July 30th 2014

[BornCaley]

July 30th 1994 marked our first official game against St Mirren, although our first competitive match was August 9th against East Stirling.

I wondered with the 20th Anniversary of the club in 2014, is it too soon to talk about marking this anniversary with a series of events. Maybe a replay of the St Mirren game with the original players or maybe a glamour friendly, and with July 30th 2014 is a Wednesday its a perfect night for such a game.

Im sure the club have more pressing things at the moment to concentrate on but theres no harm in a CTO debate.

What would we like to see?

I personally would love a glamour friendly and an anniversary strip being available. Maybe a documentary on DVD about our rise from the Highland League to the SPL. All 3 although a cost to the club could bring in additional revenue!

Thoughts?

[PaderbornCaley]

Good post!

Anniversary strip for sure.

A Caley Thistle legends match

A legends match between ex Caley and Thistle players. Calder, Urquhart, Skinner etc etc. Many of them may not be the fittest any more though!

[Charles Bannerman]

Good post!

Anniversary strip for sure.

A Caley Thistle legends match

A legends match between ex Caley and Thistle players. Calder, Urquhart, Skinner etc etc. Many of them may not be the fittest any more though!

I can certainly vouch for Skinner's fitness since he's still regularly competing in road and cross country races plus the Inverness Parkrun. In fact I see him in action every Tuesday night because he's in the same training group as my daughter and he's in fine form - despite the debilitating bout of Lyme's Disease he had a couple of years ago. Indeed I am absolutely certain he would still run the legs off a number of Highland League players half his age.

However I wouldn't be totally convinced Billy would want to play in a game like this, partly since he never expresses any interest in playing football these days and partly because Billy was strongly anti merger and I do believe he never had anything at all to do with the new club.

I met Jimmy C in the gym at Christmas and he's keeping in good nick and although he hasn't played for a while he seemed not to rule out the odd game from time to time. Billy U is of course the oldest of the three of them and still looks in good nick. I think he makes an appearance for that team of veterans that I believe the likes of Herchie and Charlie still also turn out for.

Now could someone remind me? I think Jimmy Calder may still be the oldest player to turn out for ICT. Billy Urquhart was overtaken as oldest outfield player by Craig Brewster but I can't remember if CB also overtook JC?

[starchief]

July 30th 1994 marked our first official game against St Mirren

I wasn't sure who I'd support when the club was formed - the new ICT or the old St Mirren. I thought I might have a few years to come down on one side or the other. Instantly, I had to decide. Needless to say ICT won out. Even if we did get hammered by the Buddies.

[old caley girl]

Great idea! A strip would be fab and a legends match.

[+DoofersDad]

I think that's a great idea. It would come nicely between the the World Cup final earlier in the month and the start of a new season. Getting as many of the original teams together and/or having a glamour friendly sound great, although we would need to avoid a clash with our Champions league qualifying campaign

Edited February 19, 2012 by DoofersDad

[CaleyD]

The Supporters Trust did the Feb 8th 2000 10 year Anniversary Dinner and DVD (Still available to buy from Club Shop), so there's some experience there which could be drawn upon...especially for any DVD as the whole process can be a bit of a minefield, and expensive (right to use footage for one match cost in the thousands).

I think a couple of "heritage" replica shirts would be a fantastic idea.

Good chance to bury this fear that exists about all things "merger" related and for club and fans to view our heritage (from both clubs) as something to be proud of.

[Charles Bannerman]

Getting as many of the original teams together

MacRitchie (Calder), Brennan (S. MacDonald), McAllister, Andrew, Scott, Noble, (Hardie), D. MacDonald, Lisle (Mitchell), Hercher, Presslie (Smart), Robertson.

[BornCaley]

How about 1994 ticket prices? lol

Seriously though i imagine if ICT wanted a big glamour friendly, they would need to book early. I imagine the "biggies" of Europe get bookings all year round, so get in there early i say!

[dougal]

IMHO the merger is still far too delicate and tender a subject to some and the only thing that an official series of anniversary events would achieve is to re-open wounds that are still not far enough from the surface

The best thing for everyone would be to let the 2014 anniversary pass by and maybe wait till 2024 when feelings are more diluted

I do think the idea of releasing memorabilia strips in 2014 would be a great idea and it could be a real money spinner for the club

Better still maybe ICT could play in the Caledonian strip for all the home games that season and a Thistle strip for away games if they had to if there was a colour clash with the home team i.e St Johnstone,County, Orcs if they are still in existence etc

Maybe the supporters trust could put the release of these memorabilia strips to the club at the next opportunity

Dougal

[PaderbornCaley]

IMHO the merger is still far too delicate and tender a subject to some and the only thing that an official series of anniversary events would achieve is to re-open wounds that are still not far enough from the surface

The best thing for everyone would be to let the 2014 anniversary pass by and maybe wait till 2024 when feelings are more diluted

I do think the idea of releasing memorabilia strips in 2014 would be a great idea and it could be a real money spinner for the club

Better still maybe ICT could play in the Caledonian strip for all the home games that season and a Thistle strip for away games if they had to if there was a colour clash with the home team i.e St Johnstone,County, Orcs if they are still in existence etc

Maybe the supporters trust could put the release of these memorabilia strips to the club at the next opportunity

Dougal

This anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the last 20 years and the 109 years of history from before that. Caley Thistle wouldn't exist as we know it if it wasn't for the merger. If anyone is offended, then that is their problem.

As CaleyD said in a previous post:

"Good chance to bury this fear that exists about all things "merger" related and for club and fans to view our heritage (from both clubs) as something to be proud of."

Edited February 19, 2012 by CapitalCaley

[Tug]

IMHO the merger is still far too delicate and tender a subject to some and the only thing that an official series of anniversary events would achieve is to re-open wounds that are still not far enough from the surface

The best thing for everyone would be to let the 2014 anniversary pass by and maybe wait till 2024 when feelings are more diluted

I do think the idea of releasing memorabilia strips in 2014 would be a great idea and it could be a real money spinner for the club

Better still maybe ICT could play in the Caledonian strip for all the home games that season and a Thistle strip for away games if they had to if there was a colour clash with the home team i.e St Johnstone,County, Orcs if they are still in existence etc

Maybe the supporters trust could put the release of these memorabilia strips to the club at the next opportunity

Dougal

i like your idea dougal...caley strip for home and thistle strip for away....

not sure i agree with the merger thing though, if people are hung up about it still then TS move on and get a grip. the club shouldnt be pandering to these non fans anyway...they should either be behind the club and support it fully or not at all

[Charles Bannerman]

IMHO the merger is still far too delicate and tender a subject to some and the only thing that an official series of anniversary events would achieve is to re-open wounds that are still not far enough from the surface

Oh dear me Dougal... why do you keep perpetuating this urban myth which is out of the same stable as Celtic fans in Seville? Yes, when the combined attandance at Thistle and Caley home games was a few hundred in 1993-94 and no one realised what was possible for Inverness football it was a big deal. But consider this....

* The biggest number of people who ever voted against the merger was 226 and that was after the highways and byways had been scoured (by both sides) to get people into the First Battle of Rose Street.

* Many of these have now been coming to games for years.

* Over the last 18 years, quite a few of them have actually died.

* Several more will have left Inverness.

* As a result, there is only a handful of people still resident in the area who used to attend Highland League games but remain TCS refuseniks.

And this in the face of a core home support of around 3000. It's a drop in the ocean.... a positive episode of flatulence in a force 10 gale! I have to say I agree with Caley D (yes, you heard that here first folks! ) in that ICT's heritage IS something to be proud of.... which is why I wanted to add the preliminary chapter to the online version of Against All Odds on here.

The one that always amuses me is the old anecdote "but there's loads of people at my work who don't go any more".

I'd actually be intrigued to know what particular axe Dougal has to grind with respect to the merger? Does he own the chipper in Telford Street or something?

Edited February 19, 2012 by Charles Bannerman

[Charles Bannerman]

Getting as many of the original teams together

MacRitchie (Calder), Brennan (S. MacDonald), McAllister, Andrew, Scott, Noble, (Hardie), D. MacDonald, Lisle (Mitchell), Hercher, Presslie (Smart), Robertson.

Come to think of it, more than half of that lot still live locally with some still playing in one shape or form or another - in fact is Biscuits (Steve MacDonald) not still on Clach's books? Then you can add in Grassa who played in the first league match and Charlie (who was injured at that time which is why Mark McAllister was the first player to reach 50 appearances (official ICT trivia question that!) as well as Billy Urquhart who came on as a substitute in the last game of that first season.

Another thought might be that a 20th anniversary could equally appropriately be celebrated on August 13th 2014 which would be two decades on from the first SFL match 5-2 at home to Arbroath. Maybe Herchie would oblige with another hat trick!

[BornCaley]

FFS! Wait a minute people! My post was NOT intended to celebrate the Merger in any form, but to mark the 20th anniversary of ICT as a club (1994 - 2014) and nothing else. Please take your Merger chat elsewhere.

Dougal! Please for the love of Jesus! Stop highjacking my thread with your " delicate and tender a subject" BS. I bloody well got over it years ago and so should the rest of you!

MODS! If this continues with Merger posts, please delete and i will keep my ideas to myself!

[Charles Bannerman]

FFS! Wait a minute people! My post was NOT intended to celebrate the Merger in any form, but to mark the 20th anniversary of ICT as a club (1994 - 2014) and nothing else. Please take your Merger chat elsewhere.

Dougal! Please for the love of Jesus! Stop highjacking my thread with your " delicate and tender a subject" BS. I bloody well got over it years ago and so should the rest of you!

MODS! If this continues with Merger posts, please delete and i will keep my ideas to myself!

:clapping: :clapping:

[CaleyD]

Let me just make it clear that I wasn't talking about any celebration of the merger itself....nor do I think there would be much stomach for that, and rightly so. The merger is an important part of the clubs history, and whilst it is one that should be taught and remembered, it is not one to be celebrated.

However, that does not mean that we should simply forget what came before....and in celebrating 20 years of (I)CT you can not and should not ignore the clubs roots.

I for one would not be interested in any celebration which served to try and strike Caledonian FC and Inverness Thistle FC from the history books and sought to pretend that we emerged from nothing.

As far as I am concerned, the official records may show ICT only came in to being in 1994, but we have a history that stretches back 125+ years.

[+DoofersDad]

FFS! Wait a minute people! My post was NOT intended to celebrate the Merger in any form, but to mark the 20th anniversary of ICT as a club (1994 - 2014) and nothing else. Please take your Merger chat elsewhere.

Dougal! Please for the love of Jesus! Stop highjacking my thread with your " delicate and tender a subject" BS. I bloody well got over it years ago and so should the rest of you!

MODS! If this continues with Merger posts, please delete and i will keep my ideas to myself!

FFS! Wait a minute BC! In your original post you suggest a DVD about our rise from the Highland League to the SPL. I'm intrigued how that might be done without alluding to the fact that 2 former Highland League Clubs merged to form ICT. You also asked for thoughts, so you really can't complain when when people give you some.

[BornCaley]

Oh wait! im not saying that we can forget the 2 histories! Of course its going to be a part of it, I just dont like people highjacking posts with merger BS!

And for the record Dougal wasnt giving his thoughts just his anti-merger bile!

Lets move on!

[+DoofersDad]

Indeed. Regardless of what anyone may have thought 20 years and more ago, 2 clubs did merge and the new club has acheived a great deal worth celebrating. That is where the focus must lie.

[lukemackay]

im to young to remember the merger im probably 1 of very few on here actually younger than the club itself, but the way i see it is that the people that are hung up on the merger stuff must be the sort of person that cant move on, and must be very shallow.

especially when you see the sucess thats came from the merger.

[tm4tj]

FFS.................instead of 1 post trolling old ground we now have half a dozen disputing what is the right thing to discuss on the topic. Put yer handbags away and get on with it or you will all be sent out to the playground. If you want discussion on anything, then you need to discuss all merits of the topic within reason.

dougal, leave it out, the rest put your claws away

Will I discuss the topic...........not overly fussed about celebrating 20 years, just another day really and with apathy sweeping over Scottish football then some events might be embarrassingly poorly attended. It's hard enough watching the current team just now without watching some older geezers kick a ball about on a cold midweek evening. The home away strips is a good idea though, and I'm sure this was discussed from the inception, still worth following up though.

Harry

Edited February 20, 2012 by tm4tj
my thumbs are toooo big

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

IMHO the merger is still far too delicate and tender a subject to some and the only thing that an official series of anniversary events would achieve is to re-open wounds that are still not far enough from the surface

The best thing for everyone would be to let the 2014 anniversary pass by and maybe wait till 2024 when feelings are more diluted

I do think the idea of releasing memorabilia strips in 2014 would be a great idea and it could be a real money spinner for the club

Better still maybe ICT could play in the Caledonian strip for all the home games that season and a Thistle strip for away games if they had to if there was a colour clash with the home team i.e St Johnstone,County, Orcs if they are still in existence etc

Maybe the supporters trust could put the release of these memorabilia strips to the club at the next opportunity

Dougal

Dougal you are indeed a #1 WuM....

I think it may even be possible from your recent posts to work out our your allegiance pre-1994 (or maybe still....)

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

As per tm4tj's post - bot - "20 year anniversary" - a good idea....no need to go overboard but should be recognised - if nothing else it gives Herr Bannerman an excuse to write another book....and IHE to write the foreword....

Edited February 20, 2012 by Tichy_Blacks_Back

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

It will take a few spondoolachs and a load of voddy and cokes to entice me into forewording any CB book !!

I suggest that we all get ratersed on the day.