Scotty

think I mentioned it elsewhere but the solution to the speed issue (while also keeping all features) is probably for us to go from shared hosting to either private servers or dedicated servers ..... but for that we need sponsorship as it is pretty pricey so if anyone knows someone willing to sponsor a portion of the site let us know !!!!

He turned it down because he didnt like those nasty boys right above the tunnel :015: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_2682701,00.html

and if that was the case where is the problem in issuing a press release stating "Warnock was our first choice but we couldnt match his wage demands" end of story, move on. no big deal.

I havent actually seen his agent quoted anywhere but I have posted about a dozen links in various threads that have direct quotes from Warnock ! OK. fair enough It may be semantics but these were not Caley Thistle fans, they were ex-Caley or ex-Thistle fans who chose not to support the new team that had been formed. I do not recall any boycotts of Caley Thistle by Caley Thistle fans. As a Caley Thistle fan and shareholder I am incensed that the board appear to be making a decision based on something other than picking the best man for the job. names have been mentioned as being on a 'shortlist' but unless we are even more in the dark than we think, even though mentioned as being on this shortlist, two of them havent even been spoken to. That is wrong on so many levels. If the decision was already made, what was the point of the fans' meeting on Wednesday ? What was the point of having a shortlist ? They should have just appointed him and be done with it. and what the **** is the deal with asking Neil Lennon ? a name not even on anyone's radar this week. As for Brewster himself, lets forget about his previous departure, his alleged 'tapping' of players and anything else we might hold against him for a moment, it is his stats that dont make good reading and that is my biggest concern. Perhaps he will come in and because we have Niculae, McDonald, Bayne and Wyness as well as Rory and Wood he will be able to get them playing well and surprise the 80% on here who dont want him. As a Caley Thistle fan I sincerely hope so. I would like nothing better than to turn around at Xmas and state "OK, I was wrong, Brewster's doing a good job and I take it all back" but my fear is that we will instead be saying "s*** we are f***** even Gretna cant save us now" maybe it will all look better next week ... but right now, its a very bad feeling.

Because Warnock has said at least twice in as many days that he hasnt been contacted. Well actually both Warnock and the club acknowledged he was interested and the chairman said at the meeting (according to some who were there that he had applied and would be considered I am questioning the appointment of a manager who I do not think was the best candidate of those that applied, I am questioning the lack of honesty I feel we have been presented with by the board but under no circumstances am I questioning the team or the players who as someone else has said in another thread have worked **** hard for the club over the years. As for "thick and thin" just look up my name in Ian Broadfoots book. I have done my part, or at least tried to and I will continue to do so when and where I can but that does not include bending over while the club try to ram a bad decision somewhere the sun dont shine and ask me to be happy about it. Other than supporters of Caley and Thistle who chose not to become supporters of the new club, I do not recall any other boycotts. please refresh my memory ? I dont support the idea of boycotting the team but that does not stop me from speaking my mind about the way this whole debacle appears to have been handled.

Brewster's record as manager P50 W17 D18 L15 / Winning percentage 34.00% Brewster's Home record P27 W9 D7 L11 / Winning percentage 33.33% Brewster's Away record P23 W8 D11 L4 / Winning percentage 34.78% pretty even stats .... HOWEVER Brewster's record when ON the pitch P33 W13 D10 L10 / Winning percentage 39.39% Brewster's record when NOT on the pitch P17 W4 D8 L5 / Winning percentage 23.52% A significant difference which supports comments made earlier about Brewster the Player being required to bale out Brewster the manager. Is the difference because he is a good player or because someone else is calling the shots when he is on the pitch ? that much is up for debate but the figures speak for themselves.

Do you honestly feel thay have ever operated any other way Scotty :symbol_question: YES. I not only feel it, I believe it, and have experienced it. I was - at times - part of the conduit that existed between board and fans both through the website and also by virtue of membership of a couple of committees that David Sutherland setup shortly after taking over the chairmanship (first time round). I realise that things change a little each time we move up a rung of the ladder but there is no good reason for the relationship between the board/club and fans to have sunk so low.

23rd August was indeed a 0-1 defeat by East Fife with a Paul Cherry OG headed past Les Fridge in 52 minutes. It was not however the last Saturday in August as 7 days later it was the 30th and we lost 3-2 away to Stenhousemuir ! .... never mind, at least the facts in the book are right

I am reading what you say with interest Charles and to be honest, as my day progresses I am becoming less concerned with Brewster and more concerned with our board. RE: Brewster's departure. There are two undeniable facts in evidence ! (1) Brewster made a statement about loyalty and (2) Barely two weeks later he buggered off. Thats what the fans saw and you cant slate us for reacting to that. If there were positive elements surrounding his departure or 'gestures' made by him to ensure ICT were 'looked after' then this didnt come out and that is not our fault. I can also sympathise with the man because managing DUFC for him was like CC managing ICT - both clubs were the 'dream team' for each of them. However, for these positive 'facts' to come out now is too little too late and smacks totally and utterly of spin. We have been fed so much bullshit recently that most of us dont know which way is up ! (except IHE of course) As for his record - I said in the article on the front page of the site and in the forums that his record at ICT was not actually that bad. However, like many, I believe Brewster the Player (BTP) was an enormous help to Brewster the Manager (BTM). At Dundee United, BTM got found out because BTP wasnt on the park ! As you say, I am sure there were other factors too but that record concerns me as it should everyone else. no-one will be more delighted than me if he proves that my fears are totally unfounded and I have said that elsewhere too but if BTM causes ICT to finish at the BoTomM then both he and the board will have to seriously consider their positions. As for Warnock - how can the club make a decision on the man without even talking to him? Do they know his expectations ? Do they know his salary requirements ? Do they know what he knows about Scotland outside the OF ? or as it reads in numerous articles are they just assuming everything? (and I am sure you know what they say about assuming things !!!) Anything they have said only indicates "baggage" or puts up barriers and everything he has said has swatted away those perceived barriers such as finances and his desire to be considered etc. If they have spoken to him and decided against him then a little hint of "why" might not go amiss but if they have not spoken to him then that is arrogance of the worst order as his record speaks for itself and unscientific or not, the various polls on here have shown that an overwhelming number of fans who took part in them either voted for him or against Brewster.

I read on one article that he had applied for it but I am damned if i can find that article now. However, these links pretty much show he would like to be considered. [LINK] "I have often talked about managing up in Scotland," Warnock was quoted as saying. "We have family up there and my wife has already said she would like to live up in Scotland at some point. I'm dying to get back into the game and if Inverness or anybody else want to talk to me then I'd be delighted to do so." [LINK] He said: "I would not be against working in Scotland, but I have not spoken to anybody at Inverness." The 58-year-old, who is visiting relatives at Dunoon, added: "It would be a challenge to pit my wits against the top two in Scotland. It would not be a step down at all, I have spent most of career taking on clubs with loads of money. It is not difficult to get in contact with me, but nobody from Inverness has been in touch." [LINK] "He is under consideration like everyone else, but at the end of the day the club is a success, we have again made a profit this year, we have maintained SPL status, so we will have to look at wage demands and any baggage that comes with someone." Alan Savage talking about Warnock.

very true I refer to my earlier comments on another thread. my fear is that his ability is not there. he can only be judged on his record and his most recent record is shocking. 3 wins in 30 games at DUFC ! So why not issue an update? Everything that has trickled to the press so far seems to try and spin the club in a certain direction and comments about Warnock seem to centre around words like "baggage" without actually adding any substance to those comments. We have been at pains to explicitly point that out Everything that has been mentioned as a possible obstacle to his appointment has been virtually swatted away by the man himself. Have the club actually sat down with him or his agent to get definitive answers to these questions? If they have, then why not nip this whole thing in the bud and say so. I have always judged the board on two levels - the results they produce and their integrity. I have always thought they had both in abundance but right now I am questioning my beliefs on that score.

With all due respect - we are moaning (quite rightly in my opinion) about a board who appear to have ignored the opinions of fans in the appointment of a new manager. With the exception of this 'incident' our experiences with the board have up until now been for the most part positive. David Sutherland did listen to fans, Kenny Cameron initiated the "Boardroom Banter" series of articles when he was on the board and both Ken Thompson and John Sutherland when in powerful positions at the club had the fans interests close to their hearts. these companies or individuals would not give a flying **** about the fans or anyone else and I feel it would be very much a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire.

I am with you on that. Brewster will be far easier to forgive if he puts together a winning run, gets us up the table and generally shows that the Dundee 'adventure' wasnt the real indicator of his managerial talents. I can even say I could forgive him for the 'declare loyalty the leave' debacle if he proves he can actually manage the team. My fears about Brewster have more to do with my opinion about his ability as a manager than anything else and if he dispels those fears I will happily eat humble pie in public on here. The board on the other hand appear to have spoken with two faces. There is the one face that tells the fans they are looking at all candidates and listening to what we say and then the real one that appears to have had no-one but Brew in the frame since the very start ... longer if some posts are to be believed. This betrayal may never be forgiven.

Like many others on here, if this turns out to be true, then I feel more than a little disillusioned, angry and deceived. Once again the 'sensible' Johndo hit the nail on the head about what was happening long before any of us would get our heads out of the sand. When we did get our heads out of the sand, a huge majority of fans who voted in the polls (84.7%) voted for someone other than Brewster to be the new manager. I know this site cant say it represents all fans, and nor do we claim to, but unscientific though the polls are, they are a pretty good indication of the strength of feeling amongst a broad base of the support. The fact that the board appear to have not even spoken to the man who led those polls with more than 62% of the vote despite him making at least 4 or 5 positive 'come and get me' statements and then had the audacity to treat the fans like mushrooms (kept in the dark and fed on ****) at a hastily organised fans' forum is yet another slap in the face. It appears to have been nothing more than another amateur PR stunt and that really rankles me. Like ICT_away I dont really have the option of voting with my feet from this side of the pond but I may show my displeasure in other ways such as allowing my centenary club membership to lapse or not planning future trips home around the fixture list ! I will also find it somewhat difficult to motivate myself to get up so early in the morning over here to tune into Radio Scotland (when available) but will probably continue to do so as I do a lot of live updates to numerous pages of the site during a game and this is done for the fans of the club who use this site and they should not suffer because of the short sightedness of others. If some want to say I am not a true fan, then like MEE I would say you can stick it ! I have put a lot of time, effort and money into establishing and running this site for the last 13 years as well as other aspects of my support both when I lived in Inverness and since I moved over here. My support for the team will not waver but my opinion of our manager and of our board of directors is at the lowest point it has ever been and it will take a long time (if ever) for that to be repaired. I think I need to step back today and try not to post anything else as I will probably regret it later. I am so angry right now that even those who know me would not recognise me. However, lets just say that next week's AGM may well be very interesting (or even uncomfortable) now !

:clapping03: :clapping03: :clapping03: precisely what I was thinking.

Dunoon to Inverness IS a quick trip compared to what people endure over here ! although I concede you could take the scenic route up the A82

I am still in the Warnock camp but if we cant get him, then I would prefer to see Coyle rather than Brewster. To my mind there are only two things you could perhaps point to as negatives about Coyle and that is St Johnstone's failure to capitalise on the Gretna implosion towards the end of last season and that he would likely cost a six figure compensation fee. The first, I feel, is merely a blip in an otherwise impeccable managerial record which has seen him cut his teeth in the lower leagues in preparation for the SPL. The other is to be expected if we are to get a good manager. I also find it ironic that we may be able to poach a manager from a club we once modeled ourselves on !!!

no surprise there. but at least it appears they may talk/interview someone other than just Brewster .... did anyone get them Warnock's mobile number yet ? He is supposedly in Dunoon right now so a quick trip up the A9 would be easy enough

Surely the Supporters' Trust should have the interests of the football club's Supporters at its very core ? and it is those supporters who are working in what they see as the best interests of the club ...... my apologies scotty - yes the interests of the supporters but to me that means ultimately the club as without that there would be no supporters.... and by that i mean the club itself and not the board. I know I am splitting hairs here maimie but the logic seems backwards. You said "to me that means ultimately the club as without that there would be no supporters...." I say that without supporters, there would be no club !!! As much as CD has his reservations about the Supporters Trust, I am in the opposite camp and embrace it but seeing postings like that where not once, but twice, comments are made that put club first and supporters second rather than the other way round makes me wonder ..... In my opinion, the supporters trust should always look after the interests of the supporters first and the club second. Normally this will not be in conflict with anyone as the supporters want whats best for the club and hopefully so do the club. But if there is an issue that puts supporters and club on opposite sides then the mentality of club first / supporters second would inevitably lead to huge problems. As for membership, i tend to disagree with CD. Unlike the now defunct members' club, everyone has the opportunity to join the trust and can do so quite easily. If they choose not to do so then that is their choice, you cant force them. I do however think that there is an opportunity here to drive up membership with something that Don said. Why not approach the club and ask them to include a supporters trust leaflet with next season's ticket renewal forms and on the actual form itself have a box for them to indicate join the ST yes/no and the associated cost which would be added to their bill ?

how far back would you like it to go ? we can set it to whatever number we want - I set it reasonably low to keep the speed up when replying to a thread.

The wider picture is that they all shafted us when looking to go to their dream team ! Whilst it is true to say that I cant hold the fact that they followed their own dreams against them, I can and do have a firm opinion that says thanks for what you did when you were here but "NEXT !!" .... But lets be fair about this and look at something tangible .... each one of their SPL records ! Paterson (Aberdeen): P68 W23 D13 L32 - win% 33.82%. Pretty reasonable, but not good enough for a team like Aberdeen who should be the third or fourth best team in Scotland given their resources and players. Robertson (ICT): P14 W4 D2 L8 - win% 28.57% Robertson (Hearts): P35 W13 D9 L13 - win% 37.14% Terrible start to SPL life in Inverness and although better at Hearts you have to consider how much money and options were available to him there under Romanov. Brewster (ICT): P50 W17 D18 L15 - win% 34.00% (18 games as player) Brewster (DUFC): P30 W3 D11 L16 - win% 10.00% Brewster's ICT record is not shabby. However, as many have said, a lot (most) of the good results came when Brewster the player was helping out Brewster the manager. When he got injured the results suffered and this continued at Dundee United where he made only 1 starting appearance in SPL (+ 3 from bench) .... notice any pattern here ? 18 games as a player for Inverness, 17 wins. 4 games for Dundee Utd as a player, 3 wins ..... and that is why I personally dont want any of them back. If one of them was appointed, I would still support my team and even the manager but as I said earlier, they would have to work hard to reverse my skepticism and natural reaction to be against them.

Surely the Supporters' Trust should have the interests of the football club's Supporters at its very core ? and it is those supporters who are working in what they see as the best interests of the club ......

is it now time for the supporters trust to be pushing to gain a seat on the board of the football club? Considering that Mr Sutherland was on the board with a very small personal shareholding (at the time) then I dont see why not. I dont necessarily think the 'trust' should have a guaranteed seat on the board but perhaps they could throw their weight behind a candidate and endorse and vote for him/her should there be a vote required. I would even go as far as to name a particular candidate right here and now as I believe this person has shown themselves to be not only intelligent and articulate but also a man of integrity as a fan, a supporters' trust member, and also a moderator of this forum. I am of course talking of the other David Sutherland or DJS as he is known to others. should they now be approaching minor shareholders for their proxy? They should have been doing this from the start. Not only approaching shareholders but also putting a link/form on their website so that supporters can approach them. I have previously offered my shares for proxy but no-one ever followed this up. surely gathering all the smaller shareholdings (and hopefully some of the larger ones) together in order to have more of a say and facilitate gaining a board seat cannot be a bad thing? As I said above - dont think anyone should be guaranteed a seat on the board - think it should be earned. If the trust endorse the right candidate then their vote and many small shareholder votes would probably ensure the person was elected. surely if the trust did this they could be well on the way to being able to influence decision-making within the club? The only way to guarantee any decision is to have a 51% share. I think many things influence the club already and one of them is the trust. I dont see that adding a few hundred or even a few thousand shares would have greater influence.

The only case I want to see for Brewster is one of the 'suit' variety so we could watch it sliding down the luggage belt as he heads for the departure lounge at Dalcross

So reading around various sites this morning, the candidates mentioned as of today seem to be as follows ...... Brewster Warnock Coyle Pressley - doesnt seem to be in the frame at all Paterson - not really mentioned much Robertson - mentions of Robbo also dying down Zenga - although the HN said he applied and he is an interesting name not a serious candidate I would think McCall - mentioned in one article but first time I have seen his name come up as a candidate Malpas - keeps being trotted out despite fans being almost unanimous that it should be anyone but him Of the three names not excluded in my list, I have to concur with IHE (who, as some people have realised, does make interesting and insightful points when he is being sensible/serious) that we are being pushed along the Brewster route for whatever reason. Coyle is probably the most "dangerous" choice seeing that he is a reasonably successful manager in the first division but has no SPL experience. I thought he did a good job at Falkirk when we were in the 1st. He looks to be continuing that at St Johnstone but you have to wonder whether he has reached a plateau ? He had a superb chance to overtake Gretna last season when they all but imploded towards the end of the season but just couldnt get it done. There is also the slight matter that the St Johnstone chairman said that he would be an absolute b@***** to deal with if someone came looking for his manager and I cant blame him for that. Brewster seems to be the "safe" option. Appoint someone who has been at the club before and was reasonably successful. As we posted on the front page article however, "Brewster the manager" relied very heavily on "Brewster the player" and when he didnt have that assistance on the park he failed miserably (at DUFC). There may have been other factors at DUFC too, but that has to be something we should be concerned about. There is also the question of the fans ? Some fans will welcome him back, others will be very wary of him because he left or because of the manner in which he left (making comments about loyalty merely 2 weeks before buggering off etc), whilst there is also a group who will be dead set against him. The club have made comments about how he looked to get ICT the best deal when he left, of how he has always spoken highly about the club etc, but the simple truth is that none of that would have been necessary had he listened to himself when talking about loyalty. Warnock is clearly the fans' choice and the "interesting" option. whether this is because of his experience, his reputation, or because we are flattered that a former EPL manager would even consider such a job is not clear - probably a touch of all of the above - but judging by comments made, the club seem to be making no effort to even talk to him. I cant help feeling that this might even be a bit of a publicity stunt. Warnock has said in recent days that he would welcome a call from Inverness. Today he is saying that no-one has even been in touch so how he can be on the shortlist is quite weird. One article I read this morning had a couple of lines that jumped out at me that suggested that even if we could meet his wage requirements, which may well be a stumbling block despite comments to the contrary, that our board might not consider him. See this SKY article [CLICK] . .... Warnock has put his name forward for the role, but the ex-Sheffield United boss appears to be an outsider for the vacancy. Caley Thistle chairman Alan Savage said: "He is under consideration like everyone else, but at the end of the day the club is a success, we have again made a profit this year, we have maintained SPL status, so we will have to look at wage demands and any baggage that comes with someone. It is not all about football, but how people conduct themselves also." so I guess, as IHE prophesises, we will probably have Brewster in place by the weekend or early next week and the fans will then have to decide how we want to react. Talk of boycotts is ludicrous. We have to keep our feet on the ground. Unlike one particular poster, I think most of us realise that ICT will not be regular UEFA cup participants within the next two years or contenders for the SPL title in 20. Its a nice thought, but how are we going to do that when clubs with more considerable resources like Aberdeen, Dundee Utd, Hearts, Hibs and Killie who normally take up the rest of the top half positions most years cant do that ! The realistic view is that we are a mid to lower end SPL side and every year our first goal must be to survive. Of course we should look to progress and hopefully be regarded as top half material in years to come but for now, staying in the SPL is paramount and anything else is a very enjoyable bonus. As they say, 'slow and steady wins the race'. If Craig Brewster is named as boss then he will be in a position that no other ICT manager has ever been in, a position where the fans are highly skeptical of him and looking at him to prove himself to them from day one. If he is to be forgiven for his previous departure then results need to come and come quickly, humble pie needs to be eaten and the appearance of contrition has to be there. Anything else would be unacceptable. I applaud the board for having the fans' forum last night, but if this meeting had any other purpose than to merely pay 'lip service' to current opinions then I would hope that it is confirmed somewhere along the line that they have actually spoken to Warnock as he is clearly the fans' choice. If they talk to him and wages or anything else is a factor in not employing him then so be it, but to have a man with such passion for the clubs he has managed express an interest and then to ignore him despite the fact that the fans favour him is not only disrespectful to both him and the fans but also reveals a deeper divide between "them" and "us" which is a trait I have seen "our" club develop over the last few years and is a trait I am not at all happy with.