IT may seem an unusual comparison but Miles Storey believes his manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, John Hughes, shares a similarly laudable footballing philosophy to that of Paolo di Canio.
Storey played under di Canio at Swindon Town and believes he was enriched by the experience even if the one-time Celtic player and West Ham favourite divides opinion, especially when it comes to his fascist political views.
The 21-year-old striker, on loan at Inverness from the Wiltshire outfit until January, respected the way di Canio insisted upon his players working hard and not stepping out of line.
Storey says Hughes is cut from the same cloth but has gone one better because he is allowing him to play with freedom and the ploy seems to be working as the striker has scored twice in three matches.
He said: “He is quite similar to Paolo di Canio but as a player I think discipline is important and I like that. If there is no discipline in a dressing room then things start to waver.
“I like the way John Hughes goes about his business. Like di Canio he also makes us work hard in training. It’s very intense. When you get home after a day’s training you really feel it.
“It means the boys are really fit and I think it will shine through at the end of games. The manager has basically told me to go out and express myself and it’s great to have that support behind me.
“It means if something doesn’t quite work then there will be no shouting at me or anything like that which is a breath of fresh air really. It’s been easy to settle in because of that and I’m also getting a lot of help from the boys on and off the pitch.”
Storey, who has also had loan spells at Shrewsbury, Portsmouth and Newport County, helped Inverness into the last eight of the League Cup as they defeated Livingston 2-0 on Tuesday night.
Now he is relishing a crack at the mightily impressive Aberdeen on Saturday when he will be reunited with his old Swindon team-mate Adam Rooney.
He said: “I was pleased to get a goal on Tuesday night because I had a bit of a frustrating day last Saturday against Dundee United.
“I had a couple of other chances too so I might have had a hat-trick but my sharpness will come. Right now it’s about getting my fitness up but hopefully while the team is winning.
“I know Inverness have done really well in the cups in the last few years and I would love a taste of that.
“There were a couple of scary moments on Tuesday and Livingston could have had a couple of goals in the first half, but we managed to keep it together and got there in the end.
“It will be a tough game against Aberdeen because they’re flying but there is no reason why we can’t pull off a result.
“It will be good to see where we stand when we come up against them.
“I know Adam Rooney well because he was at Swindon with me. I used to be on the bench when he was playing down there. It will be good to catch up with him after the game.
“He has been on fire since he’s been at Aberdeen but he’s a goal-scorer – and he never misses a penalty!
“He’s strong, holds the ball up well and he’s dangerous in the box so we will have to deal with that on Saturday.”
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