IT’S A CARVE UP AT KILLIE

BOSS HUNT JOHN IN FRAME Ex-Newcastle coach wants job

FORMER Newcastle coach John Carver has thrown his hat into the ring to be the next Kilmarnock manager. Record Sport understands the 52-year-old is interested in the top job at Rugby Park after Lee McCulloch’s departure on Sunday. The former Rangers midfielder had failed to record a league victory in eight attempts this season and left the club by mutual consent. It leaves the Killie board searching for their eighth manager in eight years. And Carver, who took charge of Newcastle on an interim basis on three occasions as well as spells at Toronto, Sheffield United and Leeds, has signalled his interest.

He was most recently in charge of Omonia in Cyprus but left earlier this year after 17 wins from 30 matches.

Jim McIntyre, Gary Holt, Mixu Paatelainen and Jorge Costa have been linked with the job.

Former Rugby Park defender Garry Hay believes the club is crying out for stability and said: “We’ve been saying the same thing about the stability at the club for years.

“Mixu came in and when he moved on Kenny Shiels was given the job so you had that consistency there.

“Kenny got the bullet for missing out on the top six by a point, albeit the chairman had other reasons.

“Since then it’s been a succession of managers. The turnover in players is a problem too. The likelihood is the new manager will come in and say, ‘Right, him, him and him aren’t good enough’ and start the process again.”