THE LONE WOLF
Splendid isolation has been hard for Kettlewell in new role but he wants County to come on strong post-Covid
FROM a distance the length of the A9, it appears Stuart Kettlewell has taken isolation to its limits during the Covid crisis. Already co-manager of the Premiership’s most remote club when football fell into cold storage in March, the Ross County boss has been adjusting to a new lone role just as the long-term consequences of the virus set in.
Chairman Roy MacGregor’s decision to cut the management team in half left Kettlewell in sole charge of the team as Steven Ferguson moved upstairs to take on the role of chief executive.
The financial fall-out also meant the club was unable to agree terms with captain Marcus Fraser, leaving Kettlewell needing a new on-field leader ahead of the new season.
Since returning to training, their preparations have been further hampered by geography. Finding a team willing to visit the Highlands to help the club test out the new protocols at the Global Energy Stadium has proved impossible.
With nearest neighbours Inverness Caley Thistle still in cold storage in advance of the Championship’s October start, it has required 350-mile return journeys from
Dingwall to the likes of Livingston and Glasgow to get some semicompetitive football into the legs of Kettlewell’s players.
As a result, County entertain Motherwell tomorrow night with little discernible home advantage, and not just on account of the absence of a crowd.
For all that, Kettlewell is simply glad to be back in business. Energised by his new responsibilities, the 36-year-old can still rely on the support of close friend Ferguson and also his newlypromoted coaching assistants Richard Brittain and Don Cowie.
‘The chairman and board of directors felt they wanted to go in this direction with Steven as chief executive,’ said Kettlewell. ‘With Roy’s company, we call it the club’s globalisation and it should be more professional as a result.
‘Steven knows the club inside out and has unbelievable people skills.
‘Our relationship stands. Our families are still close.
‘There’s an element of me training myself for this new daily routine. I have two excellent coaches and, even though I love being in the crux of a session, I want them to coach.
‘That gives me an opportunity to take a step back and think more methodically.
‘Before, myself and Steven were both very hands-on with everything the academy, aspects of commercial. He now has that overarching responsibility, while I need to concentrate solely on football. There are clear boundaries.’
One decision that fell squarely within Kettlewell’s remit was dealing with the departure of Fraser, who last week signed for St Mirren.
A product of Celtic’s youth academy, Fraser signed for County in 2015 and was part of the team that lifted the League Cup in 2016.
‘We deem the last two years as a success, getting promoted and staying up and Marcus was our club captain along the ways.
‘Our first act of the Championship campaign was to make Marcus captain and he did it exceptionally well.
‘We had a good personal relationship with him and he was a guy we generally picked to play in our team. But we all know the financial implications of what’s going on in the world right now.
‘We offered a Marcus a deal but, having a young family, he probably felt it wasn’t right for him.
‘There was no mud-slinging, no fall out. Quite the opposite He probably came back with a heavy heart to say he couldn’t accept our effort. I wish him all the best with St Mirren.’
Fraser’s decision to move on left County with a void at right-back and also the need for a new leader.
Connor Randall, once a Liverpool hopeful and also a veteran of a loan spell at Hearts, has been chosen to plug the gap in defence.
And the experienced Iain Vigurs has been chosen to take the armband.
‘As soon as we knew Marcus was going we knew we needed a replacement. Connor has good pedigree and wants to get into that team. He made a good impression at Hearts and a couple of appearances for Liverpool.
‘Losing your captain can change the dynamic but Iain is a character. He was a team-mate of mine for several years and it’s no secret he has a fiery temper.
‘He is a winner and commands respect through his knowledge of the game and his talent.’
County’s investment in a Covid testing machine has helped the club avoid the potholes that have affected others in recent weeks, most notably St Mirren and Hibs, the latter cancelling a bounce match with County when the Highlanders were already on their way south.
MacGregor also made resources available to shore up the squad well in advance of the restart.
In addition to Randall, Kettlewell has added Regan Charles-Cook, Alex Iacovitti and Carl Tremarco, with Stephen Kelly coming in on loan from Rangers. The Highlanders also sealed a loan deal for young Celtic goalkeeper Ross Doohan.
Improving the team’s defensive record — the worst in the league last season — is a priority, while Kettlewell will also hope to hang on to forward Ross Stewart.
Kettlewell added: ‘We tried to do our business early and had identified targets well before lockdown. We probably have one more to come in but I’m comfortable with our options and balance to the squad.’
‘We’re allowed to name nine substitutes — I believe I have 20 good players and potentially one or two more, so I have no complaints. Roy has been great. I’m not going to tell anybody where I believe we can finish. But we will stretch the players to the limit to achieve it.’