Scotty

read that too .... no disrespect to the young lads but sounds like we might be considering too many changes to the team and underestimating the opposition.

It may be making a comeback ........ http://community.caleythistleonline.com/in...st&p=132692

At the end of the day the supporters trust dont represent the views of all fans because not all the fans are members, just as this website, or the supporters club, or the now defunct members' club doesn't represent the views of all fans either as all fans are not members of any of these organisations or groups. I dont think there will ever be a situation where all ICT fans are a member of one huge group because, as has been said by others, not everyone has the same views and some will give reasons or excuses (you decide which is the correct wording) not to join or participate in some or all of them. I was on the committee of the supporters' club for a few years and despite the best efforts and hard work of those involved, a lot of initiatives were met with extreme apathy by fans ... (until they needed a bus to a big away game). I can only imagine that the current organisations (like the trust and the supporters club) suffer the same fate to an extent. I know how many "active" members we have on here and it probably only represents maybe 10% of the fanbase too. If we include "inactive" members, it jumps to over 20% but its still not a majority. Having said that, I believe that everyone, and each of these avenues into the club has a part to play. We may not represent all fans on here, but I believe the more valid points that are raised on here at times are echoed by those who perhaps dont come on here or are not a member of any organisation associated with the club. Therefore it is vital they are aired and discussed. If we as a website, as well as the trust and the supporters club can talk with one voice on the common points that are raised again and again then maybe some positive change can be affected. Fans will also have to realise though that the club simply cant do everything that is asked of them. If they start listening and communicating again though that will be a huge improvement. I believe the club do actually want to listen but the problem is getting that door to open just a little. They have seen and heard so much negativity that they have pulled back into the boardroom and barricaded all the doors. I have enjoyed this thread, as well as Gringo Jnr's thread looking for positive ideas. It has brought a lot of decent discussion to the board, and some good ideas and hopefully the club can see that almost everyone is hoping for positive outcomes rather than more problems. As i alluded to above, we have been urging the club (as has the supporters trust) to reinstate something like "Boardroom Banter" or some other form of Q&A and hopefully, after reading some of the more positive and constructive comments over the last few days (in amongst all the usual stuff) that suggestion will bear some fruit.

Awaiting confirmation, but hopefully some positive news on this front soon

as you say .... Without having the full accounts it's impossible to say what has caused that swing. disappointing but not disasterous so long as we attempt to rectify whatever seems to be the cause of the problem.

For those in the uk it can be viewed here : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7582359.stm

was thinking about this ... wouldnt the money spent creating the West Stand also be included in this ? If so, that probably took up a fair chunk of the 147K of the net loss ? So we have a 432K loss which includes wages paid to MN. We then deduct 285k from another part of the accounts which was shares to cover his wage and we are left with a 147K loss. If the west stand is included in the expenditure, then it can also be deducted (cost?) and we would be pretty much left with a number that probably reflects the income we would have got from the cups if we had progressed. The only other question that springs to mind is whether the fee for Rankin is included as that should have been another 100K windfall .......

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Indeed I do. I also remember the days at the Caledonian Stadium (as it was then) when although not standing for long periods we could do so without hassles, we could also get banter going with opposing players and management from above the tunnel and then go back to the pub to dissect all that was good or bad about the game ... in short, an enjoyable day out. I actually felt this on my last visit. the atmosphere when we were demolishing Kilmarnock 3-0 during my last visit was at best, subdued, but compared to my days as a ST holder it was morgue-like. Even the craic in the pub before the game was different with a lot less anticipation or enthusiasm for the game. Seems many felt it was a chore to go (although that might have been becuae the only home victory in 2008 up to that point was against Gretna). Also, after the game, virtually no-one was back at the pub - was that economics? or was it the fact that they left the stadium in a far less happy mood than in previous years. We had just scored an impressive 3-0 win yet no-one wanted to celebrate that fact. shame. Oh **** agreed. BUT some actions by stewards are because the "power" goes to their heads. I agree its a problem at other grounds too, but perhaps because of our lower crowds, or the inconsistencies between home and away ends its just more apparent here.

Indeed And that is why we are disgruntled. The club need to realise that it IS our club and although many of the supporters that come on here or grumble in bars, or in silence may not have the high profile of some of our shareholders they have also sunk a fair bit of thier own cash into the club in many ways - be it shares, tickets, merchandise, centenary club etc etc etc .....

I hear you IHE !!! Its a stark contrast to MLS where they are trying to develop the game and encourage more fans. The Toronto FC 'model' is seen as a breath of fresh air in MLS and its success although overshadowed in the media by Beckham's arrival in LA is seen as more important because it shows what can be achieved if a club focuses on football, the fans and entertainment. Toronto FC is a pretty mediocre team so far, they are getting better, but they are still mediocre .... yet there is a 20,000+ crowd at every game and the waiting list for season tickets is now reputed to be more than EIGHT YEARS (due in no small part to the 99% retention rate of existing season ticket holders). Why is the list so long? why is the retention rate over 99%? ...... in my mind, it is because they want us to enjoy the experience and allow us to do so (within reason). In the next few years the MLS will expand by several more teams - Seattle [2009] and Philadelphia [2010] have already been confirmed and there are rumours surrounding Cleveland, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Rochester, New York (2nd team), Miami, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Portland, St Louis and Orlando. Most of these will be urged to follow the Toronto model which sees fans as an integral part of the whole experience. no argument from me - although I can think of a few bodies in the Gate who might cringe LOL. But seriously, there would be no harm in ICT talking to the likes of Paul Beirne or others at TFC ... these guys work for MLSE who own many sports franchises and have many many years experience in marketing and making their teams popular .... even when they arent winning things !!!

I hate to keep harping back to TFC for my examples but as its the only regular football I see, then its my yardstick these days. TFC has a "supporters section", part of which is shown in the photos above. Like the rest of the ground, it is 'all-seated' but the front office at TFC worked with the fans before the start of the first season to relax certain rules and set certain guidelines which apply only to this part of the ground. In the supporters section it is almost required to stand (in others sitting is enforced - but not strictly). If you dont stand, you wont see anything because everyone else is standing. The only part of standing that seems to be clamped down upon is when fans are standing on the seats from the row in front to get a better view which is fair enough as the seats can break when people start bouncing. The supporters section is allowed flags, drums, and certain noisemakers but no flares, air horns etc. A few have lit flares or smoke bombs and been huckled out which is also fair enough. Other parts of the ground have more restrictions. The whole ground has alcohol available to it but as Luvgravy mentioned, prices are quite steep ... anything from $9 - $13 for a beer. TFC has had a problem with some fans throwing beer onto the field when opponents come to take a corner or such like and this has led to some restrictions in the supporters section ... there are no more beer sellers going up and down the aisles in the supporters section and the sales stop around the 60th minute, but if you want to go to the concourse you can buy one up until then (and beyond I think). This past week has seen the introduction of the 'capo' stand which has been hailed a success. The front office know that they need atmosphere and despite ramping up security somewhat (because of beer throwers and other idiots spoiling it for the rest), they continue to work with the fans to try and create the atmosphere they (the club) want in the ground. There are quite a few things the front office at TFC dont get right in many fans' eyes but when it comes to the supporters section, I think they do it pretty well. They are slowly but surely weeding out the real idiots and at least trying to encourage the real fans (and those from the season ticket waiting list that replace the idiots) to generate a formidable atmosphere. The front office has lost no control by allowing fans to stand or to bring flags, in fact, many of the fans become self-policing in weeding out the idiots because they know that the privileges they have been given may be in jeopardy if they dont. There is a fair bit of respect towards certain named members of the front office staff who have worked with the fans and listened to them and even when things are not quite right between the fans and management, they still talk to each other. If Toronto FC can do this with a whole stand at BMO field and still keep control over a 20,000+ crowd then there is no reason why ICT could not do this at the TCS with a 4000 crowd. I know they are bound by certain regulations or guidelines about standing and could potentially get into trouble for openly flaunting them but what is to stop them taking the fight to the SPL/SFA or whoever. They have done this before over bigger issues (SPL entry / stadium capacity) and won. Why not work with a group like StandUpSitDown or similar and suggest a pilot scheme whereby the West Stand is allowed to be terracing or even a seated area where standing is 'tolerated' and the singers can congregate without having seat numbers constantly checked so they can be separated from each other by the killjoys. Work with the young lads who are only wanting to generate the atmosphere that has been lacking at the stadium for virtually every game since the stadium opened and embrace the fact they want to gee on the players rather than try to crush their enthusiasm. From the other side though, it means that those wanting to do this would also have to follow certain rules. There have been incidents in the past where fans were sitting on the wall or where some rushed one of the stewards and then complained it was the club's fault. If something could be done, then fans would need to view it as a privilege and not abuse it. If that can be achieved then maybe ICT could have accomplished yet another thing for Scottish football ................

I guess it depends on where you draw the line with "rock" and where it becomes more "pop" For 'rock' my selection would be : Freddie Mercury, Meatloaf & Roger Daltrey. There are probably others better but some of the names mentioned are familiar to me only by name and I dont know much of the music. If we are talking pure singers, regardless of whether their songs are rock or pop oriented then I have to go with Freddie Mercury, George Michael (solo), John Lennon, Bono & Annie Lennox

Probably not in the accounts until next year (along with the transfer fee). I am sure there will be a few who have long memories IHE, and this thread will still be stored this time next year Indeed Will be interesting to be able to read the full accounts when sent to shareholders ..... Perhaps the club should pay attention to some of the low cost ideas that might put more bums on seats .... regardless of what we all think of this person or that person at the club, or the disagreements we may have in discussions on here, I think we are all united in wanting the club to tick over each year or make at least a modest profit

nope. A ban was introduced after violent clashes during the 1980 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park in Glasgow. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/s...rem/7265902.stm

to be fair - even though the numbers are still quite high, the club already do this. The cost of 2 adults for the main stand is ?680, and for the North Stand ?580. The cost for 2 adults + 2 kids (over 8) in family section of the NS is ?640 so less than the cost of two adults for the main stand and just ?60 more than the non-family portion of the North Stand. If the kids are under8, two adults and two kids in the family section are just ?420. I still believe the whole cost is over-priced but that is not an ICT thing, it is a Scottish and to a greater extent, British Football thing. Incidentally, I paid around $260 (?130) for my season book for TFC ... 15 home games, 2 international friendlies, and this year, the All-Star game. That is pricing !!!!!

each item that has a size option also has a link next to it (when viewing the item's own page) with a size chart where the actual dimensions are shown.

Why do you bother posting at all if you have nothing pertinent to add. You can read it or not, I dont really care what you do, but I think it was a valid response to an earlier part of the discussion so for you to post that you can't be bothered reading it qwhile quoting it in its entirety is a lot more wasteful than saying nothing at all.

nahh - I am there .... and so is another SPL supporter - GaryJambo (guess which team he supports LOL)

Maybe you guys should have a 'capo' stand ...... TFC built this in front of the supporters section after discussions with the fans. It was first used on Saturday night and really helped co-ordinate the singing. bonus points if you can spot me in this pic Some of them even sung the bridge and castle song when Big Stew was over earlier this year MP4 (16.5Mb) - http://tfcpics.com/gallery/misc/OHInverness-ipod.mp4 AVI (31Mb) - http://tfcpics.com/gallery/misc/OHInverness-avi.AVI

If he signs a commanding centre half - such as Dods - then I think he will have done pretty well since the end of last season. We may have had the "Marius Money" and we may yet have to give some of it back to Marius, but the simple fact is that the way his deal was financed doesnt leave space in the wage budget for the 8 new players that have been touted at the top of this thread !!!! CB seems to have gone for mainly youth over experience with internal club prospects such as Duff, Vigurs, Gillespie, Sutherland & Wood being promoted to the first team squad alongside Rory. All of these seem to be exciting players if they perform to the potential we have heard about. We have also picked up what may be a great bargain in Rooney and given Barrowman's start, he will come good if given the service (ie. to feet). Zadi seems to be signed for cover and that is fine in my book, Proctor is also for cover although he may eventually replace Rossco, and with the possibility of Wagaluka still being signed and the rumours of a potential move for Dods, I would be happy if thats how we finished up the window unless someone tremendous came along and we could afford them.

Regardless of my criticism of the club, If i were still in Inverness, I would still be a season ticket holder. It would not stop me criticising where I felt it was warranted, but some of the things I highlighted, while not good, would not stop me going to most of the games. When I next visit, i will still go to the game no doubt, despite earlier comments to the contrary

It will sort itself out once more Celtic games have been added !!! right now, Rangers have been scheduled to be televised at every away ground except ICT and Dundee Utd, Celtic on the other hand have only had 4 away televised fixtures sorted out (plus 2 home ones). prediction 18th October - ICT V Celtic 3rd January - ICT V Rangers