Scotty

Is Grassa not still vice-chairman too ?

Just to give us all a brief respite from the ICT circus for a few minutes, I thought I would post a few interesting stories I found on the BBC site .......... BBC Website

Just to give us all a brief respite from the ICT circus for a few minutes, I thought I would post a few interesting stories I found on the BBC site .......... BBC Website

Just to give us all a brief respite from the ICT circus for a few minutes, I thought I would post a few interesting stories I found on the BBC site .......... BBC Website

That is indeed the puzzling thing .... there are weeks when he DOES get things right and you think .... maybe, just maybe, he has figured out that "tactic A" didnt work, time for something a little different ...... but the following week, it seems to go pear shaped again. If he had won more games, if we were higher up the table, if we had managed to get two back to back victories even once this season then maybe we would not be so critical of his every move ... but that is a hell of a lot of "ifs" !

could be interpreted a number of ways "Being looked at" - with a view to renewal "Being looked at" - to see how we can get out of it without paying a huge severance figure

If we were sitting in 6th spot and were 7 or 8 points clear of the bottom club then yes you are probably right, we would be less negative .... but that would mean we were getting it right on the park with tactics and team selections and might have won more than a single home game this season ....... whats that statement ... "If ifs and ands were pots and pans ......."

I wouldnt really argue with that. We KNOW Barry is nearing the end of his career on the park, and we know we havent got the resources to just add and add and add to the squad like some other teams might. However there has been little or no indication that there is a plan in place to bring someone in to replace Barry or any other players for that matter .... the closest we got was being told the young guys would have to shape up or ship out. I like the idea that the young lads are being given a chance but that is putting a ****load of pressure on them that could easily backfire on both them and the club. By all means have the odd youngster in to get experience as we go through the season ... I think we are all reasonably happy with Duff and Vigurs for example and many of us would like to see Zander given a chance, but it looks increasingly like these players will not be classed as "developmental" players who will be allowed to grow into their roles and be used on a rotational basis, but instead may be plunged into the squad as regular starting players now that we are losing Barry and are quite likely to lose Cowie, Black and others ..... We could quite simply go from having an embarrassment of riches in terms of selection choices for midfield, to an embarrassment (no disrespect to the youngsters intended - its not their fault, they are still learning and developing). Certain posters keep telling us to "look at the big picture" and I can see at least part of it ... we are trying to blood youngsters to be the next generation of ICT players. That is all well and good, and many of us have called for it towards the end of each season when we have been safe from relegation, but its dangerous at this time of year as these young guys simple dont have the experience and guile of some of the more experienced guys ..... I am a great armchair manager and would probably be an absolutely woeful dugout manager but in my opinion, virtually all succesfull football teams have had a mix of youth and experience and we seem to be tossing ours away. I would also say that at times like this the club need to be managing expectations and perhaps explaining some of their actions..... I fundamentally disagree with dumping Barry Wilson during his testimonial season and there are probably very few people who would disagree that he could do a job for us at least until the end of the season but IF it is all part of some masterplan and he is being dumped to free up a wage then whats the harm in saying something to that effect. A simple statement that says money is tight, credit crunch, identified target, need to free up wages, blah blah blah .... would have elicited a far less severe response. We dont need to know the identity of the target, just that there is one and that we have a realistic chance of securing him ..... instead we got some garbage about the young players proving they can cut it.

I would respectfully suggest that Aberdeen's management/board are in a better bargaining position than ICT when it comes to contracts. Aberdeen are a bigger club, with a bigger fanbase and who can - in most cases - offer wages commensurate with what players might be offered elsewhere in the transfer window(s). ICT on the other hand are a young club with a small fanbase, smaller stadium, and less money. If we take the same risks with contracts then we face an uphill struggle to keep any player who might receive offers when the window opens ..... With regards to Byrne, I cant really comment on the individual, but we had a raft of trialists we didnt sign before the start of the season including Kiran Bechan who went to Blackburn after us ... does that mean we should have snapped him up ?

ok, lets not get off topic and start pulling apart other user's profiles. All I can add to this (to hopefully put it to bed) is that there is nothing in the user's registration information to suggest it is Craig Brewster. The DPA does not permit me to go further than that. can we get back on topic now please !!!

If that was the case .... then why not just come out and say so !!! It might not be good news, but an explanation of things in language that people can relate to every now and then can stop a lot of rumour and conspiracy theories dead in their tracks.

for the first time since the inception of Gringo's NPL many years ago, I will be breaking with my tradition and predicting an ICT loss !!

considering the club currently seem to spend zero time doing their PR, I am sure it could be worked into his schedule . However, the point I am really trying to make, like so many others is that we as a fanbase have a great deal of loyalty towards Barry, a great deal of respect for him, and ultimately believe he still has something to offer on the pitch as well as off it. Rather than unceremoniously cutting him loose in January, I am sure that the club - if they truly wanted to - could find a role for him in the same way as they did for Charlie all those years ago when he "technically" became our first ever full-time player by combining his centenary club duties with his part-time player role. Didnt mean to imply that his only option was retiring !!! I remember the end of season party in the Muirtown that year .... Barry was extremely torn in making that decision .... seem to remember that Gringo Jnr discussed it with him in the bogs LOL !!!

I tend to agree with you Kingsmills but as we continue in what could very well be a downward spiral, the spark that reverses our fortunes may be someone who can get everyone pulling together in a single direction. I cant speak from a board, management or player perspective but from a fan viewpoint, I can certainly say that I would give a lot more credence to a request or plea for unity coming out of the mouth of a respected long-time front-line servant of the club than our current "gaffer". You say we might not be able to afford a salary (and as I said, I tend to agree), but lets turn it on its head for a moment and even take Barry out of the equation if you like ... The question I would pose is can we afford NOT to do it considering all the negatives mentioned recently could quite conceivably lead to relegation and relegation could mean financial oblivion.

If, as suggested, the club cannot offer him a coaching role because we dont have space, then how about utilising Barry in another way (in much the same way as we did with our first legend - Mr Christie !!!) For YEARS, the club's PR and Fan Liaison has been, in a word, DIABOLICAL (not the first word that sprang to mind, but at least one that could get past the swear filter). Why not employ Barry in this type of role and let him do some coaching on the side with a view to bringing him in there more permanently as and when time allows. I can hear the arguments now ... Barry isnt a journalist, we already have someone handling press releases etc etc etc. Both are true, but is it being done satisfactorily? I would respectfully suggest it is not. You do not need to be a journalist to handle PR. It can certainly help, but I am no journalist and have been punting stories on this website for 15 years without any formal training. You might argue with some of my posts in the message boards, but I dont think people have had too much issue with the main site articles written by myself or others. We have received numerous plaudits over the years for formulating the site news in a truthful and articulate manner. Fan liaison has been overlooked for donkeys years. I first suggested the club needed a role like this when Mike Teasdale was unceremoniously dumped as he would have been perfect for it given his status and rapport with the fans. I feel we are about to make the same mistake again as we unceremoniously dump the person who is in my mind one of three true club legends (along with Charlie and Jimbo Calder). Barry is respected by fans and players alike and if the club utilise his influence then he could make serious inroads into the gulf that currently exists between boardroom, dressing room, and the normal punters in the stands. We have Boardroom Banter which is designed to help narrow that gulf and answer questions, and there are a few people working hard in the background to make that a success, but in all seriousness, although it will do some good, events can and will overtake it on a regular basis .... A club figurehead who is trusted and respected, and allowed to speak honestly about things could help lessen the impact of some of this. I urge the board to seriously look at the issues raised in the past week as for the first time in my ICT supporting life, I can see a catastrophic result should these issues be brushed aside.

deja-vu ....... Dean McDonald

It still makes no sense even after a good nights sleep .... I CAN actually understand part of the logic of the mangler ... Barry isnt getting any younger and we need a replacement before he retires. However, the part that defies logic is that he goes on to quote the names of 4 people already on the wage bill so what is the problem with keeping Barry's experience until at least the end of the season. I have an uneasy feeling that we will suffer from the loss of his experience in our forthcoming relegation dogfight. And as for Duff at RB again ..... I think it just proves that Brewster's eyeballs must be facing inwards

can we keep this thread to giving thanks to Barry. The bitching and moaning or discussions about how he was treated can go in one of the many other threads related to this subject. thanks.

The choice my heart keeps making is Robbo with CC and Barry as his assistants ... but I could see merit in Gordon Chisholm or Craig Brown.

At this rate you might get your choice of all three stands ! but to answer your question, I would imagine you can, but email [email protected] to be sure

Barry is contracted to the end of January is he not ? A lot of things can change by then....... (we hope) If things don't change, then I can honestly say that I am disheartened by the treatment you are receiving and wish you all the very best wherever you land up. I hope that you will come back to the Caledonian Stadium someday in a coaching or managerial capacity. think this thread is worthy of a sticky !!!

comments in red

Absolute folly. Perhaps it would be a better tactical decision to retain the OLD Barry Wilson UNTIL you find the new one or see whether the younger guys can "cut it" as you so eloquently put it. In fact, the more times I read over that statement, the angrier I am getting. time to go for a coffee before I post what I really want to say ...... the swear filter would have a field day !

I have some sympathy for the Journos ..... If you are in an area like the central belt then rocking the boat with a team of our size is inconsequential ... you have plenty of other teams to go and write about and you can always dredge up a story about one of the OF or Hearts to fill the back pages. Inverness is different .... you get "blocked" by ICT and there isnt much in the way of alternatives to fill up several pages of sport ... you could make a stand and print more about County or other sports, but the readers would soon be moaning.

For "prize assets" read "high earners" and then think how they would replace them .... with decent players from smaller teams, who command a smaller wage, and who may be nearing the end of contracts or unsettled at their current clubs for one reason or another ...... does it ring any alarm bells ?