DoofersDad

I was a bit disappointed with the team selection but I am happy to acknowledge that Robbo knows more about team selection than I do. It was a terrific team performance. Morton have started the season well and were the league's top scorers before tonight's game, but they were never given time on the ball. We won a lot of ball from good solid tackling and then used it more quickly than is often the case. Everyone seemed to want the ball and there was decent movement off the ball. Great to see a few balls played inside the defenders for a change. We've been lacking that even though the strikers have been looking for those balls to be played. I thought we more than edged the first half and were pretty decent. Rooney and Walsh were really impressive down the right whilst Doran threatened several times when cutting in from the left. But we scored an excellent 2nd goal early in the second half and kicked on from there as the players' confidence grew. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a game as much as that. Well done to Robbo and the lads!

Yes. I agree that we should take this up with the club. This is not just about the final design but about arrangements during what will be a very lengthy construction period. Thanks too to Jack and Tree for posting informative links. Concern has been expressed before about the lack of any traffic control to assist people crossing the roundabout, but as pointed out above, the official line is that there is a safe walking route under the bridge and my guess is that this something which will be emphasised. The "official" route could do with much better signage but there is also something else which would help. Creating a decent walk way from the West side of the ground going along the back of the car park to meet the pavement just before the bridge would both shorten the route a bit and also remove the need for walkers to cross in front of cars exiting the car park. This would therefore address another concern which has been raised recently.

The Board of the Supporters Trust is delighted to report that Michael Talbot has agreed to join the Board as a co-opted member. Michael has been a keen supporter since having been taken to ICT's first competitive game at the new Stadium. With a background in sales, Michael is now Key Account Manager for the North of Scotland with a major supply and logistics company which has allowed him to develop relationships with staff in companies throughout the area. Michael brings organisational, time management and business skills to the Board, These, combined with his enthusiasm and love of Caley Thistle will make him a valuable member of the Board as we move forward. Michael's appointment brings the number on the Board up to 7.

Look on the bright side. Playing a championship side means it’s less embarrassing when we lose! Seriously though, I hate the concept of seeding. The beauty of the cup competitions is the opportunity for the wee teams to sneak their way into the latter stages of the competition and have the kind of big day out against the top teams that fans will talk about for years to come. Seeding is just another way of making it more likely that the big clubs will be the beneficiaries of the more lucrative big games.

Yes. I had a problem last night. The rogue site seemed to take over CTO and you couldn’t close it. No problem on the PC and it was fine on the iPhone later on in the evening.

Relieved to get the win. We looked pretty poor and lacking in imagination throughout the team, but having said that, we did create several good chances. Doran could and probably should have scored at least 3 and White should have done better than direct a free header into the waiting hands of the keeper. Defensively were looked very shaky again. We need Welsh back and I also think the current performances are showing what a miss Chalmers is. We are lacking solidity in front of the back four and that is being exposed when the full backs go forward. It seems that some players are unsure of their roles at times and nor more so than for the Arbroath goal. Liinn should not have been in so much space at the edge of the box, but when the ball came to him, nobody went to close him down. He had so much time to tee up his shot it was like he was taking a free kick. Storey was fortunate with his goal but he struck it hard and he offered more movement up front than others had shown. Todorov had no real chance to show his footballing skills but he is clearly capable giving defenders a hard time. I would love to see him start and be given the opportunity to show what he can do.

Liam Polworth scored for Motherwell. He seems to have slotted in well at 'well and has had one or two assists too. It will be interesting to see how he performs when the league starts and he faces better quality opponents.

Good questions to which I don't know the answer. Hopefully somebody else will be able to provide it. I have to say I am rather taken with this development for two reasons. Firstly, it shows a real statement of faith in youngsters who did very well last year but not quite well enough to make the first team squad. We all know that players develop at different rates and who's to say that in time one of these lads won't eclipse those who have been included in the first team squad? The second reason is that all the lads stay together. This means they are mutual support for each other in a different environment and the familiarity they have of each other on the park will allow them to perform to the best of their ability. I often think it must be really hard for youngsters going out on lone, alone, to ambitious Highland League clubs stuffed with seasoned part timers who would have loved to have made the grade to be a full time footballer. Maybe the loan experience is the making for some, but for many it is simply an introduction to the type of football that will later be seen as the pinnacle of their careers. This is a win, win, win situation. A win for the lads, for ICT and the Fort. The only concern for Fort William will be what on earth they do when they get drawn against us in the 4th round of the Scottish cup!

Yes. I noticed that too. There just isn't enough time between the end of one season and the start of the next to get a new pitch laid and allow the grass to get properly established. It wasn't too bad and as long as it survives the next two or three games without significant damage I think it will be just fine.

Interesting game. Nobody should have under-estimated Cove after they held Dundee to a goalless draw earlier. We were able to create far more chances than Dundee managed and if it were not for a couple of bad misses, one off the woodwork and several fine saves from the keeper we could have had 7 or 8. Having said that, the final whistle was greeted with relief more than anything as Cove really exposed us going forward, even when they were down to 10 men following the dismissal of their star striker. There were no new faces in our back line but they really couldn't cope with Cove's pacey attacks and with Megginson and Glass in particular. That has to be a concern going forward into the league season, although I think part of the problem was the lack of bite in defensive midfield and the return of Welsh will help in that respect. A downside in Cove's game was they way they went down too easily and feigned injury. It rather backfired on them once the ref got wise to it. We scored the winner whilst Megginson was feigning injury in the other half. He hobbled with an almost comedy limp to the ref to complain but then moved as freely as ever immediately after the kick off. Soon after Sculley got a genuinely sore one and it was a little while before the ref stopped play to allow treatment. The lad was clearly in some pain and had to be stretchered off. Hopefully it's not too serious. Nice too see a sporting round of applause from the home fans as he was carried off. Robbo has said that the team is looking to cut out all the draws that held us back last season. Last night would indicate a real desire to take the game to the opposition which means taking a few risks at the back. Lots of interesting games to come methinks.

Unfortunately this event has had to be cancelled. Anybody who has bought tickets will be refunded. The Supporter's Trust remains keen to hold a party style event in this anniversary season that will be affordable for all. We will continue to work with the Club on this and will let you know as soon as we have a date.

The Supporters Trust is working with the Club in staging a fans' Party at the club this Saturday. Details at https://ictfc.com/supporters-trust-party-this-saturday A great way to get this special season started and to meet some of the players. This event has now been cancelled

I should be making a serious response to this thread but I haven't yet even decided on my keeper. It's a bit of a Tuffey.

The Board of the Supporters Trust met last night with Scot Gardiner, the club's new CEO. Scot has a wealth of experience of management within football clubs and it is clear that his knowledge and enthusiasm are going to be a terrific asset to this club. We are grateful to Scot for his open and frank approach and delighted that he understands the importance of engaging constructively with supporters groups. He is already working on a number of initiatives and I think we can expect some very positive announcements from the club in the next few weeks as we head into our anniversary season. In relation to the business of the Trust, members can expect a communication soon regarding a new membership fee which we are required to levy under the Rules. Having an up to date membership list of paid up members is crucial to the effective and legal operation of the Trust. The fans Party is scheduled to take place on Saturday July 20th starting at 7pm at the stadium. Confirmed details will be released on the club's media sites and through the Trust's social media outlets in the next day or two. This event will be a great celebratory way to start the season! We are currently putting together a fans survey about certain aspects of the match day experience. We hope to carry this out on a match day in the near future and will update folk on this soon. Colleagues on the Trust Board offered congratulations to our Secretary, Jennifer Aitchison on her appointment to the Board of Supporters Direct Scotland. SD Scotland is effectively the parent body for Supporters Trusts throughout Scotland and is the body that liaises with national football bodies in Scotland. Jen's involvement on the national Board will allow us to have a greater insight of and input into initiatives at a national level. The personal contact with colleagues at other clubs where fan involvement with clubs has been much more high profile than it has here will also be invaluable to us in our developing role within the club. Already we have fed in to a multi-agency consultation document on a National Strategy for Policing Football in Scotland being led by Police Scotland. Our view is that the focus of the football community should be less on the policing in dealing with unacceptable behaviour, but more on preventing it in the first place. There has been a lot of discussion on CTO over the years about the behaviour of some sections of our support and our view is that an engaging educational approach should be the cornerstone of the approach at club level. A noisy and exuberant support creates real atmosphere at games and is greatly appreciated by the lads on the pitch. However, when that exuberance spills over into abusive chanting, throwing flares, threatening behaviour and vandalism etc, then it quickly turns into a negative impact on the club. It is easy for the excitement of the moment and peer pressure to cause folk to cross the line and act out of character in these situations. Rather than identifying the individuals who have stepped over the line and punish them, we would rather an educational approach was used to help people understand why their behaviour was unacceptable and the kind of impact it has on other people. Better still to have proactive engagement to prevent folk stepping over the line in the first place. And I'm not just referring to the youngsters here! This is something we will want to actively discuss with the club in due course. Having said that, we recognise there are limits to the educational approach and there will be occasions where there is no option other than serious sanctions. The club has been going through a difficult period. But as we head into our 25th anniversary season, I feel we have turned the corner and are now well placed to build on the good work Robbo has done in the last couple of years and make a real push for promotion. Unlike our neighbours, we have no benevolent backer pouring millions into the club and therefore success will only come if the club engages fully with the local community and the community gives its support and backing to the club. This is going to be a crucial year for the club but I sense its going to be a good one. Lets all get behind our team!

Good to see the club supporting Proud Ness. https://ictfc.com/proud-ness-and-inverness-caledonian-thistle-fc-announce-partnership Football is one of the last bastions of homophobia and it is good to see the club take positive action in supporting the LGBT community. Scot Gardiner informed the Supporters Trust Board of this initiative last night at a meeting and we were delighted to offer him our support for the club's initiative For those interested, I have put more detail regarding our meeting last night on the Supporters Trust sub forum.

Or Proctortitis to use the medical terminology.

Please see below for the revised details of a fans party to kick start the anniversary season. The link for purchasing tickets is https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/start-of-season-25th-anniversary-fans-party-tickets-62818410557 More details to follow soon.

I thought Vincent was rather under-rated when he was here. I'm surprised that he hasn't done better since he left but it is maybe all about the style teams play and how an individual fits in with the team. Robbo seems to be good at getting the best out of people as part of a team so I am hoping this will be a good move all round. Iain Vigurs was a player who returned successfully, so perhaps another player whose name begins with Vi can do the same.

Wasn't Darren studying for a degree? He's maybe wanting to continue studying or to use his degree for a more secure long term future. Perhaps he didn't quite have the motivation required to succeed as a full time professional footballer and will be happier going part time. If he can enjoy his football whilst not having to rely on it to earn a crust, then good luck to the lad.

I've heard so many versions of what the contractual arrangements were and why he wasn't playing that I am certainly not going to take any sides on this. What I do know is that he performed well for us when he did play, but after a shaky start, Mark Ridgers has been outstanding and has been 1st choice keeper on merit. It is also reasonable to assume that given Owain has turned down various offers in the past, the salary he was on here was better than he was being offered elsewhere, whether he was playing or not. It is difficult to attract decent offers if you are not actually playing and putting yourself in the shop window, and therefore I would suspect that he was getting quite a bit more than he was being offered elsewhere. I don't think there is any point conjecturing about his honesty or integrity. What is important is that the club learns from the mistakes of the past and we are not burdened with the consequences of contracts offered as a result of unrealistic expectations of future success. There is a difference between taking a calculated risk and being foolhardy.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters Trust in conjunction with the Angel Wings charity is hosting a fans party night at the Stadium on the evening of Saturday 29th June. Earlier in the day, the team kicks off the start of Inverness Caledonian Thistle's 26th season with a friendly away to our neighbours Clach at Grant St. , so what better way to celebrate the first fantastic 25 years years and to look forward to the next 25 than with a party! The party starts at 19.00 and ends at 23.45. Ticket price includes a buffet and disco. Players past and present will be there so this will be a great opportunity to share memories with friends old and new and to chat about hopes and expectations for the next 25 years. Ticket prices have been kept low at £15 to make this event as affordable as possible, so please book early to avoid disappointment! Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/start-of-season-25th-anniversary-fans-party-tickets-62818410557 All of us on the Trust Board look forward to meeting you on the 29th. This event postponed and now taking place on Saturday 20th July.

Three promising youngsters. Hoban, Mackay and MacKinnon.

Storey? The first chapter was OK but he’s lost the plot since. I don’t think signing him would lead to a happy ending.

Very good at keepie uppies too.

On the face of it as he was pretty outspoken. It perhaps suggests the powers that be think he was justified in being very annoyed.