CaleyD

Mike Smith has just clarified the situation on this for us, and all volunteers who help the club are automatically treated as employees for insurance purposes and are therefore covered under the clubs Employee Liability Insurance for injury etc - they are also covered under the clubs Public Liability Insurance for any injury/damage they might cause to others or their property.

I never headed any "campaign", but I'll admit that on many occasions it wouldn't have upset me very much to see him walking (and I voiced that opinion)....wouldn't upset me now either to be totally honest, but we are where we are and whilst important changes are needed at the club, it's not the people on the floor/frontline that are the cause of the problems that exist.

Nothing more than what I've always said about the guy....great with the figures, struggles with much of the "fan facing/pr" stuff. However, I think that was in part down to a fear of the SPLs ludicrous rules and regulations and the very real chance of getting into bother. Willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt on that side of things to see how it pans out in a more relaxed SFL.

Say what you like about Mr Smith (and I have done on a few occasions), I'm actually fairly happy to see him remain at the club for the forthcoming season. When it comes to keeping an eye on the bottom line, I don't think he can be faulted....and that could be vital in keeping this club from getting carried away on the "straight back up" policy.

How can you put Baltacha below Brewster? He never got us relegated!!!

The old reverse psychology.....try as you might, I'm not playing Runrig for you

Did you actually read the statement? This was an idea which came about during some fan discussion on this forum and the Supporters Trust, in conjunction with ICT Events, are the ones who approached the club. Yes, there's work needed to ensure that mistakes made in the past aren't repeated, but that doesn't change the fact that we are where we are and it's going to take the efforts of every one of us to give ICT the best possible chance of delivering what we all want to see on the pitch in the forthcoming season. So, regardless of thoughts and opinions about what the Board may or not be responsible for, it's our (the fans) club, and if we have to roll our sleeves up for a few hours to do something which allows club funds and resources to be directed to more important areas then it's to everyone's benefit. We've asked the Club Board to listen and we've asked them to allow us to play our part...so whilst painting toilets might not be huge progress it's a move in the right direction, and one which the Supporters Trust will endeavour to build upon when we sit down to speak to the club in the next few days. Got to love the toilet humour!!!

Following on from the "What we can do" thread and the ideas raised there for the fans to get the sleeves rolled up and play a hands on roll in assisting the club in the coming season (and hopefully beyond), it's good to see someone is listening and the Supporters Trust and ICT Events getting together to do what they can to make things happen. The following is Statement from the Trust, Events & Club..... Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters' Trust, in conjunction with ICT Events, are proposing to paint the toilets in the servery areas at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium in the run up to the start of the new season. Both organisations have come together and will provide the paint and equipment required, together with the expertise to manage the project. They need one more thing, though: volunteers ICT's relegation from the SPL means that the football club has much less money available to carry out projects like this. Commenting on the situation, Supporters' Trust chairman, David Sutherland said, "It's no secret how tight cash can be for clubs in the SFL. This is the first opportunity for fans to come forward and volunteer their services to help ICT. I'm sure there will be further opportunities in the future, and the Trust board will sit down with the club at the start of July to see in what areas the fan base might be able to volunteer to help the club during the coming season." Club Chairman George Fraser added "This is a tremendous initiative from the Supporters Trust and our Events Team and we look forward to working with them both on many new projects in the coming season and beyond. We are a community club and it is really heart warming for us to see the fans rising to the challenge as we are all fully aware of the financial constraints the club face and any assistance with planned projects, that we may have had to shelve this year, is greatly appreciated by all at the club." It is planned to carry out the painting over the first two weeks in July. If you would like to help then please email [email protected] or phone 07814 851332.

My thinking is along the same line as Scotty....I don't think we can compete "on paper" in terms of signing "names", but I believe we have a man in charge that will get the best from our existing players and whatever he manages to add before the season starts. I've also got a feeling we're going to see a very different approach to the game than anything we've witnessed under any of our previous managers.

Rooney and Odhiambo would be my choice for a starting pair based on current personnel.

Unfortunately we never got to see a "finished" Fraser and someone else will now benefit from that in the near future.

Black Mann Robson

I think Lionel's new nickname should be Marmite....you either love him or hate him, there's no in between.

You know what birdog, I was actually trying to prevent yet another thread being dragged off into another bitching and moanfest. Something I thought you might have appreciated given your recent calls for peace and patience....but no, like a few people on here, everything else goes right out the window the moment you get a chance to create a little mayhem and stir up an argument with one or more of the site moderators. So, if anyone has any complaints about another thread of moans and complaints can I respectfully request that you send your PM's to birdog as it is he who requested that it be allowed to run.

Have split this from the other topic as I didn't feel it was a necessary part of the discussion on what games people would attend.

Up Front

I think it could work and we saw a couple of times towards the end of the season that he wasn't afraid to have a pop at goal from distance. Granted he never scored, but he came very close a couple of times and with increased opportunity he could be worth 5 or 6 a season from that range.

Think I heard something on the news in the passing saying it was only their UK operations that had gone into administration.

As I said, I wasn't commenting on the appropriateness of what DFS said, if it was justified or expected.....just stating that he had in fact made comment.

I'm always a little cautious of gifts that come via someone elses misfortune, and whilst it will doubtless mean that there's going to be a few players looking for clubs if SPL teams are downsizing squads....where's the cost? You can't just take a huge chunk of money out of the game at the highest level and not expect some kind of ripple effect further down the chain. If SPL clubs are scrambling for income from commercial ventures then are they going to be offering "more bang for the buck" or reduced rates to those who might otherwise invest further down the chain where it's normally cheaper....will SPL teams reduce ticket prices to try and attract bigger gates, taking neutrals away from lower league games......all the little things like that which don't immediately come to mind. We might escape the worst of the potential "negatives" in those areas due to our geography, but I'm not going to be too quick to celebrate the SPL's loss as being some kind of saving grace for us as these things generally have a habit of coming back to bit you on the erse.

There's still time for us to clone Tokely.....you know it makes sense!!!

Yeah, Johnboy....that's the one

I wasn't commenting on the justification of the verbal attack from DFS on DJS, just correcting Scarlet when he stated that those pulling the strings at the club were somehow suffering in silence. In regards to being able to "take it", you can be sure that if someone wants to make justified and constructive criticism of anything I have to say then I'll happily listen. I've been subjected to enough of it publicly on here over the years, and I've also had to suffer a good amount of "tell your mate to wind his neck in" comments aimed at me indirectly from those who don't have the balls to stand toe to toe and debate an issue or point with me. I'm not immune to emotion taking over, but I do find myself fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who's opinions I respect and who can (and will) tell me when I've come close to, or overstepped the mark....when I get it wrong, I'm big enough to apologise. One of the things I always make clear to people I work with is that I don't do politics, bureaucracy and BS. If I've got an issue I'll come straight out with it, if they have an issue I would appreciate they do the same. If things need done and problems need solved then the quicker you get down to it the better and dancing around worrying about upsetting the sensibilities of individuals or small groups doesn't often best serve the bigger picture. Another thing about me is that I don't give up easily (check my avatar), and I certainly don't give up just because someone tells me I should. If you want to change my mind then you have to put forward a better argument than me, convince me that there's a better way of doing/looking at something. As for confrontation...it's not what I want, but that's not how life works. I understand and accept that just as I'm not willing to lie down and be steamrollered, the club and those running the club will be of the exact same mind. The result will inevitably be confrontation, but so long as people don't allow it to get personal and are willing to give the other a chance to put their case then there's no reason it shouldn't be healthy. The outcome is generally one of compromise, where each side has to give up a little something in order to obtain the things which are of higher priority to their cause/beliefs/ideas....unfortunately we don't have that kind of system in place at ICT and I feel the fans are fighting a dictatorship which is telling us that it's their way or lump it....and that's a situation that I cannot and will not accept. Until someone convinces me that I'm somehow wrong in wanting the fans to get their deserved recognition and representation for the part they've played and continue to play in ICTFC, I ain't going anywhere.

Correct me if im wrong but, TB= Manager MM=Head Coach, there is a differenct, TOR's are different. I remember someone asking the question at one of the Trust Fans Forums (I think) and us being told that it was purely a terminology thing and that Head Coach and Manager were the exact same job with the exact same responsibilities etc.

There's nothing at all to suggest that a relegation plan was in place before the end of the season. Quite the opposite in fact, and much of what has happened since the final whistle against Falkirk on the last day of the season supports that fact. Are you serious? The fans are THE largest financial contributor at ICT....and every penny they put into the club is from their own pockets. Not only that, but they put in the time and effort every week to follow the team, be it home or away, and some will spend far more travelling to one game than some of our Directors will find themselves out of pocket in attending games over an entire season. What also amazes me is how the fans actually manage to find the income to support the club in any way whatsoever....after all, we're all obviously total morons who don't have enough brains to tie our shoelaces and we can't possibly have any concept of what it takes to run a business or be part of a Board. Do you think that among all those sitting in the stands every week we don't have businessmen, managers, self-employed business owners, administrators and all the other skills that would be necessary to run any business? What makes Football such a mystical entity that only a chosen few are capable of doing the job? Nobody is asking them to "shoulder the burden alone", quite the opposite. In fact, it's the inward looking nature that seems to have developed with the club that's causing all the problems. As for not asking for sympathy or money....that's hilarious. Granted, you're not local so may not be aware of everything that happens in the press, but I lost count last season of the number of times the club were in the press asking for understanding and time whilst encouraging fans to attend and part with their hard earned. In terms of "THEIR financial losses"....what financial losses are those? There's not a Director on that Board who has a single penny at risk with ICT. And finally...."not complaining in public about the mud that is thrown" did you miss the public outburst aimed at the Chairman of the Supporters Trust back at the turn of the year? Eh? You're right, George Fraser is very clear in what he says. In fact, he's so clear in what he says that I remember when he took over as Chairman he made a statement saying that if the fans were still talking about the Board in 6 months time then he hadn't done his job. Here we are, still talking about the Board....so what do we conclude from that? I'm actually very close to losing my rag because your post is not only full of inaccurate ramblings, but it also serves to do more harm than good. Every time the Club/Board mess up, all we hear is "give them time, they're trying their best". At what point do you accept that someone's best intentions just aren't cutting it? Do we wait until we're in the position of Livingston, Gretna or any one of the 50+ clubs in the UK who have been in administration, or worse, since 1992 as a result of fans giving their clubs time because they thought the board were doing their best?