Killie in a march for the title? I’m only interested in winning six more points to guarantee we don’t go down
SAYS STEVE CLARKE
WHILE everyone else debates whether Kilmarnock can challenge for the title the only thing on Steve Clarke’s mind is beating relegation before the New Year bells.
By the Killie gaffer’s calculations they are just two wins away from guaranteeing survival – which seems an odd priority when sitting pretty in third place just two points behind leaders Celtic.
But that’s exactly the kind of pragmatic thinking that forms the bedrock of Clarke’s revolution over the past 14 frantic months at the helm.
Never get carried away, look no further than the next challenge ahead and take absolutely nothing for granted. Because the moment players start fancying themselves as big-time title contenders is the day they risk forgetting the hard work that has got them so far this quickly. Clarke said: “Everybody forgets where the club were 14 months ago. “We’ve come a hell of a long way in a very short space of time but there’s nothing to say that you can’t end up back in that situation if you take your eye off the ball. “We have to just stay focused and understand what we’ve done in a very short period of time, how we’ve managed to achieve that and stay focused on what we do from game to game.
“That was the mantra when I came into the club and it’s still the same now.
“My aims haven’t changed. We still need two more wins to make sure we are in the Premiership next season so that’s the first target to get those wins as quick as we can.
“Once we’ve got ourselves secured in the league we can look at a different target, which logically would be to try to better last season – by finishing with 60 points instead of 59.
“That would still be a big ask but it’s something that maybe we can try to do in the second half of the season.
“I could look to stay in the mix near the top if I looked that far ahead. But you know me by now, I don’t look that far. I only look to the next game, a tough game away at Hamilton.
“We haven’t beaten Hamilton yet in the league so that’s a little incentive. Hamilton and Rangers are the only ones we haven’t beaten in the league, drawing with both.
“So that’s a little challenge for us trying to beat them tomorrow, then we’ll take care of the next game after that.”
An ability to shield his players from peripheral chatter outside the stadium has been a key aspect of Clarke’s success.
Whether it’s title talk or
We have to understand what we’ve done in a very short time period STEVE CLARKE
speculation linking his players with transfer window bids by rival clubs, the inner circle remains focused on the job, not the distractions.
He added: “I don’t have to keep a lid on expectations within the group.
“The close-knit people inside the club are fine, we know exactly where we are and had a good little lesson a couple of weeks ago at Celtic Park. That keeps your feet on the ground.
“An afternoon like that keeps you humble and makes sure you don’t get too carried away.
“Outside of that the supporters are loving it. Great. It’s fantastic for them.
“They go and dream and shout and if we are lucky enough to hit the top of the league again they can sing about it and talk about winning the title. They can do that, they are supporters and they deserve it after five years of struggle and not enjoying coming to Rugby Park.
“They are enjoying it again so for them it’s great.”
The reopening of the transfer window on January 1 will undoubtedly shine the spotlight on his squad, including Jordan Jones who has become a regular subject of transfer talk.
But Clarke has no intention of losing any of his squad – and little interest in adding to a group that has served him so well so far.
He added: “It’s difficult to add to the squad we have as we have good competition for every position in the team.
“There are a lot of good players in the dressing room who have not had many minutes this season.
“The squad is strong but if something really good came along then I would look to do it. But the most important thing for me is keeping this group together. If I can do that then I will be happy.
“Everybody gets carried away because it’s a transfer window and says we need to do business, we need to do this.
“The supporters get excited about bringing people in but unless you bring in someone who fits into the ethos of the group you risk upsetting the balance. There will always be speculation but it gets easier for players to handle that the more it happens.
“Since I came here there has been speculation surrounding Jordan – last January and all through the summer.
“But he is in a great position and he holds all the aces. His contract runs out in the summer and he is available on a free transfer.
“He is enjoying his football and in the last few weeks he has come back to something approaching his best form.
“He has been great for us and I look forward to working with him until the end of the season.
“Then his career might go in a different direction. Until then we look forward to working with each other.”