Russell Latapy

[Hiro]

Very strong rumours going around that Russell has left the building....

 

Would be gutting if true, he's clearly a key element of the management team.

[ICTRoughi]

Apparently Brian Rice is with Yogi in Devronvale tonight.

[Renegade]

Isn't Latapy's family still based in Portugal?  Wonder if there's a job come up over there he's interested in.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Renegade

[lightlamp2]

We will find out tonight if hes in Devronvale or not

[TheCommissioner]

I sincerely hope he sticks with us. If not then I wish him all the best. 

[Pele_Is_God]

Brian rice is a good coach from what I've heard. Maybe this will push the board to offer Yogi an extension to his contract?

[Yngwie]

Presumably they managed to buy him out of the Qatar situation which, according to some, prevented him becoming Yogi's assistant back in December 2013.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/ex-hibs-man-brian-rice-faces-jail-over-qatar-debts-1-2999216

[Renegade]

Just seen a photo of the ICT dugout today, the guy in the dugout looks a lot like Brian Rice to me.

[Sneckboy]

Hughes has confirmed it was indeed Brian Rice in the dugout - and that Russell's certainly offski.
From the P&J

Russell Latapy poised to leave Caley Thistle

Caley Thistle assistant manager Russell Latapy is poised to leave the Highlanders.
Manager John Hughes remained silent on Latapy’s destination, but confirmed the former Trinidad and Tobago manager is keen to take charge of his own club.
Latapy missed Inverness’ 2-1 friendly win against Deveronvale at Princess Royal Park last night, with Brian Rice, who was Hughes’ assistant at Falkirk and Hibernian, watching on from the stands.

Hughes would be keen to team up again with Rice should Latapy depart, but claimed:
“It’s miles away. Russell has hinted he wants to be his own man and pursue something new. I understand that and he would go with our best wishes. There’s something happening for him, but there’s nothing concrete. That’s all I can say on it at the moment. I’ve always been mates with Brian. It just so happens Brian is over visiting me, and people have put two and two together. If Russell did go and Brian fancied it, it would be something we would certainly look at. I asked Brian to come up and oversee things and cast an eye over things, that’s why he’s up here, I don’t know how things will materialise.”

Inverness once again fielded trialists JJ Hooper and Jordan Roberts, who has agreed terms with the Highlanders but is awaiting clearance from the SFA before his move can be completed. Hughes drafted in a third trialist, former Plymouth Argyle midfielder Oliver Norburn, who lasted 45 minutes before being replaced by Liam Polworth after suffering an ankle injury. The Caley Jags manager is keen to assess 22-year-old Norburn again in Tuesday night’s match against Forres.

[ICTRoughi]

@ChristopherHarv 5m5 minutes ago

Russell Latapy may have taken his last Inverness training session with Brian Rice poised to replace the Trinidadian.

Edited July 7, 2015 by ICTRoughi

[Big G]

Also big rumour (from reliable source) that Yogi and board at loggerheads over the paying up of Russell's contract. Strange as I thought the Trinadad & Tobago FA paid him a small fortune for sacking him.

[Pele_Is_God]

If true surely that means the club want to let him go. There's something very 'off' about the whole story...

[Renegade]

Let's put the pieces together here.  It's no secret he'd like to be a manager in his own right again and Russell Latapy is linked with a move away from ICT, yet the club(s) he's applied for is not revealed.  As soon as Latapy disappears, Brian Rice turns up out of nowhere on 'holiday'.  Despite Rice being on 'holiday' he's in the dugout for two matches in full ICT gear, shouting instructions to the players and taking the training.  Hughes seemingly now wants Latapy's deal paid out in full, despite him, as far as we know not being sacked.  This presumably means that there's some issue behind the scenes between the board and Latapy.

Should Latapy go, you'd put your house on Rice being the replacement.  There is something not right about this whole saga.  The silence from the club is becoming deafening IMO as well.  Hughes seemed to suggest in the press that Latapy's absence is to speak to another club, but no-one seems to know what club or even what country they're in.  There's not even been any mention of the club granting permission to speak to another club.  I was told last season that Latapy 'hadn't been pulling his weight' at the club and I wonder if there's been some sort of fall-out behind closed doors.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Renegade

[ICTRoughi]

It could also be plausible that Russell has indeed gone to apply for various jobs elsewhere and could be on 'leave of absence'. The reason that Brian Rice's involvement could be to do John Hughes a favour during the period while Russell is away seeking other employment. 

I do agree with Renegade that the club should clarify the position of Russell whether he is still employed at ICT or not as Yogi's vague comments to the press didn't really clear it up. 

[Caley Mad In Berks]

I definitely agree with Renegade that there is something 'not right' about the club's silence on this rumour.

I supported the club's stance all through the saga of not publishing the amount of tickets sold for the cup final, and even for their coyness about publishing the amount of season tickets sold so far.      I sort of get their reluctance to go public on anything to do with money.

But this Latapy issue  really confounds me.  If there is nothing in it, why not come out and deny it and put everyone's mind at rest.  If there is something in it, then give us credit for being reasonably intelligent and let us know what is going on.  I, for one, cannot believe that it was just coincidence that Rice apparently was in the dugout for the Deveronvale game.

I believe that the majority of posters on here are honest, serious ICT supporters and I think we deserve better communication from the club on this issue.

I've only written to the chairman once before (on the kicking Rangers out of the SPL issue), but I'm tempted to contact him again over this.  Come on ICT, treat us like adults!

 

 

[Renegade]

In order for Latapy to speak to another club, said club wishing to talk to him would have to be granted access by ICT.  When Hibs came in for Butcher and Malpas (and Marsella possibly as well), there was no big secret.  We all knew what was happening and got on with it.  What's happened this time is very weird.  In the eyes of the fans, our assistant manager has literally disappeared into thin air.  Surely more and more people are starting to find that very strange.  If he's speaking to another club, just say.  If he's resigned for some reason, just say.  If he's taken a leave of absence for some reason, just say.  You don't have to go into too much detail, especially if it's a personal matter, but just clarify the situation for the fans.

What I do find very strange, as I alluded to in my previous post, was that Latapy's disappearance, has happened almost magically at the same time Brian Rice is here 'on holiday'.  Now I know it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he was here by chance, but the fact that all of a sudden he actually has an active role in managing the team is very strange indeed.  If he was up visiting Hughes as normal and took in a game from the stand, no-one would bat an eyelid.  The fact though that he's in the dugout shouting instructions  and taking the half-time training of players he's not even in charge of, is simply bizarre.  I'm sure most of the players, especially those from down south, have people coming up to visit them and take in a game all the time.  You don't see them in training gear running up and down the side of the pitch warming up during the game pretending to be substitutes!

As I said, the silence is becoming increasingly deafening, but what someone said about Hughes wanting Latapy's contract paid up is even more interesting.  If Latapy had agreed a deal with another club or had resigned it wouldn't be an issue.  He'd have his last pay cheque and that would be it.  My question here is, has he been sacked?  We all know Latapy has quite a 'party animal' reputation, but the fact he's simply disappeared with no explanation suggests that there could well be some rift behind the scenes.  Have the club sacked him and kept it quiet in order to avoid any bad press in the run up to these European games?  It's verging into the land of conspiracy theories, but with no explanation whatsoever, what more can you do?  As time goes on, it's looking more and more likely that there's more to this than meets the eye.  The key factor here for me is Brian Rice.  Latapy disappears with no explanation and just by chance, Brian Rice (who would always have been a major candidate to be his replacement) just appears from nowhere.  Is that all just a coincidence?  More and more, I don't think so.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Renegade

[RiG]

 Hughes would be keen to team up again with Rice should Latapy depart, but claimed:
“It’s miles away. Russell has hinted he wants to be his own man and pursue something new. I understand that and he would go with our best wishes. There’s something happening for him, but there’s nothing concrete. That’s all I can say on it at the moment. I’ve always been mates with Brian. It just so happens Brian is over visiting me, and people have put two and two together. If Russell did go and Brian fancied it, it would be something we would certainly look at. I asked Brian to come up and oversee things and cast an eye over things, that’s why he’s up here, I don’t know how things will materialise.”

When my mates come and visit me I often get them to come into my place of work and start helping me out with my job. Nothing unusual there.

[Yngwie]

There's clearly something going on, but IF we are getting into the realms of matters/disputes covered by employment law, it's understandable that the club would want to say as little as possible until it is resolved.

 

Edited July 9, 2015 by Yngwie

[+DoofersDad]

Another angle here is the role Brian Rice has taken on when "on holiday".  Players warm up before a game to tone up the muscles to avoid injury.  If they don't warm up properly then they could sustain an injury either during the warm up or early in the game and that could lead to some awkward liability issues, particularly if a player was injured doing an exercise specifically directed by Rice.  Now I appreciate Rice knows what's he's doing and that he would be doing what he's doing nominally under Yogi's supervision, but the fact remains that a club at our level should not have people who are not employees of the club taking training / warm up sessions with the players.  I wonder therefore whether Rice has some contract with the club or failing that, what form of approval for his involvement the club has given.

Noting also the public criticism Yogi made of the Board in relation to getting trialists up here, one gets the impression that there are some significant tensions behind the scenes.   It is all a bit unsettling at the start of what should be a historic season for the club.

 

[ICTRoughi]

Russell Latapy's departure confirmed.

http://ictfc.com/news/team-news/1577-russell-latapy

[Renegade]

Brian Rice to be appointed in 5...4...3...

[ICTRoughi]

Brian Rice to be appointed in 5...4...3...

let the man finish his 'holiday' first.  

[Sneckboy]

No surprise.
Wish him well, a top bloke and reputedly a visionary, contemporary coach, who was very much involved in championing our on-the-deck passing style. He also was apparently, all for flair-players, like himself, to be able to express themselves without necessarily having to 'conform' to the possession game and to take gambles in attacking situations. Ryan Christie, for example. has flourished under his tutorship and training-ground philosophy.

Where will Russell land up at?!..... If indeed that's to be the case, and there wasn't a 'bust up'!
We'll certainly be weaker on the coaching front with his departure. But good luck to Brian Rice - you've a hard act to follow!

[DundeeICT]

Seems he has left the building....

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-thistle/633847/assistant-manager-russell-latapy-leaves-caley-thistle/

[Council Juice]

Did not see this coming. It's on BBC Uefa qualifying live feed too.