Evening Folks.

I have a meeting with Graham Rae next Wed to discuss marketing and commercial ideas that myself and a few others have came up with.  We know that things have to change but in order to do that we need more income through the turnstiles and through other routes.  

If you have any ideas that would like to be pitched please let me know and i will pass them on to Graham. 

Edited August 25, 20177 yr by RedCard

1 hour ago, Moogthurso said:

Tie in to north coast 500 by using the rear extension car park for motorhomes.  

Fat chance of getting motorhome owners to cough up to stay in a place like that when they can freeload in random places across the Highlands like the Sports Centre car park.  Damn nuisance, these things 

52 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

Fat chance of getting motorhome owners to cough up to stay in a place like that when they can freeload in random places across the Highlands like the Sports Centre car park.  Damn nuisance, these things 

Some NC500 merchandise for sale in the club shop (NOT the portakabin one, of course..) alongside our stuff...have seen NC500 stuff for sale in a 'tourist tat' shop in the High St...maybe an opportunity to sell club merchandise there as well?

 

On 28/08/2017 at 0:06 AM, jingsmonty said:

Some NC500 merchandise for sale in the club shop (NOT the portakabin one, of course..) alongside our stuff...have seen NC500 stuff for sale in a 'tourist tat' shop in the High St...maybe an opportunity to sell club merchandise there as well?

 

My apologies - the 'tat shop' is actually the VisitScotland shop/hub in the High St! 

Still think a merchandising tie-up here might be a good idea though?

1 - Take out £150m bank loan

2 - Use loan to sign Neymar.

3 - Sell 3 million Neymar shirts at £50 a go

4 - Pay off loan

5 - Use Neymar to qualify for play-offs

5 hours ago, ictchris said:

1 - Take out £150m bank loan

2 - Use loan to sign Neymar.

3 - Sell 3 million Neymar shirts at £50 a go

4 - Pay off loan

5 - Use Neymar to qualify for play-offs

And in his downtime, Neymar can valet the motorhomes!!!!!

On 8/25/2017 at 0:21 PM, Shorty said:

Instead of making the 50/50 more complicated we should replace the centenary club with something more innovative and readily accessible.

Good shout.

1. It should be renamed as the name of it goes back to pre-merger days. 

2. You cannot join it online. Which is dated. You have to email to get sent an application form, or fill in the form at the stadium. 

1 hour ago, Caman said:

Good shout.

1. It should be renamed as the name of it goes back to pre-merger days. 

2. You cannot join it online. Which is dated. You have to email to get sent an application form, or fill in the form at the stadium. 

1. Bit of a non-issue for me TBH. 

2. Spot on. 

We still have too many things/names etc that refer to pre May 1994, which cause animosity. ICT are over 23 years old now and we have sufficient history under that brand. I would like the following to change. 

1. Stadium name. Apparently the Tulloch bit will be going. Why not at that time re-name it Longman Stadium, Capital Stadium, Inverness Stadium. Neutral and part of the re-branding that is required. 

2. Kingsmills Lounge in main stand. Re-name it Firthview Lounge or something neutral. Or how about 'Right Enough Room' (only joking mun). 

3. Remove all pictures of Caledonian FC and Inverness Thistle FC days as there are a lot of these. Consign them to a museum room or corner. Replace with ICT era pictures. 

4. The cabinet thing in the Board Room is from Telford Street. Not neutral so stick it in the museum room. But don't ask me to help lift it!!!!

5. Controversial. Change colours to mainly purple, with green and gold piping. Purple and Green from Thistle, Gold from Eagle on club crest. The crest is historically complimentary to the pre-merger clubs and is unique enough to ICT to be acceptable. Away strip to be mainly Gold, with Purple and Green piping. Fiorentina shade of purple is a striking colour. Colours are unique and would end arguments of too much blue, not enough red etc etc. 

6. Remain as ICTFC, as opposed to Inverness FC which I have previously suggested. 

Thoughts on above? 

Edited August 29, 20177 yr by Guest

15 minutes ago, Caman said:

Thoughts on above? 

Until I have enough time on a proper keyboard "Nonsense" will have to suffice. (Other than remarking that the Kingsmills Suite has already been usurped by an Aberdeen local newspaper.)

Edited August 29, 20177 yr by Charles Bannerman

Doesn't really bother me where a cabinet in a room I've never been in has been before to be honest.

54 minutes ago, Caman said:

Thoughts on above? 

Bit inconsistent to airbrush away the past, but retain the name and crest.

29 minutes ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

Bit inconsistent to airbrush away the past, but retain the name and crest.

Charles - I  will wipe away the tears and dry out my laptop from your brutal and harsh comments. Although, these are my opinions and I stand by them old chap. 

snorbens_caleyman - I see your point, but the name and crest are a collective and unique to post merger, the other bits relate to pre-merger. There is still an issue with too many bits leaning towards what was Caley, at the expense of what was Thistle. This does still cause resentment and is one of the negatives that hangs over ICT to this day. I can even say that as someone who was a Caledonian FC fan pre-merger. 

Renegade -As for the Board Room bit, that was meant to be a bit of banter. Shame on me lol. But the cabinet thing in there is hideous and is more suited to a backdrop from Steptoe and Son!!. 

Edited August 29, 20177 yr by Guest

1 hour ago, Caman said:

Thoughts on above? 

There are more important things to address in the immediate future  but I must admit I have a lot of sympathy for what you are saying.  Whilst not wishing to belittle the achievements of the 2 former clubs or to underestimate the place they have in the hearts and memories of those who supported them, one does sometimes wonder when ICT will ever be seen by some as a club in it's own rights rather than as a hybrid of two now defunct clubs.  Whilst the creation of our club is a fairly recent thing, we are far from being the only club in the Scottish League set up that has been formed as a result of a merger.  There is nothing obvious in the names and stadia of those clubs that attempts to preserve the identity of the old clubs in the new and we should be no different.  Perhaps with the club's 25th anniversary approaching that will be the opportunity to finally give the club an identity wholly of it's own.  It would also be a good opportunity to establish a club museum where all the memorabilia from Caledonian and Thistle which Caman refers to could be proudly displayed.

I may be wrong DD but I thought we were the only club formed in the SPFL as a direct result of a merger (at least in living memory). This should be a unique selling point for the club and while I will remain a staunch ICT supporter till I die, I am also proud to have been an Inverness Thistle supporter in the past. I don't see why we need to ignore the past while celebrating the present.

As you say however, there are more important things that need addressing at present.

3 hours ago, Caman said:

Thoughts on above? 

I do actually have some reservations about responding in more detail to this post because the last thing I want is to have to repeat for the umpteenth time that any discontent about the merger almost 25 years ago was far, far more than counterbalanced by the dividend of the club being formed so, almost quarter of a century on, the comparatively small number of original discontents has shrunk by natural wastage to an insignificant rump.

However, it is necessary to re-establish that "un-dingable chiel" in order to eliminate arguments against celebrating Inverness's long football heritage, of which Inverness Caledonian Thistle is the most recent and, despite current setbacks, by far the most successful chapter. Organised football in Inverness even predates the mid-1880s when the merger partners were both founded. Over 100 years later, two clubs which had accumulated hugely proud histories in the intervening period joined forces to create an even more successful one which is merely the latest instalment of what has been a continuous heritage. All of this needs to be celebrated and recognised. And, as Huisdean has said while I've been writing, there are those around (probably far more than the unco-offended) who still want to celebrate the entire heritage.

It makes no sense at all to suggest that the earlier part of this continuous heritage should be airbrushed out of history to appease sentiments predicated far more on imagination than actual substance.

So... 1 - Caledonian Stadium? What's wrong with that? It's what the stadium has been or was designated to be called right from the start and it's not a title which very many people around actually object to. (PLEASE nobody come up with the "But there's loads of boys at my work who say...." excuse. We all know that of the 600 who used to turn up between Kingmills and Telford St, 6000 still refuse to attend the Caledonian Stadium.) .... 2 - Kingsmills Suite - as previously stated this has already been usurped by The Daily Sheep. So is someone going to object to that as well because it will create offence among those offended by the manner in which Aberdeen Journals treated its staff during the 1989-90 PandJ strike?.... 3 - the combined effect of the Thistle and Caley photos and the growing number of ICT ones is to give a complete illustration of Inverness's football heritage. Or is the suggestion that Pittodrie should remove all pre-1983 photos since it's a well known fact that football was only invented in May 1983 ..... 4 - only someone who (A) knew the cabinet came from Telford St and (B) had a chip about that would really give a toss..... 5 - arguments about "too much blue" or "25% black and red" are relics of the 1990s. Blue, black and red are the club colours and have been since its second season. Again, very, very few give a toss any more about the background to this. The main issue you hear about the colours is that the amount of blue is unacceptably close to Rangers. And if Caman wants to sweep away relics of past history, perhaps the twin Thistle and Eagle components of the badge should therefore be first in line..... 6 - ICTFC is an acronym which stands for the full club name - a composite of those of the two merger partners. Why retain that, then if the rest is to go?

There really is no need to re-visit the day before yesterday's conflicts in an attempt to address a problem which barely existed after about 1995, is now a distant historical memory and which supports a far stronger case for itself being airbrushed out of history rather than the very good things that took place in Inverness football before the mid-1990s.

Edited August 29, 20177 yr by Charles Bannerman

2 hours ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

Bit inconsistent to airbrush away the past, but retain the name and crest.

unfotrtunately the crest has already been bastardised without consultation with supporters.

13 minutes ago, caleyboy said:

unfotrtunately the crest has already been bastardised without consultation with supporters.

Maybe they asked Caley Jags Together? (Or is that sniping from the sidelines?)

Edited August 29, 20177 yr by Charles Bannerman

55 minutes ago, Huisdean said:

I may be wrong DD but I thought we were the only club formed in the SPFL as a direct result of a merger (at least in living memory). This should be a unique selling point for the club and while I will remain a staunch ICT supporter till I die, I am also proud to have been an Inverness Thistle supporter in the past. I don't see why we need to ignore the past while celebrating the present.

As you say however, there are more important things that need addressing at present.

This is exactly how I feel. I think the past should be celebrated but so indeed should the present. Trying to wipe out history will just upset even more folk imho

My last post re this as we should get back to relevant points for RedCard to take to Graham Rae tomorrow. But,

1 - I suggested a museum type area for historical/pre merger pics etc. At NO TIME did I suggest airbrushing or disposing of the important historical pre merger matters of both (and equally important) clubs that led to ICT. In summary, museums are for history, which 'Caley' and Thistle' matters are. 

2- As Doofers Dad (and others) said there are more important matters at present. So, the cabinet thing  in the Board Room was a joke!! So, sorry for joking!!

3 - I stand by the fact that pre merger leanings like 'Caledonian Stadium' are not neutral and are not suitable. I didn't realise the Kingsmills Suite has been renamed, so thank you for educating me Charles. 

4 - Pre merger matters still cause a strop with some people no matter what you say Charles. As Doofers Dad said, maybe the 25th anniversary is the right time for a clear out of these names and issues and for us to truly move forward as ICT. 

5 - I still think my suggestion re club colours is a good idea. Charles - where is the black in the current home strip? You would have to wear the away shorts to have some black in the kit lol. 

 

17 minutes ago, Caman said:

My last post re this as we should get back to relevant points for RedCard to take to Graham Rae tomorrow. But,

1 - I suggested a museum type area for historical/pre merger pics etc. At NO TIME did I suggest airbrushing or disposing of the important historical pre merger matters of both (and equally important) clubs that led to ICT. In summary, museums are for history, which 'Caley' and Thistle' matters are. 

2- As Doofers Dad (and others) said there are more important matters at present. So, the cabinet thing  in the Board Room was a joke!! So, sorry for joking!!

3 - I stand by the fact that pre merger leanings like 'Caledonian Stadium' are not neutral and are not suitable. I didn't realise the Kingsmills Suite has been renamed, so thank you for educating me Charles. 

4 - Pre merger matters still cause a strop with some people no matter what you say Charles. As Doofers Dad said, maybe the 25th anniversary is the right time for a clear out of these names and issues and for us to truly move forward as ICT. 

5 - I still think my suggestion re club colours is a good idea. Charles - where is the black in the current home strip? You would have to wear the away shorts to have some black in the kit lol. 

 

the club has more important problems to overcome without de-valuing the names of our two great parents. Don't dare forget that we would not be here if it wasn't for Caley and Thistle.

As Marty McFly said, 'Back to the Future' - RedCard,

Just checked out Dumbarton FC website as planning my trip to that match. They seem one of the dearest clubs match ticket wise, but the following is a good idea I think. 

Car parking at the stadium is £1 per car, but for this you get the opportunity to win some cash courtesy of the half-time 50/50 draw. There are plenty of spaces available.

1 hour ago, Huisdean said:

I may be wrong DD but I thought we were the only club formed in the SPFL as a direct result of a merger (at least in living memory). This should be a unique selling point for the club and while I will remain a staunch ICT supporter till I die, I am also proud to have been an Inverness Thistle supporter in the past. I don't see why we need to ignore the past while celebrating the present.

As you say however, there are more important things that need addressing at present.

You are wrong.  Aberdeen, Motherwell and County for example, were all formed from mergers albeit in the dim and distant past.  ICT is perhaps the only one in living memory but (I think it important to note) not in the living memory of a significant and growing percentage of our supporters.  Nobody is trying to ignore the past.  Far from it - I think the past should be celebrated.  But it needs to be celebrated in the right context.  As someone with no particular affiliation to either of the pre-merger clubs the fixation some folk seem to have with the club favouring the legacy of one of the old clubs or the other is like a millstone round the neck of the club.  It is a bit like a 23 year old still living at home, being expected to ask his or her parents' permission before they can do anything and always being known as their parents' child rather than a person in their own right.  Good parents let their children go and allow them to develop their own identities.

16 minutes ago, DoofersDad said:

You are wrong.  Aberdeen, Motherwell and County for example, were all formed from mergers albeit in the dim and distant past.  ICT is perhaps the only one in living memory but (I think it important to note) not in the living memory of a significant and growing percentage of our supporters.  Nobody is trying to ignore the past.  Far from it - I think the past should be celebrated.  But it needs to be celebrated in the right context.  As someone with no particular affiliation to either of the pre-merger clubs the fixation some folk seem to have with the club favouring the legacy of one of the old clubs or the other is like a millstone round the neck of the club.  It is a bit like a 23 year old still living at home, being expected to ask his or her parents' permission before they can do anything and always being known as their parents' child rather than a person in their own right.  Good parents let their children go and allow them to develop their own identities.

DD - Thanks. I'm feeling like you are the only person who has actually read what I typed. None of my comments have been negative about the old clubs. 

Dictionary definition of history - 

history

noun

1. 1.

   the study of past events, 

   synonyms:

   the past, former times, historical events, days of old, the old days, the good old days, time gone by, bygone days, yesterday, antiquity;

   Caledonian FC - history

   Inverness Thistle FC - history 

   Inverness Caledonian Thsitle FC - the present, the future. 

    

Edited August 29, 20177 yr by Guest

1 hour ago, Caman said:

 

I stand by the fact that pre merger leanings like 'Caledonian Stadium' are not neutral and are not suitable. 

Charles - where is the black in the current home strip? 

 

The title Caledonian Stadium is perfectly neutral - in context - and hence suitable. The problem is that Caman is taking this in isolation and not as part of the more comprehensive and complex package which the merger became. I don't know how familiar he is with the merger process ("Against All Odds", its official history, is available online on this site) but the most important fundamental was that it was an unequal merger. Caley were considerably bigger than Thistle, but the clout of the two as a combined entity was far in excess of the sum of their constituent parts. Indeed it was said at one point during the merger that Caley were providing 70% of the assets, 80% of the membership (a questionable figure given that this reflected Caley's major, effectively artificial twin recruiting drives for internal reasons) and 90% of the fundraising capacity. Inevitably, the shape of what emerged from two years of difficult bargaining had to reflect that considerable disproportion.

That deal included the club name (initially Caledonian Thistle until the "Inverness" was added to honour pledges made to the Council), the title of the Company (Inverness Thistle and Caledonian) and the stadium name. It took until the beginning of the second season, 1995-96, for the strip to reflect disproportional representation of the two in the form of an agreement for 25% black and red to be incorporated into the "predominantly blue" original. The delivery of this was a masterpiece, because everyone expected a "Sampdoria" black and red band round a blue strip. However what materialised was the complete integration of fairly broad red verticals and narrower black ones into a strip which had blue as its main colour - a visual representation of a union rather than two separate colour schemes cobbled together.

I initially wanted to call the book "Blue, Black and Red" and that was actually the working title I used during the writing, but I was overruled by Dougie who wanted "Against All Odds", which I have for long also preferred myself. (The ONLY other thing they overruled me on was calling Ian Fraser "Coffin John". So revered was "the Coff" after his £300K plus investment in 1996 - shares which eventually found their way to the Hospice and hence now to the McGilvrays and Alan Savage - that they joked that they would only call him "sir"!)

What I have said therefore effectively overtakes Caman's question which is not the relevant one. What I referred to was what the club colours were, not what were involved in this season's choice of home strip which has blue and red. All 3 have been involved there on plenty of past occasions and he will of course also note that this season's away strip has a great deal of black in it.

Hopefully, between one post and another tonight, I have given some background into how the club is as it is. It is also like that to the ongoing contentment of a number of those associated with it while those otherwise minded, especially all these years later, really don't rock the boat to any extent at all.

Edited August 29, 20177 yr by Charles Bannerman

13 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

The title Caledonian Stadium is perfectly neutral - in context - and hence suitable. The problem is that Caman is taking this in isolation and not as part of the more comprehensive and complex package which the merger became. I don't know how familiar he is with the merger process ("Against All Odds", its official history, is available online on this site) but the most important fundamental was that it was an unequal merger. Caley were considerably bigger than Thistle, but the clout of the two as a combined entity was far in excess of the sum of their constituent parts. Indeed it was said at one point during the merger that Caley were providing 70% of the assets, 80% of the membership (a questionable figure given that this reflected Caley's major, effectively artificial twin recruiting drives for internal reasons) and 90% of the fundraising capacity. Inevitably, the shape of what emerged from two years of difficult bargaining had to reflect that considerable disproportion.

That deal included the club name (initially Caledonian Thistle until the "Inverness" was added to honour pledges made to the Council), the title of the Company (Inverness Thistle and Caledonian) and the stadium name. It took until the beginning of the second season, 1995-96, for the strip to reflect disproportional representation of the two in the form of an agreement for 25% black and red to be incorporated into the "predominantly blue" original. The delivery of this was a masterpiece, because everyone expected a "Sampdoria" black and red band round a blue strip. However what materialised was the complete integration of fairly broad red verticals and narrower black ones into a strip which had blue as its main colour - a visual representation of a union rather than two separate colour schemes cobbled together.

I initially wanted to call the book "Blue, Black and Red" and that was actually the working title I used during the writing, but I was overruled by Dougie who wanted "Against All Odds", which I have for long also preferred myself. (The ONLY other thing they overruled me on was calling Ian Fraser "Coffin John". So revered was "the Coff" after his £300K plus investment in 1996 - shares which eventually found their way to the Hospice and hence now to the McGilvrays and Alan Savage - that they joked that they would only call him "sir"!)

What I have said therefore effectively overtakes Caman's question which is not the relevant one. What I referred to was what the club colours were, not what were involved in this season's choice of home strip which has blue and red. All 3 have been involved there on plenty of past occasions and he will of course also note that this season's away strip has a great deal of black in it.

Charles, I am aware of some of the history, the allegedly 'free' season tickets handed out to Caley folk for Season 1993-94 so they could vote re the merger. I was at Rose Street Hall for meetings leading up to the merger, but FFS that is all history.  History is not a derogatory word!!

I am for a re-branding for the future with the points mentioned above. I won't change my opinion and I think the 25th anniversary would be a good time to lay some of the 'ghosts' to rest and move forward. Respect the past, move forward into the future!!

Edited August 29, 20177 yr by Guest