else to give them a way forward. Treating players like something on the bottom of your shoe will come back to haunt the club. Players talk, and a dissenting voice is louder than anything else. Treating them right can and will bring benefits in the end as players will see that the club cares, and that trek up the A9 may be less problematic than signing for Kelty.

5-a-side fixtures?

The man has literally told the club in several different articles to "come sign me". He is showing blind loyalty to a club that day-by-day erodes and ultimately does not deserve the respect he is showing it. FFS, sign him or at least tell him you want to and then figure out the details when the dust settles. A 1 month or 2-month contract (up to before the end of transfer window) so everyone has options and a get out clause in case things don't quite work out. If anyone actually wants to play for us then (very) short-term contracts may be the way to go until certain individuals have left the building and others have entered.

Can't see Ferguson agreeing to be gagged. At worst he says something that makes him look like a tw**! The performances have already done that and have his managerial career circling the drain. If he says something remotely sensible or even slightly conciliatory or (re)constructive then it's an improvement on what went before. A win-win for him. In my head, I imagine his reaction if someone told him to button it would be something like this...

Agreed. He has literally ghosted the club (or his visibility at the club) since May 18th. No comments on many of the things tearing the club apart, but worse than that, no comment on contracts, retaining players, or the player strategy for 2024/25. I get it he has to have a holiday, (I am sure the players enjoyed theirs through all their uncertainties this summer), but either he has a job to do, or he does not ... He should be back at it or terminating his contract "by mutual consent" if he is not up for the challenge of working on a budget that would not even qualify as shoestring.

At the end of the day I think we all want the same (or a similar) outcome and that is to have ICTFC back on stable ground, challenging for promotion back to the Championship and ultimately, hoping to get back to the Premiership one day soon. How long it takes is anybody's guess, and we will all have different ideas about the route we take, the timing, the methodology and the personnel but for the most part we all agree on the desired outcome so that's good 🙂 I had someone who had not been on here for quite some time comment to me recently that the quality of the debate on here has risen quite substantially since the end of the season. I have to agree. We have had very little moderating to do. There have been a lot of passionate discussions, and although there have been differences of opinion about the minutiae and the timing, the dire nature of our predicament has - I think - seen fans all pull in the same direction or conduct themselves in a mature measured manner in discussions. Long may that continue. I also love the increased profile that both TWS and the Supporter's Trust has managed during this time. The podcast quality and content has been excellent and very professional, rivalling that of so-called knowledgeable football pundits who do this for a living, and the Trust has really stepped up to provide a leadership umbrella for various groups of supporters who on their own might have no impact on the club. These are definitely positives from this negative situation. Personally, I usually only buy merchandise in-person, when home on a trip, so me not buying merchandise this month or next month has no effect. I also don't maintain a season ticket so no effect there either. Our biggest input here on CTO is in sponsoring one or more players for the last 20+ years with 2023/24 season being the first season since the 90s that we have not done so. I think I have heard enough now to say we will look to reinstate that sponsorship in 2024/25 provided the leadership situation is resolved to our satisfaction. It's headed that way, so we are prepared to take that leap of faith, I think. Watch out for the sponsorship thread coming soon....

Not imported. This is the cost off the shelf in the club shop as well as the Adidas store and anywhere else like Sportchek (think JJB or similar). You can pick up ‘replica’ kits (same kit but no official branding for league like a real player shirt) for about $115 which incidentally is the same cost as an official Scotland shirt in that same Sportchek store. Unfortunately didn’t have my size though 😞

My son called it the Minecraft kit with all the blocky pixels. I think I would have to see it in person although I also tend to fall into the polo top or other leisurewear categories too. Looks nicer than the new Crystal Palace kit though! Wow that one is really busy. Gringo - it’s $190 over here for an official kit (that’s about £110). Guess that’s the cost of having Adidas do all the strips for the league. Another good reason to buy more reasonably priced polos, t-shirts or unofficial/replica kits

I don't recall the details as it was close to the time I was emigrating but there was quite the controversy, because it was a per-person cost for your team and being amateur it would put most of them under a lot of strain. The IDAFA was pretty vocal against it and I think this was one of the straws that eventually broke the camel's back in terms of Inverness' membership of the SAFA and eventual withdrawal/expulsion from it. If memory serves me correctly, I think it might have been limited to liability insurance in case your player hurt another team's player rather than insuring your own team's individual players for medical expenses.

I seem to recall that back in early 2000s when i was running a team in the amateur league (IDAFA) it became mandatory for us to pay a fee to the SAFA for player insurance. Surprised there is not something mandatory at club, or player union level ... obviously not, given Aaron (and Shane's) experience, just surprising.

No doubt ICT will time the release of any statements to tomorrow around 8PM UK time so that we are all suitably distracted ... but f*** it, time to shift focus to what is hopefully Ryan Christie's 50th cap for Scotland and dare I say it, with things so bleak at ICT, a better chance of a positivity coming out of Munich than the Longman!!! Currently sitting in the office with a Spotify playlist blasting Scotland/football related tunes in my ear. Not getting much work done as I am watching the videos all over Twitter of the Tartan Army in Munich and wishing I was there. (in my defence - it is lunchtime here). Have also been scouring Toronto for some car flags, and this week have had my son belting out the Tartan Specials "We'll Be Coming" in the car and now he knows all the words 🙂 Job Done - heard him tell his pals "We play Germany on Friday" and extolling how well we might do. The Tartan Army ethos and optimism has been indoctrinated into him now 🙂 Even the guy who does the pixellot stuff at his football team said to me last night he has Ryan in his FC24 video game team. Apparently if we win, Ryan gets an instant skill boost of +20 to 93, whatever that means!

Getting close to £10K now and if displayed names are genuine, there are some pretty recognisable names in there, including former club officials and staff, two former managers, and one assistant, players going back from now to 15+ years ago and even possibly one of our former CEOs or someone with the same name at least (no, not the current or recent CEOs).