And so the debate begins. Would ICT continue it's tradition of appointing ambitious young managers, or would they break from that and seek an experienced management team who would offer some longer term stability? It would seem that the Board were in no rush and immediately appointed Charlie Christie and John Docherty as the Caretaker Management Team, a task which this duo had previously undertaken following the departure of John Robertson in November 2004.

Nobody expects to see any widespread changes being made whilst a team is under guidance from a Caretaker Management, their normal role being to keep things ticking over until a new boss can be found. This was not to be the case on this occasion. On the 14th January 2006, ICT ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at home to Livingston FC. It was clear to all who were watching that something had changed, it was the same 11 men on the park, but the performance and style of play was reminiscent of the "Pele" era. Out was the long punt up the park, and in was the slick passing game which had served us so well in the early years.

Was this just a fluke result? Apparently not, as ICT went on to comfortable wins over Ayr in the Cup Replay and then again Away to Falkirk were the players seemed to be lining up for shots at Falkirk's goal, winning 1-4 and sending out the message that their would, without any doubt, be life after Brewster.

Meanwhile speculation continued as to who the new Manager would be, with Charlie Christie and John Docherty doing such a fine job, should they be given serious consideration for the job? Was Charlie ready? Was he capable? Everyone had an opinion, and the most popular opinion was that Charlie was the man, if not in the Managers role, then definitely as assistant to someone with a bit more experience.

John Robertson had been ruled out as a possible contender by David Sutherland (Chairman) in a TV interview where he made it clear the John Robertson was part of ICT's history and would be remaining there. But what about his assistant Donald Park, a very experienced Coach, but never been keen on the "Managers" role, preferring to ply his trade in the background and avoiding the limelight. It was quickly suggested that Charlie Christie as the front man and Donald Park as his assistant, offering guidance and support, may just be the ticket. The majority of people seemed to buy into this idea and Charlie Christie and Donald Park quickly emerged as the "Fans Favourite" choice.

It was obvious to all that Charlie Christie had a lot of soul searching to do, the fans felt he was ready, the club seemed to think he was ready, but did he think he was ready? Every time he spoke to the press, or was interviewed on the TV, he looked to be edging more and more towards throwing his name into the hat. It was then made known that he was willing to give it a go, but on the understanding that if he was appointed, it was because he was the best candidate for the job, and not just because he was a Local Hero.

That was it then, nearly all other candidates had been rejected, and everyone had been interviewed. Everyone was sure the announcement was imminent, and that Charlie Christie and Donald Park would be the new full-time management duo. That was until the phone rang!!!!! Ally McCoist was now seeking a meeting with the club......had the club already made a firm decision on Christie and Park, did McCoist want to be manager? Or was he seeking some other kind of role in the new coaching set-up? The only way the club were going to find out was by going and speaking to the guy.

All of a sudden people were wondering what was going on, Charlie Christie and Donald Park had been clear front runners for the job, now someone had thrown a spanner in the works. Discussion quickly centred on the merits of appointing McCoist as our new Manager, and how dedicated he would be or could be considering his other commitments. Were Christie and Park still the bookies favourites?

Anticipation was high, the press had missed the cut-off to break the story the following day and the Board had announced that they would be taking a few more days to consider the options. It would seem McCoist's approach had appealed to someone and was not purely unfounded rumour.

Rumours of a Press Conference on the evening of Wed 25th January were quashed by David Sutherland, so when were we to find out? Would it be Charlie Christie and John Docherty in the dugout for the home encounter v Rangers on Sunday? The press were obviously as perplexed as the fans with none of them making a firm statement about which it would be. David Sutherland was, once again, keeping everyone guessing.

ICT had there bi-weekly Press Conference scheduled for Fri 27th January, but no indication had been given as to whether the new management team were to be unveiled or not. On a gut feeling I decided to attend the Press Conference.

The new management team were unveiled as Charlie Christie and Donald Park, I won't bore you with the details of the Press Release, but the vibe around the stadium was a very positive one, and I don't believe they are anything but first choice for the job. The "Fans Favourites" have now been charged with leading ICT into the next phase of their already exciting existence.

As an ICT Player Charlie Christie made a total of 314 appearances and scored 34 goals in the process. As he begins his journey into management, we wish him all the best in achieving a different set of goals and hopefully making as many, if not more appearances, than he did as a player.