KILLIE WON’T BE BULLIED INTO SELLING, INSISTS BOYD
Boyd hits out at Rangers for derisory and unsettling bids
KRIS BOYD has accused Rangers of trying to unsettle Scottish Premiership rivals with derisory bids for players — and vowed Kilmarnock won’t be ‘bullied’ into parting with Jordan Jones on the cheap.
The Ibrox club saw an undisclosed bid for Jones kicked out by the Rugby Park outfit yesterday, with boss Steve Clarke insisting the level of the offer was an insult to his Northern Ireland international attacker.
Sportsmail understands the Ayrshire club are looking for £1million for the former Middlesbrough player.
Last summer Rangers failed in a bid for Aberdeen midfielder Kenny McLean and did not meet Hearts’ valuation of winger Jamie Walker.
The Ibrox club also made an enquiry for Hamilton Accies midfielder Greg Docherty last week — although they have yet to follow that up with a concrete offer.
Boyd yesterday signed an extension to stay at
Kilmarnock until the end of next season as he was named Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month for December.
‘There’s a common theme the whole time,’ said the 34-year-old striker. ‘There’s one club unsettling everybody. If they want players then pay the money and come and take them!
‘Jamie Walker was the exact same. There’s a list — we could go on and on.
‘Calls have been made and nothing has been backed up.
‘It’s easy to unsettle players now. But we all know how football works. If you want something, you go and get it.
‘If a deal has been agreed and Jordan is happy with it, then go and pay the price to the football club. ‘When Kilmarnock were struggling for money in the last few years there may have been players they got rid of (for cheap).
‘But Kilmarnock are not in a position to be bullied anymore.
‘We are not stupid — there will come a day when Jordan Jones leaves this club.
‘But the value has to be met and he has been performing at a higher level than the value of the bid.
‘Jordan could be the difference between us finishing in the bottom or top six.
‘And we are not talking about a Kilmarnock youngster. We are talking about a Northern Ireland internationalist.
‘Why would the club sell someone for way lower than they need to when he has a year left on his contract?
‘There will be some crazy figures banded about but every club has a price they would accept for a player — but until that’s matched he won’t be going anywhere.
‘So if Rangers want him they will need to pay the money.’
Clarke also believes Jones should feel slighted at such a derisory offer.
‘The bid was far too low so the club has immediately turned it down,’ said the Killie boss as he was named Manager of the Month.
‘If I was the player I would be a little bit upset that the bid was so low.
‘We are obviously not under pressure to sell because we turned the bid down. The offer was nowhere near where we would rate someone of Jordan’s ability.
‘The offer did not really get off the ground.’
Steven Naismith has also been linked with an Ibrox return as well as a move to Kilmarnock and Hearts.
But Killie boss Clarke is not hopeful of taking the forward back to Rugby Park.
He said: ‘I’d love to have a player of Steven’s ability coming to the club and so would the fans.
‘But I’ve got to be honest and say that would be very difficult for us to do.’
Boyd, meanwhile, revealed that boss Clarke talked him out of hanging up his boots earlier this season.
The veteran sought out his new manager when Clarke replaced Lee McCulloch back in October and told the 54-year-old that he feared his playing days were numbered.
But Clarke assured the Killie legend he could train at his own pace and convinced him to play on at least until January.
And having scored six goals in six games across a December to remember, the rejuvenated striker is now the second top scorer in the Premiership just one behind Rangers forward Alfredo Morelos and has signed a new deal to keep him at Rugby Park until summer 2019.
‘I did feel as if I was coming to the end. Being honest, I felt I was more or less done,’ nodded Boyd.
‘When things change in a football work environment you see a lot of people running about again and trying to impress a new manager.
‘I have seen that so many times in my career and I couldn’t face people who had been underperforming suddenly running about all over the place and clattering into the back of you.
‘But from our first conversation the manager was able to convince me to stay. I told him I felt my body was sore.
‘But the manager said I wouldn’t be doing long sessions, which would be strenuous on the body.
‘He asked me to give him until January and, hopefully, I have repaid that. For me, it’s been the best decision ever. I am enjoying my football.
‘Since the manager came in I have started almost every game. It is great to have someone who backs you and wants you.
‘The manager now wants me to be that No9 striker who gets in the box.’
Boyd laughed as he added: ‘The days of me pressing the game higher up the pitch are gone. To be honest, they might never have been there in the first place.’