Caley Thistle chief executive Scot Gardiner is targeting someone who has managed “at a high level” to fill in while John Robertson is on compassionate leave.
The Caley Jags boss was granted time off yesterday after a family bereavement and with assistant manager Scott Kellacher also absent due to a long-term illness, Gardiner is looking externally for help.
First-team coach Barry Wilson and goalkeeping coach Ryan Esson will be in temporary charge of the team until an appointment can be made, which will be for an indeterminate period of time. Head of youth Charlie Christie will also assist with training.
Gardiner said: “We need someone who has been over the course and managed at a high level, it’s not just somebody to fill a space.
“I’m looking, initially, for someone who is in Scotland. I’ve gone through names and looked to see who might be the best person, but the best person might not be able to do it.
“Can you drop everything and come here? I’m looking for the best person who knows Scottish football. We need them to understand the situation we’re in. It’s not an audition for the job long-term, we need help.”
Inverness take on Alloa Athletic tonight and Hearts on Friday, with any new appointment taking the lead role until Robertson returns.
He added: “They will come in and take the position of manager and assistant manager, so Barry and Ryan can focus on the stuff they do well and impart the knowledge they have about the team and opposition.
“Barry and Ess will take the team until we get somebody else. If we get somebody for Tuesday, we’ll get someone for Tuesday. If we get someone for Friday, it’ll be for Friday.
“It’s up in the air to be honest, but Barry and Ess will do it until then, and I have no qualms about that at all.”
Both Robertson and Kellacher – who has been off since January – will be given as much time as they require before returning to their roles.
Gardiner was also keen to stress there would be no “audition” for a permanent role and both Robertson and Kellacher remained their manager and assistant manager respectively.
He added: “It is the right thing to do as a football club and the right thing to do as human beings. But we’ve got fans, we’ve got hopes and expectations, players who want to win and get promoted, so we need to bring in some help.
“We will be doing that in the coming days, I hope. The great difficulty in that, of course, is where we are.
“If we were in the central belt, nobody would have to decant to Inverness for the next week, two weeks, four weeks, 10 weeks, whatever it is. Let’s just be positive and say it is a challenge, but it is an enormous challenge.
“But we have a fantastic team on the park and we have games in hand that could project us all the way into the play-offs and beyond.”
