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A statement from the Board of Inverness Caledonian Thistle has confirmed that John Hughes is no longer the manager at Inverness. Or to be more correct, it would appear that he will be leaving and we hope he is successful, just not at Inverness. Yogi, on the other hand enjoyed everything about the club and the people over the last two and a half years, but he wishes the club well, without him. All a bit of a hanging statement by both parties, but it's all over now, or is he on gardening leave? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Statement on behalf of the Board of Directors at Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC "All of us at ICTFC would like to take this opportunity to thank John for his contribution since joining us in December 2013 and specifically his coaching skills and commitment, which helped deliver our successes, and in particular lifting the Scottish Cup for the first time in the Club’s history as well as our first foray into European Club Football. John will be remembered here at ICTFC as a member of a great winning team and we wish him every success going forward." Statement on behalf of John Hughes "I will look back on my time at ICTFC and in the Highlands with a genuine fondness and warm affection for the Club, the area and the Community." "The welcome I received from the fans and the response I got from the players throughout my two and a half years there will live long in the memory as will everything else we shared in some of the ground-breaking successes we all enjoyed together during that period." "I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of my time at the Club and I would like to sincerely thank the Inverness Directors for affording me the privilege of managing what is, a fine Football Club. My gratitude goes out to every member of staff who also offered me so much personal support in my time there!" "I can readily assure my successor that they will inherit an excellent group of players and to each and every one of them could I also say a huge thanks for making my time with them so successful and so memorable - I wish them and the Club every success in the future." _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ So, there you have it. We are left to read between the lines somewhat, but it would appear that we are now looking for a new manager. It's not been the best kept secret, but it's out in the open now. It looks as though things have come to a head and there has been a parting of the ways. The club and Yogi have not been best of friends since he was denied time to talk to Dundee United. I wonder if that was the accelerant that started his downfall, as a war of words broke out over budgets since then and the David Raven affair soured his affinity with the fans, There was a definite atmosphere at the final game of the season and Yogi's silence was deafening as Raven won the fans vote for player of the year. Yogi had signed his own resignation in his handling of that as the fans showed they valued Raven above the manager. Time to go after that humiliation. I'm sure there will be reasons on both sides as to why he will no longer manage Inverness, but for now, their lips are sealed. We all have tremendous memories of our Cup win over Falkirk, nobody can take that away from John Hughes, but it's now time to move on. Thanks Yogi for that chapter in our history. As Mick Jagger used to say, It's all over now.................

Raven signs off on a high. Inverness recorded their biggest win of the season defeating Dundee 4-0 to round off the campaign on a high and confirm seventh place, after a torrid season. All goals came in a lively second half following a pedestrian first forty-five. Miles Storey started the ball rolling by scoring from an acute angle just after the hour, and defender Danny Devine bundled home the second eight minutes later, closely followed by Ross Draper. Richie Foran completed the rout from the penalty spot after great work by Liam Polworth. That was despite the fans protestations looking for David Raven to have a go. Big send off for Raven at the end as he went to the fans to say cheerio in the sun, and he also picked up the fans player of the year vote at the stadium, with Ross Draper getting the players player of the year award. Twas a pleasant afternoon as the game kicked off with John Hughes continuing to irk the home fans with his persistence to keep David Raven on the bench. And just to rub salt into the wound, the Dundee departing Danny Williams started the game. Why, you may ask. There's nothing wrong with Danny by the way, but he has chosen to go elsewhere so why was he playing when others were kept on the bench. It all smacks of a rift within, and one that will get worse before it gets better. Anyway, to the game, and Inverness looked to be getting a stranglehold early on but as we were attacking without intent Scott Bain was left mainly untroubled early doors. Iain Vigurs and Greg Tansey failed to fluster the Dundee keeper with long range efforts and Dundee grew more into the battle and a couple of breakaways threatened Owain Fon Williams goal. A swift counter between Greg Stewart and Kane Hemmings had them combine brilliantly before Stewart saw his curling effort deflect off the corner of the bar with Fon Williams stranded. A let off for Inverness. They never heeded this though and Hemmings should have done better from twelve yards, but he lifted his shot well over the bar from prime position. Ten minutes before the break John McGinn saw a shot saved well by Fon Williams as Dundee took the more direct approach as Inverness' more pedantic approach kept possession but lacked penetration. A Tansey shot five minutes before half time was easily plucked out of the air by Bain as Inverness looked to make the breakthrough, but the whistle ended the first forty-five with the score level. Half Time 0-0 The home fans were looking for more urgency and they were treated to a much better second period. It still took until around the hour before we opened the scoring and a cracking goal it was too. Inverness pressure saw Ross Draper slip the ball to Liam Polworth who in turn slipped a great ball into the box where Miles Storey ran onto it and rounded the keeper, and as he went wide he drilled the ball home from an acute angle for a smart finish and his thirteenth goal of the season. After sixty-seven minutes club captain Richie Foran was introduced for Storey, the reason for that would become apparent over the next few days. The Inverness pressure had been building since the goal and when Iain Vigurs sent in a decent ball from a corner it looked as though Foran nudged it on and Danny Devine bundled it in at the back post, his second goal in the last two games. It was raining goals now and two minutes later Ross Draper capitalised on a bad mistake by the Dundee defence from none other than Nick Ross, who was mugged outside the box. Drapes then bore down on goal before slotting the ball neatly behind the keeper to leave the Dark Blues shell shocked. Huge cheers all round when David Raven entered the game and he almost had the perfect send off. He stopped the ball with his foot from a throw in, his second touch was a deep curling cross which was met full on by Carl Tremarco. Unfortunately he was denied by a tremendous point blank save by Bain as he met the cross and crashed a header towards the goal. The fans were now loving this and every touch by Raven was greeted with a cheer. Dundee signing Danny Williams left the field to polite applause, Ryan Williams replacing him. The goal rush was not finished yet though and when Liam Polworth bamboozled Andrew Black inside the box he was uncerimoniuosly dumped on the turf. Richie Foran was quick to grab the ball and despite the fans chanting for Raven to take the spot kick, it was Foran that sent Bain the wrong way to round off the scoring. Raven almost signed off with a goal but he headed over from six yards, much to the chagrin of the home fans. But we were in fine spirit now although Fon Williams had to look lively to deny Dundee a late consolation. Full Time 4-0 All in, it turned out to be a great afternoon especially in the second half as we went on a goal spree. Great send off for Raven who spent a long time amongst the fans getting selfies and autographs. John Hughes kept a low profile throughout all this, but the fans were left chanting David Raven's name, a fine tribute to an excellent servant to this club, and one that is leaving before his time. Ross Draper was my MotM and Aberdeen target Miles Storey did well in the second half although it looks as though he has scored his last goal for this club. Marvelous memories of David Raven's last stand and the silence from Yogi was deafening. Date: 14/05/16 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3794 Referee: Barry Cook Inverness CT: 4 Lineup: Fon Williams; Meekings (Raven 74), Devine, Warren, Tremarco, Draper, Tansey, Polworth, Vigurs, D. Williams (R. Williams 76), Storey (Foran 67) Subs (not used): Esson, Roberts, Horner, Mbuyi-Mutombo Scorers: Storey (61), Devine (69), Draper (71), Foran (pen.84) Booked: none Sent Off: none Dundee: 0 Lineup: Bain; McGinn (Black 78), Etxabeguren, O'Dea, Holt, Colquhoun (Perez-Reverte 67), Ross, Wighton, Stewart (Curran 77), Loy, Hemmings Subs (not used): Mitchell, Meggatt, Gazhalov Scorers: none Booked: Black (84) Sent Off: none a

Annus horribilis comes to an end. Last game of the season at Home to Dundee with a 12:30 kick off at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, a game which will decide the final pecking order for this campaign. The two sides battle it out to see who will be the best of the rest. A draw will be enough to ensure that Inverness finish in seventh place, whereas a win for Dundee would see them jump ahead of us, and more importantly get the extra cash that goes with every League position gained. It's been a difficult season for Inverness after the euphoria of last term when we finished third and won the Scottish Cup. This season has been blighted by injuries and failure to hold onto our top players whilst not replacing them with the required quality. It's also been a reality check for Yogi and the fans. Maybe winning the cup went to his head, but we have been playing some real mind-numbingly boring football of late. Maybe his hands are tied in terms of what he can and can't do, but one major issue has been gnawing away at the fans for a couple of months now. David Raven is presumably fit, but why oh why does he not get a start as one of our recognised and experienced right backs with Yogi keeping him benched while employing central defender Josh Meekings in that spot. It's a mystery to everyone and it looks like the end of the road for Raven as an Inverness player given the way he has been treated. Tactical genius he is not and the fans were also left wondering why our most creative talent in Jordan Roberts was left out of the starting eleven at Hamilton as well as Andrea Mutombo. Two players that are capable of changing a game, but not if they are left on the bench. It's all getting a little confusing down at the stadium. The fans have been looking for some entertainment recently, well that's not been in abundance of late with dour anti-football on show. Richie Foran is another who is seeking talks over his future at the club. He reckons he could do a turn for another year, but that won't happen sitting on the bench. Are we coming apart at the seams or can we stitch ourselves together and get a quality squad to the Caledonian Stadium in time for a new season. The sides have drawn all three games this season so far. Inverness have won four of their last six games, but Dundee have only two wins over the same period. As you would expect, there's little between the sides and another close encounter is on the cards. Inverness will say farewell to one or two this weekend, but the big talking point is will he or won't he let Dave the Rave take to the pitch. I imagine we will be on recent familiar team lines as most of the squad are back to fitness. Your call Yogi. Dundee might be without top scorer Kane Hemmings who has strained a hamstring. Missing will be Paul McGowan, Gary Harkins, Nicky Low, Thomas Konrad, Cammy Kerr and Jake McPake. tm4tj prediction:- Can we finish with a flourish. I'm no holding my breath on that one either. We might be capable of seeing off Dundee, but our lack of creation ensures that we make life difficult for ourselves and leaves the fans looking for something extra. When was the last time we put another team to the sword and threw in a bit of swashbuckle? Partick recently, but other than that it's been a stop start season and one to forget. I know, I know, injuries etc, but that wore thin a while ago. Anyway, let's get this one out of the way and then look forward to next season. No scoring draw, but it will be as tight as a ducks posterior. However, it will net us another £53K if we can do it.

Devine nets winner Inverness ground out a result at Hamilton thanks to a Danny Devine goal before the break. It was a rather dour encounter and one where Darian Mackinnon earned himself two yellow cards in ten seconds..............is that a record. The least said about this game the better with fans less than impressed by the quality of play on display. John Hughes left out Jordan Roberts and Andrea Mutombo, with Iain Vigurs and Danny Williams starting. It may just be me, but I find it odd that a player not wanting to stay at Inverness gets a start ahead of guys who would give an arm and a leg to play. David Raven was of course left on the bench. No surprise there. RIG was at this game and here's his report. Really poor end of season affair lightened up by MacKinnon being a colossal ned and scrapping with his coaching staff as he was bundled off the pitch and one of the ICT fans charging across the stand to celebrate the Williams 'goal' before realising it had been chalked off For some reason, after turning in a wonderful performance against Partick, we seem to have returned to our timid, non threatening, slow passing game. Whereas Draper and others had been snapping at the heels of Partick players winning the ball and providing great support further forward for the likes of Storey we seemed significantly less inclined to attack with anyone other than Storey, Williams and Polworth. Draper and Tansey were lined up exceptionally deep with Meekings and Tremarco seldom supporting on the flanks. It was like we had put the brakes on for this one despite 7th place and some potentially important prize money up for grabs. The best move of the game for us came when Storey scampered free on the left flank and crossed for Williams who finished well but had apparently just drifted offside. Hard to tell from where we were. A quick free kick from Vigurs released Devine and he tackled the ball into the net. Decent finish for a defender. Hamilton had largely been restricted to shots from range with a couple looking like they flew pretty close to OFW goal. Half Time 0-1 Second half was sadly a very timid affair from us in attacking sense best exemplified when Williams had the ball on the right flank and the ICT players alongside him stood completely still. There was little movement off the ball to create space for either a pass or for the player who had the ball. We seemed happy to knock the ball around and protect the one goal lead. Draper (I think) did find Polworth with a superb through ball but he shot right at McGovern. MacKinnon, perhaps the biggest ned in Scottish football, was sent off for clashing with Vigurs. Looked like he threw an elbow in the direction of Vigurs after a challenge which strangely brought only a yellow card before he then mouthed off at the ref and was shown a second yellow. As he went off he clashed with the Accies coaching staff and was restrained before appearing to launch himself at whoever was holding him back. Bizarre. For most of the latter part of the second half we were defending deeper and deeper as we clung on to the lead. Hamiltons best chance came when a clever and quick free kick nearly caught us out but somehow the final shot from an Accies player, from about 3 yards out, was ballooned into the retail park. Full Time 0-1 Not going to complain too much about a win but having seen what the team can do when it is set up correctly it seems bizarre to put the brakes on and reign the side back. Date: 11/05/16 Venue: New Douglas Park, Hamilton Attendance: 1516 Referee: Stephen Finnie Hamilton Ac: 0 Lineup: McGovern, Gordon, Kurakins, Devlin, Gillespie, Kurtaj (Docherty 56), Morris, MacKinnon, Brophy, Garcia Tena (Redmond 63), Boyd (Hughes 78) Subs (not used): Martin, D'Acol, Tierney, Cunningham Scorers: none Booked: MacKinnon (74), Gillespie (82) Sent Off: MacKinnon (74) Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Fon-Williams, Tremarco, Warren, Meekings, Draper, Devine, Tansey, D.Williams (Foran 92), Polworth, Vigurs, Storey (Roberts 87) Subs (not used): Esson, Raven, R Williams, Horner, Mbuyi-Mutombo Scorers: Devine (41) Booked: Warren (57), Polworth (85) Sent Off: none a

Accies, Last Trip of the Season It's the penultimate game of a torrid, or should that be horrid, season for Inverness Caledonian Thistle as we visit New Douglas Park, Hamilton, to take on fellow survivors Hamilton Academical on Wednesday night in a 7:45 kick off. This was the scene of one of the more memorable games of the season where Inverness threw away a two goal lead only for Accies to draw level before Liam Polworth scored a spectacular winner in injury time. That game was littered with stunning goals as Inverness took all three points after coming out on top 3-4. However, Hamilton came North and went home with all three points in March after a 1-0 win at the Caledonian Stadium. Both sides have done just enough to stave off the threat of relegation and avoid the play-off place which this season goes to Kilmarnock with Dundee United in the automatic drop slot. Since the break, Accies have beaten both Dundee sides but were soundly thrashed by Killie. We have beaten Killie and Partick but went down rather tamely to United last Friday having been three down before losing 3-2. Revolving doors spring to mind! There are only four points between the sides although Inverness have a vastly superior goal difference and will be looking to overhaul Dundee who are one point better off than us. Plenty of cash still to be won by climbing another place in the league and contracts can still be won or lost. Well, if your face fits at least. With Dundee United clawing back two late goals to draw with Partick tonight, a win for Inverness at Hamilton will see us finish no lower than eighth. Should be enough incentive to have a go, but I'm no holding my breath. David Raven looks to be out of favour with Manager of the Month John Hughes as he is still reluctant to put him on the park despite playing Josh Meekings at right back and Danny Devine at center back, a scenario that is not best pleasing the Inverness fans. On the bright side, Liam Polworth has signed on for another three years and more are expected to follow. Yogi talks about his MotM Award https://audioboom.com/boos/4547978-ictfc-john-hughes-manager-of-the-month-for-april?t=0 Owain Fon Williams has been included in the Welsh squad for the European Championships this summer, a tremendous boost for the Welsh keeper who has been in great form for most of the season. Inverness can call on Iain Vigurs who will return after serving a two match ban. Ahem, David Raven is fit should Yogi decide to play him and Jordan Roberts is also hopefully fit after his excellent performances in the last few games. Accies will be without former Inverness player Dougie Imrie and lively forward Ali Crawford through suspension. One or two others are expected to shake off knocks after the win against Dundee. tm4tj prediction:- We can be a bit hit or miss against teams like Hamilton although we tend to do better away from home, as do Accies at Inverness. If we are as lethargic as we were in the first half against Dundee United then we will struggle to get anything. We need our playmakers to get on the ball and take on the defender. Jordan Roberts is one who can deliver and it's also encouraging that he would like to stay here. Miles Storey is another and he will do his prospects no harm if he puts in a good shift. The David Raven enigma needs resolved. Yogi looks to have dug his heels in and that is against the wishes of the support. If that's the case then it's sheer stubbornness and to the detriment of the team. Why split up our best center back pairing just to give Devine a game and keep our preferred right back out of the side. Baffling decision, and not one which has won him the Manager of the Month award. I'm taking us not to lose, but if we are to harbour any thoughts of climbing above Dundee, then we need to turn a draw into a win and not rely on others to help us out. Three points for Inverness in a towsy game littered with bookings and misplaced passes.