Killie’s cool gaffer made me hot stuff
STEPHEN O’DONNELL reckons he’s enjoying the hottest streak of his career because Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke is so cool and composed.
The full-back’s form in Killie’s stunning revival under Clarke has catapulted him into Alex McLeish’s Scotland side.
He has been called up again for the upcoming games against Israel and Portugal and the 26-year-old admits Clarke’s style of management has allowed him flourish.
O’Donnell, who moved to Kilmarnock at the start of last season following two years at Luton, said: “Bringing in the gaffer was a stroke of genius.
“I’ve been used to managers shouting and bawling at the side of the pitch, chopping and changing things all the time. Something goes wrong, ‘I’m changing it’, or someone has a bad performance, ‘He’s not good enough.’
“He’s just so relaxed and calculated, he does not rush into anything.
“He might tell you a different story but you feel, looking at him, that he’s so relaxed and knows what he’s doing.
“It’s a style that some people might not like but it has worked wonders for this group of boys and me especially.”
Former Partick star O’Donnell admits his return to Scottish football has been a dream and said: “It goes to show that anything can be possible in football. I didn’t think for a minute I was coming back up to Scotland to try to get an international call-up.”