Emergency Board Meeting?

[dougiedanger]

There's a thread on P&B about boycotting ICT.

Massive own goal.

[Renegade]

I dont know what Butcher and Malpas are

I know this is a bit off topic, but the figure I've heard is that Butcher's on about £100,000 per year. Don't know about Malpas, but I presume about £70,000ish. In Steve Paterson's book he says he was on (IIRC) £72,000 a year when he was here, so I presume that the aforementioned wage for Butcher is about right.

Is it just me, or do ICT either on the pitch or elsewhere have a real problem with blowing it? This is another one of those real head in hands moments. I literally sat reading his comments things "what's he on about?!".

Edited July 13, 2012 by Renegade

[Proctor]

That is a very sensable statement Don, ICT were not in the top flight when the SPL was formed so the initial mess was nothing to do with them. I do however object to our chairman discribing newco being admited to SFL 3 as a sad day for Scottish Football or saying it is the end of Scottish football as we know it.

As we know the current system is flawed and I still think it will be changed regardless of todays outcome. The SFA's language tonight suggests that.

In my email I gave Mr Cameron the option to address the fans on the status of the club and the chance to explain his actions. I hope the club interacts with the fans and lets us know how grim things are, what they plan to do about it and how we can help.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Proctor

[+Fraz]

There's a thread on P&B about boycotting ICT.

Massive own goal.

From an Elgin City supporter!!!

[Yngwie]

the principled vote by the SFL chairmen

Surely it hasn't escaped your notice that the SFL teams actually voted in their own financial self-interest? Every one of them will get 2 home sellouts against Rangers plus a likely SFL TV deal and improved sponsorship.

The only people who have voted for 'sporting integrity' at the direct expense of their own self interest were ICT and 9 other SPL teams.

[RiG]

The Elgin fan is hilarious. He's trying his hardest to manufacture some kind of rivalry between two clubs who have no history of having any rivalry whatsoever.

[CaleyD]

That is a very sensable statement Don, ICT were not in the top flight when the SPL was formed so the initial mess was nothing to do with them. I do however object to our chairman discribing newco being admited to SFL 3 as a sad day for Scottish Football or saying it is the end of Scottish football as we know it.

I didn't read that, or take that view from the statement at all. My understanding is that he views the rejection of the "joint proposal" as being the big issue and the reason why the ICT board need an emergency meeting.

At this moment in time we do not know what that "joint proposal" contained or why it was rejected by the SFL. Given that it is described as a joint proposal, then I assume that the SFL were aware of, and had a hand in, producing it, so it would seem strange that it was not only dismissed out of hand, but never got so much as a mention in the post meeting comments.

If people want to throw conspiracies around, then how about this for one.....

The SFL saw the opportunity to get rid of the SPL and deliver a crippling blow to 10 (possibly 11) of the countries top teams....leaving the door open for them to come in and take control. Would be a rather cunning move, and they can continue to play the "for the good of all 42 teams" card whilst doing it.

[Caley]

The Elgin fan is hilarious. He's trying his hardest to manufacture some kind of rivalry between two clubs who have no history of having any rivalry whatsoever.

You must be taking the p1ss here surely.

[Sonam]

The Elgin fan is hilarious. He's trying his hardest to manufacture some kind of rivalry between two clubs who have no history of having any rivalry whatsoever.

You must be taking the p1ss here surely.

Elgin City Soccer Cheats! Na, I think there is still is a rivalry there

[RiG]

You must be taking the p1ss here surely.

As far as I am aware there is no history between ICT and Elgin.

[Sonam]

...as there will be no history for our club by the looks of things

[Proctor]

That is a very sensable statement Don, ICT were not in the top flight when the SPL was formed so the initial mess was nothing to do with them. I do however object to our chairman discribing newco being admited to SFL 3 as a sad day for Scottish Football or saying it is the end of Scottish football as we know it.

I didn't read that, or take that view from the statement at all. My understanding is that he views the rejection of the "joint proposal" as being the big issue and the reason why the ICT board need an emergency meeting.

At this moment in time we do not know what that "joint proposal" contained or why it was rejected by the SFL. Given that it is described as a joint proposal, then I assume that the SFL were aware of, and had a hand in, producing it, so it would seem strange that it was not only dismissed out of hand, but never got so much as a mention in the post meeting comments.

If people want to throw conspiracies around, then how about this for one.....

The SFL saw the opportunity to get rid of the SPL and deliver a crippling blow to 10 (possibly 11) of the countries top teams....leaving the door open for them to come in and take control. Would be a rather cunning move, and they can continue to play the "for the good of all 42 teams" card whilst doing it.

Sorry Don I may have the wrong end of the stick here. I was refering to the comment you made about the formation of the SPL being the main contributing factor to this whole mess and ICT having nothing to do with that.

I do not believe in conspiracies. My concerns lie mainly with the finances of the club and the wording of the statement issued today which sounded worse when read out on the radio than when I read it. Upon reading the statement it doesn't seem as bad as I origonally thought.

I do however think that if the club is in serious financial bother then after this emergancy meeting the club should make a statement and keep the fans in the loop, I'm sure they will.

There is still some slight hypocracy in complaining about SFL clubs not accepting the joint proposal if it was the financial carrot to allow newco into SFL 1 particularly when ICT voted against newco, but in hindsight it has been pointed out that we do not know what that contained and I still think the statement was unwise.

I have calmed down a bit more, read the Highland News article containing the statement several times and in hindsight I think Don is right to hold off on making a statement until we have heard from the club again.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Proctor

[+DoofersDad]

the principled vote by the SFL chairmen

Surely it hasn't escaped your notice that the SFL teams actually voted in their own financial self-interest? Every one of them will get 2 home sellouts against Rangers plus a likely SFL TV deal and improved sponsorship.

The only people who have voted for 'sporting integrity' at the direct expense of their own self interest were ICT and 9 other SPL teams.

No, it's not escaped my attention and in a previous post I made that very point in saying that this would probably more than offset the financial impact of any loss of TV money for the smaller clubs. However it is not straightforward and whilst your statement implies the smaller clubs will have a considerable windfall from having Newco in the same division, others were arguing that for Newco to be in Div 3 would spell financial disaster for these same clubs. From a financial perspective I suspect none of the clubs really knew how this would affect them financially so it would be difficult to know whether voting one way or another was in their financial interests or not.

The point here is twofold. Firstly the SFA and SPL were telling the SFL clubs that it was very much in their interests both financially and structurally to put Newco in Div 1. The SFL clubs did not buy that for whatever reason. Secondly there is the point that is increasingly forgotten in all of this that Newco are a new club and new clubs join in at the bottom as a matter of principle. That's what the SFL clubs have voted for regardless of whether they accepted the arguments of Doncaster, Cameron that to do so would put Scottish football into disarray. That has to be the correct decision based on principles.

[CaleyD]

Agree with the "hearing v reading" analogy....I had to go back and re-read it after hearing it on Sportsound to see if it was the same statement.

[+Fraz]

...as there will be no history for our club by the looks of things

Not if everyone go running to Clach there won't eh?

I can't be the only one who is really getting sick of all this newco pish, yes there's moral high ground to be lost and gained but FFS I just wanna watch some footie. I'm sure in 20 years time people can tell their kids about a team that used to exist called ICT which had 'sporting integrity' coming out of every orifice but sadly do not exist as it had no cash to even turn on the lights.

[Caley]

You must be taking the p1ss here surely.

As far as I am aware there is no history between ICT and Elgin.

Now you are being even more of a pain than usual.

[Proctor]

...as there will be no history for our club by the looks of things

Not if everyone go running to Clach there won't eh?

I can't be the only one who is really getting sick of all this newco pish, yes there's moral high ground to be lost and gained but FFS I just wanna watch some footie. I'm sure in 20 years time people can tell their kids about a team that used to exist called ICT which had 'sporting integrity' coming out of every orifice but sadly do not exist as it had no cash to even turn on the lights.

Believe me I am sick of it too. I just want the Scots to start in the Europa League, us to start in the SPL and everything to be fine again.

[+DoofersDad]

I think I agree with Fraz although he may think I don't! I may be totally disillusioned with our chairman tonight but the chairman is not ICT. We, the supporters are. Chairmen, managers, and players will come and go but as long as there are fans to cheer the team on there will be a club. However angry we may be with our chairman, now is not the time to stop supporting our team. Sporting integrity is not maintained by deserting your club because of a foolish statement made by the club chairman, it is maintained by staying, supporting your club and making your views known.

[Govan Jaggie]

Embarrassed as feck!

[+Fraz]

At first I was a little confused DD! But I think we do agree mostly.

I agree that no one player, manager, board member etc make the team/club; of that there can be no doubt. People deserting ICT due to one person's comments/views (whomever this person is) are foolish, like saying 'I'm not renewing my ST cos they've got rid of GM/RD/RT etc, that would be crazy IMO.

Though I have never met KC I have communicated with him and I have found him a thoroughly decent bloke who has the best interests of ICT at heart. Which has made me even more be***dled at the content, timing and necessity of this statement. He didn't need to say anything and obviously all it's done is upset just about everyone. But you know what, my wife says things that I disagree with and annoy me from time time but I don't divorce her for it!!!

Whatever was said some do seem oblivious to the financial situation facing us, folk need to wake up and smell the bank balance! It's not smelling good. If ever there was a time for people to get behind the club, get STs, sponsor players, buy merch etc etc it's now. To not do so only serves to drive us into the 'needing' the Old Firm's money more and more

Anyway I bought my ST when the original early bird prices were out and can't wait for the football to start again, bring on the derbies.

[Sir C the 3rd]

What a truly woeful, embarrassing, shameful and misjudged statement.

[Gabby]

Keep in mind that this is not a situation of ICT's making in any way shape or form.

Rangers going into administration and then liquidation was not even the cause.

The cause was the deal made when the SPL was formed back in 1998/99 when the founding clubs sold out to the OF.

Our Board/Chairman are trying desperately to find a way out of this for ICT, one which doesn't involve sending the club to the wall.

I'm not going to make any comment on the statement as I think there's possibly a bit of the jigsaw missing. That missing piece is details of what the SFL rejected in terms of the proposal for change. I don't think they have rejected the "threats or bribery" being pedalled by the press, and the reason I think that is because if it was that then it would have been mentioned in the post meeting press conference....instead, all we saw was Longmuir sidestep questions in regards to it and leaving the press to fill in the gap as they saw fit.

Everything you say is true. However Kenny had a choice about his statement. I would rather a statement that said "this is what we are going to do" rather than "we are all doomed".

And while the situation isn't their fault, they have to take some responsibility for making Plan B and Plan C given they must have known that Rangers going to Div 3 was a possibility.

They may not be responsible for the problems, but the board have been caught with their pants down.

[CaleyD]

At no point in the statement does he make any reference to being disappointed that Rangers were voted in to Div 3....or that being what has generated the need for an emergency Board meeting.

The disappointment is at the rejection of the JOINT proposal for change....and as I have said, we do not know what that proposal was (other than it not being what was reported by Press the last couple of weeks) or why the SFL rejected it. I do find it extremely suspicious that Longmuir also went to great lengths to sidestep questions on the proposal at the press conference afterwards...but unfortunately that doesn't come across or get reported in the written press reports.

It's not the SPL or ICT that have rejected proposals for change....it is the SFL, even though they somehow manage to play the "for the good of all 42 clubs" card.

Let's also not forget that Longmuir was/is one of the ones (alongside Doncaster and Reagan) who were writing up proposals to "persuade" SFL clubs to vote NewCo into Div 1. His comments after todays meeting couldn't be further removed from that stance. Check the extracts from e.mails involving these people on Alex Thomsons Blog - http://blogs.channel...tale-world/2265 - if there's a stitch up going on, then that is where people need to be looking as, IMO, the Chief Executives/Chairmen of all three associations seem to be trying to work to an agenda and selling scenarios that are not in line with the wishes of their member clubs.

Might it have been better for Kenny to have said nothing? Possibly, but it's not that long since we had endless threads demanding statement/comment and that's what we would have had this evening if nothing had been done. As is often the case with many posters on this forum these days...you are damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

[Gabby]

You are right, he did not say that. However, the timing of the statement would suggest it is the case.

I have seen the AT blog and I can't for the life of me understand why Kenny made the statement. To me it is saying that he had bought into the information on the email when all the evidence suggested that it wasn't going to happen.

They have had almost 6 months to develop contingency plans for this and they haven't. Disappointing.

[Scarlet Pimple]

He is right on one thing --this may be, or have been, the one golden opportunity to make decisive and far -reaching changes in the structure of Scottish football. His sad-sack pronouncement, with all kinds of tones of bitterness and negativity running through it, could be what he feels is a preparing of the fans for a major downsizing of the structure of the club. Because this is a knee-jerk, almost petulant, outburst verging on panic with a very ominous ring to it which surely does not reflect the view of the whole Board..

I am scared to say any more.

Celtic F C., who have more to lose than the other, smaller clubs, should be encouraged to consider sharing their huge income with the other clubs to ENSURE that clubs like ICT do actually survive. Otherwise they themselves may very soon go the way of Rangers, because there will be few "major " clubs to play against and THAT will be the end of them because the Englanders have already turned them down --emphatically.

This crisis was coming anyway and Rangers monumental faux-pas merely hastened it.