Meet the new boss ..same as old boss
Mahood: Alessio copying Clarke tactics
ALAN MAHOOD watched Kilmarnock storm into the top three and qualify for Europe under Steve Clarke.
The bedrock of that success was the ability to keep clean sheets and hit teams where it hurt on the counter-attack.
Now the former Killie midfielder reckons new boss Angelo Alessio is slowly but surely restoring the solidity the club enjoyed when Clarke was in charge.
After a stuttering start under the Italian, Killie have taken seven points from their last three league games, with four clean sheets in their last four matches in all competitions.
And Mahood said: “It was an easy one to jump on the bandwagon and give the new manager stick, especially after the Europa League exit to Connah’s Quay.
“Alessio was not long in the door when that happened but if it had been six months down the line then the supporters would have been entitled to ask some serious questions. “You got the feeling some people were sitting with the guns loaded and were ready to fire them, just waiting for Angelo to fail in those early weeks of the campaign. “Since then Killie have gone from strength to strength. “The secret to Steve Clarke’s success was built on the same basics the new manager seems to be getting right now. “Steve made the team hard
to beat and we were also clinical on the counter which enabled us to keep nicking points.
“It’s all very similar to the way they’re setting themselves up and are now playing under Angelo.”
Mahood also believes Alessio deserves praise for the way he handled the Kirk Broadfoot episode. The veteran defender quit Killie to sign for St Mirren then had a pop at his former boss.
He claimed players were forced to do extra training on their own because they weren’t fit enough.
But Mahood, who is now the head of recruitment for Killie’s academy, said: “You have to remember that Angelo was not one of your tick-box managers.
“He chose to work in a different country with a totally different football culture and everybody is learning something new.
“He also needed time to settle and prove himself. His CV speaks for itself as he has worked with a higher calibre of player.
“That’s why Angelo didn’t get too wound up when Kirk said his piece. He did what all good bosses would have done in that situation and that was concentrate on his own players.
“Players are fickle at times and everybody likes to be in a wee routine and feel secure. Kirk did a great job for Killie, I can’t knock him, but Angelo clearly decided to shake things up a bit and the player decided it wasn’t for him.
“I felt Angelo showed a bit of class by not getting involved in a war of words with Kirk.”