Inverness Caley Thistle goalkeeper Mark Ridgers says he has no issue with head coach Billy Dodds
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Mark Ridgers has insisted there are no issues between him and Inverness Caledonian Thistle head coach Billy Dodds.
Speculation has raged since the former first choice goalkeeper at the Caledonian Stadium was substituted off at half time away at Morton at the end of October.
Dodds had felt Ridgers was at fault for some of the goals conceded at Morton and against Raith the week before, and the 32-year-old has not featured since.
With a raft of changes coming to the Caley Jags side for tomorrow’s SPFL Trust Trophy match against Hamilton, though, Ridgers is back in the starting 11 – and says any momentary conflict is in the past.
“Football’s frustrating, and it was one of those moments,” he explained.
“We had a wee argument on the pitch at the Raith Rovers game, and after that in the Morton game I made a mistake, and the manager felt I should have done better.
“I agreed with him, but a couple of things were said after that, and it’s the manager’s choice – he decided to take me off.
“After that we talked, we discussed it and we sorted out the issues. I’d like to hope that if the opportunity comes again, he would be happy to put me back in.
“I have given him no issues prior to two weeks ago, and I’ve given him no issues since.
“I’ve never been one to argue, I understand the game, mistakes happen and it’s highlighted more for goalkeepers.
“The frustrating thing is that I don’t think I’ve made many mistakes since I’ve been here, but when you’ve got good competition behind you what’s happened can happen.
“The manager felt it was enough to take me out of the team, and he did. We’ve put that behind us.
“There was a lot of speculation, and I saw some of that, but it was far from the truth.
“We had a disagreement, and now we’ve put that behind us and we’re both professionals getting on with our jobs. I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give to this football club to send us back in the right direction.”
Dodds did give his side of the story a week later, after ICT’s 1–1 draw with Arbroath, saying that there was no spat and that some people were “looking in from the outside” and making stories up.
Speculation continued on social media, but Ridgers says his only focus is on regaining the gloves full time.
“I kept getting asked what happened – it was a disagreement, that’s all it was,” Ridgers reasoned.
“He said a few things, I said a few things, but I said to a few people that at the end of the day, when you argue with your boss, there’s only one winner.
“That’s what happened. I’ve learned from it, I’ve been in the game for a long time and I’d never found myself in that situation, so it’s a learning point for me.
“I’ve put it behind me now, and I’m training hard to try and get back in the team.”
