all quiet at caledonian stadium as butcher and malpas place gagging order on squad ahead of airdrie tie
Caley Thistle players confined to do their talking on the pitch
Published:
Caley Thistle players have been banned from speaking to the media in the countdown to the home league game against Airdrie tomorrow.
Inverness manager Terry Butcher and assistant Maurice Malpas did not want any of the Inverness squad to speak out after comments before the Highland derby defeat by Ross County were used as motivation by the opposition.
Defender Ross Tokely questioned whether County could maintain their place in the top half of the First Division before the match.
Victoria Park manager Derek Adams and attacker Michael Gardyne claimed his comments had inspired them to victory. Malpas insists the loss to their rivals was forgotten about earlier in the week, although the Caley Jags players were made to watch the game again on tape to learn from their mistakes.
The former Dundee United captain said: “The players did their talking off the pitch last week and did not do it on the pitch. Hopefully, they will do their talking on the pitch this week.
“There is nothing sinister about it. I will do the talking as I can’t play on the pitch. It is their job to play.
“The players have to concentrate on what they are doing on the park rather than talking to the press.
“In football you cannot dwell on things too much, whether you win or lose.
“We have analysed last week’s game, taken the good points from it and taken the bad points. The players watched a bit of the game on Tuesday afternoon as part of preparing for this Saturday.
“I think it is easier to sit and watch the game again when you have won.
“When you have lost the game one or two of the players are quieter.
“It is something we have done here before, it is not just because we lost – hopefully, it has helped.
“The most important thing now is getting three points against Airdrie whether it is playing well or playing poorly, we must get three points.”
Malpas hinted changes could be made to the Caley Jags starting 11 against the Diamonds.
He added: “I don’t think there were too many players last Saturday, if any, who can say their performance warranted them to be playing against Airdrie. The manager will make the decision of who he thinks is right for the job and what the best team is for the game. The 11 players who start the game are the lucky ones as they have the chance to put in a performance so impressive they have to get picked for the cup final the following week.
“The best way for that is for the team to win.”
