ictchris

2 hours ago, Moogthurso said:

Sorry strong speculation but draper raven, fon Williams and esson as a player all seem very credible. rumours. I hope I am wrong but was based on training pics comments earlier.

That's just a photo of a bunch of guys doing laps of a pitch.

While the board are useless and our communication is terrible I think releasing a statement detailing exactly who attended training that day is expecting a bit much.

It's reported in other papers as well.  McNaughton was told he was getting a contract and then the offer was withdrawn without a phone call.

SO far that's Josh Meekings, Duncan Shearer and now Kevin McNaughton who have reported this sort of behaviour and that's just the people who have gone public with it.  Best case this is due to the upheaval caused by relegation, changes to the board and management team and we'll settle down and stop this.  Worst case is that the new board are simply arrogant and/or incompetent and are treating people like this due to their own lack of organisation or ability to run an organisation.

I think the worst case scenario is closer to the truth.

Someone told me that Draper is leaving, it's a done deal.  He's off to England.

I don't really mind us freshening up the squad.  We haven't added anyone of any real substance to the squad for years, it clearly peaked in 2015 and started to go stale after that.  

Problem is that I don't have any real confidence in us freshening up the squad with anyone half decent.

i think the P&J article also said that Davidson was on trial for three weeks.

Assume goalkeeper is Ally Ridgers.

There's absolutely no chance we'll get a fee for OFW. 

A good move - Owain Fon Williams is on a level with Zibi Malkowski as our worst goalkeeper of all time. At least Malkowski only played in a couple of games.

Rory McAllister would be interesting but he was probably just there to unclog the toilets.

I think Baird is a good signing, experienced at this level and we need strikers.

If we sign Mark Ridgers, which it appears we will, then I assume that we will get rid of a couple of our keepers - hopefully Owain Fon Williams leaves and Ryan Esson retires to become our goalkeeping coach.  Without being unkind both were substandard last season and cost us points.

Both the Motherwell players on trial don't really come with any track record of success.  Maybe they'll come good in the second tier, although Chalmers has already played in the Championship for Falkirk and was poor.

Three completely 'meh' signings, at best.

We offered Blair Yule a deal but he didn't want to take a gamble on full time football when the new manager hadn't seen him so he signed for Arbroath instead.

https://caleyjagsnews.com/2017/06/21/news-yule-signing-for-inverness-would-have-been-a-gamble/

seems a sensible chap.

Paul Bradshaw as well, he was some boy.  Imagine Steve Paterson releasing you because you weren't professional enough.

1 hour ago, Sir C the 3rd said:

I happened to mention this to someone involved at Fort William a few weeks ago. He was going on about how good he was and that the like of Brora etc were looking to take him. I jokingly said to him 'maybe Caley should sign him'. He said that we had had him watched but he wasn't sure what was going to come of it. It certainly doesn't hurt us to give the guy a trial.

He scored 30 odd goals with one of the poorest teams in the HFL, he must have something. Doesn't hurt to have a look at him in training, maybe a trialist.

Sunderland are an absolute car crash of a club, he's probably made the eight decision.

18 hours ago, Harry Chibber said:

Normally think you're on the money with ICT ... stuff .. but I'm not sure how you could say Sheerin has experience, recent or not, he's managed at Arbroath (done well mind you) but managing a team demanding promotion would be a completely different ball game.  I love Sheerin, probably my favourite player at ICT over the years but I'm delighted he didn't get the job until he at least has one more managerial position. I'd have hated to see him bomb out

Lennon? Maybe.. but has done nothing since leaving St Mirren and dived at Alloa 

"After gaining just five points from their first sixteen games of the 2015–16 season, Lennon resigned as manager of Alloa Athletic on 7 December 2015" - Wiki

I don't think either of them are perfect but Sheerin has more relevant recent experience with Abroath.  Since Robertson had a job as a manager Danny Lennon has won a major trophy and taken St Mirren to their best finish in 25 years.  

I mean, Robertson might do well with us, circumstances can dictate who does well where and who gets which job.  I had heard that the day-to-day organisation on the playing side was lacking last season, with things slipping and not being set up correctly and I doubt Robertson will let that happen.  It's also good that he's kept on Scott Kellacher, who by all accounts is an excellent coach.  I think the fact that he was left hanging on whether he was staying, as per quotes in the Courier, is poor from the club.  You have to wonder about the way football is run sometimes.

The crowds when Celtic and Rangers Under 20s played in this season's challenge cup

Celtic U20s v Annan at Cappielow - 216

Celtic U20s v Cowdenbeath at Central Park - 449

Rangers U20s v Stenhousmuir at Forthbank - 324

Celtic U20s v Livingston at Energy Assets Stadium - 1219

The only game that saw any significant increase in crowds was the Livingston game, which the Celtic 'Colts' lost 5-1.  That's another point, I'd imagine that a lot of the enthusiasm of this idea might fade when decent lower league teams started scudding the Ibrox and Parkhead kids week-in, week-out.

Scottish football is full of ideas that never die and this is one of them.  There is no evidence that this would help young players develop and it takes well-supported leagues that contain teams who develop excellent young players and turns them into warm-ups for rich clubs reserve teams.

In terms of their size and wealth clubs like Hamilton Accies and Livingston have been far more successful than the Old Firm in producing young players.  Of the Scotland team who played on Saturday there were two Hearts youth products (Gordon and Berra), two Celtic (Tierney and Mulgrew), two Dundee Utd (Armstrong and Robertson), two Livingston (Grifiths and Snodgrass) one each from Hibs (Brown), Hamilton (McArthur), Middlesborough (Morrison), Aberdeen (Fraser), Wycombe (Anya) and Norwich City (Martin).  Of the two teams (the Old Firm) who will be the Colt teams there were two players, one of whom, Mulgrew, is pish.  Consider the vast sums of money spent by Rangers over the years on youth players and facilities and they have less success than Livingston.  

Colt teams really sum up the sort of discussion we have about football in this country - there are many, many things that make German and Spanish football produce better young players than in Scotland but the one that is picked up and hammered, over and over again for years, is B teams, 'Colt' teams.  It's something that is pretty simple to explain and understand but actually shies away from the real reasons why young Scottish players don't do as well (not enough quality coaching at a young age, not enough facilities, lack of structured national programmes etc).

The current rules say that B teams can't be included above the fifth tier of Scottish football.  I think that's fine - we ourselves used to have a 'B' team in the North Caldonian League and there are other teams who have the same.  The idea that you could have reserve teams squeezing out professional sides is a joke.  Of the teams in last season's Premiership us, Ross County, Hamilton Accies, Rangers and Partick Thistle have played in the lower half of the league system in the last twenty years.

He's said he wants to play fast attacking football, exactly what Foran said when he was appointed.

I'd quite like a manager who said "I want to play slow, defensive unexciting football" just for something different.

Where are people getting that Warren and Raven have been released?

44 minutes ago, jingsmonty said:

Who would you have (realistically - no Pep Guardiola..) instead??

Of those who've been linked with the job I think Paul Sheerin and Danny Lennon both have better, more recent experience.  But also, I don't know who applied, who expressed an interest and who the club spoke to.  You just don't know what sort of people were available, who we sought out (if anyone).

I hope he succeeds but it seems as though we're just appointing the people who are slap bang in front of us rather than trying to do something different.

35 minutes ago, jingsmonty said:

1). He is (obviously, given he lives here!), willing to be based up here,

2). Not an untried manager - previous experience at this level (again, obviously, given season 2003-04!), so less of a risk.

3). Enthusiastic & keen personality. More so than some of the other candidates mentioned!

4). Has, I think, a genuine affinity with ICT & the Highlands in general.

None of these are really relevant.

1 - Most of our managers, since Steve Paterson, have been in place for less than two years.  Butcher was here for just under five years and Hughes for two and a half but generally football management isn't a long term job.  We've done well in the past by letting managers go at the right time and moving on.  The idea that we need someone who lives here doesn't hold out.

2 - His experience at this level is over a decade ago.  Ian McCall and Jimmy Calderwood both had teams finish in the top half of the SPL the season that Robertson won the league with us.  Alan Kernaghan almost took Clyde to the title.  Imagine we'd appointed one of them.  Also, post-ICT his experience is pretty much constant failure.

3 - We are recruiting a football manager not a Butlins redcoat.  Maybe his attitude will be a positive but ability is more important.

4 - As above, ability is what matters not whether they live here or have an affinity with the Highlands, whatever that means.  I have a genuine affinity with ICT and have spent a great deal of my life living in the Highlands, should I get the job?

I hope he succeeds but people shouldn't be blinded by hope.  He's someone who's proved limited during his career and doesn't have any recent experience.  We need to rebuild out squad and team and freshen the club up.  We've appointed someone who we are hoping succeed because he's been here before and lives in Inverness.  It might work but it's disappointing.  If it turns out that he's been appointed because certain people are wanting to get more involved in the club again then that is worse, tbh.

Looking forward to hearing the logic behind this from the board, should be amusing.

Just now, tm4tj said:

I've no idea, but he was able to get us motivated enough before. Better than wasting any spare cash luring Sheerin here. 

We've had to pay compensation for Robertson, according to the reports.  He is a development coach at Hearts, under 17s though rather than under 20s for Sheerin.  

This is just utterly deflating.  Waiting around for weeks and we appoint someone who was good fourteen years ago, who hasn't had a job in five years, someone who hasn't had any success in football since leaving us.  Do the board not have any contact numbers for anyone other than former players or people they've heard of before?  

Hopefully we've got him on a month-to-month contract.  

Alistair Fraser tweeting that it's Robertson.

Foran re-appointed, lol.