Krisparksthe coachtoset Saturdaygoals
THE former Kilmarnock player currently in charge of the side, temporarily at least, may well end up being the next permanent manager of the club.
But if and when Lee McCulloch does move on from Rugby Park, they won’t have to look too far to find a suitable candidate to replace him.
Kris Boyd may have something of a reputation for not being the most dedicated of trainers, but he puts more thought into the preparation side of the game than perhaps he is given credit for.
Having completed his Uefa pro-licence, the record-breaking goalscorer has ensured he has the tools required to stay in the game when he eventually does hang up his boots.
That thought is still far from his mind though, and after netting his seventh goal of the campaign with last week’s winner against Ross County, it is easy to see why the 33-year-old feels he still has plenty to offer on the playing field.
“I have got my Uefa pro-licence and I have done all the badges,” Boyd said. “But my main focus is on playing.
“I have been helping the under 17s in the past couple of years and the under 20s this year. Is it something I want to get into? Yes it is. There is no point saying it is not. It would be a waste of time doing the badges if that was the case.
“We will take it step by step and we will see what happens in the future. My main aim is to stay in the Kilmarnock team.
“It is good to hear people mention my name in terms of a coaching capacity.
“But for me right now there is no better feeling than scoring goals on a Saturday. I want to continue to do that. There is plenty of life left in me yet.”
Boyd’s immediate concern is the huge match looming at Rugby Park today against Partick Thistle, a tie that will go a long way to determining the nature of the run-in for both sides.
“This is a must-win game, there’s no doubt about it,” he said.
“We’re at home to Celtic and Hearts and away to Rangers before the split so we need to beat Thistle and then win away to Inverness to get points in the bag.
“We also need to change our mentality at Rugby Park. We must start expecting to win games instead of turning up and hoping we win.
“We want teams to know they’ll need to work damned hard to come here and get a result. That’s not been the case for the last few years.”