Kingsmills

Very pleased with it. Reflects half of our hermitage just as the home one, very largely reflects the other one.

On 6/19/2022 at 8:52 PM, Gringo said:

Naa...Solihull Moors

For various reasons, not least financial, it will be the usual Highland league suspects this season.

However, if we do manage to gain promotion this year, a little mini tour of the English Midlands and/or North, would be a great way to prepare for life back in the Premiership both for the players and the fans.

6 hours ago, CaleyTennis said:

Are we actually going to sign ANYBODY because this waiting is getting on my nerves, every other club are signing players yet we haven't signed ONE yet .

How do you know what is going on behind the scenes ?

It's only a short time since we knew which division we would be playing in next season.

Have patience and I am sure there will be both permanent and loan signings announced.

In the meantime, we have secured the core of our current squad which surely must be a good thing.

58 minutes ago, DoofersDad said:

Speaking as an Englishman, I didn't enjoy that at all.  Biggest home defeat since 1928 and just such a turgid and uninspired performance.  It was so bad it makes you wonder whether England have recruited John Hughes to advise on tactics.  I enjoyed the cricket though.

I quite enjoyed both.

On 6/10/2022 at 10:16 AM, ictbob said:

Signed for tranmere rovers 

In all fairness, will be earning at least twice what we could possibly offer him in the Championship and probably more.

3 hours ago, STFU said:

Thank you.  I note that you make no comment on the veracity of my comments, choosing to attack me, yet again, because I fail to comply with your required level of positivity.

You, sir (I assume), are a bully.  You wade in with little jibes to undermine anyone who dare have different views to you, and in doing so leave the door open for others to join the pile on.  I have witnessed you doing this with other posters on here, some of whom come across as being quite young, and you seem to have now turned your attention on me.  You come across as a sad old man, probably with a professional/managerial background, who has retired and misses the power which you once held in the workplace.  When people react to you, you then use that against them.  That is what you have done here.  My sarcastic post is a result of your previous digs at my positivity and now you use that to attack me further.

It's not nice when people make assumptions about your character from a few forum comments is it?  If you wish to disagree with me, please do, but I politely ask that you stay away from attacking my character....and I will do the same.

I merely pointed out that I can't think of anything positive about the club, either on or off the pitch, that you have ever posted.

If I am mistaken, perhaps you can refer me to it and I will happily apologise.

More seriously, if you think that I have been bullying you then that is a very significant breach of site rules which I suggest you report and I, in common with any other moderator subject to such a complaint, will recluse myself from being part of consideration of it.

50 minutes ago, Robert said:

That’s harsh!

I see potential in Duffy, whilst it is right to stand by Sutherland.

I understand the scepticism about Doran, and suspect he will become more of an impact player off the bench (depending on what new signings we make).

Now we have our existing squad either signed up or know they’ve moved on, I’d like to see movement on new signings.

As has been said above, I think the focus needs to be on full backs and creative players.

We had a small squad last season and whilst quality over quantity must be the objective, I feel we need a first team squad of at least 22 given we are starting without Sutherland and Walsh and with the likelihood of further injuries and suspensions.

Assuming I’ve not missed anyone, and treating Hyde and Nicolson as part of the first team squad, we have 17:

Ridgers

MacKay

Duffy

Devine

Deas

Nicolson

Harper

Carson

Allardice

Welsh

Hyde

MacGregor

Doran

Walsh

Sutherland

Samuels

Mckay

so I’d like to see another 5, either permanent signings or loans who can positively contribute. 

There is little that this particular poster posts that is not harsh.

I struggle to think of him ever saying anything positive.

5 hours ago, STFU said:

Information on the website says there's still the big bonus draw.  However that was last updated for 2018/19.

Any details on how much it actually contributes to the club these days?  A google search only turned up talk about how much it allegedly pays Charlie Christie and him being provided with a Mercedes as a company car.

Charlie Chritie is responsible for a great deal more than the Centenary Club.

1 hour ago, SteveA said:

Duffy and Doran sign new one year deals. Another new contract to be announced at 2pm.

Delighted about the first. Much as he has been a wonderful servant over the years, a little ambivalent about the second.

Just when you think there might be grounds for optimism, Scotland, well and truly, revert to being Scotland.

8 hours ago, No Shin Guards said:

I say, how can a club formed in 1994 have a 'Centenary Club'?  

How about renaming it the '2015 Club'? Or something specific to ICT?

Eh what? 

Because the club has a combined history going back to 1885 when both Thistle and Caley were founded.

My only issue with the Centenary Club is that I never win anything!

Given that the results are improving, albeit marginally, and are pretty much in line with expectation, I don't understand the depth of negativity from some posters.

1 hour ago, hislopsoffsideagain said:

Club accounts for 2020/21 are tough to analyze because of Covid losses - and also because of the funding clubs received from the government as a result.

 

As regards ICT's own situation, I would put forward this question - How many full-time clubs in Scotland are not running either at a loss or close to the wind, year-in, year-out?

 

At the top end you have Rangers and Celtic. Rangers have run up extraordinary losses since 2012 and probably require Champions League football to make a profit. Celtic either need Champions League football or to see a player for an eight figure fee to cover the shortfall.

 

In last season's Premiership there was also Aberdeen (wealthy American backer), Hearts (fan-owned but getting more than £3m a year in 'donations' from a wealthy supporter), Hibs (wealthy American backer), Dundee United (wealthy American backer), Dundee (wealthy American backer) and Ross County (uncle Roy). That's six more clubs not really living within their means. The other four are St. Mirren, Motherwell, St. Johnstone and Livingston, each of whom are very frugal and each of whom could quite conceivably end up stuck in the Championship for a sustained period like us.

 

In last season's Championship there was Kilmarnock (who will have run up a big loss to get back into the top flight). The other full-time clubs in our league with similar budgets to ours were Hamilton, Partick, Raith and Dunfermline, none of whom are raking it in. Ayr, Morton and QOS I think had even tighter purse-strings.

 

Below us were Queen's Park (wealthy backer), Airdrie (who have a hybrid of PT and FT players) and Falkirk (who are a basketcase).

 

My belief is that unless you have a lot of outside money coming in, then a club of our size can't currently turn a profit unless they are in the Premiership and probably punching above their weight (ie in the top six). It's also my belief that the only way to make a small fortune out of a Scottish football club is to start with a big fortune.

 

The two concerns going forward for us and clubs like us are 1) that directors at some point can no longer be persuaded to cover the shortfall (which seems unlikely but can never be ruled out) and 2) that we get overtaken by smaller clubs who do have money. Queen's Park are a potential example; Cove Rangers (who are currently part-time) could be another in the future.

 

The only answers to our problems are 1) getting promoted or 2) getting our own Roy MacGregor. 

Given the the choice, can I please opt for the former?

5 hours ago, CaleyTennis said:

So we have our first friendly announced against CLACH on June 29th (1930hrs) which for a lot of you guys may sound uninspiring as you seem to want glamour friendlies 

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/caley-thistle-and-clachnacuddin-to-clash-in-inverness-derby-277566/

Where are you seeing a clamour for glamour friendlies ?

I think most of us, after a long hard season with a shortened break, are content with any regime that gets the squad match fit for the season ahead.

43 minutes ago, TheMantis said:

 

Is it not the case that sovereignty in Scotland is with the people so we are not subjects? Although in practice we are ‘subjected’ to all this nonsense anyway…

Absolutely true both in theory and in practice.

Good luck to Wales in their first appearance in the World Cup finals since 1958.

2 hours ago, old caley girl said:

Me too but like it or not we live in this system and are subjects....

Don't think this system has longevity in Scotland though.....

Once again, I may reluctantly reside in a monarchy but I am nobody's subject.

One of our local estates seems to be having a 'garden party' at which their workers and tenants seem almost obliged to attend.

Apart from that, as far as I can see, nothing at all in our village of about 2,000 souls.

I imagine it might be a little different just over the hill in 'Royal Deeside'.

5 hours ago, old caley girl said:

There is an event in the village here tomorrow. Not my cup of tea so won't be going. Funded by local funding systems though...

I too feel a lot of the money spent could have been better spent on her subjects? A lot of whom are struggling...

Personally, I am nobody's 'subject'. I am a citizen.

7 minutes ago, Downinthedumps said:

I see Andrea Bocelli is doing a wee warm up gig tonight at the Queens palace party before his big appearance at Caledonian Stadium next month 🫅

There is surely irony in a 'charity' concert to honour an over privileged trillionaire.

39 minutes ago, DoofersDad said:

It is an interesting article.  It would obviously be nice if the club could operate without a significant operating loss, but it is very encouraging the losses are much less than they were.  The strategy of diversification appears to be paying off and there has been a huge amount of effort behind the scenes to establish a more stable financial base to support the club moving forwards.  

One area where the club has not done so well is in terms of communication and supporter engagement.  This needs to change.  The Supporters Trust has recently written formally to the club to get a commitment from the Board to work constructively with the Trust and are pleased that the Board agree that it is in the mutual interest of club and supporters to have constructive engagement with the Trust.  We have followed this up with a suggestion for an agenda which would include a discussion around the Trust's recently agreed goals and, specifically, picking up on our earlier offer to lead a fundraising campaign to raise money towards a cover for the West Stand.  

If the club can, once again, be seen to be engaging constructively with the Supporters Trust, then hopefully more supporters will join the Trust and help to give it the manpower and the credibility it needs to be successful.  I hope to be able to give some positive news about the Supporter's Trust in a couple of weeks.

I entirely agree. There are some good things going on at board level and sof of them may be commercially sensitive but most are not.

Many of us are financially invested in the club, even if only to a very limited extent, all of us are emotionally invested and we do deserve to be kept better informed and on a much more regular basis.

One way of wiping out these annual losses would be to somehow attract another thousand through the turnstiles.

2 hours ago, old caley girl said:

I don't think that explains this tbh. There are a lot of senior positions at the club at moment 

I agree. Too many and at too high salaries for a vlub of our limited resources.

Although there was a point when we were paying managerial salaries to John Hughes, Richie Foran and John Robertson all at the same time.

32 minutes ago, RiG said:

In fairness I don't mind looking back at times provided the player can still offer us something. Billy Mckay coming back has been a good move as was resigning Barry Wilson many years ago. But equally there have been others like Dennis Wyness who didn't quite hit the same heights as their original spell.

Scott Allan has been released by Hibs and I'd love to have him back at TCS but I suspect he'll head to someone like Saint Johnstone or a Dundee. 

Would probably have been an option if we had been promoted but almost certainly not now.

53 minutes ago, TheStickyBandit said:

I am also happy that Welsh has decided to commit to another 2 years. Hopefully some announcements regarding some fresh new players coming in are forthcoming. I just hope the club resists the urge to go back the way for signings  such as Todorov and Donaldson etc

Add a few more and there is every chance that the second year of that contract will be spent in the Premiership.