THE A TEAM
Inverness Caledonian Thistle is officially in administration as of Tuesday 22 October 2024.
On 2nd October, (then) interim ICT chairman Panos Thomas issued a club statement summarising the key findings of financial consultant Alan Savage’s forensic audit, announcing the launch of a ‘Save ICT’ crowdfunding appeal and warning that ‘unless the Appeal can raise £200k immediately, and certainly by Wednesday, 16th October, then Administration is inevitable.’
On 21st October, after several days of rumour about last-minute investment, (now) interim chairman Scott Young confirmed that the administration process had begun.
In this epic episode of TWS, recorded on the evening of the 21st, host Andrew Moffat is joined by Stevie Riley, Andrew Young, pod original gangster Ross Mackenzie, The Press and Journal's Paul Chalk, and some special guests to discuss what administration will mean for the staff and supporters of Caley Thistle, how the club got to this point, and what the future might look like. Is this the next stage of an inexorable decline, or the start of a much-needed reset? And despite it all we do try to have a bit of craic as well cause you've got to, haven't you?
Let’s shuffle!
00:01:07 – Introduction and initial thoughts. Moff introduces the panel and gauges feelings about administration now being a reality.
00:08:18 – The October 8th meeting. At the recent open meeting in the stadium’s Highlander suite, Scott Young, Alan Savage and Charlie Christie spoke to supporters. We discuss the key points that emerged from it and the mood among those in attendance.
00:18:51 – What will administration look like for ICT? Insights from the interim chairman. We are joined for this part of the podcast by Interim Chairman Scott Young, who talks us through the potential timescale and structure of the administration process, the role of the administrators, the implications for club staff and for the club’s SPFL status. He also reflects on his short but eventful time on the board and what his role might be going forward.
00:43:12 – The squad: what next? An inevitable consequence of administration will be the loss of some players. We discuss what the criteria for retaining or releasing players could be and what the squad might look like after the administrators’ work is done. And if the manager, as he suspects, has already had his last game in charge, who might succeed him?
00:54:40 – The view from the north stand. Some die-hard ICT fans discuss their feelings about the imminence of administration.
00:56:35 – The A-Word: a fan’s perspective. We are joined by Livingston fan Liam Innes, who reflects on what it was like to watch the club he loves go through administration – twice!
01:17:23 – The old regime(s). So how did ICT get to this point? We consider not only the mismanagement and negligence of the most recent regime, but also how the seeds of ICT’s decline were probably sown much further back in the club’s history.
01:30:20 – Talk to me. ICT groundsman Dale Stephen talks about work and life at the Caledonian Stadium under the shadow of administration.
01:59:00 – More views from the north stand. Our ICT die-hards share their hopes for the future.
02:00:40 – Game by game. Finally, some discussion of matters on the pitch! We review the recent games against Arbroath and Annan in the league, either side of the narrow Challenge Cup loss to Livingston.
02:16:50 – League Lookahead. A very brief chat about the upcoming fixtures against Dumbarton, Kelty, Cove Rangers, Alloa and Queen of the South.
02:27:20 – The New Era. Once the administration process is over, what might the future look like for ICT and how can we make it work? We share some thoughts and hopes.
02:38:09 – Competition winner. No competition in this episode, unfortunately, but we do reveal the winner of the 30th anniversary away youth top donated by Alan Savage.
02:39:50 – Final thoughts. A few last reflections from our supporters and from this episode’s panel.
The Season Starts Here.
