DoofersDad

A 4th clean sheet in a row, an away win against the favourites for the title and no less than 19 shots with 10 on target. Hopefully the fair weather "fans" who deserted the team in their droves can see that if they stick with the team, they will see us climb the table playing good positive football. I liked the interview with the manager. Upbeat but still very grounded. He accepted a poisoned chalice when he took on the job but it is looking increasingly that he has what it takes to stop the rot. A big "well done" to him and the team.

It would need some strict terms and conditions- such as nobody called Ross being allowed to buy a ticket.

HT 1-0 FT 2-0 ICT Vigurs Opp McDonald Crowd 5682

HT 2-0 FT 3-1 ICT Calder Opp Hippolyte Crowd 4312

Ah! But wouldn't it be wonderful to see Scotland playing like Barcelona against the Spanish!

Isn't he also a bit small to be an international football manager?

Happy Birthday Liam! Don't let the b*stards get you down.

Supporting a football team has feck all to do with entertainment. Just ask 40,000 Sunderland fans.

Well, I suppose a return to the cheerleaders would be an improvement on the jeerleaders we have at the moment.

Local breweries couldn't afford much sponsorship, but what about the Whisky industry? Diageo obviously has a bob or two and a Highlands Football team seems a good match for a company that makes Highland Malts. We could get rid of the "Pride of the Highlands" tag and become "Spirit of the Highlands". They could build a new covered stadium - The Diageo Dome - which could double up as a general entertainments and conference centre as well as housing a variety of indoor sports. And to mark the 25th anniversary of our club in 2019 they could market a premium blend of 25 year old malts. "The ICT. 25 year old. Matured to perfection." I'd buy a bottle or three.

Potentially, England have a better side than for many a year. There is good depth as well. However, they just don't seem to know how to get through a packed defence and they always look vulnerable at the back. They won their group by a decent margin but were never convincing. Friendlies are coming up against Germany and Brazil. I expect those will knock the hype back a bit. It will also no doubt provide some "fans" with an opportunity to sing some war related songs and to demonstrate what a complete embarrassment they are to the team and their country. England do have a very young side at the moment and have been doing quite well at the U21 and lower levels. Whilst my expectations for Russia do not extend beyond the likelihood of some very unpleasant crowd trouble, I do think England might be good enough to be real contenders on the world stage in a few more years.

It was the brewery. I hope you're not bitter about it!

That's a good post from Charles which illustrates that there is no easy fix. People go to football for very different reasons. Some turn up through thick and thin because it's their team and the team is just a part of their life; some go to be entertained; some go because they enjoy their team winning; some go to see the big names that other clubs have in their sides. With respect to entertainment, it should also be noted that different things entertain people differently - some like end to end mayhem regardless of the quality of the play whilst others get enjoyment from a more sedate but technically more accomplished style of play. There is no right or wrong about any of this and we really shouldn't criticise anyone who decides they will no longer go to matches. But I think one of the problems we have is that given the success of the last 10 years or so, unrealistic expectations have been created. Now that those expectations are not being met, people are staying away in significant numbers. Unfortunately the harsh reality is that every time somebody decides not to come, it makes it that much harder for the club to meet the expectations of everybody else. It's a vicious circle. Perhaps people could look at things in a different way. Instead of asking whether or not you got value for your £20 at any given match, look upon the £20 as an investment for future success. After all, when you look back at that incident packed semi-final against Celtic and then lifting the cup in the final, just how much are those memories worth? We'll not see the like again unless enough people keep faith with the club through the bad times as well as the good.

And none more nonsensical than this. Just how does that square with the post below that you posted just 12 hours ago? I think there have been some very good replies because people are opening up about the way the feel about what is going on and what motivates them to attend. It's a good thread and we we should be grateful to Dougal for posting it in his own inimitable way.

If Peterhead took "a few hundred" through then most must have got lost on the way. Maybe they taught Dougal a thing or two about fishing

Oh well. Gordon Stachan or Chris Coleman as ICT's next manager?

Young Daniel must be sitting top of the world rankings for minutes played per goal scored over the course of his career. Well ahead of journey men like Messi and Ronaldo etc! But we mustn't get carried away. Whilst it was an absolute dream start for the lad, it is important that people don't have unrealistic expectations of him. It will be important that the club nurtures his talent carefully. Talking of nurturing, I wonder if the manager put him on the park on Saturday because he felt he would be safer there than in the dug out!

This is clearly a very serious incident and would appear to be a very public manifestation of serious tensions within the club. I would expect the Chairman to take personal control of a thorough investigation of not only the incident itself but of the underlying issues. Given the incident is in the public domain, I would expect an early and very brief public statement to that effect. If what Milescott says is correct then I doubt we will be seeing anything more of Kellacher at the club. As for Polworth, he cannot possibly get off without some significant punishment from the club but I do have some sympathy for the lad. He was subjected to some disgraceful abuse from some so-called "supporters". He will have been angry about that and angry at himself for a sub standard performance after the early boost of a goal. In those circumstances, what the lad should have got was some kind words of consolation from the coaching staff. If Kellacher abused him as reported above then it is understandable if Polworth flipped. As I say, whatever the truth, Polworth must receive some punishment but he also needs the right people to talk things through with. Analysing how he deals both on and off the pitch with frustrations about his performance levels should help him to be a better player. Getting rid of Kellacher and bringing in a sports psychologist would be a good swop.

Is that the stuff about the Earth being flat?

The club certainly can't afford to pay Raven Premiership wages and, much as I like the guy, his current form doesn't warrant it. It was a little sad to day to see him being skinned several times by 2nd division players. But he does have good experience, he reads the game well, and he can be effective going forward. At our current level I think he still has something to offer as a squad player and would like to see him offered a contract commensurate with that status. He may think such an offer derisory and clearly nobody should criticise him were he to reject such an offer and look for a better one elsewhere. It would also be totally understandable were he to decide that now is the time to return down South both for family reasons and to look towards life when his career is over. At 32 his best days are behind him but there is no reason why he can't play for a few more years at a non league level down south. One way and another, I don't think we will see a lot more of David in an ICT shirt, but whatever transpires. we will have a lot to thank him for.

Absolutely agree with that. The abuse of Polworth was coming loud and clear from the North Stand as well. I really find it quite disgusting that some so called fans abuse the players in this way. There really is no better way to demotivate players of your own team than shouting abuse at them. Some of these people might as well sit in the South Stand for all the "support" they give our lads. OK, so apart from a great goal, Polworth was very poor today, but in no way does that justify the abuse. He was poor but he tried. He always tries and when he fouls up you can see by his reaction that he's every bit as annoyed at himself as any fan is. Actually, that is part of his problem - he shouldn't react like that, he should immediately work to get the ball back / get in position. By all means roll your eyes and quietly mutter a few expletives when players mess up. But then when they do something half decent give your support be it vocal or clapping or both. Players need that support and encouragement, especially in situations like now when their confidence is shot. Supporters support. It really isn't a very hard concept to grasp.

3-0 sounds comfortable, but the scoreline flatters us. After a bright start, Polworth scored an excellent early goal with a rasping low shot. That should have spurred us on and allowed us to relax against a team 2 divisions below us. but as has happened before this season, we didn't capitalise on the bright start and Peterhead came into the game and looked the more likely team to score for much of the 1st half. Early in the 2nd half the only move of real quality in the game ended with a very composed finish from Calder. The 2 goal margin should have allowed us to play a bit of controlled football on the deck and to dominate the game. Instead it remained pretty scrappy fare with little to chose between the 2 sides. Robertson left his substitutions late and for some reason left the hapless Baird on for the full 90 minutes. Young Mackay came on very late and immediately made an impact. Firstly he was put through on goal, but instead of squaring for the unmarked Baird, he tried to beat the final defender and made a total hash of it. However, a minute later he was sharp enough to be first to a bouncing ball in the box and did what Baird simply looks totally incapable of. He scored! Apart from their excellent goals, Polworth and Calder were poor. It really is worrying that Polworth seem incapable of getting the better of Division 2 opposition and loses the ball so often. I hate to say it, but for much of the game, he was dreadful today. Calder to me looks to have more natural talent but doesn't assert himself. But the lad must be pretty confused with what he can do and what he can't, both this week and last he got booked just about the first time he actually made any contact with an opponent. When far worse was meted out to him he doesn't even win a free kick. Raven was poor defensively and got skinned several times in the first half. Tremarco was OK but is some way short of the form he showed before his injury. Brad Mackay was sound enough but Donaldson was without doubt the pick of the defenders. Bell is a live wire but is not going to score more than a handful this season - although that is probably a handful more than Baird.. Chalmers did OK filling in in midfield but again it was Vigurs who was the dominant controlling figure in midfield. He looks a class above anyone else in the team. 3-0 and a 2nd consecutive clean sheet sounds good, but let there be no mistake. We are a very poor side at the moment. I think the 2nd goal showed that when we do work together as a team there is the talent to play some good football. But part of the problem is that we rarely work well as a team. Too many players just don't seem to be on the same wavelength as each other and as a result we are not creating enough chances. But a win is a win, and confidence boosting goals for Calder and young MacKay as well as an assured performance from Donaldson are welcome positives to take from the game.

And a cracker it was. Brilliant result for Scotland. With England having beaten Slovenia it now means that Slovenia need to beat Scotland and hope that Slovakia somehow fail to beat Malta. I can't see Slovakia not beating Malta and therefore it may well be that Slovenia will have lost some of their motivation for Sunday's final game. Scotland should be favourites to come 2nd in the group. And with the way Scotland are playing at the moment, they will not fear any team that they might get in the play offs.

Fer fecks sake - nobody who has commented on his article is putting him down. Quite the opposite in fact. The only criticism is from me in that it would be good if all this positive action could be better communicated. The thing about this forum is that it is open to all fans regardless of age, location or view. To imply that people who read this forum and post on it are not "real" fans is, frankly, pathetic. It is good that our new Chairman takes the time to speak to individuals, but individuals speak for themselves only and the Chairman doesn't have the time to speak to everyone. The forum provides a platform for everyone to express their views and as a consequence it also gives us the opportunity to change our views in the light of what others have said. Speaking to a few individuals and to a few anonymous, self selecting "fans groups" does not give the wider view that a genuinely representative supporters body can do. Of course there is a place for discussion with more specific groups of supporters in order to address particular issues (such as the banning of some of the youngsters) but there is really no better source of getting the wider fan view than from this forum. A forum which that has. after all, been set up for the very purpose of letting the fans express their views.

Bump. Graham Rae's interview in the Courier was posted on another thread with a focus on the likelihood that following completion of transfer of ownership of the stands, the stadium would be renamed. People have had a bit of fun with that. However, the Chairman's interview covers a lot more subjects than just that and it makes for very interesting reading - so I'm posting the link here as well. http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Football/Caledonian-Stadium-could-be-renamed-as-part-of-Caley-Thistle-restructure-02102017.htm The article refers to the financial restructuring within the club being nearly complete and refers to new investment having come into the club. Apparently the financial shortfall this year is less than when we were relegated before. On the negative side, it refers to difficulties due to the late payment of parachute payments by the SFA. These are not expected till later in the season. That seems quite bizarre - a bit like being given a parachute which doesn't open till you've hit the ground. Graham talks about actively seeking new Board members in time for the AGM later in the year (he's not asked me ) and also says that in addressing the range of issues raised by supporters, the Board has "met a number of fans groups" (not sure what groups they might be!) to discuss how to take things forward. He also talks about the number of volunteers who have come forward to help and that a working group has been set up to coordinate activity. That sounds very positive. It is certainly well worth a read and it is gratifying to hear that there appears to be much that is positive going on behind the scenes. If I have a concern about all this, it is that this information has not been communicated more directly to the fans. Following the Q&A session earlier in the year and the recognition from the club that communication with fans needs to improve, I remember Scotty offering that this forum could be used as a means of communication. Given the number of people who regularly log onto this forum this would seem to be the obvious channel of communication. We need communication more directly to the fans and we need consultation through channels which genuinely represents the wider fan base.