Where Have AllThe Fans Gone ?

[Guest Aboynamedsue]

The club portacabin shop is such an embarrassment

[MissICT]

The club portacabin shop is such an embarrassment

what makes you say this?

[clacher_holiday2]

Wanderer, you were the one who brought up the points differences as a sign that alls well, theres been a negative swing in the points difference between ourselves and St Mirren and a huge one between ourselves and Falkirk. So perhaps the slippery slide plenty have warned of is well under way?

I think you have to be on the wind up now, so I'll leave it at that!

Edited August 24, 2008 by clacher_holiday2

[Heilandee]

Was oot golfin today and 3 of us all used to go regularly,now only the 1 still goes and the 2 "neutrals " have kinda fell by the wayside,partly price but also SPL "whats the point" attitude for neutrals, 25 quid for a usually pointless gemme of midtable mediocrity,( i refuse to attend OF gemmes regsrdless of opposition)I also refuse to be treated as a second class citizen/hooligan for 90 minutes by polis and "stewards" just coz i don my supporters hat,tis a shame, as i have a big soft spot for the team and would probly start attending again in the first division,spose ICT are a victim of their own success in that respect.

[roby]

When i came home after the game against Hibs my son asked if i had enjoyed the game . I said yet again especially 2nd half we were awful . His reply summed up why we are losing supporters every season. I Dont know why you bother going he said because apart from a couple of games last season you tell me the same thing .I along with other loyal season ticket holders and others continue because of our love for the club. Quite simply as others have said the cost 25 pounds for the main stand is rediculous in this current financial climate. Other than big games against the old firm the players barely acknowledge the fans 2 or 3 excluded. When you are at away games every one of the home team applaud theirs. Every time we build up a group of young supporters in the north stand the stewards go out of their way confront them whilst ignoring away fans in similar situations. Add these things to the very poor standard of football we have to watch regularly is it any surprise we cant hang onto the fans we have never mind increase them. As our manager likes to keep telling us to take a reality check likewise it is time for the club to do so. Give people football worth watching at an affordable price and things might improve.

[AJS]

I think had we started off poorer against Aberdeen the crowd would have been even smaller against Hamilton and maybe even yesterday. I think when the teams doing not so good some of our fans have a bad habit of shying away perhaps...although in my view were doing not too bad.

I suppose also there was a slight lack of atmosphere yesterday..which was suprising. I've got too be honest i was not that suprised with the attendances over the last 2 games.

[absent friend]

Well, here we go again!!

Negative, negative!!

Stats say - so far - Expense 40%....Football on park 27%....Shop/facilities 27%...A N Other 6%

We are above Hibs,Dons,D.Utd,M/well,St Midden,and Falkirk - we are in sixth place and I bet the clubs below would swap their shops for a portacabin, to enjoy our position in the league.(especially Falkirk)

We have scored goals, have a key player injured, lost our true international striker, blooded new players and are producing results we did not manage last season, at this time.

Yes I know it is early in the season to draw any strong conclusions BUT it is also too early to talk down our performances.

CaleyD/Scotty - both their contributions are disappointing to me. Don, I accept, has an ongoing gripe with higher management at the club but I do believe it is the first time I have read Scotty being so down about the club.

I do feel that we cannot change the economic climate and if the pockets of the quickest growing city in Scotland(Britain?) cannot accommodate the gate money at our ground - God help Hamilton, St Mirren etc!!

Lastly, I do feel that the stewards create the wrong atmosphere at games - they appear to want to be confrontational to the home crowd and appear afraid of the visitors fans. For the record I do not think that this is only an ICT problem, I was at a game at Pittodrie and witnessed circa 5000+ Gers fans ALL standing for the full 90 minutes, no problem and yet two weeks ago any standing by us, was followed by a policeman walking down the aisle and showing, by his presence that we were obliged to sit. So much for the equality of stewarding in ours and other grounds when the OF are playing but this is the type of thing that sours fans and can create negativity and steal the feel good factor from spectating. I feel that it is this lack of feel good factor that makes so many fans long for the 'old' lower division days, with crappy facilities!!

[Guest RPFaither]

It has to be cost. In my own situation the boot is on the other foot (left foot!) a bit. I've been back living in Inverness for 8 years now. I've had to give up my season ticket in Glasgow for mainly financial reasons - just couldn't afford to keep it up. It is an extremely expensive business when you factor in petrol, food, programmes, raffle etc. But my love of footie means that I'm now attending local games - but IT's STILL EXPENSIVE! I like the crack at live games though I have to admit there is a distinct lack of atmosphere at the last couple of games here. Simple things like cheering the players names when the team list is announced before the match doesn't seem to happen - why?

I'd suspect that most clubs are experiencing a downturn in season book sales and attendances generally. And, as has already been said, bums on seats means more money spent on food, programes and raffles etc. All round revenue will suffer if folk aren't there.

Will I still be attending on a cold, wet, December afternoon? Hmm....I don't know! Soccer Saturday and a couple of bottles of beer with my sons might hold more appeal. It boils down to what I (indeed, each of us) regards as 'value for money'. Part of that 'value for money' also includes getting involved in a fans forum like this - certainly more enjoyable if you've been at the match.

With regard to the club shop - are people being serious, or is it an old joke? What does it matter if it's in a portakabin? Certainly, my experience of visiting it is that it's ok. The wifies in it are really nice - chatty and cheerful. Have any of you ever visited the Celtic shop on matchday? Not an enjoyable experience.

Could there be an argument for introducing an 'adult accompanying a child ticket' for say full price for the adult but charging just a fiver for the kid - or even free? These last couple of games I've taken my youngest son and its cost me ?45 just for our tickets. But if you get younger kids hooked on attending live games, supporting Caley, maybe they'll keep on coming when they're older. And, are youngsters not the most obvious target for merchandise? Get them away from their playstations for a few hours on a Saturday, wrap them in their Caley scarves and hats and enjoy an afternoon out with mum or dad (or grampa)!

On the football side - has it not become such big business that fear of failure is the over-riding feature of most teams, particularly the managers and board? It must surely stifle any desire for attractive, attacking football at the expense of points racked up. Nice if you can manage both - but how many teams can? Were even Celtic or Rangers attractive to watch last year? Nope! And they have millions at their disposal and players of subsequent quality.

There seems to be a lot of criticism of Brewster. Is it fair? He has limited resources and you would hope that he is trying to play games using the strengths of his players. Watching him pitchside I couldn't accuse him of being complacent or uncaring about what he's seeing on the field of play. I'm sure he'd love to be able to throw on a Ronaldo or Deco but they aren't there on the subs bench. But, I do look at the team and I just don't see a MATCHWINNER. Young Rooney looks promising mind you. Caleys strength has always been the ability to play as a TEAM. I'd hope that the current squad will quickly settle and we'll see improvement as the season continues. I think so.

I hope plenty of folk are there at TCS to see it happen! CUT THE PRICE OF TICKETS!!

[cairngorm]

if this is about loss of crowds and not money there , is a way to increase the crowds and make a few pounds.

1) give out about 500 free tiuckets for kids when an adult purchases a ticket

this should cost nothing ( depending on the policing part per fan)

2) extra programmes will be sold , extra refreshments , extra car park revenue and extra taken in at the shop

why have empty seats when you can put bums on them and bring future Caley fans in

[FortressICT]

When I was in Primary School we got given free tickets to the games after training on a Saturday morning. Which obviously produced a lot of ICT fans.

[Guest birdog]

if this is about loss of crowds and not money there , is a way to increase the crowds and make a few pounds.

1) give out about 500 free tiuckets for kids when an adult purchases a ticket

this should cost nothing ( depending on the policing part per fan)

2) extra programmes will be sold , extra refreshments , extra car park revenue and extra taken in at the shop

why have empty seats when you can put bums on them and bring future Caley fans in

I seem to remember that in our last season in the SFL under 12s got into the Bridge End free. I don't see why the club could not reinstate this policy for our category "c" games (or however they class the matches against diddy clubs) like you say the extra revenue from refreshment and merchandise sales would surely justify the policy, if not it is bound to have a good effect in increasing the fanbase for the future.

[Scotty]

1. The economic climate is a big factor. Thats a no brainer. We have all heard credit crunch, the 'R' word (recession), and all sorts of other forecasts of doom and gloom. Football tends to come from most people's "disposable income" so when that is being disposed of before you get it ... there is a lot less to go around.

2. The club are doing nothing to entice fans. Whether it be personal issues with certain staff, the quality of the product on display (long ball hoof), or just the countless PR blunders we see each year, the club are - and have been - alienating themselves from the normal fans for quite some time. The permanent club shop is not a solution to all of this, but the lack of one is most definitely one of the outward symptoms of the contempt from some, and apathy from others, aimed towards fans.

I hope to be in Inverness for a visit soon, and right now I dont know if I can be bothered even looking at what game is on !!! That may not say much to you, and it is unlikely to have the club quaking in its boots but it is very telling to me personally.

Well, here we go again!!

CaleyD/Scotty - both their contributions are disappointing to me. Don, I accept, has an ongoing gripe with higher management at the club but I do believe it is the first time I have read Scotty being so down about the club.

Sorry to disappoint you !! but as I said in my post, I dont blame everything on the club - the current economic climate has a lot to do with it - but conversely, the club dont get off the hook either as I dont really see what they are doing to entice fans to the stadium or to participate in other ways.

Lets get the economic factors out of the way first ..... I think many would agree that the price of petrol, the dwindling amount of disposable income that people have, and just the general malaise that accompanies an economic downturn is definitely a big factor. We have a lot of fans who do not live in Inverness and many people are not prepared (or cannot justify) spending a fair bit of cash on petrol/food etc to travel long distances to watch the team. We have heard Mantis say it, we have heard others say it and I am sure there are others who feel the same even if they live in Inverness. Accompanying those economic fears are also fears over the performance level they will witness when they arrive and that is valid too.

Lets look at fans going to the game (be they Inverness based or if they have travelled to get here).

It costs ?25 for an adult for most games for the main stand and what are you guaranteed for that. In previous years you could be guaranteed a somewhat friendly atmosphere, the club actually talked to and not at its fans, you could release some of your humdrum day-to-day life frustrations by urging your team on to victory and in most cases you could do this without the threat of a banning order or heavy handed stewards. Because we were in the lower leagues we put up with sub-standard facilities such as the car park, the club shop, the serveries etc and concentrated more on watching what was for many years a very good product on the park itself. That was all that mattered. Pele, Robbo, Charlie, and in spells even Craig Brewster put out a team that made some of the other stuff bearable.

Fast forward to today, we are in the SPL so the club hands are tied somewhat in terms of certain rules they have to follow. I understand that they do have to be more strict about stewarding (but not to the point of oppression), they do have to be circumspect about some of the things they say on their website (as they can be held responsible), and they do have to be a lot more business-like in most areas (as the revenue streams depend on it). However, it seems to me that the SPL is a double edged sword. It is great to be in the top league in the country but our 'style' has suffered because of it. The 'entertainment' on the park is no longer as entertaining and people can have their own theories as to whether this is because of the manager's tactics, or because its a dogfight from day one and you do what you have to do to stay up knowing that the best most teams can ever hope to achieve is 3rd place.

I havent done this but I am sure if we looked back over these boards to certain posting dates, that the grumbling about other things is directly relative to who we were playing and what the final score was. When we have victories over the OF or play well there is far less negativity than when we lose at home to the likes of Hamilton (no disrespect intended). I have stood and applauded the team off the park on numerous occasions when we have lost but given 100%. I came to be entertained, and a hard working team that tries its best will always entertain me and have my respect regardless of a win or loss. However, when the team takes to the park and doesnt perform, or the tactics are wrong (long ball against tallest back line in the SPL for example) then I fail to be entertained.

When the entertainment level drops, people get grumpy and look around at what else is not right and you get the list of things we have seen on here, or people have talked about in pubs over a pint for years ... the stewarding, the car park, the shop, the serveries, etc. fixing these things will NOT fix the lack of entertainment on the park, but the fact that we are still talking about these inadequacies 10 or more years after they first surfaced is symptomatic of the problem in my opinion, and that problem is that the club have little regard for and are doing little or nothing to improve the matchday experience for fans.

I agree with those who say the shop staff are excellent. They ARE and I am sure they would be just as excellent in a permanent location and who knows, they might even feel more like a part of the staff if they werent bolted onto the outside of the stadium and actually worked inside it !!! Lets also not forget that we DID have an internal club shop at the stadium for a number of years so the move to what was supposed to be a temporary portacabin was actually a step backwards.

As for the car park, I still cant believe we havent figured that out since we moved to this stadium. I understand the lack of a tarred surface (its to do with keeping the rates down), but it baffles me as to why we have not got some proper idea of traffic flow in place. I regularly park near BMO field for TFC games and even with 20,000+ of a crowd, I am out of the car park and onto the highway within 15 minutes of the game ending, and thats in a downtown location with its already heavy non-football traffic.

I could also cite numerous examples of ideas (or promises even) that were sold to the fans over the years that were going to make it a nicer atmosphere. 10 or more years ago there were going to be TVs in the servery area so that fans could see HT scores from other games and also what was going on if the queues were too long and the game restarted before they got back to their seat. A number of times over the years the idea of a matchday pub has been floated as has a proper social club in the town centre that was neither Caley or Thistle. All in all, there has been very little return on any ideas sold to us.

Whilst I am writing this short novel, I may as well also add on my own personal bugbears which is the lack of consideration for those fans who may like to participate but cannot make it to the stadium on a matchday, and the lack of communication between club and fans.

• I would like to order things via the club shop online but the ridiculous p&p charges for overseas fans make it a non starter.
  
• I would like to buy a season ticket for audio/video coverage via the net, but ICT are one of 4 SPL teams who have no package available. 2 of that 4 are in the process of creating one if what I hear is true, so ICT will be 1 of 2 soon unless Hamilton also start one.
  
• As for communication, I think this is where the club fall down badly. Communication has virtually evaporated in recent years. We went from having a monthly Q&A from the boardroom to the current state where things are on the BBC or on here days before the club issue any statement. We have also seen examples of where directives are issued with no consultation with the fans. I understand that the club are forced to do certain things but as with a lot of things in life, the bitter pill can be easier to swallow if it is presented in the right fashion.
  

So all in all, yes, I do have a down on the club right now and I hope this rant is taken in the right context as the club can easily fix that 'down'.

I am still and always will be a fervent ICT supporter, I get up very early on a Saturday morning to try and establish a connection to audio for the game, I am an ambassador for the club over here and despite any misgivings I may have, I miss no opportunity to talk the club up to others who may not know of the club or its history. However, that does not mean that I have to be content with what I see as half arsed attempts at PR or development, or that I should just accept that we do not treat customers the way they should be treated. I want the club to improve on and off the park, I want the club to be a success, I want us all to come on here and praise both the team and the backroom staff to the hilt and I will do that if I think the club are making an effort .... its up to the club to show they are making that effort.

To finish on at least one positive note, I will say one thing on the communication front .... We have been asked by the Supporter's Trust if we have any copies of the old Boardroom Banter articles available (which we do) and I hope to send some examples of these to both the trust and Mike Smith at some point this week. Hopefully, this might be a sign that the club would be willing to work with both the trust and this website to try and rectify the communication issue. As one of two people involved in setting this up initially, I can definitely say that it was one thing that got almost universal praise when the club did it before and if they would like to co-operate with us in reinstating it then we would be delighted to do so so that we can turn all these frowns upside down

[FortressICT]

Sorry to disappoint you !! but as I said in my post, I dont blame everything on the club - the current economic climate has a lot to do with it - but conversely, the club dont get off the hook either as I dont really see what they are doing to entice fans to the stadium or to participate in other ways.

Lets get the economic factors out of the way first ..... I think many would agree that the price of petrol, the dwindling amount of disposable income that people have, and just the general malaise that accompanies an economic downturn is definitely a big factor. We have a lot of fans who do not live in Inverness and many people are not prepared (or cannot justify) spending a fair bit of cash on petrol/food etc to travel long distances to watch the team. We have heard Mantis say it, we have heard others say it and I am sure there are others who feel the same even if they live in Inverness. Accompanying those economic fears are also fears over the performance level they will witness when they arrive and that is valid too.

Lets look at fans going to the game (be they Inverness based or if they have travelled to get here).

It costs ?25 for an adult for most games for the main stand and what are you guaranteed for that. In previous years you could be guaranteed a somewhat friendly atmosphere, the club actually talked to and not at its fans, you could release some of your humdrum day-to-day life frustrations by urging your team on to victory and in most cases you could do this without the threat of a banning order or heavy handed stewards. Because we were in the lower leagues we put up with sub-standard facilities such as the car park, the club shop, the serveries etc and concentrated more on watching what was for many years a very good product on the park itself. That was all that mattered. Pele, Robbo, Charlie, and in spells even Craig Brewster put out a team that made some of the other stuff bearable.

Fast forward to today, we are in the SPL so the club hands are tied somewhat in terms of certain rules they have to follow. I understand that they do have to be more strict about stewarding (but not to the point of oppression), they do have to be circumspect about some of the things they say on their website (as they can be held responsible), and they do have to be a lot more business-like in most areas (as the revenue streams depend on it). However, it seems to me that the SPL is a double edged sword. It is great to be in the top league in the country but our 'style' has suffered because of it. The 'entertainment' on the park is no longer as entertaining and people can have their own theories as to whether this is because of the manager's tactics, or because its a dogfight from day one and you do what you have to do to stay up knowing that the best most teams can ever hope to achieve is 3rd place.

I havent done this but I am sure if we looked back over these boards to certain posting dates, that the grumbling about other things is directly relative to who we were playing and what the final score was. When we have victories over the OF or play well there is far less negativity than when we lose at home to the likes of Hamilton (no disrespect intended). I have stood and applauded the team off the park on numerous occasions when we have lost but given 100%. I came to be entertained, and a hard working team that tries its best will always entertain me and have my respect regardless of a win or loss. However, when the team takes to the park and doesnt perform, or the tactics are wrong (long ball against tallest back line in the SPL for example) then I fail to be entertained.

When the entertainment level drops, people get grumpy and look around at what else is not right and you get the list of things we have seen on here, or people have talked about in pubs over a pint for years ... the stewarding, the car park, the shop, the serveries, etc. fixing these things will NOT fix the lack of entertainment on the park, but the fact that we are still talking about these inadequacies 10 or more years after they first surfaced is symptomatic of the problem in my opinion, and that problem is that the club have little regard for and are doing little or nothing to improve the matchday experience for fans.

I agree with those who say the shop staff are excellent. They ARE and I am sure they would be just as excellent in a permanent location and who knows, they might even feel more like a part of the staff if they werent bolted onto the outside of the stadium and actually worked inside it !!! Lets also not forget that we DID have an internal club shop at the stadium for a number of years so the move to what was supposed to be a temporary portacabin was actually a step backwards.

As for the car park, I still cant believe we havent figured that out since we moved to this stadium. I understand the lack of a tarred surface (its to do with keeping the rates down), but it baffles me as to why we have not got some proper idea of traffic flow in place. I regularly park near BMO field for TFC games and even with 20,000+ of a crowd, I am out of the car park and onto the highway within 15 minutes of the game ending, and thats in a downtown location with its already heavy non-football traffic.

I could also cite numerous examples of ideas (or promises even) that were sold to the fans over the years that were going to make it a nicer atmosphere. 10 or more years ago there were going to be TVs in the servery area so that fans could see HT scores from other games and also what was going on if the queues were too long and the game restarted before they got back to their seat. A number of times over the years the idea of a matchday pub has been floated as has a proper social club in the town centre that was neither Caley or Thistle. All in all, there has been very little return on any ideas sold to us.

Whilst I am writing this short novel, I may as well also add on my own personal bugbears which is the lack of consideration for those fans who may like to participate but cannot make it to the stadium on a matchday, and the lack of communication between club and fans.

• I would like to order things via the club shop online but the ridiculous p&p charges for overseas fans make it a non starter.
  
• I would like to buy a season ticket for audio/video coverage via the net, but ICT are one of 4 SPL teams who have no package available. 2 of that 4 are in the process of creating one if what I hear is true, so ICT will be 1 of 2 soon unless Hamilton also start one.
  
• As for communication, I think this is where the club fall down badly. Communication has virtually evaporated in recent years. We went from having a monthly Q&A from the boardroom to the current state where things are on the BBC or on here days before the club issue any statement. We have also seen examples of where directives are issued with no consultation with the fans. I understand that the club are forced to do certain things but as with a lot of things in life, the bitter pill can be easier to swallow if it is presented in the right fashion.
  

So all in all, yes, I do have a down on the club right now and I hope this rant is taken in the right context as the club can easily fix that 'down'.

I am still and always will be a fervent ICT supporter, I get up very early on a Saturday morning to try and establish a connection to audio for the game, I am an ambassador for the club over here and despite any misgivings I may have, I miss no opportunity to talk the club up to others who may not know of the club or its history. However, that does not mean that I have to be content with what I see as half arsed attempts at PR or development, or that I should just accept that we do not treat customers the way they should be treated. I want the club to improve on and off the park, I want the club to be a success, I want us all to come on here and praise both the team and the backroom staff to the hilt and I will do that if I think the club are making an effort .... its up to the club to show they are making that effort.

To finish on at least one positive note, I will say one thing on the communication front .... We have been asked by the Supporter's Trust if we have any copies of the old Boardroom Banter articles available (which we do) and I hope to send some examples of these to both the trust and Mike Smith at some point this week. Hopefully, this might be a sign that the club would be willing to work with both the trust and this website to try and rectify the communication issue. As one of two people involved in setting this up initially, I can definitely say that it was one thing that got almost universal praise when the club did it before and if they would like to co-operate with us in reinstating it then we would be delighted to do so so that we can turn all these frowns upside down

Superb post, agree with everything you have said.

Edited August 25, 2008 by roscoe23

[SMEE]

1722 words in your novel there Scotty. Is this the longest post ever?

[SMEE]

When I posted my original reply, blaming it on the price....I did have other thoughts which i didnt want to share for fear of ppl jumping down my throat for being negative. But its good to see many others suffer the same ills.

I have on many occasions left TCS feeling short changed on value for money thro sub standard football by my team.

The car park debacle is another reason to add to an already bad experience

The standard of food on offer seems to be another area which causes disatisfaction.

Little Hitlers disguised as Stewards is another widely aknowledged bug bear.

All these factors taken into consideration, over a space of two hrs on a Saturday afternoon, all add up to a very unpleasant experience, especially when your paying through the nose for the privilage!

[chris123]

Rough with the smooth people, we're happy to turn up in our droves when the club are succesful, yet if things aren't going to plan, we decide the club are no longer good enough for us and decide not to go.

The prices are a disgrace though, particularly for the quality of football on show.

Edited August 25, 2008 by chris123

[Guest birdog]

Rough with the smooth people, we're happy to turn up in our droves when the club are succesful, yet if things aren't going to plan, we decide the club are no longer good enough for us and decide not to go.

Exactly the reasons that any disposable income the club have would be better channeled into the team, after all the football played on the park is the product we pay for, rather than amenities. The glory hunter's money is just as valuable as ours and I am sure that we have picked up a good few fair weather fans just through our promotion to the top flight. Glory hunters are in it for the results not the standard of pies or the construction qualities of merchandise outlets.

[Jay_7]

The choice for me is spend ?300 for a season ticket that I can guarantee will result in a lot of Saturday evenings spent being angry and frustrated by sub-standard football, or spend ?380 on a years subscription to a golf course which will see me get much more enjoyment out of my Saturday afternoon. It's a no brainer for me I'm afraid.

Just to see what I was missing out on, I decided to tune into Saturdays game for a while. After hearing numerous mentions of "posession given away" and "long and hopeful ball" I soon switched the radio off.

All I intend to do now is watch for the results at 5pm and then come on here to look at folk like Wanderer tell us that if we're in the SPL we should be grateful.

[luvgravy]

The prices are a disgrace though, particularly for the quality of football on show.

IMHO, it has to do with entertainment. Cost plays a role too. As budgets get tighter, people will start evaluating their entertainment quotient vs. how much they're spending for it.

Novelty only takes you so far and if you're not providing value for the entertainment dollar, you won't keep people in the stands.

[Joonya]

I must agree with SMEE that if people are paying upwards of ?70-80 quid for 2 hours at a game with their families, the club should be doing more to provide better facilites, aswell as CB and the team producing better football.

From what i heard of saturdays match, we played well for much of the match yet seemed to be cancelled out by hibs. End to End stuff by all accounts? Had i been there I would perhaps be satisfied with the money spent.

we're 3 matches into the new campaign and have a cup run to begin midweek - let get behind the team, win loose or draw.

[MorayJaggie]

if this is about loss of crowds and not money there , is a way to increase the crowds and make a few pounds.

1) give out about 500 free tiuckets for kids when an adult purchases a ticket

this should cost nothing ( depending on the policing part per fan)

2) extra programmes will be sold , extra refreshments , extra car park revenue and extra taken in at the shop

why have empty seats when you can put bums on them and bring future Caley fans in

The policing cost should not be affetced the club have to have 1 cop for every 1000 spectators so if you add the cost of half a cop for the extra 500 tickets even on overtime its about ?50.

[MorayJaggie]

I did see at the end of the game on Saturday two of the stewards at the turnstiles between the main stand and North stand pickinh on two groups of ten year old boys telling them to stand back from the raillings but yet they didn't go near the adults. Can anyone tell me is this a group 4 security policy to bully kids?

[caley100]

The choice for me is spend ?300 for a season ticket that I can guarantee will result in a lot of Saturday evenings spent being angry and frustrated by sub-standard football, or spend ?380 on a years subscription to a golf course which will see me get much more enjoyment out of my Saturday afternoon. It's a no brainer for me I'm afraid.

Just to see what I was missing out on, I decided to tune into Saturdays game for a while. After hearing numerous mentions of "posession given away" and "long and hopeful ball" I soon switched the radio off.

All I intend to do now is watch for the results at 5pm and then come on here to look at folk like Wanderer tell us that if we're in the SPL we should be grateful.

Real fans turn out to support the club , being a supporter means turning out no matter what i'm afraid.

If golf is your thing fair enough, but when we get to play Rangers at home in the Cup i bet you will be looking for a ticket.

[Scotty]

Regardless of my criticism of the club, If i were still in Inverness, I would still be a season ticket holder.

It would not stop me criticising where I felt it was warranted, but some of the things I highlighted, while not good, would not stop me going to most of the games. When I next visit, i will still go to the game no doubt, despite earlier comments to the contrary

[SMEE]

but when we get to play Rangers at home in the Cup i bet you will be looking for a ticket.

You reckon we are gonna beat Arbroath like?