gordieict

I think Killie gave up a large part of the stadium to Celtic fans when they clinched the title last season

We expect our club to go with the fans wishes and vote for sporting integrity when we all know it will have a huge financial impact yet most are not prepared to give up their seats for a perhaps 3 games a season...to be honest if that is the attidute the club is in real danger of dying.

Pitty, i quite fancied having him back here, thought letting him go in the first place was a bit short sighted. I suppose if he is dead keen on a move back here he could get his contract terminated. Couple of the other players that Swindon listed did that.

I think getting cash for him was more a case of couldnt afford not to rather than short sighted

Sad fact of the matter is if ICT don't produce football that is "easier on the eye" again this season the attendances will drop again, its an entertainment business not just a results one and if people aren't getting entertained they will spend what little disposable income they have on other things.

Is it simply the case that apart from maybe 3 or 4 clubs Scottish football can't support full time football and will look to part time going forward?

What the powers to be have to realise is that while they may be worried about losing cash from sponsors and Sky the largest contributors to the finances of football are the fans themselves and they are in danger of losing them the way things are going

http://blogs.channel4.com/alex-thomsons-view/rangers-vote/2201

Incredible

Apparently Ross County abstained

SPL clubs have voted no to the Newco

Fans of clubs throughout the country have been asked to buy season tickets on the back of sporting integrity, if any chairman of these clubs does change his mind they have conned the fans

http://www.theawayend.net/articles/features/1183-clyde-slam-neil-doncaster-in-club-statement

Clyde fc statement, what an almighty mess the game in this country is in.

So Rangers don't pay Hearts for Wallace, Hearts can't afford Blacks contract so Rangers sign him....you couldn't make it up

Goalkeepers

1. Ryan Esson

2. Antonio Reguero

3. Ed Baldy/Scott Mathieson

Gone -

Johnny Tuffey

Defence

4. Josh Meekings

5. Gary Warren

6. Chris Hogg

7. Graeme Shinnie

8. David Raven

Gone -

Ross Tokely

Kenny Gillet

Thomas Piermayr

David Proctor

Steve Williams (end of loan)

Roman Golobart (end of loan)

Tom Aldred (end of loan)

Midfield

9. Nick Ross

10. Andrew Shinnie

11. Martin Laing

12. Aaron Doran

13. Owain-Tudur Jones

15. Gavin Morrison

16. Ritchie Foran

Gone -

Jonny Hayes

Greg Tansey

Lee Cox

David Davis (end of loan)

Claude Gnapka

Aiden Chippendale (end of loan)

Strikers

17. Shane Sutherland

18. Billy McKay

19. Jason Oswell

Gone -

Gregory Tade

Sam Winnall (end of loan)

So by my reckoning we have a squad of 19. Still light on the defence and midfield IMO. Would imagine that Terry would want to start the season with a squad of about 22-24 so hopefully there is still another 3-5 players to come in.

Top of my shopping list would be:

A left back to replace Kenny Gillet,

A centre half to replace Williams/Golobart,

An attacking midfielder to replace Tansey,

A winger/wide midfielder to replace Hayes,

A utility defender/midfielder to replace Proctor

Highly possible some of these may be loans but it still looks like a fair bit of work to be done by my reckoning

Doesn't look like there are a lot of goals in the striking department either, need another striker as well I think

To me the biggest example of how the current signing policy is not working is the likes of Tade, never exactly set the heather alight at any club before ICT, was given his opportunity at the top flight with ICT and then refused a new contract and was off at the first chance he had meaning TB had to scurry about looking for a replacement.

I think I am correct in saying that ICT played a match last year without one Scottish player in the starting line up, who honestly thought that would happen. I am sure there must be young Scottish talent in the lower leagues that could make the step up, one recent example was Gary Mackay-Stevens, but Butcher's stategy and scouting seems to be the lower leagues in England.

Good luck to all and welcome to ICT

yeah lets all laugh at County, they at least have a squad together and the way things are looking for us they will be the ones doing the laughing atthe end of the season unless Butcher gets his finger out. Sorry for the defeatist attitude but i cant help but look at their squad and think they will finish above us.

Just because he hasnt phoned you personally to tell you what he's doing doesnt mean he's not doing anything. I expect a few announcements to be made by friday.

you really believe this Alex ? announcements are all well and good but do you really think we will have a better squad next season ? be honest with yourself

Nobody can accurately predict if we are going to have a better squad or not than last season, does anyone really know how good the new signings are going to be?

Like many of TB's signings I have no idea but just hope it works out,

Sorry but no it doesn't. We are gambling on unknowns and losing the best of the players from last season - I will probably get peters for this but is Terry Butcher getting too "big" fer ICT - back in Sneck this week and the people I have talked to all feel that he has become "bigger" than the club.

Not too sure about being bigger than the club IHE but certainly think that someone at the club, at Board level, has to be preapred to stand up against TB, when required. I don't think, should that need to happen, that there is anyone ruthless enough on the board to do this currently.

On a slightly related problem, I think that is a major issue for ICT in that the board need a leader who can give direction/vison to the club to take it forward. That is sadly lacking, in my opinion, at the moment.

How do we know that nobody in the board does stand up to him? If you are talking about signings or releasing players the board are correct to let TB be free to make those desisions I don't want a board that gets involved in that, a manager live or dies by these desisions and whether they are right or wrong they have to be his.

I for am happy with Kenny Cameron at the helm, can you be more specific as to where we are lacking direction and vision?

I would like to stay with the stripes. Old fashioned view but i think every club should have a standard strip that is part of their idendity and just a few tweeks here and there every season.

I am in the minority that while I think he is a good player I think Aberdeen is probably his level, we shall see.

I think that at the present time most will have concerns, I always thought it was really important for us to have a good pre season and things are going slower on the signing side than I and I am sure Butcher had hoped for. Crazy as it may be to many I think keeping Proctor on for his versatility this season may not have been a bad thing

ICT say no to the NEWCO on SSN

Our situation would be broadly similar to that of Motherwell and others....so the thick end of £1 Million shortfall in worst case.

Thanks....a heck of a lot of money to replace particularly in the present financial climate.