Butcher takes Caley job but keeps Scotland role

Terry Butcher was named Tuesday as the new manager of the Scottish Premier League’s bottom side, Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

The former England captain replaces Craig Brewster, who was sacked last week following a run of seven straight defeats that has left the Highlands club in serious danger of dropping out of the top flight for the first time in five years.

Butcher will continue to serve as an assistant to George Burley, the manager of Scotland, as they attempt to guide the national side to next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.

Burley said: “I’m delighted that Terry has been offered the job at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, it’s a great opportunity for him to get back into club management.

“Terry is a great football man, and I know he’s excited about the prospect of tackling day-to-day management again. His new role won’t affect his position with the National side. We are both absolutely committed to Scotland and taking the country to the World Cup Finals next year.”

The Inverness job is Butcher’s first as a manager since an ill-fated spell in charge of English football league outfit Brentford in 2007.

Prior to that he had spent less than a year in charge of Sydney FC in Australia, but his reputation remains high in Scotland as a result of his successful four-year spell at Motherwell from 2002.

Operating on a miniscule budget, Butcher guided ‘Well to two successive top-six finishes and a Scottish League Cup final.

Capped 77 times by England, Butcher has a long association with Scotland, having played for Rangers in the late 1980s and raised his family north of the border.

Butcher, 50, will have Maurice Malpas, who was his assistant at Motherwell and took over from him, as his number two at Inverness.