Inverness Caledonian Thistle Dismiss Head Coach Billy Dodds and Assistant Barry Wilson
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Inverness Caledonian Thistle have announced the dismissal of head coach Billy Dodds and assistant Barry Wilson, with their side sitting bottom of the Scottish Championship. The 54-year-old Dodds had been in charge for two years, leading his side to the promotion play-off final during his first season and the Scottish Cup final this June.
In a statement, the club said that “this season’s results have not reflected the quality we believe we have in the building” and that sporting director John Robertson and academy director Charlie Christie will take charge of the team until a new head coach is appointed.
The decision to dismiss Dodds and Wilson comes after a 1-0 loss to Raith Rovers on Saturday that sent the hosts to the top of the table and left Caley Thistle two points adrift at the bottom of the table.
Despite the disappointing results this season, Caley Thistle acknowledged the “epic effort” to reach the play-off final they lost to St Johnstone and the “fantastic achievement” in reaching only their second Scottish Cup final in their 29-year history, when they lost 3-1 to treble winning Celtic. They also stressed that former Scotland striker Dodds’ “professionalism, attention to detail and positive attitude could never be faulted no matter the challenges we faced”, adding that “it is important to note that this is not a decision which has been taken lightly and, as our history shows, it is rarely the way managerial changes happen at Caledonian Stadium” and that they do not have a “revolving door, nor a hire and fire at the drop of the hat attitude” and do not expect that to change going forward.
Caley Thistle also pointed out that Wilson remains “a club legend” after serving as both player and coach, saying that “sometimes in football we have to make difficult decisions and both of the decisions outlined above fall very hard into that category”.
Conclusion
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Inverness Caledonian Thistle have made the difficult decision to dismiss head coach Billy Dodds and assistant Barry Wilson due to their side’s disappointing results this season, despite their “epic effort” to reach the play-off final they lost to St Johnstone and their “fantastic achievement” in reaching only their second Scottish Cup final in their 29-year history, when they lost 3-1 to treble winning Celtic. Sporting director John Robertson and academy director Charlie Christie will take charge of the team until a new head coach is appointed, while Wilson remains “a club legend” after serving as both player and coach for many years.