DARREN O’DEA, the Celtic B team coach, will NOT be pursuing a move to take charge of Inverness Caley Thistle.
The former Republic of Ireland international central defender had been linked with the vacant post at the Championship side after Billy Dodds was sacked five weeks ago.
The one-time Scotland striker led the Highlanders to the Scottish Cup Final where they lost 3-1 to the Hoops at Hampden on June 3 and had just signed an extension to his deal before being axed.
SHOUT OF ORDER…Billy Dodds yells instructions to his Caley Thistle players during their 3-1 Scottish Cup Final loss to Celtic in June. Three months later the manager was sacked.
O’Dea was among the first names mentioned as a possible successor and the champions allowed their coach permission to speak to Caley after they had made the initial approach.
However, the 36-year-old highly-rated backroom boy has opted out of the opportunity to quit Parkhead and has withdrawn from the interview process, according to a report in the Scottish Sun.
Caley Thistle will sift through the available names, but it now looks as though St Johnstone’s Cup double-winning gaffer Callum Davidson, sacked by the Perth club last season, is favourite for the post.
The rock-bottom Highlanders are in freefall at the moment and have lost eight and drawn one of their last nine games.
Former Celtic forward Charlie Christie, dad of Ryan, and sporting director John Robertson were in the dug-out at the weekend in the side’s 1-0 home defeat to Dundee United.
