"The ICT Thread - The Championship Years"

[Juanhourjoe]

1 hour ago, NorthStand10 said:

John Robertson was scouting a player in either Scunthorpe or Scarborough, can’t remember which. 

Young lad Cameron Wilson at Scunthorpe, was on loan to Scarborough. Possibly who you're hearing. Can play right wing too, a position we definitely need. 

[SandyCromarty]

Just now, Juanhourjoe said:

Young lad Cameron Wilson at Scunthorpe, was on loan to Scarborough. Possibly who you're hearing. Can play right wing too, a position we definitely need. 

If he's been injured for the last six months or has a wooden leg he'll be a shoe in.

Edited June 21, 2023 by SandyCromarty

[The Mantis]

1 hour ago, SandyCromarty said:

If he's been injured for the last six months or has a wooden leg he'll be a shoe in.

I hope the club does the due diligence on which leg. Wouldn’t want to waste money on the wrong shoe.

[TheScarf]

Again, we can only sign young players with no wifes/kids who don't mind moving to Inverness for a couple of years, or guys other clubs know are permacrocks and won't touch with a bargepole.

It's a pretty dire state of affairs, the club know they'll be spunking much needed cash for others areas of the clubs finances on guys who will be sat in the stand watching for months at a time.  It's terrible investments and ones that see us comfortably mid table with next to no chance of promotion.

[PB1994]

12 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

Again, we can only sign young players with no wifes/kids who don't mind moving to Inverness for a couple of years, or guys other clubs know are permacrocks and won't touch with a bargepole.

It's a pretty dire state of affairs, the club know they'll be spunking much needed cash for others areas of the clubs finances on guys who will be sat in the stand watching for months at a time.  It's terrible investments and ones that see us comfortably mid table with next to no chance of promotion.

I think this is something we are going to have to get used to. We can’t keep losing £800k plus a year. Whoever is covering those losses will eventually, and probably quite soon, come to the point where it’s not worth it to them anymore or they no longer have the cash to do it.

We need to start trying to be sustainable and that will mean jobbing about mid table with an occasional shot at the playoffs and probably a few relegation battles.

All this talk of the premiership from Gardiner is statements really needs to stop. I’d much rather have a club to support for the next 30-40 years than going bust chasing a place in the premiership.

[TheScarf]

16 minutes ago, PB1994 said:

I think this is something we are going to have to get used to. We can’t keep losing £800k plus a year. Whoever is covering those losses will eventually, and probably quite soon, come to the point where it’s not worth it to them anymore or they no longer have the cash to do it.

We need to start trying to be sustainable and that will mean jobbing about mid table with an occasional shot at the playoffs and probably a few relegation battles.

All this talk of the premiership from Gardiner is statements really needs to stop. I’d much rather have a club to support for the next 30-40 years than going bust chasing a place in the premiership.

The frustration comes from the clear indication that we're going backwards.  These losses are there but we have nothing to show for it. Like you say, I'd rather the club were on a more sound financial footing, than spunking money on jobbers like Billy Dodds, a man who is never getting The Caley promoted in 10 lifetimes.  If we had lost 800k but been promoted, far enough, we'll make that back and a lot more in just 1 season in the Premiership.

It's the losses and the jobber squad and manager that fucks me off.  If you're going to make a loss, at least do it signing decent players and get something out of it ffs.

Edit - I'm not advocating for the club to spend without their means, I don't agree with it, it's moronic but if you're going to, fucking be better than 6th in the Championship eh?

Edited June 22, 2023 by TheScarf

[Central Belt Caley]

Bring back scouting extraordinaire Steve Marsella to uncover some lower league gems I say 

[PB1994]

1 hour ago, TheScarf said:

The frustration comes from the clear indication that we're going backwards.  These losses are there but we have nothing to show for it. Like you say, I'd rather the club were on a more sound financial footing, than spunking money on jobbers like Billy Dodds, a man who is never getting The Caley promoted in 10 lifetimes.  If we had lost 800k but been promoted, far enough, we'll make that back and a lot more in just 1 season in the Premiership.

It's the losses and the jobber squad and manager that fucks me off.  If you're going to make a loss, at least do it signing decent players and get something out of it ffs.

Edit - I'm not advocating for the club to spend without their means, I don't agree with it, it's moronic but if you're going to, fucking be better than 6th in the Championship eh?

Oh yeah, I agree with you, and wasn’t suggesting you were saying we should be spending money we don’t have.

Since we clearly have been doing that though 6th in the championship is nowhere near good enough. The last 2 seasons were a golden opportunity and we fucked it.

[TheScarf]

4 minutes ago, PB1994 said:

Oh yeah, I agree with you, and wasn’t suggesting you were saying we should be spending money we don’t have.

Since we clearly have been doing that though 6th in the championship is nowhere near good enough. The last 2 seasons were a golden opportunity and we fucked it.

Indeed.  You either have the club financially sound and accept it's position in the pyramid, or you 'go for it' and take the financial loss that comes with it but actually achieve something.  It needs to be one or the other.  Making these losses and going backwards on the park is mental.

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, TheScarf said:

Indeed.  You either have the club financially sound and accept it's position in the pyramid, or you 'go for it' and take the financial loss that comes with it but actually achieve something.  It needs to be one or the other.  Making these losses and going backwards on the park is mental.

 

We have to pay more for the same players compared to central belt clubs which explains the higher costs and non spectacular results. The losses don’t necessarily mean we went for it.
 

IIRC the losses have been relatively consistent around 800K if you exclude the covid loans / payments. I suspect that’s the figure to achieve our goals of minimum 4th place, if you see a substantial higher loss assume we’ve went for it.

[TheScarf]

1 hour ago, NorthStand10 said:

We have to pay more for the same players compared to central belt clubs which explains the higher costs and non spectacular results. The losses don’t necessarily mean we went for it.
 

IIRC the losses have been relatively consistent around 800K if you exclude the covid loans / payments. I suspect that’s the figure to achieve our goals of minimum 4th place, if you see a substantial higher loss assume we’ve went for it.

We haven't went for it and still got those losses.  That's the point.  If we've made big losses and signed proven Championship winners in the last 3/4 years, say guys released from County, United, Killie and won the league, then fair do's.  However we don't do that, we spunk money we can't afford on unproven youngsters and permacrocks, managed by a guy who's never a coach in a million years,  which see us finish in the bottom half of the Championship.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, NorthStand10 said:

We have to pay more for the same players compared to central belt clubs which explains the higher costs and non spectacular results. 
 

 

28 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

We haven't went for it and still got those losses.  

I think the points been made. We have to spend more than other clubs just to get folk up here, hence the higher costs. Unfortunately young players, good players with a history of injuries and loans are our market and we know why - budget and geographical issues. 
 

I rightly or wrongly took from your post your suggestion is start signing proven championship winners? I wonder if the clubs ever considered that? We have on occasion but it seldom happens, highlighting how difficult it is. 
 

 

 

 

 

[TheScarf]

9 minutes ago, NorthStand10 said:

 

I think the points been made. We have to spend more than other clubs just to get folk up here, hence the higher costs. Unfortunately young players, good players with a history of injuries and loans are our market and we know why - budget and geographical issues. 
 

I rightly or wrongly took from your post your suggestion is start signing proven championship winners? I wonder if the clubs ever considered that? We have on occasion but it seldom happens, highlighting how difficult it is. 
 

 

 

 

 

I think we half tried it in 21-22 with the signing of McKay, Gardyne and Broadfoot.  It worked until the Gardyne stuff happened and then we all know how that season ended that night in Perth.

[scottbamby]

You guys are forgetting about the battery farm. We are going to be rivalling the Saudi clubs soon.

[ICTChris]

Here's a list of every single player we've signed since being relegated in 2017.  It's from Soccerbase so might have missed one or two here and there.

I don't think our signings have been terrible - it's just hard to compete for the reasons given above.  Signing players who are considered perma-crocks or failures at other clubs goes well sometimes.  You have to take punts on players sometimes.

George Oakley

Riccardo Calder

Zak Elbouzedi

Mark Ridgers
Joe Chalmers

Felitciano Zschusschen

Alex Cooper

Coll Donaldson

Charlie Trafford

Nathan Austin

Jordan White

Shaun Rooney

Jamie Mccart

Sean Welsh

Angus Beith

Tom Walsh

Kevin McHattie
Darren McCauley

James Keatings

Nikolay Todorov

Miles Storey

James Vincent

Lewis Toshney

Shane Sutherland

Robbie Deas
Scott Allardice
Daniel Devine
Wallace Duffy
Anthony McDonald

Michael Gardyne

Tom Walsh

Manny Duku

Billy McKay

Kirk Broadfoot

Austin Samuels

Max Ram

Steven Boyd

Nathan Shaw

George Oakley

Zak Delaney

Ryan Barret

[Central Belt Caley]

2 minutes ago, scottbamby said:

You guys are forgetting about the battery farm. We are going to be rivalling the Saudi clubs soon.

Remember the Green Freeport tax zone too! We are a sleeping giant just waiting for the right moment 

[scottbamby]

8 minutes ago, Central Belt Caley said:

Remember the Green Freeport tax zone too! We are a sleeping giant just waiting for the right moment 

I’m sure I saw someone saying us being the the freeport means our staff could pay less national insurance, thus increasing the wages we could offer? Not a clue how factual that information is.

[SandyCromarty]

15 hours ago, The Mantis said:

I hope the club does the due diligence on which leg. Wouldn’t want to waste money on the wrong shoe.

Aye laugh all you want but as I've mentioned in the past wooden legs run in my family.

And you may remember me mentioning that my Great Grandfther lost both legs in the war and they kitted him oot with wooden legs.

The only job the poor soul could get was as a night watchman in a warehouse.

One night the warehouse went on fire.

The fire brigade saved the warehouse but my poor Great Grandfather got burned to the ground.

[SandyCromarty]

5 hours ago, TheScarf said:

The frustration comes from the clear indication that we're going backwards.  These losses are there but we have nothing to show for it. Like you say, I'd rather the club were on a more sound financial footing, than spunking money on jobbers like Billy Dodds, a man who is never getting The Caley promoted in 10 lifetimes.  If we had lost 800k but been promoted, far enough, we'll make that back and a lot more in just 1 season in the Premiership.

It's the losses and the jobber squad and manager that fucks me off.  If you're going to make a loss, at least do it signing decent players and get something out of it ffs.

Edit - I'm not advocating for the club to spend without their means, I don't agree with it, it's moronic but if you're going to, fucking be better than 6th in the Championship eh?

The jobs a fuckin shambles and only a lunatic arselicker could defend it.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

I think we half tried it in 21-22 with the signing of McKay, Gardyne and Broadfoot.  It worked until the Gardyne stuff happened and then we all know how that season ended that night in Perth.

I agree it worked until Gardyne Gardyned. We had the best team until then and the table proved it. 

We’ll just have to persevere in the current model and hope it clicks, or, wait for another summer like 21/22 which is rare.