I was finished as a boss if I had flopped at Killie
PREMIERSHIP GAFFER TREBLE
ANTHONY HAGGERTY STEVE CLARKE admits he was drinking in the last chance saloon when he took the Kilmarnock job but now he is the toast of Ayrshire.
Amazingly Killie – who were rock bottom when he took over the reins from Lee McCulloch in October – have hauled themselves into Europa League contention.
And the manager yesterday scooped his third consecutive Ladbrokes Premiership Manager of the Month award.
With Stephen O’Donnell taking the Player of the Year prize it was a clean sweep in March for the Rugby Park side.
Clarke is the first boss to scoop the award three times in a row since the top flight was changed to its current set-up in 2013.
Yet there was a time when he wondered if he would be a boss again after a year out of the game following his exit from Aston Villa in 2016.
The 54-year-old said: “If I’m being honest after two managerial jobs, a lot of good coaching jobs, it was probably my last chance as a manager.
“It’s very rare you’ll get a third chance. So if I’d come up here and it had gone pear-shaped it would’ve been difficult for me to get back in as a manager.
“I was confident in my own ability, quietly confident. I’m not one to go about shouting from the rooftops about what I can and can’t do. I was quietly confident I could turn things around here.
“There’s probably a time in your career you might need to go chasing the money because first and foremost it’s a job, a profession, and you have to make sure your family’s secure.
“Your family can be secure for a few generations if you do it properly in professional football because the rewards are there now.
“Kilmarnock just ticked a lot of boxes for me. It was just the right job at the right time. So far it hasn’t gone too bad and we’ve done okay.”
Clarke had shortlived spells in charge of West Brom and Reading before linking up at Aston Villa as assistant to Roberto di Matteo.
His role there also ended earlier than he would have liked but after a period out of the game he was delighted to get back into it again this time at Rugby Park.
Clarke said: “I’ve enjoyed being back in work after a year out from when I left Villa.
“I’ve especially enjoyed it because the players have been so responsive and done so well for me. That’s key.
“If you know you’re going into your work each day and you’re making a difference then that definitely makes you feel better. It’s been good and I look forward to continuing it.
“At Villa I was only coaching, helping out Roberto di Matteo. I saw that position as a chance to go and enjoy myself again.
“I wanted to do a job without the pressure of being a manager and all of the rubbish that goes with it. But it didn’t work out because it was a very short period. I could understand how bad Roberto was feeling because I’d been there myself.
“Circumstances sometimes go against you and in both jobs that happened a little bit. So I didn’t think there was too much I had to change.
“Obviously you pick up little bits of experience. I’d say that I’m a better manager now than I was in my first job. Hopefully there are a few more jobs after this and I keep on improving.”