Inverness Courier

[+DoofersDad]

27 minutes ago, ictchris said:

It isn't really rewarding failure - if you agree a contract with someone then you should honour it.  We've made hundreds of thousands of pounds in the last 15 years from compensation paid to release our managers from their contracts.

Receiving compensation when a manager goes to another club is totally different from when a manager is fired because  he is not getting results.  I guess  adequate performance as a football manager is an extremely subjective thing.  If we had clauses as Kingsmills suggests then we would be having every manager who is sacked going through the courts to claim compensation for unfair dismissal etc.  It could cost the clubs more than just paying off their contract.  Foran's 4 year contract was just plain stupid  though.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I blame Marius Niculae.

[finmack]

8 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

Thanks to Fraz and Yngwie for the much needed reality check!

How true this is. As a club we cannot survive at the level we want to be at from gate attendance money.

 

[Kingsmills]

6 minutes ago, finmack said:

How true this is. As a club we cannot survive at the level we want to be at from gate attendance money.

 

No club in the country can survive on gate money.

[Eagle4Caley]

On 13/02/2018 at 11:30 AM, ictbob said:

Been hearing the rumours that we won't make it to the end of the season without going into administration.

I kinda find that surprising given that we have recently given Donaldson and Tremarco improved/extended contracts, and signed Austin

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

6 hours ago, Eagle4Caley said:

I kinda find that surprising given that we have recently given Donaldson and Tremarco improved/extended contracts, and signed Austin

Loads of internal "politics" going on here. Lets just say that the Chairmans statement was looking at money "owed" or "due" as well as potential investors. A big plea for support through the gates as well.

[ictchris]

17 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

Receiving compensation when a manager goes to another club is totally different from when a manager is fired because  he is not getting results.  I guess  adequate performance as a football manager is an extremely subjective thing.  If we had clauses as Kingsmills suggests then we would be having every manager who is sacked going through the courts to claim compensation for unfair dismissal etc.  It could cost the clubs more than just paying off their contract.  Foran's 4 year contract was just plain stupid  though.

The reason we received compensation is because we had managers under contract.  If we had contracts that specified we could pay them off with three months wages then we'd have had to release them for that, or less probably.

 

[caleyboy]

national cup semi and not a chirp in the online courier football section. do we not have any news to give or do they not have a sports reporter?

[+DoofersDad]

Not only is it a semi-final, but Crusaders will be only the 2nd non-Scottish side we will have played a competitive game against in the history of our club. (Berwick don't count!).  Of course, the SFA have been incredibly unhelpful by not clarifying the date earlier, but surely the club could have hyped this up a bit more!  I've got my ticket but I get the impression we will be lucky to get more than a thousand through the turnstiles.  Does anyone have any handle on how ticket sales are going?

[Polo Chick]

9 minutes ago, DoofersDad said:

Not only is it a semi-final, but Crusaders will be only the 2nd non-Scottish side we will have played a competitive game against in the history of our club. (Berwick don't count!).  Of course, the SFA have been incredibly unhelpful by not clarifying the date earlier, but surely the club could have hyped this up a bit more!  I've got my ticket but I get the impression we will be lucky to get more than a thousand through the turnstiles.  Does anyone have any handle on how ticket sales are going?

Terrible according to Kristine yesterday when getting tickets

[caleyboy]

All things considered, I think this just goes to show what the Inverness public feel about the club. A shame to say the least. 

[caley100]

Unfortunately there are a hell of a lot of people living in Inverness who aren't Invernessian, and don't have much affiniity with the local football club.  This will change hopefully as the youth coaches work with schools etc, agian hopefully bringing youngsters to matches.

[IBM]

1 hour ago, caley100 said:

Unfortunately there are a hell of a lot of people living in Inverness who aren't Invernessian, and don't have much affiniity with the local football club.  This will change hopefully as the youth coaches work with schools etc, agian hopefully bringing youngsters to matches.

And worse than that there are a hell of a lot go over the bridge 

[Charles Bannerman]

31 minutes ago, IBM said:

And worse than that there are a hell of a lot go over the bridge 

You are doubtless absolutely correct there IBM but it's difficult to have much reasonable issue with that, possibly for a number of reasons.

Those who go over the bridge from Inverness will comprise both Invernessians and non-Invernessians (aka "incomers"). The latter category very possibly don't distinguish between ICT and Ross County in terms of local loyalty because, as "incomers", they have little or none; nor should they be expected to. They probably choose to go over there rather than here on the basis of other factors such as the match day experience - which now also includes County playing in a higher league. There is no particular motivation for them to go to ICT based on any affinity with Inverness, and some will actually be of Ross and Cromarty origin. On the other hand the reasons for Invernessians going over the bridge are possibly more complex and are probably a bigger concern. However they may well include ICT's historic failure to project itself to the local population.

My own belief is that the Inner Moray Firth doesn't have sufficient population or economic weight to support two Premiership football teams in the longer term - even when one is heavily supported by a benefactor. However when the other comes up with one or two bad decisions, appointments and financial strategies, errors which it's not in a position to buy itself out of, then that's the one that will be squeezed - especially in this marginal inner Moray Firth economic environment.

From the early 2000s Caley Thistle, saved from possible extinction by substantial Tulloch intervention and with a lot of largely good administration, more or less hung in there in the top tier and at times punched well above its weight. Eventually, Ross County's assistance from an ongoing benefactor got them into the SPL/Premiership as well, and on a number of occasions they have had to sign their way out of danger. The "perfect storm" has been a combination of County's financial muscle alongside strategic errors of governance creeping in at ICT, and we now have a situation which includes more and more likely going over the bridge on a Saturday.

Roy MacGregor put the Hotel on Mayfair and in times of difficulty produced a "Get Out Of Jail(end) Free" card. Meanwhile Caley Thistle paid far too much for Old Kent Road, only maintained it by selling various other properties and got no return.

"Always In Our Shadow" and "Pride Of The Highlands" certainly have something of a hollow ring about them now.

Edited February 16, 2018 by Charles Bannerman

[ictchris]

This is the least attended competition in Scottish football, it’s an age since we qualified for the semis, it’s live on television, kick off is at a terrible time, there’s going to be a tiny away support. It’s going to be a shocking crowd, no point in going all pearl clutchy about it.

[Yngwie]

1 hour ago, Charles Bannerman said:

My own belief is that the Inner Moray Firth doesn't have sufficient population or economic weight to support two Premiership football teams in the longer term 

Do you have any suggestions as to how this could be resolved?

   

[Charles Bannerman]

2 hours ago, Yngwie said:

Do you have any suggestions as to how this could be resolved?

   

Nice one, Yngwie.... but it will never happen. It's the obvious, logical thing - has been for years - but football is far too tribal, or indeed human nature in general is far too tribal. Many of the factors which helped things in Inverness to limp across the line in 1993 - 94 do not exist with respect to what is otherwise a viable next step.

[RiG]

13 hours ago, ictchris said:

This is the least attended competition in Scottish football, it’s an age since we qualified for the semis, it’s live on television, kick off is at a terrible time, there’s going to be a tiny away support. It’s going to be a shocking crowd, no point in going all pearl clutchy about it.

Totally agree with this. Our home crowds in this competition so far have been 930 (Peterhead) and 1,078 (Falkirk). That shows how little people care about the competition regardless of the fact that tomorrows match is a semi final. If we get over 1,000 we'll be doing well. These low crowds are symptomatic of the competition.

[caleyboy]

On 16/02/2018 at 7:33 PM, Charles Bannerman said:

 

"Always In Our Shadow" and "Pride Of The Highlands" certainly have something of a hollow ring about them now.

has it really taken all this time to come to this conclusion? Not like you CB. The deletion of this crap is long overdue!

[Charles Bannerman]

47 minutes ago, caleyboy said:

has it really taken all this time to come to this conclusion? Not like you CB. The deletion of this crap is long overdue!

Absolutely not, but it is worthwhile using this already well established hubris to reinforce what was being said in the post in question.

In other words, the irony was worth revisiting.

Edited February 18, 2018 by Charles Bannerman