DoofersDad

50 minutes ago, Robert said:

Welsh, Wotherspoon and Devine all picked up knocks last night

Was Devine's during or after the match? 

2 hours ago, Robert said:

I’ve heard it is David Cameron of Upland Developments who assisting the club financially at present.

47 minutes ago, IBM said:

And I heard it was Alan Savage  it must be the Inverness rumour mill working again!

Maybe you're both right

HT. 1-1

FT. 2-2

ICT. Doran

Opp Graham

Crowd.  2526

8 minutes ago, Jaggernaut said:

I see Clach have sacked their manager, could this be the right opportunity for Dodds to get back into the game!

He'll be after the Rangers job now that Beale has gone

HT. 1-0

FT. 2-2

ICT. Doran

Opp. McKenna

Crowd. 1811

Report on today's meeting in the Courier

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/fans-feel-disconnected-with-caley-thistle-as-they-express-327463/

Disappointing to lose that.  Good effort and more solid at the back with Ujdur and Boyes looking like they could be a real asset to the club.  We actually created quite a lot of chances, but it was in this area that the lack of confidence showed.  Shooting was either tame or off target, and at times players took an extra touch and the chance was gone.  Having said that, credit must go to Dundee Utd for a lot of good defensive work in closing us down quickly and snuffing out our opportunities.  They have only conceded 2 goals in their 6 games and if they continue in that vein, they will win the title at a canter.  Good to see both Doran and Samuels looking energised following Dodd's departure.  With the right manager in place, I see no reason why the current squad can't get into the promotion play-offs.  

2 hours ago, Fraz said:

Well, he sees fans forums as a waste of time (cancelled them), sees the ST as non representative (without any indication of what is representative in his view) and won't enter into any meaningful dialogue, sees fans complaining online as 'clickbait proponents', sees the matchday survey as 'too negative' (if rumours are to be believed and I quite believe them), sees a public fans meeting as just people venting their spleen and in general people unhappy are just the 'noisy minority'. Everything can just be dismissed away with the wave of a hand. 

So the silent majority are all tickety bo and there's no issues that need to be addressed, therefore, 'I'm doing a great job'

This is why the matchday experience survey is so important.  It gave a voice to the generally silent majority and gives the lie to the narrative that only a small minority are unhappy.  It was open to anyone to complete and over 300 people took the trouble to offer their views.

 It is important to note that the demographic make up of the respondents was remarkably similar to a major survey the EFL conducted a year or two back, and therefore, it is reasonable to compare our results with the those in the EFL survey where very similar questions were asked.  Some will argue that people who perceive a problem are more likely to respond to surveys.  That may well be true to some extent, but the point here is that fans of other clubs in a major survey have expressed satisfaction with aspects of the matchday experience whereas a comparable sample of fans from our club are expressing dissatisfaction.  The survey therefore provides robust evidence that a significant proportion of the ICT fan base are unhappy about several aspects of the matchday experience.  To suggest it is only small minority of "clickbait proponents" is demonstrably untrue.  

HT. 2-0

FT. 3-2

ICT. Billy Mckay

DU. Cudjoe

Crowd. 3084

On 9/19/2023 at 7:46 PM, old caley girl said:

Well we now know Robbo and Charlie Christie out of running. 

It's very interesting to read what the CEO said to the Courier.  There was no suggestion that Robbo and Charlie are not interested in the post on a permanent basis, it was simply that they wouldn't be considered.  Gardiner is quoted as saying "They are 100 per cent interim. They both have very important jobs, so they know that's what they are going to do."  It would appear, therefore, that even if one of them wanted the job and was a better candidate than any outsider applying, they would not be considered because they are currently doing a job at the club which is, apparently, more important than being 1st team coach!  That really is the most crass statement I've heard for a long time.

1 hour ago, ictchris said:

This is my understanding also.  I might be wrong but I would expect him to take over as manager until the end of the season and, unless we get relegated, permanently after that.

If that's the plan, then why not simply announce his appointment to the end of the season?  Given they have advertised the post, subsequently appointing Robbo till the end of the season would hardly be a ring endorsement of their faith in him, especially as it would also mean they were unable to recruit anybody better.

I've no idea if the Club have someone in mind, but their statement did include an email address for applications.

If you think you could do better than Dodds, the address is footballdept@ictfc.

Let's hope they look at that account more than the slo@ictfc one or we will be without a manager for the rest of the season.

In the Club statement announcing Dodds' sacking, the Club stated "We have great plans for the club as we head towards our 30th year."

Would the Chairman kindly tell us what these plans are?

I got the impression at the Club's AGM that Gardiner had wanted Dodds gone in the middle of last season, but that the late upturn in form and the cup run saved him.  Now the club have sacked him just 5 league games into his new 2 year contract extension!   Obviously the results so far have not been good, but to sack a guy just 5 league games after extending his contract is a pretty drastic and expensive change of mind.  So just what has happened?  It would have been good to be a fly on the wall for the discussions which led to the decision.

There are some mitigating factors.  Firstly, the later finish to last season with the Cup Final undoubtedly had a knock on effect in terms both of contract uncertainties and in getting players back to match fitness after a much needed end of season break.  Secondly, whilst results have been poor, performance wise we are not far off it.  Much has been said about our defensive howlers, but yet we have not lost a league match by more than one goal.  At the other end, we are averaging more shots and more shots on target per game than our opponents manage.  Then on Saturday against Raith, the general performance appears to have improved with there being a consensus that we were the better side.  It hardly seems to justify such a radical change of mind, and yet less than 24 hours later, Dodds is shown the door.  

This must be about more than a few poor early season results.  It seems to me that defenders are making mistakes and strikers are not finding the net because they are low on confidence.  And they are low on confidence because they are worried about being publicly criticised by the manager.  Too often, Dodds has made criticism of players in his statements, and whilst not naming them, it has been crystal clear who he has been referring too.  It seems to me that Dodds has lost the dressing room and that will be why he is going.  Having said, that, he will not have lost the dressing room just in the first few weeks of this season and we all know of his fallings out with players previously.  It just makes it all the more bizarre that the club should award Dodds with a new contract only to sack him 5 leagues games later.

Sacking Dodds was the right decision, but the timing of it illustrates how dysfunctional the management within the club has become.

3 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Bit of a sickener to lose to a late goal. 

But not a surprise. 

HT. 1-0

FT. 2-1

ICT. Adam Brook

RR. Calum Smith

Crowd. 3106

3 hours ago, big cherly said:

Again you pump the same theme. ‘Only the Trust is mature enough to represent the fans’. And the rest shut up!

I joined the Forum as I considered it a conduit free to ICT fans to communicate anything regarding the team and club they support. - Now if the Forum is solely for the purpose of unofficially promoting the Trust’s ‘Line’ and it’s members recruitment campaign, then fine I know I’m an outsider and not welcome!

I like to remain free to give my opinion be it confrontational, stupid or thought provoking on the club’s future progression.

So here’s a simple question to whoever can speak for the Trust.

‘Did the Trust vote and back/support the 2 year contract extension for the manager’.

That would help me clarify my misinterpretation of the Trust!

bc

 

I don't speak for the Trust, but what I can tell you is that the Trust exists to represent the wider fan base.  Proof of that is the Matchday Experience survey which involved a lot of work to get and report on the views of all fans who could be bothered to complete the survey.  It was not restricted to members only.

The survey results will be useful to the Trust Board in pointing out to the club what the views of the wider fan base are on the issues raised in the survey.  But in terms of the credibility of the Board representing the supporters as a whole is concerned, that can only come from those on the Board having the backing of the supporters.  As I have said before, Trust Board members are elected by the Trust Members.  If people don't join the Trust, then the Club will say the Trust isn't representative of supporters as a whole and will remain disinclined to engage.

Now, I absolutely get that you may think the Trust Board is not doing enough or you don't like what they are doing, but you aren't going to change that by bleating from the sidelines.  The Trust Board, unlike the Club Board, is a democratically elected body.  If you don't like what the current Board members are doing then you have the power to do something about it by joining the Trust and either voting for someone who has views more aligned to your own, or standing for election yourself and see if your views are supported by the membership.

Whatever your views of the current Trust Board may be, the fact remains that the current Board members are keeping the Trust functioning. They are keeping the supporters voting stake in the club alive and maintaining some level of communication with the club.  They are also the only supporters of this club who, at the moment, appear to be willing to do that on behalf of others.

As for this Forum, it is completely separate from the Trust.  It exists for exactly for the reason you suggest and therefore you are both an insider and very welcome on here.  You would also be free to give your opinion as a member of the Trust.  Indeed, your membership of the Trust would make it more, rather than less likely that the changes you would like to see would be taken up by the Trust.  You said in an earlier post that radical change is needed.  So, what are you going to do about it?  The Trust is the mechanism through which supporters can obtain influence and change within the club, but it will only achieve that if far more supporters join the Trust and shape its future.

As long as supporters stay outside of the Trust and moan about the Trust and the Club from the sidelines, then they are part of problem.  Change happens when some people do something and when others support them in their efforts.

Today marks the 30th Anniversary of the historic votes which led to the merger and the creation of ICT.  The intervening years have brought a great deal of success with the club having won the Scottish Cup, had several years in the premiership, and played in Europe. There have been some hugely memorable days during that period and we can look back with a lot of pride. Against that history it is very sad, 30 years on, to see where the club is now. We are struggling in a lower division, getting beaten by part time sides, haemorrhaging support, and have a Board of Directors and senior management that seem to care little for the supporters and their concerns. It therefore seems like an appropriate time for people to make their views known to the club. The current decline on and off the pitch needs to be turned around, and soon.

As STFU says, the Supporters Trust is best placed to represent the fans.  Hopefully an open meeting will be the opportunity for people who are concerned about the state of the club to come forward and offer some constructive help to the Trust.  The Trust Board is democratically elected by its members and all supporters are welcome to join.  The Trust Board is, therefore,  what the supporters make it to be.  If the supporters want the Trust to be more effective, then the supporters have it in their power to make it so.

HT. 0-2

FT. 1-4

HT  1-0

FT. 2-2

ICT. Shaw

Opp. Wighton

Crowd. 2331

HT. 1-1

FT 2-2

ICT Billy Mckay

Opp. Todorov

Crowd. 1711

2 hours ago, Duke of Inverness said:

- Mass walk out at 60 minutes?

The problem with this is that you need a mass walk in first.

HT. 0-0

FT. 1-1

ICT. Mckay

Opp. Murphy

Crowd 2106

21 hours ago, STFU said:

I don't have the time to give to, or faith in, the Supporters Trust.  Sadly they exhibit many of the things we see in the club.  An anonymous leader who only seems happy to put their name/face to the successes (the survey results), a lack of connect with the fanbase, the poor us "we're only a small team trying hard" excuse given whenever challenged, etc. 

One thing the Trust exhibits which the Club does not is a democratically elected Board. If you and other fans are unhappy with the current Trust Board, you and they are free to join the Trust, put yourselves up for election and/or vote for others who would also like to see a change.  By voting with your feet, you are, in effect, voting for a continuation of the very thing you are complaining about.  The fact is, that the 6 current members of the Trust Board are the only supporters of this Club who currently demonstrate the willingness to take on the responsibility and accountability that being on the Trust Board entails. They have also ensured that the Supporters Trust together with the 10% voting right in the Club on behalf of supporters continues to exist.  But the future direction and success of the Trust is not going to be dictated by the current Board members, it will be dictated by the views and the numbers of those fans who join the Trust and express their views through it.  If some fans don't want to be part of a collective voice, that's up to them.

The Trust Board is also more accessible than the Club. They have a desk in the Sports Bar and members of the Trust Board are present there before most home matches and are available for anybody who wants to have a chat.  In addition if you email the Trust, you are likely to get a response – unlike sending an email to the Clubs SLO address.

23 hours ago, big cherly said:

 

Their are three options as I see it to influence the ICT power holders 

1) Keep things as they are and continue to support and fully back and finance the status quo and hope things improve.

2) Hope that an Alan Savage like saviour with a big bag of money takes over and invests heavily in the club and ground.

3) Enough fans rally behind a change campaign and make moves to implement change.

 

I’m in the last camp, although as I explained earlier, it’s the slow train route for me as I think it’s the more sound route! 
 

You’re clearly in the ST route. I respect that but I don’t agree with it as it’s a retread of an already limited structure that the powers have shown to ignore. The ME survey was nice but in my opinion says a lot of stuff that any clubs fans would say! Respectively, it would not influence the power players except on the periphery.

 

If you feel that a change campaign is the best way forward, then the best way for that to be successful must be for it to be done through the Supporters Trust. If enough people want a change campaign, there will be enough people to make that the strategy of the Trust. As I said above, the Trust is a democratic supporters body and as such, any campaign will be far more successful as part of the Trust strategy than as a separate group working against the wishes of the recognised democratic supporters body.  Having a campaign quite separate from the wishes of the Trust would be playing into the hands of certain people in the Club who are quite happy to encourage a divide and rule situation. As supporters, we need to be as united as possible in order to engage constructively with the club in addressing the concerns of supporters.

On 8/9/2023 at 12:34 AM, Fraz said:

 

However given that they ignore (like Robbo1985 has stated above) communication from individual fans and from the ST there's no way they will listen to anyone in any circumstances unless it suits them imo. 

The Matchday survey could be a changing point in the Club's attitude. It was encouraging that in the P&J article, the Club was quoted as saying that the 300 or so fans who completed the survey should be seen as a reasonable cross-section.  We need to build on this. If the club is sincere in this view, then they will take the results of the survey more seriously. This is why it is so important for more people to join the Trust so that Trust membership is at a level of at least the number who completed the survey. Clearly, the more members the Trust has, the more representative it becomes and the harder it will be for the club to ignore. The survey therefore represents the best opportunity fans have had for many a year to get the Club to engage constructively in addressing fans' concerns. To be successful, it really is important that Trust membership increases significantly and that a good few more folk show a willingness to get actively involved in supporting the expressed views of the fans.

Of course, the club might just decide to ignore the Trust and the fans they represent, but it makes sense to give them every opportunity to engage. If they choose not to, then it may well be that the kind of active protest campaign that Big Cherly advocates would begin to find more favour and could become the Trusts strategy too. Either way success is far more likely if campaigns are the strategy of a recognised supporters body and led by democratically elected fans representatives.

This thread certainly makes for grim reading, but it provides good examples of the attitude the Club has towards the fans which the Supporters Trust survey illustrated in a more structured and representative way.  I can understand and respect people voting with their feet, especially when money is tight, but I don't think that will make the Club management change their ways.  Less revenue will simply be used as an excuse not to address some of the issues highlighted in the Matchday Experience Survey.  What we need is a stronger fans' voice.  It is interesting that in the P&J's article on the Survey Report, the Club is quoted as acknowledging that the 300 or so fans who completed the survey should be seen as a reasonable cross section.  It follows that the club must acknowledge the shortcomings identified in the survey report are a reflection of the views of the support as a whole and therefore need to be addressed.

The P&J also quoted the Club saying "if we could have a strong and relevant supporters group going forward, it would be very helpful".  As fans, we need to hold the Club to these statements. If fans can get behind the Supporters Trust then that would seem to be the best way to get a constructive dialogue between the Club and the supporters and to get these issues addressed.  If the Trust had the backing of a large proportion of the fan base, then I am sure the club would not get away with cancelling the sponsors' night or failing to follow up on season-ticket renewals, for example. 

In the longer term, what we need is fans' representation on the Club Board. The Supporters Trust is the obvious channel for that, but it would need the Trust to be significantly stronger than it is now for that to ever happen. The bottom line here is that the stronger the Supporters Trust is, the better the communication with the club will be. The Trust is trying to get the concerns of funds addressed.  If fans don't get behind the Trust and join it, it will simply give the Club an excuse not to address the very issues that fans are complaining about.