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| How do ICT replace star striker Billy Mckay? |
If I have high cholesterol, it's John Hughes' fault; because of him I've had to eat humble pie with most meals for months. Not that I'm complaining, mind.
As recently as the start of this season, I still had doubts over whether Yogi was the man for Inverness. "He hasn't achieved anything much as a manager in years", I said. "Our players aren't good enough to play the tippy-tappy stuff he wants them to play", I said. "He's too one-dimensional", I said. Turns out that I didn't have a clue (you may or may not be all that surprised by that revelation). At the time of writing, Caley Thistle are third in the table, and deservedly so. Hell, they're only a single point behind Aberdeen, or, to give them their full name according to the Scottish press, Title Chasing Aberdeen.
There has been shedloads of style to go with the substance, too. Unlike in his first few months in the Highlands, there is a purpose and incisiveness to the passing. If it isn't working, then the players have been given licence to be more direct in their play. In short, Yogi has improved ICT, and has also improved a number of the players.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Celtic aside, all Scottish clubs now face an unwinnable fight to hold onto their best players. St. Johnstone lost Stevie May in August; Gary Mackay-Steven made it clear long ago that his future is not at Tannadice, and Stuart Armstrong may soon follow; Motherwell's squad has been decimated in each of the last two summers, and they are now suffering terribly because of that.
And now, it seems, it is the turn of Inverness to watch their best and brightest walk away into the sunset. The week started with the news that captain and youth team product Graeme Shinnie will join Aberdeen in the summer. It ends with the departure of talismanic centre-forward Billy Mckay to Wigan Athletic for about £200,000. The former is one of the best left-backs in the country; the latter has scored more goals in the last two and a half years than anyone else in Scottish football. Those are two very large pairs of boots to fill.
Admittedly, it has been inevitable for months that both would be on their way; the only surprise is that Mckay's departure is now, rather than in the summer when his contract expired. So one hopes that Yogi has already been thinking ahead to how he was going to replace them. But if there is one stick that we are still allowed to beat him with, it's that his record in the transfer market has always been somewhat mixed. Take his tenure at Easter Road; he brought in Liam Miller and Anthony Stokes (who he also had at Falkirk on loan a few years before) who were huge successes, but look at his other signings: Mark Brown, Patrick Cregg, Edwin De Graaf, Francis Dickoh, Danny Galbraith, Michael Hart, Kevin McBride, Graeme Smith, Graham Stack, David Stephens, Valdas Trakys. I defy any Hibee to read that list without feeling nauseated.
Maybe he feels he can replace the duo from within. In recent weeks, Shinnie has been playing in midfield, where the club are relatively well-stocked at the moment. Occupying the left back slot is Carl Tremarco, a solid and athletic English defender who unfortunately has a penchant for studs-first lunges and controls a ball further than he kicks it. Yet, having had a run in the team over the last month, he has hit some rather superb form. Whilst his technique is hugely inferior to Shinnie's, he has certainly improved in an attacking sense. Like many of his team-mates, he has become a better player under Yogi's tutelage. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of many of the youngsters on the books - there is not a flux of talented teenagers ready for an opportunity, aside from the immensely talented Ryan Christie.
Christie may be the answer up front. It certainly doesn't sound like the club is inclined to spend some of Wigan's hard-earned cash on a replacement striker, which is a shame because Falkirk's Rory Loy would be as close to like-for-like as we could hope for. But one is reminded that, this time last season, Mckay didn't seem to fit in with the way Yogi wanted to play. While the strategy was subsequently tinkered with to get the best out of the Northern Irishman, it's no secret that Yogi is obsessed with Barcelona's philosophy, which suggests that he would love to play a group of interchanging forwards rather than an out-and-out striker. If so, Christie would be a good fit, though one would expect him to need some time to settle in the role. Marley Watkins has done well when called upon to partner Mckay at times this season, and may be considered a safer alternative.
Yogi needs to find a short-term solution to this conundrum just to keep ICT in the race for a European spot. That's just the start, though; it's quite likely that Watkins will exit this summer, while Josh Meekings, a young central defender who is hugely underrated, is also yet to sign a new deal. The most talented squad in the club's relatively short history could be about to break up. Hughes has impressed us all by taking Inverness to even greater heights; it will be an even greater achievement if he keeps them there.
Lawrie Spence (LS) has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007. He has a life outside this blog. Honestly.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Celtic aside, all Scottish clubs now face an unwinnable fight to hold onto their best players. St. Johnstone lost Stevie May in August; Gary Mackay-Steven made it clear long ago that his future is not at Tannadice, and Stuart Armstrong may soon follow; Motherwell's squad has been decimated in each of the last two summers, and they are now suffering terribly because of that.
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| Caley Thistle captain Graeme Shinnie will join Aberdeen in the summer |
And now, it seems, it is the turn of Inverness to watch their best and brightest walk away into the sunset. The week started with the news that captain and youth team product Graeme Shinnie will join Aberdeen in the summer. It ends with the departure of talismanic centre-forward Billy Mckay to Wigan Athletic for about £200,000. The former is one of the best left-backs in the country; the latter has scored more goals in the last two and a half years than anyone else in Scottish football. Those are two very large pairs of boots to fill.
Admittedly, it has been inevitable for months that both would be on their way; the only surprise is that Mckay's departure is now, rather than in the summer when his contract expired. So one hopes that Yogi has already been thinking ahead to how he was going to replace them. But if there is one stick that we are still allowed to beat him with, it's that his record in the transfer market has always been somewhat mixed. Take his tenure at Easter Road; he brought in Liam Miller and Anthony Stokes (who he also had at Falkirk on loan a few years before) who were huge successes, but look at his other signings: Mark Brown, Patrick Cregg, Edwin De Graaf, Francis Dickoh, Danny Galbraith, Michael Hart, Kevin McBride, Graeme Smith, Graham Stack, David Stephens, Valdas Trakys. I defy any Hibee to read that list without feeling nauseated.
Maybe he feels he can replace the duo from within. In recent weeks, Shinnie has been playing in midfield, where the club are relatively well-stocked at the moment. Occupying the left back slot is Carl Tremarco, a solid and athletic English defender who unfortunately has a penchant for studs-first lunges and controls a ball further than he kicks it. Yet, having had a run in the team over the last month, he has hit some rather superb form. Whilst his technique is hugely inferior to Shinnie's, he has certainly improved in an attacking sense. Like many of his team-mates, he has become a better player under Yogi's tutelage. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of many of the youngsters on the books - there is not a flux of talented teenagers ready for an opportunity, aside from the immensely talented Ryan Christie.
| John Hughes will find it tough to replace Mckay and Shinnie |
Christie may be the answer up front. It certainly doesn't sound like the club is inclined to spend some of Wigan's hard-earned cash on a replacement striker, which is a shame because Falkirk's Rory Loy would be as close to like-for-like as we could hope for. But one is reminded that, this time last season, Mckay didn't seem to fit in with the way Yogi wanted to play. While the strategy was subsequently tinkered with to get the best out of the Northern Irishman, it's no secret that Yogi is obsessed with Barcelona's philosophy, which suggests that he would love to play a group of interchanging forwards rather than an out-and-out striker. If so, Christie would be a good fit, though one would expect him to need some time to settle in the role. Marley Watkins has done well when called upon to partner Mckay at times this season, and may be considered a safer alternative.
Yogi needs to find a short-term solution to this conundrum just to keep ICT in the race for a European spot. That's just the start, though; it's quite likely that Watkins will exit this summer, while Josh Meekings, a young central defender who is hugely underrated, is also yet to sign a new deal. The most talented squad in the club's relatively short history could be about to break up. Hughes has impressed us all by taking Inverness to even greater heights; it will be an even greater achievement if he keeps them there.
Lawrie Spence (LS) has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007. He has a life outside this blog. Honestly.
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