Johnston insisting that Finn can only get better
THE grumblings of discontent from Alexei Eremenko’s camp didn’t reach as far as Allan Johnston’s ears this week. For the Kilmarnock manager, the highly talented but not terribly mobile Finn remains a prized commodity — even in the heat of a relegation battle.
Three years older and a few pounds heavier than in his first spell at Rugby Park, the midfielder’s return to Scotland has given rise to a heated debate over whether his brilliance on the ball is a price worth paying for his lack of industry off it.
Relations between the 31-year-old and his club appeared to cool a little this week when his representative told Sportsmail his concerns over his client’s limited game time.
But, if there’s an issue on that side of the fence, it’s not a feeling shared by his manager.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game with Partick Thistle which launches the post- split fixtures, Johnston insisted that Eremenko was absolutely central to his plans in the f i ve vital matches that ahead.
‘It’s business as usual,’ Johnston insisted. ‘I never saw any of the stuff (from his agent). I think Alexei’s match fitness is improving.
‘He’s worked hard. It was always going to take time when you’ve not played many games. It depends on the type of pitch as well. Sometimes they’ve been a bit heavy and you can see that he tires a lot quicker.
‘He’s not someone that’s going to run all over the place anyway. You need to get him on the ball where he can hurt teams. He can do things others can’t. He’s got a passing ability and he just sees things.
‘That’s what we’ve got and we’ve got to make sure we get the ball to him in the right areas so we can create chances, especially when you’ve got guys like Kris Boyd up front looking for that kind of service.
‘A couple of moments of magic from him can turn a game. Look at the Motherwell game, he did really well and we passed the ball better. That’s what he brings.’
Johnston finds himself i n the enviable position of being able to call upon a full quota of players.
The return to t he f ol d of experienced Northern I r eland international Sammy Clingan is a timely boost, but seeing the spring in the step of skipper Manual Pascali — now freed from a two-game suspension — has elevated the spirit within the camp to a new level.
‘Sammy has trained and played 60 minutes of a reserve game the other night,’ added Johnston. ‘It’ s good to get him back in contention. Other than that, everyone else is fit and available.’
‘Manuel’s back from suspension. I was talking with him earlier and he’s absolutely buzzing. He’s infectious when he’s like that and is really looking forward to the game and hopefully we can get a right good performance.
‘He’s a big character on and off the field. He’s a real leader and you can see how much it means to him as well with the way he’s been training this week and the passion he shows.
‘You want to balance the team and play your best players. A lot of the younger ones have done really well, so there’s got to be a balance there.
‘Guys like Manuel, Boydy and Alexei have got a lot of experience in these type of high-pressure games, so they should handle the situation no bother and talk to the younger ones.’
There will be a continual temptation to drum out the old ‘six-pointer’ cliché for many a bottom-six game in the coming month but it’s impossible to understate the i mportance of tomorrow’s clash at Rugby Park.
A six-point gap on Thistle would put Kilmarnock within touching distance of safety while, conversely, a win for Alan Archibald’s men would instigate a bout of panic among the Ayrshiremen.
‘We’re just going to try and win as many games as we can. This weekend is the big one,’ Johnston declared.
‘It shows you how tight the league is — if we win it, we’ll go six points ahead, which would be a really good position going into the remaining games.’