CaleyD

Don't like the idea of short term fixes for positions where we already have players/cover. If the guys we have aren't considered fit for the job then they should bve shipped out before replacements, be they loan or permanent, are taken in. Personally I think we have the players we need (on large) and we just have to work on playing a system/formation that best suits them.

We do offer coaching sessions to younger kids and I believe our Hotshots programme is extremely succesful. Players also visit the primary schools etc so these things are being done. The problem lies in the fact that they don't seem to attract too much press attention.

The clubs contribution towards the new stands and payment for the USH would have already offset the additional income figures mentioned by Kingsmills so I don't believe we really have too much to fear in terms of keeping the books balanced.

It's not just about the money though, or it shouldn't be. What about the things that are being sacraficed like the traditional Saturday afternoon match, taking your kids/grandkids etc along to watch a match, a pint with mates before and after the game - basically the whole culture that goes with being a football fan. Thats what is slowly being erroded. They got rid of terracing, stupid league setups to benefit the big clubs and generate more income for them, they slap FBO's on people for getting a little carried away, they move matches to unsuitable times, even block BBC from transmitting some games outside the UK on the radio. ALL for a few quid in the bank. Just look at how much going to a match has changed over the years and ask yourself honestly if you think it is all worth it and where you think it will all end??? And rather than talking about how the additional money will compensate for the drop in attendances would you not prefer initiatives which encouraged people back in to the stands supporting their team where it matters most - afterall, the team can't hear you cheering if your sitting at home in front of your TV.

How much extra do people really think this deal is worth to us? The increased package agreed with Setanta only puts an average of £300k/year in to the pockets of each club. Thats only equivalent to an extra 1000 people through the gates for each home match. Plus, if you take in to consideration that we are losing the BoS sponsorship at the end of this season (with no obvious signs of a replacement) which is currently worth an average of about £200/250k per club. Then factor in that the BoS are the leagues biggest creditor overall and are likely to start pressurising clubs to reduce debts and repay what they owe - then just exactly how much better off will we be really? Not Much, if any - if we are lucky we will be in the exact same financial position as we were before this new deal, except we have all the additional grief of games being changed right left and centre. You could argue that we would be well and truely in the chit if it wasn't for the new Setanata deal. Personally I would have rathered we waited another season in to the old Setanta deal and had secured new sponsorship before we sold our soul and I would also have far rathered we had gone down the road of putting effort in to increasing crowds in order to generate additional revenue rather than a TV deal which only serves to damage attendances. The whole thing is self-defeating and any work being done by clubs to increase their gates is immediately undermined by the volume of televised games and the shifting of matches to obscure and ridiculous times during the week. I agree that it's not just the TV deal which is causing problems and that we do have to give people a better overall league to watch, but so long as the SPL keep trying to bandage things up with short term fixes the changes that are needed may come too late or leave us in the situation where the whole thing has sunk so low it will be near impossible to rescue. Also found an interesting quote from Setanta's head of production regarding the Monday Night thing and I get the feeling they were aware all along that Friday Nights were never going to be a reality.

"No Student Prices" - I'd read that as your getting in for free :015:

Harry, it may not be so bad if they WERE working with each other to make a success of things, but the truth of the matter is that these decisions are made with little or no fan consultation. And the only reason they know they can get away with that is because they know that the vast majority of fans will simply bend over and take whatever shafting they are dealing out. The very fact that the SPL agreed to a deal which aimed at showing matches on a Friday Evening without consulting with all relative parties (police included) is ludicrous. Now we are faced with a situation whereby we could find games being changed and played at almost any time of the week, not only that, but it is not going to be the likes of the OF, Hearts or Hibs who are seeing their games shifted to mid week, it is the smaller clubs who will be made to suffer the inconvenience whilst the big guys continue to reap the rewards of having their games played at weekends with maximised attendances AND raking in the lions share of the additional TV money. It would maybe be a bit easier to accept if it was a fairer system and the clubs being inconvenienced were offered a larger slice of the cake for the trouble, but it's not, and it never will be so long as their are attitudes out there that come away with the "we just have to accept it" line.

Clubs survived before the advent of these big TV deals from the likes of SKY and SETANTA - in fact, you had far fewer cases of administration etc and far fewer "save our club" campaigns. The fact of the matter is that clubs got greedy and continue to do so. As I stated already, we managed just fine on the revenue we had last season and even had a couple of hundred thousand in the bank at the end of the year, why then do WE need the additional revenue?? I know the answers I will receive to that - "Grow the Squad", "Get Better Players" etc etc - but look at the price we are paying for these things. I was just as happy to follow ICT in our Div 1/2/3 days as I am now and was just as happy following Caley in the Highland League before that. Yes we should aspire to play at the highest level possible, but I am fast coming to the conclusion that the price you have to pay for that is far too high. It's really sad to see so many people on here resigned to the fact that TV money is a necessary evil and we have to just accept it regardless of the cost.

The whole police thing does seem a bit baffling, you'd think they would be more welcoming of a situation where they had a few thousand people in a controlled environment rather than swanning about the City.

I just can't help but feel that it is TV that has brought about many of the problems we now face. None of the huge financial issues ever existed before Football became such a big thing on TV, crowds were bigger, atmosphere was better, people actually supported their local teams and went to see them instead of just buying the strip and watching them on the box and never setting foot in their "teams" stadium. You will never get rid of the problems TV creates because clubs have become dependant on the income it provides and are too quick to sell out to the highest bidder for the short term gain instead of thinking about the fans and the long term. As has been stated, an ICT match may have very little draw overseas for TV viewers, but it is the same here, the more they show of other teams on the TV, the harder it is to attract new and young fans along to TCS. I am glad to see us playing SPL football, but it now appears that the cost of that is selling the soul of the club to the TV companies, not just for us but for nearly all teams outside the top 4 in Scotland. What seems even sadder still is the fact we are powerless to do anything about it. We simply have to sit back and watch as the heart is ripped out of everything it means to be a football fan in Scotland. And with everything else that is going on with these FBO's etc it's no wonder people are happier to sit at home and watch a match than they are to get along to the stadium. Where does it all stop??? As a club we managed to balance the books last season and have a bit left in the bank, even with the additional costs of the new stands and the USH (which we paid a part of). Do we really need the extra revenue from the expanded TV deal and are we willing to pay the cost of tht with diminished crowds and dwindling atmosphere. Are we becoming the victims of other clubs financial mismanagement and being drawn into these deals because other clubs are in such a bad way that they have to take every penny that is offered just to survive??? The whole feckin thing has gone mad, TV money is like a drug to many clubs - it is out of control and the only thing that is going to reverse the trend is when it hits rock bottom (and it will sooner rather than later), until then it will just be one short term fix after another.

Think you misunderstood what I said - I was not talking about stopping live matches being televised, just not domestic matches - i.e. No Live Scottish games shown in Scotland, no live English games shown in England etc etc. Scottish matches could still be transmitted live outside of Scotland which is why I said their would still be a viable commercial basis for televising games. It wouldn't necessarily stop the issue of moving games etc, but it would be one of the many things which could be done to increase attendances, including the suggestions for a revamped league structure etc.

Stop televising live domestic matches and the problem is solved IMO. If people in Scotland want to see a game in Scotland then they can get off their erse and get along to the Stadium. There is a big enough market outside each respective country to still keep the TV companies going with income from Live Games and still encourage crowds to attend.

Not so intelligent as to realise if the ball isn't coming to his feet then perhaps he needs to do a bit more chasing. I have come to wonder if his old injuries are taking their toll and he somehow thinks he proved himself last year and doesn't feel he needs to risk pushing himself so much this season.

Offered my services for free on several occasions in the past but never had even the slightest interest in the offer being taken up. The powers that be seem to have some fear regarding giving the mic to someone who actually knows what they are doing incase they accidentally create any kind of atmosphere at the stadium.

Have to agree with the comments about Dargo not appearing to chase near as much these days as he did last season. Kind of reminds me a bit of Juanjo when he first arrived at ICT and expected everything at his feet. As soon as he dropped that attitude and started getting stuck in he had some great performances and we need Dargo to start doing that again. It's all fair and well saying he would be a great player if he was getting this kind of service, but he isn't. 2 options, change the midfield and forward partnership to suit Dargo, or, hook Dargo and replace him with a player who is capable of playing the system, chasing balls and creating their own chances. Bottom line is that our current form is not down to any single player/area of the pitch but the inability to put everything together as a single slick unit.

As Bonzo has just touched on, Rossco is better supported on the right when he makes a move forward. Given the smae support/link-up on the left I am confident Hastings would prove more effective when going forward, as it is at the moment when he does go forward he is almost always on his own. As for Rossco's goals, they more often than not come from set pieces or scrambles in the box which he manages to tuck away, something which is as much down to his height and build which give him a certain edge in these situations. I think some people still hold some kind of grudge against the guy for the manner in which he departed previously and just aren't willing/able to admit he is many times the player now that he was back then. Not only has his performance on the park improved, but his whole attitude seems to have changed for the better. As for the argument about needing a better left back, IMO, their are other positions which are in far more desperate need of strengthening and Left Back would come way down my list of priorities.

Make my mind up about what? His current position is Left Back, he should therefore not be judged on how he performs when he pushes forward as, at the end of the day, that is the job of the winger. I disagree that he is woeful when he does push forward and believe that he could do a job on the left wing, you just can't expect him to be doing the job of 2 players when his main priority is being a left back, if we want to see him making more moves forward and making consistant crosses in to the box then he should be played on the left wing before judging him on his perfromance there. To criticise the guy for what he does when he gets forward when he is playing as left back is like criticising Dargo for being a chit defender. Judge him on the job he is there to do and save the criticism for those who aren't performing their own role and relying on someone else to do their job on the pitch. Credit should be given to Hastings for getting forward and at least having a go whilst the left wing are off wandering elsewhere or standing with their finger up their erse. Better Hastings in there trying than nobody at all, regardless of how you think he performs when he is doing so.

I used to be one of the biggest critics of Hastings but am the first to hold my hands up and say that he has been a reformed player since he returned to ICT. "Mr Consistancy" is probably the best description as he rarely seems to have a howler of a game these days. Who gives a flyin feck if he is making lung busting runs up the wing or not, and who cares if his final cross is bad (I don't agree they are) as that is not his job, he is a left back and his job is to break down attacks on that wing - anything else he does is a bonus, especially with our left wing and if our left wing not performing as it should be. If Golly was fit and up to the task of playing at left back I would be calling for Hastings to be given a shot on the left wing as (from what I have seen in the past) he does a better job on the left wing when he does push forward from the left back position than our left wing players have done of late.

Rumours of ICT and C*unty merging used to do the rounds regularly in our earlier years but I have never seen anything to suggest they were any more than that. Are you sure the question was regarding merger and not groundshare? That is something which I know for a fact has been discussed between the clubs on several occasions but now seems to have dropped off the agenda since our promotion to the SPL.

If you read the article properly you will see that rather than selling off Tulloch Construction, it has been used to purchase a "significant shareholding" in ROK PLC. I forget the name of the last company Sutherland/Tullochs did this with, but they eventually ended up with the majority shareholding and eventually the whole thing (if memory serves me correctly). Think it was a North West England based building company of some description.

As I have said before, some things should not be "about the money" and personally I don't give a flying monkeys if clubs are going to be making more out of games being televised, not when it interfears so heavily with everyones willingness/ability to go along and watch the match. The SPL sold their soul (what was left of it) to Setanta with this deal and as usual it is the punter who suffers.

I think he still has a bit to go to "mature" as a player but I don't think CC should be doing anything to dampen his terrier like approach to the game. All he needs is a bit of guidance in properly channeling his energy. OK, so he's picking up a lot of bookings and I think he now faces a suspension, I don't think thats all that bad and so long as CC properly manages the situation and does as he did yesterday (hooking him before he got the 2nd yellow) then I still see him as an asset to the team. We have ample adequate cover in the middle of the park and so long as these yellows don't become straight reds then I don't see the need to worry. As a player much of his strength is in his attitude and approach, maybe it is "wee man" syndrome, but take that out of him and he would be walked all over in the middle of the park.

If you check the league table again you'll find we are 9th and nearer to 3rd place than we are to 12th in terms of points and Goal Diff. The true fact of the matter is that everyone is taking points off everyone else in the league this year and apart from Celtic, nobody is creating a safe top 6 position for themselves yet. With the possible exception of Motherwell who seem to be having an absolute howler of a season so far a top 6 is there for any of the other teams to take and there is a long way to go yet so no need for panic or wholesale changes to the team.

The "They're worse than us, so that makes it ok for us to misbehave" argument is a load of BS, IMO. I don't know the full story or exact reasons why this person was ejected from the stadium or why he is up in court facing a potential FBO, but justbecause the OF fans or any other fans are worse or participate in these things on a larger scale is no excuse for smaller clubs to be let off. I disagree with the FBO system and how it works, but lets not get into the mindset that exists among a lot of the OF fans where they try and justify their actions by claiming the other half are worse. The argument here is not about which other teams fans are any better/worse or did anything more deserving of action, it is about whether the person in question acted in a way which justifies the action and potential penalty he faces. Like or dislike the fans of other teams, they are all in the same position as us with regards these FBO's and pointing the finger and saying they are more guilty than us serves no purpose when the problem lies in the system itself. I have no doubt that their are elements among most teams supports that should be brought to task for their behaviour on matchdays - perhaps this person deserves what is coming to him, and perhaps he doesn't. Either way, saying that the Hearts fans did this that and the next thing and nothing was done to them serves little or no purpose. The game in Scotland is in rapid decline, you have managers of teams coming out and asking supporters to get behind the team, to make a bit of noise and gee themselves up for matches. You then have men (and women) in suits who have likely never witnessed a match from the stands introducing laws which rip the heart out of the one big thing that keeps people coming back to matches week after week - TRIBALISM. Following a team and going to matches is about more than sitting there for 90 minutes watching the team on the park, it's about the banter between opposing fans, a bit of harmless baiting and shouting at each other, it's what gets the blood flowing and the adrenaline pumping. Take that away from the matchday experience and we would all be aswell sitting at home watching the game on the TV (and a good bit better off with regards the pressure on the wallet, but thats a whole other argument) Plenty has been said on here about how quiet our fans can be on a matchday, is it suprising many people are like this when they have these ridiculous rules hanging over their heads and the very fact (as has been witnessed on several occasions) that whatever they say or do could be misinterpruted and lead to them being evicted from the stadium and now, with these new FBO's, find themselves banned from matches altogether. I'm all for weeding out the real trouble/troublemakers, but going to matches is becoming far too clinical, who gives a stuff if you hear the odd swear or witness the odd rude gesture made to the opposition fans, it's not a Sunday School Picnic, and so long as there's no racism, sectarianism etc involved then I see no real harm. I'm not the smallest of people and I was cursed with red hair (I really didn't have much going for me) and I was subject to Fat and Ginger jokes all through my childhood, if I could cope with it every day of the week, I'm sure a player can cope with it once a week from opposition fans without the need to go crying about it. In fact, I'd like to actually see some figures on how often players do actually report directly (without press leading them for a story) on being upset by whats shouted at them during games, I would bet everything on it being a miniscule figure, and nowhere near the issue these "Public Servants" would have us believe. These claims of behaviour that "Incites Violence" I also think are a load of tosh. Unless someone actually lays hands on another person then their is no excuse for them to react with violence, if they do then they are worse than the so called "offender". Flashing your erse at someone may not be the most pleasant thing to witness, but it's hardly inciting violence. People need to learn to be a little more tolerant and live and let live. The problem in this day and age is that everyone feels they have to justify their existence, Stewards think they have had a poor day at work if they haven't ejected a few fans, police have arrest targets to keep up and courts, despite being stretched to the limit, seem to want to give themselves more and more work.....none of it makes any sense to me and I truly think the whole country is going berserk.

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