DoofersDad

Also true. As one senior person at the Club rather grudgingly put it on Gardiner's appointment, "at least this one knows how many players there are in a football team!"

That's true, but there is no doubt that our situation is getting progressively worse and there is no sign of the club doing anything other than produce some vague assurances over projects which may or may not bring some money into the club. In the meantime, the club ignores the fact that we also have some distinct advantages over other clubs both in and out of the championship. The population of Inverness is bigger than or on a par with many of the sides both in the Championship and the Premiership. Many of those clubs also have the disadvantage of either other big clubs being located in the same town/city (Queens Park) or being close to other towns with well established clubs (Hamilton). Inverness is a growing city with a population of roughly 70,000 and a pretty wide catchment area beyond that. Regardless of the vagaries of who locally chooses to put significant money into what club, we have the potential to pull in bigger crowds and attract individuals to support the club in other ways. The club likes to brand itself as a family club, but it seems to be the sort of family where family members never speak to each other. Without the kind of substantial long term financial support our neighbours across the bridge have enjoyed, it is particularly important that the club reaches out to the supporters and the wider local community. It should be said that the Club's Community Trust does a wonderful job, but far from trying to integrate itself as a pivotal part of the City's fabric, the football club seems, if anything, to be alienating itself from the community which is its life blood. Nobody is saying it is easy to attract bigger crowds, but that shouldn't stop us trying. It also means the Club should do all it can to stop even more of its long term fans from drifting away.

One has to take into account that the accounts refer to the 2021/2 season which was only slightly impacted by the Covid pandemic. Normal income streams therefore returned and one would expect financial figures to be improved from the previous Covid ravaged season. But they are not. There is much to be concerned about. The accounts show a loss before tax of £835K and net current liabilities (debt) of £1.71M which is up a staggering 70% from the previous year and from the last Covid free year in 2018/9 Whilst the new auditors accept that the Club Directors are right to proceed on a going concern basis given the stated plans for addressing the financial position, they do have "material concerns" about the position. Yngwie explains the position very well above. One also has to question why the club felt it necessary to appoint new auditors. The report states that the financial projections are reliant on uncertain sources of income and operational cost savings. The club will presumably not make operational cost savings if it pays more on player wages. Clearly projections would be altered in the unlikely event of us getting promoted, but assuming we don't, then there seems to be little chance we can offer much to encourage players like Robbie Deas to sign a new contract or to bring experienced and proven players in. It also states "the company remains reliant on player trading, new funding streams and the continued financial support of its directors, shareholders and supporters". Just where is the prospect of making decent sums for player trading just now? Much of our squad will be out of contract at the end of the season and can simply sign for another club with us receiving nothing. If what STFU says is correct and 3 current Directors have already in effect resigned, then that is extremely worrying unless their departure is linked with the arrival of others who can put in significantly more money than the retiring directors have in the past - and they have put in quite a bit. The continued support of shareholders is far from guaranteed when the club is in blatant breach of its Articles of Association having failed to hold an AGM since September 2021. There has been no AGM since the previous year's accounts were published last February and they, like the 2021/2 accounts just published, were submitted to Companies House on the absolute deadline for submission. The continued support of supporters is also far from guaranteed when crowds are clearly falling and many season ticket holders are saying that they are unlikely to renew for next season. If the Club wants to galvanise the fans in support of the Club, then it should be looking to work constructively with the Supporters Trust. Sadly, it only engages grudgingly and fails to capitalise on what the Trust could do if only supporters could see the Club working constructively with the Trust. It is unfortunate that the accounts have been submitted to Companies House without any statement on the Club's official website. This again shows contempt for shareholders and supporters. Perhaps now that the submission has been made, there will be a statement and a date set for the AGM, but in the meantime, the Club has to understand that their lack of communication, their lateness in filing the accounts, the change in auditor and their failure to hold an AGM in due time, all point to a suspicion that they have something to hide. The football club doesn't belong to the Directors and the management, it belongs to the shareholders and the fans. We will still be here long after they have gone. Despite the Club's long term distancing themselves from the shareholders and supporters, there still remains a lot of goodwill towards the club - but it is palpably disappearing. If the current Directors and management want to benefit from the goodwill which remains and re-kindle that which it has lost, they need to change their ways and change them soon. Either that or make way for others who actually understand that the supporters are the heart and soul of the football club. The accounts for 2021/2 and for previous years, together with other documents can be viewed on the Companies House website.

Thanks for the interest. Can't say when the findings will be released because it will take quite a lot of time to work through the results and check everything. Obviously we want as many people to complete the survey as possible but the more that do, the longer it will take to process the results and prepare a report. It will certainly be posted on here.

HT 1-0 FT. 3-1 ICT. Cairns Opp. Robinson Crowd. 4884

The purpose of the survey is twofold. Firstly it is to try and identify the issues which would make the match day more enjoyable/comfortable for regulars. Secondly it is to identify factors which currently put people off from coming more often or at all. Clearly this is about issues other than how the lads perform on the park. Some may say that we all know what the issues are, so what's the point? The point is that if a small number of people tell the club that something is wrong, the club will say they can't make any changes just for a handful of folk when everybody else seems fine with the way things are. People will have a moan to friends and family but few actually feel able to complain when things are not right and the club seems to take the view that people don't complain to them, then they are happy with how things are. What a survey does is to give a voice to everyone and then (if sufficient people complete the survey) it provides evidence of the extent and depth of those views. For instance, if 2 or 3 individuals tell the club that the food offerings are poor and over-priced, the club will ignore it. If 200 of 300 people completing the survey say it is poor and over-priced and 50 of those say they rarely if ever buy it as a result and another 50 say it is a reason why they rarely go to matches, then that becomes rather hard to ignore. It is therefore really important that as many people as possible complete the survey so that issues can be identified and prioritised for action. It follows from this that we are particularly keen to get the views of people who rarely attend matches. Dwindling crowds is a real concern, and if aspects of the matchday experience other than the football is what is putting people off, then addressing those issues will help to attract people back. It will also, of course, make for a better experience for the regulars who are currently putting up with any shortcomings. Therefore it would be incredibly helpful if folk on here could forward the link to friends, family, colleagues etc who are not regular supporters and who might not hear about this survey from any other route. Your help in doing that would be much appreciated. https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/survey

Ah. You're obviously new to the Board, otherwise you would know that the CEO has the final decision even if everyone else votes against him!

It's a state of mind issue. It sounds as though the commitment was there today and lots of chances were made. But they weren't taken. Against Livi when there was little pressure we had 4 attempts on goal and 3 excellent composed finishes. So we know the guys can do it. In the last two games we have had far more and easier chances but not taken them. Even the best players make bad mistakes and players at our level will make plenty of mistakes. What they need to know is that they are not going to blamed or bawled at every time they make a mistake. They need to maintain the confidence that whilst they will make some mistakes, they will get it right often enough to make a difference. It seems players are panicking in front of goal and either rushing it or overthinking it. The coaching staff need to give them the confidence to help them relax and focus on the job in hand rather than worrying about making a mess of it. It doesn't look if that is happening.

Looks to me as though Martin gives him a pull back just as he's kicking the ball. Shaw is then looking at the referee expecting the foul to be given.

I think that is good management. He is showing belief in the squad that let him down at the weekend and now has every right to expect 100% effort from the first whistle to the last. None of them should be in the slightest doubt as to what is expected of them.

HT. 0-2 FT. 2-3 ICT. Billy Mckay Opp. Tiehl Crowd. 1161

And me. Back to a 3. 2.5 really but rounded up to a 3. Sort of wonder which play-offs the club is aiming for on that 2nd half performance.

2171 is, I am sure, what was announced at the game. It was 1852 at the Morton game and with only a handful of Hamilton supporters, I can't see the figure of 2471 being correct.

For various reasons, I've not been able to get to too many games this season. After the rave reviews from the cup game last week I was rather looking forward to the game today. And we started confidently and brightly with good movement and sharp passing to create chances that should have been put away. We were sharp off the ball too and won possession back well. But after 20-25 mins the confidence seemed to ebb away and bit by bit, Hamilton began to come into the game. By half time they were looking much the better side. A bad error in midfield led to Hamilton taking the lead early in the 2nd half and from then on we seemed to abandon plan A. This was unfortunate because there didn't seem to be a plan B. We never looked remotely like getting back on level rems apart from a good header by Devine which produced a magnificent save from Fulton. With the need for creativity getting more and more urgent, Dodds took off our 2 most creative players and we duly went 2 down. Penalty or no penalty for number 3? I don't know or care. We shouldn't have been in the position for the referee to have to make a decision. Too many players looked to have given up by then. The second half was awful, but the really worrying thing for me was the way the players seemed to lose the confidence and the courage to play the way we know they can. There are no easy teams in this league and if we are to have any chance or reaching the play offs we need to keep the intensity and the courage from the first whistle to the last. Play like we did in the 2nd half for the rest of the season and it would be hard to see where the few points we need to avoid relegation would come from. Just a shout out for young Henderson who was the one player always looking for the ball and always looking to do something with it. His end product wasn't always great, but at least there was an end product. Shaw made the error that led to the opener, but apart from that he looked to be the player most likely to open up the Hamilton defence. On the back of the Livi game, we had a decent crowd today. Sadly many of those who turned up will be reluctant to do so again any time soon.

HT. 2-0 FT. 3-1 ICT. Billy Mckay Opp. Ryan One Crowd. 2023

3,4. Obviously a great win against Livi, but lose at home to Hamilton and we will be starting to get cut adrift from the play off places. Need a decent win against Hamilton to push the ranking up to 5.

Absolutely. Who knows, if we get Celtic at home, they might even open the North Stand.

That's what happens when you take your chances. According to the BBC stats, we only had 4 shots to Livi's 15. Well done lads!

HT 2-0 FT 4-1 ICT. Billy Mckay Opp. Nouble Crowd 1710

The concert company was discussed at the last AGM. It was the Club Board that took the decision to set up a legally separate company with the purpose of providing an additional income stream for the Club but without the Club being liable for any losses. As Fraz implies, the Board may well not volunteer any information about this, but it is perfectly reasonable to expect the Board to answer questions from shareholders about the outcome of their decision, particularly as the company went into voluntary liquidation in November. They can try and hide from the shareholders all they like, but at the end of the day, the only way they can avoid answering to the shareholders is to stand aside for a new regime.

The accounts due at the end of February will relate to the financial year ending 31 May 2022. The last AGM was in September 2021 when the accounts to 31 May 2020 were discussed. There has therefore been a very big delay for a meeting to discuss the accounts relating to the 2020/21 season. Whilst it is a legal requirement to submit audited accounts, I don't think there is a legal requirement for the club to hold an AGM each year. However, in the spirit of openness and engaging with shareholders and the wider fan base, it is clearly good practice to have an AGM and to hold it as soon as possible after the accounts are published. Failure to do so inevitably leads to concerns that the financial position is not good. Bear in mind that any financial implications for the club from the concerts will be a matter for the accounts relating to the year ending 31 May 2023 and therefore won't be due to be submitted at Companies House until around this time next year. That of course does not mean that the Club can't discuss the matter with shareholders. In September 2021 the Chairman and CEO were telling shareholders how the concerts would be a great money making venture for the club. Now that the the concerts have taken place, they should be just as forthcoming about the outcome of those concerts and what the ongoing financial strategy will be in the light of that outcome.

The mood is all very depressing just now. It seems to me that the quickest way to lift the mood and create wider interest in the club is a good cup run. I find it very disappointing that the Club seem so devoid of ambition in this regard. What message does not opening the North Stand for a 4th round match against a good team send the fans? It tells loyal supporters that they can’t sit in their normal seats and enjoy the banter with the usual folk round about them. It tells others that this is such an unimportant game that the club expects even less people to bother coming than usual. So why on Earth would anyone who doesn’t usually go bother to attend! Does nobody at the Club remember that we actually won the Cup a few years ago? Have they forgotten how that run galvanised the support? We aren’t playing great football at the moment, but in the cup all you need is bit of luck and and one or two good performances and all of a sudden you are in the business end of the competition with a chance of getting to Hampden and/or a big pay day glamour tie against one of the ugly sisters. It’s not just what the fans want, it’s what the guys on the pitch want too. Big cup games at the National stadium can be the career highlight for a player. This year it looks as though we will have had a very big piece of luck with Queens Park fielding an ineligible player. If so, let’s hope the club can build on that and finally grasp the importance of this wonderful competition. Livi are eminently beatable, but the players will do better with a strong vocal support urging them on. The Club really should be doing all it can to encourage as big a support as possible. I’ll not hold my breath though.

HT. 2-1 FT. 3-3 ICT. Billy Mckay Opps. Thomas Crowd. 1511

A win tomorrow would put us back ahead of Raith and closer in points to top spot than the relegation play off position. It's a huge incentive. Arbroath will know that if they lose, the bottom 3 start to look very isolated so they may be a bit nervous. However, that was a terrific win for them at Dundee and Arbroath look to have brought some quality players in. Looks like the sort of game that both managers will feel it is more important not to lose than to win it. Could be a boring goalless draw but I'm predicting an early goal will make it a more open game with a few goals for a change.

HT. 1-1 FT 2-2 ICT. Billy Mckay Opp. El Mhanni Crowd. 1741 Ist Yellow. Carson