Strathspey Thistle manager Ryan Esson says staff and players will be seeking clarity after former club Inverness Caley Thistle officially enters administration
Inverness Caledonian Thistle legend Ryan Esson suspects all staff in the Highland capital will simply be looking for clarity now that it has been confirmed the club has entered administration.
Months of uncertainty around the Caley Jags’ financial position off the pitch has culminated in the board of directors handing over control of the Highland capital outfit.
Esson, who had a 16-year association with Caley Thistle as a player and coach that only came to an end this summer, says he feels for those working behind the scenes at the Caledonian Stadium – but suspects they will find out in the coming days exactly where they stand.
“I think it’s really tough to see,” Esson said.
“I know people who are working at the club who are not on the playing staff, and it’s obviously their jobs that are on the line.
“For people like that, and the players, it’s the unknown that’s difficult. I think they just want it done and to know where they stand – every player and staff member will just want that clarity.
“It has taken such a long time to get to this stage. People might look at it and think it should have been done at the start of the season so that everyone could set their stall out knowing what was in front of them, rather than waiting until now.
“It’s hard to point the finger at one reason (it has got to this stage). Relegation from the Premiership definitely didn’t help in terms of finances, but for me it’s probably down to managing expectation and the budget that was there.
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“Obviously behind the scenes has been well documented, but I wasn’t privy to that side of things, so I can’t comment on that.
“Now I just hope the young boys get an opportunity. If the worst happens and people lose their jobs – which I would never wish on anybody – I would hope the young boys are kept on and they get their opportunity.
“The finances were above my head, but it doesn’t come across like they were looked after as well as they could have been.”
Part of Esson’s coaching role at Caley Thistle was taking charge of their under-18s side, from which several players have made the step up to senior football on a regular basis this season.
Keith Bray and Calum Macleod have established themselves in Duncan Ferguson’s plans, while Matthew Strachan, Jack Walker, Robbie Thompson and Calum MacKay have regularly been in matchday squads.
Not many people will know that group as players better than Esson, who is confident that they have the ability to compete in League One if some more established names leave as a result of administration.
The biggest challenge those youngsters would face, Esson believes, is having the mentality to battle through the adversity Caley Thistle are facing off the pitch.
“A lot of them have proven that they can go and score goals, and play at that level easily,” Esson stressed.
“I’ve got every faith in these boys. I just think they need a run of games to give them that education of the standard of the league, and what level they need to be at.
“I can only speak for myself, but as a player I needed 15 or 16 games before I could say I was in good form or bad form. Six or seven games wasn’t enough.
“Only the coaching staff will know if the young boys are good enough or not. I can only go by what I saw when I worked with them, and they are really good footballers.
“Their mental strength in a situation like this is the one thing I can’t answer. I can tell you they are determined boys, who were determined to be full time footballers.
“I can’t speak highly enough of their work rate and desire, and they wanted to train, but until they go into adversity like they are facing you can’t say 100 per cent.
“All I know is that if they’ve got a 15-point deduction, and they show the same mindset and determination they did in training when they would go out in an afternoon and do extra work practicing free kicks, I’m sure they will have the same outcomes playing in that league.”
As for the club as a whole going forward, Esson would love to see more opportunities for staff and players at Caley Thistle to interact with the club’s supporters to help reignite those bonds and build closer connections with the city as a whole.
“I was there for 16 years, and I had really good moments at the club that outweigh the bad times,” he reflected.
“It was such a family and community-driven club. It was like we were all one. I just feel it has come away from that, and they really need to get that back.
“The only way they’re going to come back is to get the community back and get that sort of family connection again. They need to earn the trust of the fans again, and have that communication back.
“They used to have an end of season ball every year at one of the hotels, where the players would interact with the fans. Do they still have sponsor nights? I think they still do calendar signings, but could they do more than that to get the connection with the community again?
“I had the same sponsors for years at Caley Thistle, so I knew them personally. Those bonds need to be built up again. I think it’s easily repaired, so maybe they need to go down that route.
“The people at the club need to understand where the fans are at. The players make the club because they’re playing, but it’s the fans who keep it alive and keep everything together, because players come and go but they are there every week, every season.”
