Boyd reaching for Sky after talk from TV addict Clarke
For Steve Clarke, being an unemployed football coach meant Saturdays were spent sitting idly on the couch in front of Sky Sports. The future Kilmarnock manager may not have realised it back then, but it would prove time well spent ahead of his eventual arrival at rugby Park.
At that point, the highly-respected former assistant to Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool had never met Kris Boyd in person.
But as Boyd’s name kept flashing up on the screen before him on
Soccer Saturday, he became familiar with the most prolific scorer in the modern-day Scottish top flight’s recent work.
So when the former rangers and Scotland forward came to him just after his unveiling in Ayrshire last october to state his desire to retire, instinct told Clarke he had to talk Boyd out of it. It has proved a prescient move. With six goals in six games across a December to remember, 34-yearold Boyd was named Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership Player of the Month, while Clarke picked up the manager’s accolade.
The forward’s form was enough to convince his boss to offer him a new one-year deal, which was signed this week, keeping Boyd a Killie player until 2019.
‘I knew more about Kris Boyd than some of the other players when I arrived here at Kilmarnock,’ said Clarke.
‘When you’re one of these sad, out-of-work coaches sitting on the couch watching the scores coming in on a Saturday afternoon, you notice the same goalscorers coming up all the time.
‘You’re taking it in and thinking: “He’s scored again …and again … and again”. Kris was just one of those players who always caught my eye.
‘A lot of people probably expected when I came to the club that Kris would be phased out. But you don’t phase out good players and you certainly don’t do it too early.
‘It was just about reassuring Kris that he was part of my plans in the short term and, if he did well, there would be a long term, as well. That’s the way it’s worked out.’
Upon his arrival, Clarke quickly detected a player with one eye on a future in coaching.
He quickly advised Boyd to focus on his day job. With nine league goals, only rangers forward Alfredo Morelos has scored more in the Premiership than the veteran.
‘It’s always good when you’ve got players who want to stay in football and want to educate themselves and learn about the other side of the game,’ continued Clarke.
‘But perhaps, when I first came here, he had his mind on that quite a lot. I’ve managed to refocus his mind on the pitch and remind him that he can still do a job for us.
‘But you don’t need me to waffle on for hours and hours about how good Kris Boyd is because you know that as well as I do. His track record is there for all to see. When you have a scoring record like Kris has, it’s because you are a player.
‘He knows where the back of the net is and he’s been important for the team.’
When Clarke arrived at rugby Park, Kilmarnock were rock bottom but now lie eighth in the table.
He believes the influence of his experienced players, led by Boyd, cannot be underestimated.
‘Kris is a proper man. He knows the dressing room well and, although I don’t go into the dressing room much myself, I get the feeling he’s one of the key men in there in terms of commanding respect,’ stated Clarke
‘It’s not so much about running the dressing room. It’s more about teaching the younger lads good habits so they are ready to train well, play well and approach every game the same way with the same mentality and determination. ‘Kris helps get the best out of the other players. But we’ve got other experienced players here like Gordon Greer, Kirk Broadfoot, Chris Burke, Jamie MacDonald and Gary Dicker.
‘I’ve also brought in Youssouf Mulumbu, who is another very good professional who will pass on good habits. That’s probably why we are sitting here talking about these two awards.
‘Kris and I are the guys who got the trophies, but it’s for everybody — my staff, my players, everyone at this club.’
Kris is a proper man and a key player in terms of commanding respect