CaleyD

This is the first sensible move in terms of the squad in a long time, IMO. We had Zibi pushing Fraser for his place last season and he coped fine, and we've now brought in someone just as experienced/capable to continue that competition for the #1 slot. Every team needs competition for places in every area of the park, we've now got midfield and goalkeeper covered in that regards, just the defence and the forwards to get sorted out now :029:

Worth the entry fee alone :021:

He's not being offered a contract so Brewster would seem to agree with those who think he just didn't show enough in the two games he played.

I don't know what's funnier....those who look for any excuse to bemoan Brewster or those who are determined to get in there first to defend him regardless :015: Whilst I take very little from the early friendlies other than how players may be shaping up after the summer or just having joined the squad, it doesn't mean that the manager should be immune to constructive criticism if he's done things wrong or has the team playing silly tactics.

I've not seen that in a few years.....limited print run and (unofficially) the first one off the printing press :004: If I'd known we would now be where we are today I would have kept it for myself :001:

OK, so you've made an argument for the fact that you think we have progressed on the pitch....how about off it?

It was ?5000 according to the Daily Record the other day :015: The only reason that I can think of that the club are letting this figure fly is because they think there's still fans out there who will believe it and it adds weight to the decision to sell him. Even after all that's happened in the last 12 months they still think we're stupid....when in reality, they're only making themselves look like the idiots.

Nobody is calling in to question how well we have done in the past or what an achievement it's been, but whilst everyone has taken their foot of the accelerator to pat themselves on the back and bask in the glory other clubs are passing us by and leaving us behind. If Sutherland and our Board think the club has gone as far as it can then it's time for them to step aside and let people with fresh ideas and new energy in to try and take us forward again. As has been pointed out, other clubs have been at this for 100 years or more, so what makes ICT think they have achieved all that can be achieved in 14 years? For some fans (and it would appear those in charge) we've slipped into a comfort zone and people seem to fear the idea of pushing on from that. I'm not suggesting we're a top SPL team, or that we have the resources to sustain an upper league position on a constant basis, but it would be nice to know that the club has some ambition to keep pushing us as far up the league each season as is possible instead of the "this is our lot, be happy with it" attitude. So long as we keep thinking like that then our goal each season IS going to be survival, but I believe this club has more potential than that.

First Photo Album of the pre-season courtesy of Gordon Gillespie at NorthSport http://www.caleythistleonline.com/gallery/...s.php?album=465

I agree, we are a selling club and probably will be for a very long time, if not always. But there's a time to sell and there's a time when you have to make best use of what you have to progress or you never get anywhere. To offload your 3 experienced Strikers in a single summer and replace them with unproven players is lunacy, even if we could expect ?1 Million. Not only would we very likely have to pay a sizeable sum for an equally or closely matched replacement but it's almost certain we'd be paying higher wages to them. Yes, we have to sell/rotate players to make money, but it has to be done sensibly as relegation could cost us a lot more...and some.

Jay_7, as far as I'm aware there's not a queue of individuals out there waiting to be chairman of ICT; and more importantly with the ability to invest significantly into the club. Maybe you know of such individuals? We'll never know just how much Alan Savage was prepared to invest if he stayed as chairman, but he would have some catching up to do if he was going to match the investment (including off the field staffing and other resources) made by Tulloch over the last 8 years. If David Sutherland was to ever withdraw his support from this club, then we would be facing a very bleak future indeed. Maybe you know of such individuals? - I do, some of whom would have done so long before now had we not had Sutherland acting the dictator in recent years. We'll never know just how much Alan Savage was prepared to invest if he stayed as chairman - No, Sutherland was far happier to see the guy invest ?270,000 and then chase him off....that's always a great way to encourage other investors too :014: As for the suggestion that Sutherland should be allowed to do as he pleases just because he's invested money, it's laughable. Next time your speaking to him, ask him just how much money he would make if/when he gets his stadium relocation plans approved and ask him if all the money he gave to ICT out of the goodness of his heart was a worthwhile investment.

Dundee are a perfect example of why we shouldn't keep Niculae Of course, and that's why your suggesting on another thread that we should replace him with 2 or 3 other players of lesser quality which would expand our wage bill into the bargain :rolleyes02: The footballs so good that you never missed any goals last season because you were more entertained by what the Stewards were doing did you? :015:

I was kinda hoping for suggestions that would strengthen the squad, not fill it with more unproven players. As for Lovell....he'd cost us more than Marius is at present and isn't any better IMO....meaning we'd be better off keeping what we have. Let's not forget that as well as signing these players we also have to pay them....and we already know the club is making this decision because they want to free up wages.....right? :015:

I find your last analogy rather confusing. Especially Dundee....if it wasn't for the fans there who cared enough to fight the owners/board then they could very well have disappeared altogether. I'd rather our fans took action to stop us getting that far down the road in the first place.....and that involves a little more than just turning up for the entertainment.

No No No No Point proven....it's not a simple "sell or no sell" situation. As for those who think we can get 2 or 3 good players for even ?1 Million, would you care to name them or give some suggestions as to where they would come from.

Harry, if the club was moving forwards or at least looking like they were trying to move forwards then there's not much we could complain about, but as I (and others) see it we're, at best, standing still and haven't progressed on the whole since getting in to the SPL. Our first season I could accept the "make do" mentality which allowed us to find our feet and get a feel for the league. We started to bring in players which were SPL quality in their own right and not relying on the old "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts" cliche. We probably had 6 or 7 players who could have fallen in to that category a couple of seasons back, but we are now looking at going in to next season with 2, maybe 3 players who you could honestly say would be targets of other SPL clubs if available....and that's just an example of how we've fallen behind on the park. Off the park...in short, prices are going up and standards are going down or, at best, failing to match the increases. The focus of the club seems to be getting more corporates through the doors whilst they ignore the concern of the fans. Stewarding standards have got worse season on season. PR is a joke...lost count of the times ICT have been caught out trying to "Spin" a story. I think I'm right in saying only once have we had new strips in time for season kick off (this coming seasons)....I could be wrong as I've never been able to get a shirt that fits so not paid much interest. Parking continues to be a nightmare. You have to wait forever and a day to get a response to communication with the stadium (if they reply at all). As I said, if the club even looked like they were trying, then they could perhaps be forgiven, but what little focus they do have is aimed everywhere other than at the majority of fans.

Anyone fancy writing a match report for the site from the Clach game?

You said it yourself Harry.....too many variables. e.g. Since I have my finger on the button am I allowed to offer an extended contract as one of the options? Can I assume that Barrowman hasn't been signed and put the money towards someone who might come close to replacing Marius? Do I have to be a voted on member of the Board of Directors or can I buy my way in to the decision making process so I don't have to carry the can if I make the wrong choice? Do I have to believe the press speculation that we're freeing up a ?5000/week wage or should I base it on the truth? I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

What's a fan to do? I'm convinced that there's people at the club who are now doing more harm than good and I want them out, but how do I go about making that point or forcing the issue? If I turn up at games, buy programmes, merchandise, food etc then I am giving those I wish gone the finances to maintain the club and their position, if I don't do all those things and can convince others to follow then it may be enough to force the issue, but in the process my team will likely suffer. The ideal solution is that those running the club at present buck up and start looking beyond the ends of their noses and listening to what the fans are telling them. We've been ignored for far too long now and I think it's getting to the stage where the club will start losing fans. Not because of any conscious decision to protest, but because they simply can't be ersed any more. I'd far rather see a few hundred fans standing outside protesting because they care than a few hundred sitting at home because they can no longer be bothered. At least you know they will return if/when things improve.....but if things continue as is for much longer then their will be fans that are lost forever. My support for the team on the park is unwavering, but the drive to turn up is rapidly being outweighed by the actions of those in charge who are, IMO, doing damage and are no longer worthy of the respect of the fans or the right to decide how the money the fans invest week in week out is utilised by the club. I'm sure I'll have those who will continue to call me a "moaner" or suggest that I'm somehow less of a fan because I choose to criticise and suggest the fans take action. If you want to disagree, then that's fine, but disagree with the points being made and not the person making them. I will fight for what I think is right for ICT because I care, if I didn't care then I'd simply walk away quietly and save myself the hassle.

Off the park, I'd have to say that C*unty have always been (at least) one step ahead of us in many respects and I think they could (and would) do ICT serious damage if they were to make it to the SPL before we got our house in order.

Tulloch has been "top heavy" for some time and the disposal of site managers etc came as no real shock. What may be slightly more worrying is that they have now started to pay off tradesmen, with strong rumour that they will be down to a skelton staff before the end of the summer. How does this effect ICT? I don't think it should in the slightest and we shouldn't need or expect the generosity of one man to survive. In saying that though I think it might have put the dampners on any plan Sutherland might have had to increase his/Tullochs shareholding in ICT. He was quick to sell the disaster story that ICT needed a cash injection of around ?500,000 when Savage stepped down as Chairman in order to meet the cost of bringing in Niculae, and whilst it has been proven that Marius cost us nowhere near that figure and, in fact, his signing had been met by investment made by Savage then I predict some back peddling in the very near future. It has been rumoured that the decision to sell Marius has already been made and I can't help but think that a small part of that decision is down to the fact that Sutherland/Tullochs are unable to make the move to increase shareholding as a result of current economic restraints and the sale of Niculae will be touted as shrewd business practice to both bring in some cash and save us one of the larger wages. So, whilst I think it shouldn't have any real impact on ICT I do think that the political ripples will and already have had some influence on decisions being made at the club.

Do you think I could get in shape and try out for the winning team in time for the match? Seriously, I'd even give up potatoe salad for the opportunity to play against some of the ICT Legends mentioned and I can, at a push, play as a Right Back.....and given my inability to run any distance I'm not likely to go walk about and leave any gaps.

"Well, listen up, sonny Jim: I ate a baby. Oh, aye, Baby: the other, other white meat. Baby: it's what's for dinner."

As I said Alex......the situation seems to depend very much on which "source" the information comes from. I've heard it both ways which is why I am convinced the board are split on the issue.

Shallow fried in butter with some cracked pepper and served with a Stilton Sauce garlic potatoes...or have I taken it too far now?