Scotty

Director of Football was originally setup to be a direct link from the boardroom to the dugout not to scout and sign all the players without the manager consent. He may work on negotiations on contract terms, length and other details, and may have to liaise with the board to get approvals and make the occasional case to sign a player if (when) there is no budget, but recruitment falls squarely on the manager (or should). Renewal of contracts would be the same. Cant see Big Dunc agreeing to a situation where anyone else has power of veto over him on purely footballing squad decisions unless it is a monetary issue affecting the club. Sporting Director on the other hand is less clear. The club's own press release in 2021 and the BBC article naming Robbo simply said "The club say Robertson will work on a "number of specific projects. Chief executive Scot Gardiner added that he would be "a great help to the board and myself and his love of the club and the city will help drive us on"." Thats murky to say the least. After Dodds was given the job he further muddied the waters by noting he would be mad not to speak to Robbo about signings: "Dodds says he will have the "final say" over new signings, adding: "But I would crazy not to go and ask John Robertson, who is a football man, and we will be working together to look at players and come up with targets."

A Google search is less than encouraging with his stats!

Big Dunc seems to have made a positive start. We will see. Hope this continues. Also hope that the cracks his appointment are papering over are not allowed to remain papered over indefinitely.

Scotty HT: 1-0 FT: 2-1 1st Scorer ICT: Mckay 1st Scorer PT: Lawless Crowd: 3125 CDN Girl HT: 0-0 FT: 1-1 1st Scorer ICT: Doran 1st Scorer PT: Graham Crowd: 2666 SOS HT: 1-1 FT: 3-2 1st Scorer ICT: Shaw 1st Scorer PT: Lawless Crowd: 2788

Scotty: Dunfermline @ 2.00 CDN Girl: QOS @ 2.15 SOS: Queens Park @ 2.05

It's funny (for me at least) - My little guy is glued to FIFA23 and FC24 and keeps on at me about all these current players being rated high ... Every time he asks me who he should add to his team, or tries to ask me "Do you know who is the best <insert position> in the game?" I always answer 'Ross Tokely' (or occasionally Charlie Christie to throw him off). Awesome that Ross is still playing now and still amazing that he played for us in all divisions and I think in almost all positions at some time in his career. Oh, and I remind my son that ICT was indeed in FIFA once upon a time ... FIFA07 or 08 on the PS2!

Scotty HT: 0-1 FT: 1-2 1st Scorer ICT: Billy Mckay 1st Scorer AFC: Hylton Crowd: 1599 CDN Girl HT: 1-1 FT: 1-1 1st Scorer ICT: Shaw 1st Scorer AFC: Bird Crowd: 1746 SOS HT: 0-0 FT: 0-1 1st Scorer ICT: Lodovica 1st Scorer AFC: Mckenna Crowd: 1653

Scotty: ICT @ 3.10 CDN Girl: Dundee Utd @ 1.53 SOS: Partick @ 1.95

I am kind of in the same boat as many. This will either be a masterstroke or an unmitigated disaster. Hoping for the first, not the latter. On the plus side, he has been around some pretty big names in his roles as coach while learning the ropes over a lengthy period of time. He may have the personality and name recognition to attract players we might not have had a sniff at before and watching some of the videos I have seen over the last few days, he appears to be a different person (more likeable) than the person he was as a player. Seems highly regarded by supporters in the blue part of Liverpool. In the talksport and press conference videos he also seems to come across honest and truthfully when mentioning he has no clue about our players, or the lower leagues. Honesty and straight talking is something lacking in our recent history. On the minus side, as mentioned, he has not coached in Scotland, and his Forest Green spell didn't make good reading. Having said that, Didn't a certain Mr. Butcher have a woeful recent record before he came to us. My biggest fears are how we are affording this. He won't come cheap. He may have certain budgetary expectations that we can't meet (although I assume he knows its low as the talksport interview mentioned not blowing his budget on the hotel they put him up in). It also papers over other cracks that need looked at whether he is successful or not.

I believe he would have been good for us and will be a good manager for someone soon as he works his way through the coaching ranks gaining experience. Kind of sad he wouldn't look at us due to the shitshow surrounding us at senior levels. He was thought highly of at Toronto FC as a player and as a fan favourite. I think he would be a good motivator and whoever comes in really has to motivate this group of players to perform at their best if we are to climb the table and reach mid table obscurity as a season goal! Would also have been cool (for me at least) to have that Toronto FC and Caley Thistle link when I go to TFC games or when at ICT on trips home

Murphy's law - one person did contact me and wants to attend Will work with them to pass details along.

I was just cleaning out my mailbox and came across an email in my spam folder from Keith at the club letting me know about the sponsorship for this season. I do not blame Keith (who has been great to deal with but was gone for most of the season then came back) but given that we have had zero communication since we handed over our cash this time last year and we are already nearly 20% of the way into this season (6 league games + league cup), I have replied to him to say NO. We have sponsored one or more players - either personally by myself, or as a group effort on here - for more than 27 years. It is pretty sad that we have to call a halt to this, but we cannot in all good conscience continue with this until there is positive change at the club and there is actual and substantive communication from those "trusted" with the governance of our club. I would also take issue with the assertion that sponsorship is not about "a shirt or a picture" and being more about the experience ... perhaps that is true for (some of) those who are local, and indeed that's who you really have to cater to, but for a large number of the people who are part of our sponsors group here, it IS about those things as they cannot get to the stadium on a regular basis for any sort of experience as they are spread over multiple UK locations or other continents and contributing to sponsorship is a way to feel you are still connected to the club and town. Way to slap your diaspora in the face! I have literally had to beg people to represent CTO at any in person 'experience' in the past as no-one local wants to go! If anyone DOES want to attend the event below and you are part of the player sponsor group, let me know and I can say you will go ... Personally, I can't wrangle several flights, a hire car, and an AirBnB all for the experience! [incidentally - in true ICT style, the forms for this year mentioned in the letter were NOT attached to the email ]

Scotty HT: 0-1 FT: 1-3 1st Scorer ICT: Mckay 1st Scorer DU: Moult Crowd: 2855 CDN Girl HT: 0-0 FT: 0-1 1st Scorer ICT: Shaw 1st Scorer DU: Middleton Crowd: 2711 SOS HT: 0-2 FT: 1-2 1st Scorer ICT: Lodovica 1st Scorer DU: Watt Crowd: 2688

Scotty: Hamilton @ 2.30 CDN Girl: Dundee Utd @ 2.10 SOS: Annan @ 2.25

May be some rose-tinted glasses on my part, but I always thought the Pele era saw us play great attacking football utilising the full width and camber of our pitch, where we were just as liable to win 5-1 (quite a few of those scorelines back then) or lose 1-5. It was entertainment nonetheless and I seem to remember we also went some insane length of time without a 0-0 result. You always knew there would be goals, just not sure at which end or in what quantity! Ayr Utd in particular seemed to generate crazy scorelines. (even before TB's sermon in the stands). Nowadays, if it hits 1-0 (or 0-1) in favour of the opposition then you really wonder if we have the quality or tactical knowledge to get back into the game. Too often, the answer to that is no.

O'Dea was captain at Toronto FC for a while. Great leader on the park, a fan favourite, and apparently a pretty decent bloke off the field. Not sure where he is at with coaching badges but looking at his coaching career with Motherwell then Celtic U18s and now Celtic B then he might be a better candidate than some.

Not sure if a newer list is online anywhere - closest I can come is 2020 list - but lets start with a coach who already has their UEFA PRO license or is working on it now. 2020-2022 list: https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/news/uefa-pro-licence-lineup-announced/ Heart says some combo of the likes of Warren/Tremarco/Tokely/Esson would be great, but we just sacked another club legend and that doesn't feel great. Barry Wilson's playing record and achievements on the park will always be there but his role as an assistant to Dudds will always give it that little asterisk against his name.

Can we have Ted Lasso instead

I agree with the sentiment of @IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER. JR is not the solution, and in many eyes, he's our very own Nero rather than Hero. fiddling while Rome burns. However, I have to also say @Moogthurso makes a good point also. When he stepped down, he did so ostensibly because he realised the depth of his personal mental health challenges and sought help to deal with them whilst very much in the public eye. No stigma or pointing fingers for that, nothing but respect. It shows mental strength to admit and deal with your issues in that way, and even to agree to take on the very role that caused the challenges in the first place. Lets not forget that Charlie also stepped away for personal/family reasons from the same role where - it has to be said - he had got some pretty good results. With all due respect to both, hopefully this is a temporary measure until we get the right person in the job, but the change should NOT stop at just the scapegoat.

2 out of the required 4 or 5 now gone. I had a lot of respect for Robbo until recently, but given he would seem to rather be anywhere but where ICT are playing on a Saturday, in the midst of this crisis, then he has to go too, as does the CEO. I have not heard anyone say anything positive about him in the whole time he has been here and the one prospect I personally set up for him needed only a single phone call to discuss a possible link beneficial to ICT but according to the other party that phone call never came. As for SK who has survived multiple managerial changes, and our chairman RM, I will leave those closer to the sharp end to make that determination as I really don't know the daily machinations from this side of the pond. I know from talking to the chairman in the past that he was a supporter long before he was the chairman so if its a Kenny Cameron type of "loyalty error" then I could see him stay on but anything else and unfortunately he may have to fall on his sword as well.

Scotty HT: 0-0 FT: 0-1 1st Scorer ICT: Shaw 1st Scorer RR: Mullen Crowd: 2312 CDN Girl HT: 1-1 FT: 1-2 1st Scorer ICT: Mckay 1st Scorer RR: Vaughn Crowd: 2442 SOS HT: 1-0 FT: 1-1 1st Scorer ICT: Gilmour 1st Scorer RR: Hamilton Crowd: 2552

Scotty: Falkirk @ 1.53 CDN Girl: Cove @ 2.10 SOS: Hamilton @ 1.50

Has anyone asked them to define what they see as "representative". I am sure that currently those goalposts would be moving/travelling more often than Robbo does between Inverness and Dingwall (or Brora) so a straight answer would be impossible whoever asked the question. "Invisible Metric" is definitely an appropriate term here. To an extent this has always been the way. The club, and some figures within it eye 'externals' and by that I mean anyone not explicitly employed by the club, very suspiciously. It does not matter if you are a volunteer at the club during the week, on matchday in some capacity, painting the gates, running a website, being part of a supporters committee, or generally giving of your time in some fashion. At some point - possibly after a change in the boardroom when a new broom sweeps clean - the default position seems to be "What are they after?" followed closely by "We cant have that". In most cases you are pissing against the wind unless you get really assertive or controversial or they know you are going to "publish and be damned". At the end of the day they are relying on the fact we are all ICT fans and do not want to rock the boat too much, or will accept the platitudes. Someone once said you cant put lipstick on a pig !! Thats how low we have sunk when I have to quote that individual about the state of our club! This website has been through every incarnation at boardroom level. With Dougie McGilvray, we were just starting and got the treatment the Trust is getting now. I understand that. Aside from the fact we were new, the internet itself was less developed and media looked at is suspiciously and 'traditional media' dropped poison in the right ears. With Sutherland, Savage, Cameron and all others up to Rae, we and other volunteers were embraced by the club and worked together with them on multiple things to get communication flowing. That included working with Graeme Bennett initially who was keen to have fans included, but the big uptick was when Ken Thompson came on board in the background. He oversaw a culture shift in the attitude that pervaded things right up until the day Kenny Cameron resigned as chairman and Muirfield Mills took the reins. Since then it has been downhill (fast). Ditto. It is free for anyone to express their opinion here provided it doesn't not cross the boundary into defamation/slander/libel or breach good taste enter into bullying and name calling etc. Its all in the rules of the site. Whilst individual posters are legally responsible for their own postings, I will also always protect the site even if it means removing posts that may occasionally not quite cross the line but are headed there fast. Judgement call on that one but I don't expect to agree with all posters, or them with me. I once tried to please all of the people all of the time but gave that up years ago when I realised that was a losing battle! You are. Others are free to disagree and make that point. Neither party should descend into a slagging match though as that makes both guilty of other site rule breaches. I would hope not, but that would just be my personal opinion. The club would not ask anyone for an opinion. On a personal level I did not back a new contract. Getting to the cup final had more to do with Fiona than BD ! At best, a rolling contract we (or he) could terminate with minimal fuss. Lets focus our anger on the club and the officials rather than each other. Allowing them to divide and conquer or encourage disgruntlement in the ranks of the support only weakens us and what should be a loud and combined message of "enough is enough" .

I will be there in spirit as a paid up Trust member. Just my Tuppence worth, but it is time for everyone to put aside the distrust that comes with this type of situation and make it clear to whoever represents US when it comes to any talks with the club that the current situation is untenable. The Trust should be the conduit to organising or requesting an EGM if the current board remain invisible and ineffective. We cannot have a CEO, board and SLO who won't talk to fans. In the case of the SLO that's his feckin job FFS. We cannot have a sporting director who spends more time in Dingwall than the team bus or directors seats at whichever location we are playing. You were supposed to be an important cog in the wheel. If you are not there then it's stealing a wage. We can't have a manager and coaches who see something isn't working so try the same thing again and again to see if they get a different outcome. That's the definition of clueless. Teams.know how to play us, we don't have a clue how to play a pub team. Dodds has to go. He could reclaim some dignity by resigning rather than getting sacked. No package required or requested. His backroom team need to go with him. Gardiner needs to go. Too many day to day issues, problems and ill will for his position to be anything other than untenable. I know many examples of situations where suggestions have been made to the club, even at their own request just before COVID, but these suggestions or money making leads were completely ignored seemingly because they were not his idea. No idea how true that opinion is other than personal knowledge of one really good lead given to him - by me - that was never followed up on. Ross Morrison may have been a supporter of the club long before he was chairman, and seems like a decent guy when I have encountered him, (or.passed.him that lead) but he is making the same mistake with Gardiner that Kenny C did with Richie Foran. Too much faith and misplaced trust. Time for eyes to be opened and difficult conversations to take place. If he can't show SG a P45 then he needs to award himself one. This is the lowest point our club has been at on its 30 year existence and if we want it to reach any more milestones the rot has to stop NOW.