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This will be a good test to start. As stated it is a fresh start for everyone so good luck and let’s get behind the team. Old Dick Campbell will be keen to turn us over no doubt so hopefully we can turn the tables. Duncan and Dick who will be smoked and who will be choked….

I don’t know if they hand them out but there is one on the main door and I just take a photo

Dawn of a New Era Big Dunc takes charge of his first game at Inverness with a visit to Gayfield to take on Dick Campbell's Arbroath. Kick-off is at 3:00 on Saturday with Inverness looking for a change in fortunes after a disasterous run of games saw Billy Dodds sacked after the defeat to Dundee United, with just one point from six League games and out of the League Cup and Challenge Cup. Success won't happen overnight and the Caley Jags fans might have to wait a bit for a turnaround in results, but it won't be for a lack of passion or enthusiasm for the game. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Duncan Ferguson Match/Ticket Info Supporters Bus £20 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 24 17 4 3 59 19 +40 Away 23 10 6 7 32 27 +5 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 47 27 10 10 91 46 +45 We hold a big advantage over Arbroath in the H2H's but it's tighter in the away fixture. Last 10 Competitive Meetings 2 - 4 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 4 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 3 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) In our last Championship game at Arbroath - Smokies Smoked 4 - 1: Both clubs had big wins in the first games of 2023 and it was Inverness that continued in style with a 4-1 win at Gayfield. Billy Mckay, who scored a hat-trick last week, opened the scoring at the back post in the ninth minute but Ben El-Mhanni levelled fifteen minutes later when he slotted into the bottom corner. Jay Henderson put us ahead just before the break as he lifted a shot high into the net from inside the box. Twenty minutes into the second half Dan Mackay shot into the bottom corner to double our advantage. Substitute Lewis Nicolson concluded the scoring in the 86th minute with a header from sub Steven Boyd's cross. Great win on the road for the Caley Jags that moves us into sixth place in the table, eleven points behind table toppers Queens Park. Great start to 2023 for the Caley Jags with two big wins on the bounce. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Dundee Utd 6 4 2 0 12 2 14 2. Raith Rovers 6 4 1 1 10 7 13 3. Arbroath 7 4 0 3 13 8 12 4. Dunfermline 6 3 2 1 9 5 11 5. Partick Thistle 6 3 1 2 14 9 10 6. Airdrieonians 6 3 0 3 6 10 9 7. Queens Park 7 3 0 4 10 15 9 8. Ayr United 6 2 0 4 8 14 6 9. Morton 6 1 1 4 8 15 4 10. Inverness CT 6 0 1 5 3 8 1 Saturday 30th September Arbroath v Inverness CT Ayr United v Raith Rovers Dundee Utd v Queen's Park Morton v Airdrie Partick Thistle v Dunfermline Current Form Inverness start a new era tomorrow after a winless start to their Championshp campaign. However, it's a clean slate with Big Dunc at the helm although he will still have the same tools to work with. Roddy MacGregor, Lewis Nicolson, and Sean Welsh have missed out over the last month and Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy were added to the injury list last time out. We did field a Caley Jags XI in the North of Scotland cup win over Rothes with Keith Bray getting the only goal of the game.`That side was a mix of youth and fringe players with three or four first team choices making up the side. Difficult to know what players Ferguson will be looking to, but I doubt it will be a massive shift from the Dodds era this early in his role. Caley Jags so far: L L L D L L Arbroath have got their act together after a poor start to their Championship. Three straight losses have been replaced by three straight wins. Their last game was an emphatic 3-0 win at Firhill. Jermaine Hylton scored either side of a strike from Thomas O'Brien to pull them up to third in the table. Smokies so far: L L L W W W W Latest Team News: If you thought the last regime were slow getting the news out. Well they are taking the p!ss now. 7:30 pm and no news in the media. What's that all about... As if by magic>>> Dick Campbell had this team out against Partick Thistle: Gaston Norey Steele O'Brien (Stowe 90) Stewart Slater (Jacobs 88) Gold Dow (Candé Baldé 84) McKenna Hylton (McIntosh 84) Dünnwald-Turan (Bird 45) Adams; Lyon

You used to get team lines from inside the shop but i just get them on the ICT Facebook page or on Twitter.

HT 0-2 FT 1-3 McKay Hylton 2169 1st Card: Ferguson

Here's one of my Dad's photos from 1980. There's a bit of a giveaway in it! I'm guessing that you might have been standing on that bridge, if it's still there?

Some people might consider Big Dunc a bit intimidating but he’s actually very touchy feely, likes to put an arm round etc.

On the radio tonight already, stealing Robb's Dingwall gig. The guy has had a shocker and binned due to being utterly crap in management yet gets a gig on national radio giving his advice as an expert pundit just days later. Nepotism rife in the media as the old boys pat each other on the back.

I'm glad the hype has begun to subside, I'm split nearly down the middle on this one. Not sure if the loan transfer will be an option as he won't have any idea about his squad shortcomings so I guess we go with what 'Doddsie' has left him with. Results being key the next month will be crucial to keep attached to those teams closest to us - performance may have been showing promise but DF's remit is points, 3's preferably. Make it to January anywhere from 7th upwards and then we see how his contacts are...strengthen again for the push to mid table mediocrity. On a side note, I'd love to hear the scheme that's been cobbled together to pay for this long shot.

I am kind of in the same boat as many. This will either be a masterstroke or an unmitigated disaster. Hoping for the first, not the latter. On the plus side, he has been around some pretty big names in his roles as coach while learning the ropes over a lengthy period of time. He may have the personality and name recognition to attract players we might not have had a sniff at before and watching some of the videos I have seen over the last few days, he appears to be a different person (more likeable) than the person he was as a player. Seems highly regarded by supporters in the blue part of Liverpool. In the talksport and press conference videos he also seems to come across honest and truthfully when mentioning he has no clue about our players, or the lower leagues. Honesty and straight talking is something lacking in our recent history. On the minus side, as mentioned, he has not coached in Scotland, and his Forest Green spell didn't make good reading. Having said that, Didn't a certain Mr. Butcher have a woeful recent record before he came to us. My biggest fears are how we are affording this. He won't come cheap. He may have certain budgetary expectations that we can't meet (although I assume he knows its low as the talksport interview mentioned not blowing his budget on the hotel they put him up in). It also papers over other cracks that need looked at whether he is successful or not.

As we all now know, former Dundee United, Rangers, St Johnston and Livingston player Gary Bollan now confirmed as Duncan's assistant. He has managerial experience at these clubs: Gary Bollan Stats >>> 2009–2012 Livingston 2013–2015 Airdrieonians 2015–2017 Forfar Athletic 2017–2021 Cowdenbeath Team Nat From To Record G W D L Win % Livingston 14 August 2009 5 February 2012 108 62 22 24 57.41 Livingston: Scottish Third Division: 2009–10 Scottish Second Division: 2010–11 Forfar Athletic: Scottish League One play-offs: 2016–17 Cowdenbeath: Scottish League Two play-offs: 2017–18

Been ruminating on this since the first announcement. Not only far from my first choice, not even on my radar. Big Dunc never even came to mind as I never would have thought he’d consider a position like ours. My feelings pretty much match the pros and cons on previous posts… Biggest pro has to be his high level coaching experience, something we desperately need, and the high regard in which he was held is surely a positive. Secondly, it has to be the prospect of his connections and the chances of him being able to attract some players who would probably never have given us a second glance. I’m also hoping he’s a strong enough character to stand up to the suits in the boardroom who have been doing their best to destroy our club. My biggest concern was/is his lack of knowledge of Scottish football and our lower leagues in particular. There are some pretty savvy, well experienced managers out there who have run rings around Dodds and are quite capable of doing so against Dunc if he underestimates the opposition. The appointment of Gary Bollan as his number two is very welcome news. Gary brings the experience and knowledge to the table that Big Dunc lacks. If they can work well together then this could be a master stroke, I sincerely hope it is and I wish them well for the sake of our club.

Cant wait for him to head butt Gardiner.

People talking about him being appointed for 'staunchness' are being silly. The guy played about ten games for Rangers thirty years ago. I don't think he's particularly renowned as a Rangers guy at all, Everton are the club he's identified with. He was really considered a big disappointment by Rangers fans

Positives and negatives about appointing Ferguson. POSITIVES He has coaching and assistant manager experience at the highest level. He was a first team coach at Everton from 2014 to 2022, caretaker manager a couple of times. He worked with Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelloti, Rafa Benetiz. That has to be worth something. He seems to have been highly regarded by those he worked with. He has a reputation as a motivator, a positive guy who is passionate as a coach, not someone who is more analytical and measured. NEGATIVES He hasn't been involved in Scottish football for decades, he's never coached here at all. You can be certain he'll have zero knowledge of players at this level. He was interviewed by Tony Bellew for a podcast earlier this year and he said that he hasn't really paid much attention to Scottish football for years - which is understandable as he was coaching a Premier league club so knowledge of lower leagues in Scotland isn't required. He had a poor record as manager of Forest Green Rovers, who were in a similar position to us when he took over - bottom of their league. There are obviously reasons behind every failure (and success) and from what I've read about it there were underlying things wrong at the club that meant he wasn't in a position to succeed.

Looking through this evening if Charlie and Robbo get us the low end of Robbos win rate at this level that would be 14 wins this season. That would keep us safe. That is our priority not some vitriolic attack on every employee of the club. The players are good enough. Let the players now prove it with support from Robbo and Charlie.