Source: FOOTYMAD
Learn From One Of The Best
Everyday is a school day for Tom Aldred If you need to learn a trade it is always best to learn from somebody who has been there and done it all. There can be few better to learn from for Inverness defender Tom Aldred than his manager Terry Butcher. Aldred may be a Scotland Under-19 cap but he knows he still has a lot to learn and is inspired by working under the England legend. Bolton-born Aldred, who qualifies for Scotland through his grandmother, joined Butcher's side on loan from Watford this summer. Last week's 3-0 reverse to Motherwell was his SPL debut and he is looking to continue his football education under the former England captain. Aldred said: "As a young lad of 20, playing in his position, there is no better person to learn from and there is no one better to play under. I am enjoying it and looking forward to learning more. I learned a lot last week. The lad I was playing against, Michael Higdon, was strong, very physical and clever with his elbows and the way he worked off the ball. I thought it was a good battle. He was a problem but I thought I coped all right with him. The SPL is a good standard, quick tempo, fast and there are some good players, so it's not just a physical league. And it was never a 3-0. If we had scored our chances maybe it would have gone a different way, but that's football and it didn't. We were all devastated at the final whistle but coming back on the bus, we realised we had created chances and had good possession so we don't have a lot to be disheartened about. The lads are starting to gel and getting to know each other, so I think there is a lot of potential in this group.'' After playing against Higdon, Aldred will be taking on Garry O'Connor today. The Hibs striker has promised Hibs fans that he will deliver goals on his return to the Easter Road club. It will be Aldred's job to limit O'Connor's opportunities today. Aldred said: "I watched him when he played at Birmingham, he's got a lot of experience so it will be a good test for me and I'm looking forward to it. I watched Hibs play Celtic last week and Celtic were excellent. But Hibs are a top-six side and it will be really difficult, as all games are in this league. But we are looking forward to it and hoping to get a good result.'' After losing the opening game of the season, Butcher is confident that his side will improve in the coming weeks. He said: "There were more positives than negatives last week. There is no point in getting upset, there was a lot of good play and we just have to tighten up. The boys will get better with each training session. We have worked hard this week, the boys have put a lot into training and we can't wait for Hibs.'' Easter Road manager Colin Calderwood is determined to make more signings for his squad before the closing of the summer transfer window. Calderwood has been linked with leaving Hibs for assistant manager posts at Birmingham and Nottingham Forest but this week completed his fourth signing with the capture of Junior Agogo. He again stated his intent to build his squad - something he may not do if he had a desire to move on - by suggesting Hibs are planning moves in the loan market before the close of the transfer window at the end of next month. Calderwood said: "I think we'll need one or two reinforcements. We're going to try. We'll never stop trying to do that right up until the end of the transfer window. We're getting more and more people put towards us now. Teams are suddenly wanting to loan players out, especially from England. That's where our coverage is at the moment.'' Calderwood and Agogo, who is set to miss the trip to Inverness with a thigh strain, have been reunited after a spell together at Forest. And the manager is thrilled with the capture of the 31-year-old Ghana international. Calderwood added: "He's quite an open personality and one that is infectious. I think he'll be very useful for us going forward. He's got a presence up front, he's got a good goalscoring record and his experience will be vital to us.'' Calderwood could have Sean O'Hanlon poised to play despite a broken toe suffered in Tuesday night's friendly loss at Blackpool. Midfielder Martin Scott, though, is out after requiring six stitches to his knee following a clash in the same game. Akpo Sodje (knee) remains doubtful after missing the Celtic and Blackpool matches and Sean Welsh (cheekbone) is still absent.
