Cups are empty but Butcher is still toasting his side

Saturday 9 February 2013

YOU can find anything on the internet, although it seems a sense of perspective does not always appear high up on a Google search.

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Alasdair Fraser

Inverness Caledonian Thistle had been put out of two cup competitions within eight days and the proximity of those results meant they were subject to the sort of broad views normally found at the top of a Munro.

Normally these are obscured from a manager but Terry Butcher was alerted to one which at least provided some light relief from the disappointment of tumbling out of the cups. A defeat by Hearts in a Scottish Communities League Cup semi-final and another against Kilmarnock in the fifth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup left his Inverness side with only the league to contend for, or "without hope of winning the treble" as one fan put it on the internet. That was part of a thread on a forum which would unravel once pulled and one which fits uncomfortably with the Highland side."We don't even entertain that. We've got some great games ahead in the league," said the Inverness manager, whose side are without both Richie Foran and Andrew Shinnie today. "The league is all we can go for now – the treble has gone, according to our fans - the fans said that, we didn't. I never even won a treble with Rangers. You laugh and joke about it, and that's all we can do.While Butcher treated the post with good humour, it did point to how expectations of this Inverness side have changed this season. They will host Celtic this lunchtime from the comfort of second place in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League – albeit a full 15 points behind the Glasgow club – and emboldened by a win the last time they met, in November.That win prompted an undefeated league run which only came to a halt at the end of January, with the ambitions of some supporters gathering momentum at the same time. There has been a sense that the bubble has burst after consecutive defeats but Butcher is not so deflated."We are in a fantastic position in the league and want to maintain that and continue doing what we are doing. We have 10 games to go before the split and we have to focus on what we want to achieve."The question of focus is also one which Celtic will have to answer. They face Juventus in a Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday and a trip up to the Highlands might seem like a bit of an inconvenience. Butcher, though, is not convinced."They are a team who are in the Champions League final 16. For our boys it is a tremendous game to play in and look forward to," he said. "If you can't look forward to playing Celtic, then you shouldn't be in the game."I wouldn't put any credence into whether Neil [Lennon] fields an understrength team or think that this is the right time to face Celtic. Celtic have hungry players trying to get into the team. It doesn't matter what team he plays, they are going to be great opposition for us."

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Cups are empty but Butcher is still toasting his side

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