EXCLUSIVE: Ross Morrison resigns as chairman of Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Ross Morrison has resigned as the chairman of Inverness Caledonian Thistle following bitter recriminations over a proposed training ground move to Kelty Hearts - some 135 miles south in Fife.
Speaking exclusively to The Inverness Courier, Mr Morrison said he is leaving now because of the aftermath of the Fife move.
“I believe it [the move to Fife] is the best way forward and I have to stick with my beliefs,” Mr Morrison said. “This is the reason I'm stepping down now.”
It leaves question marks over the move, after Mr Morrison indicated last week that the club could do a U-turn on the deal.
It has been a hugely troubled time for the club starting in mid-March when Highland Council refused permission for a “transformational” battery storage farm worth £3.4 million that would have rescued the club’s finances.
Then Caley Thistle were relegated to League One on the last day of the season, sparking fury from supporters who aimed much of their anger at the board.
News of the move to Kelty Hearts around a week later provoked a fan revolt, demands for changes at the top and many also called for a boycott of season tickets and merchandise.
The boycott alone would have wiped out much of the financial savings of the Fife move – estimated by Mr Morrison at between £200,000 and £400,000 – while some even said administration is preferable to training outside the Highlands.
“Hearing fans saying they would prefer administration to training the first team in Kelty sent a shiver down my spine,” Mr Morrison said. “Administration is a desperate thing to happen to a club and must, at all costs, not happen to ICTFC.”
He also revealed that he told the board a “couple of months ago” that he would step down at the end of June but the reaction to recent developments meant he is departing a month earlier than planned.
Mr Morrison would not be drawn on the future of chief executive Scot Gardiner, saying it is a matter for those who remain at the club – they will now face serious questions about what happens next.
Ross Morrison’s departure means Caley Thistle must find an interim-chairman almost immediately and address where the team will train, who is leading the organisation and whether the club will remain full-time as planned.
Accused of betraying their community roots by some fans, Caley Thistle has claimed that significant sums could be saved by the Fife move following relegation from the Championship to League One.
They hope to subsidise the first team squad by removing the need to pay for rehousing of central belt-based signings in the Highlands.
Mr Morrison said: “A couple of months ago I informed the board that I intended to step down at the end of June but due to the loud negative opinions from the fans to the idea of moving to Kelty, I feel that bringing this forward might be better timing.
“I honestly believed that this was an innovative move. One that would save considerable amounts of cash but also would help greatly in attracting players. This was not an idea that a lot of people could accept.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and those opinions were coming in loud and clear. I believe it is the best way forward and I have to stick with my beliefs. This is the reason I'm stepping down now. A month earlier than planned.”
The former Caley Thistle chairman remains frustrated with Highland Council over the battery storage facility which the local authority first objected to, then agreed planning consent and finally withdrew it – it is now under appeal.
“My aim was to get ICTFC stable financially,” he said. “First by our foray into green energy and secondly by taking control of the ground around the stadium, something that had been lost previously.
“If we succeeded there, we would be able to achieve this. Unfortunately through decisions made which flew in the face of generally accepted common sense our main aim took a battering in a climate-changed storm.
“It will, no doubt, be greeted in sunnier times and be allowed to blossom by more enlightened perceptions. I would also hope that the signed land licences we spent so many months negotiating and shaking hands on will start kicking-in as agreed and this will help bolster our financial position, outwith our football income.”
Reflecting on his time with the Caley Thistle, Mr Morrison said: “My six-year tenure with the club has had some great and some not so great times but through everything I was immensely proud to be the chairman of the club and clubs I’ve supported for 50 years - I was a Jaggie by the way.
“I would ask the fans to rally round the club at this time and show their support by not only purchasing their season tickets but also getting involved directly with the club to see how they can help.
“Hearing fans saying they would prefer administration to training the first team in Kelty sent a shiver down my spine. Administration is a desperate thing to happen to a club and must, at all cost, not happen to ICTFC.”
He saved his final words to single out one young fan whom he wants to “keep smiling”.
“Thanks to all the staff, players, managers and directors I've had the privilege to work with but a special thank you to my pal [supporter] Cammy MacColl. When I was ever down and thinking of chucking the towel in I just thought of Cammy and his smile when he was watching ICTFC. Keep smiling Cammy!”
