Laid-back Lee is keeping cool over Killie post
ASA man who has never hidden his ambitions of prolonging his career in football beyond his playing days, it might be naturally assumed that Lee McCulloch’s return to Ibrox with Kilmarnock tomorrow has just taken on a whole new importance.
With the Rugby Park club now displaying a ‘situations vacant’ notice after Gary Locke’ s departure last Saturday, the veteran, who has been handed the reins for the Scottish Cup fifth-round tie, potentially stands just 90 minutes away from having his own credentials talked up.
Former Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies remains favourite for the post, with a return to Ayrshire for Ally McCoist also being mooted. Yet, as the man in possession, a win for McCulloch in Govan would give his board something to ponder.
But if the prospect of showcasing his managerial talents at Ibrox is foremost in McCulloch’s mind right now, the 37-year-old is doing a mighty fine job of disguising it.
‘I’ve not even thought about it,’ said McCulloch. ‘ It is not an audition. When I spoke to the board on Monday, it was all about taking it on a day-to-day basis.
‘ So everything has been all planned out for the next couple of says and I will not look beyond Saturday.
‘I’m just trying to enjoy it and set things up for an important game against Motherwell the following weekend. Will I pick myself? Absolutely not.’
It is not just his creaking limbs that have precluded McCulloch from considering himself from a playing role at the weekend.
Hard on the heels of the defeat to Hamilton Accies that led to Locke falling on his sword, his working week has been consumed by a need to restore fragile confidence.
Group meetings and one-to-one chats have been his panacea of choice.
‘Last Saturday the players were on their knees, in terms of their confidence. It was shot to pieces,’ added McCulloch. ‘ Losing at home to Hamilton was a real low point for everyone connected with the club — fans, coaching staff and players.
‘ This week has been about trying to build some spirit and team morale and giving each player some belief. Hopefully, they can now look forward to enjoying this tie.
‘We had a team meeting on Monday and every day since, just a general chat because it’s only the people in that dressing room who can turn things around.
‘Everything needs to be positive. We can’t have any negativity so, if anyone has anything they want to get off their chest, let’s get it out there and be men about it.
‘ When you have a group of players who are low on confidence, you need to ask them what we can do to help and get everyone pulling in the same direction.
‘We’re in a bit of a predicament at the moment, being second bottom of the league, so things need to change for the good of everyone concerned and we’ve made small steps towards that.’
Kilmarnock’s inconsistency this season has been truly remarkable. Capable of shipping four goals or more to Dundee, Ross County, Partick Thistle, Aberdeen and, most recently, Dundee United yet bizarrely qualified to hold Celtic to two draws, it is for McCulloch to figure out how such an illogical sequence of results can come to pass.
‘I think that comes from having such a young squad — Adam Frizzell has just turned 17 and, with players of that age, you’re going to get inconsistency,’ he explained.
‘So it’s up to the experienced players in the dressing room to help them through that — guys like Kris Boyd, Steven Smith, Jamie Hamill and the captain, Mark Connolly.
‘They need to be leaders and set good examples because, if we can go there and get a win, I think there would be a real knock- on effect in terms of confidence.’
Such is Kilmarnock’s state of flux that McCulloch returning to Ibrox for the first time has scarcely merited a mention. Despite a largely successful time with his boyhood heroes, the last of his eight seasons there saw the cheers turn to jeers as Rangers’ promotion aspirations died.
‘ I would l ove to get a nice reaction because anyone who knows me there knows I was loyal and always did the right thing,’ he said. ‘If you spend eight years at a club and you get five minutes of negativity, you have to be happy with that.
‘I take the positives of a UEFA Cup Final, a Hall of Fame, the leagues, the Scottish and League Cups. Everyone wants to focus on the five minutes, but I’d rather focus on eight years of success.’