Caley Thistle fans have been left raging at the poor treatment of club legend Aaron Doran, who has been left in limbo by Inverness over career-saving knee surgery – here is what supporters have had to say.
On Tuesday, Doran revealed – in an exclusive interview with The Press and Journal – he has been unable to get confirmation ICT are going to pay for an operation to fix his ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), with the financially-embattled Highlanders having twice cancelled the surgery.
The 33-year-old, who is now out of contract, damaged his ACL back in April as Caley Thistle fought, unsuccessfully, to avoid relegation to League One.
Following publication of the P&J’s piece with Doran, many Inverness fans have vented their anger across various social media platforms, slating the club for poor treatment of a player with almost 14 years of service.
Sandy Sutherland said: “New day, new shambles. Conduct has been deplorable. The level of shame I feel for being a fan of this club is indescribable.”
Christopher Lindsday added: “I think the club has effectively gone bust already and they are just waiting for someone to bail them out.”
Alex Johnstone said: “This is absolutely vile. There is no redemption for anyone who is involved in the current decision making of the club. A horrible way to treat any individual, never mind one of our all time great players.”
Praise for former Caley Jag
After the P&J’s interview was published, Shane Sutherland – the ex-Caley Thistle striker who suffered the same injury back in 2022 – took it upon himself to set up a GoFundMe page to help Doran pay for the surgery himself and, in less than 24 hours, it surpassed the initial goal of £5,000.
Fans have praised Sutherland’s initiative, donating and sharing the crowdfunder on social media.
Ciaran Strachan said: “Absolutely love this from you Shane.”
Along the same lines, Matthew commented: “What a great person, fair play to you mate.”
Applauding both Sutherland’s effort and the contributions Doran has made to the club, Jamie said: “Aaron Doran is a Caley Thistle legend.
“The assist in the Scottish Cup final, the last minute winner against Dundee United in the cup, the screamers against County.”
“Now that it’s smashed the £5k in 24 hours, hopefully this can keep going and cover the full cost of his surgery.”
Dundee United striker, Tony Watt, also showed support for Sutherland’s gesture, and said: “One of the worst parts of football is seeing fellow pros having to pay for their own operation. Share if possible.”
Now that the initial target of £5,000 has been reached, Sutherland thanked contributors for their generosity and kindness, saying Doran is also in disbelief at the achievement.
Sutherland added: “If you still want to donate to an ICT legend don’t hesitate, and whatever the actual full cost of the surgery is, if we go over that then we will pick a local charity to donate that money to.”
Conversation