There is certainly no reason why Caley Thistle cannot be among the promotion challengers in the Championship this season.
They’ve brought in Tom Walsh, Billy Mckay and Michael Gardyne. These are three good signings already.
Billy Dodds has already said that you go into a league trying to win it and that’s what they’ll be trying to do.
They’ll be up against it, no doubt about it. There’ll be a couple of teams in there that’ll be strong.
Kilmarnock will be strong, Brian Rice at Hamilton knows all about the Championship. This will be Billy’s first baptism on his own but there’s no reason why not.
If you’re going to get promoted I always thought you need a 20-goal striker. If Billy Mckay can stay fit and get the service he needs, they’ve got one. That will make a big difference to them.
I think the club is a different animal when it’s in the Premiership. There’s definitely a gap.
I do think if you do go up, if Inverness manage to get promoted this season, then there’ll be a lot of work to be done. But then you’ll have more money to play with.
My worry with Inverness at the moment is this is their fifth season at this level now. I’m beginning to wonder if they’re a mid-table Championship club, because you get stuck in a place where you’re not going to get relegated but you’re struggling to get promoted.
It wouldn’t have surprised me if Caley Thistle had the third-biggest budget last year, behind Dundee and Hearts. In a 10-team league with two part-time teams, you should be able to finish more than half-way up the league.
I want to see them doing that a bit more comfortably than they have been. But I’m encouraged with what I’ve seen so far with their signings.
