Billy Dodds has branded the SPFL's refusal to allow his side to recall on-loan players "embarrassing" after the Inverness Caledonian Thistle boss was forced to field players who shouldn't have played as he continues to deal with a lengthy injury list in the Highlands.
Inverness made a special dispensation plea earlier this week to help ease concerns and ensure Dodds wouldn't be faced with asking inexperienced youngsters or crocked stars to feature in their Scottish Championship clash with Ayr on Saturday. But Dodds wish was rejected by the league's governing body which he deems is now a detriment to the physical and mental health of the school boys he is having to draft in.
Dodds was pleased his badly depleted side came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with table toppers Ayr United to keep Caley just six points off top but the main topic on his lips was how embarrassing off-field decisions were. "This is the worst I have seen in 37 years, since going to Chelsea as a schoolboy,” he said. “I have never seen it so bad. And there are not too many coming back soon. You can talk about Rangers and an injury crisis, whatever. I will take two or three, but we have eight, nine, 10. Every one of them would be pushing for a start if not starting.
“Sean Welsh shouldn’t have played today. He got a dead leg. You could see the bruising, I don’t know how he got through it. He took painkillers and went out there for me because I asked him this morning. It is a circulation problem which is a bit worrying.
“Danny Devine shouldn’t have played either. He is probably 10 days away from fitness. He trained yesterday and you know what a Friday session is like – hardly anything. He put his body on the line. These players shouldn’t be out there, but it’s where we are.
“We asked the SPFL about trying to get our loan players from the Highland League clubs and they said no. But the batch who are on the bench, the young boys, are not ready either mentally or physically. They are first year pros.
“The ones who are out on loan are a year ahead of them and we can’t get them. So the young boys have to go on the bench. That can’t be good for your health, mentality, Scottish football. It’s pretty embarrassing to be honest.”
Dodds used St Mirren as an example of a club getting the green light to recall players when they were faced with a selection crisis ahead of facing Celtic after 11 first team players were struck with coronavirus at the end of last year.
"I know St Mirren got their loan players back for the Celtic game,” Dodds added. “That was Covid. But this is a similar situation. We don’t want to be putting first year pros on the bench. They shouldn’t be on the bench.
“We have more experienced boys out on loan than we do on the bench. They have done a year and a half more than the boys who are on the bench. The boys who are on the bench are just in the door in the summer and they shouldn’t be put through the mental and physical effort that they have to. It can’t be healthy.”
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