Caley Thistle chairman Ross Morrison has called on potential investors to get in touch with him – despite creditors being owed around £300,000.
The Inverness chief, who has not ruled out a u-turn over the League One club’s training move to Kelty Hearts, is willing to listen to any interested parties as the board tussle with a variety of options following their relegation.
Some fans have called for the club to be placed in administration and have threatened a boycott of season tickets.
Directors ‘out of pocket’ – Morrison
Morrison – speaking to The Wyness Shuffle podcast – said: “The creditors (are owed) about £300,000 and that’s why we have to get our costs down. We need to pay the creditors off.
“We have debtors of about £300,000 which we’re waiting to come in, which we should have been paid for. That should have come in April, but they haven’t come in yet.
“That money was going to be nibbling away at the outstanding creditors.
“The club has lost money, but money has been put in by directors, who are out of pocket.
“For someone to come in and invest, it wouldn’t be difficult. Send them in my direction. I’ll give them due diligence.”
Morrison, who has backed the club to the tune of £1.5million, said administration would be “like a defeat” and would not want to be part of that.
Morrison’s answer was in response to the ICT Supporters’ Trust representative George Moodie spelling out that people won’t put their money into ICT right now.
Moodie said: “No one at the moment would invest in a football club without knowing where we are with the club’s finances.
“You would not invest in a football club without doing your due diligence first. (The club) hasn’t filed accounts in nearly two years and the next set of accounts are due imminently.
“Also, what’s the creditors’ list like?”
Businesses can’t work with ICT CEO
Moodie raised concerns over chief executive Scot Gardiner remaining in place.
He said: “The supporters’ trust did not endorse any boycott by fans when it comes to buying season tickets. We said it’s an individual choice for people to make.
“The choices of near 200 people (at Tuesday’s trust meeting) was they are not buying season tickets. The mood was there was no more money going into the club that way.
“It’s not just about Kelty, it’s about the CEO being abrasive, or I’d say a bit stronger.
“When you’re running a business, it’s about relationships. Over the last week, I’ve been overwhelmed with individuals and businesses who feel that relationship with the CEO doesn’t exist.
“If anything, it’s damaged the relationship between the club and local businesses, which could and should be one of the main income sources for the club.”
The supporters’ trust is finding out from fans via a survey how much money they now won’t be putting into their club via season tickets and merchandise and will take those results to Morrison and his board to ponder.
Wage cut for boss with ‘point to prove’
Morrison confirmed manager Duncan Ferguson and his assistant Gary Bollan remain in charge next term.
He said the boss “has taken a chunk of a reduction in his wages” and added: “Duncan has something to prove. He wants to get us back up.
“Duncan has been speaking to players on the basis of the Kelty decision. We haven’t signed anyone yet.”
It’s understood first-team coach Scott Kellacher is lined up to lead the youth academy training should the Fife switch happen.
