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Dawn of a New Era

Big Dunc takes charge of his first game at Inverness with a visit to Gayfield to take on Dick Campbell's Arbroath. Kick-off is at 3:00 on Saturday with Inverness looking for a change in fortunes after a disasterous run of games saw Billy Dodds sacked after the defeat to Dundee United, with just one point from six League games and out of the League Cup and Challenge Cup. Success won't happen overnight and the Caley Jags fans might have to wait a bit for a turnaround in results, but it won't be for a lack of passion or enthusiasm for the game.

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Duncan Ferguson

Match/Ticket Info

Supporters Bus £20

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We hold a big advantage over Arbroath in the H2H's but it's tighter in the away fixture.

2 - 4 (A)

2 - 0 (H)

4 - 1 (A)

1 - 1 (H)

0 - 0 (A)

0 - 0 (A)

0 - 0 (H)

3 - 0 (H)

0 - 0 (A)

0 - 1 (H)

In our last Championship game at Arbroath - Smokies Smoked 4 - 1: Both clubs had big wins in the first games of 2023 and it was Inverness that continued in style with a 4-1 win at Gayfield. Billy Mckay, who scored a hat-trick last week, opened the scoring at the back post in the ninth minute but Ben El-Mhanni levelled fifteen minutes later when he slotted into the bottom corner. Jay Henderson put us ahead just before the break as he lifted a shot high into the net from inside the box. Twenty minutes into the second half Dan Mackay shot into the bottom corner to double our advantage. Substitute Lewis Nicolson concluded the scoring in the 86th minute with a header from sub Steven Boyd's cross. Great win on the road for the Caley Jags that moves us into sixth place in the table, eleven points behind table toppers Queens Park. Great start to 2023 for the Caley Jags with two big wins on the bounce.

Saturday 30th September

   Arbroath v Inverness CT

 Ayr United v Raith Rovers

Dundee Utd v Queen's Park

Morton v Airdrie  

Partick Thistle v Dunfermline  

Current Form

Inverness start a new era tomorrow after a winless start to their Championshp campaign. However, it's a clean slate with Big Dunc at the helm although he will still have the same tools to work with. Roddy MacGregor, Lewis Nicolson, and Sean Welsh have missed out over the last month and Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy were added to the injury list last time out. We did field a Caley Jags XI in the North of Scotland cup win over Rothes with Keith Bray getting the only goal of the game.`That side was a mix of youth and fringe players with three or four first team choices making up the side. Difficult to know what players Ferguson will be looking to, but I doubt it will be a massive shift from the Dodds era this early in his role. 

Caley Jags so far: L L L D L L 

Arbroath have got their act together after a poor start to their Championship. Three straight losses have been replaced by three straight wins. Their last game was an emphatic 3-0 win at Firhill. Jermaine Hylton scored either side of a strike from Thomas O'Brien to pull them up to third in the table.

Smokies so far: L L L W W W W 

Latest Team News:

If you thought the last regime were slow getting the news out. Well they are taking the p!ss now.

7:30 pm and no news in the media. What's that all about... As if by magic>>>

As we all now know, former Dundee United, Rangers, St Johnston and Livingston player Gary Bollan now confirmed as Duncan's assistant. He has managerial experience at these clubs:

Gary Bollan Stats >>>

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Livingston		14 August 2009	5 February 2012	108	62	22	24	57.41

Livingston: Scottish Third Division: 2009–10 Scottish Second Division: 2010–11

Forfar Athletic: Scottish League One play-offs: 2016–17

Cowdenbeath: Scottish League Two play-offs: 2017–18

9: GOAL! ICTFC take the lead through Keith Bray after a good move from the Caley Jags!

22' | 0-1 Davidson's cross finds Lodovica in the box but his header is tipped onto the bar.

HALF TIME: Rothes 0-1 ICTFC

Big Dunc at Mackessack Park tonight

HT Subs: Calum MacKay and Leo Walker on, Jake Davidson and Austin Samuels off

68' | 0-1 Good play from Keith Bray as he cuts inside and shoots but his effort is tipped over the bar and behind.

ICTFC Sub: Calum MacLeod on, Zak Delaney off.

84' | ICTFC Sub: Shae Keogh on, Harry Lodovica off.

"It is fantastic. A lovely part of the world but we’re here to get results, not just look at the scenery."

Duncan Ferguson on the ‘great ambition’ that saw him take over at Caley Thistle and his hopes for the season ahead pic.twitter.com/jxy32f9MW9

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) September 26, 2023

At least he will put some fight into the team............ just sayin

The Courier have missed the point. The fans want Gardiner out. The disconnect, as frustrating as it is, is just a smokescreen.

Dodds in!

Updated table after last night when Ayr United humped Queens Park 2-5 

The Post Dodds Era Kicks-Off

Life without Billy Dodds starts on Saturday, and it couldn't be tougher with Champions elect Dundee United visiting the Caledonian Stadium for a 3:00pm Cinch Championship encounter to round off a week of turmoil down the Longman. It was a no brainer really. The Board terminated the contract of Billy Dodds, and by association, Barry Wilson was struck off as well. No wins in our opening five games and only one point from fifteen had Inverness languishing at the foot of the table on our own. DoddsBall was in full swing. It was a sacking in the making after Dodds got a stay of execution with a Cup Final against Celtic at the end of last season. The big mystery was why was Dodds given a two year extension and who rubber-stamped his contract? The other mystery is where does John Robertson's loyalties lie and who pays his wages as he is more often than not seen at the Global Energy Stadium in Dingwall? Two down and more to go is the current theme coming from the support, so who is next?

John Robertson and Charlie Christie will oversee this fixture on Saturday and until a new managemnt team is appointed.

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Billy Dodds & Barry Wilson

Match/Ticket Info

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United do have the edge over us but we have had our moments. A 4 - 0 thrashing of United at Tannadice in 2010 will live long in the memory banks. 

1 - 2 (A)

0 - 3 (H)

1 - 4 (A)

0 - 3 (A)

0 - 1 (H)

0 - 2 (H)

2 - 1 (A)

0 - 1 (A)

1 - 1 (H)

1 - 1 (A)

The last meeting between the sides at the Caledonian Stadium was in November 2019 and the home fans were left scunnered in a 0 - 3 defeat.

SCUNNERED:  Dundee United cruised to victory in the Highlands as disparity on the park mirrored that off the park. United were worthy winners as Inverness struggled to find any momentum and it was left to desperation and Mark Ridgers to keep the score down. Shaun Rooney deflected a forced Paul McMullan cross/shot into the net. A reaction save from Siegrist blocked a James Keatings effort before the break but that was as good as it got for the hosts. Nicky Clark stroked in the second as we unravelled and a cheap penalty saw Lawrence Shankland complete the scoring, but not the agony as we failed to trouble the United keeper with a series of fluffed attempts whilst United looked more likely to increase their lead.
A poor day at the office that had the home fans shaking heads long before the end as we lose ground on the three teams above us.

       Friday 22nd September

1.  Queen's Pk 2-5 Ayr United   

         Saturday 23rd September

1.   Airdrie v Raith Rvrs
2.   Dunfermline v Morton             
3.  Inverness v Dundee Utd
4.  Partick v Arbroath

Last Time Out

We didn't know it at the time, but It turned out to be Billy Dodds last game in charge. Ironically, it happened to be our best performance of the season. However, the result remained the same, and we lost a 23 year unbeaten record to Raith Rovers who find themselves top of the league ahead of this weekends fixtures. An aesthetically pleasing first half gave way to a less impressive second forty-five before we succumbed to a late sucker punch when Jamie Gullan hammered home after a defensive lapse. Hard one to take but that's what happens when you're down. 

Championship form so far: L L L D L  One Point from fifteen

The Arabs are everyones favourites for the title, but they dropped two points last week when Morton came back to earn a point shortly after Mathew Cudjoe had been sent off. Robbie Muirhead capitalised on a defensive error on the hour after Louis Moult had given United a first half lead with his fifth strike of the season.

Championship form so far:  W D W W D  Eleven Points from fifteen

Latest Team News

The Robertson/Christie combo will be without MacGregor, Nicolson and Welsh who have been out for a few weeks and nothing has changed there. Wallace Duffy is still a doubt. However, we are in limbo, therefore who knows if Robbo and Charlie will rock the boat too much. It's a difficult enough task to pick up a team low on confidence, even moreso when the title favourites come calling. Harry Lodovica will be available for selection after his red card at Arbroath.

Dundee United (Manager Jim Goodwin)

In: Declan Gallagher, defender (St Mirren); Louis Moult, forward (Burton Albion); Ross Docherty, midfielder (Partick Thistle); Kevin Holt, defender (Partick Thistle); Liam Grimshaw, midfielder (Morton). Loan in: Jordan Tillson, midfielder (Ross County); Jack Walton, goalkeeper (Luton); Oliver Denham, defender (Cardiff City).

Out: A number of players were deemed surplus to requirements at Tannadice as United up their game in their bid to bounce back into the Premiership. Charlie Mulgrew retired and the exprienced Steven Fletcher and Peter Pawlett are away amongst others.

Louis Moult is a proven goascorer and will need close attention. Glen Middleton is a handful as well and an able provider. To be fair, as expected, United appear to have the strongest squad on paper in the Championship.

Middleton   Watt (Fotheringham 68)  Anim Cudjoe (58)

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Don't forget, there's still an open meeting at the Innes Bar to discuss our current plight amongst other things.

Dodds no more. But there's still Gardiner, Robertson and more to discuss.

Come along and have your say.

Innes Bar (Beer Garden)

61 Innes Street

Inverness

IV1 1NR

TIME: 12:00-2:15

I'm in the deflected camp here. Sack the fall guy's and hope we can keep our jobs....

What do the trust make of this???

Need more to follow...

Dodds Sacked

Club Statement

It is with much regret that the club has taken the decision to terminate the contracts of Head Coach Billy Dodds and his Assistant Manager Barry Wilson with immediate effect. 

Assistant Manager Barry Wilson is a club legend and he has more than ably served the club as player and coach. His many years here as both, and the respect with which he has been held, shows our appreciation of his service.

Sometimes in football we have to make difficult decisions and both of the decisions outlined above fall very hard into that category. 

Sporting Director John Robertson and Academy Director Charlie Christie will take charge of the team in the interim period while we endeavour to find a new Head Coach in short order and applications will be accepted at footballdept@ictfc.co.uk

To be honest, it's not difficult to see why this has happened. Over the last ten games played we have only beaten Inverness Clachnacuddin in the Inverness Cup Final. So that leaves eight defeats and a solitary draw. Here's the reasons below. But should other heads roll as well? Billy was short changed on the park, and off the park we have been a shambles.

18th	7:45:PM	Dumbarton (A)	League Cup (Group E)		1 - 2	505
25th	7:45:PM	Airdrieonians (H)	League Cup (Group E)		2 - 3	1,115
30th	3:00:PM	Dundee (A)	League Cup (Group E)		0 - 1	2,337

5th	3:00:PM	Queens Park (H)	League (Champ)		1 - 2	2,030
12th	3:00:PM	Ayr United (A)	League (Champ)		0 - 1	1,989
22nd	7:30:PM	Clachnacuddin (A)	Inverness Cup (Final)		4 - 1	500ish
26th	3:00:PM	Airdrieonians (A)	League (Champ)		1 - 2	1,688

2nd	3:00:PM	Dunfermline (H)	League (Champ)		1 - 1	2,388
9th	3:00:PM	Arbroath (A)	Trust Trophy Rnd3)		2 - 4	780
16th	3:00:PM	Raith Rovers (A)	League (Champ)		0 - 1	2,846

From the outside looking in, some are wondering why we have sacked such a successful manager? Well, closer inspection will reveal more. He's an affable sort of guy. However, it's been the 'jobs for the boys' 2 year contract that has stuck in most peoples throats. That in itself is not down to Dodds. After all, who would turn that down after a couple of mediocre seasons where we have failed to get promoted and only made the Scottish Cup final by default after Queens Park messed up. All that did was paper over the cracks! We went on massive winless runs over the last two seasons that almost gave the impression the remit was to not get promoted as we are not ready for it. The style of football has been likened to our worst ever hoofball or Doddsball as it has now become known as. Excuses have been piling up and many fans have openly said they won't be back unless there is a total clearout. Well it looks like the root causes of this have removed Billy and Barry (a club legend sacked by association) to deflect from their own inability to run the club. Failed ventures (Inverness Caley Thistle Concert Company Ltd), broken promises (communication), where's Wally Robbo (invariably Dingwall), what does our CEO do and who or what is our SLO.  Communication with the support has never been so poor, it's almost as if we have become an inconveniance. Lack of quality on and off the pitch. From the fans point of view it appears that we are paying hefty wages and get little in return for this. Who on earth thought it was a great idea to release an orange away strip on July 12th? Surely we don't have sectarian bigots running our club? I'd like to think we are above all this nonsense, however many believe this is what we have become under the present regime. 

What's the answer? It's time for a total revamp before we plunge into that abyss from which it's very difficult to emerge from and obscurity beckons. Hopefully this is just the start...

Let's get back to being the family club we once were and made us all proud.

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Hit with plenty power from 15 yards. Our efforts were less powerful and from ten yards further out.

Meh!

The only good thing to come out of this is that Raith now know that we are far superior to them. Could easily have been 3 or 4 ahead at the break. Dabrowski was MotM for a string of saves in the first half. However, despite our defence picking them off easily, we conceded a late goal and the rest is history 

Under 18s Team v Elgin City in tonight’s Scottish Youth Cup 2nd Round

As noted in the preview, the u18's are at Elgin tonight

HT: Elgin City U18s 0-4 ICTFC U18s

Ben Meacher with a first half hat-trick

 and Hashem Alsharaydeh with the goals at the break

 Low strike from Shae Keogh from the edge of the box makes it 5-0!

 Ben Meacher makes it 6 with his fourth of the game! (68)

 Seventh Heaven with 5 mins left. Kenzie Harkness with the goal.

 Ben Gardiner makes it 8-0 with a great finish!

Full Time 0-8