Lee and I are loyal –we both owe Killie
PETER LEVEN insists loyalty keeps Kilmarnock at the top of the list for himself and interim boss Lee McCulloch.
The Rugby Park coach dropped the biggest hint yet the duo are looking towards a long-term stay.
McCulloch and Leven have taken charge of the side since the departure of Lee Clark.
Motherwell’s sacking of Mark McGhee has led to McCulloch’s name also entering the equation for the Fir Park job.
But Leven said: “It is a compliment to Lee and for what he has done. Let’s hope it continues.
“We’re contracted here and it’s the second time we’ve taken charge. We know the players, the fans – and met supporters last week, some heads of fans’ forums. That was important.
“They were really open and thankful we’d met them. The club is about the fans and it’s vital they know us, what we want to do – and we know what they want for the club. We agreed to make it a regular thing.
“Of course it would be difficult to walk away. Both of us owe Kilmarnock loyalty.
“When I left Rangers as a kid it was Kilmarnock who gave me the chance to play. For my first coaching post it was Kilmarnock who gave me a job.
“I have strong links here, as does Lee. Kilmarnock gave him his first coaching job, the club have stuck by us twice.
“They gave us the reigns for a bit, first of all when Gary Locke left and now. They’ve told us to get on and show them what we can do and we’re doing alright at the moment.”
McCulloch and Leven’s next game in charge is Saturday’s visit from Motherwell and they go into that on the back of a 2-0 win at St Johnstone.
Leven added: “It was great to get a win away from home but our bread and butter is at Rugby Park. We need to start getting wins at home.
“The difference is we’ve started to believe in ourselves. A win would give us a bit of breathing space.”