Caley Thistle manager John Hughes has endured his share of turmoil in football management.
From the high of leading Falkirk to the 2009 Scottish Cup final and a narrow defeat by Rangers to the pain of leaving Hibs and being sacked by English League 2 club Hartlepool. Little wonder the 49-year-old has told his players to savour every moment in the weeks ahead. The 49-year-old took charge of Inverness in December after Terry Butcher’s move to Hibs and struggles to recall a more enjoyable period in his career.
League Cup final? Booked. Scottish Cup quarter-final? Next against Dundee United at home on Sunday. He said: “I have been in football a long time and you don’t always enjoy it. You need the good and bad experiences to make you the person you are. I have been involved in rele- gation struggles, where there is pressure and stress, and don’t always enjoy it. There seems to be a really good feeling about this club. It was disappointing to lose against Celtic on Saturday but I want the players to seize the moment, enjoy it and hold on to it for as long as possible.
“It does not guarantee we will win games but I think we can stay in this mood for a few months yet. I look at a player such as David Raven. He probably started off as a kid thinking he would play in Liverpool’s first team. But he has found somewhere and he is enjoying his life and his football.”
Hughes feels most at home at the Highland club’s Fort George training base and believes he can and will make every single member of his squad a better player. He said: “I go to work with a smile on my face every day. I really appreciate working with a good bunch of players.
“I get my buzz when I see the players enjoying themselves on the training pitch, coaching them, educating them and making them better footballers. I am starting to see some of our work in training coming to fruition.”