Clach back on the up..........

[Alex MacLeod]

...........and good to see Highland Council make sensible decision

http://www.highland-news.co.uk/news/fullst...cash_spree.html

[BornCaley]

great news. Ive always had a soft spot for Clach having lived near Grant Street in my youth.

Shame about the social club, all the Jambo aways support will need to find another pre-game pint/food

[SMEE]

I too have a soft spot for Clach...but cant help but wonder how long before they are in a mess again. I have lost count of how many times i rcan recall them being up poop creek. If it haappens again...i reckon they should fold!

[CaleyD]

I don't buy the "good decision by Council" argument in relation to writing off what is owed.

Don't get me wrong, there's a strong argument for them not being liable for the level of rent they have/were having to pay, but Clach knew what the figure was and should have managed/run the club in a manner that allowed them to pay it.

I also struggle to understand where any long term solutions have been found. They have a sponsorship deal that will carry them through a couple of years, but they are selling off the Social Club which was probably the main income stream for the club.

A ?30k/year shirt sponsorship deal is not going to come along for them on a regular basis - our current deal is worth only twice that and we're in the SPL!!!

Don't want to see Clach going to the wall, but can't help but feel that we are witnessing nothing more than the application of another sticky plaster on a gaping stab wound.

Apologies if any of that seems harsh, but my "save them at any cost" feelings took a dip when they barely managed to muster 25 fans to the Inverness Cup game against us last season. We constantly here talk of how important the club is to the community....but the community are not supporting it. Why should the rest of us be expected too?

[SMEE]

I don't buy the "good decision by Council" argument in relation to writing off what is owed.

Don't get me wrong, there's a strong argument for them not being liable for the level of rent they have/were having to pay, but Clach knew what the figure was and should have managed/run the club in a manner that allowed them to pay it.

I also struggle to understand where any long term solutions have been found. They have a sponsorship deal that will carry them through a couple of years, but they are selling off the Social Club which was probably the main income stream for the club.

A ?30k/year shirt sponsorship deal is not going to come along for them on a regular basis - our current deal is worth only twice that and we're in the SPL!!!

Don't want to see Clach going to the wall, but can't help but feel that we are witnessing nothing more than the application of another sticky plaster on a gaping stab wound.

Apologies if any of that seems harsh, but my "save them at any cost" feelings took a dip when they barely managed to muster 25 fans to the Inverness Cup game against us last season. We constantly here talk of how important the club is to the community....but the community are not supporting it. Why should the rest of us be expected too?

Av brought this point up a few times. Im as sentimental as they come, but i am also a realist. Its like shops in the city centre that blame this that and the other for their closure. The REAL reasons for such happenings, are, the same as what is happening with Clach...ie...no real intrest in the product/service to qualify its existance!

[CaleyD]

The thing is, if it could be shown/proved that the club offered a social/community return on investment then I'd happily say "yeah, let's give them money from the public purse".

I just read a very long, and quite dry, report on doing Social Audits of Football Clubs to determine the non-financial value to communities (I can here the groans from ICT Boardroom already) and whilst I am no expert on Clach it certainly doesn't seem to tick too many of the positive boxes when it comes to justifying income (or writing off of debt) from non-commercial pockets.

[Kingsmills]

Only temporary respite in my opinion. Football in Inverness below our level continues to be a bit of a shambles with Clach, for whom I also have a soft spot as they were my late Father's team, lurching from crisis to crisis and Inverness City being denied promotion well earned on the field because they don't have a full time home.

[starchief]

Maybe it's about time that the Highland League realised what it's all about. It's importance has been hugely diminshed by the loss of Caley, Thistle, Elgin, County and Peterhead. Perhaps this whole 'own ground' thing needs a respite to look for the good of the game, rather than the league's own importance?

[Scarlet Pimple]

Merger between Inverness City and Clachnacuddin perhaps ?

[strathyjags]

i fail to see how clach are allowed to sign 3 players,with another 3 alledgely coming in soon,must be gauling for the 3 players they owe ?000,s to!!!

Edited June 25, 2010 by strathyjags

[Charles Bannerman]

Only temporary respite in my opinion. Football in Inverness below our level continues to be a bit of a shambles with Clach, for whom I also have a soft spot as they were my late Father's team, lurching from crisis to crisis and Inverness City being denied promotion well earned on the field because they don't have a full time home.

There are also valid points made in the next three posts which follow this one but I want to follow up on the very realistic concerns which Kingsmills expresses here because they certainly square with what I have gleaned in 25 years of writing "Clach Crisis" stories.

The real worry IS the possible temporary respite. Since the mid 1980s, Clach have now gone through THREE cycles of "get into debt... go right to the wire.... save the club by selling off part of the family silver". In 1990, 1997 and now in 2010 the club was virtually out on its feet and effectively saved itself by selling off a slice of its assets. However there is a difference this time in that on both previous occasions the debt was paid off in full whilst on this occasion they have got away with 37% of it.

One thing I am not sure about. Do they have any tangible assets left? What I really mean there is "do they still own the strip of land where the former Wine Shed is?" I'm just not sure about that.

But irrespective of the answer, I really don't think there are the assets there to survive another crisis.

There are therefore two options for survival.

1) Make the club viable in its own right which is something which, if I recollect a post from Gordyfromsneck (which I meant to follow up with him but forgot), they have not been able to do for the last 100 years.

2) The new regime will need to subsidise the club to the tune of around maybe ?30-50K a year.

I really hope one way or another that HL football can survive long term in Inverness.

Here's an interesting thought. Spool back to 1990.. almost exactly 20 years actually since it was late June 1990 that the Clach situation really went critical.

Inverness football owned:-

* Telford Street Park (eventually sold for ?1M but I have heard an informed claim that it could have been ?2M.)

* Kingsmills Park (eventually - after Jags realised in 1993 that they actually owned it!) sold for ?486,000.

* The Caley Club.

*The Jags Club.

* Clach Park, including the Social Club and the area which included the grandstand which (ahem! ) "burned down" in 1988 and which has undergone a 3 stage sell off since 1990.

That is one HELL of a lot of real estate!!!

In between, Inverness went into National League football.

As a result of that quantum leap which undeniably has done wonders for the game in the town... trivia question... what does "Inverness football" now own?

Answer: The Caley Club (unless Clach still hold on to the Wineshed strip) and I would have to add that even that has been subject to speculation (no more) about a sell off.

Telford St and Kingmsills went into the Merger equation which also involved the sale of the Jags Club. That in turn went into the construction of the Caledonian Stadium whose structure went out of ICT's ownership on the enforced formation of the Trust (I've worded this ambiguously to keep Caley D happy!).

And the Grant Street properties have gone the way I have already described over the lat 20 years.

I will now become Devil's Advocate and ask.... progress?? ;)

So.. bottom line... in terms of current values, how much LESS does Inverness football own in terms of assets compared with 20 years ago?

Edited June 25, 2010 by Charles Bannerman

[Council Juice]

I've always liked Clach, mainly due to them having the best sounding name in British football. I'm just not really sure if Inverness is big enough to support as many clubs playing within the area. The success of ICT and County have taken the lions share of fans and then the rest are left to essentially feed of the scraps. Im sure if everyone could support all their local clubs they might but it always seems to be the idea of "ach something will turn up" to save the day.

One of these times there maybe not be anything left. People, in reality, whilst having a soft spot are just no that interested.

It's like when something is mooted for closure everyone jumps on the bandwagon to keep it open either to save jobs or save a local landmark or whatever but if hey really cared that much in the grand scheme of things then these clubs, businesses, sites, or landmarks etc wouldn't go down the gutter.

[Alex MacLeod]

Maybe it's about time that the Highland League realised what it's all about. It's importance has been hugely diminshed by the loss of Caley, Thistle, Elgin, County and Peterhead. Perhaps this whole 'own ground' thing needs a respite to look for the good of the game, rather than the league's own importance?

Not sure where your coming from there starchief. Whats the 'own ground' reference got to do with Clach? If its in reference to Inverness City then the Highland League has nothing to do with that. City are in Div 1 of Scottish North Junior League and were denied promotion to premier, by SJFA, because of ground issues.

I would also question the highlighted statement. I dont think any of the member teams in that league would agree with it.

I do, however, think that a solution to a few problems could be found if the local authority were to build a facility that could accomodate both Clach and I City that also had training facillties that could be used by ICT among others.

Edited June 26, 2010 by Alex MacLeod

[latviaman]

I remember my Dad taking me to see Clach, reading CB's bits, it is so sad to see what was and what could have been.