Tichy_Blacks_Back

No need to shout - I thought you said - SACK THE BUTCHER

Butcher will be on sky sports news at 18:30....

I too was behind Robertson getting the job but El Tel is here now so will get my full support. I am now interested to see what players he and Malpas are looking to bring in.... Another fomer Ipswich Town international defender at the helm who would have though that in 1994....

I think the fact that we have to play all the teams around us before the end of the season and then again when the split occurs means that we have two games against Hamilton, Falkirk, St.Mirren, Kilmarnock and one other - that alone is 30 points to play for....and then whatever we can take from the other games against Utd, Aberdeen and the evil twins etc.... A good run by ICT and a poor run by one or two others and they are back in the mix again....I actually think getting points of Utd is a real possibility especially after Saturday's performance....the biq question is how the players take to Butcher and Malpas and their style of play....and who we may bring in to give us more of a cutting edge up front.... Therefore to answer your questions I believe it is possible we can stay up and I think there will be more than 2 in the mix come the end of the season run in....

46 squids....

I assume you mean the board....

Ah excellent they will get us the derby back and another pop at the challenge cup - IMO very poor decision but here's hoping I am wrong.... PS - if we can afford this pair's wages and pay off Brewster how then couldn't we get in players in the transfer window who are either free agents, loans or going to be realeased by their clubs....

Looks like it is Butcher then - the club have actually had two meetings with him and he is expected back up north tomorrow morning for the press conference in the afternoon - that is unless he changes his mind overnight.... Scotsman - Butcher offered Inverness job Butcher offered Inverness job, with Malpas his No 2 Date: 27 January 2009 By ALASDAIR FRASER TERRY Butcher was last night offered the Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager's job and is expected to be confirmed in the post today. The Highlands club made their choice at a full board meeting yesterday evening after meeting the former Rangers and England captain twice in the last three days. It is believed Butcher, who pipped former Inverness and Hearts manager John Robertson in the board's estimation, will be handed the role initially until the end of the season only. It is also understood the 50-year-old made the appointment of Maurice Malpas, his assistant while manager of Motherwell, a condition of his acceptance. Talks between Butcher and club officials ironed out concerns regarding the candidate's other commitments, namely his part-time role as Scotland assistant manager and well-paid position as pundit for Setanta Sports. The SPL outfit ? imperilled by a run of eight straight defeats ? were still remaining tight-lipped on developments last night. But it is understood they hope to parade Butcher at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium as early as this afternoon. Robertson, who managed the club to First Division title success between December 2002 to November 2004 before being lured to Hearts, was still under consideration as late as yesterday evening. In the unlikely event that Butcher declines the job offer, the Tynecastle goalscoring legend would immediately be back in strong contention. But interest in former Blackburn assistant manager Archie Knox is thought to have cooled because of his significant contractual ties to the Lancashire club. Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton and Argentina and Tottenham legend Ossie Ardiles were widely quoted as contenders to succeed Craig Brewster, who was sacked last week, but neither are thought to have proven persuasive to the board. Butcher, the former Sunderland, Coventry, Motherwell and Sydney FC manager, is viewed as the kind of motivator and disciplinarian who could galvanise the club, who sit two points adrift in the relegation battle. Butcher is understood to have travelled north yesterday morning to meet for a second time with Caley Thistle directors. He was initially interviewed in Edinburgh on Saturday morning by Graeme Bennett, the club's director of football, and chairman George Fraser. Inverness, for their part, have sought assurances regarding Butcher's considerable commitments, but are not expected to demand he abandon either his international involvement or television work. Malpas, who was considered a candidate in his own right only a matter of days ago, would offer a compromise solution whereby Butcher would have solid backing if otherwise occupied. The club are expected to issue a statement confirming their choice this morning before parading the new manager at the stadium at the earliest opportunity. The Herald are running a similar story this morning also.... Butcher favoured for Inverness post

hold on trigger - I think El Tel has gone away to think about the offer - probably confirm to club tomorrow Yeh or Nah....

The BBC have remained a lot more cautious with the article they have posted....but do appear to narrow it down to two.... BBC article I'm with CD - but could also be one of these....(from El Tel....)

I would question that as Robbo hasnt actually been interviewed So if Robertson has never been interviewed then all the major paper stories are wrong including this one...s**t Sutton will probably turn up tomorrow....

So if Butcher turns it down the job goes to Robertson....so Butcher has not actually said yes yet - so I guess he will confirm either yes or no tomorrow morning....interesting article....

Knox is on 400K a year for doing nothing - no wonder he wasn't interested....

unless he says no after he has slept on it....

What he didn't use Flybe - must have paid for the flight himself? PS - does this mean we will see English flags next Saturday at Caledonian Stadium (or would those be offensive to some.... )

Butcher if he does in fact get it in my opinion would be a poor decision - but if it is so be it....we haven't had a decent derby for a few years now....

Sack The Board Football Expert and Visionary

I'll start with 20 squids....

Still have a feeling that somebody from Hearts may be coming our way fairly soon as soon as the new manager is in place....

DB - with the banks currently in trouble they have started to print these in Manchester - could do with a few at Caledonian Stadium....

From a thread on another site just before christmas: Win% Alex Ferguson - 57.99% Arsene Wenger - 57.35% Outside the 'big four' the best others reported were: Two fifth placed spots for Spurs' Martin Jol? - 45.27%. Juande Ramos, the 'super-manager' brought in to do what Jol couldn't? - 39.29% Last years fifth for Everton's David Moyes? - 40.88% Current super-favourites, Villa's Martin O'Neil? - 39.60% 41.15% looks pretty good IMO....

I know not fully relevant to the current thread but good article from The Irish News on current predicament.... Brewster is shown high road at Caley By Neil Strain AND so it ends, caught up in the angry clamour of supporters and rumours of dissent in the first team squad. When he returned to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2007, Craig Brewster was well aware that his appointment as manager was not a universally popular one, but even he will have been surprised by the speed of his sudden dismissal. The final straw was ultimately drawn last week, during the club?s seventh consecutive league defeat, a 1-0 loss to Hamilton Academical, the Premier League new boys who many believed would be propping up the table this season. Instead, it is the Highlanders who find themselves floundering at the midway point, struggling to pinpoint the path to safety. These are worrying times in Inverness and, having worked so hard to establish themselves as a top flight outfit, they now find themselves facing the most crucial decision in their history. For, if the right managerial candidate is not identified, they could be on a steady slope down the divisions, struck by a possibly mortal blow just as clubs are clamouring for fresh funds and security. Since joining the senior ranks Caley have shown an awareness and business acumen that has allowed them to establish themselves as the principle force in the Highlands, stealing the march on fellow new arrivals, Ross County. While County initially burned brightly, before being gripped by financial concerns and managerial upheaval, their neighbours in Inverness showed an eye for the long-term and flourished through good practice. This season there have been a few worrying idiosyncrasies, the most obvious being the decision to sanction the signing of three new players by Brewster just weeks before his dismissal. This appears to indicate that the board have, on this occasion, reacted to pressure from the fans and strayed from their vision for the season as a whole. For, surely, if they had any doubts about Brewster, they would have acted sooner and given the new man time to bring in his own players and move others out during the January window. If Caley are to survive they will instead have to be single-minded and emotionless in their decision-making, particularly when it comes to the appointment of a new manager. Then again, there is a picture emerging from behind the scenes of Brewster, an apparently unpopular, somewhat arrogant character. By all descriptions, the main contender for the job is another former Caley boss and Brewster?s polar opposite. John Robertson also lives in the Inverness area and has apparently been dreaming of such an opportunity, but having been dismissed from his two previous roles at Livingston and Derry, he will have to prove that he still has the appetite and ability for the job. So must the other candidates and Thistle cannot afford to be swayed by nostalgia or even the lure of a ?big-name? with a dubious track record. These are dangerous times in Inverness, ones that afford little margin for error or for flights of fancy.

Some good photos - especially like this one - is this a plug for 'The NEW 3 Sopranos' - even got a telephone number in the shot to book them....

Well if it is to be those three candidates then my preference would be: 1 Robertson 2 Knox 3 Butcher

The Scotsman still have Knox and Butcher as the front-runners this morning....I am sure things may have changed by mid-day.... Scotsman