Clarke not keen to sign many as sales loom

KILMARNOCK manager Steve Clarke is not a chequebook manager and, even if the Ayrshire club had the wherewithal to enter the transfer market, he would be disinclined to do so.

The memories of Lee Clark, who left the club for Bury last year, having made 28 signings during his 12 months in charge, are still fresh at Rugby Park. Clarke is not a coach who would encourage upheaval, preferring to improve what he has rather than sign ready-made replacements.

The 55-year-old has made six loan signings, signed Youssouf Mulumbu on a shortterm contract and Jack Byrne on a permanent deal; that’s been the extent of his wheeling and dealing at a club which occupies fourth place in the top tier and he is happy with that.

“I think so; I’ve no reason to doubt my players, who have been great for me in the 14 months that I’ve been here,” he said.

“They’ve done well and deserve their chance so if we can keep this squad together, that would be great. That’s a big if, though, because some people might not be happy being squad players any longer so we’d probably need to address that but it’s not something that’s at the forefront of my mind.

“I’m only concerned with picking up as many points as we can during December and then deciding what our targets will be for the second half of the season.

“January is a trickier window when it comes to finding the right players. A lot also depends on where you are in the table – if we’re doing well come the end of the month then we might be a more attractive club.”