Cc's Best X1

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

A football fairytale ... that's life at Caley - courtesy of the Sun

By ERIC MACIVER

Published: Today

CHARLIE CHRISTIE is the poster boy of football in Inverness.

He starred in the colours of both Thistle and Caley before their merger.

After that he became a linchpin for the newly formed side as they rocketed through the Scottish football ranks.

A short spell at Celtic apart, Christie spent his entire career in the Highlands where he played more than 300 top-team games for Caley Thistle.

Their rise from non-league football to the SPL is one of Scottish football?s biggest success stories and one Christie admits he is proud to have played his part in.

He said: ?I started with Caley in the Highland League and I?m honoured to have played so many games for this club.

?I?ve gone from a part-time player to a professional to coach to first team manager and now to youth coach.

?There have been a lot of changes over the years and Caley have enjoyed tremendous success. To go from non-league to an established SPL club in ten years is fairytale stuff.

?It has been a gradual success and the fact we have been so financially prudent has helped.

?Stevie Paterson deserves great credit for getting us going in the early days and showing us what could be done. We went on and built on it.

?I was very fortunate to stay injury free as I have seen a lot of lads have to give up the game early. The emergence of Caley came at a good time for me and I was fortunate to keep playing until I was almost 38.?

After a frustrating year on the Parkhead sidelines Christie had offers in England and abroad but his heart had never left Inverness and he returned to Caley.

He is the star character in the Caley fairytale and this week SunSport took the Jags youth coach down memory lane to pick his all-star XI.

He added: ?I haven?t selected any players from my days in the Highland League but I want to mention five lads who I always felt had the talent to go on and play at a higher level.

?They were Alastair ?Titch? Black, Billy Urquhart, Davie Milroy, Mike Andrew and Allan Hercher.?

JIM CALDER: I played alongside Jim for Inverness Thistle and Caley Thistle. He wasn?t the tallest but he was a great shotstopper and a big character in the dressing room. Jim was a failed centre forward, it turned that out he was better at blocking goals than scoring them.

ROSS TOKELY: I had more than one altercation with Ross on the training pitch but he has been a great servant for Caley. He came in at 17 and to make the right-back berth your own for a decade is something to be proud of.

BOBBY MANN: He wasn?t the quickest but he more than made up for that with his awareness and superb range of passing. I?m quite sure that if he had been fitter he?d have played more in the SPL.

MIKE NOBLE: A great friend from our schooldays, Mike was also captain of the club when we won the Third Division. He was a great reader of the game.

PAUL SHEERIN: Peanut was good enough to play anywhere and although he wasn?t a regular full-back I?m putting him at left-back. His use of the ball was so good and he had such a cultured left-foot.

BARRY WILSON: A great technical player with bags of pace. I always felt I had a good understanding with him, he was a player who got the crowd on their edge of their seats.

CHARLIE CHRISTIE: People said I had a good touch and vision but I always felt I had a huge desire to win. I was a terrible loser and had a winning mentality.

PAUL McSTAY: I was lucky to train and play in the Celtic reserves with Paul in the late 80s. For me Paul is one of the finest midfielders this country has produced in the modern era. He was also a real gent off the park.

BARRY ROBSON: He was a great capture by Pele for us as he was a matchwinner. He had great strength and I?m delighted to see him doing so well now. He is a player who?s got better and better as he?s matured.

DENNIS WYNESS: Denzel?s link play was a joy to behold but he could also score goals and he is still Caley?s record scorer. A quiet guy but popular in the dressing room.

FRANK McAVENNIE: I played alongside Frank for Celtic in pre-season games abroad, and saw first hand how terrific he was. He contributed so much to Celtic the year I was there. I must also thank him for introducing me to Page Three girl Jenny Blyth!

[Renegade]

It's rather irritating when they constantly refer to ICT as Caley, especially as in this article they mention both ICT and Caledonian.

[Yngwie]

Slightly bizarre choice putting Sheerin at left back, probably a reflection of the fact that we've never really had anyone outstanding there. Apart from perhaps one excellent season from Golly (Carol Thatcher's favourite player, I believe).

[gordyfromsneck]

Slightly bizarre choice putting Sheerin at left back, probably a reflection of the fact that we've never really had anyone outstanding there. Apart from perhaps one excellent season from Golly (Carol Thatcher's favourite player, I believe).

Yes, I think he is there, just because he is to good to miss out and Robson and McStay also needed named. Wyness and McAvennie - dream team!

[clacher_holiday2]

Slightly bizarre choice putting Sheerin at left back, probably a reflection of the fact that we've never really had anyone outstanding there. Apart from perhaps one excellent season from Golly (Carol Thatcher's favourite player, I believe).

Hastings?

[jamieb]

Thought Hastings would have atleast git a mention..

Mike Teasdale also.

[mikeyrob73]

its his team, why shouldnt he pick himself ? i would pick myself in my all time team

[Kingsmills]

Although he would probably get into most people's ICT all time XI it still strikes me as hugely immodest to pick himself. I'm surprised at him.

[mainstander]

It shows the overinflated ego of the little person, that he picks himself in an 'all-star X1'.

Your user name sugest's you may well be a rough contemperery of Charlies'? Maybe one who got nutmeged, run ragged and generaly taken to the cleaner's on the pitch by CC on a regular basis perhaps?

Edited February 5, 2009 by Alex MacLeod

[Guest]

Although he would probably get into most people's ICT all time XI it still strikes me as hugely immodest to pick himself. I'm surprised at him.

Absolutely!

There is no doubt that he was a good player, but how many other sportmen who's "All-Time Greatest team" you've seen have been so egotistical as to pick themselves?

[Guest]

It shows the overinflated ego of the little person, that he picks himself in an 'all-star X1'.

Your user name sugest's you may well be a rough contemperery of Charlies'? Maybe one who got nutmeged, run ragged and generaly taken to the cleaner's on the pitch by CC on a regular basis perhaps?

Nope, never played against him. I'm not from Inverness.

[dougiedanger]

he was ghu1976 ... now he is a banned ghu-dgie

Never actualy thought of that. I asumed it was maybe somebody who knew Charlie from Inverness. So who is ghu then.... Alex Bone perchance?

Charlie Christie was a brilliant player. I remember him just walking through teams as a youth player.

[AJS]

Despite a relatively dissapointing end to his ICT career i always thought Golabek was a decent left back in his time at ICT.

[Scotty]

a number of off-topic/abusive posts have been removed in an attempt to keep this thread open and on topic.

[tabs75]

To my knowledge those selected by the Sun are required to select themselves and then choose ten players to play alongside. That has certainly been the case in all of the other field of dreams articles I have read in the Sun.

Still surprised that Charlie didn't select Wee Stewartie though!