Iain Vigurs

[Harry Chibber]

The one bright aspect to this season is the emergence of Iain Vigurs as a midfielder of genuine quality and even greater potential.

Given that Ian Black is on his way with Don Cowie likely to follow without the club's coffers being boosted one little bit it's vital that efforts are made now to secure Vigurs on a four year contract so that either ICT have the benifit of his ever maturing services for that time or, if he does decide to move on in two years time, the club are properly compensated.

ICT have been guily for too many years of having key players on contracts that are not long enough allowing the likes of Dods, Brown and others to move on either for nothing or far too cheaply. Lets not make the same mistake again.

Agreed looks as though he has the minerals to be a cracking player for the future and we need to sure up his contract but it seems to be something the board just haven't got a grasp of... Dargo, Black and now it seems Cowie is offski

get it sorted!!

[absent friend]

Agreed looks as though he has the minerals to be a cracking player for the future and we need to sure up his contract but it seems to be something the board just haven't got a grasp of... Dargo, Black and now it seems Cowie is offski

get it sorted!!

Could it be, Harry, that the player's agent(s) are sniffing a quick buck and the Board don't have a snowballs chance in Hell of resigning them.

This, I would suggest, is one of the unsettling things that can escalate in the dressing room, if the players are allowed to stay till the season end. Every other player could then play 'hard to get' when it comes to resigning time for them, as he has heard nothing but 'I have made this much by moving' from Black/Cowie, for the previous few weeks.

Let's be sensible here, Black/Cowie will justify their move, in the dressing room, either by talking up their financial take or talking down their present employer or a mixture of both! Poison for any employer looking to have a 'team' and our strength is normally the team spirit, reported as 'punching above our weight' or 'big players' - when in fact we are just playing for each other.

[Alex MacLeod]

Ian Vigurs, like Woods, Duff and McAllister, was given a years contract last season to prove themselves. I'm sure some of those players will be given new offers. The priority at the moment is to try and find experience in the window. After that the club need to look at what the future budget is going to be before contracts can be offered. Even when new contracts are offered getting players to sign long term is not only down to the club. The player may agree to sign a shorter contract because he feels he doesn't want to be tied if a better offer comes from elsewhere. Personally, I'd like to see our talented youngsters coming through and doing the job required and I'd like to see them being developed to such a potential that there is demand for them and money to be made, or they want to stay and give their all for the club.

Those who come from outside I feel are only ever going to be here to showcase themselves and move on to better money. Regardless of what the fans want they themselves dont want to be tied.

We can easily make assumptions about what is, or isn't, on offer but nobody makes assumptions about what the player wants. Ian Black hopes to go to Hearts in the window for a fee but knows he's going in the summer anyway. Had he been on a longer contract the club could hold him to it and he'd be stuck here on ?1200 a week instead of earning ?3000. Motherwell are prepared to wait for Cowie. Had he been on a longer contract I doubt they'd want him. Players who feel they have some better qualities than the average will not agree to long term contracts on the wages we can afford.

The management team were desperate to keep Ian Black but they cannot afford to match what he'll get at Hearts.

Getting people tied down to long contracts is not always in the hands of the people running the club.

Had we seen year on year increases in season ticket uptake and gate reciepts then perhaps we could have predicted future budgets and increases in wages to keep players. As it is that hasn't happened.

[CaleyD]

Black is/was on nothing like ?1200/week.

[Alex MacLeod]

Black is/was on nothing like ?1200/week.

That figure was told to me at the weekend. It could be the figure offered to him to stay though I was left with the impression we have two or three, including Ian, on that.

[Guest R0b]

It is a fact that Black is on ?1200 a week. He was offered less than 2000 by Hibs but Hearts offered him about 2600.

I've been told that both Woods and Vigurs are on less than ?300 basic a week at present and have been offered a new deal last month but there wasn't much of an improvement on their basic so they refused and were expecting another offer to come in. My understanding is the offer was around 325 a week basic. Would you work for that? Of course there are bonuses etc built in but players pick up injuries and if they can get more money from Motherwell or Falkirk why should they stay in Inverness.

I hope Vigurs stays, he has the makings of a class act - those who say he isn't the finished article need to realise the guy is only 20! And for what it's worth I thought he had a really good 1st half and the team fell out of the game early in the 2nd. And another reason he should stay is his mother is hot!

I think Wood could be an asset to ICT too, he's not a goalscorer but he will be an excellent target man.

[Alex MacLeod]

It is a fact that Black is on ?1200 a week. He was offered less than 2000 by Hibs but Hearts offered him about 2600.

I've been told that both Woods and Vigurs are on less than ?300 basic a week at present and have been offered a new deal last month but there wasn't much of an improvement on their basic so they refused and were expecting another offer to come in. My understanding is the offer was around 325 a week basic. Would you work for that? Of course there are bonuses etc built in but players pick up injuries and if they can get more money from Motherwell or Falkirk why should they stay in Inverness.

I hope Vigurs stays, he has the makings of a class act - those who say he isn't the finished article need to realise the guy is only 20! And for what it's worth I thought he had a really good 1st half and the team fell out of the game early in the 2nd. And another reason he should stay is his mother is hot!

I think Wood could be an asset to ICT too, he's not a goalscorer but he will be an excellent target man.

I wouldn't no. Millions of people in this country would bite your hand of for that though. ?325 works out at around ?8 an hour for a 40 hour week and probably no bonuses. So in the context of what they'd earn in catering or hospitality. As a labourer or driver is a pretty good wage. Those lads are still serving an apprenticeship and, assuming they turn out to be top players, will be able to command a good deal more in not too many years.

[Kirishima]

I cant see Vigurs tying himself down on a 325 pound contract for one year let alone four. That wage is for SFL players, and it is not going to keep him from looking at triple that at least at another SPL club. I think that Alex is right that the priority is to add to the squad, but if the DoF lets another player leave because his contract wasnt renewed then serious questions must be asked.

[Guest Spectre]

Blimey, that's a scarily low number for someone getting regular appearances in top flight football.

[Harry Chibber]

Agreed looks as though he has the minerals to be a cracking player for the future and we need to sure up his contract but it seems to be something the board just haven't got a grasp of... Dargo, Black and now it seems Cowie is offski

get it sorted!!

Could it be, Harry, that the player's agent(s) are sniffing a quick buck and the Board don't have a snowballs chance in Hell of resigning them.

This, I would suggest, is one of the unsettling things that can escalate in the dressing room, if the players are allowed to stay till the season end. Every other player could then play 'hard to get' when it comes to resigning time for them, as he has heard nothing but 'I have made this much by moving' from Black/Cowie, for the previous few weeks.

Let's be sensible here, Black/Cowie will justify their move, in the dressing room, either by talking up their financial take or talking down their present employer or a mixture of both! Poison for any employer looking to have a 'team' and our strength is normally the team spirit, reported as 'punching above our weight' or 'big players' - when in fact we are just playing for each other.

Their is no doubt that player's agents definitely have a hand in this but if the board had some faith and tied players down on 3yr contracts rather than just 2 yrs (so they can perform well for a year and then sign for free with someone else) then it wouldn't be an issue

[Alex MacLeod]

Blimey, that's a scarily low number for someone getting regular appearances in top flight football.

Add appearance payments and win bonuses and it can add to a good amount. Oh no! Forgot!! No win bonuses!!!