Charlie Christie has revealed the work Caley Thistle have already started to shape their squad for PROMOTION next season – and further success beyond.
The former player and manager has been the administration-hit club’s interim chief executive since earlier this term.
He has been at the heart of discussions with the Scottish FA and the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) over securing licenses for ICT to allow them to compete in the 2025-2026 campaign.Â
Meanwhile, the Inverness team, bossed by Scott Kellacher, have four games remaining to win their battle to remain in League One.
They are three points ahead of Annan Athletic, who occupy the relegation play-off spot.Â
Christie has also this week been calling for shareholders to give their full backing to consultant and former chairman Alan Savage as he offers to buy the club for £800,000. The deadline for shareholders to give their approval (or not) is this Friday night.
Four or five interested parties were being contacted by administrators BDO to resume potential takeover talks following a hugely positive meeting three weeks ago with ICT’s major shareholders as debt was agreed to be written off – however, Savage’s bid is the only firm one standing.
Christie says the club have already been advancing plans for post-administration as they aim to kick off 2025-26 still as a League One side.
Caley Thistle CEO: ‘Recruitment will be key to success next year’
A major part of Christie’s work in recent months has been to work with Kellacher and the coaching staff to identify playing targets for the coming years. He explained what has been happening on that front –
He told The Press and Journal: “We need to restructure the club, and that’s something that should have been done before now.
“We want to stay in League One and give it a real go next year to win promotion as the champions – reaching the play-offs at the very least. I’d say that’s an achievable short-term goal.
“Recruitment will be the key to success next year. We have already made strides with that.
“Two weeks ago, we had a practice match, and we had trialists – who all paid their own expenses – coming up from various areas of the UK.
“One or two caught the eye. The pleasing thing in the game was that it was a couple of our academy players – our under-17s, who we have high hopes for – who really stood out.
“Recruitment will be difficult, so we need to get it right. We’ve had good and bad recruitment in the past here, and it’s the most difficult part of the game.
“Manchester United and Chelsea are two of the biggest clubs in the world – but anyone would agree they’ve had problems with their recruitment over several seasons.
‘The sooner we can get our house in order, the sooner we can step forward’
“The agents who had come up with their trialist players were very grateful to us. They know where we’re at as a club.
“They saw it as an opportunity for their players, some of whom were non-league or lower league players who were out of contract, to potentially move to a full-time club.
“Players can look at a move here as being a stepping stone – dozens of players have done that in the past.
“They can come to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, do really well over one, two or three seasons, and they can develop their own career.
“Scott Kellacher, (assistant boss and player) Billy Mckay, (and first-team coaches) Ross Jack and Gordy Nicolson, along with myself, have spoken with people with a view to future recruitment. The sooner we can get our house in order, the sooner we can step forward.”
‘Hopefully, many of our current players will re-sign’
The vast majority of the Inverness first-team squad are out of contract this summer and – as soon as administration is over – talks can advance to secure some of those players on new contracts.
Christie added: “We also need as many as possible of our current mainstays in the team signed up.
“That’s why coming out of administration is so important now. We can then sit down with players and discuss their futures. It has been unsettling for them.
“It’s not nice when you don’t know what will happen when your contract expires in a matter of six or seven weeks.”
Christie pitching ‘new opportunities’ for young players at ICT
Christie explained the club are determined to provide increased opportunities for local, young players in the years ahead.
He said: “I had a youth parents’ meeting last week, which was with parents of the under-19s down to our under-16s.
“The message was we’ve very hopeful the club will be here next year.
“We want to have a vibrant youth academy, and we want to keep offering opportunities for our best young players.
“Hopefully many of our current (first-team) players will re-sign, but there will be new opportunities for academy players here between the ages of 17 and 21.
“In my mind, that’s that we need.
“There have actually been one or two gripes from people saying some of the younger players should have had more game-time this season. – but, that is up to the players.
“If our homegrown players do well in training and in practice matches, which we constantly have, they will get their chance.
‘This Easter holidays, we’re taking in our under-18 players, so we can carefully cast our eyes over them’
“The football department and IÂ meet weekly and my first questions nearly every time is how the homegrown players are doing. We have eight homegrown players training with the first-team on a weekly or daily basis.
“Also, this Easter during the holidays, we’re taking in our under-18 players, so we can carefully cast our eyes over them, which will be great for them.
“We used to do that regularly, and we stopped it for a while under various managers.
“That’s something we will be resurrecting.
“Once we find a buyer, I’d be hopeful we can actually take in new apprentices for next season – boys have been with us from the age of eight, nine or 10-years-old, and we have several we hold in high regard, and we think have got potential.”
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