It’s been four months since John Hughes climbed the steps at Hampden Park. Graeme Shinnie ended his spell at Inverness lifting the Scottish Cup; the first captain to celebrate a major cup success at the highland club. It marked the end of a record-breaking season for Inverness. The first Scottish cup; the highest finish; the first European adventure. Hughes had collected the Manager of the Year award weeks before; he’d earned it. He’d silenced the critics.
Hughes had arrived at the Caledonian Stadium to replace the outgoing Terry Butcher in December 2013. Butcher had transformed Inverness into a solid SPL club, bringing them back to the top tier after their relegation in 2009. With limited resources, he’d built an organised and pragmatic unit. Hughes, on the other hand, had a mixed record in football management. He’d had a productive spell at Falkirk, one decent season at Hibernian, a quiet nine months at Livingston, and an unsuccessful time at Hartlepool. Supporters and pundits were sceptical.
Prior to his departure for Easter Road, Butcher had led Inverness to the top of the table for an eight game spell and had them in second when he left – he’d collected 25 points from 12 matches. Hughes’ arrival brought an inconsistent patch. He picked up 29 points from 25 games and the club finished the season fifth. As his first full season in charge at the club began, some bookies had him pegged as the first manager to be sacked. Instead he ended in holding the Scottish Cup, celebrating a comfortable third place finish, and looking ahead to Inverness’s first European tie.
But as the first international break of the campaign comes around the pressure on John Hughes’ position is increasing. Seven games; three points; no wins – tenth place, and elimination from the Europa League qualifiers at the first stage. What’s happened?
Hughes inherited the squad. He took Butcher’s organised outfit and added some flair to their game. But he had all the tools at his disposal. Of the eleven who started against Falkirk in that cup final, nine could be regarded as Butcher’s men – only Ofere and Greg Tansey are Hughes signings. His problem has been his failure to replace those who’ve left. Their lack of goals exemplifies this.
Inverness have had three main goal contributors during his time at the club: Billy McKay, Marley Watkins and Edward Ofere. The former, prolific during his spell in the highlands, joined Wigan Athletic in January, while Watkins signed for Barnsley in the summer. Ofere notched an impressive five goals in ten games and put in an excellent performance against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final. However, he couldn’t come to terms with the club at the end of the season, and Hughes, once more, had to search for a lead striker. It’s something he’s, so far, failed to achieve.
Dani Lopez arrived from Spanish side La Roda boasting a less than stellar record. His best return for a league season is four goals – a figure that does not inspire confidence. He’s featured six times for Inverness and has one goal to his name. It’s clear he’s no poacher. He drifts around the box, hassles and holds up the ball, but lacks invention in the final third and offers little in terms of final product. Inverness might have a dud on their hands. Hughes has brought in a striker on loan, Miles Storey, although he doesn’t possess a fantastic record. If he doesn’t hit the ground running, it might be time Hughes looked at St Johnstone’s transformation after their cup success.
Tommy Wright found himself in a similar situation after raising the Scottish Cup. Stevie May, scorer of 20 league goals, departed for Sheffield Wednesday, and it was an almost-impossible task to find a like-for-like replacement for him. Understanding that St Johnstone, having relied on May for 42% of their goals, couldn’t find such a replacement, Wright instead changed the side into a more pragmatic outfit. The Saints finished fourth despite scoring just 34 goals – 14 fewer than the season previous. Is Hughes willing to change tactics? Could he adopt a more practical approach?
Of course, that’s no simple task. Inverness are an injury-riddled side. While St Johnstone could build on solid foundations – an experienced and familiar defence – Inverness have suffered a number of losses in that area. Graeme Shinnie headed for Aberdeen in the summer. The left-back, and captain, offered so much from both a defensive and attacking aspect – he set up the extra-time goal for right-back David Raven against Celtic – that he is almost too difficult to replace. There have also been injuries to both centre-backs. Gary Warren sustained a break at the beginning of the campaign and Josh Meekings is out due to reoccurring knee problems – although he might return after the break. Raven has been the one member of that defence to feature on a regular basis so far this season. This is a huge problem. That consistent foursome made up the fourth tightest defence in the league last season. Meekings and Shinnie featured in 37 of the 38 Premiership games, while Warren missed just one more, and Raven appeared 33 times. Devine and Tremarco, second choice options, made just 15 starts between them. It’s gotten to the stage that Ross Draper, a holding midfielder, has had to drop back into central defence. Can it be a surprise that Inverness have conceded nine goals in six matches?
This does not mean Hughes is blameless. Although it can be argued that injuries are not his fault, he has failed to sign replacement defenders; instead he’s chosen to bolster his midfield options. He’s also in the firing line for not bringing in a striker capable of leading the line.
Premiership clubs often lose their outstanding players – just ask Jackie McNamara – and it’s the manager’s job to sign replacements capable of easing the loss. That’s the real test for managers. Can Hughes build his own squad, or is the clock ticking on his time at Inverness?
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