Bennett calls for a united effort

everyone at the club needs to improve, says Inverness vice-chairman

By Paul Third

Published:

Caley Thistle vice-chairman Graeme Bennett knows there must be a collective improvement from the players and coaching staff at Caledonian Stadium – the club’s SPL status depends on it.

Caley Thistle sit bottom of the Scottish Premier League after a run of five wins in 21 matches. With just one of those victories coming at home, the club currently on a six-game losing streak, manager Craig Brewster under pressure from supporters and a player exodus under way, clearly this is the most difficult time in the Highland club’s top-flight tenure.

Bennett has watched the club’s SPL status come under threat this season and he knows Inverness are staring into the abyss of relegation for the first time.

He said: “We are facing relegation which is not something we want to contemplate at the club.

“We need to get out of our predicament as quickly as possible and everyone at the club, from the manager down to the players, needs to improve. We have the second half of the season to come and we must do better.”

Chairman George Fraser has pledged financial assistance to Brewster to strengthen his squad and Bennett, who doubles as director of football at the club, is keen to add to the squad.

He said: “It is crucial we strengthen the squad and that is what we are actively looking to do. We have made an offer to Steven Pressley and we have also made inquiries for three other players. We are waiting to hear back from the clubs involved but, hopefully, we will be in a position to have some concrete developments on the transfer front.

“We are keen to progress things quickly. We are looking all over the place, but the window has just opened and it is a waiting game.”

Veteran winger Barry Wilson last week became the first player to leave the club when he signed a short-term deal with Queen of the South, where he scored on his debut on Saturday.

Midfielder Ian Black will play his football with Hearts from next season, if not sooner, if a deal can be agreed to bring the player to Edinburgh before the window closes on February 2, while Don Cowie and Michael Fraser have so far failed to agree terms on new contracts and could join the duo in leaving the club.

Bennett hopes that can be avoided and would be content to keep Black until the summer. He said: “We’ve made it clear to Don Cowie and Michael Fraser that we want to keep them here, just as we did with Ian Black, and talks are ongoing. We are quite comfortable with our position and there are no doubts Ian will give his full commitment to the club however long he remains a Caley Thistle player.”

If the club’s on-field problems were not enough, it seems a fractious relationship is developing between the board and the Caley Thistle Supporters’ Trust, which has called a meeting of shareholders to discuss the club’s plight tomorrow evening.

Bennett is unsure of the trust’s motives but feels the meeting has the potential to do more harm than good for the club. He said: “The supporters’ trust is a body which was set up with the backing of the club and we have engaged in dialogue with them regularly. We are all disappointed with the recent results but a meeting to discuss the club’s future sounds as if they want to add to the problems to me. Right now what the club needs is everyone pulling together as we look to move away from the bottom of the SPL.”