davie

I wanted to keep this bit separate. I would be appalled if individuals were named on this forum or their pictures published on it without their knowledge or permission. That is vigilanteism, pure and simple and should not have a home here. If vitriol is unacceptable from ant fan of whatever team, they should be asked to desist/ pointed out to security with a demand that action is taken/ reported to the police (in that order) It's their job to deal with these things, not the denizens of an internet forum.

Hold on, surely the OP is fully entitled to their view on the subject and others are entitled to their own and disagree? Not sure what you men by 'turn the tables' or 'mob rule' The mob rule I see on the thread seems to be trial by forum where people are suggesting photos and or videos of people who presumably have not given their permission to be posted here. In all seriousness I was just in front of the person(s) being discussed and while the comments directed at Imrie were particularly vociferous and frequent, it's nothing I haven't heard directed at him before. The people who I believe were upset were possibly 3/4 rows in front of me and although it was busier than normal there was still seats near the front that they could have moved to imo. I sometimes take my 3 year old to games and when she's with me I stay a fair distance from the 'singing section' when I don't have her, which is majority of the time I like to be closer by, while not directly in among it. Perhaps we should have a poll on here to clarify what language is OK, what context it is OK to say in and what frequency of language is OK, I said the same to my Twitter cronies. The weird animal noises did irritate the hell out of me though. At least the OP was there unlike an awful lot of folk voicing opinions without seeing it for themselves? However as this is a forum I thought the point was that folk could voice their opinions? Which means we all can have our say? Taking a step back now tbh. Back to my Twitter cronies where folk can be grown up and disagree. This forum is not for moderators to impose "getting back to morality". It is what it says - a forum for the expression of opinions about which agreement is optional. It's not "mob rule" when people disagree, it's democracy. I'm not beyond a "colourful" rant at the football, but I am mindful of those around me and if we ever asked to zip it, I would. The bit about "twitter cronies" if frankly beneath you Manfer.

It's not naive or short-sighted Roughie (it's me who dismissed all of them), it's recognition that Ross County are currently very, very poor. Boyce is a player whose lack of ability and poor first touch would make him of no use to us. The fact that he can't command a starting place in the league's bottom team says a lot to me, at least. Cardle has not realised his potential at any club he's been at and is an english lower league player of the type that Marsalla probably looked at and thought nah. I can't see how they would improve our squad. In the current County side, there isn't a single player of the calibre of Cowie or Rankin (for instance) Even if the players that Renegade mentions leave the club in the summer, I'd like to think that the (currently) third best side in the country would replace them with better than those of a side (currently) plummeting to the division below.

At the moment, County don't have a single player who is of sufficient quality to command a place in our team.

Sorry to get into this DD, but having spoken to Yogi after almost every game of his tenure thus far, he hasn't changed his philosophy one jot. It's simple - if we keep the ball the opposition can't hurt us. It's also pretty effective, we've scored a lot of second half goals as teams tire after being moved around so much. Under TB, we would increasingly put long diagonal balls into the channels for crosses but there were times when it really didn't work. Now, that ball is played into those channels effectively. In terms of change from TB to JH, the transition was quite painful as the style of game was changed radically - hence that "slump" at the end of last season. The first bit of that was to teach players that they were good enough to play this type of game ( and not hang them out to dry for their mistakes) and then get them to do it. They never had that type of approach under TB. Look at Hughes's interviews and see how often he uses terms like "teach" "educate" "learn" What you are seeing now is a group who have outgrown TB's legacy and surpassed it with some ease. This is due to Hughes & Latapy. Please bear in mind that the players you refer to were identified in England's lower leagues by Steve Marsalla for their low price and potential and it's under Hughes that they are realising it and increasing their value. This is no more Butcher's team than anyone else's - it's Caley Thistle's team but it's Hughes that is taking it forward.

And, if you had been in the town centre yesterday afternoon you might well have been "well leafleted" although I'm not sure about the well.....

Caley D and DD are right in their approach to 3/4G surfaces. The potential income aside, you have a pitch which instantly runs straight AND true. Unaffected by weather and useable 24/7 it rapidly becomes a no brainer to play on that type of pitch. As for injuries, Sneckboy has pointed out that new artificial turf surfaces don't burn or abrade in the same way as astroturf did, nor do they cause the same amount of ligament injuries that they did. the new 3/4G surfaces are installed over a shock pad ( a giant rubber shock absorber) designed to supply a certain amount of "give" without being spongy. Best of all worlds really.

This is true. I've even been to Celtic Park and sung "is this a library?" when there were an alleged 40 odd thousand in the ground. I wonder if this is a malaise that is solely confined to football or is it part of a shift to a much more homogenised society where vocalising support is frowned upon. It seems so. The football fans traditional lexicon has been limited by fears of offending someone (anyone), banner waving politicised and frowned upon, singing subject to unworkable and discriminatory laws. The power of fans to challenge this is limited by the fact that they have been demonised for years by a London and Edinburgh elite who make the laws and are far more interested in rugby. Any objection is drowned by them. This isn't the case in bundesliga. Most of their teams are located (there will be exceptions to this, like Hoffenheim or Paderborn but bear with me) in high population density areas where local identity is an ingrained and classless tradition - and celebrating it is encouraged. There's precious little space between moenchengladbach and dusseldorf, but their fans have a very different identity and there's lots more of them so you can't compare that to any SPFL fixture. Perhaps we're not vocally poor, we're vocally different. I'm not expecting a great crowd today (I hope I'm wrong) but I'll enjoy it just the same and I'm looking for a good home win to start 2015 with a bang.

What a spectacularly poor post. There is categorically no "uncomfortable truth" with our crowds. There were 6614 at the game, of which 3052 were Aberdeen fans. That means that 3562 people made the effort to be there and support their team, a fact that delights me. The club were so grateful for the support at dingwall that they released a statement thanking the fans who made the trip. The assertion that there are some people only go to games against county is frankly ridiculous. If it's not, please give me some evidence and I'll target these people as the ones we need to get along to TCS regularly and make the noise that you snipe about. It is difficult sometimes to create a vast amount of noise in such an open stadium but I don't think that it makes the people who turn up, pay their money and support the club and less than valued. What does make it difficult is the constant carping about how poor our support is from people who ought to know better. So do us a favour DD and give it a rest for a wee while eh? You've made your point.

This is just a wee reminder that the supporters represent the good name of the club and the city tomorrow. There has been a bit of worryingly aggressive "banter" on twitter over the last day or so (which most people on here will be unaware of) and whilst CJT or me can't tell people how to behave please remember a couple of things; don't go on to the pitch under any circumstances. No "pyro" or other banned articles (County have a list attached to each gate) and please, no aggression to other supporters. We have an away support that has a great reputation as a noisy, colourful and passionate bunch and we've worked really hard for that over the years. Let's keep it that way and enjoy our new year the way that only we can. Cheers.

scarlet, I think sometimes its difficult for John to give the composed and rational explanation you are looking for 5 minutes after the end of the match. If it sounds like he's still composing his thoughts, that's because he is. This is especially true of the BBC interviews, which can be quite adversarial. The you tube ones are better (I would say that) because he's generally chilled a bit by then and knows we aren't just after a bit of controversy. His analysis on the game there is quite clear.

Partick Thistle was an abberation. Our entire defence decided to have a day off. St. Johnstone was the result of one very poor decision by the match official and yesterday was decided on one defensive mistake from our most combative full back . There's no doubt that we miss Draper in the midfield when he's not there and that merely highlights the smallness of our first team squad, and the fact that it has to perform at 100% week after week. Even with that, we are competing well for a european spot with half the season gone. Can we reasonably expect more? We are creating chances, but not scoring and it may be that we need to strengthen with a different type of player to Mckay to bring about that much vaunted "plan B" that people have sought since Butcher was here. Even at that, there is the problem of finding enough money with the crowds that we have to fund that kind of purchase. We will have ups and downs, perhaps we need to learn to live with that. Grim? look at County. They have more money (they tell us) a bigger squad (they tell us) and more fans (they tell us) and where are they? Now that's grim.

Well I suppose I could say that a 1-0 defeat away from home against a well established Premier outfit and at a bit of a bogey ground is an improvement in some respect !! I have had a couple of brief chats with two peeple who were in attendance - what are the comments of others ? When we do not have a fully fit Watkins to rely on we are a one dimensional attacking force - that being wee Billy on his own which clearly does not work. Doran is a "luxury" as he flits in and out of games. Christie is getting increasingly more frustrated, trying to be involved more than he should do and is he being played in the wrong position ? The back pass philosophy should be axed. Brill is a fine stopper and hard to beat but he is Not the most nimblest and best balanced. Are we returning to possession first football in a reaction to recent results and performances. Why does our self confidence begin to drain at this time of the season ? Johndo, we we actually pretty good yesterday. Some of the posts on here by people who weren't at the game might have been better considered. Christie does fade in and out of the game (equally to or maybe slightly more than Doran) and sometimes struggles with his decision making but he's still a bairn. It's to be expected. The back pass that led to the penalty was the only option he had as his forward options were covered. He just underhit it, that's all. Remember the unbeaten run that St. Johnstone are on and this was always going to be a game that could go either way. To win, they needed a massive help from the ref. 0-0 would have steadied our ship, and been a far fairer reflection on things, but really there's no need for panic and to those who are - go and support County. Then you would really have something to panic about (for the avoidance of doubt etc.)

I've seen replays of both incidents, and both are called wrongly by Mr. Colvin. At the penalty, Graham doesn't start going down until he's beyond Brill and according to the keeper he didn't initially protest because he thought he was going to book Graham for the dive. The Draper sending off is laughable. He collects the ball, makes the pass and the Saints player comes through on him because he can't stop in time. Draper turns sideways and the player collides with him. Draper's hands are down by his sides, but the referee said after the game that he sent Draper off for violent conduct. The real reason he sent him off is that he was surrounded by St. Johnstone players shouting for blood. I can't disagree with the above post enough. Ryan Christie was far from the only player who wanted the ball and for the life of me I can't see what was complacent or lacking confidence today. At no point did St. Johnstone look like they were going to score from open play, we dominated posession and might have been luckier with Raven's effort that hit the post. The reason we lost was purely down to two decisions of dreadful officiating. Just watch the highlights on Alba and make your own mind up.

Can we please stop labelling anyone who disagrees with our point of view, whatever that may be? It's disingenuous and carping. Saturday was a bad day, nothing more. The reason that Saturday happened was that the majority of our players didn't play to their potential, and that will undoubtably happen occasionally over the course of a season with a small squad. Partick did play a game that was designed to disrupt us, and if you listened to the manager's post match comments you might realise that was something he was expressly intending to address.

This happened to his team when he was in change at Hibs. Enough of this rubbish already.

Aye. I can't speak for Big Don, but I only appreciate the words "strength" and "conditioned" if they are preceded by the word "cask" This would be my core message to the team.

Pace of the game was a bit slower, mainly because Dundee had to overload the midfield to snuff us out. That and the fact that it was really windy out on what was a pretty scabby looking lumpy pitch. We did really well to win this one. It seems Ryan Christie got booked for leaving the field of play whilst celebrating. Presumably Mr. Collum didn't see how greasy that area of the pitch was and if Ryan had tried to stop or turn he would have been on his *rse in double quick time. Never fear.

The original topic on this thread was about doing something to address dwindling spectator numbers in Inverness, which then diverged into an argument about the suitability of the stadium and what a fairly beleagured ICTFC could or should do about it. Back on track, CB is right that football is now existing in an era of increased competition for peoples leisure time and what austerity ravaged money they have left after paying the bills. They can watch 5 channels of Sky Sports, ESPN, 2 channels of BT sport, occasional BBC and ITV coverage, 2 channels of Eurosport and other subscription channels like premier sports. Those are just the channels that cover football (even if only occasionally) Cast that net out into other sports and you have perfectly valid reasons as to why people might want to watch and play rugby, cricket, american football etc. They don't need to be told that football has a right to primacy over them because its the "national game". Shinty has the advantage of having a politically popular cultural association with gaelic language, and BBC Alba with SPFL coverage can be added on that basis to the above list (even if you can't understand the commentary) It's little wonder that football is haemmorhaging fans, and ICTFC are just a tiny part of that. The game and attendance at it needs sold to the public and in Scotland we are utterly, shamefully and wilfully poor at that. Our mainstream media are a disgrace in their coverage of the game - I read today that Celtic's Guidetti only looked good because of the "quality of defenders he was up against in the SPFL" in the Record. What disrespectful tripe. Willie Miller tells me that Aberdeen will "certainly finish second" so there really is no competition and therefore no point in witnessing it first hand. What arrogant, cynical nonsense. These viewpoints are, however, what informs the public's perception of football. The SPFL treat fans with contempt - witness their treatment of us last year, and their inability to attract support or investment into the game in Scotland. Police Scotland happily create a perception that disorder is still attached to football (did we really need a campaign of increased police numbers in Inverness to "prevent anti-social behaviour and disorder" because pubs were screening a TV international game with England or horses imported from Glasgow last year to control our missing crowds?) and they persist in enforcing the Offensive Communications etc. Act long after it has been discredited and found utterly inappropriate outside the OF. They mitigate against standing and being able to have a beer whilst watching a game (or even going to a game) because they, not us, can't move on from the 1970's. We are constantly subject to harrasment by under trained and overly empowered stewards who will enforce rules they have no understanding of and won't change. They will search your bags, remove things that they consider dangerous and order you seated in a manner that you won't have experienced since being at school in the 60's. If you stand, chant, sing, wave flags or create an atmosphere that will enhance a sporting contest, beware. On the other side, you have small bands of activists supporting Clubs with an income deflating faster than a Branson balloon who can't agree on a coherent way forward and are limited in their influence and voice to forums like this one and P&B with the occasional blogger making a bigger noise. These are the reasons that crowds are down, not an inability of the fans or club to provide an effective atmosphere or a match day experience that makes people decide "let's go to the football today instead of" (insert any of the above) Again, and I know I labour this point they only thing that can effect change is the fans themselves by challenging the stuff above and continuing to give their support to their clubs, ICTFC included. It really is about individual activism - take someone along with you every chance you get. That lot above won't change football in Scotland to the extent that our crowds would justify the investment need for a better stadium. It's the fans that can do that.

Kingsmills and others are right, we desperately need new ideas that will attract new fans to TCS to watch what might be the one and only season that Inverness has a stellar team capable of mounting a sustained challenge at the League and who knows, a cup. ICTFC and CJT have tried - not always with the greatest of publicity - to get people through the doors. To do it you attract people by accentuating the positives, laying out the reasons that people should come down. It's hard to get that message across outwith CTO, but we keep trying. And then someone with access to mainstream nationwide media comes up with that above. I can see why Caley D is frustrated by it. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but just detailing a list of reasons not to come and suggesting the cure is a new stadium which we could neither site nor afford doesn't help. Please support the pay what you want/ can initiative. Use it as a means to bring someone with you who doesn't normally come. Organise a minibus or a taxi from your local. Get your kids along. All it takes to increase crowds is not building an unachievable new stadium, it's individuals using their influence. 500 extra people every game would make the difference, and I'll make sure that I bring along a couple. How's about you? PS: The pies aren't that bad are they!?

Alex, I don't think you can say that the cheapest gate prices attract the most fans from the above stats. They are roughly what you would expect - Spain, France and England charging higher prices for a higher quality offering and Germany bucking the trends because of the financial rules in place in the Bundesliga and their greater emphasis on fan participation within far greater population centres. Cheaper running costs are more likely to relate to lower cost of living and infrastructure costs. You simply can't compare all of these leagues. What I don't get here is the argument about standards. I've not seen it (the peruvian league), but I've no reason to suspect that the standard would be much higher than other south american football that I've watched on the tele when insomnia strikes. It's not streets ahead. It's the same with Portugal - no brilliant from what I've seen. MLS and Australian A league? less than SPFL standard with a greater amount of funding pouring in. It would seem that, in the grand scheme of things, we have a slightly higher than average standard in SPFL with slightly higher than standard prices and slightly less than average crowds. As Scotty says, the real argument comes over having a competent governing body who can do the basics like securing headline sponsorship for League and Cups and providing some kind of service for the funding they generate. That would help take some of the pressure off clubs to maximise every penny of income on a game to game basis and develope a pricing strategy rather than the piecemeal approach we have at present.

Agree wholeheartedly with Kingsmills and Johndo. The prices that are set for ICTFC are probably the minimum that could be put in place and still ensure that we have a viable business to give us a premiership team. The margins are unbelievably tight and the consequences of getting it wrong are high - if we don't charge enough, we can't pay for decent contracts and we lose players and if we lose enough, the day will come where we can't replace them. The last time we were relegated jobs were lost and the club survived by using a reserve of funds that enabled us to keep going. It's not there anymore. £15 quid for a standard ticket will not keep this team in the premiership, full stop. So what's to do? Get another 500 people through the gate at every home game and give the club some leeway (and improve the atmosphere) Accept that the prices that we are paying are simply the minimum needed to ensure that we still have a game to watch, because that's what they are. Pricing isn't "out of control" and is probably the thing that most creative thinking is applied to behind the scenes at TCS to keep it to a minimum. It just needs your support. Oh aye, and it's no help to Johndo but if you want cheap transport to games and a driver you don't have to nominate, you can't do better than £15 return to any ground in Scotland with CJT's buses.

Have a look at the Club's website and see the ticketing promotions for our upcoming home games http://ictfc.com/news/club-news/1403-press-release-ticketing-promotions. There is something there for everyone, from free tickets for volunteers at the Motherwell game to a "pay what you want" gate for St. Johnstone.This is a fantastic initiative by the club, and I hope as many people take advantage of it as possible to generate an atmosphere at TCS that matches the quality that is being shown on the pitch. Well done ICTFC, I hope you get run off your feet!

Not your imagination - that's how I read it as well.

If an arrest has been made, this topic ought to be closed and no further opinions be offered in this forum.