CaleyD

Well there you go - the argument over should we or shouldn't we sign him looks to have been put to bed as a deal seems to have been done. Lets look to getting behind the player and playing our part in ensuring this is a huge success story for ICT.

If you knew me at all you would know that I am certainly not a "Glass Half Empty" type of person. I have been described as a "Typical Libra" which is probably closer to the truth as I can have a tendancy to over analyse things. My heart wants to see us make this signing and for everything to go great, my head is a little more cautious - it can see the benefits of this signing but is only too aware of the possible pitfalls. Scotty is spot on IMO when he says that their is a lot of nervousness surrounding this one, but I think that should it go ahead then the vast majority of the fans will be behind the player (and the club) 100%.

And if it goes tits up should they be applauded for undoing the good that has been done in the last 13 years? I don't think it is unreasonable for the fans to be cautious of this move, even Charlie hasn't seemed 100% set on it in the press. Football is a risky business and while I do applaud the club for showing a bit of ambition it may just be that this deal is a bit too ambitous. As I highlighted somewhere else, the cost of taking this guy in is about equal to the operating profit of the club for last year so it has the potential to do serious damage there, not to mention the damage it could have on the rest of the squad who would be on far less money. Barry Wilson's old man commented at the last fans forum about how ICT's strength eminated from the closeness of the dressing room and this has serious potential to divide and shatter that.

What a task tring to pick 5 from that lot - can we not just stick em all in?

Only states you have to wear a black tie - says nothing about wearing anything else.

You listen to those clowns on Pie and Bovril far too much :015: Seriously though, it wouldn't surprise me. I'm still in two minds about the whole thing and if a deal has been/is done then Niculae will get my full support- however I won't be regreting any "lost opportunity" should the club decide to let this one pass on by.

Ok, that's a deal, but only if you buy me a large dram on 7th September :001:

From Inverness side just drive through Elgin until you see the Bus Station on the right, at the next roundabout turn left and you should just about be able to see it from there.

Yeah - from that one line you've quoted you have me pegged good and proper - I surrender :029:

Someone's been telling porkies then!!! :023:

In both the matches in Italy ICT went to 3 at the back in the second half - Either an indication of lack of players there or it's going to feature in our plans for the new season. Maybe a bit of both and either way we could do with more competition for positions on the back line.

Charles, where abouts did I knock the event or suggest it should be anything other than what it is? Despite the great price it is still outwith the scope of the majority of fans, especially given the total expense of following your team these days. As I said, that is not the fault of the trust, but they are kidding themselves if they think (despite their efforts to keep the cost down) it is affordable to your average fan. How far the Supporters Trust has come is a matter of perception. So they've got a few quid in the bank, that's great, but what exactly are they doing with it other than funding the ground keeping costs at the club by purchasing sprayer attachments for the tractor? How does that fulfil the objectives of the Trust? Where are the aims, what are the objectives? One of the biggest gripes the fans have had since our promotion is the extent to which the club has pushed aside the wants/needs of the fans in favour of pandering to the desires of the corporate market....you may argue, and I doubt I would disagree, that it is a necessary evil, but it doesn't make it right and it certainly doesn't mean that the Supporters Trust should follow them down the same path. IMO, the Supporters Trust should be there to assist in closing that gap. The Trust have gone on about all the work they have done to keep the cost down for this event....what they haven't said is that it is the club who have been pulling the strings behind the scenes and dicatating the cost. This is suppose to be a Trust Event so why do the club have any say in such matters? Could it be that the proceeds are to be split again on the basis of a "joint venture" which is nothing more than a way of hiving off half the proceeds to the club without the need to go through the Trust Members to seek guidance on how the money is spent? I speak it as I see it, some agree and some don't, que sera - but unless I get proper answers to the questions I ask then I will just keep on asking. I finish with four words which are paraded as the strengths of Supporters Trusts... Accountable, Transparent, Open and Democratic

I don't deny he was excited by the prospect but seems to be a realisation it's not really wise or feasible in the grand scheme of things.

Is it just me or does he look like he's being attacked from behind by someone dressed as a cow?

Reading between the lines I would say that CC wasn't too keen on signing Niculae..... Scotsman Clicky

With the team only getting back from Italy today I doubt we'll hear anything more for a couple of days yet.

Could you elaborate on what you think is "unfair" in what I have said? What follows your opening remark seems to be some kind of defense against allegations which I have not made. I was already aware of the Trusts efforts in getting the price down, even if I do believe the club should have no say in the pricing of a Trust Event. I then went on to say that events such as this were extremely worthwhile, yet you seem to have felt the need to go on and justify it anyway!!! The one point you seem to have ignored is the one about you being a Supporters Trust, which, to date, seems to have done more to cater for the corporates than it has for the supporters. You seem to be seeking an argument where none exists and ignoring the points where you can offer no defense.

£55 isn't expensive for this type of event, but I think the Trust are kidding themselves if they think it will be considered in any way "affordable" to most fans. It's not the fault of the trust, but in the economic climate that currently surrounds football everything is expensive in the eyes of the fans and many have to budget for the season. You just have to look at the recent thread about how much people spend supporting the team to see that many are already spending in excess of £100 to £150 a month following ICT, so regardless of the price of these events they will still struggle to justify/afford shelling out £55 (plus bar costs , travel etc) on top of that. Pound for Pound these events will always raise more funds than a bowling night, and for that reason they are extremely worthwhile, but it still troubles me that the Supporters Trust seem to be puting more effort into events aimed at the corporate market than the average fan.

Clicky Clicky

Changes to legislation will come in to effect on 1st November that require all stewards to hold the SIA (Security Industry Authority) License A welcome step in the right direction (provided standards for obtaining the license are meaningful) which should ensure that the stewards being provided have at least had some kind of industry standard training. The down side is that the added cost of licensing security firm staff will likely be passed on to the customer. St Mirren have already announced that they will be increasing ticket prices as a result - Clicky Clicky I also guess this is the reason that we have heard nothing proper from the club with regards to improvements, they are simply sitting back and letting the new legislation take care of the issue - not a dig, if I was in their shoes I wouldn't waste time and money investigating something which legislation was about to change/improve - but they could have just told us all this from the start. By trying to make it look like they were actually doing something only for people to discover they are doing squat just makes them look stupid.

A very positive article and one which highlights CC's passion and depth of character. Glad he's managed to get his head sorted - stepping back a bit from the stress will hopefully clear his mind and allow him to plough forwards and become a great manager and ICT skipper for years to come.

If I can get a firm commitment for numbers then I'll happily organise and run a minibus to the pre-season friendlies for site users.

As they are all away games then I'm guessing not.

I voted for Wilson but I would equally understand those looking to the future and going for someone has a few years left at the club.

It's one of those types of questions that smart erse quizmasters throw in that ultimately leads to a punch up over a £5 book token :015: