Any Highland copper will tell you the area has in recent times been awash with some very nasty life-altering drugs. Big-time pushers are languishing in the pokey because of the sterling efforts of HM Plod of Invershneckie. That is why it is more important than ever for those role models who north youngsters look up to to set fine examples. Musicians and soccer clubs, being the pastimes of choice for many of our young darlings, must be high on that list.So what kind of dunderheads are on the board of Inverness Charlie Thistle? The creatures who inhabit the boardroom of the alleged pride of the north obviously have no policy whatsoever on dealing with drug abuse by their players. Their mindless dithering and waffling when wide-eyed player Richie Hart got into the brown stuff for having white stuff to mess up his already inflated head showed what a poor example Caley is to impressionable youngsters.

Clueless club chairman Alan Savage and the other gormless directors, had they put down their G&Ts and been thinking clearly, should have suspended hapless Hart when they found out what he did with his undeserved credit card. No messing about. Clear message to other players, fans and the kids who insist on aping players, some of whom are just self-obsessed nyaffs. Instead, they hummed and ha-ed and sat on their fat little fingers. Like other small-brained species, the Caley directors buried their heads in the mud of the Moray Firth. Now the Highland’s main football team is reduced to spouting drivel and double-speak.

The cowardly club chiefs confirmed they had interviewed Hart. And? And they did nothing. Nothing at all. Because of what he told them, they “… agreed to leave the matter until the allegations were addressed in court.” Did the premier player admit having a Class A drug or not? No information. They even had the barefaced cheek to claim: “The club would like to reassure the club’s commercial partners, supporters and the public that the club adopts a very firm stance in relation to the use and/or possession of drugs.”

And/or? Firm stance? The club this, the club that. Three ‘clubs’ in one sentence all for a blatantly bogus claim not borne out by any positive action. That is just rank gobbledegook from a jobsworth and/or idiot who, going by the verbal diarrhoea, must walk as if he has a broomstick up his trousers and/or backside. Their stance is not firm but wishy-washy. Just rubbish and/or garbage. If they had taken a firm stance, Hart would be home a long time ago listening to his CDs, not cutting out A-class drugs on them.

The sheriff showed that the club’s statement is nonsense. His Lordship said Hart admitted his guilt early so he cut his fine. If he admitted it early to police, I bet he admitted it to Caley as well, so he should have been sent home from the off. If, however, he lied about his crackhead ways to his employers at that interview, he should not have been suspended this week but given his P45 on the court steps. Simple. Caley, of course, have only now got round to suspending him and, … er, that’s it.

Either way, the reputation of a club that has been making huge progress in sporting endeavour is now stained. Their lame message is now that cocaine is okay at Thistle Caley. The club image will remain stained for a long time by the hypocrisy of its directors and the supporters should expect to see some of them take the rap for it. From what I hear, I probably should not hold my breath but if those commercial partners that ICT are so fond of sucking up to have any decency, the sound of heads being knocked together and/or rolling should soon be reverberating under the Kessock Bridge.