Billy Dodds has been confirmed as Caley Thistle’s new manager.
The Championship club have appointed the former Aberdeen and Scotland striker on a two-year deal.
Caley Jags fans will likely be pleased with the appointment, following Dodds’ spell as assistant to interim boss Neil McCann from March until the end of the season, where they almost led the team into the Premiership play-offs.
The duo arrived at the Caledonian Stadium during John Robertson’s spell away from the club on compassionate leave. Robertson has since returned to work, but in a new sporting director role, which has seen Dodds now appointed to the hotseat on a permanent basis.
It is his first job as a manager in his own right, although the former attacker has also served as number two at Dundee United, Queen of the South, Dundee and Ross County in the past.
A statement from Caley Thistle chief executive Scot Gardiner read: “I am very pleased to be able to confirm Billy as Head Coach after a rigorous interview process last week and I am also grateful to Billy for entering into that process in good faith.”
“While Billy was always our initial favourite for the position given his input and showing during the last 6 weeks or so of the season, I explained to him that we would be doing the club and the fans a disservice if we did not go through the process of first inviting applications and then hosting face to face interviews.”
“Billy understood this instantly and agreed that we would be correct to go down that route, confident in his own ability to come through the process. Very helpfully and in the face of us speaking to another 3 of the excellent candidates who made up our short list, he remained the best man for the job at the end of that process and will now take up the position with immediate effect.”
“Once again, we’d like to welcome Billy to the club but on a full time basis this time and as the Head Coach.”