FrontRow

On the other hand this is quite an inventive way to run a club. Imagine having to sell a Highland club to Americans. Imagine all the imagery, the connections that could be made to those who left the Highlands and settled in the States. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cg33138kyp4o.amp

the more I think about this the more I realise our current board have no idea of the Highlands place in the world. They have no idea of the emotional pull it has for people. They will say they are business/football people….if that was the case they would realise that supporting a team and playing for a team is driven, in the most part, by passion. They are missing the connection which the Highlands have for so many outside of Inverness. Instead we go down the ‘innovative’ route of Kelty and cutting the heart out of the club 

15 hours ago, LisleRightPeg said:

I wonder if the players under contract have had meetings with the club to inform them of this craziness. Going by how things are being run I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t. The latest podcast episode mentioned a youth player had found out via them. Talk about disrespect

No player knew anything. Youth coaches found out whilst on holiday. This has been dreamt up by Ferguson and Gardiner and has shown zero respect for anyone at the club. Players are furious, ex players incredulous and staff in melt down. It is an absolute shambles 

5 minutes ago, Fraz said:

All options are valid. An echo chamber is never a good thing. 

If you feel the current regime are right with their stellar record of -  failed concerts, failed live streaming, awful commentary on said live stream, alienating the volunteer media team, souring the relationship with the local authority, failed battery farm application, employing Robertson as a Sporting Director (we're still paying him) where he did virtually nothing, extending Dodds' contract then sacking him 6 games later, promoting Raise the Roof and then closing the stand, releasing a WATP orange strip on the 12th of July, paying Ferguson £4k a week with a past record of failure (then failed to keep us up when the manager we turned down kept his team up), failed hospitality, ignoring and alienating the Supporters Trust, damaging our reputation with local businesses, having our lowest finish in a quarter century, stopping all family activities like Christmas parties and end of season events, not having player of the year, having no openness or even basic communication...

If you think after all they've achieved in the last 5 years, they're the ones who have the answers, that's your perogative.

That is a very good summary! Brilliant infact 

4 hours ago, Drake said:

I am just not seeing it like that.  Yes, literally the first team will be training in Fife.  But youth teams are all still training in Inverness.  Every other department will still be in Inverness.  For logistical and recruitment reasons having the first team train out of the City really doesn't bother me if it helps improve recruitment.  The Club is still in Inverness.

 

I appreciate this is completely different but I have the exact same feeling towards this as I do about Scotland international players playing elsewhere such as England.  John McGinn is based in England and pops up to Scotland every now and again to represent Scotland.  I really don't care.  Similarly, I really don't care where our first team meet up to train either.  They'll come together elsewhere but every Saturday home and away they will be representing us the fans.

How do you know what’s happening with the youth teams and the apprentices? The statement was so vague. No players, parents or indeed youth coaches knew anything about this. I believe Ryan Esson only found out on holiday. The parents of these kids who have signed apprenticeship deals know nothing. It’s the most shoddy, unprofessional operation I have ever heard of.  
as for arguments about the strength of the players in Highland league and our youth set up …look jus North and Brora beating Hearts not that long ago. There’s seriously good players up here and that is who ICT should be channeling their efforts into getting with the addition of some players from England/ireland - they don’t care about The central belt against the Highlands. We have flights home to most big cities. I’m sick of this pandering to the central belt nonsense. We’ve spent our (I certainly have) fighting this idea that they’re better than us. They are not. 

42 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

No jokes about it (yet),  but was discussed. Cosgrove against it, specifying rather oddly that it was the “wrong time” for this move, Cowan much more accepting of the need for it, but both acknowledging the consequences it has for club identity.

2 minutes ago, Drake said:

This is exactly why the move will help. Big Dunc wasn't able to get the players in.  Previous managers as well will have experienced it.  How can he get good players to come in on loans or short deals when we don't have the money to pay as well as not being a desirable location for Southern footballers.  Statistically due to population most footballers play and want to play South of Inverness.  It was so difficult to get players to come up and train here.    This will solve the location problem.  

I’m afraid it won’t. We are in league 1. We will not have any pull to any players - rejects from Morton or Partick. Are they seriously better than what our youth system is producing. Not a chance. 

Ferguson’s style was abysmal. He didn’t look at what he had - he immediately assumed we had a leaky defence without looking and then left one of our better defender sitting on his arse for months. Instead he brought in guys who were no better atall. He is clueless 
 

Cosgrove just covering it perfectly - it is a betrayal of the ethos of the game. 
 

1 hour ago, Drake said:

Wow!  Talk about an over reaction from some of our fans! 

 

We can finally attract any Central Scotland based player that we can afford.  There have been season after season so many players within our budget that will have said no due to location.  Why would a player move himself and his family up here on a semi decent wage but they have to find accommodation etc for family.  We are losing out to teams in Central Scotland with lower budgets than us!  This is a MASSIVE game changer.  

 

I agree it's a shame we have had to do this.  But we no longer have the finances and the appeal of the Premier League to entice players North.  County can still do this due to the fact they are in the Prem (at the time of typing) and have a reasonable amount of financial backing.  We have been propped up financially for years by various folk but the money is dry and the lack of the Premier league means we are losing out.  The lack of fans coming through the gate as well has not helped.

 

Hopefully in a few years the club can relocate to Inverness, but if we have this small team mentality being shown on here and don't go for this, then who will sign for us?  January transfer was a disaster.  If we are to rely only on youth players coming up then we won't get out of this league never mind back to the Prem.  We'd probably be in a relegation scrap down to League 2.

 

So, the way I see it is, that yes this is an unfortunate but necessary move. There's 2 options:

 

Option 1:  The fans get their way.  The club stays.  By remaining Full time and on semi decent wages and based fully in Inverness we get hardly any quality signings and we are on a race to the bottom of no return.  We are patched up by random loan signings, youth and short contracts and all togetherness is lost anyway.  Then part time and bust.

 

Option 2:  The move goes ahead.  We remain full time, give semi decent wages and based in central Scotland.  A fair amount of quality players sign.  Players that would never have considered us before.  Even players from our fellow League 1 rivals will look at it as a bigger move without even moving!  We mount a title challenge and hopefully go up.  Players stay around for longer due to location and we actually get togetherness back!  Eventually promotion back to the Prem and a full relocation to Inverness where quality players will once again be lured North for the chance of playing in the Premier League. 

 

I fully support this as a way to secure the long term future of the club.  As for the youth teams, they can still train and be developed in inverness! I believe that if we had made this move sooner, we would not be in league 1.  We have missed out on so many signings over the years that it's possible that we'd be back in the Premier League by now if we had done this in 2017.  Time will tell if this works, but I say give it a chance and get behind Dunc and the team!

You have absolutely no idea what community means do you? 
it’s not just about being in the Premier league it’s about identifying with a club through thick and thin because they are part of your community. 
the way this has been done is actually the main issue I have. People who have been loyal to the club, people who have developed young talent, people who have supported through the years, all just ignored and this half arsed statement comes out. No one at club knew anything about it, none of the players, none of the youth coaches. It is the worse example of business practice I have witnessed. In one fell swoop they have pissed off fans, players, coaches and it’s all based on a hope that we can get ‘better players’. Did any of Ferguson’s signings or the style of play we had to endure give any indication that this would improve. Did it hell. It was rank rotten, his signings were awful, his man management abysmal and his overall performance pathetic - he drove a wedge between so many. Between himself and Gardiner they just do not get what being a Highlander is about. It is not pandering to the south and the demands of second rate players. Have some dignity 

What a way to celebrate 30 years….as so many have said before this feels worse than relegation. The fact that the club seem to have given up their role as Highland ambassadors amazes me. It is now a franchise - like an American football team - hardly surprising having read Gardiner’s love of NFL 

when our kids were younger they had heroes to go and watch,  see them in a supermarket or on the street or maybe at their school - a real life Premier league player!  Now we have the prospect of battling League 1 teams trying to sign Morton or Partick Thistle rejects who will never become household names in Inverness and nor will they care. They get thumped 5-0 at home…they’re not going to see any of the fans on the street or look any of the public in the eye - they won’t give a flying f**k. 
 

what a message to our youngsters as well. For years the Academy has being trying to create players with an edge, telling them that they were just as good as the central belt players. From speaking to the parent of an u18 player who recently signed with us he is very concerned about his sons career - I’d imagine there’s a lot of the Nicolsons, Brays and Thompsons at the club who are also very worried. 
What a farce 
 

Ferguson’s done it hasn’t he. He’s going to be staying and we’re going to get the same insipid bollocks week after week. But now on plastic pitches. 

9 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

Others may disagree here, but unless he cuts his wages then I'd expect him to be a higher earner which could be better used to fund more than one player. Additionally given his age, dwindling mobility and pace coupled with the increased physicality of League 1 - I'm not convinced he will bang in the bags of goals he or other think. Time to freshen up and find the next 'Billy'.

I for one think he’s got plenty of miles on the clock but plenty in the tank. If he’s asked to be a finisher in the box then he’s our man. He’s been played out of position for most of this season. He’s a model pro who has kept himself fit and if he’s able to help ‘coach’ the likes of Cairns then so much the better. How many goals did Dobbie (QofS) player hit in his late 30s ? 

17 minutes ago, tm4tj said:

Playing squad: 2023/24. Players added to this season: 49
As far as we know on CTO, this is where we are. 

If anyone knows otherwise, please let us know.

Still Contracted
Nikola UJDUR - Contract to end of 2025 (out of favour or what?)
Adam BROOKS - Contracted to end 2025
Billy MCKAY - Contracted to end 2025 (possibly 2024 with options)
Luis LONGSTAFF - Contracted to end of 2025
Charlie GILMOUR - Contracted to end of 2025
Lewis NICOLSON - Contracted to end of 2025 (Injured)
Jake DAVIDSON - On Loan to Hamilton, Contracted to end of 2025

Various Youth Players Loaned Out or used during this season Most likely all contracted until end of this season. (unsure of some who only filled in when we were short)
Jonathan BAIN
Shae KEOGH
Calum MACKAY - Loan out to Nairn County Contract expired Now
Lewis MACKIE
Calum MACLEOD
Ben MEACHER
Alistair NIXON
Sam NIXON - Loaned out to Nairn County, Contract expired Now
Sam THOMPSON
Jack WALKER - Loaned out to Nairn, Contract end is unknown 24 or 25?

Loans Expired or Contract Expired
Max ANDERSON - Loan end of season
Morgan BOYES - Loan end of season
James CARRAGHER - Loan end of season
Aribim PEPPLE - Loan end of season
Alex SAMUEL - Loan end of season
Sean MCALLISTER - Loan end of season
Cameron KERR - Loan end of season
Samson LAWAL - Loan end of season
Jeremiah CHILOKOA-MULLEN - Loan & Injured
Remi SAVAGE - Out of Contract (6month)
Austin SAMUELS - Contract ended? (not known)
Nathan SHAW - Injured Contract ended Now
Mark RIDGERS - Contract expired Now
Wallace DUFFY - Contract expired Now
Daniel DEVINE - Contract expired Now
Roddy MACGREGOR - Contract expired Now
Harry LODOVICA - Injured Contract up for discussion?
Aaron DORAN - Injured Contract expired Now
Cameron HARPER - Contract expired Now ?
Cammy MACKAY - Contract expired Now?
Lewis HYDE - Loaned out to Brora, Contract expired Now
Keith BRAY - Loaned out to Elgin City, Contract expired Now
Ethan CAIRNS - Loaned out to Banks O' Dee, Contract expired Now
Matthew STRACHAN - Loaned out to Nairn County, Contract expired Now
Robbie THOMPSON - Loaned out to Spartans, Contract expired Now

Players Already Gone
Harry Hennem Left in January
Max RAM - Gone
David CARSON - Gone to Livingston
Zak DELANEY - Gone to Arbroath
Cillian SHERIDAN - Gone to Queens Park
Sean WELSH - Gone to Queens Park
David WOTHERSPOON - Gone free agent after Dundee United

 

 

Bloody hell that is scary. so there’s about 5 players under contract! 

12 hours ago, bdu98196 said:

Continued calls for Mcgregor. Schrodinger cat.

Can this Cat play in midfield or as a 10? Let’s get him in. As long as he doesn’t lose the ball or pass sideways 

He really doesn’t rate MacGregor does he. Gilmore back for 3 seconds and in ahead of him. I wonder what he’s done wrong. 

1 hour ago, Scotty said:

Would not argue with the first bit.  Definitely needed in the Premiership but once elsewhere in the league structure then it's debatable IMHO.

For me it's all about added value. I have no idea what the current wage is, but if we have a CEO who for sake of argument is costing £100K in wages and generating additional extra costs in hotel bills or car hire or anything else because he/she is not locally based, then a cost/benefit analysis is warranted. If that person brings in more than their cost and can help others to work more efficiently, and therefore more cost effectively, promote the club in a positive light and engage with fans, then that to me justifies the position regardless of what we might think of the person. If, however, the plans to generate sustainable revenue never materialise, or they alienate others in the organisation due to autocratic methods, cause lower efficiency because of this, ignore local and fan relationships that took nigh on 30 years to develop and establish, and make no overt contribution to the bottom line then its a no-brainer! We don't need the latter.  

I have my own opinion on this regarding our current CEO, but I can't back that up with hard data showing which camp he falls in. I want him to be in the first one because that would be a revenue generating situation and god knows we need that right now, but with high profile failures like the concert and the ongoing saga of the battery farm, and numerous examples of lack of engagement with individual fans or groups, my fear is that is not the case.   

 

We have had only 3 official CEOs I believe. MS, YC, and SG. That speaks volumes if we look at their records and fan opinion on each of their tenures. 

Prior to that we had a team manager and a stadium manager reporting to the board. John Sutherland may not have had the title but was a defacto CEO in my opinion, and was the epitome of what was needed at the time. I have no idea about his leadership style, but he ran the stadium, managed the staff, also did security and other matchday duties so wore many hats over the course of a typical week. Hospitality was left to those who could sell it, similarly with marketing, and other areas. There are also plenty of other people around the club who do, or have, worn many hats over the years - mostly successfully, with only the odd exception.  Even though some of the faces change from time to time, we have always had a core of good people.

 

 

We have been lucky in the past with directors or chairmen being local and putting in - in some cases - more hours at ICT than they did in their own companies. If we have competent businesspeople on our board, then should the unthinkable happen and we drop to the 3rd tier, I personally would be hoping some of them would step up to get us back on track organisationally, thus reducing the need for some senior personnel who may be drawing a wage we simply can't afford now and definitely not in the lower tier. We will still need the day-to-day staff that make the place tick over and do so much of the heavy lifting, but we may not need a CEO or any other 'executive' roles.

If the existing staff don't have capacity to take on additional duties if we were to drop down, then supplement (not replace - that would be foolish) the existing day-to-day staff with volunteers as we did in past. However, for that, you do have to communicate, engage, build trust, and not look down your nose at them as if you stepped in horse***t or are suspicious as to why they volunteered. 

 

 

 

Excellent post. Couldn’t agree more. We need a club that truly understands who we are, where we are and where we want to be - maybe that doesn’t mean playing in the Top Tier. It might mean developing a set up that harnesses the youth in the area and gives them a platform. Suppose it depends on what you believe the clubs identity is. 

An absolute joke. 

6 defenders on the pitch. Going for the jugular 

10 hours ago, Yngwie said:

Yeah Lawal did quite a lot of good stuff, whereas Anderson did not. 

Imagine if we had a former Scotland U21 midfielder who had played for the club on over 100 occasions, born and bred in Inverness and brought through our youth system. Imagine he’d been available since January. I doubt he’d be as good as the loanees though so no point imagining anything apart from life in League 1 

His mistrust/dislike in Roddy is beyond baffling. We’ve seen some of Roddy’s  goals and his ability to drive forward and add urgency to a game.  - Brookes could be a huge addition as well with pace to help up front. Is anderson better than Roddy, is lawal a better fit for our midfield? 
there was also a spare place on the bench free for Saturday and even with the likes of Ujar and Samuels fit they weren’t included in squad. 
 

no idea what’s going on - it all seems rather haphazard 

Just now, ICTPaisley said:

Looks like we made the right call there then. Had a Quick Look for Tom Walsh as well and although it’s only Wiki he doesn’t appear to have a club either. 

There was a post in papers about him last week - he’s doing personal training and hoping to play again. 

It’s a shame that Shaw was risked when MacGregor was fit and training and not even taken into the squad - infact they went without the full squad - only taking 19. Maybe it was because they thought Ferguson’s son was going to be included. Who knows. 

40 minutes ago, Douglas Mackenzie said:

Finally,I think the loanees have shown real grit and determination and need to be cut a bit of slack.

Yes I probably was a bit harsh but I just really question the decision to get rid of Welsh and Carson when we’re in such a predicament. Seems like they weren’t thought if as good enough and yet I’m not seeing any improvement with what we’ve taken in. 

We are in a real dog fight with a bunch of loanees who will be leaving in April. Will they go toe to toe against Morton, will they scrap for everything against a rejuvenated Queens, will they have the guile and wit to take points off Raith. Some have never experienced proper adults football. It looks more like our management team have totally underestimated this league.  

On 2/11/2024 at 10:47 AM, Satan said:

Would they?

If he had played more than a handful of games in two years he might be in  the frame. But he's been near permanently broken so will have to work his way back in. 

Wonder if a midfield of Keith Bray and Roddy might have created a few more attacking options but we’ll never find out. We will however help develop players for Luton and Everton who haven’t played any senior football before. 

16 hours ago, Robert said:

MacGregor got a few minutes at the end and will hopefully be able to have a positive impact. Samuels was on the bench, and his pace as an impact player will be useful in games

Can’t imagine he’s feeling great. Been fit since Christmas and everyone and their dog has been parachuted in ahead of him. Dunc obviously doesn’t like the look of him 

20 hours ago, tm4tj said:

 

I see MacGregor dropped out of squad altogether. Dunc’s response to being asked about him in that press conference was …strange.

22 minutes ago, robbo1985 said:

I really hope not!

Haven’t seen or heard anything about that