Talking over - manager John Hughes exits Inverness Caley Thistle
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CALEY Thistle are on the hunt for a new manager after it was tonight announced that the Scottish Premiership club have parted company with John Hughes.
Talks between both parties, which took place over two days, drew to a close as the club broke its silence over the top topic for Highland capital football fans over the past 48 hours.
Hughes and ICT chairman Kenny Cameron were at odds over budgets and a severance package has now been agreed.
The former Falkirk and Hibs boss, who led the Caley Jags to William Hill Scottish Cup glory almost 12 months ago, called on the board to deliver the right level of funds in order to keep the best players at the club as well as giving him enough to attract more quality following the club finishing seventh this season in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Aberdeen this week snapping up his top target, Miles Storey, the striker who scored 13 goals for ICT last season while on loan from Swindon Town will have added to his frustration.
Cameron, however, made it clear in a club statement that Hughes has had more cash to spend than his predecessors and worked with a bigger playing squad, albeit despite a large number of injuries hampering their chances last term.
A statement released by ICT said: "All of us at ICTFC would like to take this opportunity to thank John for his contribution since joining us in December 2013 and specifically his coaching skills and commitment, which helped deliver our successes, and in particular lifting the Scottish Cup for the first time in the club’s history as well as our first foray into European Club Football. John will be remembered here at ICTFC as a member of a great winning team and we wish him every success going forward."
Hughes tonight added: "I will look back on my time at ICTFC and in the Highlands with a genuine fondness and warm affection for the club, the area and the community.
"The welcome I received from the fans and the response I got from the players throughout my two and a half years there will live long in the memory as will everything else we shared in some of the ground-breaking successes we all enjoyed together during that period."
"I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of my time at the club and I would like to sincerely thank the Inverness Directors for affording me the privilege of managing what is, a fine football club. My gratitude goes out to every member of staff who also offered me so much personal support in my time there!
"I can readily assure my successor that they will inherit an excellent group of players and to each and every one of them could I also say a huge thanks for making my time with them so successful and so memorable - I wish them and the Club every success in the future."
With pre-season around one month away from starting, ICT will be looking to replace the 51-year-old without much delay.
One genuine contender to take over is skipper Richie Foran, who could be handed a player/manager post.
Foran spoke just last week about his frustration over lack of game time and was pondering a move, possibly on loan, away from the Highland capital.
If that were to happen, it could lead to a shock chance for fans' favourite, defender David Raven to be given a new deal.
Hughes freed the player at the end of his deal last week, but there was huge support for the man whose goal shot ICT into last year's Scottish Cup final.
Others who would be linked to the vacancy include former Motherwell manager Stuart McCall and ex-Caley THistle man Paul SHeerin, currently a youth coach at Aberdeen.
