Duncan Ferguson leaves Inverness Caley as first casualty of administration

Duncan Ferguson has left Inverness Caledonian Thistle after the club went into administration.

The former Dundee United and Rangers forward was appointed as manager last season and spent just over a year at the helm of the Highland club.

He was in charge as Inverness were relegated from the Championship and they now sit bottom of League One after being deducted 15 points by the Scottish Professional Football League.

A club statement read: “Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC can confirm that manager Duncan Ferguson, assistant manager Gary Bollan and goalkeeping coach Stuart Garden have left the club with immediate effect following the ongoing review of the financial position with the Joint Administrators.

“The club would like to place on record our thanks to Duncan, Gary and Stuart for their efforts while at Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC and wish them the very best in the future.

“Scott Kellacher, first team coach, is stepping up to take over as first team head coach with immediate effect. A full update on first team coaching staff going forward will be made in due course.”

Ferguson, who spent most of his playing career in England with spells at Everton and Newcastle United, was in the dugout for 53 games in total, winning 17, losing 16 and drawing 20.

He had been working for free in recent weeks to try to help the club in their financial plight and, following his exit, he expressed frustration at the direction the club had taken.

“It happened very quickly, to be honest,” Ferguson told STV. “I think we were expecting it.

“At the end of the day, I’m the manager so I’ll be the first one they’ll be looking at. That was the case.

“I got take in ten minutes ago and it was just a quick couple of minutes in a meeting to say ‘unfortunately the situation is administration and we’ll have to let you go’.

“There was a plan in the summer, I think, and that plan was getting funded for another 12 months. The board of directors decided not to take that plan. So (former chairman) Ross Morrison left, didn’t he?

“They decided to go down a different route and that different route was administration and a 15-point deduction. Which is, the more you think about it, is absolutely incredible.

“The club was getting funded for 12 months with Ross Morrison. There was a budget. I had six players lined up to come in, every job had been saved and we were staying full time.

“Fast forward two months and the club’s got a 15-point deduction and there’s jobs getting lost. Crazy.”

Inverness had said that administration was the only sensible option after a deal with a potential buyer had failed to be completed. The club reported losses of more than a million pounds last season and expects worse this year.

The team now take on Dumbarton on Saturday as they look to start clawing some points back on the board and avoid relegation to League Two.

Ferguson’s last game in charge came in the 1-0 win over Annan Athletic at the weekend.

Inverness CT were formally put into administration this week amid ongoing financial turmoil as they failed to find a new buyer.