Inverness Caley Thistle chief executive Scot Gardiner reveales manager hunt was cut short after inspirational meeting with Duncan Ferguson – who will be bringing an English Premier League culture to the Scottish Championship
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Scot Gardiner says Duncan Ferguson was always Inverness Caledonian Thistle's top target to take over as manager – so much so that they cut the interview process short to appoint him.
The 51-year-old was unveiled as the new boss at the Caledonian Stadium yesterday morning, penning a three-year deal to take charge in the Highland capital.
That confirmation brought an end to a one-week search for Billy Dodds' successor. Gardiner had previously said they would look to make an appointment as soon as possible given that the season was already under way, and Ferguson quickly stood out as the obvious candidate.
Gardiner confirmed that it was ICT that initially approached Ferguson – whose only permanent previous managerial experience was a short-lived spell at Forest Green Rovers – rather than the other way around, but that once all the relevant parties were able to sit down it became clear that he was the man for the job.
"We had some great candidates, some really good interviews, but as we said in our statement Duncan was an absolute stand-out – particularly for where we are and what we need right now," Gardiner explained.
"We did (cut the process short). We don't want to waste people's time.
"We've got to be fair and we've got to be honest. We could easily have carried on and done more, but that wouldn't have been fair or reasonable to anybody. Once you know, you know.
"In the short-term, we found him inspirational. Other coaches were great, and they all had different pros and cons that we were going through – there wasn't a single coach we wouldn't have been comfortable appointing – but we found Duncan to have a spark.
"We knew about the Forest Green situation, and that didn't faze us in the slightest. I called people I know down south – ex-players and coaches that are friends – and one guy said to me that Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho couldn't have done any more than Duncan did, and that backed up our thought process.
"You are looking for someone who can light a fire and be a leader.
"We have a very young squad. Depending on how you count it with injuries, our average age is just under 24, so we were looking for someone to come in and pick them up and get them scoring goals.
"I wasn't sure if he would be interested, but we had made overtures to people who knew him, and we didn't get told no.
"Then we thought 'okay, why not?' The first phone call I wasn't sure, but then we started a serious conversation and that's when I started thinking we had a chance of getting him. I still thought it was a slim chance, but it was a chance."
Gardiner echoed what Ferguson said about a three-year deal showing how serious the club and manager's commitment is to each other, and reaffirmed that it is a bonafide three-year contract rather than one with an option or a break clause.
In the short-term, what the appointment will do is spark a surge of interest around Caley Thistle that only a name of Ferguson's standing in the game can bring.
Gardiner is already seeing evidence of that, but he does not expect Ferguson to allow that attention to pile on any added pressure.
"We have been bombarded with interview requests from national papers and radio stations, and TV," Gardiner said.
"Everyone is all over us now, and we've also got I don't know how many thousands of Everton fans who have followed us on social media.
"That's not why you appoint a manager. It's deadly serious, I need to be able to sleep at night and we're here to run a football club.
"We need to get the best people we possibly can, and we think a man that has worked under Rafa Benitez, Carlo Ancelotti, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Frank Lampard and all the rest and wanted Duncan next to them is a very serious appointment.
"Having been so close to him for the last few days, I don't think it will put any pressure on him. I think he's been through a lot worse with Everton and things a long time ago.
"Not winning puts pressure on you, and not seeing progress puts pressure on you, but I don't think his profile will be an issue. He's comfortable within himself, and he's got quite broad shoulders."
As for what the players can expect, the same demands will be in place for this season's targets – Caley Thistle want to find a way back into the Scottish Premiership.
To do that, Ferguson will bring pieces of the puzzles he has encountered at the highest level of the game, even if that may take some getting used to for ICT's squad.
"I think it will be a big culture shock, because he is bringing an English Premier League culture to the Caledonian Stadium," Gardiner added.
"It's all relative – when I went to Spurs, I took ideas I learned at Rangers, and then on to Dundee and Hearts. You take everything you've learned, but the ball is round and it's 11 against 11 on a Saturday.
"Some people might say it's a bit romantic to have Duncan and Dick Campbell at Gayfield with Storm Agnes, but we need to get back on track.
"We want to get off the bottom of the league first, and score more than three goals in our next six games. We have a longer term plan, but I won't go into that because we'll sound like idiots.
"It's not going to be easy, no matter who you appoint. We think we have a decent squad at the moment, albeit very young, and we will look to bolster that going forward."
