Kelty/ Is this a joke - merged thread

[Hearach]

10 minutes ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Gardiner agrees to stay on for at least another 3 months!!

I predict a riot

[CaleyHedgehog]

40 minutes ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Gardiner agrees to stay on for at least another 3 months!!

Hope this is a wind up IHE.

[Achfary]

[previous acts of folly, Y. Crook, etc., not included]

Acts of Pure Folly by the Board 1 the 'Magnificent 7' board was in fact only Ross but in complete thrall to Scot Gardiner (result: no goodbye for Liam, Kelty, Statkraft, Concert Company, Ferguson, insolvency practitioner etc etc etc).

Act of Pure Folly by the Board 2 after act 1, allowing the club, post-relegation and post-insolvency practitioner advice, to be 'led' by a hugely discredited and ill-reputed staff member, working resignation

It is this second act of pure folly that has led to the discombobulating situation where Hall of Famers leave the club without even a perfunctory, cursory acknowledgement (never mind the medical care or testimonial). 

Act of Pure Folly by the Board 3 On 06 June, a director - 'Mr Bennett' - broke ranks/silence to say the board had issued a "cry for help" / "war cry".  The Courier said:

In an exclusive interview with The Inverness Courier, club stalwart Mr Bennett confirmed how despite Scot Gardiner resigning as chief executive he is leading the drive to find new investments or a new owner.

Yet another act of pure folly. Why would/How could the board - such as it is - leave the fate of the club's future to the Chief Architect of its downfall?

This is the time for the board to right the wrong(s), take on the lead of negotiations with interested parties - whatever they may be - and advocate among themselves for the best outcome for the club, regardless of self-interest.  Goodness knows there's baggage, but no supporter of the club - past, present or future - or regular staff member - got the club into this sorry position.

It's not the time to be self-serving:  legacy and integrity go hand in hand.  

[Yngwie]

37 minutes ago, Achfary said:

[previous acts of folly, Y. Crook, etc., not included]

Acts of Pure Folly by the Board 1 the 'Magnificent 7' board was in fact only Ross but in complete thrall to Scot Gardiner (result: no goodbye for Liam, Kelty, Statkraft, Concert Company, Ferguson, insolvency practitioner etc etc etc).

Act of Pure Folly by the Board 2 after act 1, allowing the club, post-relegation and post-insolvency practitioner advice, to be 'led' by a hugely discredited and ill-reputed staff member, working resignation

It is this second act of pure folly that has led to the discombobulating situation where Hall of Famers leave the club without even a perfunctory, cursory acknowledgement (never mind the medical care or testimonial). 

Act of Pure Folly by the Board 3 On 06 June, a director - 'Mr Bennett' - broke ranks/silence to say the board had issued a "cry for help" / "war cry".  The Courier said:

In an exclusive interview with The Inverness Courier, club stalwart Mr Bennett confirmed how despite Scot Gardiner resigning as chief executive he is leading the drive to find new investments or a new owner.

Yet another act of pure folly. Why would/How could the board - such as it is - leave the fate of the club's future to the Chief Architect of its downfall?

This is the time for the board to right the wrong(s), take on the lead of negotiations with interested parties - whatever they may be - and advocate among themselves for the best outcome for the club, regardless of self-interest.  Goodness knows there's baggage, but no supporter of the club - past, present or future - or regular staff member - got the club into this sorry position.

It's not the time to be self-serving:  legacy and integrity go hand in hand.  

Well put, as usual. I think the problem for the current board is a deficiency in skills that leaves them still reliant on a CEO who, like it or not, knows 10 times more about running a football club than all of the directors added together. Until the rescue deal gets over the line, the club can’t really appoint new directors or appoint a new CEO/General Manager, so maybe they feel a bit stuck, trying to make do with what they have.

Regarding the skill set of the board, something I don’t see mentioned anywhere in the published profiles is a background in finance or accounting, which is something I think is beneficial for any business and which usually helps ensure good governance and financial prudence. 

[caley1]

1 hour ago, Achfary said:

[previous acts of folly, Y. Crook, etc., not included]

Acts of Pure Folly by the Board 1 the 'Magnificent 7' board was in fact only Ross but in complete thrall to Scot Gardiner (result: no goodbye for Liam, Kelty, Statkraft, Concert Company, Ferguson, insolvency practitioner etc etc etc).

Act of Pure Folly by the Board 2 after act 1, allowing the club, post-relegation and post-insolvency practitioner advice, to be 'led' by a hugely discredited and ill-reputed staff member, working resignation

It is this second act of pure folly that has led to the discombobulating situation where Hall of Famers leave the club without even a perfunctory, cursory acknowledgement (never mind the medical care or testimonial). 

Act of Pure Folly by the Board 3 On 06 June, a director - 'Mr Bennett' - broke ranks/silence to say the board had issued a "cry for help" / "war cry".  The Courier said:

In an exclusive interview with The Inverness Courier, club stalwart Mr Bennett confirmed how despite Scot Gardiner resigning as chief executive he is leading the drive to find new investments or a new owner.

Yet another act of pure folly. Why would/How could the board - such as it is - leave the fate of the club's future to the Chief Architect of its downfall?

This is the time for the board to right the wrong(s), take on the lead of negotiations with interested parties - whatever they may be - and advocate among themselves for the best outcome for the club, regardless of self-interest.  Goodness knows there's baggage, but no supporter of the club - past, present or future - or regular staff member - got the club into this sorry position.

It's not the time to be self-serving:  legacy and integrity go hand in hand.  

Has any board member done any good in the last month ? Very surprised one of them at least has not broken ranks . Or does the CEO have something on the board . Very suspicious how an extremely unpopular /hated member of staff is left in control when he is the main problem at our club . Something very bad stinks about all this . Why is Grassa allowing this ? 

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

Gardiner is experienced in football management but according to his Linkedin profile his formal education was only at Craigie High School. He does not state that he is professionally qualified in terms of Company Law or Accounting but that does not mean he is not. It is not clear what Morrison's formal professional qualifications are.  

A key person at the football club would have been Ian MacDonald, their Company Secretary, but he resigned on 26 April 2023.  Companies House, however,was not notified of the termination until 10 January 2024.

Therefore it is likely that professional advice since 27 April 2023 was outsourced, possibly to A9 Accountancy Ltd. Legal or Company Secretarial advice was probably from a separate source.

One can see that the Accounts for year ended 31 May 2022 were submitted to Companies House on 28 February 2023. The Accounts were compiled by A9 Accountancy Ltd, Inverness.  Described as Independent, Paul Capewell from A9, gave an unqualified statement as Auditor that the Directors considered the business to be a going concern until 31 May 2023 i.e. for the next 12 months after the previous accounts. The current remaining directors therefore got themselves between a rock and a hard place until we hear otherwise. 

On a separate matter Companies House state that INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE CONCERT COMPANY LIMITED is due to be dissolved on 27th June 2024.

[Achfary]

8 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

I think the problem for the current board is a deficiency in skills that leaves them still reliant on a CEO who, like it or not, knows 10 times more about running a football club than all of the directors added together.

Knows 10 times more than the board- likely. Rangers Commercial sales manager, Tottenham Hotspur FC Commercial manager and Acting commercial director , Dundee CEO, Hearts COO.  

The problem is that he wasn't actually competent in these roles.

In his second and last year at Dundee, he messed up the shirt sponsorship with no fewer than four potential firms (allegedly) -. It's telling he was 'restructured' out of the club on June 29th 2014 when a week later, July 7 2014, Dundee announced their quite ludicrous new shirt sponsor - 'Hangar Records' -  set up less than two years before, dormant, and which never had more than a couple of hundred quid to its name ...which was registered to the son of the chairman.  Scot had worked his 'magic' on other sponsors so that's all they could find to save face for less than a year...  

Dundee non-statement (egg on face) led to a job at Hearts.  He was binned again at Hearts because there were no seats ordered for their £14m new stand!  That led to them having to play at Murrayfield until the seats arrived- and another exit.  Widely reported as a debacle of his doing !

I'll skip over the connection that brought him to the ex ex Chairman's attention while attending games in Inverness as a Rangers Spurs ICT 'fan'...

Ultimately, Scot has been out of depth at every club, costing them money and embarrassing them.  With ICT:

From Daily Record about ICT late 2019:

• "Administration? Not a chance", he insists...
• “Our crowds won’t get to 10,000 but I’ll run us correctly. We won’t lose money, we’ll make it "
• "Take it from me, it’ll be like the tortoise and the hare – Inverness Caley Thistle will win the league"

From P&J late 2019:

• If you were in power in government, what would you change?

"I would also invest much more in areas like the Highlands and islands (Kelty??), as they don’t benefit from many of the initiatives enjoyed by more populated metropolises."

• What do you still hope to achieve?

"In the short term, I want to make Inverness Caley Thistle FC financially sound  and a pillar of Inverness and the surrounding area – and to get the team back into the Scottish Premiership for good" 

From Courier Sep 2023:

Scot Gardiner says Duncan Ferguson was always Inverness Caledonian Thistle's top target to take over as manager – so much so that they cut the interview process short to appoint him 

Gardiner confirmed that it was ICT that initially approached Ferguson – whose only permanent previous managerial experience was a short-lived spell at Forest Green Rovers – rather than the other way around 

This is why the thought of him dealing with any interested investors is such a ludicrous proposition by Graeme/board.  He is no CEO, never has been, the board have been taken in for years, and now is negotiating the future?  Madness.

[caley100]

OK, So it's the shareholders that in effect own the club, They decide who should be on the board and run the company on their behalf?

They should really shoulder some blame in the way the club hires and who runs the football club?  

If i was a major shareholder I'd be really feckin annoyed at what was happening to my club that's for sure. 

[CaleyCiuin]

27 minutes ago, caley100 said:

OK, So it's the shareholders that in effect own the club, They decide who should be on the board and run the company on their behalf?

They should really shoulder some blame in the way the club hires and who runs the football club?  

If i was a major shareholder I'd be really feckin annoyed at what was happening to my club that's for sure. 

I agree, but there is no majority shareholder. Even the Muirfeild Mills consortium does not speak with one voice. All may have the same, similar or different views ,but they don’t offer anything coherent. Important to get some fan representation through the Trust which is coherent and accountable to those in the stands . 

[ictbob]

From what I can gather our biggest creditor is ross morrison who is owned over a million pound and has secured this against various parts of the stadium. If he doesn't walk away they'll run out of money. Administration is a certainy. The stadium is worth nothing as the ground it is built on is owned by the council. We have very little assets so its easy for a new investor to wait for this path to open. The last to appointments were grassa and chisholm so work out who hes pals with and I see a pattern happening. 

[Yngwie]

30 minutes ago, CaleyCiuin said:

I agree, but there is no majority shareholder. Even the Muirfeild Mills consortium does not speak with one voice. All may have the same, similar or different views ,but they don’t offer anything coherent. Important to get some fan representation through the Trust which is coherent and accountable to those in the stands . 

I recall that the Muirfield Mills consortium disbanded about 5 years ago, and are just individual shareholders these days.

Shareholdings in our club are very fragmented, and I think the most powerful shareholder these days is the Supporters Trust. They certainly have plenty of desire for the club to remain in existence and to change for the better, but don’t have any money to make it happen.

Edited Saturday at 05:46 PM by Yngwie

[ictbob]

6 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

I recall that the Muirfield Mills consortium disbanded about 5 years ago, and are just individual shareholders these days.

Shareholdings in our club are very fragmented, and I think the most powerful shareholder these days is the Supporters Trust. They certainly have plenty of desire for the club to remain in existence and to change for the better, but don’t have any money to make it happen.

Clach have a new board after a major backer pulled out for next season taking chisholm with him saying he's backing a new project next season. 

Edited Saturday at 05:52 PM by ictbob

[caley1]

3 minutes ago, ictbob said:

Clach have a new board after a major backer pulled out for next season taking chisholm with him saying he's backing a new project next season. 

Would anyone on here as a business individual spend sponsorship / corporate money etc with our current board as things stand ? You’d surely do your homework and see that the current board and  ceo are incapable in what they do and have done in the past . Are things going to be run any better / differently after Gardiner goes ? This has gone from farcical to unbelievable in a matter of weeks . 

[Pele_Is_God]

Why can’t the Supporters Trust tell us what was said between them and the board? I’m getting to the stage where I don’t trust anyone related to the club.

[Yngwie]

5 minutes ago, caley1 said:

Would anyone on here as a business individual spend sponsorship / corporate money etc with our current board as things stand ? You’d surely do your homework and see that the current board and  ceo are incapable in what they do and have done in the past . Are things going to be run any better / differently after Gardiner goes ? This has gone from farcical to unbelievable in a matter of weeks . 

But the status quote isn’t an option. There will either be new major shareholders soon or the club will cease to exist.

[Yngwie]

Just now, Yngwie said:

But the status quote isn’t an option. There will either be new major shareholders soon or the club will cease to exist.

Oh dear, I’ve probably given Gardiner the idea of a Status Quo concert at the stadium!

[Leaky Blinder]

35 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Oh dear, I’ve probably given Gardiner the idea of a Status Quo concert at the stadium!

Is that ..  What you're proposing .. !

[+snorbens_caleyman]

39 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Oh dear, I’ve probably given Gardiner the idea of a Status Quo concert at the stadium!

Down, down, deeper and down....

[STFU]

18 minutes ago, Leaky Blinder said:

Is that ..  What you're proposing .. !

It's whatever you want.

[+DoofersDad]

It's over a week since we were informed of "hugely positive discussions" and it's less than a week till our first friendly.  Yet this last week has provided absolutely no update on how the discussions are progressing, whether we actually have any players beyond the few who were on contracts beyond the end of the 23/4 season.  It simply beggars belief that when the club has been so strongly criticised by so many for their appalling errors and lack of communication, that their response is simply to be even worse.  It would suggest that the discussions weren't so positive after all. Please, please, please, can somebody tell us what is going on? 

[Duke of Inverness]

Incoming - friendlies will be cancelled. Then we'll use league cup as pre season. 

[CaleyCiuin]

1 hour ago, Yngwie said:

I recall that the Muirfield Mills consortium disbanded about 5 years ago, and are just individual shareholders these days.

Shareholdings in our club are very fragmented, and I think the most powerful shareholder these days is the Supporters Trust. They certainly have plenty of desire for the club to remain in existence and to change for the better, but don’t have any money to make it happen.

If you look at the recent posts from Charles Bannerman and others, you will see that the ST are not in a position to be majority share holders. The Muirfeild consortium, I agree are fragmented within their group, but if push came to shove would unite behind a position. Other share holders do not have a majority sway to influence, unless they got other groups / individuals to align with them. Too many individuals, not enough collaboration. 

[CaleyCiuin]

1 hour ago, Pele_Is_God said:

Why can’t the Supporters Trust tell us what was said between them and the board? I’m getting to the stage where I don’t trust anyone related to the club.

If they don’t……… they are not acting in the wider interests of the fan base !

[Pele_Is_God]

My post was in no means a dig towards the Trust. They have been excellent so far.

[Scotty]

20 minutes ago, CaleyCiuin said:

If they don’t……… they are not acting in the wider interests of the fan base !

Not necessarily.

Some discussions need to stay private until it is time to make them public.  Nature of the beast unfortunately.

 If the trust representatives were - for example - given some privileged info to allay their fears which would allow them to endorse the call to purchase season tickets but might jeopardise the discussions with potential investors if they divulged that info, then staying quiet is absolutely in the best interests of their members. 

However, the longer things go with silence from the ivory towers (or farty towels if you prefer), the harder it is to believe they were not just sold a ‘bill of goods’!!