STFU

A clean sheet against the league's top scorers.

Even without all our struggles of late, that would have been a positive and a draw more than acceptable.

Hearing that we were hoping to have one of the trialists signed in order for them to be in the squad tomorrow.  Friend of a friend type thing, and may not be totally reliable info.

What a breath of fresh air listening to Ferguson's pre-match, especially how much he values and appreciates the fans.

If only our CEO and Chairman shared that view!

21 hours ago, dougal said:

One thing this appointment has done has highlighted how many ICT fans support either side of the old firm something I suspected all along. 
 

Dougal

Classic projection.

I suspect that dougal is one of those who enjoyed Caley (or Thistle) being in the Highland League as it meant they rarely came up against their big team, so he never felt he had to choose between them. 

When the merger happened it forced them to choose (or made them feel like thay had to).  Jumping on the anger of the merger gave them an excuse to turn their back on Caley Thistle and keep following their big team with a perceived 'clear' conscience.

Caley Thistle's success, and some people choosing them over their previous 'bug' team, only fuels that anger because it was never suppose to be like that.

Trying to call out people who support, or once supported, one of the erse cheeks is just dougal searching for common ground with others.  dougal claims they have lots of friends of a similar view to theirs, but here they are, desperately looking for vindication on a Caley Thistle fans forum.

I actually feel a little sad for them and their insecurities (or regrets?), and hope they find peace with the situation sooner rather than later.

6 hours ago, bdu98196 said:

Dodds back on the radio today seeming perplexed about why he was punted while Chick Young and but chums wax lyrical about caley being rash and Billy being treated unfair. Also ducking and weaving any acknowledgement or interest into the action at Gayfield.

If Dodds genuinely never saw this coming or thought there were issues then hes clearly as narcissistic and deluded as the rest at the club.

 

In fairness, I'd be a little perplexed if I'd just been handed a 2 year contracts extension a few weeks prior to being dumped, and following the drivel Gardiner spouted in the statement explaining it.

Apparently one of the Directors is covering Ferguson's wage bill, so I'm wondering if was Gardiner's decision to get rid, or if he's just trying to milk some credit for it.  Either way, it fits with suggestions the club were in a position where we couldn't afford to sack him.

Great to get a win, and 3 goals from 3 different scorers.

Sounded like the subs were as much to do with replacing tired players/injury than anything else and hope Longstaff is ok.  From comments following the last 2 matches it sounds as if we've upped our pace, hopefully player stamina will grow along with that.

No sign of any loans coming in, so that leaves free agents if we're going to add anymore depth.

Like Ferguson's honest, no BS interviews.  Was laughing at the "what the feck type of question is that" look he was giving to some questions in his pre match, and the sympathetic smiles to the lad behind the camera who seemed to be just repeating stuff back to him in the post match.  Nowt wrong with the latter, I imagine interviewing Ferguson can be quite intimidating and he'll be shitting bigger bricks after a loss!

The only thing that would have made the day better is news that Gardiner had fallen down a large hole somewhere and could never get out.

3 hours ago, IBM said:

I am sure he has always been at our home games doing hospitality but I don't know if he ever went to away games in recent years but others might know.

As County are rarely at home when we are, that makes sense.

5 hours ago, ictchris said:

People talking about him being appointed for 'staunchness' are being silly.  The guy played about ten games for Rangers thirty years ago.  I don't think he's particularly renowned as a Rangers guy at all, Everton are the club he's identified with. He was really considered a big disappointment by Rangers fans

 

I don't think he was appointed for for his staunchness, I think he was appointed because of our CEO's staunchness!

8 minutes ago, Duke of Inverness said:

Gardiner and his ego still need to go imo. 

There was a small part of me hoping this morning's press conference was to announce a new CEO.

Sadly, I think the only way we'll be rid is when he's driven the club into administration.

If we've got money to bring in a big name manager, and money to bring in more loan players, then why was it not available for Dodds?

If they didn't trust Dodds to spend it wisely, then why give him a new 2 year deal?

If we believed there is more ability in the squad than they've shown and it just needed a little more time, why sack Dodds?

As has been the case since Gardiner was appointed, every action leaves us with more questions than answers.

4 minutes ago, hislopsoffsideagain said:

He became manager there five days before the transfer window closed. Not that easy to sign an entire squad in that time. And the few signings he did make included Onyango from Everton (who has been on the bench several times for the first team) and Robbie Savage's son from Man Utd, who had been considered good enough to play once for the first team there.

 

Given our previous managers include Baltacha (first managerial job), Paterson (only managed in the Highland League), Robertson (first managerial job), Brewster (first managerial job), Christie (first managerial job), Brewster again (had been a disaster at Dundee United), Butcher (did great at Motherwell but rotten in Australia and at Brentford before coming to us), Hughes (hadn't been great at Hibs), Foran (first managerial job), Robertson (hadn't managed anyone in forever) and Dodds (first managerial job) I don't particularly see why Ferguson should be considered less qualified than so many of his predecessors.

My point was that you are ignoring, and trying to explain away, the similarities between Forest Greens situation and ours and throwing in about him having contacts etc. that will serve him well here, when they did jack all to serve him well with Forest Green.  I'm sure you will have noticed that our window has closed, so he doesn't even have 5 days, even if we had the money to bring anyone in.

Any managerial signing comes with risks, but this one just stinks of a decision being made as a result of fanboyism.

I'm not saying he will or won't be a success, I'm saying there's nothing to back up your assertations.

5 minutes ago, hislopsoffsideagain said:

Well I for one am hugely up for this, probably because it's the first time I've been starstruck by a managerial appointment; Dunc was one of my favourite players to watch when he was at Everton and Newcastle, one of the great target men.

 

As for his coaching credentials, as stated previously his Forest Green stint can be taken with a pinch of salt because they were a shambles that anyone would have struggled to fix. I'm more interested in the fact that so many Everton managers thought he was worth keeping around as a coach. This is a guy who has worked for Rafa Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti, amongst others. Surely he will have picked up a few tips? And like Butcher when he was here, Ferguson should have plenty of contacts for finding players and the charisma to convince them to come here.

 

Fingers (and toes) crossed.

What your suffering from there is called confirmation bias.

We are in as big a shambles as Forest Green.  He didn't bring in any of these amazing players you think he has access to then, and we've no money to bring them in here.  We needed someone to get the best from what we already have and he failed to do that with Forest Green.

22 minutes ago, gingerjaggy said:

I saw Forest Green get battered at Portman Road but they are a small club and we’re not ready or invest well enough to stay in League 1 so 1 in 18 sounds bad but they were well out of there depth. His one win actually came against Sheffield Wednesday. He took over after there previous manager - might have been Rob Edwards - left to go to Watford I think and a lot of the players that got them promoted left too. Ferguson took over when they were already bottom and struggling so although that record not great can’t all be pinned on him. By the sounds of it he’s a very good coach at Everton with Ancellotti wanting to take him to Real but whether he is a good manger is the question. Time will tell!
 

So what you're saying is that in his previous appointment, he was taken in when a team was bottom and he failed to get them off the bottom?

*Checks our current league position*

Exactly what we need right now

I look forward to him chinning Gardiner and/or Robbo the first time they stick their nose in where it's not welcome.

12 minutes ago, RiG said:

Been told there is meant to be an appointment later. Rumours seem to suggest we've moved away from the early front runners which is a relief. Of course that could be a load of puff. We really need to get this appointment right though. No time to waste and get our season turned round.

"Moved away from early front runners" as in, they all rejected our advances?

1 hour ago, ICTPaisley said:

What he says is true though and most will deny it, proving how pathetic it is.

So which one of the erse cheeks do you favour?  Or are you the exception that proves your point?

Scott Brown must have family/friends in the area as he's been spotted in Inverness many times over the years, and not just when playing here, so I'm not reading much into these initial rumours.

He was a thug and a bully as a player, but that's not a reputation that seems to have followed him into coaching.

1 hour ago, tm4tj said:

The Courier have missed the point. The fans want Gardiner out. The disconnect, as frustrating as it is, is just a smokescreen.

Of course they have.  They've been pedalling the "it's on field problems making fans unhappy" line since the beginning and ignoring the growing discontent at off field inactivity.  They have, in effect, been doing Gardiner's job for him when it comes to deflecting accountability.  Unfortunately the newest Director also seems content to do the same and thinks a couple of wins will fix everything.

6 hours ago, Hearach said:

So what happens now?

From reading the article, nothing.

The Trust will keep banging their head against the wall by trying to speak nicely to the club.

The club will keep making the same empty promises about working to improve things and sharing information when they can that they've been saying for the last 6/7 years. 

Fans will continue to drift away and those stealing a wage will continue to do so because not enough people are willing to take a proper stand against them.

Death by a thousand cuts

1 minute ago, old caley girl said:

My only worry is that we ruin  the reputation of another legend? However he might have applied himself? 

If he has applied, then that's on him.  I wouldn't advocate for him being pressured into taking it for the reason you give.

It seems that Ryan Esson has thrown his hat in the ring for the Manager's job.  I think we could do worse than give him a shot till the end of the season, with an extension if he earns it.

He already knows the players, is one of the most qualified coaches in the country, and has been performing well with the U18s.  He also wouldn't cost us anything on the compensation front and if Kellacher becomes his assistant, then we could also save a wage or two over bringing in a new management pairing.

He's so out of touch that he doesn't even realise that his drivel only serves to confirm what many already know, and that is the fact that he thinks fans are stupid, and that he will direct all fault for fan discontent to on field performances to try and deflect from the larger, ever growing, discontent for how the club is failing off the pitch and at the highest level of management.

Unfortunately, work will prevent me from attending the fans meeting, but if fans stream from there to the game afterwards, then he will only view that as vindication for his view that fans are fickle and they should/will just suck it up.

Furthermore, I'm becoming increasingly disappointed in our local journalists who are doing nothing to challenge him or ask the questions that need asking.  I'm sure they all read these forums and social media and know that fans are questioning Gardiner's position as much, if not more so than We did Dodds', yet not a single mention of that in these articles.  It's weak and pathetic.

I can't speak directly for Kellacher, but I doubt so many successive managers would have held on to him if they didn't value his input and contribution.

You don't coach at a club for 17 years (and, FYI, that HAS included promotions and cup wins) if you're not good at your job

On 9/17/2023 at 9:46 PM, Satan said:

Footballs a simple game, complicated by idiots.

And we have a club full of them at the moment!

The reason Pele is remembered so fondly, for me, is that he truly believed that his team could beat anyone, and he had the players believing it as well.  That meant that win, lose or draw, the football was always exciting to watch.

Unfortunately that became harder for any manager to maintain as we progressed through the leagues and the cost of failure brought with it a fear of losing.  Focus then shifts to being defensive and the priority being to avoid relegation.  It also becomes more expensive to just stand still as a team/club and whilst we've been blessed (for the most part) with people willing to throw money into the club, the returns diminish.

I have no issue with us being a Championship level club, or even a league 1 or 2 club, but it scunners me that we no longer have that sense of community and the entertainment has totally gone from the football.