Skipper: Give Lee the Killie job now
KILMARNOCK captain Stevie Smith wants the club to stop delaying and give Lee McCulloch the manager’s job now so he can build for next season.
The ex-Rangers man has been interim boss following Lee Clark’s departure. Results and performances have improved and the Ayrshire club were safe with a few games to spare.
Doubts remain over what the Killie board will do next, but it’s clear what the dressing room wants.
Smith said: “Lee has that winning mentality.
“He’s also shown he’s not scared to throw the young boys in and the big thing for me is that, since he’s come in, he’s been trying to change the mentality.
“We had a big talk last week about how poor our home form had been and then we went and beat Inverness.
“Mentality is a huge thing in football because, without the right approach, you won’t go anywhere.
“At the moment we win a game and then we go on a downer. It’s not because we think we’re better than we are but I’m sure that if Lee is appointed as manager then that situation will quickly change.
“The reason he got as far in the game as he did was through hard work and being mentally strong.”
Kilmarnock bought ten and took on 14 loan players over the season which hardly helped with consistency.
Smith would like to see a calmer and more sensible pre-season this time around.
He said: “Someone said there are only nine players left from the team photo at the start of the season and I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
“I’ve been here for just two seasons and the number of players who’ve come and gone is just ridiculous, certainly compared to any other club I’ve been at.
“Hopefully, when we get a permanent manager again, he’ll do things differently. Maybe I’m biased but I‘d love to see Lee get the job.”