Charles Bannerman

You are doubtless absolutely correct there IBM but it's difficult to have much reasonable issue with that, possibly for a number of reasons. Those who go over the bridge from Inverness will comprise both Invernessians and non-Invernessians (aka "incomers"). The latter category very possibly don't distinguish between ICT and Ross County in terms of local loyalty because, as "incomers", they have little or none; nor should they be expected to. They probably choose to go over there rather than here on the basis of other factors such as the match day experience - which now also includes County playing in a higher league. There is no particular motivation for them to go to ICT based on any affinity with Inverness, and some will actually be of Ross and Cromarty origin. On the other hand the reasons for Invernessians going over the bridge are possibly more complex and are probably a bigger concern. However they may well include ICT's historic failure to project itself to the local population. My own belief is that the Inner Moray Firth doesn't have sufficient population or economic weight to support two Premiership football teams in the longer term - even when one is heavily supported by a benefactor. However when the other comes up with one or two bad decisions, appointments and financial strategies, errors which it's not in a position to buy itself out of, then that's the one that will be squeezed - especially in this marginal inner Moray Firth economic environment. From the early 2000s Caley Thistle, saved from possible extinction by substantial Tulloch intervention and with a lot of largely good administration, more or less hung in there in the top tier and at times punched well above its weight. Eventually, Ross County's assistance from an ongoing benefactor got them into the SPL/Premiership as well, and on a number of occasions they have had to sign their way out of danger. The "perfect storm" has been a combination of County's financial muscle alongside strategic errors of governance creeping in at ICT, and we now have a situation which includes more and more likely going over the bridge on a Saturday. Roy MacGregor put the Hotel on Mayfair and in times of difficulty produced a "Get Out Of Jail(end) Free" card. Meanwhile Caley Thistle paid far too much for Old Kent Road, only maintained it by selling various other properties and got no return. "Always In Our Shadow" and "Pride Of The Highlands" certainly have something of a hollow ring about them now.

Unfortimately it's that kind of insular attitude which has contributed to landing football in the state it's in - a general state of paying players far too much, often for not doing a geeat deal, which in turn is one root cause of ICT's current specific predicament. Has it not occurred to posters who have been calling for a "sugar daddy" for ICT, just how bizarre it is that there should be some kind of institutionalised expectation that wealthy people should subsidise businesses which are loss making because they pay employees way above their market value? Football shouldn't assume that it is owed a living by rich people simply to keep turnstile prices down. And yes, 5:15 on a Sunday is a daft KO time, but it's simply a consequence of inflated wages creating pressure to do TV deals. If football would only wake up and sniff the coffee, it might actually learn something from the other sports which organise their affairs in a far more sustainable manner.

As far as I am aware, the ICT training regime requires rather more commitment than suggested there. However there are people in other sports who train 6 or 7 days a week alongside their day jobs, using their wages there to cover their training and competition costs. There are also some footballers in the Highland League who are paid hundreds of pounds a week and receive four figure signing on fees for training twice, or even once a week and playing in the fifth tier of Scottish football.

I often wonder how much money Scottish/ UK/ World football spends annually, paying former managers for doing absolutely nothing?

Thanks to Fraz and Yngwie for the much needed reality check!

It is not the function of a reporter to "assist the cause" of a club. It is the function of a reporter to report events, be they positive or negative. What you are describing is more like a PR operative.

No, I'm not missing your point BM - merely testing the temperature of the water with a bit of Devil's Advocacy. I actually spent years unsuccessfully cajoling Kenny Cameron about the need to adopt a higher media profile and I have to say that the poor public perception of the club when last summer became unhelpfully obvious as a result of the long term absence of same. To summarise my real position a bit more clearly I would, however, suggest that if Caley Thistle and Ross County are going to receive such a significant media presence, then it does become that much more difficult to justify much additional coverage for what are generally much lower levels of football, right down to the kick and rush of Walfare/Amateur. It also follows that there isn't all that strong a case of coverage for coverage's sake - such as in the Nationals where, if they can't find Old Firm stories, it's said they just make them up.

Using the numbers argument also, of course, concedes that Football would need to give up much of its space to Bowls and Angling. What this discussion does raise, though, is whether the club - which, unlike a newspaper which has an obligation to all, only has an obligation to those who are interested in it - should be doing more either to create its own coverage or to direct the attention of its supporters to whatever already exists. As for County, I'm not sure it's possible to be quite as sanguine about them as that given that they are a higher league club based just 15 miles from Inverness and with a large number of supporters in the city.

That was the response I expected, so let me indulge in a little more Devil's Advocacy by first pointing out that crowd levels are just one of the things that are well documented as being in freefall here so it's interesting to see the Achilles heel actually used as a defence. The crowd issue at the Caledonian Stadium has been one of decline which in turn has been one of the main causes of recent financial difficulties. Then there's the unfortunate issue of relegation to the second tier while another club in the immediate vicinity, which has large numbers of its supporters based in Inverness, remains in the Premiership. There therefore also emerges the case, given their league status and support levels in this city, for an increase in coverage of Ross County, alongside the performers who are operating at World, Commonwealth and European levels in other sports which are rapidly improving. Before I stop holding the Bunsen burner to the lump of sulphur, I'll also suggest that maybe it's something of a Scottish thing where the lion's share of media coverage goes and is expected to go to a sport which we are not actually very good at.

There are other sports to cover in the area - with performers operating at a higher level than in football into the bargain.

Or, in the best traditions of Noel Edmonds' Crinkley Bottom Gazette, a back page banner headline reading: STILL NOTHING MUCH HAPPENING AT THE CALEDONIAN STADIUM.

That's my recollection as well, Don. There was no match to preview or report on the weekend just past and none to report on the weekend before that. Presumably the space has been used for things that have been taking place.

What a wonderful example of using the exception to attempt to deny the otherwise overwhelmingly obvious. And then there's the complete red herring of quoting crowd size to make a point about on-field performance. In any case, having attended both the Clyde and St Johnstone home games in that cup run along with with several others at that time, the only "sell out" I ever saw was St Johnstone. It's amazing how more rose-coloured the Howden End has become over the intervening years and I am, of course, certain that the entire alleged 4000 Perth Travel Club were also regular Telford Street attenders, but every single one of them has since steadfastly refused to darken the turnstiles of the Caledonian Stadium.

It's been out of print for more than 15 years, so nothing to plug? It went free online here in 2011.

Stan - your observations were probably pretty spot on but that Caley side's quest for trophies was frustrated by Ross County under Bobby Wilson who then launched them very successfully into the SFL and by Elgin and Huntly under Steve Paterson of whom no more needs said on here. That all these sides were so good at that time 1988-94 probably also contributed to the SFL election of CT and County in 1994. If you take a look at the Prequel chapter and Chapter 1 of Against All Odds in the revised online edition on this site, you'll find the background in more detail.

Was it really? I would argue that Caley had been in decline since about 1988 when they won their final HL title at the last gasp. All they produced after that was the Qualifying Cup in 1991 and the North Cup under Baltacha in their final weeks in 1994. Meanwhile, Elgin City and Huntly under Pele and Ross County under Bobby Wilson played more dominant roles. In fact, I would also suggest that Caley's decline and lack of success in these years was a significant factor in the club agreeing to merge with Thistle (which had also been in decline over the same period.) Had Caley continued to pile in the honours after 1988, I think there would have been a stronger desire in 1993 to go it alone.

I suppose it all depends on whether you are using the word as an adjective or as the imperative of the verb.

Lucky you didn't catch Dutch Elm Disease!!!

I'm also with OCG and Kingsmills, although I also agree that neither was much good (Sergei and Richie I mean.... not OCG and Kingsmills ). There are a number of factors in mitigation for Baltacha, not the least that he had to take a new club in its very first season into the national leagues with an entirely part time squad, mainly from the Highland League. It has been correctly said that, even though he had had a season with Caley, bottom tier SFL football was pretty well foreign to Sergei, but this was also new to the club environment he was working in as well. Add to that a complete lack of money and all the hassle that was going on in and around the club, and you have a pretty challenging managerial situation so a mid-table finish maybe wasn't all that bad. Remember also that by the time the Pele transformation kicked in, about 3 months into his debut season, apart from Pele's huge personal qualities, most of the internal hassle had been resolved and he had had around £100K to spend on Stewart, MacArthur, Teasdale, Thomson and Ross. As for Foran, OK he was faced with the Premiership not Division 3 but he inherited the guts of a squad which had won the Scottish Cup just over a year before he took over and which, by historic ICT standards, was having money simply thrown at it. What RF inherited was also an established Premiership scenario whereas SB's team had just been put together (OK, with ex-Caley players, albeit not from an outstandingly good side by Caley standards, as a backbone) and were starting from scratch. This is a little bit like comparing apples and oranges, but I think the balance of the evidence finds in Sergei's favour. As for Brewster 2, I have never quite got my head round that. CB did fine first time round here, but when he came back from Dundee United, his own playing contribution notwithstanding, he just wasn't the same manager. Did something happen at Tannadice when he was there? Well we know it did, in the form of a player revolt, but I have always been of the view that Tannadice is a very strange place indeed and a managerial graveyard, or rather scaffold, and I believe that the longstanding difficulty there originates from boardroom level.

You would need to bring in portaloos. Could even paint them black and red

That would have been back in the days when Cove were indeed pretty duff..... before somebody started throwing silly money at them.

Tonight, 31st January, is also the first anniversary of one of the worst outcomes in Caley Thistle's history - the notorious 3-0 defeat at Hamilton which, apart from being a rotten result, also set something of a "tone" for some time to come. Interestingly enough, on 31st January 2017 and 2018 respectively, Caley Thistle by 3 points and Ross County by 6 were both bottom of the Premiership, both having amassed 17 points. However a year ago, ICT had 15 games left to try to save themselves, while as of tonight, Ross County have only 13. This means that County now are in a numerically poorer situation - three points further adrift and with two fewer games left - than Inverness were one year ago.

Thanks ASB. I'm now off to ponder the concept of half a goal

That may very well be right. All that I remember from Fort's earliest days is a 1-0 home win over I think Clach in their very first Highland League game in August 1985 and a similar scoreline over Thistle, or maybe Clach again? in the Qualifying Cup. There could have been something against Caley as well.

I seem to remember Fort putting Thistle (or was it Clach?) out of the Q-cup back in the 80s, but that's as far as I can go. Lochaber Rugby Club have actually been in decline in recent years and now play down in West Division 3. On the other hand, this is very much shinty country, with hill running and mountain sports also big counter-attractions.