Kingsmills

As I indicated in my original post my concern about Brewster's ability as a manager is based not just on results and performances since his return but also on his record with Dundee United where he had , initially at least, the backing of a very wealthy benefactor and resources that ICT could only dream about. Despite that, he appeared to "Lose the dressing room" very quickly and there is little doubt that Dundee United would have been relegated had they not parted company with Brewster and his team for whom they'd shelled out ?300,000 only months before.. My expectations are not unrealistic, 'm happy to be watching SPL football in Inverness at all. I too remember watching Jags play with varying degrees of success or otherwise, in front of crowds of three or four hundred. I don't expect ICT to win the SPL or indeed finish in the top four but I do expect to see team spirit and commitment from the players and some demonstration of tactical awareness from the coaching staff all of wich has been patently absent since Brewster's return. I,m not canvassing the manager's dismissal because we've failed to get into the top six or because we've not progressed in the cup competitions, although these would have been a nice bonus I'm doing so as I have a genuine fear that if nothing is done we will be relegated next season and I,for one, don't believe that we'd necessarily come straight back up in which case, rather than watching the likes of Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen plaing regularly in Inverness in front of crowds of 7,000 we would be plying Stirling and Morton in front of 1,500 and talking again about part time football.

I'd noticed that too. I think that posters are just plain fed up of commenting on the same never improving situation week after week.

While agree that it's time for Brewster to go, I agree entirely with Caley Mad in Berks about his view on Robbie Williamson.

Relegation would be a very bad thing indeed. Don't forget that we were losing ?300,000 a season in the first division. The running costs of this club are twice what they were then so even if we were able to trim the wage bill signifigantly even one season in the first division with a parachute payment of ?250,000 compared to the ?900,000 or so we get in TV and sponsorship money now would be a heavy financial burden combined with much lower gate receipts and commerecial income. More than one season in the first division would see payers leaving for the financially greener fields of the likes of Perth, Greenock and Dunfermline making a swift return to the SPL less and less likely. So, despite the fact that this has been a trrible season we're still getting crowds in excess of 7,000 paying over ?20 a head three timesa season for home matches with the Old Firm. We're able to pay players ?1000 a week inclusive of bonuses and we are able to sustain and prudently increase our income stream. If we want full time football in nverness then the SPL is the only place to be.

I have never before called for manager to be replaced and wasn't at today's match so can't comment specifically on it. However, in my opinion results and performances in ther past couple of months have led me to the view that we need a new manager for next season otherwise our place in the top league could well be in peril. Like most others, I was prepared to give Brewster the benifit of the doubt when he returned despite his abysmal record in trying to manage a Dundee United team much better resoursed than ICT could ever hope to be. However apart from the run of victories which handed him the "curse" of manager of the month for December, results and performances have ben amongst the worst they've been since we joined the SPL. He doesn't just make mistakes but repeats the same mistakes time and time again and appears to have no concept of well timed tactical substitutions or any other means of turning games round from losing positions. His man management skills also seem to be a problem which appear to have resulted in John Rankin, who otherwise appeared to be settled at the club to become unsettled due to ill judged and premature remarks made in public by Brewster long before he had had a proper opportunity to assess his squad. I know that the manager is not soley responsible for the team's current ills but frankly I have seen nothing to indicate that Brewster either possesses or is capable of learning the skills either as a tactitian or a motivator which this club needs even to sustain it's current position far less to make any progress into the top six of the league. Brewster acted very honourably when Dundee United first approached ICT for his services and his conduct then clearly endeared him to the board. He was rewarded for that honourable conduct by being given a second chance at ICT but has not done anything, in my opinion, to demonstate that he is a competent, far less a good, manager nor that he's likely to become one. There's no panic this season because of the Gretna situation but whe relegation issue next season is likely to be much more competitive with Hamilton, Dundee or St Johnstone all capable of holding their own. In the past I've been of the view that Brewster should be given until the end of the season to prove himself or otherwise. Franky, however, I can't see any signs of progress oir potential progress and reluctantly now believe that we would be better getting a new manager in before the end of the season so that he can assess the squad and make decisions ahead of next season.

Tend to agree with Charles, Thistle would probably be in the Highland League enjoying a bit more success than Clach. Caley might well have gained admission to the SFL and would be plaing third or second division football at a slightly revamped Telford Street.

There are few, if any, substantial population centres left in Scotland without a league club.

I'm concerned about the blunders he made for Hibs before we signed him. He's just not reliable enough as a back up 'keeper.

I can't see how Gretna can survive until the end of the season. Relegation will not be an issue. The member clubs make the rules, often as they go along, and will not want to see a member club relegated by default.

Why ? Do you expect St Johnstone to come with a late run :003: :003:

Not if he gets an offer of secure employment beforehand.

Are they not also short of theminimum capacity by a few hundred seats ?

Whatever happens rest assured that next season's SPL will not be played out with only 11 teams. The SPL has been guilty of some very odd self serving decisions in the past but they are not that daft. If necessary, the constitution will be reinvented on the hoof.

There will be twelve teams; the eleven others from this season and this year's first division champions make twelve. Eleven teams may have to see out the remainder of the current season which might mean the odd idle saturday especially for those teams in the bottom six.

What intrigues me is the comment that Motherwell have agreed to renegotiate the rent for Fir Park. Given Gretna's situation, which was well known to anyone with any knowledge of scottish football, I am astonished by the thought that that agreement was entered into without the obligation being personally guaranteed by Mr Mileson.

No, Gretna will be deemed to be the relegated club so next season's SPL will be the eleven continuinmg members plus this season's first division champions assuming they meet the membership criteria which Hamilton may not at present.

That's correct.

The Gretna players are now all officially free agents and we could sign any of them immediately. I still think that Skelton would be a good addition to our squad.

So what can the SPL do, impose a substantial fine or dock them points ? Neither is a realistic sanction in Grenta's situation. The only other possible sanction is expulsion from the league.

David Bingham's gravy train will have come to a shuddering halt. Still, he's had a pretty good ride for his money or rather for Brook Mileson's money. I wonder whether he'll be content to continue to turn out for Cowdenbeath for ?30 a week rather than the ?1,500 a week he was reputed to earn under his long term contract with Gretna ?

The suggestion is that they will be short of players to field a team at the weekend which, given that they had over 40 registered players, suggests that a very large proportion have decided not to carry on playing for nothing. The SPL are not usually sympathetic to requests for postponments where a team has a sufficient number of fit players of whatever level of experience. I wonder what their attitude will be to this particular request ?

PS. I know that this thread, which originally started as a discussion on whether ICT might be sucked into a relegation battle has gone off topic but I would be inclined to let it continue to run on the main board as the issue is of such high profile and of interest to everybody with an interest in scottish football.

I feel sorry for their traditional fan base even if it is very small in number. I feel sorrier still for the employees who are likely to be out of work very soon without any sort of redundancy package. Whilst the players are more than likely to find employment elsewhere albeit on reduced salaries, there will be very many other empoyees who might be struggling to pay their rent or mortgages or even put food on their table. A very sad end to the tale indeed.

That should be interesting.

Don't forget that the loan is secured on Tynecastle and interest alone is likely to be in the region of three million pounds a year. Hearts were on the verge of selling Tyncastle before Romanov stepped in when the debt was about half of what it is now. I think that if Romanov lost interest Tynecastle wold have to go but Heats would undoubtedly survive.