Jump to content

Fort William 2021-22 Thread


Aqy

Recommended Posts

Had ICT not been told so recently - and bluntly - that a Colt team was off the menu, I'd not be too fussed about this. But for them to do this immediately after is something of a farce and I dare say the rulebook will be amended soon. 

Curious to see so many folk thinking its a great idea.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, TheScarf said:

Confirmed just now. These guys were superb last season in the youth league so will be interesting to see how they fair against adults. Skill wise they'll be better than the vast majority of who they're up against, but the physicality will be a huge test for them. 

Are they all full timers and will they still be training at Caley as well as Fort?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Will Fort William be changing their name to ICT Colts? Will just give the Old Firm more ammunition when it comes to trying to force their Colt sides into the league setup.
Why would they change their name to ICT Colts?

If anything I thought the opposite. ICT having a colts team in the Highland League may have given them ammunition (not that I think it would've made much difference tbh) but one of the main arguments against the introduction of colts is utilising the loan system. This appears to be exactly that, albeit on an extreme scale. Perhaps 9 players is taking the piss a bit, but I'd far rather see players being loaned out than colts teams being introduced into competitive leagues.

At the end of the day it's up to the league to restrict it to a more sensible number. Perhaps 5 loans in total or a restriction of 3 loans from any one club should be introduced.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Are they all full timers and will they still be training at Caley as well as Fort?  

Yeah they all train with the first team so will be full time. I presume they'll still train full time and train with Fort maybe once a week. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a great move for both teams. Caley have been trying to get a colt team in the HL for a bit now, and this effectively gets them in the backdoor. For the Fort, it gives them a massive opportunity to drag themselves off the bottom. That said, they've gotta show faith to the young boys that have stuck with them through thick and thin so far. It's stirred up a lot of criticism as well, with folk saying that they've ruined a lot of the goodwill they've earned from other teams and supports. Not sure if I totally agree, but it's a valid argument.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would they change their name to ICT Colts?

If anything I thought the opposite. ICT having a colts team in the Highland League may have given them ammunition (not that I think it would've made much difference tbh) but one of the main arguments against the introduction of colts is utilising the loan system. This appears to be exactly that, albeit on an extreme scale. Perhaps 9 players is taking the piss a bit, but I'd far rather see players being loaned out than colts teams being introduced into competitive leagues.

At the end of the day it's up to the league to restrict it to a more sensible number. Perhaps 5 loans in total or a restriction of 3 loans from any one club should be introduced.
9 out of the starting XI could be ICT players. The 9 players are also going to be training full time with the ICT coaches which is exactly what the Old Firm wanted when they were pushing for Colt teams.

2 or 3 loan players I could understand but 9 is more than taking the piss. I'm guessing there is nothing to stop ICT sending even more on loan or pulling the plug on it during the season if it is not working out leaving Fort William half a squad short.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 out of the starting XI could be ICT players. The 9 players are also going to be training full time with the ICT coaches which is exactly what the Old Firm wanted when they were pushing for Colt teams.

2 or 3 loan players I could understand but 9 is more than taking the piss. I'm guessing there is nothing to stop ICT sending even more on loan or pulling the plug on it during the season if it is not working out leaving Fort William half a squad short.
No it isn't. They were pushing to have Colts teams in the SPFL league setup. They currently loan players to clubs, albeit not to the extent involved here. The players currently on loan to part-time sides still train full-time with their own coaches and can take part in development games. It's up to whoever makes the rules to implement something if they don't want teams loaning in 9 players from the same club.

On your last point, there may well be a contractual agreement in place whereby Inverness can't just decide it isn't working and recall all their players in January.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loaning them nine players is quite clearly taking the piss.

Gonna be interesting if some decide they don’t fancy knocking about at Fort and the nine becomes six, then four, then all of a sudden Fort are back ringing round pubs at closing/opening time scratching about for a team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess it’s easier to love them when they’re the plucky underdogs getting hammered every week? I’m a Brora fan & I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about the game tomorrow, that’s the way it should be really, no free rides or gimmes in this league. 

At least Fort can be competitive now, teams will find it a lot harder to beat them. If they win tomorrow then fair play to them, obviously I’ll be gutted we lost, but there won’t be any bitterness from me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

Why would they change their name to ICT Colts?

If anything I thought the opposite. ICT having a colts team in the Highland League may have given them ammunition (not that I think it would've made much difference tbh) but one of the main arguments against the introduction of colts is utilising the loan system. This appears to be exactly that, albeit on an extreme scale. Perhaps 9 players is taking the piss a bit, but I'd far rather see players being loaned out than colts teams being introduced into competitive leagues.

At the end of the day it's up to the league to restrict it to a more sensible number. Perhaps 5 loans in total or a restriction of 3 loans from any one club should be introduced.

Those points make a lot of sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The pitch is usually unplayable from October to March, so it wouldn't surprise me if they move training up to Inverness for the duration. Bit of a pisser for the local players if there are any left.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, there it is...

Don't know what to think tbh, the comments are interesting.

I was totally against an ICT Colts team as they can loans these boys could be loaned out to HL teams but this just pushes it a bit for me

 

 

Edited by Spyro
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see McBookies aren't offering odds on Fort v Brora today. Rumour is that a few Brora players were given the game off for a wedding before the news came out, not sure if that was their reasoning, more likely just the uncertainty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not followed the news on here much in the last few days as I've been away for quite a bit. Ironically I'm now reading this in the Brora Rangers social club just before watching the game.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...