Jaggernaut

With the club giving him a 2 year deal, he's going nowhere. Why they didn't give him a rolling contract is probably not a mystery, I think he has friends in high places. Most supporters I talk to wanted a change of direction in the coaching department, a fresh outlook, but the powers that be obviously wanted to watch the same old rubbish that we had to endure last season. So let's Strap ourselves in for the Billy Dodds Hoofball Sh*t show.

What do we really expect from the same manager and coaching staff that only saved their jobs last season because of a registration mistake from Queens Park? I fear it's going to be a long hard season if this is the standard that's on offer.

Why do most of the teams that play us look sharper, pass the ball better and close us down, hit us on the break and create more chances? It's down to the coaching and the tactics that are implemented in the game, and Dodds is lacking on all fronts. When we eventually get the ball back our first thought is boot it up the park, just get rid of the hot potato instead of looking up and picking a pass to a teammate, like Airdrie were doing.

I haven't made a prediction yet about what I think our final league position will be, but on our showing so far, I think we will struggle to get into the top half of the league this season, there are a lot of good teams this season, and a lot of them will be stronger this term. I hope I'm proved wrong, but we will need to improve 100% more than we have shown so far. We need a good centre back, another good midfielder and to find a good partner for Billy Mckay. I really can't sit through another season of boring ponderous football again.

34 minutes ago, DoofersDad said:

They'll be doing this because that is the way they've been told to play. The incentive is that if you don't do what the manager tells you to do then you'll get dropped. Presumably the manager is happy for them to focus on keeping possession rather than take a more positive, but more risky option.

Yes, I watch Dodds standing at the games while they pass it back and forth, and he doesn't shout at them to stop it, so they must be carrying out his orders, and when the ball goes to Harper, his first thought is to pass it backwards, instead of being proactive, he doesn't do it when he plays in midfield. Every other team his us hard and fast, while we seem to wait for our opposition to get back into their shape and then try and play through them, which in most cases, we can't. 

It's easy to say that it's early in the season, and we treat the league Cup games as pre-season games, but even if we played Dumbarton in a real pre-season game, we would expect to beat them, and would be worried if we didn't.

If we play the same tactics as the last few seasons, same coaches, same tactics, I can see the same outcome, boring ponderous football, passing the ball back and forth along the back four, and players looking for the backward pass instead of turning with the ball and driving forward. It doesn't matter what players they bring in, it's the coaching and tactics that are predicable. 

We leave our form player, Doran, on the bench???? And we play a certain way because the team is coached by the same coaching team year after year, so nothing changes. We are so predicable in the way we play, that most coaches can counteract our tactics now.

48 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Imagine if Lafferty had been modelling it!

That would have taken the biscuit!

5 minutes ago, forresjags said:

Seriously though orange and red, with a stick on badge,classy stuff.

Is this a third kit ?

anybody know if we have dumped the red and black altogether,pity all the folk who bought into it last year, scarfs and hats etc

I really think the club need to explain the thought behind the launch date and colour. Who had the final say on the strip? Was it Gardiner? Does the club want to be the wee rangers? Orange and red don't go together either, whoever thought that knows nothing about design.

2 minutes ago, RednBlackComeback said:

Was it a conscious decision by the club to release such a kit on such a date?

Really have no time for this kind of sectarian nonsense, personally!

I wholeheartedly agree. An orange kit on the 12th July, and some in our hierarchy having certain allegiances to certain clubs! you couldn't make it up. 

It's not for me. Hopefully I'll never see them play in it, as I only go to home matches. 

1 minute ago, Scotty said:

Prefer the V neck myself. Find it very hard and uncomfortable to wear the round neck shirts and tend to stick to polo tops these days. Can see myself getting one of these I think.  

Yea, I like the V neck as well.

My season ticket came by post on Saturday. I've just activated it.

34 minutes ago, Robert said:

From what I can tell, three squad members have not appeared so far so presumably have injuries: Max Ram, Lewis Hyde and Calum Mackay. Anyone know anything?

We saw Lewis just before the Elgin game, he came out of the player's entrance in training gear. He said hello and looked OK, I mean he wasn't limping or on crutches, so we thought we'd see him in the squad, but he wasn't. 

1 hour ago, Robert said:

I should also mention that Doran had a good game. He was positive and seemed more confident in his pace, taking defenders on a couple of times whilst his lob was a cool finish.

Yes, I agree, Doran looked back to his old self, good pace and intelligent passes, good awareness for his goal, and he looks as fit as I've seen him for some time. Let's hope he can have an injury free season, as he can play down the wing or in the hole. I also was impressed with Gilmour, some good touches and drive, and he is quite vocal in the midfield, where we tend to be quite quiet.

Just now, Jaggernaut said:

Yea, myself and my son are going. Can't wait to see lice football again, and picking up our tickets for the Bonnyrigg and Airdrie games.

That's LIVE football, I really don't think the football was lice!!!!!

18 minutes ago, Robert said:

I’m planning the game tomorrow. Do they publish team lines for friendlies and have them available in the shop?

Presumably any trialists will just be listed as trialists so unless anyone recognises any we will be none the wiser.

Anyone else planning it?

 

Yea, myself and my son are going. Can't wait to see lice football again, and picking up our tickets for the Bonnyrigg and Airdrie games.

Our ex players Broadfoot, Oakley and Boyd all lining up for Morton next season, and all squads getting finalised, so it will be interesting to see who, if any, and I would expect there to be a few, trialists on saturday. It would also be great to see some of the younger players getting extended runs in the team.

3 hours ago, Douglas Mackenzie said:

Just to let you know the SLO sent me an Email over the weekend which I found today in my spam.

He left me his contact number, so I phoned him today.

Short version.He is SLO for ICTFC but he doesn't monitor the Email box a part time member of staff does, so if he doesn't get Emails it's because no one has forwarded them.

He suggested I thought communication was poor from his chat with the Chairman. I said it wasn't poor, it was shocking.

I am trying to keep this short,so suffice to say he apologised for my experience with the club and blamed lack of staff.

He advised he had received no mail from me even when I advised that a member of staff told me Gordon had asked her to Email me.I believe him and now understand that the member of staff was only using her initiative as she monitored the SLO box.However from experience,when doing this sort of thing  you have to be sure you and the role holder have a water tight system.Clearly ICT don't. 

The board don't  look at social media relating to any fans pages or forums which begs the question how do they know what the fans are thinking wanting or needing ,hence the reason we get told little.

The SLO was open and frank and promised to raise all concerns at the board meeting next week.

For me I raised an issue and flogged it because of the principals involved.I have now shared the outcomes and at two minutes to four, I am too late for the early bird season tickets, so I will drift for a while before deciding where to watch football next season.

Whatever,thanks for engaging with me,thanks for letting me be part of this forum and I wish you all the best. 

 

 

 

I cannot believe that no one at the club wants to know what the core support of the club is feeling. Surely to gain the reaction of the fans, the club must look at social media and the fans forum? If not, they are coming across more and more how completely out of touch with the mood of the fans they are.

9 minutes ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Have you checked SPAM on your e-mails ?

I check everything daily!

47 minutes ago, The Mantis said:

Have renewing ST holders got their cards by now? What about buyers who weren’t existing ST holders?

Ordered my new Season ticket over the phone on 20th June, still no sign of them in the post, she said they'd be sent out in two weeks, must be due anytime now.

11 minutes ago, Robert said:

The Nairn game is £5. Tickets are available on their website:

https://nairncountyfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/

A Highland League club can give its supporters more info than we can muster about our pre season games.

On 6/20/2023 at 10:16 AM, tm4tj said:

Are the club going to post any info for any supporters that want to attend these matches? Do they need tickets, is it pay at the gate? How much to get in? What stands are open? Maybe I missed the info, but I doubt it.

I remember several seasons ago there was a meeting up in the function suite, with John Robertson and Chairman Rae where all supporters who wanted to attend could come and listen to what their plans were for the coming season, and supporters could ask any questions or topics that were concerning them. Maybe that's what's needed again, a reset between club and supporters?

57 minutes ago, Pele_Is_God said:

Lafferty has signed.

If this is true, and I really hope it's not, it will be all of Dodds Christmases coming at one time. His tactic of loving the old Hoofball will be getting laldy. 

I really can't believe the ongoing lack of anything from the club. Surely someone at the club looks at their fans forum, to see what the mood of the support is and to try and give them some positive information at a time when selling season tickets is at its most important. Maybe they do, and they are so far out of touch that they don't care.

I am on a few Facebook sites relating to various football teams, Championship, Highland and North Caledonian leagues, and when I was a boy, I took teams from every Scottish and English and followed how they got on. I still look for their results, and more often than not they have information about their team, pictures and players who've left and who had signed, and even Fort William has a better promotional side than us, a second tier Scottish Championship.

No word about Billy Mckay, no word that I can find that Allardice has left apart from him being paraded on the county page. This is truly turning out to be the worst close season for apathy from the club I can remember. It certainly doesn't bode well for the mood around the club, with the new season rapidly approaching. 

3 minutes ago, Duke of Inverness said:

They only want our money. Not interested in fan engagement. I'm not renewing my season ticket as I am drifting away from ICT with the way they are run and uninterested in us fans. Sad, but true. 

Yes, I think I was too quick to renew, I should have waited to see what rabbits they're going to pull out of the hat. Won't hold my breath.