Former Scotland manager Craig Brown reckons Paul Hartley is the ideal candidate to replace Terry Butcher at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Brown is not surprised to see Alloa Athletic manager Hartley, who played under Brown during the later stages of his Dons career, at the top of Caley Thistle’s shortlist.
The 37-year-old has enjoyed an excellent start to his managerial career by leading the Wasps to successive promotions since taking up the post at Recreation Park in 2011.
Caley Thistle are second in the Scottish Premiership and Brown believes Hartley would be the perfect fit to continue the good work carried out by Butcher and his assistant Maurice Malpas.
He said: “Winning back to back promotions at any level is exceptional. I knew Paul as a player, but his record as a manager speaks for itself.
“He certainly has leadership qualities and a real determination to win. Nobody in the dressing room could question his CV as a player or as a manager. You couldn’t compete with Terry’s CV as a player but Paul is an unusual manager in that he hasn’t suffered any failure. Even though it has been a short managerial career so far, finding a manager with an unblemished career is not easy.”
Brown is hopeful Hartley will be offered the position whenever an announcement is finally made.
He added: “I thought Kenny Shiels would also be very good. He has a bit more experience than Paul but Paul is definitely a manager with a bright future.
“He has terrific playing experience with so many clubs and he was a leader when he was at Aberdeen.
“Unfortunately when I came to the club he was injured and never properly fit. The injury reduced his effectiveness on the park but he remained influential in the dressing room.
“He was quite prepared to offer some constructive criticism to the other players if he felt it was necessary, which I think stemmed from his own high standards. You could see he was made for management.”