Neil McCann hopes Caley Thistle’s board will find funds to help head coach Billy Dodds blast his way out of an injury-hampered Championship season and towards a promotion push.
For much of this campaign, Dodds has had at least seven senior players unavailable most weeks due to a range of mainly long-term injuries.
Their absence has been felt on the field, with ICT currently sitting seventh in the table ahead of Monday’s home New Year opener against Cove Rangers. An away win would see Cove take their place and move one point ahead of them.
McCann was appointed interim Inverness manager in February 2021 after then boss John Robertson stepped down on compassionate grounds.
The 48-year-old then brought in his former Scotland and Rangers team-mate Dodds and they helped haul ICT from the lower end of the table to fifth in a campaign cut short due to the pandemic.
Boss Dodds dealt ‘a terrible hand’
Former Dundee manager McCann believes if Dodds is allowed to bring in new faces in the winter window, it just might be what’s needed to recharge their promotion hopes.
He said: “Players such as Scott Allardice, Roddy MacGregor, Shane Sutherland, Tom Walsh and Austin Samuels are out and when they return, they won’t just come in and hit top form and keep that going in the rigors of the Championship.
“I found the Inverness board to be brilliant and I hope they back Billy in the window. He’s been dealt a terrible hand with injuries through no fault of his own.
“The club will want to make an impact and reach the play-offs or automatic promotion, which I still wouldn’t give up on.
“Ayr United, who have been going well, have a goalscorer in Dipo Akinyemi, which always helps and Billy would love a striker like him.
“To unearth someone like Dipo Akinyemi (with 15 goals this season) is a real find. You can see the impact he’s made to Ayr.
“Having worked in it, January is a tough market from top end to bottom end.
“You have to trust your recruitment and do a lot of homework and hope you find a gem like Ayr have.”
Home form must improve – McCann
Following last Friday’s 5-1 hammering at Partick Thistle, ICT are 11 points behind new leaders Dundee, and seven points poorer than fourth-placed Morton and Partick.
However, McCann sees no reason why Caley Thistle cannot replicate a push similar to last season when just one loss in their last nine games helped take them all the way to a play-off final defeat by St Johnstone.
He added: “The target right now for Inverness is they have to make up ground.
“The Championship is so competitive and the boys need to be focused on getting their home form sorted out, because the away form has been okay, but they need to turn around their home form.
“You can’t go around saying it’s such a competitive league and everybody is capable of beating one another, but not thinking you can finish first.
“I think Billy won’t say that, but I believe in Billy as a manager. He’s got good players, but he’s been unable to call upon them.
“If he can unearth a couple of January gems and get a few boys back fit then they can make a good charge for it.
“Look at last season where they went on a really strong run.
“I believe these strong runs are better towards the back end of the season because that’s when you pick up momentum.
“Billy’s team showed that last season when they drove through to reach the play-off final. They were unlucky not to win it but they will come strong again.”
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