"The ICT Thread - From the Premiership to the Seaside"

[PB1994]

18 minutes ago, madton said:

5 in 5 for him now.

Amazed you let him go to a playoff rival.

He was awful for us this season on the rare occasion he got a game. How much of that was down to being played out wide/Dodds tactics? Who knows but he needed a move and it suited us too.

 

[Juanjo Nostalgia]

33 minutes ago, madton said:

5 in 5 for him now.

Amazed you let him go to a playoff rival.

Our playoff rivals are Arbroath, Cove and Hamilton.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, ICTChris said:

Ryan Christie was Young Player of the Year and went on to play for Scotland, in the a champions League and is now playing in the Premiership. I doubt there are many clubs our size who have a youth product that good.

How many have we produced though? How many good young players have come through and been in the picture for the first team? Let’s look at it. Here’s how many youth products have had more than ten starts in each season for the last 20. I’m counting players who played for our youth teams before coming into the first team - so Ross Tokely doesn’t count even though he played with us from 16, for example. Also not including re-signings so Daniel Mackay doesn’t count this season.

2002/03 - 1 (Grant Munro). 

2003/04 - 0

2004/05 - 1 (Grant Munro)

2005/06 - 1 (Grant Munro)

2006/07 - 2 (Michael Fraser, Grant Munro)

2007/08 - 2 (Michael Fraser, Grant Munro)

2008/09 - 3 (Michael Fraser, Grant Munro, Garry Wood)

2009/10 - 1 (Grant Munro)

2010/11 - 4 (Grant Munro, Nick Ross, Graeme Shinnie, Shane Sutherland)

2011/12 - 3 (Nick Ross, Graeme Shinnie, Shane Sutherland)

2012/13 - 1 (Graeme Shinnie)

2013/14 - 2 (Nick Ross, Graeme Shinnie)

2014/15 - 3 (Ryan Christie, Nick Ross, Graeme Shinnie)

2015/16 - 2 (Ryan Christie, Liam Polworth)

2016/17 - 1 (Liam Polworth )

2017/18 - 2 (Liam Polworth)

2018/19 - 1 (Liam Polworth)

2019/20 - 1 (Roddy MacGregor)

2020/21 - 3 (Cameron Harper, Roddy MacGregor, Daniel Mackay)

2021/22 - 1 (Roddy MacGregor)

2022/23 - 2 (Cameron Harper, Lewis Hyde)

 

Harper started 10+ last season and Roddy MacGregor started 10+ this season? 
 

 

[ICTChris]

2 hours ago, NorthStand10 said:

Harper started 10+ last season and Roddy MacGregor started 10+ this season? 
 

 

I was only doing league games.

[Highland Capital]

I see a certain former(?) fan has reappeared trying to flog the cup final flag again. Obviously no takers from when he last try to sell it for a grand. 

[PB1994]

9 minutes ago, Highland Capital said:

I see a certain former(?) fan has reappeared trying to flog the cup final flag again. Obviously no takers from when he last try to sell it for a grand. 

How much is he looking for this time?

[Highland Capital]

7 minutes ago, PB1994 said:

How much is he looking for this time?

Trying to raffle it off for his Strictly Inverness participation. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by Highland Capital

[Otis Blue]

On 04/03/2023 at 10:41, virginton said:

Half of the towns you mention either can't sustain it reliably. Airdrie and Ayr have bobbed around full/part time status - current full time efforts are not being supported by the fanbase alone but also some backing. Morton were in an abysmal financial state just 18 months ago - the fan ownership scheme and partnership with an outside company has steadied the ship, but there will be tougher times ahead. Queens' attempts at sustaining full-time football have been rather pointless given the results it has delivered.

Inverness' recent history has of course been far more successful (an asset - though of depreciating value) but the fundamentals for a struggling team reduced to its core fanbase are not good. Ground in the middle of nowhere, plenty of incomers and long-time bigot fans - it's not too dissimilar to Stirling Albion, who have never tapped into the local market with any success. 

Yes, I don't think we are disagreeing here.  My point (probably poorly made) was really that towns of the size listed can pretty well only just about maintain a full-time basis on attendances alone - more financial input is required to actually make an upwards impact on the league.  That said, I'm always hopeful that the larger towns (irrespective of location) will be successful in supporting the game up here - I'm not convinced that the new arrival of the "funded village sides" ultimately add that much to our game.  We can't compare our game with the likes of that down south where England has heaps of towns in the 80-100,000 population bracket - we have only a handful (outside of the four proper cities), and its important for them to feature in our game I think.

As for the bigot fan thing - sadly, they're everywhere and Inverness isn't the only town tarred with that dark brush - even Dumfries is full of them.

[CityDave94]

One of the sad facts about Inverness is how staunch the place is. Probably more staunch population per person than anywhere else in Scotland that has a club in the SPFL, even Glasgow, if that makes sense.

Who was it that said when you walk about the city center you wouldn't know the city had a football team?

 

 

[BucksburnDandy]

2 hours ago, approximately dave said:

One of the sad facts about Inverness is how staunch the place is. Probably more staunch population per person than anywhere else in Scotland that has a club in the SPFL, even Glasgow, if that makes sense.

Who was it that said when you walk about the city center you wouldn't know the city had a football team?

 

 

It wasn't me but as an outsider to Inverness, both these points feel spot on. The amount of **** in Inverness and surrounds is mental, it is very much a *** town.

 

You would not have a clue that Inverness has a professional football team, let alone one that was competing in the top tier of Scottish football not so many years ago. It feels like Ross County have a bigger presence in the area than Caley Thistle, not only on the Black Isle but in the town. It may just be me but where are the community efforts?

 

It feels to this outsider as if Inverness are 5th out of Scottish teams in their own town after the Ugly Sisters, County and my own mob.

[tamthebam]

11 minutes ago, BucksburnDandy said:

It wasn't me but as an outsider to Inverness, both these points feel spot on. The amount of **** in Inverness and surrounds is mental, it is very much a *** town.

 

You would not have a clue that Inverness has a professional football team, let alone one that was competing in the top tier of Scottish football not so many years ago. It feels like Ross County have a bigger presence in the area than Caley Thistle, not only on the Black Isle but in the town. It may just be me but where are the community efforts?

 

It feels to this outsider as if Inverness are 5th out of Scottish teams in their own town after the Ugly Sisters, County and my own mob.

Back in the day Inverness Caley were known as the Highland you know whats and they weren't particularly popular amongst fans of other HL clubs. 

Probably jealousy... 

[CityDave94]

7 hours ago, tamthebam said:

Back in the day Inverness Caley were known as the Highland you know whats and they weren't particularly popular amongst fans of other HL clubs. 

Probably jealousy... 

Caley were the Dalneigh area of the town's football team and as you probably already know in non league football the HL no exception that there was always room for a football supporter to also support a big team. There were a few exceptions like myself but with Caley the popular choice within the club itself and supporters was Rangers, 'blue is the colour'. So when the merger was inevitable many of the most outspoken voices understandably came from Dalneigh, and most of these supporters rejected the new club after the merger and focussed entirely on their big team since their community club had died. In the HL today Clach still see themselves as the Merkinch community club first before any idea of representing Inverness. Nowadays the effect of the merger on ICT seems less and less relevant as the years pass and it gets forgotten that many games back in the late 80's and early 90's for both Caley and Thistle were in the mid and lower hundreds not thousands as some would make believe. HL attendences were dying on its arse back then even with Inverness teams, County, Elgin and Peterhead in the league, supporters preferred watching their big team on TV, Sky etc which was becoming a big thing back then. Saw it myself, how in the early 80's a big game against fierce rivals Elgin City would practically fill the ground and the Howden End would be bouncing, 10 years later same game lucky if we got more than 400.

btw Elgin is a very staunch place. Less likely to be a conflict of interest between supporting City and a big team, plus they are all confirmed big Tories over there.

Inverness itself having grown so fast over the last 50-60 years isn't going to suddenly produce football fans for ICT. These settlers many of them from the central belt will or have taken their choice of support with them which is part of and or ingrained into their culture along with their offspring are brought up as football fans of either arsecheek, baggage included and will show contempt for supporters of the local club not understanding what motivates a football fan into supporting a team that is not either Rangers or Celtic, doesn't play in Europe every season and doesn't win 99% of all their domestic games. Many of them don't even go to football matches and would rather sit on their couches at home or sit in some pub along with like minded Invernesians cheering on their team as they pump St. Mirren or Kilmarnock 6-0 for the umpteenth time and sing their bigot songs at the TV. Supporters who do not support either Rangers or Celtic are more likely to go to games to watch their team.

 

[CityDave94]

9 hours ago, BucksburnDandy said:

It wasn't me but as an outsider to Inverness, both these points feel spot on. The amount of **** in Inverness and surrounds is mental, it is very much a *** town.

 

You would not have a clue that Inverness has a professional football team, let alone one that was competing in the top tier of Scottish football not so many years ago. It feels like Ross County have a bigger presence in the area than Caley Thistle, not only on the Black Isle but in the town. It may just be me but where are the community efforts?

 

It feels to this outsider as if Inverness are 5th out of Scottish teams in their own town after the Ugly Sisters, County and my own mob.

6th, behind Legia Warsaw.

[mcjameos]

1 hour ago, approximately dave said:

Caley were the Dalneigh area of the town's football team and as you probably already know in non league football the HL no exception that there was always room for a football supporter to also support a big team. There were a few exceptions like myself but with Caley the popular choice within the club itself and supporters was Rangers, 'blue is the colour'. So when the merger was inevitable many of the most outspoken voices understandably came from Dalneigh, and most of these supporters rejected the new club after the merger and focussed entirely on their big team since their community club had died. In the HL today Clach still see themselves as the Merkinch community club first before any idea of representing Inverness. Nowadays the effect of the merger on ICT seems less and less relevant as the years pass and it gets forgotten that many games back in the late 80's and early 90's for both Caley and Thistle were in the mid and lower hundreds not thousands as some would make believe. HL attendences were dying on its arse back then even with Inverness teams, County, Elgin and Peterhead in the league, supporters preferred watching their big team on TV, Sky etc which was becoming a big thing back then. Saw it myself, how in the early 80's a big game against fierce rivals Elgin City would practically fill the ground and the Howden End would be bouncing, 10 years later same game lucky if we got more than 400.

btw Elgin is a very staunch place. Less likely to be a conflict of interest between supporting City and a big team, plus they are all confirmed big Tories over there.

Inverness itself having grown so fast over the last 50-60 years isn't going to suddenly produce football fans for ICT. These settlers many of them from the central belt will or have taken their choice of support with them which is part of and or ingrained into their culture along with their offspring are brought up as football fans of either arsecheek, baggage included and will show contempt for supporters of the local club not understanding what motivates a football fan into supporting a team that is not either Rangers or Celtic, doesn't play in Europe every season and doesn't win 99% of all their domestic games. Many of them don't even go to football matches and would rather sit on their couches at home or sit in some pub along with like minded Invernesians cheering on their team as they pump St. Mirren or Kilmarnock 6-0 for the umpteenth time and sing their bigot songs at the TV. Supporters who do not support either Rangers or Celtic are more likely to go to games to watch their team.

 

Interesting post. Was not aware that the embarrassment of sectarianism extended beyond the central belt in any serious way. 

[Comrie]

11 hours ago, BucksburnDandy said:

It wasn't me but as an outsider to Inverness, both these points feel spot on. The amount of **** in Inverness and surrounds is mental, it is very much a *** town.

 

You would not have a clue that Inverness has a professional football team, let alone one that was competing in the top tier of Scottish football not so many years ago. It feels like Ross County have a bigger presence in the area than Caley Thistle, not only on the Black Isle but in the town. It may just be me but where are the community efforts?

 

It feels to this outsider as if Inverness are 5th out of Scottish teams in their own town after the Ugly Sisters, County and my own mob.

I legit see more County tops in Inverness than Caley ones. It's not a great number by any means, but County have done a slightly better job getting a slight crack in the massively pro-Rangers fanbase up here than Caley have.

[SandyCromarty]

Football success breeds fans, seasons floundering in the Championship and especially terrible winless runs in the last two seasons will not motivate fans to get off their arses on a cold January Saturday to watch mediocrity.

Presently we are in stuck in a football revolving door going nowhere.

Hopefully a win this Friday will give the club some impetus and much needed income to invest in players and NOT in unnecessary wasteful salaries.

[SandyCromarty]

7 minutes ago, mcjameos said:

Interesting post. Was not aware that the embarrassment of sectarianism extended beyond the central belt in any serious way. 

I personally don't see active sectarianism, re Rangers and Celtic, here in the Highlands as a fervent Catholic/Protestant divide, there may be a minority that may wish to promote it but basically the support for the two Glasgow teams are based on their long footballing success not their religious background which is so evident especially in Glasgow.

[TheScarf]

County having more fans in Inverness than The Caley do is some take.

[TheScarf]

23 minutes ago, SandyCromarty said:

Football success breeds fans, seasons floundering in the Championship and especially terrible winless runs in the last two seasons will not motivate fans to get off their arses on a cold January Saturday to watch mediocrity.

Presently we are in stuck in a football revolving door going nowhere.

Hopefully a win this Friday will give the club some impetus and much needed income to invest in players and NOT in unnecessary wasteful salaries.

Indeed, when Rangers died and the new club had to start again in the old 3rd Division, you didn't see a Rangers top in Inverness anywhere.  There seems to be some misconception with a lot of The Caley fans that we're the only club in the world who loses fans when we aren't doing well.  

[Central Belt Caley]

8 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

County having more fans in Inverness than The Caley do is some take.