Malpas would be ideal assistant for new Caley Jags boss Foran, says Barry Wilson
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CALEY Jags legend Barry Wilson has urged the club to waste no time in bringing Maurice Malpas back to be new manager Richie Foran’s number two.
A recent round of golf with the former Scotland and Dundee United star gave Wilson enough of a hint that Malpas would jump at the chance to get back into football at the top level and his experience could be crucial in helping Foran in what is his first role in management.
The 35-year-old Dubliner was, as expected, announced as John Hughes’ replacement at the Ladbrokes Premiership club on Monday in a statement released on the ICT website, with a four-year package being agreed. This news came exactly one year after Caley Thistle lifted the Scottish Cup for the first time in its history with a final win against Falkirk.
Wilson, whose stock is rising as a BBC Scotland pundit, admits there’s a risk to this appointment by chairman Kenny Cameron and his board, but says Foran, along with ideally Malpas, can drove the club forward.
He told the HN: "This appointment was what we all expected. There was noises about Richie taking over when Terry (Butcher) left the club (in 2013). He now has his A licence badges and has coached the development squad and feels he is ready.
"What matters right now is who the club bring in and, for me, Maurice Malpas was who I thought of at the start. I played golf with him and (ex-ICT striker) Graham Bayne last month and he’s out of work and really keen to get back into management. As long as Richie and him get on, I think that could really work."
