If we're relegated

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

If we go down this season do you think we would bounce back straight away or would we end up as a 1st Division side like Dundee, Partick etc.?

I think we would struggle big time to get back out of the 1st division at the first attempt.

[stevico1]

If we go down this season do you think we would bounce back straight away or would we end up as a 1st Division side like Dundee, Partick etc.?

I think we would struggle big time to get back out of the 1st division at the first attempt.

the first division is a tough league and if we did happen to go down I dont think we would automatically bounce back up, there are some teams down there of similar size to ourselves, however I dont think we will go down

[TheresNoEsInBlack]

If we go back down to the 1st division we might NEVER get back up. Let's not even think about that and stay positive for this season.

[Alex MacLeod]

Who was the last team to go back up and when? I think it was Hibs

[RiG]

Who was the last team to go back up and when? I think it was Hibs

I think you are correct Alex.

Make no mistake it would be a disaster if ICT got relegated and we would seriously struggle to get back. I always laugh at those saying they want to return to SFL1. The SPL might be getting somewhat mundane now after 4/5 seasons but it is the ONLY place to be in Scottish Football. Especially for a team like ICT.

[Tug]

Who was the last team to go back up and when? I think it was Hibs

I think you are correct Alex.

Make no mistake it would be a disaster if ICT got relegated and we would seriously struggle to get back. I always laugh at those saying they want to return to SFL1. The SPL might be getting somewhat mundane now after 4/5 seasons but it is the ONLY place to be in Scottish Football. Especially for a team like ICT.

personally i think we would struggle badly to get back up at the first attempt. i also think we wolud lose some talent if we went too.

on the silver linng side the season tickets would be cheaper

[Kingsmills]

History would seem to dictate that, despite the benifit of the parachute payment, it's notoriously difficult for teams to bounce straight back up to the SPL.

[AJS]

I really don't want to even think about going down as it would be a disaster, financially and for the squad.

[+Gringo]

Relegation would definitely be a disaster for our club. Yes, we have succeeded before in the lower divisions but I doubt we'd cope again. Relegation would see the squad being decimated and there would, almost certainly, be a return to part-time football. It doesn't bare thinking about.

[Ronaldo]

We're not going to get relegated

[Glebeict]

On the bright side ,at least the 1st div is a real league that any of the teams can win.

Not like the SPL which only one of two teams can win.

I know I would have a hard time spending money to attend the SPL ( not competitive ).

[absent friend]

Just imagine watching, from the terracing, maybe three of the current team plus eight wannabees or over the hill exSPL players, on a cold afternoon playing against another team of 'not made it/past it players'. Relegation is really something to look forward to, eh!

But wait, you can stand, mingle with the opposition and enjoy all these wee parks and guess what, it costs less!! Magic!!

County meantime are playing in the SPL and we are not a bit jealous because they are having to pay FULL price to watch a sprinkling of international players in the teams they are playing and guess what, we are 6th in the 1st Division and they are only 7th in the SPL.

How you must yearn for the OLD days to come back - it was not the excitement of getting up through the leagues into the SPL that was experienced, it was the thrill of attending the games played in the lower divisions.

AYE RIGHT!!

Water, well and dry comes to mind. Enjoy this moment as it may not last but at least we have made it and even have a chance of upsetting one half of the old firm this week.

All the supporters in the leagues below us would love to be in our position as would the players and Boards of each team.

Read on here the different posters stating that they long for the lower divisions where it was more friendly - no stewards etc and how they would return and support the team if we were relegated but will not turn out now - and accept it for what it is, the nostalgia of the memory of fighting the way into the big boys league.

This is the anti-climax where we have to consolidate for a few years after all our success, feel our way and move forward within the constraints which are indubitably ours.

The only way is up!!!

[BornCaley]

On the bright side ,at least the 1st div is a real league that any of the teams can win.

Not like the SPL which only one of two teams can win.

I know I would have a hard time spending money to attend the SPL ( not competitive ).

I agree relegation would be a disaster, despite Div 1 being more competitive. However to comment on the above

only 2 teams can win because of the other 10 teams, the SPL, SFA and the Media

It would be a disaster for the SPL, SFA & the media if a team outside the OF won the title, so there is no real point in the other 10 teams being in the SPL apart from financially...although i would hate is to go down

I know others will disagree entirely with what ive said, but its out there now!

[Scotty]

Relegation would be a financial disaster for the club and even with the parachute payments it would still be extremely tough. You just need to look at who has gone down in recent years and how many of them bounced straight back .... not many eh?

The first division, is, in my opinion, the hardest division to get out of. You have many teams who can win it, and its usually pretty tight. A good team from one season can suddenly become relegation fodder the next, or vice versa. Just look at QOS, struggling to avoid relegation for the last couple of seasons, they have not made huge changes yet are proudly sitting atop the division this season. St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Livingston, Partick, Dundee ... all former Premier League teams, and County, Clyde, Airdrie and Morton all have their own pedigrees. Dundee could be in danger of relegation and I think we could all concede that many of these teams just a few years ago would easily be regarded as far "bigger" than ICT. I certainly do not class Dundee as a Div2 team ...

The "pros" of Div 1 are certainly there. More competitive games, more competitive league, terracing, lower ticket costs, etc but there are also a lot of "cons". Huge drop in revenue from the league and from advertisers and sponsors, leading to lower wage budget, leading to having to offload some players and replace with "lesser" players. Less or no media coverage on BBC via live text or audio commentaries, less interest all round basically.

As much as we moan at the SPL, I agree with those that say it is the only place to be. We have to fight hard to maintain our position in the country's top league, anything else should be seen as the same nostalgic folly that we point out when former Caley or Thistle supporters come on here and talk of life in the Highland League. Yes it was fun, yes it brings good memories, but memories don't pay the bills and you have to move on. ICT have moved on (and up) and we have to try and make sure we do not take that step back.

I agree that the SPL is predictable in many respects, especially with regards to knowing which teams are likely to finish in the top two spots. I don't have the answer, but I would like to see Scottish football re-organised in some fashion so that it is a better product. Perhaps an expanded SPL without the OF, and regional leagues/pyramid system below the top two divisions - much like Sweden. or maybe we need to 'handicap' the OF in some way so that the league gets more competitive. We certainly need to drag some teams up by the bootstraps and remind them that although Football is a business, it is also supposed to be entertainment ....

[Kingsmills]

Hibs are the only team to manage to come straight back up since the inception of the SPL and they were backed, even in the First Division, by crowds which never fell below five figures as a result of which they had massively greater resourses than any other team in that league.

We would be far from having that sort of advantage and would be much more likely to follow the fortunes, or more accurately, misfortunes, of the likes of St Johnstone, Dundee, Partick and Livingston.

That's why it's important that we address the shotcomings that we have this season next season will be too late. It's especially important that we retain our SPL for next season with the large increase in TV revenue about to kick in.

[StockholmSyndrome]

As has been pointed out, relegation would be a disaster for the club's finances. Unfortunately though, life in the SPL isn't exactly a bed of roses either. One thing that's bothered me for a long time is that being in this league is no fun, for a number of reasons. This is probably one of the least competitive leagues in the world and the monotony really gets to you after a while. I really miss the fun days out we used to have visiting all sorts of grounds all over Scotland and being able to mix with other fans inside the ground. Unfortunately, however, if we want our club to survive in its present form, the SPL is what we're stuck with.