DoofersDad

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyxxz65xvy4o

Absolutely no criticism of Liam. I am sure we all understand he can only put out what he is told to put out.

Today's "Courier" is reporting that they contacted the club for an update on our out of contract players and received no reply. Sadly, there is nothing surprising about that, but it is yet another example of the club hitting the self destruct button. Even if the club simply responded to say "Sorry, but we're not in a position to provide an update just now." it would at least be communication. To simply ignore a request for information from your local newspaper is rude, ignorant and self-defeating. To mis-quote from Churchill again: Never have so few done so much to p*ss off so many.

We all understand the club is in limbo and more investment is needed for us to be viable for the current situation, but that does not in any way excuse the club's reprehensible behaviour towards its own staff and supporters. Indeed, it actually makes it even more inappropriate. With the exception of Morrison, all the Board are still in place and the CEO is still there. Between them, there is surely enough knowledge and manpower to ensure basic communications and decencies are carried out. There should also be sufficient common sense to understand that their own abject communication failures are making the task of rescuing the club far more difficult. Their behaviour is causing them to lose players who actually want to be here and will undoubtedly strongly discourage others who may have been interested in playing for us. It is also stopping fans and sponsors from putting much needed money into the club and, quite probably, the larger investors we so urgently need. Their behaviour is consistent with a group of people who actually want the club to fold. Any hope that the "hugely promising discussions" mentioned in their June 14th statement will produce any sort of future for the club are disappearing by the minute.

According to wikipedia our squad as of 24th June is as follows. No. Pos. Nation Player 6 DF NIR Danny Devine 7 MF SCO Charlie Gilmour 9 FW NIR Billy Mckay (captain) 11 FW ENG Austin Samuels 12 MF SCO Roddy MacGregor 14 DF SCO Jake Davidson 17 DF SCO Lewis Nicolson 18 FW ENG Harry Lodovica 19 MF ENG Luis Longstaff 23 FW SCO Ethan Cairns No. Pos. Nation Player 24 FW SCO Adam Brooks 25 MF SCO Calum MacKay 26 DF SCO Matthew Strachan 28 MF SCO Keith Bray 29 MF SCO Robbie Thompson 31 MF SCO Calum MacLeod 32 DF SCO Sam Nixon 33 DF SCO Jack Walker 34 DF ENG Remi Savage 44 DF AUS Nikola Ujdur I have no idea if it is correct but it is certainly more accurate than the club's own website. Club Board meeting tomorrow to decide which of the directors is going to give Mark Ridgers a call.

Never mind. We've still got England to cheer on!

The Trust Board is a representative body, democratically elected by its members (with a limited option to co-opt others onto the Board). Just as your MP doesn't ask all their constituents what they think about all the topics which will be discussed in Parliament, neither can the Trust Board seek the views of all its members on all the topics it raises with or discusses with the club. What it will do is read what is written on here and other social media channels and talk to people before coming to a collective view. That view may also be informed by information provided by the Board which is not and cannot be shared publicly. Clearly, as we don't all agree on everything, people will inevitably disagree with some of the things the Trust says and does. If members do not like what their elected Board members are doing, they have the power to change the Board. If members think they can do a better job, then they are perfectly free to put themselves forward for election. You say you have heard nothing on any wider consultation with fans on any given subject. Perhaps you should give the Matchday Experience Survey a read. If that isn't consulting with fans, I don't know what is. Bear in mind that the Trust's role is carried out entirely by volunteers, who do what they can to represent the fans along with work, family and other commitments. They do it because they want what is best for the club and because they want the fans voice to be heard. I can assure you that none of the Trust Board are self appointed individuals, nor are any of them giving up their own time because it suits their interests and needs. You say you "agree there does need to be a more representative fans voice to influence / communicate with those decision makers on the board", so why then go on to slag off and insult the very people who are giving up their precious free time to do just that? With every fan who becomes a member of the Trust, the Trust becomes more representative and its voice and influence becomes stronger. With every member who offers to help out with the Trust be it as a Board member or just helping in some other way, the more the Trust can do in terms of consultation, research, communication, fundraising, collaborative work on projects with the club etc. If you want a more representative and effective fans voice, you know what to do.

Scotty doesn't counter his own point at all. If the Trust is given some information in confidence, then it has to stay confidential. That information may well be helpful to the Trust in understanding a particular situation better and therefore be able to offer an opinion on a more informed basis. If the Trust then goes and puts stuff in the public domain which has been given in confidence, then you can be sure the Trust will again be totally excluded from discussion.

It's over a week since we were informed of "hugely positive discussions" and it's less than a week till our first friendly. Yet this last week has provided absolutely no update on how the discussions are progressing, whether we actually have any players beyond the few who were on contracts beyond the end of the 23/4 season. It simply beggars belief that when the club has been so strongly criticised by so many for their appalling errors and lack of communication, that their response is simply to be even worse. It would suggest that the discussions weren't so positive after all. Please, please, please, can somebody tell us what is going on?

"If you don’t think all are collectively culpable….." I didn't say I don't think all are collectively culpable! What I said was "but we do know that the Board directors, in line with standard practice, have collective responsibility and accountability". "Put names to it. Who do you think has done a good job and who hasn’t?????" How am I supposed to do that? As I said, "We don't know what is going on behind the scenes." "You say some should stay…… Who?" I didn't say anything of the sort! I said "I'm not sure all the Board need to go - just most of them." Most of them should go because collectively they have got us into this mess. But as we don't know what is going on behind the scenes, how can we know whether or not any individual directors should stay or go? "Morrison at least put his hand in his pocket to keep the club afloat". It is strange you pick out Morrison as someone for some level of credit. As Chairman, he is the most culpable of the lot. He is the one who has been the public face of all the things that have got us in this mess. He was the one who was "delighted" to announce the Kelty nonsense. If he disagreed with any of the decisions which led us to this crisis, he could have resigned the Chair whilst remaining on the Board. He was also the one who had the power to direct the CEO to a different course of action when appropriate. Clearly he failed to do so. It is true he put his hand in his pocket and I am sure his heart was in the right place, but in truth, his position as Chair had been untenable since the concert debacle and his role as director of the liquidated concert company. "who else has done anything of any value at Director level???" Munro and Cameron have also put significant sums of money into the club. Others may have done so too in line with what their personal circumstances allow, but this is information which will be confidential. As Scotty has mentioned, Scott Young has been liaising with the Supporters Trust and he did have the guts to be out talking to supporters both before and after the Hamilton game. As I say, we don't know what goes on behind the scenes but I am hopeful that he will be a key person in the transition from old Board to new. Let's give the guy a chance before chucking him out along with those whose sell by dates are long gone.

I broadly agree with that, but I'm not sure that all the Board should go. We don't know what is going on behind the scenes, but we do know that the Board directors, in line with standard practice, have collective responsibility and accountability. Decisions made are binding on all directors and those directors are required to publicly support and act according to those decisions, whether they agree with them or not. Of course, if a director feels strongly enough about a particular decision or the general behaviour of the Board, they can always resign. But that is sometimes the easy option because it allows the rest to carry on as before without the alternative arguments being considered. I would like to think that there was at least one or two directors who are as appalled as we are about what is happening and who are biting their tongues and working hard with potential investors for the longer term good of the club. This is also an important point to bear in mind for the future, if and when we get an elected supporter representative on the Board. They too will be subject to the same collective accountability. Some have argued in the past that a supporter representative will always be outvoted, so what's the point? The answer to that is firstly that they will not always be outvoted. Sometimes they will be able to persuade the Board to take actions they would not otherwise have done, sometimes, they will get modifications to plans. Sometimes they won't be able to change the majority view, but always they will be able to provide a supporters' perspective on the issue under discussion. So, in summary, I'm not sure all the Board need to go - just most of them.

Pretty much echoes my own thoughts. The prime responsibility to discuss these issues with players must surely be that of the manager. OK, there is uncertainty about his position too, but ultimately it is the Board who are accountable and who should be dictating what is happening. They must all be acutely aware of how they collectively are being viewed as a result of recent events and each and every one of them should be ensuring that any bad news that needs to be given to any player or other member of staff is done sensitively and face to face. The fact that this is clearly not happening and the fact that there is no communication about so many important issues is very worrying indeed.

Apparently Dunc is in Germany assisting Southgate on the tactical side of things.

That's great news. He better recover quickly because he's in the starting line up for 13th July!

It is difficult to make signings when there is still no word about the future management structure and financing of the club. Even if we have a manager (and we are not actually sure we do) there will be no identified budget to allow contracts to be offered. Every day that passes without firm news increases the worry. Friday's anonymous statement sounded encouraging, but was the mention of "hugely positive discussions with a number of potential investors" the truth or simply a sop to encourage some people to part with their money? Apart from Ross Morrison, the club's management is still the same Board and the same CEO who thought it was a good idea to move to Kelty and to do so without discussing it at all with their contracted Inverness based players? Do they really expect anyone to trust a word they say? If the old guard care anything for the club, they will be doing all they possibly can to facilitate the transfer of control to those willing to invest in the club. If that transfer of control is not completed by the end of this week, I fear it might be too late to get a team on the park on the first day of the season.

I think we all want to get back to giving our usual financial support to the club and, for those who can afford it, perhaps a little bit more to help the club get back on track. It is all a question of timing and trust. None of us wants to shell out a significant sum of money only to see the club fall into administration. Nor do we want to see an outcome which sees broadly the same regime in charge. The last club statement and the subsequent one from the Supporters Trust gave grounds for considerable optimism. I would assume that the Trust is involved in some level of dialogue behind the scenes and has been given sufficient information to allow it to word their statement as they did. Some will have acted on this and purchased their season tickets but others feel more assurances are required before they part with their money. There are, perhaps 3 key issues. The CEO's position. His resignation has been accepted but he has been asked to work his notice, the length of which is confidential. Of course, the CEO himself could easily agree to make that information public for the sake of clarity. People can draw their own conclusions on why the information has not been made public. Rightly or wrongly, a large number of fans have so little trust in the CEO that they will not believe he is going until is actually gone. His actual departure will be followed by a significant influx of funds for the club and therefore those working behind the scenes should be taking steps to ensure those tasks which they seemingly need his knowledge and experience for are completed as soon as possible. If the CEO genuinely wants to do the best for the club, he will then go and a statement will be released to that effect. The accounts. This will (or should) take longer. I assume the accounts cannot be submitted until the auditors are satisfied the club is a going concern. That, in turn, cannot be demonstrated until a new Board is in place and has costed out its new football model and financial plan. In this context the extent to which existing Board members and the former Chairman are willing to write off their loans will be crucial. It would be helpful to everyone if they were to make their position on this public ASAP. The manager. We have been told Ferguson remains the manager and has accepted a wage cut. However, we have heard absolutely nothing from him. His style of play and his failure to make use of home grown talent last season has not endeared him to fans. Given that local lads are likely to make up the bulk of the squad next year, it would seem that he is not a good fit for the club going forward. His departure by mutual consent and his replacement by one of the very capable coaching staff at the club would be better for the club in both a financial and footballing sense. The start of the new season is now less than a month away. I appreciate that any potential new leadership and investors will need time to assess the situation in order to assure themselves that they want to be involved at all, and then to negotiate and implement the change. But time is ticking. The Club's welcome statement on Friday referred to "hugely positive discussions currently ongoing with a number of potential new investors". This would suggest that change is imminent, but as yet, only Ross Morrison has left and nobody new has arrived. Given the recent history of false promises and poor communication, people can be forgiven for being sceptical and for withholding their hard-earned money until they have proof of real change. Following on from Friday's statement, we need to have regular updates to inform fans on progress on the various issues. The club needs to earn the trust of fans - and the time to earn it is now.

They did very well indeed, Robert. Gave the Aussies a real fright with then only having 2 balls to spare. The match against England ended as a "no result" because of the rain, but Scotland had got off to a blistering start with the bat and had the rain not intervened they would certainly have tested England at the very least.

Seats for existing season ticket holders are reserved. They will not show as available. It does not mean tickets have yet been purchased for those seats.

I quite like it too but am rarely seen wearing a football shirt. I might buy one for the cup final though.

The statement from the club today may not contain all we would like to hear and it may have the emphasis all wrong, but it brings much better news than we feared. The most positive part of the statement is the reference to "hugely positive discussions currently ongoing with a number of potential new investors". This suggests there are at least 2, and probably more, people ready and willing to put sufficient money into the club to save it from administration and that the discussions are pretty advanced. It really is important to acknowledge that these kind of negotiations are usually very difficult. Those willing to invest will not be wanting to throw their money into a bottomless pit. They will want to put conditions on their investment such as who is on the Board of Directors and who isn't; what the football model should be; what the management structure should be; how the finances are structured; what the relationship with supporters bodies should be etc. Crucially, they will want to know how much, if any, of the loans made to the club by the former chairman and other directors they expect to get back. Different potential investors and the current Board will have different views on these topics and somehow, they need to reach a consensus which they are all happy enough with before new investors will commit. I don't think the statement would have been released with such positive wording unless they were agreed in principle about the way forward. It is encouraging that the Supporters Trust have been in dialogue with the club during this time. However, just like any other party involved in negotiations, they need to respect the positions of others and be prepared to compromise. Fans wanted the Kelty scheme scrapped: it has been scrapped. Fans wanted the Chairman gone; he's gone. Fans wanted the CEO out: he's resigned and if not quite gone, he's going. It is therefore perfectly reasonable that the club and potential investors will expect the Trust to give them something back. That something is what the Trust has put in their statement. Yes the message is different from that made after the meeting in the Caley Club, but so it should be! The situation is radically changed from then, and it has changed because people were rallying round the Trust to give a united message. That message has been listened to and acted upon. I think the Trust have been doing a brilliant job in what is probably the most difficult period in the club's history. The potential investors may be willing to inject money into the club, but they probably don't have £500k sitting in a bank account. They will need to liquidate some assets to release lump sums or perhaps they are only able to inject money in installments. Meanwhile, bills have to be paid and staff need to be paid. Clearly, sales of season tickets and merchandise will help the cash flow. I fully understand the reticence many fans have in parting with money now. We all have good reason not to trust the club and for some, the purchase of a season ticket is a much bigger commitment than for others. Personally, I think it will be strategically good for some people to respond positively to the call to buy tickets and for others to hold back. It will give the club the message that the fans are acknowledging the progress being made but that further evidence of progress needs to be demonstrated. The message to the club will be that the fans are giving you some money but you will get more money when more assurances are given that the club's future is secure. The message to the fans effectively remains the same - it is a personal choice.

Reluctantly, I think I have to agree with you. A competent Board would have sufficient business knowledge for a situation like this and a competent CEO would have made sure that relevant information about the club's affairs were accessible and understood both by the Board and by relevant staff who should be sufficiently trained to allow them to routinely cover in the CEO's absence. Unfortunately we have a Board that appears to have adopted a blind faith in Gardiner and have left him to it with little scrutiny over the years. The CEO himself clearly likes the power his position gives him. Knowledge is power and keeping knowledge from others makes his position more powerful. Sadly, the combination of the 2 probably makes him indispensable just now. Gardiner has resigned and will be leaving the club. He will need to find work elsewhere and it will be in his interests to be as helpful as he possibly can in assisting the club to achieve the best outcome possible from the unholy mess he and the board have created.

It’s a bit like a mirror image of Monty Python’s “what have the Romans ever done for us” sketch. No prizes for guessing who Biggus Dickus is!

No need for a physio if you've got no players With every new snippet of information, it looks more and more like the club's finished. I do so hope that I'm proved wrong and the club and the jobs of those who are totally blameless in this disaster are saved.

Now up to £3630 with over 160 donations. . At this rate Aaron will be able to have the other knee done too

I was rather gobsmacked when I read that too. Surgical repair is almost always the treatment for ruptured ACL injuries. Panos Thomas may have an extremely impressive CV in relation to knee injuries in sport, but if the club has referred Aaron to to a currently practicing orthopaedic surgeon, one would have expected the club to act on the professional advice of that surgeon. At the end of the day, it is Aaron's body we are talking about. If he wants to follow the route advised by the surgeon to whom the club has referred him, then the club should be actively supporting him in that.