ICT History - SPL 05-08

2005-06: This was to be another successfull season for ICT. Even after an 8th place finish last season it was still all about survival but by the end of the season all thoughts were on trying to grab a very unlikely European Place even if it was only the Intertoto Cup. This season also brought another change of manager. Craig Brewster who had been a huge hit left to join Dundee Utd in January. It was well known in Inverness that Brewster was a Utd fan so it was no surprise when he left but the hatred for him leaving boiled up as soon as the door hit him on the arse on the way out of the Stadium. One piece of joy in the future would be that he made a complete mess of it and got the sack only to come back and get us relegated. So he ended up having the last laugh.

Charlie Chrisitie was the man to take charge the Caley Legend and in the second half of the season he guided us to 7th place in the table and remarkable we finished with more points the 4th placed Hibs. It just goes to show that the split is really not helping anyone.

2006-07: A year to finally try and break into the top 6 was what most fans were dying to see. Unfortunatly they we were not going to get what we wanted. The Charlie Christie effect was not so dazzling and I was never impressed with the way he got the team playing. On saying that he did not get us relegated. It was an 8th place finish. One down on last year but the performance levels were dropped dramatically. It was like we forgot you could have the ball on the ground. It spent 90% of the time in the air which is not what you want when you have a 5ft 5inch Craig Dargo leading your attack.

On the positive side we did manage to get our first win against Rangers and to make it even better it was at Ibrox. If Paul Le Guens days were not already numbered he was treading on paper thing ice after Graham Bayne hit the only goal of the game in the 71st minute.

This was also the year of one of the most soul destroying matches I have ever seen. Well it was untill a few months ago. It was the Scottish Cup (yes that again) Quarter Final at home to Celtic. Graham Bayne gave us the lead in the 18th minute and a fantastic Caley performance was looking certain to send us to the Semi Final at Hampden. It was 1-0 right up to the 89th minute when Stephen Pressly headed in from a corner. I was already planning me trip to Hampden and when the goal went in I changed that to Parkhead still looking forward to the day out. What I was definetly not expecting was Cilian Sheridan (who?) to pop up at the edge of the box and knock to ball in the back of the net. It was heart breaking. Going from 2 minutes from the Semis to defeat. The second worst match I have ever had to watch.

2007-08: All the optimism that the close season brings was immediatly washed away in the first 3 games of the SPL season. Home to Rangers and away to Motherwell and St Mirren all ended in defeat. If that was not bad enough Charlie decided that was that and resgined. I was glad to see hime go but what a stupid time to do it. Thanks for that mate. While the search for a manager was underway a 4th defeat in a row was on the cards. 3-0 against Dundee Utd who by then had got rid of Craig Brewster.

He was back at the Caledonian Stadium a few days later as the new manager for the second time of his career. Would it be as successful as the first time. I certainly hoped so and was pleased with the appointment. With the benefit of heinsight I would have had very different views but you cant get everything you want.

Things went from bad to worse. A 1-0 defeat away to Hibs and then a 5-0 humping by Celtic left Caleys record looking like this

Played 6 Won 0 Drawn 0 Lost 6

The fortunes did change and the next 2 league games brought 2 wins and lifted us off the bottom of the table. By the end of November we had managed to move up another place to 10th and with the whole Gretna administration thing going on relegation was never going to be a problem. Probably just as well Gretna were in the league this year.

A narrow 1-0 win away to Dundee United was followed by a 2-0 win at home to Hibs. The highlight of December was a classic home match against Celtic on Sunday the 16th. The match had everything - five goals, a spirited fight back, a red card, a penalty, a disallowed goal and a wonder save from home ‘keeper Mike Fraser. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink had scored in both the 24th and 25th minutes to give Celtic the lead but when Rankin made it 2-1 just before the break there was hope. David Proctor headed an equaliser in 56 minutes, just eleven minutes before he was dismissed for a last-man tackle on Scott McDonald. In between the goal and the red card Don Cowie slid in to make it 3-2 for the home side and, despite the man disadvantage, Caley Thistle held on for victory. Celtic knew it was not their day when, in the dying minutes, Mike Fraser somehow pushed out a Stephen McManus header that looked destined for the top corner.
The purple patch continued six days later at Tynecastle when Hearts were defeated 3-2. Caley Thistle were 2-0 up, conceded two goals then Graham Bayne scored a winner two minutes into added time. Five SPL wins in a row led to a climb into the top six, albeit only for 24 hours until Aberdeen took a point from Rangers to go above ICT on goal difference. The only black spot of December was on Boxing Day when a flat performance at Falkirk led to a 1-0 defeat. It was much better three days later when Niculae scored twice in a 3-1 home win against Kilmarnock.
Everything was going fantasticly well. It was as if Brewster had never left.

Things did take a turn for the worst and by the start of April we had gone 11 games without winning, the bubble had most definetly burst. A 2-1 win against Gretna put an end to the woeful run and stopped ICT's slide down the table as we lied in 9th place. Well of the pace for a top 6 place. The split never made any difference to the table as we finished in what turned out to be a very dissapointing 9th place. Would Brewster get Inverness back on the right track. Things were not looking to good