davie

The intellectual rights can be sold. History and honours funded by money they didn't have can't be. Also, as the oldco was "The Rangers Football Club" there are rules that prevent any newco from implying connection by using a name that is similar (apart from reasons of geography) Leeds were ok, so were Middlesborough but no Glasgow in the same so, without leave of the Court, sorry. There are also rumours abounding that Sky have privately given "comfort" to SPL clubs that they will not ditch the tv deal. There are also real reasons as to why others (including the liquidators) might not let Mr. Green buy the club with loaned money and so any newco may not be formed for ages. tick, tock, tick, tock.........boom!

I despair. I really do.

I'm laughing.Why do these ex-players all "have a point to prove against us?" They have simply moved on to another employer in what is, after all, a job. It's us that have the emotional investment by and large. I know what my emotions are after Tokely signing for the one club he said he'd never go to. If he is to be deployed against us next year as Mr. Angry, I look forward to his utter lack of pace (which was increasingly exposed last season) being shown up by Doran etc and resulting in the inevitable red card. Teamed with Boyd and Munro, they will have the most pedestrian back line in history and if Tokely has done this in answer to the personality disordered behaviour of ICT's management, I wonder how he'll deal with the truly deluded at the caravan park. I'd say bring it on Ross. Really.

No it's not. As Luke says, there are points that need to be addressed, but it isn't all gloom. Doncaster rightly says that this is one of the best supported leagues going (by percentage of total capita) and there is evidence that Mark Wotte's part in McLeish's initiatives is beginning to show fruit. Football sufffers from a lack of uptake at grass roots level, but there is improvement there too. What is wrong is a slavish reliance on an outdated financial model that is perpetuated by two clibs. Sort that and we might get somewhere.

Oh dear, did he have the temerity to disagree with you? As a summary of all of the viewpoints on this forum, I reckon starchief's encompassed things just about perfectly. Don't see anywhere that he's claimed ownership of all of these points of view, just reflected them. Bitter? how? Tell you what mate, rather than be narcissistic enough to claim all knowledge and rail against any opposing point of view, he's just thrown a pail of your own p*sh straight back at you. Never mind, you should be magnanimous enough to deal with it.

No. Why should they? This is a matter between Hayes, his agent and whatever potential employer he has identified. The only statement that I would expect from ICT is if he decides to sign a contract with us.

It musn't happen, and this is why. ICT have already reduced the playing staff budget for next season and have recent experience of making draconian savings as required (when relegated to SFL Division 1 in 2009)There is nothing in the public domain to suggest that this could not be done again if required, and nothing to suggest it would be required. St. Johnstone, Dundee United and Hibernian have likewise all survived that journey. According to received wisdom, this position of cost cutting would be mirrored at every other SPL club except Celtic and so would not place ICT at any further sporting disadvantage. Indeed, Inverness could well be better off than most clubs, given that gate receipts lost from a defunct or relegated to SFL Division 3 Rangers would be compensated for by the addition of local derby income from Ross County’s promotion to the SPL. Last season, Rangers accounted for gates at TCS of: 13.08.11 6,623 26.02.21 6,046 In 2009-10 Season, Ross County games accounted for gates at TCS of: 29.08.09 5,846 30.03.10 5,411 There is no reason that the difference of less than a thousand customers in both cases cannot be made up by the added attraction of the fact that the next round of matches will be in the SPL. There is an added draw in that fans (especially those with families) may be more willing to patronise SPL matches without the rancour and sectarianism displayed by Rangers and Celtic. We need those families to ensure that more kids playing football in Inverness wear ICT shirts, not blue or green ones. We have nothing to fear. The deciding factor for most clubs is the fear that broadcasting rights money from Sky and ESPN will be reduced or withheld because of reduced exposure in the event of the SPL breaching contract to show a minimum number of old firm games per season. This is extremely unlikely for several reasons: ESPN and Sky operating models are based on subscription uptake, not viewing figures. The SPL is such a small part of their overall operation that a fall in viewer numbers will have no impact upon them. The only channels that will suffer are Celtic and Rangers PPV channels. There is no doubt that the first SPL north derby will be an SPL/ Sky broadcast and nothing to suggest that Sky/ESPN income would reduce, and certainly no definitive statement to that effect from the broadcasters. It remains a fear – nothing more than that – that is illogical but powerful until challenged, when it crumbles. There are Leagues aplenty in Europe that are broadcast where one club is seen to rule the roost (even on a temporary basis) Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria are cases in point. We have nothing to fear. All sport is based upon integrity, and any club that disregards this should be punished. Rangers have effectively boosted their playing performance for years by employing people of a standard that they could not afford and subsidising that standard by illegally withholding PAYE and disguising this by issuing double contracts and EBT’s. In effect, this is no better than doping to artificially raise physical standards whilst cheating the regulators to disguise the fact. Not paying tax and using the funds to purchase players like Jelavic from Vienna with no intention of paying in full is cheating. Material difference to games? – he scored against us when he should not have been purchased, never mind been on the field. It is, on every level from a moral to a legal one, wrong. This is a club that has lost it's moral compass completely. There is a further perception that the SPL product would be lessened in its appeal if Rangers were not part of it. This is demonstrably untrue. The removal of one half of a virtual duopoly within the SPL would simply serve to open the League up to more meaningful challenges to the sole part left – Celtic. This season has shown all of our clubs what can be achieved with a level playing field – Motherwell in the Champions League and St. Johnstone in the EUFA league. How can experience like this fail to bring standards up? How can the chance of achieving European status fail to make the League more worthwhile to compete in? How can that chance fail to attract players to our League? If, at some time a Newco Rangers regain SPL status and do so under fair means they should be afforded their place at the European table rightfully and not by default. We have nothing to fear. There seems to be a widespread opinion that Rangers have suffered enough because of the sanctions applied against them already. This is ridiculous – they have committed acts that are at best unsporting and at worst criminally illegal and are unparalleled in Scottish football. They have cheated on a grand scale for years as the previous and present owner have mired them in financial shame. Those within the “institution” who could have and should have whistle blown did nothing. It is clear that Rangers have infringed multiple rules and therefore warrant multiple punishments. The Newco is Rangers and must inherit it's shame. This is how the fans feel. There is no illogical bloodlust to see a wounded Rangers further bleed. There is simply an overriding wish to see right done, and that right exercised by Chairmen next week despite the machinations of the SPL and the Old Firm. There is nothing to fear.

What "miscommunication"? the lad's been released. it happens at every football club in the land without hand wringing knicker wetters like you bleating on about misery. Get a life.

Esson was injured.

Not quite sure what I need to elaborate on? We (ICTFC) are an absolute joke (not very good at football). It's pretty self-explanitory. On a side note, not only are we an absolute joke on the field but we are a joke off it as well. The management team is a joke, the "coaching" is a joke, the Board of Directors are a joke. Just cause we get beat, everyone in the club is a joke. Can't see the logic behind that one. On a side note, not only are we an absolute joke on the field but we are a joke off it as well. The management team is a joke, the "coaching" is a joke, the Board of Directors are a joke.] No Jay, you are the joke. It's no disgrace to lose 4-3 to a side who are pretty much on a par with us, and who have won a cup this year against the runaway league leaders. To have run it close when we are down to 10 men isn't a joke either. You are entitled to your (as far as I can see) jaundiced view about the management team, but I fail to see how you can rubbish the Board in the same sentence (the same board who are trying to get funding to improve this side) Face facts here; we are probably about the tenth best supported side in Scotland. We live in an area that finds it difficult to attract talent and we have probably the smallest budget in the SPL. Our local patch for finding football talent is limited to say the least. And yet, for failing to live up to your unstated expectations, we are a joke. Were you at the game today? Were you shouting your head off about what you see wrong with this club to those that you blame? Were you going ballistic when we scored? Thought not. Tell you what, get off your arse and support this team on wednesday and next week, and bring Smee and the rest of these never pleased/ never will be pleased moaners with you. No excuses, no whining, just do it. Then I might just have some respect for your point of view, however condescending, twattish and juvenile you might seem when you put it across. And if you can't, you lost whatever moral authority you might have deluded yourself that you have and you can look forward to choruses of telling you to quite simply shut it. And, for what it's worth, I hate when we lose.

I pity the fools respect the brave souls who are travelling so far to cheer the team at a time when the team is giving us so little to cheer about. Hopefully the journey long home will eased by confirmation that relegation has officially been avoided. Nae wonder people don't bother. as my mum used to say "if you've nothing good to say, it's good to say nothing" In your case, rather more than good.

There were some c*unty fans just below us in the main stand (including one peculiar cross dresser (!) :0 who looked like they were heading for a lecture on safe animal "husbandry". All bad shirts and flat caps. They gave Rosscoe his usual pelters, and I asked one if it had made his day when Tokes scored. He looked like a bulldog chewing a wasp when he was told to get used to it for next year.

It's a curious thread this. I don't know if I'd turn up for the party for a couple of ex-employees who I'd decided to "let go" and endured the backlash from customers outwith the business who have decided that it's their business to opine about it because the buy the product and liked those two employees. Butcher was graceful enough at the testimonial dinner etc. time, could well have felt that the game was just dragging this out. Who knows?

This really is a crisis of our times where a large corporate body is allowed to behave with financial recklessness and when the whole rotten structure crashes, it is bailed out by less powerful people because the consequences of failure are too horrible to contemplate. Think RBS, think Greece, think Northern Rock. In all of these cases, the institutions themselves have emerged only slightly (if at all) altered, and the people who presided over the mess have largely gone unpunished. They think it's clever that what they did was just the right side of fraud and so they celebrate that rather than be shamed by the fact that their actions have brought worry and misery to those who have suffered in their wake. If you think that's melodramatic, remember that Dunfermline couldn't pay their players when Rangers didn't honour their obligations. And yet we are led to believe that a 10 point deduction for a couple of years is enough of a punishment for this? Let's try the same with ICT then - live above our means, mortgage the family silver to the hilt, get liquidated and then see what happens. A 10 point deduction? I don't think so, we'd be thrown to the dogs because we are small enough not to be able to fight back. Unedifying but that's how bullies like Rangers behave and that's why, even now, they bleat about the injustice of a deduction for any newco and of the timing of the debate. It's all so wrong, and the media go along with it to sell their wares on the back of it. Of course they can't go to division 3 because the SPL and SFL are seperate entities - what fine chance. Tell you what Rangers, how's about the humility to say that you have acted apallingly, are sorry and you want to change by making your relationship with the rest of scottish football a more mutually beneficial one? Do that and we might reconcile ourselves to giving you the chance, but the moral compass of the SPL/ OF / Scottish media is so fecked that there is more chance of County winning the SPL next year. They will simply revert to trying to railroad us again, but the time has come to say no and I hope our Chairman will say so. No change, no chance.

As the OP says, they deserve credit where it's due. Winning that division is no easy feat (as we know) but they are about to find that staying out of it is a whole lot harder. I'm personally rubbin ma wee hands at the prospect of winding up the gadgies in the mallard before skelping them at Viccy Park. I'm looking forward to seeing how the OF react to Dingwall, Wimpy and all. I'm looking forward to seeing if they upgrade the "vengabus" (rich club solution that one) I'm looking forward to going to an away game that doesn't involve a hundred miles minimum on a bus to some identikit central belt sh*tehole. I'm looking forward to increased income for ICT and increased interest (even of the curiosity kind) from Sky.What's not to like?

Good luck to him. Hope he signs half of C*unty before he raids us though.

No rainbows there son, just a hard fought draw against a good side on their own turf. We could have been three up by half time, but the perennial problem of putting the ball in the net struck again. Hayes? I don't know how much more he could have done. Foran brought a great save from the keeper and there were other chances. McKay ran his heart out again, and knocked down a lot of second balls for others. Shinnie was excellent in his advanced role and Tuffey was good when called upon. Rosscoe, I suppose, redeemed himself and to be honest there were few signs of any narciccistic behaviour from anyone today, no attention seeking at all really apart from maybe one previous poster on here who wants to get off his backside and get to some games instead of constant sniping from across the roman wall. tiresome. edited.spelling.again.

This is like some sort of demented kindergarten in here. Do we all actually support the same team or not? There are so many agendas on the go it's unbelievable (happy clappers - what un utterly demeaning thing to refer to your fellow ICT fans as- sweetie rustlers and the utterly, terminally negative and not one of you seems to have the good grace to acknowledge, let alone accept an alternative point of view. Wednesday night was a massive disappointment but for the life of me I can't see where the disaster comes into it given that we were beaten (just) by a team in fourth place that could concievably challenge for a champions league place! Aye, there were some long balls but there was also a great deal of passing going on that even Rob MacLean commented on. Both, by the way, were equally derided in the main stand by the proponents of each style. We could (should?) have scored a couple of goals in that first half and I don't really see where St. Johnstone could have pulled that back from. Does that make them worse than we thought, or us worse than we thought? I really don't know.What is evident to me is that this club is in the throes of fundamental change for an awful lot of reasons, and those will inevitably mean that we have to cast our net wider to attract the calibre of player that will keep us in the SPL. We won't find them all in the Highland League and we won't always get it right, but what I won't ever understand is the carping on here that players don't understand the "Caley Thistle spirit" (whatever that is in reality) and don't try, because they have been brought in from elsewhere. It sometimes seems that Rosscoe and Shane Sutherland sometimes only have to turn up to be lauded. That's not "spirit" it's parochialism.The closest and only thing I've seen to that lack of spirit was Gnapka a couple of games ago and he rightly suffered for it. The others that sadly lack a mitigating highland upbringing show professional pride whenever I've watched them. Others might regard our injury situation this year a a smokescreen but I fail, utterly, to see how we could have remained unaffected by the loss of Hayes, Doran, Andrew Shinnie, OTJ and Hogg. That's half a first pick outfield side! I'm no "happy clapper" but I am prepared to engage with the management, listen and try to see where they are going, as long as it's not Div. 1. I am far from convinced that they have worked it through tactically but If they were as inept as some on here would suggest, I reckon the Board might have something to say, because Div 1 is where we would be. In truth, one of the worst aspects of Wednesday night was the utter lack of support from the home fans. It was funereal from the off. How's about (and this is aimed at some on this thread) actually getting off your backside and supporting your team. Starting Sunday, because they sure as hell need you.

Yup.... if County win next Saturday and Dundee don't County are champions. And I would imagine the ICT "squeaky bum" squad are also much reassured by their cushion now extended to 11 points with a game in hand? Charles, I fear that some bums are simply unsqueakable. If people don't believe that we are now safe and looking to next season, they are simply so tightly clenched that reality is no longer registering. I'm looking forward to the derbies already.

What game did you watch? Ugly win? The passing in the first half was excellent, pressed them high up the park and actually played them off it! Tade ran himself into the ground as an integral part of that high pressing game and Sutherland had one of his best games of the season in that "ok" midfield. After Meekings was sent off it was always going to be wagons in a circle time and we dropped off. that's why the midfield looked lost - they were defending. I know you can't please all the people all of the time, but c'mon. edited for spelling

This isn't the season we went down though, and we have been grafting. As Alex said, we could and should be scoring more, that's all. Don't mean to be picky, but since when were we in "the shadow of our neighbours"? We are a league above them, staying there and can only improve next year. They, I shouldn't need to remind any ICT fan, have never been there. Fill yer cup up a bit man!

Explain. please.

Seriously? Did you watch that game? we bludgeoned Kilmarnock and only some great goalkeeping by Cammy bell kept it that way. We created a hatful of chances and took only one, so by deduction our biggest problem (although not our only one) is lack of a proven goalscorer. Given that we can't afford/sign/identify one right now, what can be done? Do you not think that butcher will be all over the place in the summer trying to find one? I do. So not bother next year on that basis - I think you might be cutting off yer proverbial nose to spite your proverbial face.

In order to blow it county would need to lose at least 5 of their last 10 fixtures and they're on a 22/23 unbeaten run. Place money on that if you dare. Id ask Dundee fans about that one....

Grant Munro was a central defender who's lack of imagination and skill ( I remeber all the complaints on here about "hoofball") allied to decreasing pace meant that he was no longer fit for purpose. He hastened his own demise by publicly and repeadedly not buying into his bosses future vision.That he has gained another year of a career in a lower division is a good thing, but that's as far as it goes. He'll get enough congratulations in Dingwall without ours.