big cherly

Absolutely, couldn’t agree more. The club and we the fans more importantly, need to move on and focus on what and how we structure and prepare for next season. For the club that is get out of Administration, get in place a proper commercial operating model and re-engage with the business community. Establish and secure a playing squad capable of challenging for promotion. Set in place a fan recruitment programme. For us, (me) the fans, it’s threefold; # Get behind the team next season. That’s not blind support, criticism is healthy, more noise please. # Buy your season tickets and shake out drop out fans to come back. # Bring your kids and friends along. The achievement by AS, Kells and the team is exceptional. Let’s learn from the past errors and try and avoid them in future. Promotion hopefully this time next year. bc

Just seen the big eejit on Football Focus with Moyes and others at Goodison and he came across as the same brainless loon that blessed our club in the final part of the Gardener era. Heaven help any club that takes a try with him as manager. bc

Personal experience? bc

HT: 1-2 FT:2-2 1st Scorer ICT: Gilmour 1st Scorer Opp: Stirton Crowd:567

A great performance from B McKay today. His timing, vision and passing kept the Arbroath defence uneasy throughout the match. Great to see him turn back the clock for one final time. I was at the pie stall so missed his goal (curses)! bc

Simply a perfect performance and result. Brilliant first goal, well constructed and finish. Crowd was fully behind the team and its effect in the team was evident. The place had an air of expectation that hasn’t been around for some time. Great to be present today and final word must go to Kells. Hope he enjoys the night. well done all round. bc

Aye, the youth squad has served the highland league well for the last decade hasn’t it! bc

I look forward with intrigue to Saturday’s match. It’s not the ‘last chance saloon’ as there is the final scheduled game at Montrose to follow. My mind say's just concentrate on beating Arbroath (fortune favours the brave), however I’ll find it impossible to blank out what’s happening at Dumbarton. Don’t expect Arbroath will be so lax as last week, that said they have secured the league top spot, so for me, they won’t be going full tilt. Three points would be a large step to avoiding the playoffs. A single point would normally be a reasonable result against this Arbroath team, but taking in missing/injured players, it may be not loosing on Saturday is part of the journey we need to take staying in this league. I’ll be there anyway to cheer the players on hoping it’s the final match at the stadium this season. bc

Get the boy down for a look over. How I hate the Coonty being the first to soak up any talent in the highlands while we yak on about our youth squad. bc

HT: 1-1 FT: 2-2 1st Scorer ICT: McKay 1st Scorer Opp: Stanton Crowd: 1804

Also if we can, restrict the excuses down to a handful.

Jeez, couldn’t monitor the last ten minutes. Everything looked great then. Switched on to see the whole thing turned. By all accounts we were the better team (guys attending can maybe comment), and the own goal was a bit unlucky between the goalie and Gilmour. My prediction of a thumping at the Annan / Arbroath game was only half right. Wrong team, but it appears only one team (deliberately) turned up!! A well, four teams in the mix for the next weeks relegation playoff games. Still in our own hands. Let’s take it!! bc

Don’t care, just glad he put it away. Hold out now!

Stenny has been on a terrible run so their confidence will be brittle. That said we have been erratic lately. All I want is ICT to come back up the A9 with at least a point. Don’t care how it’s done. Expect Annan to be done over by Arbroath so a point for us would ease the pressure. bc

The Bhoyo’s come to the rescue again!! Where would we be without them? bc

HT: 1-1 FT: 2-2 1st Scorer ICT: Gilmour 1st Scorer Opp: Aitken Crowd: 654

What if we get relegated this season? SK’s stats will still show him a super manager. Absolutely meaningless to me but again it proves the point you want to push! bc

Apples/oranges, what leagues, how long over what period, what injuries/ limitations; endless parameters that allows everyone to be able to come up with an answer that suits their point. - You add DF time at Forest Green to make his record worse of example. Absolutely meaningless for me as any prediction of how we will perform next season (and in what league) cannot /should not be based on DF or SK’s past football results. ICT will have I expect a large turnover of players at the end of this season and will be setting their stall for promotion from that league in one season. Looking forward to seeing what emerges at the end of the season from AS on how he proposes to take the club forward. His communications will be vital / important at the outset I feel to provide the fans and any interested investor / business with a clear vision and timetable to join the merry ship ‘AS New Beginnings’. bc

Just hope the accidental slip and pulled hamstring Musa had on Saturday doesn’t end up his last appearance for us. The guy has been immense for us and probably the one player than has had the most impact in where we are in the league. My player of the season by a Gambian mile. Alfie B draws attention for putting the ball in the net, but unfortunately injury again cut short his stint, (and boy, haven’t we missed him)! bc

The case for a hotel becomes more viable in that the new prison is being build on the other side of the railway and served by a new road bridge and footpath. There is a couple of budget hotels (at Howdens), however a higher ranked hotel with conference facilities would I believe be a viable addition. A lot of football clubs have included hotel facilities as part of new stadium developments. It need not be ICT own the hotel but are part of an economic case for attracting finance. bc

I don’t see the powers at the Scottish League turning down ICT moving to a new stadium as long as it meets the standards and criteria required. AS is well aware there needs to be other ‘drivers’ to facilitate any change of where ICT play their matches. The driving factor for moving from the current location is the cost of running the place far exceeds any income. There isn’t the numbers (fans) to change this, so it’s not sustainable. Simple economics. A sports facility at the UHI campus has been raised and kicked about for more than a decade, with ICT talked about at that time training there. The UHI are keen to have a sports component as an attraction to their desire to be recognised as a ‘real’ university. How it was financed (built and run) has always been the stumbling block. Ie always skint. The HIE (located in the campus) have just about run out of attracting major ‘life science’ businesses to the campus, so the idea of a sports facility could kick start athletic support consultancies and long talked about hotel investment. There is plenty of land on the east side of the campus. In due course the connecting A96 corridor to the Southern Distributor Road will be constructed on East side of the campus. Here I would propose / suggest would be the case to make a push for a campus sporting facility and car parking to be included in the road / site development. AS knows all of the above of course and he is a master of getting the best deal he can. (Ie get the taxpayer and others to pick up the bulk of the costs). Unless he can make the existing stadium viable then I can see AS’s logic to look at most likely option. tuppenceworth. bc

And ifs and buts! We will certainly see Kells see out the remaining (let’s hope 3) games. No question here and he deserves this for what he’s achieved to date. But let’s not be restricted or blind to ‘more of the same’ of Saturday’s game and tactics against Kelty. As I mentioned earlier (half time), why 11 ICT players in our own 18 yard box for at least a couple of corners? No outlet with at least one striker on the half way line to fight for any clearance (hoof) upfield. Surely that (11 men in box) was not a tactic? If it was then you would hope Kells or Billy would see it wasn’t working and effect a change next time round! As the game developed it was clear Kelty (a lot better than I expected {or a few here give credit to } in there set up and ability to break quickly), were able to transfer from a defensive position to attacking with players who could run, carry and pass the ball quickly. Danny and Remi whilst good in the air have no speed whatsoever and are exposed when faced with players of pace. I get it Kells wanted to go for a win, but it would needed to be an own goal on Saturday for us. Dropping a player behind D&R to lock up shop IMO would (should) have been made as a tactical decision. Hindsight’s a great thing and prepared to give Kells the benefit of the doubt here. Won’t be so forgiving if we repeat the same mistakes and don’t learn for the remaining games. bc

If nothing more let’s look to the AS era with a more demanding standard.

A bit alarming and bells ringing a little for me after that performance. I can put a 0-2 result as a one off (it happens for all teams through a season). The performance today however is not the first or second time this season where we have been flat and ‘not up for it’. Hate saying it but today was worse than what I’d see from Duncan Donuts games. I feel we would not have lost today with his tactics. It’s a game I’d hoped we would have secured our place in this division (3) for next season. Not to be, so we have three games to achieve that aim. Last Saturday at this time I was sure we would; today I’m less certain. I still believe it’s within the team however we cannot put in any more performances like today IMO or it will be a perilous few weeks for us all. I don’t want to criticise any player or the management for today’s performance or result. Collectively and to a man they are all responsible. As others have said here, we are a full time team and (on paper) be fitter, better prepared and have our tactics fully in place (and adaptable). If nothing more let’s look to the AS era with a more demanding standard. Can’t afford to put today of as (another) a bad day at the office, we need to learn fast and stop the complacency that affects our game. Fingers crossed for the remaining matches! bc

Half time 0-0. Yawn Game done at Kelty’s pace. Why do we need every ICT player in the 18 yard box at corners? Where does that tactic come from! Don’t tell me we’re playing for a point from this game. Looking for a lot better in the second half. bc