Fans feel they are disconnected with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and they express views at open meeting calling for improved communication
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Inverness Caledonian Thistle fans feel they have become disconnected with the club as they are calling for communication regarding club matters with supporters to be improved.
The Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters Trust said they will take the views they received from fans raised at an open meeting which took place on Saturday directly to the club.
The Trust organised the meeting to hear directly from supporters regarding their concerns about the club and feedback from the results of their Matchday Experience Supporters Survey.
However, the meeting also addressed other issues, with the biggest topic from fans saying they believed there is a lack of communication at the club regarding matters of how it is run.
Supporters made their views known in what was a passionate meeting at the Innes Bar in Inverness.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters Trust committee member George Moodie said they were pleased with the large turnout to the meeting.
He said they will take the views from fans to the club board and hopes it can be a catalyst for improvements to be made.
They said the Trust will also aim to hold another meeting with fans in the next two months to speak about their discussions with the Caley Thistle board.
He said: "We were delighted with the turnout and the fans who took the time to come out and make their views known.
"We were pleased with the interaction with the issues raised and share feedback with our communications with the club.
"When we have that opportunity, we will come back and speak to the fans and organise a meeting in the near future to speak about how talks with the club went.
"There was a lot of emotion in the room today, but that is understandable given the situation where the club is at the moment.
"The fans want to know what is going on behind the scenes and want to bring a sense of community similar to what it was previously at the club."
Moodie acknowledged that the biggest concern from supporters was claims of a lack of communication from the club to the fans.
He said: "Most topics that we covered did circle back towards communication and perceived lack of communication.
"Putting out a social media post might hit 30,000 people, but that is one way communication and communication needs to be both ways.
"The club are working on that, as are we, and hopefully that will improve things.
"But it is clear from today communication with the club is one of the strongest issues with fans."
After the meeting, fans welcomed the opportunity to put their views across regarding their concerns about the club at the open meeting.
Mike MacRae agreed with views there is a lack of communication from the club and believes the board at Inverness Caledonian Thistle have to be held responsible.
He said: "There has been a lot of good feedback about the negativity within the club. For me the club has been ruined by the current regime. For me those guys are the downfall and they have to be accountable."
Gavin Bruce thinks that the problems at the club are not confined to the pitch.
He said: "The meeting went well and hopefully some things will come good of it as the current situation is dire.
"The board is the big problem, I agree with Billy Dodds leaving, but in hindsight it should go a lot higher than that.
"I don't think it is just on the pitch is the problem. "We don't get emails and there is no communication from the club.
"I still have my season ticket and go to all the home games, but the current situation is heartbreaking the way things are going."
Mark Boag says he has spoken to fans who used to go to games have decided not to any more.
He hopes the feedback from the meeting can lead to an improvement in relations between club and fans.
He said: "The meeting was fantastic and it has been needed for some time. Everyone who has attended are diehards and love the club.
"I have supported Inverness Caledonian Thistle since I was a seven-year-old boy in 1996.
"There is such a disconnect between the club and the fans and that is so evident at this meeting.
"I really hope whatever the findings are that the Trust put together that it is going to be listened to and they take it on board.
"There are people who used to come to games who are not going any more, with some fans boycotting games due to the way things are run.
"When you have diehard fans who are speaking in that tone saying they don't want to come any more, that is worrying.
"A club our size who need to get in as much money as possible, it is a big problem."
Lynne MacDonald says the meeting showed to her that there was a lot of negativity regarding the club during the meeting.
She said: "I think it is a positive that people got their issues off their chest.
"It is good that some suggestions that have been made that can be taken forward. There is a lot of negativity surrounding the club at the moment. It is not only on the field, from top to bottom, fans do not feel valued anymore.
"The board have to start listening again and that communication is a two-way process. How do you know what your customer base is if you do not speak to them?"
Wyness Shuffle Podcast panellist Andrew Young says the meeting can be a catalyst for relations to be improved between club and fans.
He said: "The meeting has been useful that fans have been able to speak to a group that might have an in with the club.
"The Supporters Trust can have an input with the club and the fans liked the fact that they felt they were being listened to.
"Whether it will change anything, it might be hard because the Supporters Trust will take ideas that will cost money and we know that the club has a limited budget.
"It is a difficult situation, the meeting was useful but I am not sure it will change anything straight away.
"However, we have had a fans meeting and talking with each other for the first time and making connections which is a positive thing.
"It wouldn't take much for the club to do more, such as regular communication about things and what it is doing to attract supporters and investment.
"Fans have said the club does not respond to emails well or speak about projects."
During the meeting, Inverness Caledonian Thistle director Scott Young spoke to fans in attendance, saying they were working on matters which can't be disclosed at present.
But he says the club would look to reveal information when it is in a position to do so and are working hard on interacting with supporters the best it can.
He said: "The club are taking young people on to the board to try to be more interactive with the fans.
"The board are pulling the club in the right direction.
"There are things which fans don't see and the club don't tell because we can't tell.
"I could use my quality time doing lots of other things, but I do this because I want to try and make a difference and the rest of the directors are the same, they want to do what is best for the club.
"I have been in the club six weeks and I have spent a lot of time on matters, including trying to get a new manager.
"There are things you don't know because we can't tell you right now, but you will find out.
"There is a lot of negativity in the room, but once we get a new manager in, we will look to move forward and be positive."
