Eagle4Caley

On ‎6‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 8:00 PM, CaleyD said:

Charlton was good.

It was too...and Birmingham

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 6:31 PM, TopSix said:

Nobody cares about the World Cup - especially since Scotland aren't there. 

Yeah especially if England get to the Semi's (probably unlikely) .....

....Although not all ICT supporters are Scottish.

5 hours ago, CaleyD said:

1.  Pure speculation and nothing more than a line to salve the conscience and allows us to square away the loss in our own heads, IMO.  A natural human coping mechanism.

2.  Again, speculation.  Robbo talked about a need to reduce the budget, but in the very next breath stated that wages saved would pay for other players.  That's just shuffling around the budget, not removing anything from it.

3. Imagine if ANY player gets injured?  A couple of bad injuries can not only ruin a season on the park, it can result in the need to find a sizeable chunk of money off it as well.....treatments, possible loan replacements etc.  Gary is no more or less of a risk in that regard than anyone else....in fact, history shows that he makes a speedy recovery from injury.

4.  Robbo told us if he was still here he would be playing as he had no doubts about his ability...are you suggesting that was a lie?  If so, then what are we to believe on anything?

5. Only if you let it...as the person primarily responsible for the club's social media from the day it started using it until mid February this year I kinda have first hand knowledge of it.  Interestingly, the club have not responded to a single question or query on Social Media for over 4 months (that I can find)....so, ZERO engagement for a board who said it would be a priority.  It's challenging, it doesn't always play out as expected and I certainly don't believe the club always got it right prior to that....however, if you do NOTHING then there's only going to be one outcome!

6. I think what people are saying here is that they want better, relevant communication directly with fans.  Forcing a player out the door by using the press is NOT being transparent and the consensus among fans seems to have been that this is one of the things which SHOULD have been dealt with behind closed doors...unless using the press to apply pressure to the situation was part of the plan?

Bit of speculation of my own, but I've not seen Gary thank the club for their handling of the situation and praising them for letting him go and get a better deal!! (see point 1)

7.  If not for the previous "regime" (you know, the apparent bad guys in all this!) putting in further substantial investment in the last 12 months then going part-time could have been the least of our worries.  If the current board were on top of things, would they have needed to rely on that?  Promises of improved communication, honesty and transparency....would a board on top of things be failing to deliver on just about every promise made?  Shambles or not a shambles....what does the evidence at hand support?

8.  Or in the case of the current board, 'business' decisions which fail to ensure the club can adhere to what it can afford and fund....and then need others to step in and bail them out.

(Just to be clear....all of the above are the personal views of Don Johnstone the individual)

Wow!

To be honest I suspect few people on this forum can have any doubt that you have a bit of a beef with the the current board! ....But I don't think it's that hard to see that Gary Warren might benefit at 34 by having a two year contract with someone else (unless it's on a peppercorn rate!) against the 1 year he had left with ICT. Your point about ANY player getting injured is irrevelant since I'm talking about GW, it's not hard to see that should GW had suffered a bad injury in his final year with us then when nearing 35 next year getting another contract could be tricky, so he now has the benefit of two years pay.

I'm sure had he stayed with ICT he would have featured during the season, however with Robbo securing a right back and with Mckay, Donaldson and Tremarco all on extended contracts beyond GW's it's possible to envisage those four being the regular back line (and with McCart available too).

TBH I'm neither pro-this-board, nor anti-the-old-board, either set have made mistakes and the current one will still do so, still at least ICT aren't going into the new season with one fit striker like Palace did last year (you can imagine the flak the CPFC board got for that!), any football board gets few thanks if ticket prices go up, or results are bad, or signings don't materialise, the manager isn't sacked etc etc. And I'm not naive, I understand situations are manipulated by either side when it suits them.

8 hours ago, cif73 said:

Gaz was a great servant to the club, put his body on the line, led from the front and saw our best times. It was lovely to see him lift a cup as captain last season after missing the previous two finals. However there were signs at the end of the relegation season and last season that he was losing a yard or two of pace. 

OK the club made it known that he was available to go if he could find another suitable club but if he couldn't he was welcome to see out his contract. 

It is a huge challenge to balance the books and it seems we've arrived where both parties will be content ....

1. Gaz has gone back to his neck of the woods to a decent, standard ... closer to his family no doubt ... and teaming up with an old ICT pal (Fisher). 

2. The club has released a more expensive, ageing player where recent, younger, very promising replacements have recently been recruited.

What's the big problem? Do we really have to take a pop at the board at every potential opportunity ... or can we not choose to be a bit more positive and encouraging even?

P.S. even our more affluent near neighbours have seen the need / financial benefit of agreeing the release of their well paid captain? I'm not sure Uncle Roy has taken the same flack. 

 

Pretty much agree with everything you say....as far as I can see everyone wins. Gary now has a longer contract on possibly more money, we have rebalanced the squad financially, and certainly from an age point of view. Imagine if Warren had got an injury next season, he would have been in a more vulnerable position in terms of his next contract. We've lost a good man no doubt, with plenty of experience, a great servant....it was ashame he was banned for two of our finals. However certainly in our relegation season there were a few on here having a pop at him and it's probably true that he might not have been first choice next season.

It's difficult for the board to get it right, not least since social media, always outflanks you. There was obviously suggestions being made, as in 'if you fancy finding yourself a better contract elsewhere we wont stand in your way/demand a fee' but that has empowered Gary. In the end the board (any board) will never satisfy all the fans nor that it needs to....yes I get 'more transparency, openess' thing, but just what do we really expect with player contracts and transfers.

Someone else has suggested the board is a 'shambles'...really? At the end of the season people were speculating about whether we were in financial trouble or if we could avoid going part time. Yet what I see is a club that's got key players on extended/better contracts (and longer than a year!) and recruited five new players in good time (yes we lost Vigurs), leaving us with squad that has some potential and longevity and no sign of going part-time as well as organising itself off the park.

Sure people have had issues with the departures of Gary, and Ross Draper and David Raven previously, but ultimately the club makes 'business' decisions about what it can afford and fund.

3 hours ago, Fraz said:

A fan and long term sponsor of the club. Don't know him personally but sounds like a great board appointment to me. 

Crucially we need to know what CaleyD thinks! 

16 hours ago, Alan Simpson said:

Cut throat this division if you can get someone in who'll likely get your more goals on a similar wage do it Bell had plenty chances to prove his worth i don't think he done enough tbh    how long do you give someone?    Same goes for Trafford I'd have Osman Lawless or Tansey again over him but he's on a longer contract ain't he!

He did plenty in the first half of the season, but lost out as Robbo tried different combinations, particularly once Austin got himself fit, struck me as being the sort of player who'd get in just the right positions to score simple goals, and seemed a hard worker. Why do we write someone off for a because a loss of form/managers selection choice, but not consider the previous good form. Bell is someone who could benefit from strength training in the gym and building up stamina levels , and building on his experience...there is definitely a decent player there.

21 hours ago, Alan Simpson said:

Storey or Bell that's nothing to ponder Bell had a decent enough start but certainly wouldn't give him another contract he's sh&te to be brutal storey would tear up this league tho no doubts hel end up at County 

Bell had a very good start I thought, and he scored 7 goals up to the New Year and he was getting a fair number of plaudits from posters on here (he was one of the bright spots in a poor start)....sure, he went off the boil a bit, but he'll only be 22 in July and has plenty of development to go, surely we don't write someone off for a temporary loss of form, when the overall signs are good

Really like both kits, but especially the home kit. Palace did something similar when we got promoted to the EPL, but the blue and red are better tones (richer) on the Caley top. If you only want stripes this may not be for you, but I think it's classy and distinctive, and the black trim sets it off well. Defo on the 'buy' list

I'm sorry to see both Vigurs and Mulraney go... but we'll get over it, Vigurs has obviously been offered a better deal and he lives in Dingwall, so good luck to him. However can it be said that either Draper or Tansey have pulled up trees at RC?

Angus Beith could be a canny move, and Trafford/Chalmers/Polworth/Calder are a decent mix as well

Mulraney is more of a player who didn't really perform at the level or at a consistency I felt was in him....but we'll get to see more of Elbouzedi, and Doran is a more effective and potent player than Jake.... plus Walsh seems highly rated.

We seem to have pretty much sorted things out good and early...bodes better for next season, compared to the shambles last year.

BTW 50p says Vigurs gets sent off at least once against us!

On 5/9/2018 at 1:25 PM, Eagle4Caley said:

For once I feel better that the English aren't to blame for everything

Anyway .... When I was up recently with my wife, we took the train to the Kyle of Lochalsh as a day trip, and of course when past Dingwall and RC's ground, it was a nice sunny day and Dingwall looked quite pleasant, so when I noted to my wife over the weekend that RC might be coming down to the Championship she said that it would be a good match to go to (see... she's hooked now as well!)   

..........But not in the middle of winter

I picked my wife up from a local station just now and told her County were down....she cheered!

Supporting Caley is clearly infectious

Caley and Palace have certainly come up with quite a few variations of the red and blue and stripes over the years...here's Palace's new kit, the white 'sash' kit also appears every so often, and always has our fans dribbling with desire. The yellow trim on the home kit is somewhat controversial, although the history of it goes back to the 60's.

I liked all of Caley's recent home kits.

2 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

That is a very important consideration. For decades, there were instances such as Jack Steedman of Clydebank declaring that the Highlands would get into the SFL "over (my) dead body" and the complete scandal of 1973 when Inverness Thistle were kept out by a single vote by an Edinburgh works team called Ferranti Thistle, now aka Livingston. Then in the summer of 2004, look at the extended efforts that Ken Mackie and his colleagues had to go to in order to achieve a change to the protectionist "SPL Rules" (such as the nonsensical "10,000 seats") so the First Division champions and hence the Highlands could be granted top flight status.

I really am doing my best to stop turning this into a rant  but then on ICT's SPL debut, you had the likes of Hugh Keevins telling his readers that the team couldn't score and couldn't defend and Graeme Spiers declaring that he would eat his hat if Caley Thistle survived.

The central belt treatment of Highland football is simply an allegory of the manner in which the Highlands have been treated by the rest of Scotland for centuries and it would therefore be a very bad thing indeed if the Highlands were to lose its hard fought for Premiership presence after 14 years.

For once I feel better that the English aren't to blame for everything

Anyway .... When I was up recently with my wife, we took the train to the Kyle of Lochalsh as a day trip, and of course when past Dingwall and RC's ground, it was a nice sunny day and Dingwall looked quite pleasant, so when I noted to my wife over the weekend that RC might be coming down to the Championship she said that it would be a good match to go to (see... she's hooked now as well!)   

..........But not in the middle of winter

10 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

County have just 28 points. We were pretty terrible a year ago but at least managed 34!

Yes Draper, Mckay and to a lesser extent Tansey have done a good job for us!

9 hours ago, old caley girl said:

Apart from looking like they are trying it doesnt work. 

Ive been involved in stuff like this before including on one occasion giving away free adult tickets to the derby. It was a struggle even to do that. 

Mind you if this was done every weekend in the Town Centre close season, coupled to Season Tickets on installment plans, and maybe cluster ticket packages (2-3 games/family bundles booked at the same time at a small discount) you might get the drip-drip effect, constant publicity building interest, and allowing a long lead-in for that buying decision.

I accept it's hard work though, but small targets say 200- 500 extra purchases over time could make quite a difference.

Is this going to be the long awaited 'Announcement'?

11 minutes ago, cif73 said:

Yes. Another player that has been a good surprise is Donaldson. Back when he signed for us, a Dundee Utd acquaintance referred to him as a "bomb scare".

He has become a worthy young player of the year for us.

 

In a way given that he was injured for most of the year, Elbouzedi is almost like a new signing..... next season could be the 'breakthrough' season

8 minutes ago, Eagle4Caley said:

My impression from previous comments on here was that ICT were running at a deficit even in the year that we won the Cup (circa 500k was mentioned, although the 2016 Statement from the club suggested the deficit was  £21,391!), also what has been the cost of John Hughes pay-off (was that cleared in one year?), and that of Richie Foran's (I assume he didn't leave with nothing). What has been the reduction in TV money, and what has been the reduction in gate receipts this year?

That bit's nuts as we made a profit of £250k in 2015, so did we suddenly go on a player salary spending spree?

17 minutes ago, CaleyD said:

With the parachute payment, money from Celtics euro success, the £450k* additional investment (that we know of) and rent waiver the current regime have had circa £1 Million extra to use....which is on a par with what was invested to make the promotion push last time.

There are factors which hindered Robbo at the start of the season...lower league, short time to bring in players, even being a little rusty...and that is a symptom of what came before.  However, if his budget was cut to the extent we've been told it was....then what have we been spending the money on? Where's all the investment listed above been, well, invested?

*The lions share of which was provided by the "previous regime".

My impression from previous comments on here was that ICT were running at a deficit even in the year that we won the Cup (circa 500k was mentioned, although the 2016 Statement from the club suggested the deficit was  £21,391!), also what has been the cost of John Hughes pay-off (was that cleared in one year?), and that of Richie Foran's (I assume he didn't leave with nothing). What has been the reduction in TV money, and what has been the reduction in gate receipts this year?

13 hours ago, CaleyCanary said:

Great result for Palace too, hope you managed to get there to see it...

Oh yes...it was like watching Man City/Barca as we destroyed Leicester   (...or those 20mins in the 2nd half against Dunfermline, when it looked like Caley would run riot)

14 hours ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

One month at the end of the season does not a promotion bring. Terry Butcher would have taken us up. Go for Richard Gough again please.

True....but it would be hard not to argue that St Mirren's promotion was, in part, built on how they finished last season

33 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Don’t mean to rain on the 5th place celebration parade, but if you had told the board 12 months ago that Robbo would fail to make the play-offs and at no stage in the season have us look like we would get promoted, would they have given him the job? No chance.

The season has been a failure in that respect, but at least the recent fantastic run gives us some hope for the future. It’s like when you come back from 0-3 down to draw 3-3, compared to having thrown away a 3 goal lead. Same outcome in the end, but one way of doing it makes you feel much better than the other!

I have never bought into the 'we should have got automatic promotion' viewpoint, I can't see on what basis we had any advantage over the teams already down in the Championship,

• there was no great amount of parachute payments (300k is nothing),
• our attendances were bound to fall meaning less income,
• most of the players from our 2014/15 seasons (our most succesful) had departed,
• several of our most experienced players that were left would have to go or not recieve new contracts (Meekings/Draper/Raven/OFW)
• our Board was in flux,
• our manager had been let go,
• morale was at rock bottom
• we had no recognised striker,
• One of our best prospects, Doran, was still injured
• we were going to have to rebuild using very young and very inexperienced players

On the plus side we had Vigurs, Polworth, Tremarco and ........

So in reality coming straight back up was a very tall order, maybe missing out on the play-offs is a disappointment, but the likelihood of us (or any of those participating) going up via the play-offs is very slim, and I would say we are (as of today) in as good a position for next season as those above us.

6 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

My brother was up on holiday and took in the last couple of home matches, and couldn't believe it was the same team he saw at the start of the season as they had improved in all departments so much. All we needed was one draw to be a win and we would have made the playoffs, we were certainly the form team in the latter stages of the season. We might lose one or two players from the current crop, although I hope we don't, but I think Robbo knows the way he wants the team to play, and will recruit well for next term. It was one of the strangest seasons I have seen for many a year. I hated most of the early matches, and then my everlasting memory is Tuesday night games, in the freezing rain, it made me long for summer football. Now, I cannot wait for the new season to begin! Am I a glutton for punishment? Such is the life of a football fan.

Great result yesterday....we did what we needed to do just in case the Pars slipped up, that's professional

I can't wait for next season ... Falkirk away is on the bucket list, (and maybe Ross county away?!?)

Glad to see a new positive thread in Robbo's name.

Considering the mess the club was in following relegation I think he's played a blinder, and one has to say the Board got their first major decision right.

All the quotes below are from September, when fans were understandably jumpy and depressed (TBF there were plenty in support with some well considered views), the last quote is mine!... When we think of the various outcomes against the statements below, it's hard not to feel pretty satisfied about how the season has panned out, despite just missing out on the play-off, given the low and desperate base we started from.

A turning point for me is that run of 10 clean sheets from 11 in the Autumn (Defence sorted...tick). The fantastic unbeaten run since the start of March shows that Robbo got to grips with the squad, sorted out the driftwood from the decent, and galvanised them, they responded to him and each other so that we now see that famous 'spirit' return, a key ingredient in any successful side. Signing Austin in January is now looking a masterstoke (as was Donaldson earlier), fortunately we had so many games postponed that his absence from the side due to injury perhaps was as costly as it might have been.

Finances/contracts/aquistions and poaching by other teams will all have a bearing on how we start the next season, but hopefully we wont lose too many key players (Vigurs perhaps), the club seems to be quite active already so we should start with a settled and positive squad, the younger ones having benefited from a whole seasons worth of action.

The appointment of Robbo shows the benefit of having a wise older head at the helm (Just like Palace with Hodgson)...... gosh I think I have something in my eye! (and nobody say 'plank')


-------------------------------------------------
Quotes

• The board's ludicrous "give the manager's job to someone who didn't even apply" experiment has failed. Robbo is a good guy but he is not what we need - the defence needs sorted out first and foremost and he is not the man to do it.
• The board has let the club down appointing a manager out of the game for as long as Robertson has, acquisitions have been very poor .................  Genuinely think we will be lucky to stay up at this rate.
• Now I'm eternally grateful for the job he did last time around but he inherited a very good nucleus of talent ...............and I'm not sure if he's capable of building from scratch. 
• Robbo is and never was the answer, but right now, the Club doesn't even seem to know the question.
• I have been told on good authority that the players won't play for him
• this has been going on too long now and rather than starting to make any noticeable difference, Robbo and the coaches seem to be continuing to make all the same mistakes from last season.
• There quite clearly is a rift in the dressing room. Players were having a go at each other, the discipline is "shot". Tactically we are shocking.
• I now think he knows he is out of his depth and can't sort it. 
• I quite like the tough words from Robbo about the players performances and attitude, although that's usually a short sentence away from 'losing the changing room'!

--------------------------------------------------

A really good interview, comes across really well.

1 hour ago, ictchris said:

This is an excellent point.  People are saying that we can't compete due to finances or crowds - Livingston have an average crowd of 1000 less than us, they have finished second in the league with a team made up of, not to be unkind, youth players and cast-offs.  

St Mirren have won the league by miles, clearly the best team in the division.  This comes off the back of some absolutely horrible seasons, with some parallels to our own fall.  They won a cup but didn't build on it and appointed a shocking manager leading to them being relegated.  Last season they had an utter disaster, they were 10th for practically the entire season, didn't win a game until December, only won two games in the first two thirds of the season.  They went on a great run and built on that.

If we recruit sensibly and retain some of our best players then we can challenge next season - properly challenge rather than the late scramble we've had this season.

Exactly!