Priorities, Targets, Hopes and Expectations

[+CaleyD]

We've had a  lot of discussion about how people think we may perform next season etc, and I think many people often end up disagreeing because the four things (Priorities, Targets, Hopes and Expectations) often get confused.

For me, this is how I see it........

- Priorities -

SPL Survival should always be top of the priority list.  Within that there's a catalogue of other "smaller" priorities which the club need to keep on top of to ensure it happens.  Everything from obtaining and keeping the correct personnel, to keeping punters coming through the gates and all the other income streams which support it.

- Targets -

This should be what the club is aiming for.  It's actually one of the few things I won't criticise Brewster on as I think he's got it right that we should constantly be chasing the team in front of us in the league.  However, I think he also needs to set out his stall in terms of targeting a league position.  Be that an open ended target of improving on the previous seasons place, securing more points or whatever.  We need some KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) to measure him against....it happens in just about every other business I know of and I don't see why it shouldn't be the case at ICT.

Off the pitch, I think the exact same thing should be happening.  The club should be identifying areas where they fall short and setting clear and achievable targets for improvement.  Everything from Customer Service to Merchandising, improving match day experience, reducing complaints etc.  This needs to be done on a departmental level as well as an individual level for everyone from the bottom to the top.

- Hopes -

This is one primarily for the fans.  It's the Manager/Clubs job to keep their feet on the ground and make sensible decisions....it's the fans job to get a little carried away with their hopes and dreams.  Nothing wrong with that, so long as it's tempered with a little dose of reality come the end when your hopes may not have been achieved.

Personally I hope to see ICT getting a shot in Europe some way or another before 2012....It's not impossible that it could happen, but I would never expect to see it on the club/players/managers lists of Targets at the moment.  I also hope to see us reach a cup final every season...again, not something the club are going to come out and list as a Target.  It's that "Hope" that keeps us going back time and again.

- Expectations -

Fans expectation is something ICT have been very poor at handling for as long as I can remember.  However, to be fair, it's only since we reached the SPL that it's become an issue as we were nearly always improving year on year until that point.

The club screwed up when they signed Niculae by hyping him as the man who was going to come in and bang away the goals left right and centre.  He was fresh off the plane, hadn't had a pre-season and the club lumped this huge expectation on not only him, but the fans.  When you do that your only setting yourself up for failure/criticism when it goes wrong.

The club should have already been making noises and managing expectation for next season.  If the plan is to consolidate, rebuild the team and simply go for survival, then they need to come out and say it.  We may not like it....but we will at least know what to expect.

On the other hand if they are building to go for a top 6 next season then they should be coming out and saying that.  We might think they are barking given what we've witnessed so far, but again....we could at least try and garner some understanding as to the events surrounding player movements (or lack of).

For next season here are my Priorities, Targets, Hopes and Expectations based on what I've seen in the past season and what I've seen so far in terms of preparations for next season.

- I think our PRIORITY should be survival in the SPL, in order to achieve that I think we need to be prioritising the acquisition of about 6 to 8 players during the close season to fill gaps and provide adequate cover.

Off the park I think the club need to prioritise how they are going to improve the match day experience and reduce the level of complaints.  The past 2 season have seen more complaints than all previous years combined IMO and they need to stop the rot.

Top Priority off the pitch is to improve communication with fans.

- I think our TARGETS for next season should be to improve on this seasons points tally and league position.

Off the park I think the club need to be targeting improvements on things such as the availability of Season Tickets during the final month of the season.  I think they need to be doing the same with any new strips.  On top of that they need to set themselves targets to reduce complaints.  You'll never eliminate complaints, but by the same voice...it's dangerous business to ignore them and dismiss them on the basis of "some people are never happy".

- My Hope for next season is that we can somehow squeeze ourselves into the top 6 and get a decent cup run and reach final.  I also hope the club can see beyond the immediate pounds signs and come to some agreement to extend Niculaes stay at ICT.  Above all else, I hope we don't see a repeat of the disharmony between players and club/management.

Off the pitch, I hope the club have been listening to the fans and we see some of the improvements mentioned in targets and priorities above.

- My expectations are fairly low at the moment unfortunately.  I've seen nothing in recent weeks that gives me any hope that we'll see an improvement at the start of the season and I find that worrying.  I expect we'll see a couple of signings, but nothing that's going to move us forward.  I would just like to know what the "plan" is, as I said above, if we knew they at least had a plan then it might help.

Whether my expectations improve or not will depend very much on our summer transfer activity.

[wyness_is_god]

Priorities - a reliable central defence and SPL survival

Targets - On the park, a Top 6 its about time we broke into it and off the park its about time the club broke out of the porterkabin and made ourselves look like an SPL club.

Hopes - CIS or Scottish Cup or Top 6 finish. oh and Brewster to be sacked :023:

Expectations - Brewster to get his erse into gear stop thinking about his own ego and start putting the team first and get us a top 6 finish (even if we lose the 5 games in it)

[Alex MacLeod]

Wig, if your hopes are achieved then why would we sack the manager

My priority....Survival

Target...........11th place

Hope........Top six and cup final

Expectation.........To build year on year into the team the Highlands deserve.

[wyness_is_god]

Wig, if your hopes are achieved then why would we sack the manager

I'm hoping he'l do a Charlie Christie and leave 3 games in  :004: sooner the better is acceptable though  :003:

[BornCaley]

Good post Caley D...

I dont think getting rid of CB is the answer right now. A Manager need more than one season to get things flowing in the right direction, so as much as  i think CB is not the one for us...we dont want to take 2 steps back by sacking him.

Priorities - SPL survival/Attracting supporters

Target- Top 6 & or cup final win

Hopes - Keeping Niculae and signing a strike partner

Expectations - at least 1 of the above

I think 2012 is a good target year for gaining a Euro place through either a 3rd place or SC final win

And its not the case that the "highlands Deserve it"...the Scottish game deserves it. Im sick of hearing about the top 4 or the Old firm domination through the biased media. The SPL needs us and with the right mentality from CB, the players, the fans & the board we can stay a permanent fixture in the league

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Priorities are simply TOTAL change at the top - otherwise SURVIVAL.

[Alex MacLeod]

BornCaley, I didn't say that the "highlands Deserve it". I said ICT should be building the team that the Highlands deserve. Totally different thing to your interpretation. The league may deserve a team from the highlands but the Highlands deserve a team that is competitive at the top of that league.

[troublegum007]

Very good post CaleyD. Agree with most of what you said there.

Priorities - Staying in the SPL and improving relationships with the fans. On the pitch bringing in a central defender that the rest of the backline are confident in has to be one of the priorities for the summer, although it's probably going to be a busy summer transfer wise if most people's "targets" on here are to be anything close to reached

Target - We should be looking to improve all the time, so a better points tally and position than this season should be the target. Ideally we should be targeting a top 6 finish. There isn't much to choose between the teams around the middle of the table. Off the field one of the the targets should be to consult with fans and make realistic improvements from this within the set-up to make the match day experience more enjoyable and how to improve things such as merchendising and ticket sales.

Hope - Marius Niculae with a proper pre-season under his belt in an ICT shirt next season, a top 6 finish and a cup final. Also, I hope to be proved wrong about Craig Brewster not being the man to take us forward. At the end of the day it looks almost certain he will be in charge for next season, and although I've said before that I don't think he's the right man for the job I'm hopeful that this time next season I'll be saying how he's done a great job to take the club forward and his summer signings were inspired.

Expectations - Poor PR from the club carrying on and a season where we won't be safe from relegation until late on if at all.

[BornCaley]

Alex...no mate;  i totally agree with what you said and i didnt Interprate your words wrong..

I suppose what i was getting at was that aside from ICT having interests locally "and we toally should" that we should also be trying to make the league a better one and try to break the current "Old firm obsession"...I hope ive clarifed that

[Libero]

Priorities - First and foremost our priority each season should be SPL survival but only if its is accomplished without the club endangering its future. (i.e. i would happily sacrifice SPL football to avoid financial problems such as administration etc.)

Targets - I think our target each season should be to improve on the previous season, so for the coming season then a sustained top 6 challenge should be what we are aiming for.

Hopes - My hopes for the club are a mid table finish, a decent cup run to boost the coffers and i sincerely hope the way the club treats it players dramatically improves after last years farcical incidents (rankin leaving despite being a key player, blackie being ostracised and wyness' contract offer being pulled). i would also like the standard of the club shop to improve to SPL level (certainly no problems with the staff anytime i've been there, just the portakabin and stock need upgrading)

Expectations - what i expect will happen is a bottom end of the table finish and a mixed bag in terms of results over the season

[Ronaldo]

A bit tongue in cheek but here's mine,

Priorities:- Sign a recognised goal scorer and Vidic to sort the defense out

Target:- The thing with the white posts and bar

Hope:- We play some forward passes this year rather than sideways and backwards, as the general preferred option.

Expectations:- All of the above   

[Kingsmills]

PRIORITY;  To retain our SPL status.

TARGET;    To achieve our first ever top six finish with the additional revenue that goes with it

HOPES;    To appear in our first ever major national final at Hampden and maybe even to return home with the silverware.

EXPECTATIONS;  To be involved in a dour relegation battle with Hamilton and St Mirren.