Charles Bannerman

Oh well, in the apparently ongoing absence and anonymity of Caley Jags Together and its 10% voting rights, as long as he hasn't instead gone with the Ultras.....

I see what you are saying Hawkeye, but is it not with the benefit of some hindsight?

This sounds remarkably like "The Clachnacuddin Vindication" of some years ago when Clach owed the Council megabucks of rent for Grant Street and the club explained itself away by simply stating that the Council hadn't asked it for the money..... which Clach didn't have if the Council had asked! On the original question, I'm not in any way doubting the validity of the assertion, but is there any evidence, other than hearsay, that renewals have not been sought? The alleged issue would certainly stand up a lot better if it were thus supported.

Over the years, I've at times tended to be critical of very occasional attenders, generally known in football as "glory hunters" (even Rangers fans complain about them??) but the practice is defensible. Look at it like patronising a certain butcher's shop only for its excellent steak pies. There's a global market out there. The people of Inverness don't have any moral obligation to owe Caley Thistle a living. Many will even have a minimal or zero interest in football. The club is part of that global market for the community's financial backing and is in competition for that alongside everything from Carlton Bingo to Tesco. All businesses need to create a market for their product in varying degrees of competition with others. Football and Caley Thistle are no more exempt from these fundamental economic forces than the shops closing down in the city centre.

Short of a Sugardaddy situation which would be as hypothetical as it was unsustainable, I'm afraid I can't DD. The writing was already on the wall during the several years when the club lived from hand to mouth and depended critically on being fortunate enough to receive windfalls which, along with selling the Social Club, funded ever increasing wages for players who latterly justified them less and less. The gap between the club's capacity to generate income and what it would need to survive in the Premiership is now so large that the only thing that could bridge it would be substantial, ongoing subsidy. I have for many years now thought that the inner Moray Firth is incapable of sustaining two Premiership sides without major subsidy for both. In practice, it probably isn't capable of even sustaining one without subsidy due to the non-transferability of income streams from one to the other for partisan reasons. Caley Thistle acquired its Sugardaddy in 2000 and this hugely assisted its progress to the SPL, also keeping the club there for many years. The one big error of that era was Brewster 2 which was neutralised by the one big stroke of luck which was going straight back up from an apparently impossible mid-season position in 2009-10. Thereafter, there was only so long that fortuitously timed cup runs, player sales, unexpectedly high league placings, sale of the Social Club and relatively minor benefactors of modest 6-figure sums were going to keep things going - especially after recruitment became so bad under Hughes. I'm realising that I'm in danger of repeating what I've already said, but there's clear blue water between income and required expenditure. Meanwhile, it's Ross County's turn for benefactors and they have, for the moment, been frequently passing GO and collecting £200. ICT, meanwhile, having already been dealt two Get Out Of Jail Free cards - Tullochs in 2001ff and the 2010 promotion - no longer have all the houses they used to (ironic statement intended!). They instead have been left stranded in the squalor of Old Kent Road. County have, for the foreseeable future, won the financial war of attrition. On the other hand if the banker there were to withdraw his support it would be a case of Go To (The) Jail (End)... do not pass GO, do not collect £200. I will conclude by saying that I fully agree with Kingsmills' comments about "following John's demands" and Administration. After all, the extent to which the demands in question were actually followed is a major cause of the current difficulty, so it would seem pretty obvious that going even further along that road would have had even more disastrous consequences. Spending money you don't have and are incapable of generating is the economics of suicide.

Blair, I'm still not 100% sure precisely what you are asking, possibly largely because of the changing nature of the Board in recent years. Football club boards are evolving things and in the case of the ICT board, there has of late not only been evolution but a straight jump from one species to another! I also think that the origins of the current problem go back several seasons, although it has only manifested itself on the field within the last couple of years. It's very difficult indeed to know what's happening behind closed boardroom doors, especially when, until very recently, the board was as secretive as it used to be. However I have a feeling that the root cause was the progressive acquiescence to managerial demands for first team squad funding... in a financial climate where unpredictable windfalls and selling the family silverware had to be relied on to meet these demands as far as possible and juggle the profit and loss account. A lot of the rest of the difficulties follow on from there. I am led to believe that Terry Butcher was pretty accomplished at maximising what he could get from the board for squad funding, but on the other hand, his recruits were also of high quality and this led to fan satisfaction and a lot of performance related cash coming back in from good results (and of course extra bonuses to be paid.) Then when Yogi came along, the demands continued - escalated perhaps, given that this appears to have been the final cause of Yogi's departure. However Yogi's recruits were, to be generous, not quite of the same calibre as before, and as time went by, the club was paying above the odds for less and less productive personnel. I believe that Yogi just got away with winning the Scottish Cup fielding quite a few of Butcher's players but as more and more of his own signings had to be called upon, he began to be found out. Perhaps this also led to more and more strident demands for cash in his last year. Then when Yogi does go, the Board realises that it has painted itself into a corner as a result of this somewhat Faustian arrangement. They are now left with an expensive but much declined squad, and Yogi's gardening leave to pay into the bargain. They are really struggling to balance the books so pressure is on to go for the cheap option which is Richie Foran and I need say no more of last season, for which the presumably fairly imminent accounts to 31.5.17. are also going to make interesting reading. So, with another £1m+ off the budget on relegation, wages really have to be slashed leaving very little for players. The narrative has now reached the beginning of this season, but I really think that it's too early to attribute blame for the last two months for two linked reasons. For the reasons stated above, neither John Robertson nor the current Board have really been in post for long enough to be judged on what they have managed to do on what are now massively reduced resources, The current board numbers only four. Two, including the new Chairman, who has been in that post for just six weeks, were new recruited a few months ago. One dates back to 2015 and the fourth is longer serving. Five board members have departed this year in this rapidly evolving/species jumping process, so it's very difficult to attribute blame. Blair, that's the best take I can give you on it. This is purely a personal appraisal and I hope that it helps to answer some of the queries you had.

I've possibly said this already, Robert but despite having been a Caley Thistle watcher on an almost daily basis since before the club was formed, I still don't feel I've got anything like a secure handle on what has gone wrong so very quickly since winning the Scottish Cup. All the same, a full understanding of this is key to finding a solution.

And your point is, caller?

Similar. 2082 at football, shinty crowd reported as "around 2000".

Brilliant idea in principle JM, but I could unfortunately foresee difficulties ranging from capital cost (especially after the ambitious shop project) to staffing (as you predict) and from location to ability to compete with Bannatynes, High Life, DW etc. But from a team point of view, I would have thought that a routine of: morning training - refuel with lunch - in-house strength and conditioning - snack to refuel - away home to lie down and rest.... would be ideal.

Honestly, Laurence, I was never really all that good at all..... you are over-estimating me. I certainly went further in coaching athletics than as an athlete myself. Cricket? Twenty20 is hugely entertaining. One day cricket is fairly exciting as well. As for test cricket, George Bernard Shaw's comment that the game was invented by the English whilst in search of a concept of eternity applies. The "test" is to keep awake.

The OFFICIAL version at this morning's unveiling was that he was approached on Monday but, like the Lord, football moves in mysterious ways!

Robbo could probably do without the slap up meal!

Laurence.... you have just signed up for the sporting equivalent of the Flat Earth Society! Then you have compounded the heresy by supporting your contention with the example of CRICKET! Once again, wynthank is pretty well on the case with the carbs and protein reference, although climbers are probably right at the far end of the endurance spectrum, given the very long duration and relatively low intensity (not these Olympic guys we've been seeing!) of what they do. For shorter endurance, in which I would include football, 10K running etc, I would still like to see stuff with smaller carbohydrate molecules - ie more sugary material.

I think you're right, Biggin. Brewster was extremely fitness conscious and set high standards for his players. If you don't have a day job alongside your sport, there is no reason why at least some of the days can't be used for double sessions, given the capacity for recovery that these requirements would still offer. Also, how many days a week, including game days, are full time footballers active? Six days a week is normal in many sports and some individuals even do seven, although the need for a recovery day can also be strongly argued for. As far as strength and conditioning in the gym is concerned, if this is not done a minimum of twice a week, the benefits are minimal.

Good point well made. It could also be said that if Inverness Sports Centre is good enough for people training for Commonwealth Games, World Championships etc, it's certainly good enough for guys playing second tier Scottish football. Football sometimes needs a reality check with respect to the real world of sport which it often fails to understand is out there.

A "potential player" at ICT would actually very likely be an inferior sporting species to a lot of individuals who train for a large number of sports at Inverness Sports Centre. It is way off the mark to assume that people who get paid for their sporting efforts are in some strange respect more talented than those who do not. It's just that, anomalously, football pays people way above their market value while most other sports do not. I also think you are over estimating what a lot of leading Scottish clubs have as training facilities. Take for example Aberdeen who use an open public field beside Pittodrie which they can't always get due to school bookings etc. You also have to take into account that, apart from the Highland Institute strength and conditioning suite and a well equipped gym, compared with a private facility, Inverness Sports Centre also has more extensive pool facilities plus a running track and large areas of grass right on its doorstep. And all of that is before you consider cost. The better equipped all-purpose Sports Centre is around £15 per month per person less expensive than a private facility.

Errr... there's probably a snappy one-liner for that too, but I'll refrain! (Or perhaps settle for the rather more prosaic "You were the Weakest Link.... Goodbye!")

I suppose there are one or two you could have said that of over the years Probably the most difficult taxi lift from the Caledonian Stadium since a certain episode some years ago which has since entered club folklore!

It's strange, then, that the Highland Institute Of Sport, which caters for the area's top performers, has its Strength and Conditioning suite at the Aquadome. Strange also that a number of international athletes of my acquaintance, possibly high fliers from other sports as well, use the Aquadome gym.

You are absolutely right Alex... apart from the bit about local roadrunners not doing it. There's fartlek running and also interval training which has largely the same effects which are too complex to bother about here. Both involve alternating periods of faster and slower running and the main difference is that interval running is more controlled in terms the durations of the efforts and recoveries while Fartlek is a bit more flexible and variable. Both these closely related formats also much more closely reproduce the kind of thing you would find in a football match compared with steady running. Around 30-40 minutes of fartlek or intervals on a couple of afternoons a week after morning technical work would certainly develop the kind of specific endurance you need for ball sports (well, maybe not bowls or cricket ). As far as road runners are concerned, a well balanced schedule will most certainly include a blend of steady running and variable pace stuff as described. Dozens of club runners do this - often in groups of up to 20 - so you may just not have been in the right places at the right times!

I general I think this comes from the same stable of Bollox as Astrology. On the other hand there are certain shorter term cyclical considerations such as it being said to be helpful to train at least sometimes at the same time of day as you compete which may be more relevant. Traditional morning training for full time footballers may not, therefore, be ideal and maybe the part timers training in the evening may be closer to the mark but I'm not sure that many train at 3pm.

I am absolutely hearing what SO and DD are saying and indeed the only point I was making was that some players will find it more difficult than others to train to develop the capacity to give a consistent 90 minutes. As a result, a "one size fits all" approach to fitness and conditioning probably isn't the best but I don't know to what extent training tends to be individualised in football.

I'm not sure if I would accept that as a blanket observation, SO. Different individuals have different muscle structures and, in some cases, these are set up for speed, acceleration and power. In extreme cases this will mean that endurance is quite poor and not really capable of much improvement. Football is a strange combination where the game lasts for 90 minutes but within that, success can very often be dependent on the ability to move very quickly for a short distance. Some are good one way, some the other but it's pretty well physiologically impossible to be brilliant at both. To give an example, Johnny Hayes used to get criticised a bit for falling out of the game after about an hour, the implication being that he wasn't "fit enough". Now OK, if someone told me that Johnny maybe didn't bust a gut some of the time, I might not disbelieve that. However, the guy is just so electric in terms of speed and acceleration that it's highly likely he has a lot of fast twitch muscle fibres in there to be able to do that. The corollary is that there will be fewer slow twitch ones which confer endurance and the ability to last the 90 minutes and there really isn't much that can be done about that. It also follows that, in terms of training and conditioning, there is no one size fits all solution.

I think "being a refusenik" in Inverness is rather like Celtic fans having "been in Seville".