Party Atmosphere

Terry Butcher cannot have had too many conversations that have ended with a very amicable, ‘Well if that is the case, I do not want to speak to you again for years!’ However, he had one this week when The Co-operative Insurance League Insider got together with the Inverness Caledonian Thistle Manger to discuss their success in lifting the IRN-BRU SFL First Division and Butcher’s parting line came when he was told that the SFL would not require to speak to him again for team news once his side starts life in the SPL.

The Highlanders clinched the title last midweek when Dundee went down 1-0 to Raith Rovers and they went and celebrated at Ayr United’s Somerset Park last weekend when they won 7-0 with seven different goalscorers finding the net.

The good times kept on coming this week with the news that Lee Cox, Richie Foran and Eric Odhiambo had all signed on again with Butcher and his assistant, Maurice Malpas, also penning an extension until 2012.

Butcher said, “These moves just keep the good feeling going and we are not finished as there are a couple of other players ready to commit as well. It has been a great end to the season for Inverness and it is great to be part of such a happy club.”

Caley Thistle have secured promotion on the back of a twenty game unbeaten run that started following a 2-1 defeat to Partick Thistle at the end of November and Butcher was asked how he had found life in the First Division.

The former England captain said, “I had some knowledge of the First Division as I was a coach at Partick Thistle for a couple of months alongside Jimmy Bone three years ago and I also played my last senior games with Clydebank in this division. I had coached at Raith Rovers when they were in the Second Division so it was not a step into the unknown.”

Butcher has enjoyed his brief stay saying, “I have found this League so different to the SPL. It is a really competitive League made up of hard working teams. Despite its competitive nature, the camaraderie that exists between coaches and players of different teams is fantastic.”

“I found it to be like the Premier Division was when I first came up here under Graeme Souness at Rangers in the 1980s. Everyone was able to take points off everyone at that time and that is the way this League has been. It has been a real pressure and I am proud of what we have done in winning the title.”

The opening weeks of the season were certainly not as good as the closing weeks with Butcher’s side only winning three of their opening ten fixtures and there was also the heartbreak of losing The ALBA Challenge Cup Final 3-2 in dramatic fashion to Dundee after being two goals ahead at half time.

Butcher said, “Our early season form was not a total surprise as we had not only a lot of new players but also had a lot of players who had not a lot of game time. Lee Cox, Daniel Stratford, Dani Sanchez and Jonny Hayes had all been released by clubs and were untried players week in, week out in a competitive League.”

“They learned on their feet and that showed in their inconsistency as they got used to regular senior football. The ALBA Challenge Cup Final showed everyone how well we could play in the first half and that 45 minute display was the best I have seen. The second half was not as good as we lost an early goal and that let Dundee back into things.”

There had been massive positive learning at McDiarmid Park that day all the same with Butcher saying, “We had changed our system a few weeks before and that game showed me and the players how well things would go once everything clicked into place. It was still new and we lost to Partick the following week and that was the last game that we lost.”

Butcher and Assistant Manager Malpas said after that game that they could not afford to lose another game and the players responded with Butcher saying, “That was the last game we lost and we just got better and better every week.

“I am not sure that either of us thought we would not lose again but that is the way it turned out and it would be marvellous to get to 21 games against Dundee.”

Inverness have won praise for their swashbuckling approach that has seen them net 71 League goals so far this season however, they have shown a sense of pragmatism as well with their Manager saying, “It has been good exciting football when it could be and we have had to grind out results sometimes as well.

“We have tended to have four very exciting forwards available with the three Irish boys of Adam Rooney, Richie Foran and Jonny Hayes having a great understanding.”

Butcher joked, “I am glad the three of them understand each other as no-one else at the club understands them!

Eric Odhiambo and Dani Sanchez came in and worked well with them and there have been other guys too that have made an impact up front. Young Nick Ross came in and scored the winning goal against Morton and then Gavin Morrison scored on his debut against Ayr last weekend.”

In other games, hard work was required with Butcher saying, “We had to dig deep and score late goals against Raith Rovers to get a win and against Ayr United to get a point. That game finished 3-3 and in truth, Ayr probably should have won and that again shows you how tough this League is.”

Rooney received extra praise after winning his Manager over after an indifferent start to the campaign with Butcher advising, “Adam was short of confidence at the beginning of the season and I was not sure if he would be playing every week but he has blossomed fantastically well. He has taken the bull by the horns and worked incredibly hard at his game.

Last season I took an Inverness side down to Rangers and won 1-0 and Ally McCoist was raving about Rooney as his work rate that night was amazing. He is back to that standard and more now.”

The former Motherwell Manager was asked at what point he believed his side had a chance of being Champions and he advised, “That only happened over the past six weeks or so. With all the postponements, I knew March was going to be a key month where things would either happen for us or not. If we could get momentum at that time, we would be in with a shout.”

The month began with another two goal lead let slip against Dundee when Caley returned from Dens Park however, again Butcher saw positives saying, “Yes we let the lead slip but we remained unbeaten and had that momentum behind us entering a really busy period.

“We were playing catch up for most of the month and indeed, Dundee were three points ahead of us when Jocky Scott lost his job but we kept things going and finally took the lead when we went to Partick Thistle and won on the final Saturday in March.”

The impact of winning the First Division Championship has been felt outside the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium with the northern city united behind their team again.

Butcher said, “I think it has been a case of not knowing what you had until it was gone and no longer having a successful football team has made everyone stop and think over the past year.

“The whole city has got behind us as they have seen what having a successful team can do for Inverness both financially and also in terms of lifting their spirits.”

“When I first came up to Scotland, the slogan I saw was about Glasgow smiling better with Mr Happy but I can assure you Inverness is smiling better at the moment. There is a feelgood factor and I still feel I am on a cloud myself. Everyone has rallied round in the past year. Season Ticket sales were higher for the First Division than they had been in our last season in the SPL as people realised that we needed a successful team in Inverness and I am delighted to have given them one.”

It has been a real team effort with the 77 times capped former England captain saying, “The Directors have been supportive throughout the season and are now in terms of the new contracts that have been agreed.

“Maurice is a great guy to work with and all my staff have been great. There is a spring in their step and it is great for guys like our Secretary Jim Falconer, who have been associated with the club for a long time, to be happy in their work again.”

The Highland air appears to agree with Butcher who said, “I take my dogs for a walk around Fort Augustus and it is gorgeous. I have been down in England this week and it does not compare and I certainly don’t miss the traffic in London, that is for sure.”

There may well be a party in Inverness tomorrow however, it will certainly be after the game with Butcher saying, “I had a really bad experience with Rangers after we had won the Premier Division in 1989. Aberdeen beat us 3-0 on the day we were being presented with the trophy and that certainly put a dampener on things and I do not want that to happen. We are also out to extend our unbeaten League record and have yet to beat Dundee this season so the party can wait.”

It does promise however, to be a good party with Butcher saying, “It won’t be a quiet night in Inverness this Saturday!”

Butcher was asked, ‘Will it be heard 30 miles away in Fort Augustus?’ and he jokingly replied, “Fort Augustus? It will be heard in Glasgow!”

It may be the last time but good luck to Terry Butcher and Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the SPL from The Co-operative Insurance League Insider.