Caley Thistle midfielder Aaron Doran hopes captain Richie Foran will reconsider his decision not to put his name forward for the manager’s job at the club.
Foran, who last week signed a new contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2017, claims the chance to succeed Terry Butcher at Caledonian Stadium has come too early at the age of 33.
But having watched his captain display all his leadership qualities, Doran believes Foran is suited to the job.
He said: “You can see the managerial qualities in Richie already. He’s a big leader and a big part of this team. It’s brilliant to have him here for the next three years.
“I don’t think a managerial job has come too early for Richie when you see the way he behaved all last week.
“During training it’s clear he knows what he is talking about. He is a real motivator and he has clearly learned a lot from Terry Butcher. Richie has taken on a lot more authority and the squad respect him a lot. He’s a real leader on the pitch who helps whenever he can. His performances have been brilliant and we can all learn from him.”
Former Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels remains the bookmakers’ favourite but the position is wide open. Speculation has been intense, but Doran claims the players are unaffected.
He said: “The players know what we did week in, week out under Terry and Maurice Malpas and we’ve kept it going ourselves.
“When it comes to the real stuff we’re putting 100% effort in. We are having fun in training with Duncan Shearer and Scott Kellacher. It has been really easy for us to keep going.”
On the field, the players have taken it on themselves to alter their approach and Doran believes it worked in Saturday’s 1-0 win against St Johnstone.
The 4-2-3-1 formation remains intact but the three players behind lone forward Billy McKay – Doran, Nick Ross and Marley Watkins, interchanged throughout the game and they were a constant threat.
Doran said: “We have freedom at the moment to express ourselves a lot more. Under Terry we had to stay in a certain position. St Johnstone have been our bogy team the last few seasons so to get the win against them was great for all the squad and we deserved the win.”