High standards will help maintain ICT's progress
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RYAN Christie insists the high standards Caley Thistle’s players set themselves can ensure they remain in the top half of the Scottish Premiership during the forthcoming campaign.
Inverness have finished in the top six for each of last two season’s, while almost qualifying for Europe and reaching their first-ever national final over the same period of time.
It has been an unprecedented period of success in Scotland’s top flight for Caley Thistle, but this is a side now undergoing something of a transition in terms of the style of football Hughes wants his side to adopt.
With this in mind, some feel it is a matter of when, and not if, the bubble bursts, but Christie maintains there is a determination within the dressing room to aim for even better when the new season begins next month.
"You always want to achieve more than you did the previous season," said the forward, who scored three goals in the same number of starts in the previous campaign — form that helped to earn him a new two-year deal, with the option of another year, earlier this summer.
"When you keep doing so well, it does get that little bit harder every year.
"However, it’s probably a plus that we’ve virtually got the same squad as we’ve had for the last couple of season’s because the boys know how to play together.
"Now that we’re learning the style of football we’re trying to play then I feel we’ve got a good chance to do well.
"We really want to keep that bar high, so that every time team play us they know they are in for a tough challenge."
The adoption of a more patient passing game has been apparent in Caley Thistle’s play so far during pre-season and while at certain times a cutting edge has been missing, Christie has every confidence that the players will get it right by the time the Scottish Premiership begins with a trip to Hamilton Accies on Saturday 9th August.
"It’s still a work in progress, but we can see it coming together," said the 19-year-old.
"The manager told us after the Raith game that it was sometimes breaking down in the final third, so that’s something we need to work on for sure.
"The ideas the manager is trying to bring in and the way he wants us to play just suits us, especially players like me.
"However, all the boys are enjoying it. There’s a real buzz about the way we’re trying to play.
"We all know what’s required and we’re all buying into it. No one is letting anyone else down, so by the time the season starts we’ll be ready."
Christie will now be hoping to get some more game time under his belt tomorrow night when Caley Thistle make the trip to Princess Royal Park for their latest friendly — a contest with Highland League side Deveronvale (kick-off 7.30pm).
Pre-season is the perfect time for any player to impress the manager to stake their claim for a starting slot in the team when the campaign does begin for real, but the youngster knows he is up against some strong competition.
"My aim now is to provide good competition to all these other players and hopefully if I get my chance, I can take it," said Christie.
"You’ve got guys like James Vincent, Aaron Doran and Nick Ross, who can all play in a similar position to me, but the thing is we all play really well together too.
"The manager has certainly got a hard task ahead of him to pick a team with the options he has available throughout the squad."
