I won’t pull a fast one
New boss Clarke vows: I’m at Killie for long haul
KILMARNOCK fans reckon the club pulled off a major coup by landing a high-profile name in Steve Clarke.
But the new Rugby Park boss insists he is the lucky one after being handed a third chance in management.
After 14 years as an assistant at Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool the former Scotland defender became his own man.
And the 54-year-old hit the ground running when he led West Brom to eighth place in the English Premier League – their highest top-flight finish in 32 years.
But Clarke was ruthlessly sacked just months later and doesn’t believe he was given the credit he deserves for the job he did at the Hawthorns.
He was then appointed Reading boss and led the club to their first FA Cup semi-final in 88 years only to be given the boot after a year.
A quick look at Killie’s recent managerial history – he’s the eighth boss in just seven years – is a reminder of how tough it can be. And Saltcoats-born Clarke, out of work since leaving Aston Villa last year after a spell as caretaker gaffer, wants to make the most of his chance by making Killie the best of his managerial jobs.
He penned a two-and-a-half year deal and will be assisted by former West Ham coach and Charlton assistant Alex Dyer who joins as No.2.
Clarke said: “There’s a select group of managers who will always be employed. Roy Hodgson, Tony Pulis, big Sam Allardyce – they’ll always get jobs.
“There are a hell of a lot of other managers who get one chance and never get another. There are even more who get two chances and never get another one.
“I feel quite fortunate to have a third opportunity. It’s nice to work again because I was an out-of-work manager.
“I took a big decision when I left Chelsea because I probably could have stayed there forever. But I’ve never been afraid of a challenge and trying to push myself and try something different. And this is something different.
“I don’t think I’ve been given the credit I deserve for the job I did at West Brom. I took them to their highest-ever finish then the next year for reasons unknown to me they decided to make a quick change, which I didn’t think was fair.
“I also took Reading to their first FA Cup semi-final in a really long time while being part of a project where we were going to try to build something. But these days people lose patience quickly.
“I’ve had two stabs at it and I’ve done all right. Now I aim to make this job the best one I’ve done so far.
“I lost my job at Villa this time last year and you spend all winter sitting in the
I’ve had two stabs at it. Now I aim to make this the best job I’ve done so far
STEVE CLARKE
house in the dark, watching games you don’t really have an interest in.
“Then the summer comes along and it’s a bit easier. You can play a bit of golf – my handicap’s improved a hell of a lot.
“You get to the same stage of thinking you’re going to go through another winter. It was time to get back in.
“It’s in our blood, sometimes we’re a little bit crazy the way we keep throwing ourselves back into the lion’s den.
“I would put Kilmarnock definitely in the top six when it comes to clubs in Scotland. We know it will be a long road to get there but that’s where we aim to be.
“I’ve signed a contract for two and a half years and intend to be here for that
period. I’ve had honesty from the board, they know they’ve had too many changes. But I’m here to try to provide that stability.”
Clarke coached a galaxy of stars south of the border and helped nurture £90million man Romelu Lukaku and Saido Berahino, who joined Stoke for £15m.
He hopes to develop exciting young talent at Kilmarnock and said: “You have to find a way to encourage young players.
“Lukaku was an important signing for me at West Brom. At that time he had struggled to settle in England and wasn’t playing at Chelsea.
“So I know how to handle young players. I brought Lukaku through, I brought young Saido through too the year after Romelu.
“Kilmarnock have a good tradition of bringing younger boys through from their academy. If the pathway is there and we get the talent coming through, I’ve got no worries about playing a young boy as opposed to a senior player.”
Despite spending the last 30 years in England, Clarke knows all about Kilmarnock and admitted there have been indirect approaches before. His wife Karen is from the area, older brother Paul spent 13 years as a player at the club and younger brother Michael is a fan.
Clarke said: “There have been conversations in the past but those conversations didn’t take me as far down the road as this one got. There have been similar roundabout approaches. I don’t need direct approaches, I have friends and family in this area and somebody always knows somebody who’ll ask, ‘Would Stevie be interested in coming back up?’ “It was always, ‘Not at this particular time.’ So this time was slightly different – it ticked a lot of boxes for me. “The crowds were really good when my brother Paul played here in the mid 70s to early 80s. I’ve been here with about 18,000 people for Old Firm games. At that time though this was a much more prosperous area. You still had the mines and it’s changed a lot since then.
“Paul still comes up and he keeps an eye on the club, although my younger brother Michael is probably a more avid fan. He goes to almost every home game.
“Home matches of late have been below 4000, so you’re saying, ‘Can we get 5000?’ The only way you’ll get them is by winning matches and entertaining them.
“It was quite humbling to sit among so many people chanting my name at Firhill on Saturday – all I did was say hello to the players and wish them luck.
“The fact so many fans were there tells you there is maybe a little bit of excitement around the appointment. My task now is to make sure I don’t disappoint them. I can promise I’ll do everything in my power to help get a successful team on the pitch.”