Inverness Caley Thistle Supporters’ Trust backs football club to bounce back from imminent administration as ‘resilient’ Highland outfit’s fans dream of Premiership return
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters’ Trust spokesman George Moodie has backed the club to bounce back from the “daunting” prospect of administration.
The Caley Jags are set to formally appoint administrators tomorrow, handing over control of the club and triggering a 15-point penalty to their standing in League One.
With the future of the club now a question mark unless a buyer can be found, it is troubling times for everyone associated with Caley Thistle.
While not underestimating the extent of the challenge that now faces ICT, then, Moodie is confident that the resilience of both the football club and its supporters will see it get through and – eventually – thrive once again.
“It is very daunting – we are heading into unknown territory for Inverness Caledonian Thistle,” he commented.
“This club deserves to be in the league. We’ve got a great history in 30 short years, so for us to experience this is hard.
“It’s a new feeling for a lot of us, but it’s something that I’m pretty sure we can bounce back from.
“I think it’s about getting the right people involved at the top of the club through to the supporters, doing what they can with the best interests of the club at heart.
“Some former directors could have stepped in, but they chose for whatever reason – whether that’s financial or ego – to not do that. That’s hugely disappointing.
“These people claim they have got the club’s best interests at heart, but when push came to shove they didn’t. Fans won’t forget that.
“One thing Caley Thistle and the club’s supporters have shown over the last number of years is that we are resilient.
“We find a way, both on and off the pitch. I do believe that with the right team on the pitch the club could pull back any points differential.
“It hasn’t been a great couple of years, but with a reset we can absolutely bounce back and get ourselves back to the Premiership in time.”
Moodie was speaking in the immediate aftermath of a Supporters’ Trust meeting that featured interim chairman and chief executive Scott Young and Charlie Christie updating fans on the club’s current plight, as well as taking questions from those in attendance.
One of the points raised by Young and Christie was the prospect of a seat on the board of directors for the Supporters’ Trust, which has long been a goal of the fan group.
“We’ve always looked for a seat on the board, however the personal liability issues that could come from a member of the Supporters’ Trust being on the previous board really made it difficult,” Moodie explained.
“Coming out of the other side of this, I think it’s absolutely vital for a club that’s coming out of administration to engage with its supporters at a higher level not only to pass on the thoughts and concerns of the support, but also to make sure that directors have got the club’s best interests at heart and keep the club focused on football.
“Nobody wants to see their football club fall into administration, or fall into financial difficulty.
“Unfortunately that looks like the way it is going to go next week. It’s going to be devastating for the club and for the employees of the club, and potentially devastating for the players as well.
“Let’s not underestimate the difficulties that going into administration will cause hard-working people. These are the people that really need to be protected and thought of afterwards.”
