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SACK THE BOARD


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Doofer's Dad's thoughtful summing up says it all. That's a great post.

The Board will not sack Richie for a variety of reasons. e.g.  promises, pride, low Bank account, high-priced but unpredictable other Managers who could in any event just turn out to be a real liability anyway..  But I would not be surprised if he resigns at a future date just to allow everyone else to save face if things get worse and worse. If the team is relegated the crowds will surely still come if they continue to get better and keep on working hard?

He's a decent lad is Richie and he's had very bad luck as well including character-less referees who don't feel the necessity to award penalties to ICT when blatant hand balls in the box occur with some regularity. If these penalties (as per the rules) had been given with alacrity where would we be now? That tells me that the High Head Yins don't particularly care for the unpredictable and sometimes very hard working and brilliant ICT taking trophies and high league positions  away from the Terrible Twins and other teams.

Sorry, but the deck does appear to be stacked against the very dangerous and exciting ICT. Particularly after the Scottish Cup win so that now people are always looking over their shoulder wondering what the fabled ICT will do next? The wee team frae the Hielans are now so unpredictable with their dogged persistence and often great football that the pundits don't know what to expect and keep looking over their shoulder expecting anything to happen these days. I have accessed the SPL site daily for years and I sense this strongly. We have earned their respect AND a degree of surprised affection that we should capitalise on too. We now have to explode out of the rut of near despair and get on with it and fight for redemption without a backward glance. But, if the underdog falters and falls down at any point then he will also be kicked! Time for Richie to harangue the troops, excite them and inspire them.

The team has to grit their teeth and work harder. The Manager must forget relegation and work harder in the face of adversity. The Board must show faith in them and remind them of it repeatedly. And, last but by no means least, the fans musty continue to show faith in them and show up as well to put their money  in the till.:clapoverhead:

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Following ICT from near or far is, always has been, and always will be a rollercoaster ride ....

Sack the Board ? Really ? There's a couple of decent posts earlier in here that tell you far more eloquently than I would why that solution would be a crock of horse**** . In 23 years you can count the times they really messed up on the fingers of one hand. They have been a steady hand at the tiller and each and every person who sat on that board over the years has contributed to our success one way or another. For those that say sack the board ... please enlighten me as to who exactly you envisage taking on a task of balancing the books of what is a provincial club with a small (but fervent and passionate) fanbase that without some creative thinking, behind the scenes machinations, or some form of windfall makes a six figure loss every year ? 

Sack the Media Team ? Are you serious ? The media team are for the most part volunteers who give up their time because they want to. Methinks there are some who would say that because they have a personal beef with one or more members of that media team. As someone who has been involved in trying to increase the club's media presence in the past, and tried to get them to use social media more or to broadcast video or audio from games either live or in highlight form I think the current team are doing a fantastic job with the meagre resources at hand. 

Sack Richie ? I dont think so either. BUT I do agree he needs help from someone with experience. I dont know who that would be but he does need some help and some inspirational signings in a couple of key positions. Perhaps some of the armchair 'football manager' stars on here could do the job ? 

Following ICT reminds me of following TFC for the last 10 years (including a 9 game losing streak at the start of 2012) .... theres a song that seems appropriate for both if you change the lyrics a bit ! (to the tune of Sloop John B)

 

Forever we love you (Sloop TFC)

Forever we love you so (Clap Clap) 
Through all of the highs and lows 
This is our crest and this, this is our home 
We want you to knowwwwwww 
We want you to knowww_ooooo_ooooo 
Forever we love you 
We love you T-O....

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Emotions always run high after a defeat more so after a Derby. Hopefully when things settle down instead of shouting for people's heads we can unite in our support for our great team and city. Whether we end up still in the top league (fingers crossed) or in the lower league remains to be seen, until then let's keep calm heads as stability right throughout the club has paid dividends from day one. I still remember the Arbroath game as if it was yesterday and so much good has happened since. There is bound to be some bumps in the way but hey that's life.

:ictscarf::ictscarf::ictscarf:

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With all this calling for manager and board heads it kind of makes our 'new' badge with 'Pride of the Highlands' on it seem rather silly now. :blink:

To add my thoughts on the issues, I feel there is a factor here behind the scenes involving cash. when isn't there? The issues surrounding the exit of Yogi and the appointment of the 'cheaper option' in appointing Richie get me thinking there is a cost saving issue here. This will have an impact on the club of course. I also believe that things will turn about soon and we could possibly avoid the drop. But, as a poster above mentioned, there is no point in throwing money at players if we still go down as there will be no cash to rebuild. We have been punching above our weight for quite a while now and have managed to hang in there. There are bound to be dodgy periods at any club and its up the club to do everything possible to assist tin overcoming these. All we can do is keep supporting the team in good times and bad (says he who has only be to two games this season!)

 

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10 hours ago, Scotty said:

. In 23 years you can count the times they really messed up on the fingers of one hand.

I would suggest once (1999).... arguably twice (2008).

I am pleased to see an element of sanity appearing in this thread through reminders of how marginal an event the survival up here of a football club in the top league, standing on its own two feet, actually is. I do realise that it's a bit late to be evoking Festive analogies, but Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" appeals. "The Ghosts Of Seasons Past" - epitomised perhaps by the Distillery End enclosure and the Kingsmills Pie Shed - could be usefully remembered by those who can and asked about by those who can't. "The Ghost Of Seasons Future" will always be shrouded in a veil of uncertainty until the very last moment.

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Neither the board nor Foran are to blame. The fault lies - as ever - with funds. The problem is the missing thousands through the gate. Not even a victory in the oldest trophy in football was enough to make the slightest difference to home attendances. Sooner or later, the small income will catch up with us and we will fail to punch above our weight. That time might be now, but I think we have a team capable of getting us out of trouble....Richie just needs to find it, and soon!

The board's job is to keep the club financially viable and that does not mean spending beyond our means. In those stark terms, the Board is faultless, with small supluses in the last few seasons.

Edited by PerfICT
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59 minutes ago, PerfICT said:

Neither the board nor Foran are to blame. The fault lies - as ever - with funds. The problem is the missing thousands through the gate. Not even a victory in the oldest trophy in football was enough to make the slightest difference to home attendances. Sooner or later, the small income will catch up with us and we wi fail to punch above our weight. That time might be now, but I think we have a team capable of getting us out of trouble....Richie just needs to find it, and soon!

The board's job is to keep the club financially viable and that does not mean spending beyond our means. In those stark terms, the Board is faultless, with small supluses in the last few seasons.

There are no missing thousands we have a core support of around 3500 k which is diminishing rapidly due to the product on the park, getting that product right will get them back through the gates, football fans are very fickle and that relates to all fans of every club not just ICT

What really hurts the club is when sections of the support get vilified by the local press, a few weeks ago I read a most unpleasant article attacking our very own young team

A deliberate attempt to create division among the support and to make these young lads feel unwelcome, after all the only way this club is to gain support is to encourage youth not discourage them

I actually feel very sorry for Foran he was the boards cheap option and he has been thrown in at the deep end with little to no funds available, you only have to look at his physical appearance to see the stress he's been put under, he looks gaunt to me in some of his interviews of late and the fact that he hasn't shaved for months is evidence 

Dougal 

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4 minutes ago, dougal said:

 

What really hurts the club is when sections of the support get vilified by the local press, a few weeks ago I read a most unpleasant article attacking our very own young team

A deliberate attempt to create division among the support and to make these young lads feel unwelcome, after all the only way this club is to gain support is to encourage youth not discourage them

 

Delighted you were annoyed Dougal, and that you rise to the bait as beautifully as the most rabid of Rangers fans do when it's their turn!

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6 minutes ago, dougal said:

There are no missing thousands we have a core support of around 3500 k which is diminishing rapidly due to the product on the park, getting that product right will get them back through the gates, football fans are very fickle and that relates to all fans of every club not just ICT

What really hurts the club is when sections of the support get vilified by the local press, a few weeks ago I read a most unpleasant article attacking our very own young team

A deliberate attempt to create division among the support and to make these young lads feel unwelcome, after all the only way this club is to gain support is to encourage youth not discourage them

I actually feel very sorry for Foran he was the boards cheap option and he has been thrown in at the deep end with little to no funds available, you only have to look at his physical appearance to see the stress he's been put under, he looks gaunt to me in some of his interviews of late and the fact that he hasn't shaved for months is evidence 

Dougal 

Don't agree that the product on the park will make any difference whatsoever to attendances - up and at 'em under Butcher, boring but effective under Hughes and now something in-between from Foran and the core support remains at 2500, with a few extra for big games. Only Hamilton have a smaller support - no surprise that these two teams are at the bottom.

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On ‎31‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 11:59 PM, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Not sure if that was Foran's decision. It was finance related again. Yogi appointed buddy Rice in a Good Samaritan move.

And again am I alone in not being too surprised that we may be relegated. I am surprised that we have stayed in the Prem for so long and more surprised (although evidently delighted) that we came back up the next season. We are basically a "feeder" club. We will never hold on to any promising player. We are a "shop window" club. We will never attract more than 3-4000 punters and that clearly affects our financial clout. We will never be able to compete with wages and agent demands. We are still in the "back of beyond" geographically. Our survival is based on "togetherness" and "playing for the shirt". Too many this season do NOT fit that bill. Richie's main Achilles heel is that he still appears to be "one of the boys".

I will always wallow in our cup runs and triumph and the fact that we actually played in Europe. Sugar Daddy required or bye, bye Premiership.

Accurate and honest -nothing to add -not about blame been punching for years cant get the followers of the " big clubs " to come to games -too busy supporting their teams on the telly ( obv in pub )  

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12 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

Delighted you were annoyed Dougal, and that you rise to the bait as beautifully as the most rabid of Rangers fans do when it's their turn!

Not annoyed in the slightest it only reinforces to me what a sad individual you are

Admitting that you only use your column to attack certain groups of fans is hardly professional is it, but then again don't think anyone would expect anything less

I've always found the fact that a self acclaimed athletics expert is the voice of north football highly amusing, pretty ironic when you know absolutely diddly squat about the game or supporters

Dougal 

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Get the feeling Foran might jack soon if things don't start improving but I hope he doesn't, as everyone keeps saying he has the spine of a good team it's just about getting them to perform. I am sticking behind the manager as it's lack of cash that's the real problem, something that's not going to be resolved unfortunately :/

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I'm still wondering how sacking a media team, largely comprised of volunteers, will do anything to alleviate problems on the pitch. Or indeed spark new ideas and investment. 

It's all very easy to call for change when you're not the one who is willing to implement it. It's not too dissimilar to folk who never vote but complain about the government. 

We don't have a large fan base, and quite frankly never have. It ebbs up and down the 3000 mark but even when we were finishing high in the top 6 a few years running there were hardly significant increases. The fans just aren't there. They cannot be magically produced and put in the stands every Saturday. So we have to deal with the fact that with a low fan base we will always have little to work with in a budgetary sense. 

As for investment, I really can't see where that's going to come from. How many clubs would be desperate for a rich benefactor to come in and take them to new heights. Some have got lucky, Man City and Chelsea, neither team would have come close to league titles otherwise. Most others have not, Blackburn, Leeds, and in Scotland, Hearts, Dundee and Rangers have all come unstuck when seemingly rich owners have come in with promise galore and then seen all fall apart around them. 

I'd rather a board who run a steady ship with a limited budget who try their best to encourage a community atmosphere even if it doesn't always work perfectly. 

The main mistake I see them having made this season is an influx of overly long contracts, the manager included. I don't think it's necessarily productive in terms of on field performance. As has been mentioned we are, in reality, a feeder club, and do best when giving players a platform to showcase themselves. Some will stay, others will move on, leaving with them good memories in many cases. 

In the short term we need a few new faces in January, over the medium term we'll need to rebuild. Many stars have left, Tansey and Meekings will do also, whilst Warren and Raven are probably nearing the end of their ict careers. 

Off the field more could be done to attract further sponsorship but short of an as of yet mystery benefactor there will be no influx to the coffers. 

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As has been said before we need to get back to our strengths which was that we were one of the best defences in the league and if that was still the case we would be facing a different scenario.

would like to see a Director of football with an old head like Malpas,Park or even Butcher alongside or advising Foran to take away the gung  Ho approach of a new manager and steady the ship.

our back 4 are tried and tested so you do not lose that overnight 

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On 12/31/2016 at 11:42 PM, SteveA said:

Richie should off done this when he appointed his assistant in the summer. Rice wasnt and still isnt the man for the job.

He may not have had a choice.

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Agree entirely with the criticism in Rice - his odd appointment by Hughes amid Latapy's unexplained departure, coincided with a drop in form which has never really recovered. I doubt Richie had any choice in his assistant - it came with the package and was non-negotiable for financial reasons. So, we are stuck with him until his contract expires.

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4 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

Can we please just stick to the topic. Any more personal insults or abuse and those responsible will be banned from posting on the thread. 

Thank you Kingsmills. I felt entitled/obliged to respond once and briefly to Dougal's initial red herring but would really much prefer to examine the role and performance of the ICT Board, not only at the moment but on an ongoing basis across several years. Just as I warmly endorsed an earlier post from PerfICT, I would similarly want to commend the recent injection of realism from iamthecaptain1.

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4 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

Thank you Kingsmills. I felt entitled/obliged to respond once and briefly to Dougal's initial red herring but would really much prefer to examine the role and performance of the ICT Board, not only at the moment but on an ongoing basis across several years. Just as I warmly endorsed an earlier post from PerfICT, I would similarly want to commend the recent injection of realism from iamthecaptain1.

About time somebody apologised to Dougal. Good to see CB being rightly chastised.

8 hours ago, fursoboysh said:

Get the feeling Foran might jack soon if things don't start improving but I hope he doesn't, as everyone keeps saying he has the spine of a good team it's just about getting them to perform. I am sticking behind the manager as it's lack of cash that's the real problem, something that's not going to be resolved unfortunately :/

The one thing that Foran is NOT is a jacker. He will fight it out. Lets hope that his predicament and precarious position drives the players to rally to the cause.

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If you leave out scoring goals and preventing the opposition from scoring goals we are actually in pretty good shape.  Sadly this is what football is based on.

We are a stale team, we've relied on the core of Warren-Meekings then Tansey-Draper for too long and haven't got enough depth to deal with injuries or loss of form.  We are now reaping that, considering that Warren and Meekings have been poor,as has Tansey.  Draper has maintained his form the best, although this has meant he has to play further up to offer attackign threat, rather than focusing on the middle of park and dominating there, which is capable of doing.  Defensively our organisation is terrible and for some reason we are having to play an error-prone goalkeeper who is carrying an injury.

Going forward we must have the least level of threat that I've seen from us in years.  Our three strikers are two big targets (Doumbaya and Fisher), one of whom works hard and the other had a short purple patch, and a total bust in Boden.  When you go further back to our '3' we aren't threatneing at all.  We seem to throw players onto the pitch and stand back waiting for the 'TA-DAH' and them winning.  "Lets play Doran, he's a good player....".  The team doesn't have a plan, we don't seem to know what to do and we are slow and passive.  Part of that is the central role given to Vigurs, who slows the play down and lacks urgency.  I understand why we play him, he's got talent and is excellent from set pieces but the way he influences the rest of our play isn't good enough and is possibly negative.  Around him we launch in players here and there, again no concept of how to beat the opposition.  Stick in Mulreany, he's fast.  Put on Polworth, he can score goals.  Give Doran or King a try or Larnell Cole or whoever.  It's the tombola of mediocrity and it needs to stop.

Say what you like about Roy McGregor, he knows that it's very difficult to run a full time football team outside the top flight in Scotland so when County look like they are in trouble he makes sure hsi team stays up.  We are going to downsize our way into being the next St Mirren or Dunfermline, both clubs who were established in the top flight but have busted out.  I don't have much confidence in us managing to change the squad in the window either, maybe this guy we've signed from the Leinester Mens Sunday League (corner flag and goalnets cost extra) will shoot us to safety.

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