big cherly

There is a valid argument to say B McKay’s best days are behind him and it’s time for the club to look beyond him. Avoiding for now the talk of what options / scenarios the club had in mind if McKay left (I’m sure Robbo has a list of players), it is an opportunity for Samuals or one of the other signed players to step and take up the role. Also push the apprenticeship players and roll the dice!

Indeed, the club’s PR dealing with Shane Sutherland, will I suspect, have registered in the minds of Mr Mckay and players potentially available. Look at how Queens Park CEO positioned and promoted her club at the weekend on where they see their club develop both on and off the field!

I respect your stance and challenge IHE, but it’s simply not for me. I’m past it in ways of busting a gut and spending energy on attempting to persuade the people in charge to recognise the clubs fans better (too many good people here have used the ‘head against a brick wall’ term). My experience is, it simply comes down to Money and willing and that in my view won’t be forthcoming willingly based on their past track record or attitude. It is a long haul campaign needed here and I couldn’t provide that. My compliments to those that can rise to the quest and implement positive change. Bc

Forgive my scepticism IHE but I have grown to be somewhat guarded about ‘clubs’, ‘trusts’ and ‘fraternity associations’ and whose interests they actually represent. Do the representatives selected (they are rarely votes in), truly act on the undiluted views of the fans, or is it a filter to present a set of guidelines their masters want them to work within! So whilst it’s not for me, I wish any new applicants well in maybe getting a better representation of the fans views across (as the trust’s image to date has in ways of communication between the fans-board somewhat compliant. Bc

Pile of people align with your views and frustration Douglas. It’s not went unnoticed how much you resisted publishing your views as you were at pains to not denigrate the club and make simple but practical, easily adoptable, suggestions that would go a long way to engage the fan base better. I sincerely hope your message doesn’t fall on deaf ears. Sometimes however the gap is too wide, time will tell. For me it’s leopards and spots. Need some new cats.

Thanks for the update, that helps me understand where things are on the matter. By the sound of it, the numbers of returns have proved how important the club mean to the fans and can be considered a success in undertaking it. It’s an artery that may demonstrate that the (core) fan base consider the recent communication channels (i include the supporters trust ) between the club hierarchy and core fans is deficient and needs reviewed. I’m sure there will be a pile of recommendations from the survey for the club to consider, (from the team, management, youth teams, contracts, ground, relationship between club / fans), from the unrealistic, worth considering and yes no-brainier. As ever it comes down to money, but there has to be a “will” beforehand. So good luck with the review and filtering of the survey returns. I realise the constraints with only two people working on the task, but there is a risk that its findings (report) is diminished if it is released long after the survey was undertaken. Ie mid season in December. (Maybe the club could put forward a admin person to help)? I also realise it’s Zip to do with me, but I always hesitate and question the merit in the club officials seeing the findings before the fans. I don’t know if the club has the power to influence what is finally published, however given the, (let’s call it strong) views of a lot of fans with the board/CEO’s past record, the survey final report may fall into a similar mindset by some fans if this is the case and hence loose it ultimate objective of better communication. I hope that outwith the simply offensive, all comments ( ones not selected for the final report) will be available to view somewhere I want to close by saying well done to those running the survey (and the two poor souls collating the findings). bc

Hi, I may have been elsewhere and missed this survey findings, so just wondering if the match experience survey findings / report was issued? If it has been issued, where can I find the findings? If it is still to be published, a few questions. 1) is there a date for its release. 2) what’s the procedure for review/filtering of the returns 3) who ultimate controls the survey (the club or the fans)? thanks

He has went to play at a higher level and get coaching from (in my view) a far more structured and professional level than he could receive at ICT. So whilst we don’t like it, there is ambition I would suggest!

Makes perfect sense from his position. Scott’s served ICT well for the past three seasons. Weighing up what ICT can offer both in way of financial package and expectations in the championship against playing in Scotlands top league for a more enhanced wage packet it’s an easy call. If he had a settled lifestyle (happy in the highlands with partner perhaps) then other options look less appealing. If but a last minute equaliser against Patrick things would have been different!! (he would have still left I suspect). However I wish Scott well except when he plays against us. He is following a well trodden road over the years!

Again, it is your observation based on what you selectively choose to comment on! Nothing wrong with that as it goes. However I return to the Pravda reference in that any criticism of the club is treason and verboten and we should all join up to blindly follow the great leader Mr Gardiner and bow to his every word. Mmmn not sure I want to be that devoted!

They are simply fans expressing their views and opinions on the players, management, board-CEO and the ground where they turn up and pay their money to be hopefully entertained. They are entitled to do that irrespective if other fans don’t agree with them. That’s what the forum (I hope), was established for. If you want it to be the mouthpiece for only what the club want you to hear, (Pravda comes to mind) there would, I suggest be half a dozen contributors as the full forum group!

I know Ryan Esson will be back. Seen Dodds seeing him off on holiday day after final with ‘see you son after your holiday’.

Sheer bliss !!

Roy McGregor - he owns most of the Longman anyway and he buys up clapped out businesses and absorbs them into his group. ICT could become a feeder team for Coonty. We get financial stability, he gets our promising young players. it’s a Win - Win!!

Unfortunately the CEO and Board are instrumental in the fiscal stability, direction and what players the club can retain (spend on), bring in (buy), coach (cost of coaches, pitches & kit etc), and the clubs reputation on how they treat players. Rightly or wrongly this week for example! So it’s directly related to what the quality of happens on the park and therefore a legitimate point to raise given the recent performance of the board/CEO over the past two seasons. There is a shelf life for everything and it’s normally based on performance.

More of the same!!! Sporting director Robertson - what a pathetic figure and role (chief new stand consultant and player email contract advisor). You couldn’t make it up the way this board and CEO just stumble from one calamity to another. Tipping point - just nailed my decision to skip a ST renewal!

Money counts (or doesn’t in this case), hence Dodds 2 more years. His previous spell in charge has been (no pun intended ) for me, a struggle to watch or comprehend the game plan! I cannot agree with IHE it’s a ‘clean sheet’ going forward for Dodds as he has the legacy of the previous years on his tab. (Yak yak injuries and bad luck). The task for him to prove he can provide a team and game plan that improves in both results and performance. I’m open enough and willing to provide him the 18 months to see what he can do, and despite my reservations hope he succeeds as Inverness can and should have a top league team. It will be selective matches however now going forward for me!

Your explanation in your first sentence mazza20 perfectly makes my point! I fully understand fans wanting to back the club irrespective how they do, and thats fine if you like what’s on display ( I have no problem with that). I simply want to be better and entertained, and whilst we got to the playoff last year and a cup final this season I can’t honestly say what’s been on display for the past two seasons fills me with expectation. I discount the Covid year for obvious reason. The off the field antics by the board during the same period is directly linked to the retention of Dodds due to the lack of money! More of the football on display last season at home is simply not for me!

More of the same both on and off the park seems to be the plan. Can’t help think it’s money driven with Dodds knowing he is only retained cause the board haven’t the money to attract serious talent, cause they have no money to attract title challenging players and it’s loan spells with dodgy injury or past it players brought it! Don’t see a new horizon, just retread of a tired strategy with unattractive stagnant football!! Must admit I was hoping for a new direction, but not to be it appears!!

Glasgow today is in its finest sun soaked glory. George Square packed! A good load of green and white on display, but Caley supporters sprinkled here and there! All we can ask is the Caley boys believe in themselves, keep together during the tough spells and give everything. (A goal would be great). Win or loose you represent a people of a great city and region of our small brilliant country. Hold your heads high and good luck!!!

I am just surprised the number of writers here are surprised the way the fans have / are being treated by the club ‘leaders’. The current lot have shown they simply haven’t or don’t care about the fans interests by their actions. You’re only there to buy season tickets and the stuff on sale (scarfs, pies and like). - They have demonstrated clearly they can’t and are unlikely to change without redress. They are only holding the keys however and ultimately will move on. - Their period in charge however is in the hands of the fans. It is the fans that ultimately have the power. If enough fans think more of the same next season is not good enough then they can act where it is most noticed! (In there pocket). Fan loyalty is often abused by just about every club and ICT are no different. I resist magnifying the case as the club and team are heading into their most important game in years. Winning would be the clubs biggest achievement in its history and could attract interest from more competent and professional individuals. But it’s a long shot! Maybe the fan questionnaire will manage to be communicated unfiltered and get the message across. We wait with interest! What happens after the final is for another day, but is more of the same satisfactory?

I’m sure you’re not alone flogging tickets to the opposition fans!! Least you got a good price by all accounts.

Juggernaut, You make my point perfectly! For every kid wearing a ICT top or garb in Inverness you can multiply that by 20 ish for tic, 10 ish gers and English teams. I even see more County tops than ICT tops. - Maybe it’s just me that sees this and it’s just rubbish?? If my note raised the hackles with some forum fans then I have succeeded (a little), in what I consider one of the most critical aspects of our clubs future survival and development. Namely growth of the young ICT fan base! A successful team will attract kids wearing there strips & stuff. We have struggled in this matter for the recent past, but it is cyclical. Over the years I have noticed that as our aging fan base thins out the younger fans are not there in numbers. The ‘young team’ are selective and can vary in numbers from under 20 during the winter duff matches up to a hundred or so for big games. We (the club) has failed to address the decline in young fan recruitment for years. The lack of connection (suit, tie & dram) is generationally and culturally miles apart from youths of today. Until we bring in new thinking on whether we think this is an issue and how to address it, we will, I respectfully put forward, continue to see more celt, gers, ManC - U and County tops in Inverness.

Nothing wrong with ICT being your second team. Our (sorry, Celtic’s free Highland) youth coach never attends any of the first team matches as his interests and loyalties lie in the east end of Glasgow . I would expect most ICT fans have Celt leanings with some others having a soft Gers and Aberdeen affiliation. Just the reality of where ICT are in there abysmal and amateur recruitment and nurturing of future ICT fans. Expect this topic will be recycled in 20 years time as long as we have numpties in charge! Happy for anyone to convince me otherwise…

I really cringe when the chief representatives of any sports clubs get caught on a photo greeting or glad handing politicians of any party. - They are invariably decried by persons not affiliated to that particular party. Irrespective of what you think of SG, he has to welcome any guest and to make them comfortable and hope they enjoy their visit to the club. We have to separate the club (all parts of it), from politics and religion. We have all seen how it turns out when this rule is compromised! The club has to retain a neutral position on politics and religion. End of story!!