How did Inverness Caley Thistle get to the brink of administration? A timeline of events over recent weeks
Three weeks ago today Inverness Caledonian Thistle were relegated to League One.
So much has happened since then that it may surprise some to know that it was only 21 days ago that the play-off final took place, with Inverness losing out to Hamilton Academical in their bid to remain in the Championship.
It has been a chaotic spell, with many fast-moving pieces, so it is worth taking a moment to reflect on everything that has transpired.
Here is a blow-by-blow account of how Caley Thistle have reached their current plight, reflected in our coverage of the saga so far.
May 18 – The play-off final
How different could things have been if Inverness had won their play-off final? We’ll never really know.
It was only three weeks ago that a 3-2 win for Hamilton at the Caledonian Stadium meant the Accies would win the play-off final 5-3 on aggregate, condemning ICT to the third tier of Scottish football for the first time in 25 years.
After the full-time whistle, supporters – who had already been unhappy at the club’s leadership – took to the pitch to vent their frustration at the situation on the pitch, and call for change at the top of the club off it.
Billy Mckay would immediately signal Caley Thistle’s intention to challenge for promotion next season, while manager Duncan Ferguson said he intended to carry on as manager – but did admit none of the club’s out of contract players this summer had been offered new deals to stay in the Highland capital.
May 19 and 20 – Uncertainty over the future
With the club’s existing financial issues already well-documented, and then-chairman Ross Morrison having said weeks before the play-off that a restructuring would be needed this summer regardless of their league status, nobody really knew what was next for Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
A planned board meeting immediately after the second leg against Hamilton was reportedly cancelled, instead set for 48 hours later.
However, the lack of news coming out of the club on their future strategy only allowed supporters to reiterate their cries for new ideas and fresh leadership.
Goalkeeper Mark Ridgers did become the first player to make a public statement following the club’s relegation, apologising for his role in the play-off defeat.
May 21 – Staying full time
As Monday rolled into Tuesday without any more news forthcoming about the club’s future, there was the first talk of a season ticket boycott from fans, with many insisting they would not be returning to matches next season unless there was change at the top.
Finally though, on Tuesday evening, the board released a statement confirming that they would remain full time in League One next season in a bid to return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
That news seemed to be positive, but as it turned out that was only part of the story.
May 22 and 23 – Calls for change
While remaining full time was a major question supporters had, there were several more answers they would have liked to hear that were not covered by that original statement.
Academy director, and former player and manager, Charlie Christie did acknowledge the need for Caley Thistle to re-engage with their loyal fans.
Meanwhile, the Supporters’ Trust were finding that their membership was surging as disgruntled fans tried to take action to enact change – a trend that would continue in force over the coming days.
May 24 – Moving to Kelty
The next piece of official communication from ICT’s board came in the form of a shock statement announcing that they planned to move first team training to Kelty, in Fife.
Reasons given were the difficulty in attracting players to the Highlands, and then the cost of accommodating those who did decide to move north.
Unsurprisingly, this sent already angry supporters into a fury, and a petition was launched in protest at the decision that would eventually accumulate thousands of signatures.
Even former players voiced their amazement over the move, with James Vincent and Gary Warren questioning how it would work practically.
May 25-27 – Outrage
The fall out from Caley Thistle’s announcement would last for days.
A statement released by the Supporters’ Trust accused the board of “ripping the soul out of the club”, while Kelty Hearts insisted that the move made sense for both parties.
Politicians would have their say too, with Drew Hendry MP and Emma Roddick MSP each calling for a rethink from the ICT top brass.
Economist Tony Mackay said the decision was evidence that more homes needed to be built in the Highlands, while our own sports editor Will Clark called it the darkest point in the club’s history.
Chairman of Caley Thistle’s Highland rivals Ross County Roy MacGregor admitted he was confused by the decision, insisting he would never take a similar step with the Staggies.
Perhaps related to the ongoing controversy at Inverness, or perhaps a coincidence, Highland League clubs Clachnacuddin and Nairn County each announced ticket initiatives to make it easier for youngsters to attend their matches next season.
Caley Thistle’s own fans, though, were busy planning for the next Supporters’ Trust open meeting where they hoped to formalise a plan of attack that would convince the club to change their minds.
May 28 – Ross Morrison interview and Supporters’ Trust open meeting
On the day of the Supporters’ Trust meeting, club chairman Ross Morrison gave his first interview since their relegation.
He spoke on a range of issues, but perhaps the main takeaway was that if fans proceeded with the rumoured season ticket boycott, Inverness Caledonian Thistle would go bust.
That did not do anything to dampen the anger that night at the Caley Thistle Social Club, where the majority of supporters said they would prefer to put the club into administration than go ahead with the move to Kelty.
In attendance that night was Charlie Christie, who afterwards admitted that with the academy at risk of being cut, investment would be a “godsend” to keep it running.
End of May – More reaction + academy safeguarded
The frustration in the Highland capital was as palpable as it had ever been after that, with fans convinced that the only way to make change happen was to withhold their money from the club.
James Vincent became the latest to call for change, while academy product and Scotland star Ryan Christie labelled the choice to move to Fife a “freak decision”.
Former head coach Billy Dodds also expressed his surprise at the move, saying he was “gutted” at the plans.
As if the plans to move to Fife could not get any more controversial, too, it was revealed that Kelty Hearts do not even own the pitch that Caley Thistle intended to train on.
Ross Morrison appeared on ICT fan podcast The Wyness Shuffle to address supporters directly, showing some signs that the outrage was beginning to change some minds on the board of directors. He would also confirm that manager Duncan Ferguson had taken a pay cut to remain in his role for next season.
In the following days, the Supporters’ Trust also estimated that fans were planning to withhold around £250,000 that would have been spent on season tickets, merchandise, sponsorship and hospitality.
There was finally some unequivocally positive news for Caley Thistle fans though, as it emerged that the future of the academy had been secured by Orion boss and former Inverness chairman Alan Savage.
He would say that having built a global company off the backs of Highlanders, he owed it to the region to safeguard the Caley Jags youth set-up.
One academy graduate, though, confirmed his exit from the club as Cammy Mackay announced he would be leaving Inverness and joining Brora Rangers for next season.
June 3 – Ross Morrison resigns
Monday proved to be a pivotal day in the saga that has been the last three weeks.
Chairman Ross Morrison confirmed his resignation from the role, saying he had to stick by his belief that moving to Kelty was the right thing for the future of the club.
As if Inverness needed another financial blow, it was also confirmed that Statkraft had abandoned plans to use the grounds of the Caledonian Stadium as a park and ride, costing the football club anywhere between £1.4 million and £1.7 million.
Rumours also began to swirl that there was about to be a u-turn on the planned move to Fife, but those were not confirmed quite yet.
June 5 – Looking for new investment + Kelty u-turn
The third official statement from the club was released on Wednesday.
In just 107 words, Caley Thistle confirmed the departure of Ross Morrison, saying they were actively looking for new investment – or new owners – and would enter discussions with an insolvency practitioner in case those efforts were unsuccessful.
We looked at what administration would mean for the club, while their financial predicament led to Charlie Christie saying the club were on the “edge of a precipice” with their long-term future in doubt.
As part of the same statement, ICT also announced that first team training would remain at Fort George for next season, confirming that the move to Kelty was off.
While Kelty Hearts themselves were apparently unaware of a change of mind, the ICT Supporters’ Trust welcomed the news as a step in the right direction – but said more clarity was still needed over the new leadership structure.
June 6 – Scot Gardiner resigns
Supporters had asked for three things: abandon the move to Kelty, Ross Morrison to resign and chief executive officer Scot Gardiner to resign. On Thursday, they got their last remaining wish.
That prompted the Supporters’ Trust to say that the club had listened to fans, with their demands having been met.
Club director Graeme Bennett was the next to speak out, reiterating the need for new investment or ownership quickly to ensure ICT does not go under.
He also apologised to supporters for not consulting them on the now-scrapped plan to move to Kelty, and highlighted that around £5 million that Caley Thistle expected to bank had disappeared over recent months.
Going forward
All of that brings us to where we are now – and unfortunately there is not much more clarity over the future of Caley Thistle than there was three weeks ago.
The financial situation the club finds themselves in means that it is unknown whether they will be playing next season at all, never mind whether they will be full time or part time.
They have now committed to remaining in the Highlands – although Kelty Hearts apparently still have not heard from Caley Thistle directly over the change of mind – and there has been the change of leadership that so many called for.
However, with the first competitive game of the 2024/25 season due to take place in five weeks’ time, they only have a threadbare squad signed up for next season.
Swift action, then, is still needed – both on the pitch and off it – to ensure there remains a club for supporters to get behind next season.