Richie Foran insists there is far too much mutual trust and understanding between the boardroom and manager’s office to fear for his Caley Thistle future.
Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat away to Hamilton Accies cut the Highlanders three points adrift at the foot of the Scottish Premiership, with the team he inherited in the summer without a win in three months and 12 league matches.
The crushing manner of the midweek defeat sounded fresh alarm bells among an already restless Caley Thistle support but Foran believes talk of the sack is premature.
The Irishman, who accused his players of lacking bottle in the aftermath of the New Douglas Park setback, stood by those comments yesterday but insisted he retained full belief they would show the character needed to escape relegation.
Asked if he feared for his job, Foran replied: “No, not at all. I think it is a bit early to talk like that.
“We were challenging for the top six last week, now it’s a relegation battle. Two or three wins gets us back challenging for the top six but they need to come.
“There is still a lot of football to play, a lot of points up for grabs. We’ve got to go and grab them now.
“I’ve spoken to the chairman and he has been great. The first thing he asked me was ‘How can we help?’
“We’re all together. We’re united. I’ve huge respect for the chairman and the board have been fantastic for me. The funds are there – I can go and have more players if I want.
“We have a great relationship and I’m looking forward to spending many years here as manager.”
Foran was chairman Cameron’s appointment, groomed and prepared for the job while predecessor John Hughes remained in situ.
The personal bond between the pair remains rock solid, according to the Dubliner.
He said: “The chairman’s support and backing doesn’t surprise me at all. The board is not stupid. The chairman isn’t stupid.
“They can see we’re so close. Obviously, we’ve conceded a lot of goals but we’ve also created a lot of chances. We haven’t taken our chances.
“If we were struggling over the season, if we looked poor, if we looked low in confidence, then I’d probably have a problem – but, no.
“We’ve been playing quite well in maybe 60 or 70% of those games. With the addition of attackers Billy Mckay and Henri Anier, hopefully that’s the final piece of that jigsaw.
“Obviously, we need everyone to be leaders now as well. I need to be a leader and the players need to be leaders – every one of them.
“Whether they are 19 years of age or 32 years of age, they all have to stand up and be counted.”
Foran added: “How has it affected me, personally? I suppose I’m not enjoying myself as much as I would like. But you’ve always got to remember, it is not life and death.”
