Kingsmills

Maurice Malpas now Craig Levein, can our luck possibly hold out ?

Three o'clock on a Saturday. Very reasonable pricing. Surely we can muster a couple of thousand home fans.

Shearer out !

Apparently being reported that this thread will shortly be leaving CTO having agreed terms with Hibs.net

Surely not.....

To be fair, Sutton managed to avoid relegation with Lincoln and to take them on a half decent FA Cup run despite difficult off field circumstances at the club. Wouldn't be my choice but best to get the facts straight.

Agree fully,we could actually now field a pretty competitive XI comprised of players signed up until the end of next season or beyond.

Almost certainly on the shortlist.

Has Steve Marsella formally left the building yet ?

Shinnie.

Should imagine the coaching team will be in the dugout at the weekend. Almost certainly. Apparently the board are looking to have drawn up a short list of half a dozen or so by the weekend.

Wonderful if unexpected news. Securing Richie is, in my opinion, almost as important to our immediate and medium term future as getting the managerial appointment right. I have little doubt, given the regard our former manager has for him, that Richie would have had to opportunity of moving to Hibs in the summer for more money albeit probably for a shorter contract. The board have shown faith and loyalty to Richie giving him a three year extention at his age. He has, in turn, shown faith and loyalty to the club by opting for continuity and long term security rather than short term gain. That, Mr Butcher, is how things should be done.

Getting on for a hundred potential new managers mentioned on this thread now. I still think there's a fair chance that the new man will be someone not even among them.

Are you suggesting that there are 20 year olds who were lying in their prams so embittered by the merger that they now will not go anywhere near the Longman or that all of the thousands of people who have moved to Inverness over the last two decades were such ardent Caley or Thistle fans supporting from their lounges in Berkshire or Stirling that they now wish the merged club nothing but ill will ?

Was tempted to bite Johndo but give this a rest. Merger is history and I cannot seriously believe that it is having a major impact on attendances now. Inverness public are starting to get what they deserve by not supporting their team. Huisdean, you are absolutely right.

What about Hope Powell ? She may have stayed too long in the England post but she is a tactically shrewd coach and good motivator with an excellent win ratio and who's teams are noted for attacking and attractive football. Having a former iconic international captain raised the profile of the club but just think of the impact being the first senior professional club to appoint a woman manager would have. The media interest in ICT would be phenomenal not just within the UK but throughout the world.

He might be worth a go on the wing..

That's a big surprise...people still read the Sunday Post...

In a straight choice between Craig Levein and Paul Hartley I would be inclined towards the latter even though he is the bigger risk. He may be untried in management at this level but knows the league very well having only relatively recently stopped playing in it after many successful seasons. His record in management, although short, shows great promise having taken an Alloa team he built himself largely from scratch from the Third Division to being the best and most successful part time team in the country. Not my own first choice but I would be more than content if PH got the job, especially if in tandem with an experienced assistant.

Or loses form and starts getting the bird.

Personally, Kenny Sheils would not be my choice for manager of ICT but there is no doubt the he made a positive impact of their fans the majority of them would have him back in an instant. He led a provincial club with a difficult regime to work under and resourses similar to ours to a cup final victory over Celtic and a respectable league position. He does strike me as a motivator but he is tactically naive and, while I take his moans about the travails of the A9 with a pinch of salt, he did allow himself to be manipulated by the media to the extent he become a comedy figure.

Wouldn't want Lennon as number one but he would make a good number two under Juanjo..

What is the next level for us? Europe and/or a trophy.

I have no difficulty with an ambitious manager viewing ICT as a stepping stone to something better just as long as they respect the club and the fans in doing so.

Major shareholder who still has a great deal of clout.