Council Juice

Caman, the official site has been woeful in its ability to keep basic things like new signing updates and the squad list for this season up to date. As well as releasing any information of note. I've always considered it a bit half hearted. How hard is it to get the manager to update them with a list of available players for team news regarding suspensions and injuries. Not asking for a personal medical record. Just along the lines of "knee injury" would suffice. "Back in training"

You're the one who mentioned directors. Lol. In our case and most other cases it would be the chairman who takes on this role. Contracts generally being handled by business people. What their actual title is, is of little relevance. This is because the football people have already run the rule over the player in a football sense. Whereas they may outline basics in discussions (contract length may be discussed), finances are conducted by finance people. Not those who have "either no or very limited knowledge" of running a business. Contract details are thrashed out by the chairman/Chief executive/ Director and the players agent. I don't know what decade you're living in but managers these days have far less input in contract negotiations and signings than they once did. Managers can no longer sneak transfers through behind the owners back or sell them for a case of bubbly. They are largely restricted to the football operations side of things. At full time level anyway. You shouldn't believe everything you're told caleyboy if you think Robbo is sitting in an office dotting i's and crossing t's...

Most modern club managers, after identifying the player and notifying the board of a wish to sign leave contract negotiations to the board, with preferred contract length. They may then go back to the manager and inform them as to the impact the signing will have on his remaining budget, and the manager will then ok it. Even then the higher up the ladder you go in pro football the less the manager has influence on contract. But the DoF with business, contract and budget knowledge is certainly the one who sits down with the player and their agent. Whether the manager is in the room, so to speak, for initial talks is entirely up to the club and manager.

Na it was in a recent bbc sport article actually

Its not normally the manager that makes contract offers. They just ask the board to arrange a deal with the player and his agent. We've seen a marked change in recent years since Butcher left with regards to contracts. Rarely did new signings get longer than 2 years and many often just got one. We then started handing out 3 year contract extensions left right and centre. I'm not sure if this is a change in board policy or something the management team has pushed for ("We'll attract a better calibre of player if we give them more security to move north")

Genuinely if I did have a large influx of cash and was looking to invest I'd look more along the lines of long term infrastructure, improved car park, better stadium access, improve the main stand (Those uncovered wings have irritated me for years. Maybe place a media studio over one and corporate match facilities over the other with better catering underneath and link it into the main structure while being structurally independent), better local, regional and national business links. New purpose build training and youth facilities. Things that last and also provide additional revenue for the club so it can further stand on its own feet and enhance the football side in that way. Not short term player investment. I'd hate to think if anything were to happen to myself or my business/finances that it would be detrimental to the club the way it happened with Dundee on a couple of occasions, Livingston and Gretna. Now back to reality. I might buy a home shirt this season.

I've got a thread I'm updating with the squad list and changes and contract lengths as the come in. Also noting departures. Not really up to date with the kids out on loan yet. I'll do them in a batch. Club were announcing most of the early deals but haven't said much regarding signings since Zschusschen came in. Brad Mckay hid the signing scarf and it's been quite ever since. Last season I ran a squad news thread regarding injuries and suspensions but I sometimes (often) forgot.

I did not win. Might be stuck with the portacabin a wee while longer yet....

2 years Caman. Like most of our signings this summer. Very surprised with our policy this year. Normally in this division it's better to start with 1 year deals so that the players play out of their skin for longer contracts, and if they don't work out the club isn't stuck with the player, and the player can try somewhere else. Could be the deals all have release clauses after first year. I don't know. Give him a chance, it's still more or less pre season. He seems to find himself in the right places and might improve as he forges links with his team mates. He's new to the British game. Might take a bit to get used to it. Could be a decent option from the bench to start with. - further note, Connor Bell has signed a 1 year deal with the club.

Groin injuries in particular are notorious for being hard to diagnose. Remember than in that 18 months he was only at ICT for 6 Months and Wigan/Dundee United for the rest. Whilst we have had a rotten 2 years now with injury, the season before, when we reached Europe and won the cup we hardly had any major injuries. As far as I'm aware there haven't been any major changes within our medical team since then. In Billys case it may have been the RC Dr has good knowledge of groins..... and was able to spot the issue. Sometimes diagnosis can be a little luck. It's not an exact science.

We used to be good at them when we had Rooney up top but it's been very up and down since.

You'd think something more along the lines of "those involved within our media and communications team have been reminded of their responsibilities and that the family image of the club is something we take very seriously, we would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any offence caused, blah blah blah " That's if they were to say anything at all, and even then they only really should do so if the print press were to raise the issue. There's one thing being proactive and stubbing the fire out before it takes hold, and another jumping the gun altogether.

Well I've entered the euromillions tonight, so fingers crossed everyone, and we may, just may get a fancy new club Shop!

Can't find anything about Alex Cooper contract length other than it being a short term deals. One imagines it's long enough to cover injuries in wide areas that we currently have with Aaron and Zak.

Well evidently Kind of Blue does obviously.

Susan might just be one of those lumps with no real technical abilities but has a handy knack of knowing where to be. Perhaps Robbo has seen this.

When County win the Scottish cup and in the same season finish high enough in the league to qualify for Europe then I'll start worrying about the club shop. Everything they do is an attempt to upstage ICT based on bitterness and envy. The Noisy neighbours. On transfers, facts of relegation are plain. You have to move high earners on. Surely no one was under any illusions otherwise. This happens in every league in the world. You go down you cut costs, but attempt to bring in a fresh bunch to help fire you straight back up. I think we're one or 2 short. Maybe 3. If 2 move on we can then sort that. This is known. This has been well communicated. As to the chairman addressing fans. There's an EGM coming up. There's your opportunity. Let shareholders know. Have them be your voice.

Zschusschen is hardly young and developing, he's 25. If he's not close to the finished article by now it's unlikely he ever will be. Granted he appears to have come to first team football a little later so in terms of what you'd call a real football age he may be a couple of years behind, but not as if he's a kid. He will take time to gel to team mates and different style of football in UK though. I'd agree with the rest. My only worry is that Foran too often lamented the hunger and desire. I hope there's not a deeper issue.

Not going to read to much into this. Not even August yet, lots of new faces and against a more settled team who will undoubtedly be challenging for promotion. I take it we've signed Alex Cooper then?

Be very surprised if ourselves, Dundee United and Falkirk aren't in the mix. Likes of St Mirren, Livingston and Dunfermline could all push in though. Providing we make the play offs I'm OK.

For me, with very limited knowledge of our new players it has to be said, I'd go with a sort of 4-3-3 lining up like so - Ridgers - - Seedorf - Warren - Mackay - Calder - - Vigurs - - Polworth - Draper - - Mulraney - Baird - Oakley- Likes of Chalmers, Elsdon, Susan etc available from bench. As above, I think the best way to get Polworth playing well is to try and get him in a more central role, either in a midfield 3 or as a central attacking mid in a 4-2-3-1. It's time to give him the opportunity to make Tanseys central spot his own now.

Yeah keep our original banner below the crest. If they're so adamant about squeezing Pride of the Highlands in somewhere they could easily add the text underneath on a letterhead. Like so Pride of the Highlands

Perhaps a good idea would be to have, as you mentioned before, a cafe and shop combo but rather than just ict stuff get other local clubs, clach, Inverness city, shinty and rugby, even County, involved. Whereby merchandise is available to purchase for more than one club. There could even be a tourist desk where people could book tours, outdoor excursions etc. Maybe even a match ticket facility? This way it could be a joint venture, less risk but potential extra revenue streams for the clubs.

I think conundrum would be more suitable. I think Polly has suffered a bit from being in and out the team as well as moved around the pitch, including being played as a winger which is not his position. His perceived grumpiness I think is more a display of frustration at things not coming off for him and he's lost a bit of confidence. I've no doubt he has the ability to replace Tansey in his role. But it's up to him to take the opportunity. Robbo has a very positive attitude which I believe can help him do that. Ultimately it is down to Polly.

He's not an enigma, he's just a very naughty boy!