Inverness Caledonian Thistle fans have spoken of their fears for the club’s future as it prepares for possible administration.
Sandy Sutherland, a member of fans’ podcast The Wyness Shuffle, said there were signs the club was in “deep trouble financially”.
Robert Andrew, of Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters Trust, said fans were still waiting for an apology from the club following relegation from the Championship.
ICTFC are going through one of their toughest times in their 30-year history.
The club was formed in 1994 following a controversial merger of two historic Inverness Highland League clubs – Caledonian and Inverness Thistle, which were both formed in 1885.
From the 1990s, ICTFC climbed through the leagues and has been managed by some famous names, including former England manager Terry Butcher, Hearts striker John Robertson, Celtic and Hibs player John “Yogi” Hughes and current boss Duncan Ferguson, who played for Rangers and Everton.
Inverness have enjoyed successes – including winning the Scottish Cup in the 2014-15 season, when the club also finished third in Scotland’s top flight and qualified for European football.
The club was also the inspiration for one of the most celebrated Scottish football newspaper headlines.
After beating Celtic 3-1 in a Scottish Cup third round match in February 2000, The Sun wrote: “Super Caley Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious”.
But recent results have not been as impressive.
Since defeat over two legs in a play-off against Hamilton Academical relegated the Highland club from the Championship last month, challenges around the club’s finances and player recruitment have been exposed.
Shortly after being relegated, ICTFC made the surprise announcement it was moving its training base miles to Kelty in Fife.
The club said it had reached an agreement with League 1 side Kelty Hearts to use its New Central Park Stadium facilities.
ICTFC said the last few years had seen the geographic challenges in getting players to move to the Highlands become ever harder for a number of reasons – one of them being a lack of availability housing.
‘Deep trouble’
Podcaster Mr Sutherland said he was disappointed but not surprised by the latest announcement from the club.
He said: “It is really frustrating for supporters there is still not an awful lot of clarity, but the indicators are the club is in deep trouble financially and that’s a huge concern for us in what has already been a testing time.”
Mr Sutherland said going into administration would be bad for the club, but welcomed the news that a plan to move training to Kelty Hearts FC’s facilities in Fife appeared to have been abandoned.
“That would have been a real rip in the club’s identity,” he said.
Mr Andrew said: “Clearly there are still a lot of issues we don’t have answers too.”
He said bringing in an insolvency practitioner would help it secure new investors, and he also hoped the club would re-engage with the supporters trust.
“It’s been well-known the club has been in a difficult financial situation,” he said.
“We’ve got to get the club back to a positive place in the community because that has been lost.”
On the streets of Inverness, there were similar concerns.
Jessie Macdonald said: “I hope we do get investment, it would be good for the community and the town.
“Inverness needs it because of many things have happened. Shops have closed and we need to build Inverness back up again.”
Ian Rae has been a season ticket holder since the formation of ICTFC.
He said: “The whole thing is very disappointing. I really think the timing so wrong when you are expecting people to be renewing their tickets.”
Sandy Leask was more optimistic.
He said: “I am sure they will find investment.
“I am quite confident some business will come through and support them.
“It’s very important for sport in general and Caley Thistle are a leading light in this area.”
Relegation is financially dangerous. Income plummets. Spending does not. Any newly-relegated club will hold on to the players and other staff that directors think necessary for promotion next season.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle has experience of the top flight and cup success, and it aspires to return there. So its move down a tier of Scottish football creates a big mismatch between income and expectation.
It has been trying out innovative solutions to boost its financial position. Two of them using its land, linked to the renewable energy boom that is coming to the Highland capital, have not come off.
So calling in an ‘insolvency practitioner’ – an administrator – is prudent financial planning, when a new investor is being sought to avert the club’s financial collapse. That accountant can help get to a deal with such an investor, or perhaps arrange a pre-pack deal, in which the club enters administration and the assets are immediately taken on by a new company while creditors lose out.
What makes Caley Thistle’s woes interesting beyond football is what it says about flexibility in the jobs market. There’s a cost to players, managers and their families of moving between clubs. Caley Thistle’s move to train in Fife – now abandoned – reflected the difficulty of recruiting players out of the central belt and requiring them to move to the Highlands.
League One clubs cannot afford big pay packets to make that move worthwhile. Buying a home can carry big costs, including tax, when contracts can be short and managers fickle. Finding a home to rent in and around Inverness is very difficult, and this is at a time when that energy sector is gearing up for big expansion and many more jobs.