Knox and Butcher front-runners as Inverness prepare to appoint new manager

Published on Sunday 25 January 2009 22:11

TERRY Butcher and Archie Knox and remain the front-runners for the managerial vacancy at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The bottom-of-the-table club had interviewed two men from their shortlist of four by the weekend, and plan to speak to the other two today before announcing the identity of their new manager tomorrow.

Knox would be available to begin work immediately, having parted company with Blackburn Rovers recently following the dismissal of manager Paul Ince. Butcher, currently an assistant to Scotland manager George Burley, would also be able to start work straight away.

Former Motherwell manager Maurice Malpas has also expressed an interest in succeeding Craig Brewster, who was sacked last week after presiding over a run of seven straight defeats in the SPL. Malpas, out of work since leaving Swindon Town two months ago, would ideally take over as manager, but he may also be co-opted to work as Butcher's assistant.

John Robertson and Stephen Frail, both of whom were at Tynecastle on Saturday to see Caley Thistle lose 3-2 to Hearts, have also been considered as candidates. Robertson, a former manager of the two clubs involved in that match, still has strong ties in Inverness. Frail, like Robertson an ex-Hearts manager, has also been considered by the Inverness board.

"A list of four names has been drawn up and we are now checking availability and how much they want the job," said Caley Thistle's director of football, Graeme Bennett.

"We have already interviewed two of the four names. Hopefully by Tuesday we will have a result. There is no clear favourite, and there are people who already have commitments."

Given the possibility of relegation, Bennett and his colleagues were expected to make a temporary appointment, with the new man being told to keep the club up if he wanted to remain in his post beyond the summer.

Bennett insisted, however, that such an arrangement would not necessarily be the case. "It could be four months or four years, and we are quite open about that," he said. "We have to discuss the best way for taking the club forward."