jaggy Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Inverness Caledonian Thistle have told Partick Thistle they plan to talk to midfield trio Stuart Bannigan, Steven Lawless and Abdul Osman, who are all out of contract this summer, about a switch to their Scottish Premiership rivals next season. (Daily Express, print edition) Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald has already resigned himself to losing Stuart Bannigan next season, with Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager John Hughes having made an approach for the 23-year-old midfielder Stuart Bannigan who is out of contract in the summer. (Press and Journal) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow & Redneck Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Unfortunately, if we are serious about our ambitions as an established top-tier club, we shouldn't be losing arguably our three best players to ICT. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaila Street Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Unfortunately, if we are serious about our ambitions as an established top-tier club, we shouldn't be losing arguably our three best players to ICT. Why not? An established top flight club and Scottish Cup winners. Miles ahead of what PTFC have achieved recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firhillista Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Well, isn't that nice of Mr. Hughes to let us - and the media - know. Very polite and respectful. Couldn't possibly have anything to do with trying to upset players at a rival club competing for a top six place, oh no, not at all... Wonder if he's been talking to Mixu recently... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allyo Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 "Why not? An established top flight club and Scottish Cup winners. Miles ahead of what PTFC have achieved recently." At what point do you think we will become and established top flight club? You don't think making it to our fourth consecutive season would achieve this? ICT may have achieved more. But should we just accept that they will keep achieving more? Just seems a bit unambitious and small-time attitude to me (and I'm not one with a big-time attitude). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Why not? An established top flight club and Scottish Cup winners. Miles ahead of what PTFC have achieved recently. Yet ICT can lose players to Dundee. Don't think ICT's recent history will hold much influence on any of their potential signings. What they can offer in wages and length of contract will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowenBoys Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 It really doesn't matter whether you, I or anybody thinks we are an established top flight club. What matters is where the players in question feel is best for their future. We need to be able to hold on to our players to further establish ourselves. Given the lack of support through the turnstiles, we are unlikely to be able to compete in terms of wages. We shouldn't kid ourselves that this or that player loves playing for the Jags, ambitious players will want to play for more than two thousand fans. If we lose all three to one of our rivals it will be very depressing. The club will need to face up to the unpleasant truth that we will struggle to fully establish ourselves with budgets dictated by a limited fan base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggy Posted March 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 We shouldn't kid ourselves that this or that player loves playing for the Jags, ambitious players will want to play for more than two thousand fans. ICT & RC don't play in front of much bigger than ours apart from their derby matches. It all comes down to wages & length of contract with clubs like ours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonehJags Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 There hardly breaking any records at inverness with attendances either. It will be a right kick in the cobble stanes, as Lambie would say, if we lost all 3 to them. I cant see the appeal either travelling up there all the time from Glasgow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 ICT & RC don't play in front of much bigger than ours apart from their derby matches. It all comes down to wages & length of contract with clubs like ours We know County just post daft figures and ICT have to resort now and again to a pay what you can. Anyway I'd suggest on an equal footing, due to their remoteness and player appeal, both clubs would have to have significantly higher attendances than us. The only reason they can attract players that we would struggle to attract is blatantly obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 It would be disappointing to see all 3 of them go to ICT. Especially Bannigan. Think he has been out-standing for us and he would be selling himself short by going to a club who are currently in a similar league placing to ourselves. Bannigan should be going to Aberdeen, Hearts or down south anywhere else is a sidewards step that not really advancing his career. He would be better staying another year with the jags. Osman is maybe a bit different as he is older so is looking for a decent pay day and a longer contract before he gets into his 30's. Lawless has done really well at Thistle and yes he probably wants more money (hence why he only signs one year deals) and ICT can probably offer those wages but who really wants to move to Inverness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davie Thistle Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChewinGumMacaroonBaaaz Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Yogi Yogi Yogi.... F**K RIGHT OFF!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinKelvin Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 I'd be very surprised if Bannigan decided ICT was a good move. He could do better. We should be doing all we can to sign Abdul up and I still hope he will stay, on a 2 year deal. I'd say Lawless is the most likely of the three to want to go there, if the story is true, that is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jags on tour Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 There's a big picture of Bannigan with an article on the back page of the highland p&j. No disrespect to ICT but I can't see how in a million years Bannigan would want to go there, surely he would want to move down to England, he's Championship quality no bother. I doubt Lawless would want to uproot his young family away up to Inverness aswell but if he leaves I won't lose any sleep(as much as I really like him). I'm sure Osman said he wanted to stay at Firhill so surely we should make him the priority to sign up on a 2/3 year deal.I think I'll cry if we lose they shree players to Inverness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanieD Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 I like Hughes - always comes across as honest and fair - and if the Scottish football food-chain has Dundee feeding off ICT and ICT feeding off PTFC then that is a harsh fact of life - unpleasant but true. As regards informing the club (when we are potentially "top 6/play-off place" rivals) I suspect he is doing this to make Dundee look bad as their pursuit of the 2 ICT players they signed was very much cloak-and-dagger - then again perhaps pointing out you have more class than the likes of Dundee is perhaps a bit shallow. I imagine Lawless might go - Abdul deserves a pay-day - but Bannigan might be looking for something more southern than northern - good luck to them regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinny Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 It's just paper/agent talk. They're after Osman. If we're worried about losing all three we might cut our losses and offer better deals to the two more likely to stay to avoid losing all three. Or something like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindau Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 There's a big picture of Bannigan with an article on the back page of the highland p&j. No disrespect to ICT but I can't see how in a million years Bannigan would want to go there, surely he would want to move down to England, he's Championship quality no bother. I doubt Lawless would want to uproot his young family away up to Inverness aswell but if he leaves I won't lose any sleep(as much as I really like him). I'm sure Osman said he wanted to stay at Firhill so surely we should make him the priority to sign up on a 2/3 year deal.I think I'll cry if we lose they shree players to Inverness. While I certainly won't cry, it will be sad to see some players go. With it being accepted that Banzo is gone, everything possible should be done to keep Osman at Firhill. Stevie has been a great wee player and I would love him to stay, but I just don't see it. If we signed the likes of Alston and say Robbie Muirhead, who is completely out the picture at Tannadice, I think the pain of the potential loss of Banzo and Stevie would be lessened considerably. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allyo Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Sometimes on these pages I think we talk ourselves into the certainty of someone leaving on the basis of a wild rumour. Then we resign ourselves. Start to tell ourselves we could still cope. Before you know it we're like, "aye well he was schyte anyway". And then I worry that that guy, who'd had no thought of leaving, comes on here and thinks, ach I might as well go, nobody rates me. So,I would just like to make it absolutely clear that I hope we sign all of them up and continue to build our team around them. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinny Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 "Why not? An established top flight club and Scottish Cup winners. Miles ahead of what PTFC have achieved recently." At what point do you think we will become and established top flight club? You don't think making it to our fourth consecutive season would achieve this? ICT may have achieved more. But should we just accept that they will keep achieving more? Just seems a bit unambitious and small-time attitude to me (and I'm not one with a big-time attitude). I see what you are saying, but they have spent eleven of the past twelve years at this level and could yet finish in the top half for a fourth consecutive season. This and their Scottish cup prize money will help. As a result they can probably be a little more confident with long term contracts, which we have started offering more of this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonehJags Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 And then I worry that that guy, who'd had no thought of leaving, comes on here and thinks, ach I might as well go, nobody rates me. If any of the Thistle players even looked on this page id be amazed never mind make a decision on their career based on somebody typing an opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda-jag Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 "Our budget will not be right up there, we will be in the bottom two in the league" if true, see i cannot, any of the trio plying their trade up there next season http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35940884 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Breaking News...from the BBC! Bannigan is injured. On the ball as ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Earl of Hathaway Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Oh yes they are. Oh no they're not. Pantomime season officially started.... http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Football/John-Hughes-dampens-reports-of-Caley-Thistles-moves-for-Partick-trio-31032016.htm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Loosing three players is fine if those players are going on to bigger and better. But thats not ICT. Players can talk to ICT. There is nothing we can do to stop that but we can not accept from the club that we are not on a level playing field with ICT and can,t equal them for contracts. The money has to be found somehow to compete at least at this level for players if we are to have cup runs and a regular presence in the top flight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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