big cherly

Just a couple of points from yesterday’s match that was somewhat worrying for me. 1) The loss of Remi Savage through the red card for the next game. (Assume it just one game?). Danny had a better than usual game on Saturday, but he can be haphazard more times than not. Remi acts as an old sweeper type role whilst having the height for centre half and provides cover for Danny. He will be missed I fear!! 2) The crowd attendance on Saturday was a concern! 1650-ish doesn’t auger well as we head into the remaining home run matches. Weather was good for mid March and Alloa offered the appeal of an open match. The crowd has been ever so slowly dropping since the high of the Cove match level. Maybe all the negative press through last week had its effect, but it’s clear to me we will need more fans to get of there butts for the remaining home games. The years (decades) of not investing properly in fan recruitment is now having its full effect. The players will need the supporters more than ever in the coming matches. I don’t know what the immediate answer is, but fan apathy is a worrying concern for me. bc

I still think Billy has something to offer to the team in the remaining matches. His legs can’t respond to what his mind asks, however he does have experience of how to handle difficult periods of the game. The match against stenny being an example when I thought he pulled the team forward after Alfie B went off injured. I agree if we had a younger centre forward or point man then go that way. Trouble is we are limited in what we have in numbers and quality of players. I would have Billy as a sub to be brought on at the appropriate moment of a game. This would be SK decision, but without incurring the wrath of devotee's I agree with others we took too long to make changes today. Last tuppenceworth, apart from the result, I throughly enjoyed today’s game. Had just about everything, including overpicky ref. bc

Billy has always striked his penalties straight down the middle. Most of the time the ball ends up in the net as normally goalies opt to dive to one side. Agree though it’s time someone else took over. bc

Half time 1-0. Thought we were going to blow Alloa away after a great opening goal and play for 30 minutes. All over them and well deserved lead. Alloa slowly coming more in the game. Feel we are the better team and if we get a second goal, the three points are ours. bc

Couldn’t agree more about why we are all on this forum, - going along to watch our team play football. Cheer or groan and forget everything else in your life for 90 plus minutes as the game plays out. Dumbarton are too far back so will finish in bottom place. Last Saturday morning I was convinced we were looking at 7th or 8th place. Now every game remaining has meaning (which is great-that’s what makes me want to keep attending). Reading the P&B the Alloa seem to be having their own problems, so whilst respecting them we should not fear them. Not sure how well set up but something tells me we will probably have a defensive mindset for a large part of the match. Predict -draw. bc

I for one was pleased BDO were not present. Maybe some progress can be made now. BDO have more than made a healthy return for their overseeing the Administration to date, so maybe they feel things can move forward quicker. bc

I agree RBC, talk of a new stadium is exactly that, - ‘talk’. However in the ongoing mess that is the negotiations (misused term here), AS has very little wriggle room left in these talks and the threat of moving to a new stadium is a legitimate point to press. Put aside for now (I know, I know), where would play if we survive, it will have serious financial consequences on the lease holders RM DC and anyone else in that boat. Put simply it’s a doomsday play but one RM and the rest of them go down with the ship. For now everything regarding any negotiations comes down simply to money (and what level is an agreement reached). As AS says we have an albatross in the way of the stadium running cost for a ground that we normally fill a quarter of with fans. bc

No reply needed! More on!

Great to see we Scots can always see a dark humour when things begin to look a bit bleak. Well done all. I’ve been nagging and picking on some posters recently that do not agree with my view. Seems oh so petty and insignificant now when the clubs existence is on the line. Just want say well done, bringing the spirit above, makes me more confident we will come out the other side with the club intact. bc

The threat to hand back the stadium is the strongest (possibly only) remaining card AS can play. Fan pressure on RM et al, has failed to date, and I see no inclination that will change. AS has said he’s put in enough of his money and will walk if others are not forthcoming. I personally disagree Joe Public (taxpayers) should cough up as only a small fraction has the slightest interest in football or the club. They are rightly more interested in the pot holes getting repaired. So if RM, Cameron and the rest are unwilling to budge, then dumping the stadium is the right threat. It’s either liquidation or continue in a much smaller (viable) operation at another ground. - They exist! bc

Excellent summary Charles, well put. Only we have a couple of tough vices to abate and deal with, self-interest and greed! bc

I know the latest statement by BDO/AS is as stark as it can be given the negotiations appear to have come to a shuddering halt. There’s going to be an uncertainty hanging over the club until we get a settled resolution and outcome. The biggest immediate impact is of course on the players. It takes the wind out of there sails and must leave them a wondering about what the future holds. The statement today can only help the clubs we are directly fighting against relegation. Liquidation by ICT alone will almost certainly save any club finishing below that happen to end up in 9th place a safety line. bc

I posted the above a week back hoping there was enough willingness between the main players to attempt to see a way forward to a settled position. Clearly the gap, egos and embitterment remains stubbornly as obstacles to any deal. I know Cameron has taken umbrage against Savage and wants him to ‘Sweat’. When you have this spiralling and deteriorating relationship its difficult to see a settlement anytime soon. I think we have entered the ‘who blinds first’ stage in a poker game with the club the at the heart of the ‘pot’ and the car parks the bargaining chips. All messy and a bit of serious brinkmanship on the go with people picking sides. Finish the season still in Admin? Maybe CaleyD can shed light on Administration options when faced with a deadlock, set a deadline (again) or go into liquidation?? bc PS - I envisage Cameron, Sutherland and Morrison see BDO the mouthpiece of AS (handpicked and paid by) and hence kept at a distance!

Same question to the same person. Substantiate and provide your evidence. Or is it just exactly what it is!!!

Just out of interest what posting on this forum topic regarding the fans comments do you object to, that you consider vitriol or disgusting? I believe any criticism I’ve read is valid, opinionated and fairly put? bc

Understand the underlying point you make OCG. I believe every one of the ICT fans that turned up on Saturday want to be able to continue to sit on their seat come August and support the team. However with respect the survival of the club and how we perform on the pitch are two separate matters. Any interested buyers will maybe keep an eye on the team’s results but it will have little or next to no bearing IMO on their decision to invest or not. On the football side, the team on Saturday were running-on-empty. Absence of (key) injured players was evidence of just how important they are to the team. Yes Annan were time wasting, fainting injury, awful to watch, (to us) and rode their luck. But that’s their job. They turned up with one object in mind, go back down the A9 with 3 points. If they lost yesterday they understood that was their chance just about gone to get out of 9th position. We were unable or incapable to change the outcome to swing the game in our favour. We had plenty of time to grasp the way we were set up and playing wasn’t working. So bad day at the office. Learn from it and put it behind us (it’s history now). I look forward facing Allow on Saturday. Completely different type of game I would expect. bc

Yes, pay our money, every right to express an opinion, (just like you have done here). I personally have stated that what the manager and team has achieved so far is nothing short of amazing, and if we avoid relegation it will be recognised when we look back as one of the clubs greatest feats. We were all disappointed (I think) about the performance and result on Saturday having come of the ‘high’ of Tuesday nights extravaganza, but let’s not kid ourselves Saturday was not a timely warning! The team (SK - BM + players) has done well clawing back 15 points, with a good number of results ground out with a single goal. The loss of Alfie B and Louie L may be significant for the remaining games to come as Saturday displayed all too well for me. I’m optimistic we still have a better than good chance of remaining in division 3, but it’s going to an anxious few weeks for me. Respect your view, but equally I will continue to respect others that don’t. bc

Know what you mean Huisdean, I just hope when they are announced, our new owners pay big money for striker Cirberz Gas.

Back into the relegation fight with a thumping bump. Maybe the wake up call we needed as we were flat and poor today. I’ll upset a lot here but well done Annan. They had a game plan and they executed it perfectly. Score a goal early, sit back and defend in numbers. Waste time, play the referee and break forward when the openings come. The first 45 minutes we had Billy alone in Annan’s half up against 4 defenders?? We just did not have any answer either tactically or in quality of balls into the 18 yard box. When the few chances came we fluffed them. No talk now of 5 or 6th, every game now will be important in avoiding 9th place. bc

This is simple, keep the same format, attitude and pace we loose 0-1. Opposite of the tempo on Tuesday. Scotty needs to introduce changed tactics. Should have happened 20 minutes into the match. No point blaming Annan for time wasting (we’d do the same ) or the ref, it’s down to the manager and the players to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and play more forward! 45 minutes to see if we have it in us to change. bc

Yes, I take on board what you and LRP are saying Charles. Any settled agreement must take cognisance of previous experiences and make it as watertight (I prefer airtight) as possible. Ultimately the length of time the Admin boys and other solicitors are engaged is dependant on the main players at the table reaching an agreement. This in my mind is best done with no solicitors present. (They can draw up the contracts later). I mentioned some months ago the fee for the administrator could be 750K or more. I reckon we’re there or above that figure now. Some will say, ‘Well it will be whatever it needs to be’ and that ‘A Savage will pick up the tab’. Maybe it will or some of it will be pushed into the final buyers tab. I cant help feeling somewhere in the whole process we the fans will be paying for some of any fee in some way (increase price of bovril or a scarf). I don’t personally mind but I’d rather be open about it! Ultimately I don’t see any incentive for the admin / solicitors involved to expedite the process. How many deadlines have we passed now, Two? Tuppence worth. bc

Legal and financial advisers need to get things right. Yes, agreed, however whilst the solicitors and legal beaks frown over the minuscule of any piece of negotiations, I can’t help feeling they will remarkably, through their due diligence, highlight or raise concerns on the period at the end of any sentence. Wonder why? Hope there’s a cap on their fee!! bc

Sorry guys/girls, The system was down when I tried to load my Musa topic. Everytime I tried to enter it asked me to wait 10 secs. Nothing changed so I tried the same three or four times. Gave up and raised a new topic. Only seen the mess hours later when I rejoined! That’s my excuse anyway

Just feel it’s worth saying savour the remaining matches left we have with Musa between the sticks the season. The guy is capable (and deserves) to be playing at a far higher level than our humble setting. I would expect he has a few admirers already both in Scotland and further afield. He came up here as a back up keeper with maybe a bit part chance of getting a game. If admin has been good for anyone, then surely Musa is the recipient. Wish we had him on a 5year contract but alas we’ll be able to at least say he helped us, in no little way, clawing back 15 points towards securing a place in league 1 (div 3 to me) and avoiding relegation. bc

This subject possibly need its own (or revived) topic, as I don’t want anything detract from Tuesday nights outstanding performance or result . STFU had a point however worth discussing (if nothing more than a priority item for post admin). Equally so Moogthurso, bdu98196 & Satan in their postings bring weight to the importance of the subject. I take something from them all that can be supported. Both the youth players that (for the most) has been coming through and the facilities don’t reach the desired level that is needed for a club of IFCTC ‘standing’. That’s a tacit qualification as our standing has been below the mark of many comparative clubs IMO, The bottom line for me is only youth players that can demonstrate potential they have the ability, desire, dedication and mindset to play at the level required and ultimately replace a first team player should be given a chance on the park. Trying youth players of 5-10 minutes in a match ‘secured’ is fine, and I’m sure that’s what is the route for most youth starts. The success rate however for the whole over the past 10-15 years has not been overly rewarding. C Christie has mentioned the club is going to set a higher standard or expectation as a benchmark for youth players coming forward. In my view it’s long overdue as in my view we have been treading water too long the level of youth players; failing them in some respect. Taking a D Trump perspective of it, ‘change needs to happen’ when we have new owners. More than I expected to included, however there it is!! No offence to any previous youth players! bc