DoofersDad

The Supporters Trust has taken this matter up with the club. CEO Scot Gardiner was very aware of and concerned about the problems with the Morton "fans" and explained the very specific circumstances of this incident. Because of the game being on TV with an early KO time as a result, and given the distance Morton fans would have to travel, Morton supporter groups told Morton that they were asking fans to adopt a 100% boycott of the game. The club gave its support to that stance and informed ICT of the situation. Opening the South stand involves significant extra expense with a separate servery, extra cleaning etc., and the decision was taken not to open the South Stand. However, recognising that despite the boycott, some people may still come to the game, the club set aside the South end of the main stand to accommodate any who turned up. In the event, more than expected turned up and unfortunately, amongst these was a group of around 20 whose behaviour was very poor. Scot recognises that the situation must not be allowed to happen again and therefore they have taken the decision that, despite the financial implications, the South Stand will be open for away fans for all future games this season. This includes the game on Saturday when it is anticipated that the crowd will be even smaller than last Friday. As Fraz rightly says above, this is the sort of issue you might expect an SLO to deal with, but the club does not currently have an SLO. Scot has agreed that it would be useful to have a separate meeting with the Trust to discuss what elements of the SLO role, as defined by the SFA and Supporters Direct Scotland, need to be carried out and to identify how that might be done within the financial constraints faced by the club. We'll update you with progress on that in due course.

Oops! Thanks for correcting me. But it is a national cup and the day we won it was a great day out and a great morale booster to the team. A bit of extra cash too. It is a competition we should be trying seriously to win.

I agree that getting club specific feedback would be useful. Clearly there will be issues where fans of different clubs will have widely differing views because of the widely differing ways in which those issues are addressed at clubs. I haven't seen any such data but I can find out if it is available. Given figures from previous surveys which detailed the number of responses from the top 10 responding clubs, I doubt that more than 50 ICT fans will have responded and therefore any results are not going to be particularly representative. It just goes to emphasis the point that the more people who complete these surveys, the more valuable the data becomes and the more likely that it will result in action. Thanks for filling it in yourself by the way. That makes at least two of us!

Robbo was saying after the Morton game that he will be making a raft of changes for Saturday's game with Harper, MacGregor, Trafford, Welsh and Storey all starting. Maybe a bit of a risk as the league cup is a potential money spinner and morale booster. However, we do have a bit of depth and those coming into the side will be anxious to prove themselves.

You say "It's almost as if it's designed to make fans feel like they are being listened to when they aren't really." I don't think that is fair as it is run by Supporters Direct Scotland which exists to try to narrow the divide between those who run the clubs. Supporters Direct Scotland at national level and Supporters Trusts at local level need to know what fans feel is important to them if they are to be able to represent those views to the football organisations and the clubs. The football organisations and the clubs also (mostly) want to know because at the end of the day, it is the fans that pay their wages. Note that following a previous presentation, the clubs specifically asked Alan Russell, CE of SDS to give a presentation about the results of last year's survey. If the clubs don't provide what the fans want then the fans will stay away. It is therefore clearly in their interest to listen to the fans views. Previous surveys have identified that value for money is the thing that matters most to fans and a number of clubs have taken note of that in their pricing structures. Last year's results showed for the first time more supporters felt the prices were fair rather than poor value. Fans in some clubs may feel they are becoming more disconnected from the clubs but the opposite is true in many. The appointment of Supporter Liaison Officers and the trend towards fan ownership of clubs is having a huge impact on the engagement of supporters in some clubs. If fans want the clubs to connect with them, then the more fans who complete surveys like this, the more connection there will be.

The more people who fill in these surveys, the more likely it is that things will change. If people can't be bothered to feedback their views when invited to, then the powers that be will assume folk are happy with the way things are. For instance, I have taken the opportunity to voice my view that we need to have safe standing areas to help boost the atmosphere at games. If everyone who held that view filled in the survey and made that point then maybe we would get somewhere with it.

Supporters Direct Scotland have launched their annual survey of football fans in Scotland. It can be accessed from the link below which also gives a bit more information about the survey and a link to access the results from last year's survey. The survey closes on 15th September- so don't put it off for another day. This is the chance to get your voice heard. http://www.scottishsupporters.net/scottish-football-supporters-survey-launched/

Kelty Hearts seem to have ambitions and have recruited players whose level is above Lowland league standard. I'm sure Nathan would do well in League 2 and probably League 1. Note also that Calder scored for Bradford PA In fact plenty of former ICT players scoring at the weekend. Special mention for Jonny Hayes getting one for Celtic against the Rangers. Great to see him scoring at that level after the bad injury he had.

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!

HT. 1-0 FT 2-1 ICT. Doran Opp McHugh Crowd 1954

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.

HT. 0-1 FT 1-1 ICT. Walsh Opp. McPake Crowd 5417

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.

HT. 1-0 FT 3-1 ICT. Walsh Opp. Doris Crowd 2024

HT. 1-0 FT. 2-1 ICT. Todorov Opp. Clark Crowd. 5007

HT 0-1 FT 1-1 ICT Todorov Opp Meekings Crowd 2619

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.

I'm ashamed to say it is over 40 years since I was in the Castle Restaurant. It is no doubt closing because there are too many people like me who have good memories of it but never actually go there now. I first went there as a student when staying at the Youth Hostel. It was packed but a lone diner on a table that could seat 4 offered to share and then 2 others from the Hostel joined us. The conversation flowed and we all went for a drink afterwards. It was one of those nights that was a great night partly because it was so unexpected and unplanned. It was probably a minor factor in my decision to apply for a pre-registration job here. I then remember as a very newly qualified pharmacist working as Manager in Cameron's pharmacy in Greig St. This was owned by Charlie Forbes, a great Clach man, who also owned and worked at the pharmacy in Grant St. He had told me that Cameron's was the duty pharmacy on the forthcoming Monday Public Holiday but we only needed to be open between 10am and midday and he assured it would be pretty quiet. Quiet my *rse! When I arrived to open the shop there were about 20 people queuing. There was a queue out of the door until about 2 in the afternoon. It wasn't until after 3.30 that I could close the shop and start the admin side of things. Charlie came into the shop at around 4 to collect the takings and expressed surprise to see me.still there. He asked (only half jokingly) if I had had lunch. When I said that I had been a tad too busy for such luxuries he said he would buy me the best steak in town. And so we arrived at the Castle Restaurant where he instructed the manager (who he knew well) to give me the biggest and best sirloin steak they had. It was just delicious. Almost worth all the stress of the previous few hours. Almost!

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!

Well, global warming has suddenly got a whole lot worse since Boris became Prime Minister.

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.