Inverness Caley Thistle legend Charlie Christie hoping to see major boost in supporters when Montrose travel to Highland capital after boardroom changes
Inverness Caledonian Thistle legend Charlie Christie hopes to see a bumper crowd get behind the first team when they host Montrose this weekend after the changes in the club’s hierarchy.
Former chief executive Scot Gardiner’s immediate departure from the Caledonian Stadium was confirmed, with Alan Savage being appointed to the board of directors in a bid to return the club to a sound financial footing while new investment is sought.
The proposed takeover from Ketan Makwana’s Seventy7 Ventures, meanwhile, appears to have been shelved.
Alongside former chairman Ross Morrison, Gardiner had been subject of much criticism from Caley Thistle supporters, many of whom had pledged not to spend money on tickets and merchandise until figures at the top of the club had departed.
Christie, who saw the strength of feeling first hand at a Supporters’ Trust meeting back in May, now feels that fans have got what they asked for and has called on them to turn out in force at the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday.
He also hopes that the appointment of Savage, a local businessman who has previously been involved in successful times at ICT, can galvanise those supporters who felt disillusioned with how the club had been run.
“People were holding back season ticket sales, which is hugely to the detriment of the club,” Christie explained.
“Fans have had a lot to say, and rightly so. I went to the Supporters’ Trust meeting and there were a lot of dissenting voices, but Alan wants to do away with that.
“I’ve seen the unity we’ve had at this club in the past, and Alan wants to get back to everyone pushing in the right direction. We need the supporters more now than at any time in our history.
“If we can get the backing from people then the club can be great again. I have no doubt we can get back to the Premiership in a realistic timespan, but we shouldn’t underestimate the work that needs to be done behind the scenes.
“People need to support it – the major shareholders, the local business community and most of all the fans. The messages so far have been good, although it is still early days and we can’t underestimate that.
“We need to get the fans back, and they said they would at the Supporters’ Trust meeting way back if certain things were achieved.
“Those things have been achieved quite quickly this week, so we’re hoping to see a significant upturn in the crowd on Saturday, and the fans will play a big part in that.
“We need to try to do away with all the dissenting voices and get a bit more positivity about the place. That would be my message to anyone who has any interest in Caley Thistle – come along to the games now, because that will make such a difference.”
With all the uncertainty around Caley Thistle’s future over recent months, with a relegation thrown into the mix, it has been a testing time for everyone involved at the Caledonian Stadium.
Christie is one of those people who are at the stadium every day, and admits the atmosphere among employees has suffered at times with the situation ICT has found itself in.
“It has been challenging for everybody, and every employee,” Christie added.
“Relegation at any football club is a really hard pill to swallow. It has such a knock-on effect.
“The challenges financially at the football club have been difficult, and there were potential money-making ventures that have fallen flat and not come to fruition.
“There were a few times over the past few years where we were told we would make serious money, and it has been like one body blow after another – and not all of that was the club’s fault, some of it was outwith our hands.
“It has been challenging for the staff, but one thing I will say is that we have a lot of good staff. When I walk into reception the girls there brighten up my day, and it’s good to hear fans saying that too.
“It has been challenging to work at the club, even personally over the last two to three years.
“I’ve been in charge of the youth academy, and we have done relatively well with the limited resources we’ve had, and I think that has been the case for everybody.
“Resources have been so limited that it’s been very difficult to progress the club, and there have been bigger clubs than Caley Thistle with that challenge.
“It’s been hard at times for staff, and I don’t envy them sometimes. At times I think the staff could have got a bit more support, and they didn’t, and I’ll leave it at that.
“Hopefully these are things that will change going forward. I think that’s what everyone wants, but I don’t underestimate that there is significant amounts of work to be done to achieve that.”
