Council Juice

I think that Hughes will know in his head what he wants. But he'll also want to see how the team takes shape without the players that have left. We're usually quite successful at not signing guff. As we can't really afford to sign someone then find that they aren't any good. We are not The Rangers. Or Neil Lennons Celtic where we just sign anyone going. So come pre season he'll give it good thought. The main priority is having a recognised striker for our European games IMHO. Priority number 1. The rest can be dealt with before the window closes. As we have 1 left back. We have wingers. The squad is just thin. And strikerless.

I can't see the EPL needing a British super league given they've only recently signed the biggest ever TV deal in world football. Though there's a significant chance Scottish football will be strangled out as more and more choose to watch quality games from down south in the pub with a beer rather than watching potentially a fairly mediocre game involving their local club. It's a shame but it's reality. I think I've now stated 3 or 4 times that people should be proud of their clubs legacy and history. Any more and it'd be quite patronising. Just that i feel that being so anti merger now, 21 years on, to the point that their kids would rather support the OF or an English club is a bit much. It's simply my opinion. And I can't pretend to know what went on. All my information is second hand. I wasn't watching it happen. Others did. I also asked earlier what people would think to a ICT/County merger if it meant competing for the league one day (hypothetically). Truthfully I'm not sure how I'd react. I'm not from Inverness myself. My affinity for the club comes through family ties and love for the area. So in all likelihood I'd be passively following any new club with fondness for the area, maybe with a little less emotion attached. As someone who has from an early day always made the effort to refer to us as ICT, Caley Thistle or the Caley Jags due to the fact that I do recognise the history, I probably would pull up on any inaccuracies. I can't see me being overly fussed though if someone described the SPL as a diddy league though. People from other countries do that now and I sometimes find it difficult to disagree at times. So if a Super league is created and Inverness and Ross Caledonian Thistle County City Athletic FC rise to the top league in 25 years which is a higher standard to the PT SPL, and people refer to now as having been diddy pub team amateur fare....well they might have a point. Technically inaccurate, but I'd see what they meant. Won't take away my fond memories of it though. It's like when some get offended when as a Scot (or Irish) they get accidentally called English. Why take the hump? Yes I correct them, not because I'm offended (it's just a nationality), but because they're wrong. I've got better things to worry about though. ANYWAY, I've stated that it's my opinion. And not verbatim absolute fact. I have no affinity to HL football other than it being my clubs grass roots. The ground from which the seed grew. That's that. Folk can argue it was great once and a higher standard than this and that. Fine. That's their opinion. Not mine. As far as I'm concerned it is, and was, always a low standard part time regional football league. It's not an attack that some are taking it for. I have no issue with it, nor sneer at anyone who has or had a connection to it or a club, past or present. This is my choice and their choice to make. I choose to support the club ICT which began in 94 and have no sway to either HL club. The use of both clubs names give us one of the longest and unique names in football so to miss either out takes away from that in MY opinion. I'm only a Caley Thistle fan though. The rest is for other people. That's their prerogative. I'm going to leave it at that. Keep on going if you wish. I retain my sentiment and opinion as previously stated. BUT I accept inaccuracies in some of my posts may have caused a stir. My bad. But I'll leave you all with one question. Where did the OP go when all this was going on? Classic Dougal behaviour that.

I said this in the contract situation thread that with a squad of 16 plus MacKay, Ferguson, Sutherland and Brown, plus Polworth looking to press his claim also now we probably need at least 2 or preferably 3 new signings. A striker is the main main priority. If we only manage one signing it must be a striker. Then a winger and Left full back (or someone who can do both). Depending if Williams goes back to Left wing back or stays higher up the pitch will probably define which to go for if there is a choice to be made. That being said if we can sign a left back I'd probably look at a right winger. Either way we need to replace the pace lost from the team with Watkins and Shinnie. Kink is no loss. So losing Ross, I'd expect Polworth and Vincent to battle there. It's really just Watkins, Shinnie and Mckay/Ofere that need replaced. We're well stocked through the middle at least.

Water Closet?

Perhaps we the almost exclusively free transfer market area we operate in, it means both awaiting for players to return from holidays to make a decision on their future and for the players to return to pre season, whereby any trialists are able to join in. Also some bigger clubs may wait till later to decide whether to place any players out on loan. We've got a first team squad of 20. And yes the likes of Mackay, Ferguson, Polworth and Sutherland are both young and untested. Meaning we've got 16 first team players (if you include Horner) tried and tested and able. By my reckoning we probably need to boost that by at least 2, preferably 3. A striker being priority, a winger and/or full back. It does depend on where Williams plays (be it a left sided wing back or winger) next season. Perhaps we can find another of that ilk. We need to replace the pace and dynamism of Watkins and Shinnie anyway. And the goals of Mckay/Ofere. We're well stocked in the middle of the park with Foran and Draper both quite capable of playing centre half. Meekings can also play right back. Meaning I think we need to mainly concentrate of fixing that left side now looking at the squad. After which I imagine Hughes is looking to blood the kids this term. You don't know unless you try them. A squad of 22 is perfect for a club of our level. So 2 short I think.

Well they finished 6th last term so it's not beyond the realms of possibility to repeat that feat.... Unfortunately for him, despite remarks from Yogi himself about being one of the clubs most technically gifted players, he'd dropped out of the first 11 reckoning and was often reduced to coming on to close games out. If he feels that moving to Dundee to get more game time will further his career and get him out of his comfort zone (Didn't realise our bench was that nice) then best wishes to him and may he have a long and successful career, and may I say that I'd happily welcome him back in an ICT shirt in the future. Good luck Nick!

Yeah.....It only came to my attention due to David Mitchell's YouTube soapbox rant on the subject of that particular phrase and now it's stuck. I'm not much of a grammar Nazi normally. I understand that language is constantly adapting and evolving. It's just it doesn't make sense for the context in which it is used.

Well yes that's my point, and initially I was trying to do it brashly, mainly to get over the fact that it's time to move on when they've been given so much now. This is both to the "refuseniks" and the ones who cause division within the club itself. Usually through moaning about the shirts and colour allocation. It's often hard to be humble when people throw in sly snobbish insults. To call me arrogant is slightly hypocritical given the nature of it. It's very much the case of "we know better lad" even if it's an opinion. I have retracted statements already, but mainly as the original comment was quite ham fisted on my part. I have hesitated to post this until I was finally convinced that we are dealing here with the intractably stubborn and the voluntarily ineducable. I don't, for instance, suppose you know that Andy Penman, ex Rangers and Dundee, also spent time playing for Caledonian and that Billy Urquhart, after he left Caledonian for Rangers and Wigan also came back to play there? I also don't suppose you know that Caledonian were good enough to produce and sell on players such as Kevin MacDonald who did the English League and Cup double with Liverpool in 1985? And I also suppose you are unaware that in the early 1990s, Thistle were ambitious enough to engage that Dunfermline legend Jim Leishman as their manager. And there's a lot more..... That's the insulting language I mention. As I've said just above I've made retractions, but the sentiment remains. HL is a low level regional league (an amendment I previously made) however you want to try and spin it. That's not me saying that no one should follow it and love it and have every right to do so. Just it is what it is. Never heard of Penman admittedly but I know the rest. I also know Charlie Christie went to Celtic from Caley. It's not unheard of from players to leap from low level to high. What's the point? Some good players have been produced. Aye ok. I never said anything to the contrary. SPFL players are not all full time. Maybe you mean the Premiership but as far as I know, part time clubs can reach the Premiership. The bottom two divisions are part time and I know that some of them are paying only about £60 p/w. I know this because I am involved with a Lowland League club and many players switch back and forward between the LL and League 2. I corrected that later by referring to the Scottish Premiership. Can't be all that stubborn. I'm quite certain a rule was in place that required all top flight clubs to be full time. I could be wrong. I do remember Livingston having a player on their books as an amateur (paying only expenses) Hassan Kachoul, and there was a bit of a complaint from relegated Dundee at the time. If I remember correctly the rules were changed to stop this happening again. You say that remuneration does not correlate with ability but in football, which is largely the free market, it mainly does. Maybe Rangers are Captain's "wee club". Surely my arguing that high pay doesn't define status would mean precisely the opposite in such case? Or is the joke just rubbish? Perhaps you would like Queens Park to resign from the SPFL forthwith, given that they are (literally) a bunch of amateurs? How can they possibly compete in a professional league? If you are trying to equate amateur with poorly run, then I think you have got your head up your backside. One of the biggest professional clubs in Scotland has been one of the worst run from a footballing point view for a number of years. I'll give you this - you've managed to unite Caley and Thistle fans a lot more quickly than the merger did! Good to see I've achieved something at least!!! Well it's not like Queens Park are there on merit is it? I congratulate their integrity by steadfastly refusing to ever become pro but had they had the chance to be relegated they'd be a low league team themselves. Fortunately for them both sentiment and the locked door members club nature of the national leagues has prevented this. But hey I didn't come up with the name Scottish Pro Football League. I don't think at any point I mentioned amateur in relation to how the clubs are run. I even went to the bother of explaining what I meant by amateur and that I was referring to the footballing standard. Just as I was when I used the, ill chosen, phrase "pub football." Of course I don't expect anyone to acknowledge that I've even conceded that. In fairness it's not something that surprises me. I've seen others complain, mainly relative newcomers to the site, that they feel they are being rounded on by regulars. Now of course I probably agreed with the reasoning for putting them in their place, but there was little tact involved. Though seeing it from the other side you get a sense of the unforgiving bullying nature that exists. It doesn't particularly bother me. I've accepted that some of my points were both misleading, rash and at times wholly inaccurate. I still stand by the crux of my argument even if I accept that it could have been worded differently (Though it was written as it was more out of frustration at certain groups and I was looking for a reaction of sorts.). I still regard HL football as low level regional football. Caley and Thistle played there. Whilst having a successful history at that level, to ever progress further the merger was the most realistic option available to gain entrance to the national leagues. This happened. The legacy of the two former clubs remains. They combined into a new club and have achieved success beyond the wildest dreams of any ICT fan. Particularly those who remember in detail the painstaking process of the merger. (I was 8, and supported Scotland and players I thought were good. So no I don't really remember it.) My simple message from the off, and something I've repeated several times now, being why are some people so adamantly bitter still about the merger when the evidence presented shows, surely, that it was all worth it? Be proud of the history and legacy that was left behind. YES. But be proud that the brave decision was made (with absolutely no guarantee of success) to try for something bigger and better. ICT have put Inverness firmly on the map*. *Note, this is a metaphor. ICT did not literally put Inverness on the map. In fact historians would point out that Inverness was there a while before and would have been places on maps by illustrators.

Wonder what Garry Woods doing now...

You could care less eh? So there is caring to some degree there then? As opposed to you couldn't care less by which there is no possible way you could have less caring on the matter. Signs youve lived in North America too long But yeah as long as the clubs being run properly and is able to remain solvent and stable whilst providing a platform for manager and players to perform then the specifics matter little to me.

Well generally most metaphors, similies and other similar language techniques are in written form. They don't necessarily need to be published articles to be used. I mean I would have thought it would be quite obvious to most that I don't literally mean that the highland league is pub team football (its not played on a Sunday for starters). And that the term amateur often gets banded around in football. Admittedly more when a player makes an error "that's amateur stuff that". Now it's not saying the player is indeed an amatuer, but what's been seen is something you'd expect at a lower level, or indeed the lack of nous displayed is something even amateurs would know. As in its not high level stuff. Entry level. Whatever your fondness for the Highland league and similar lowland leagues may be, they are entry level (semi) professional leagues. The bottom level before it really starts to actually become amateur (though take note that I also stress, the highest level before national league football and not necessarily a lower standard as has been adamantly put across in previous HL promotional posts). There is a gulf therefore between there and top level SPFL. From where it started, to now. So no, to answer your question, I don't think you should always take anything I say, or indeed what others say, literally. Rather look at what the context is as much or more than content. And what is being said rather than the words used. Then process it and understand what is indeed being said.

Guess you'll find out post agm or when the pre/post tax accounts are announced. I know we're a private company but quite sure, if memory serves me correctly, accounts still get announced or at least published annually. Probably a years worth of free bets...

Footballers who are paid are either semi pro of fully professional. It's a requirement of the Scottish Premiership that players are professional (or at least was until last season anyway. Due to my not being a CE or DoF its not something I overly concern myself with) Again if by bothering to read my last post, as I took the courtesy of reading your overly pedantic and demeaning ones, you'll see I was using the term amateur to describe that it's always been below national level. I even made the point of defining "amateur" by football terms and contractually. "Now when I used the term amateur, now yes, even by football terminology of contract this is inaccurate. The players earned, and were not just given match fees and expenses, therefore making them pro or semi pro. Now of course if you'd used common sense you wouldn't take the term "amateur" so literally to the point and see it as an attempt to highlight the difference in level between HL then and the national (as opposed to regional) level ICT find themselves today." So you've went on to argue the point that I'd previously made. Further cementing my belief that you're now just riding a high horse for the sake of it. Arguing for arguments sake. You've also went on to completely dismiss the fact that I stated i was using terms amateur and pub football loosely....before then having the gall to describe ME as ignorant. Really? Its very old money of you.

Perhaps when a number of experienced and knowledgeable people point out your historical errors it might be time to take that on board. The Highland League was largely, and Caley and Thistle were professional not amateur. The teams were, and still largely are part time professionals in precisely the same way as the majority of clubs in the SPFL. Your credibility diminishes with each post. Before you post rubbish as a matter of fact it might be prudent to do a little research on the basic facts A number of? Who? One person took the hump for taking it too literally as being described as pub football and another "happens to know" that several Caley players were actually very highly rewarded. Being highly paid doesn't define status. Kenny Deucher was well paid by Gretna and made a pretty penny by supplementing that with his GP pay. Rory McAllister has reportedly (its been mentioned on cto many a time) a pretty good salary both on and off the field meaning that he's far less likely to make a small jump to turn fully professional on a low wage. He's chosen the highly commendable job and financial security route but he probably won't have many tales to tell. Now he's probably "better rewarded" than many of his counterparts playing in the leagues above him. This doesn't make the level he's at any better though. Point being that reward doesn't define the level. Where Caley and Thistle may have had players on pro terms. They were playing by and large in a semi pro arena. And I'm sure many of their players were in fact also semi pro - by definition of it not being the sole income. Whether they only work half the week is neither here nor there, SPFL players are, as a rule, a requirement, full time by football terminology. HL has never been such. It's by and large left to the discretion of the club. Now when I used the term amateur, now yes, even by football terminology of contract this is inaccurate. The players earned, and were not just given match fees and expenses, therefore making them pro or semi pro. Now of course if you'd used common sense you wouldn't take the term "amateur" so literally to the point and see it as an attempt to highlight the difference in level between HL then and the national (as opposed to regional) level ICT find themselves today. Whether highland league football back then, looking at it with nostalgic eyes, was of a far greater standard than now doesn't really matter. It was, as a matter of this "fact" you're so in seek of, lower league regional level football. Maybe the standard did indeed overlap with the leagues that now (in a pyramid system) are just above it, however as a whole the level was classed as below the bottom rung in national league football. As well as by definition. Now even with a fond attachment to the HL days this isn't hard to grasp if looked at objectively (as possible). My point always was to highlight the gap between then and now and the fact that people knit pick at certain terminology seemingly just to take offence means they are completely missing the point. Getting hot under the collar at the term amateur. Jeez! I'll get a lawyer to look over every statement made as if anything said on here matters. Seems you're after me for defamation and slanderous comments. (Wait until full page article telling me how wrong I am in my legal terminology). But its pretty simple. I'll redefine what I meant by amateur - non league regional league semi pro football. Compared to ICT now - top national level league, top end national cup level, entry level European league football. See the difference?

One great club...making great history

Wasn't even born in the 70s so the standards of HL football 35 or more years ago is quite irrelevant from my point of view. Scottish football as a whole was of a higher standard (compared to others) back then. Celtic reaching to European cup finals and winning 1 and rangers also winning the cup winners cup. Our players were also key players in many big English teams. And so on... It's refreshing that both clubs were able to operate at that level and attract decent crowds, evidently displaying the local loyalty. Of course most clubs prior to seated stadia could probably remember bigger crowds. I'm not looking at levels of crowds then and now. There's many and more factors involved. I just don't see how people can feel so betrayed. It's still their club, with an added bit. It's 2 "enemies" coming together for the greater good and mutual benefits. Putting aside their differences and choosing to represent the city with a united front. It's a lesson that could actually be used far beyond Inverness and far beyond football. I can understand having reservations but surely seeing continued success on the pitch would allay any fears that it could be damaging due to the immense positive focus and attention that has come to the city as a result. I wonder how people would react to ICT and County merging? Could people get behind a big team representing the highlands as a whole if someday it resulted in winning the league? Not that I'm mooting such an event.

Maybe he wants to be more like Barca a few years ago and play a no striker line up. Just lots of central attacking mids.

Still, I haven't. Or if I have I can't recall it. And I've seen it ruin more games than improve them. Although this could be as much to do with lack of knowledge in pre game preparation. It's a relatively new surface compared to grass and some groundsmen at pro clubs struggle with even that. Never mind a new and ever evolving surface. Still I'd rather look at hybrid surfaces if anything. Using both grass and synthetic. It makes the pitch more durable and doesn't take away the natural grass effect etc. Anyway a discussion for another thread. Perhaps this one has run its course. It was just an interesting article about fan raised transfer funds and whether that could be implemented at a club like ours via supporters club and trusts. If it was to bring in that little extra money to the club I couldn't see the harm in it. Even if it was something simple - pay for a team bonus or something. Like the fans rewarding the players for excellent end of season performance (finishing 3rd and winning the cup for example). Incentives always work anywhere I've worked. Particularly when they involve cash. And if they under perform - it all goes to a charity of their choice.

Yeah true enough, I'm just not a fan of synthetic pitches. I don't think I've ever felt that such surface has helped create a good game but I've seen in hinder one. Many of the top English clubs (United and arsenal for example) actually use a hybrid pitch which is a mixture of both and its also now used at murrayfield. It's one idea to generate extra income, but if this is income raised by fans it doesn't even need to be directly for that. Used towards infrastructure it would probably do so indirectly anyway. And with Celtic pushing for safe standing then perhaps a fan paid for terrace of some kind would be a thought?

But grass continues to grow during summer and therefore recovers more quickly after being used. Whereas as you say, grass doesnt regenerate at all during winter and thus by summer needs 7 weeks of work to get it playable again as its been used all winter without being able to recover and as such dies. It still needs to be managed correctly. Either way. But there's many reasons to switch. Better weather for fans. Less last minute call offs. Longer days. Better for fans driving home long distance. Less pressure post Christmas. For the club. No need to power undersoil heating. No need to power floodlights (this money could be reinvested in heat lamps similar to those used by Arsenal for grass recovery off season.). Also it would give the club more opportunity for events days on match day for fans to enjoy and them to earn more. The only drawbacks I've ever seen muted are fans going on holiday. Thats quite a small fry attitude. And is easily countered. I'm sure there are lower attendance's caused by horrid weather and low January cash flow also. And interruption by summer tournaments. Eh really? Because like maybe 3 players go to the World Cup from Scotland. OK. No. But then there's always the chance for better TV deals. I'm sure sky etc would love to show old firm games during the EPL off season. Just make sure they don't clash with an England game

"Proper" were they? Oooh fancy! I wasn't aiming to belittle anyone, and if I did well then I must truly say, that from the bottom of my heart.....that I don't give a hoot if a few noses have gotten out of joint because they take a game so seriously. It's a little pathetic. You're essentially saying that anyone who hasn't endured (and I stress that) the lower leagues isn't a proper fan. You're bang out of line for that. Anyone who gives their hard earned money to follow their team, no matter when they started, no matter how often, no matter how much they spend, is a proper fan as far as I'm concerned. It's such snobbery and attitude that holds the club back "ooh you weren't there on the cold dark nights in Forres. You're welcome to spend your money, but you're not really one of us". It stinks. It's no better than the refuseniks who are still bitter approaching a quarter of a century later as opposed to being proud that a small team, any team, from the highlands, against all the odds and with a tiny budget has managed to win the main cup competition in the country and qualify for Europe. So do forgive me if I have no sympathy whatsoever for them at all. It's beyond childish.

I don't want an artificial pitch at the TCS. (Personally I'd prefer a switch to summer football. The only team who would be possibly affected by international tournament summer calls would be Celtic anyway and who cares about them) But I'm sure £50000 (ballpark figure plucked out the air) for stadium improvements and equipment at fort George could help out just that extra little bit. Even to pay for initiatives to improve further community relations.

Perhaps I was too rash with my point but I'm still sticking to my guns in regards to the sentiment. HL is and was amateur football. You don't need to have lived 150 years to know that. To suggest pub football is admittedly going overboard. Though essentially it's a high level of postmen and sparkys playing football at weekends and training a few nights a week. Its part time. And saying that Inverness Thistle were rejected previously on their own (whether than be the "central belt bias" conspiracy or just a really close vote lost out on) proves that it would have been exceptionally difficult for either team to, first of all get in league football, but to actually progress to any greater level than then division 3. Yes OK the founding fathers didn't just "come along" . They worked long and hard to bring the merger about and should be admittedly recognised for such. But let's not be pedantic about it. I wasn't meaning any disrespect. You're just getting a little flustered. I never said there was no football in Inverness prior to the merger. I said there were 2 small non league (diddy) teams who occasionally had cup flourishes. And yes quite rightfully people should be proud of their team. Just as people are proud to be Scottish... Though it doesn't actually matter in the grand scheme of things does it? I just think anyone still bitter, 21 years on, about 2 small teams festering around in non league daring to be ambitious enough to believe that working together could actually bring about much greater success... Well I think they're just daft. Dinosaurs. I'd imagine anyone on this site whilst still rightfully proud of the origins of the club we have today, have got over this by now, both for the love of the local team and in recognition of where its taken them.

So what your essentially saying is we need a good big beer tent....

Ok then going by your rating evaluations that means 1 in 3 is a success. 1 in 4/5 is ok and the other will be a dud. Bring in 3 loans this year. One will surely be a star!