big cherly

I understood from recent posters Fraz, the Supporters Trust held 10% voting rights, and referring to Cattach 28th June, was insisting the trust board is held in a higher position and representation than the common fan. (ie, they would act on these fans behalf)! 
I stand to be corrected if I am wrong with the above, however in the event I am right, I consider my request for season ticket status was a simple and valid question the ST board would welcome and take to the club with a view of issuing a clear unambiguous answer!
What is their purpose otherwise if they cannot or address with their common fans enquiries. Or is it a case that only certain questions can be accepted? 

Clarity would help me understand better! 

bc

5 hours ago, tm4tj said:

Why do people need to know. What difference will it make to your life? 

Knowledge!

Hi,

Can the trust board please confirm how many season tickets have been sold this new season to date, what is the club’s expected target. If not currently available, what date will it be available. Also obtain from the club the season ticket numbers for the last 10 years.

Many thanks.

bc

On 6/28/2023 at 10:17 AM, Cattach said:

Hi folks, long time CTO member, infrequent poster. Like so many who have already posted, I too have become increasingly frustrated by the poor communication and service from the club in recent years. I would moan to friends and family about it but decided to do something about it and reached out to the supporters trust to understand their role and to see how I could help. 
 

Scotty is right in earlier posts, there are only a small band of dedicated supporters who are giving up a lot of their spare time in support of the trust, in particular on the fan survey to date.

Whats clear is the current club board appear to treat all fans the same, including the supporters trust. This has to change going forward. The outputs from the survey when published won’t be easy to ignore! I can 100% assure anyone that the trust is not in the clubs pocket! 
 

I’ve now been co-opted onto the supporters trust board. Why? Because I do believe relationships between fans and the club can & must improve. I believe as loyal fans we can take our voice to the club and though open dialogue and cooperation that we can make things better for all fans at the club. There is a strong willingness from the supporters trust to improve the fan experience at the the club, we just need the club to listen, acknowledge and take action. 
 

If you are also frustrated then there is something you can do about it. You don’t have to go as far as me and join the board (I’m happy to discuss that with anyone who is interested) but even by joining the supporters trust then you are already playing your part in trying to improve the fan experience.
 

It’s only a fiver, less than a city centre pint these days. If we can increase the trust membership then there is no way the club can ignore the fans voice!  https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us

“Whats clear is the current club board appear to treat all fans the same, including the supporters trust. This has to change going forward.”

The above bugged me since it was posted and I resisted commenting on it at the time as I didn’t want to deflect the main track of the issue.  
So after a period of time I came down on the side of ‘this is ‘ part of the problem’. - I’ll leave it with A Miller’s “we are all born equal, some are more equal than others”.

bc

4 minutes ago, Scotty said:

Don't care who it is provided they are responsive and handle the contact with supporters quickly and with fairness. 

Also don't buy the "doesn't get emails" line. It is so simple to set up email aliases, groups and/or forwarders that can deliver or forward email sent to one generic address such as SLO@<domain> to one, two or a hundred other email addresses including personal or internal addresses. 

Understand where you’re coming from scotty in that you don’t care where the person comes from as long as they competent, ‘straight’ and professional in communicating to the respective bodies.

I buy all that. Only thing is the level of distrust from a good number of the fans towards anything to do with what the board control (ie their SLO), will be  met with some scepticism if a key issue in the fans eyes is not sanctioned. (Be it valid or not).
I do feel a fans rep stands a better chance of mediation and progress fir both parties.

just my tuppence worth.

bc

12 minutes ago, Douglas Mackenzie said:

Just to let you know the SLO sent me an Email over the weekend which I found today in my spam.

He left me his contact number, so I phoned him today.

Short version.He is SLO for ICTFC but he doesn't monitor the Email box a part time member of staff does, so if he doesn't get Emails it's because no one has forwarded them.

He suggested I thought communication was poor from his chat with the Chairman. I said it wasn't poor, it was shocking.

I am trying to keep this short,so suffice to say he apologised for my experience with the club and blamed lack of staff.

He advised he had received no mail from me even when I advised that a member of staff told me Gordon had asked her to Email me.I believe him and now understand that the member of staff was only using her initiative as she monitored the SLO box.However from experience,when doing this sort of thing  you have to be sure you and the role holder have a water tight system.Clearly ICT don't. 

The board don't  look at social media relating to any fans pages or forums which begs the question how do they know what the fans are thinking wanting or needing ,hence the reason we get told little.

The SLO was open and frank and promised to raise all concerns at the board meeting next week.

For me I raised an issue and flogged it because of the principals involved.I have now shared the outcomes and at two minutes to four, I am too late for the early bird season tickets, so I will drift for a while before deciding where to watch football next season.

Whatever,thanks for engaging with me,thanks for letting me be part of this forum and I wish you all the best. 

 

 

 

Well done Douglas, for persevering when most of us just gave up.

Be interesting to see if your stone in the pond gathers any momentum (wave like), time will tell.

For me the recent posters has been what’s good about the fans (both positive and negative [depending on what side of the fence you sit]); so here’s to the start of the new season. Enjoy it !(all the ups and downs). 

Hello Alan,

I have taken time to digest what you say regarding true fans. I understand your point where you ‘support your team though thick and thin’, but stop and disagree at ‘No matter the circumstances’!  - I have followed football as a fan boy and man going on over 60 plus years simply because it thrilled and excited more than any other sport! It extended beyond a simple sport to include and represent the community, people and town /area I lived in. For the most the people in control of the clubs I followed were from the town the club resided and were woven into the ethics and ‘sole’ of the supporters. In essence the club and team represented the supporters.
 

In todays football society the connection between the club hierarchy [+team] and the support has been diluted as money overcame every aspect of the game to where the supporters connection has been reduced or diluted to ‘customers’, or to put it in more financial terms ‘cash cows’ via aka season tickets and sale of merchandise. 

What I have observed at ICT since we won the Scottish Cup has been a slow and somewhat painful decline both on and off the field. Excluding the Covid period and a fortunate cup run, the performances and direction over past two seasons with the team and CEO / Board had been alarming to watch and read!  
I feel the current club hierarchy do not have the same connection with the fans and community I mention above. I hate saying transient hierarchy but that’s where I am just now. This disconnect is most tangible in the almost bewildering and belittling regard of the fans worth and communication. 
 

So Alan, I have reached the point where I don’t want to continue with the current arrangement where I pay to receive more of the same ‘service’. 

As OCG eloquently put ‘it’s the only power we (fans) have’. To get the powers to pay some attention is to show that in their pocket, (Money again)! 

So to end my spiel, bring a true fan in my book depends on your interpretation on what you think is best for your team, and what you do to bring that into effect, (and loose).

I respect your view but you don’t have a monopoly on what constitutes a fan.

bc

1 hour ago, Duke of Inverness said:

They only want our money. Not interested in fan engagement. I'm not renewing my season ticket as I am drifting away from ICT with the way they are run and their lack of interest in us fans. Sad, but true. 

Also unsubscribed from getting their emails. I'll go to the odd game but I'm just not anywhere as near as interested in going to games like I used to be. 

Snap! Place it also a tip and adds to the disenfranchisement.

12 hours ago, RiG said:

Like who exactly? Billy Mckay is our most prolific goal scorer in recent memory and no one has scored more than he did last season than since, erm, Bill Mckay in 2013/14. Jordan White was close in 2017/18 (IIRC) but apart from that we have lacked an out and out goalscorer for the best part of a decade.  

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!

16 minutes ago, Marge1 said:

Maybe it's not all about the money or length of contract being offered 

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!

6 hours ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Perhaps the issues were not as important when the fare on view was enjoyable and either in the Prem or at the top of the Championship. When you haven't been in that situation for a few seasons it is easy to look for all the faults and negatives.

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

1 hour ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

So - how to you join ? And everybody on this site can enlist.

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

On 6/23/2023 at 2:15 PM, Douglas Mackenzie said:

You may be right Yngwie,but I kept the post short rather than bore people with all the details.In my letter to the Chairman I highlighted the poor communication issue and the disconnect between the captain of the ship as it were, his bridge and those of us in the engine room.

In all my different employment  and management roles I learned the key to a good team and working relationship was communication.Those at board level know this so why not try and improve it.

Have a section on Web site called ICT news in brief and have a printed version for those without computers. 

Have quarterly 'meet the board'meetings.

Have fans representation at key meetings.

Have suggestion boxes at the stadium.All these kind of measures would make a difference.

The Director for fans representation and I believe comms, has not answered any of the Emails I sent him on this very topic.A Journalist and PR Specialist. 

So bottom line,poor comms,poor customer service and no respect shown for genuine fans.

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.

14 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

Many thanks for asking.  And, no. You haven't missed it!  There are two of us working on it.  There is no specific date for its release.  We are trying to work through it as quickly as possible but it is a lot of work.  The Supporters Trust initiated, wrote and ran the Survey and will control the data and the distribution of the survey report.  I am no longer on the Supporters Trust Board, but when they are happy with the final content, I would expect them to share the report with the Club first before it is distributed more widely.  

The hope is that report will lead to some constructive engagement between the Club, the Supporters Trust and other relevant groups and individuals.  There has been some brilliant feedback and ideas from supporters in the free text and the report will include several direct (anonymised) quotes from supporters in the text.  

I appreciate it has been a while since the survey closed, but I hope you will think the time and effort going into the report has been worth it when you finally see it.  I would hope the report can be released to all by the end of July, but I can't promise that,  I will be sure to update folk on here if a release date is decided or if there is going to be any delay.

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
 

1 hour ago, Satan said:

All good faith to the guy is gone. No ambition 

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!

21 minutes ago, FrontRow said:

Allardice def off to County! 

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! 

28 minutes ago, ICTPaisley said:

What a miserable bunch of fans we have these days I actually think being in the Premier League has turned a lot of our support into spoiled brats.

damned if they do, damned if they don’t….

 

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’.

11 hours ago, ICTPaisley said:

I absolutely get it, but it doesn’t interest me and nothing I do is going to change that.

I love my club because of the football and I’m only interested in that, the political side of the senior hierarchy is actually quite boring to me.

Sheer bliss !! 

20 hours ago, STFU said:

Are all the fans who were against replacing Dodds because there are no better options out there of the same opinion when it comes to our CEO?

If not, who would they suggest?

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!! 
 

14 hours ago, ICTPaisley said:

Couldn’t care less about the non footballing staff at the club if honest.

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!