Stevie’s a real wonder
Amidst all the managerial madness, of Neil Lennon and Craig Levein filleting their players, of Steven Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers grabbing daily headlines, one man sails serenely along.
Steve Clarke’s record at Kilmarnock continues to astound, even when you now know it shouldn’t.
Their midweek win over Rangers was the seventh time they’ve come from behind to take a result this season - 17 points in total.
His squad on Wednesday night? Only three were his signings, 15 inherited.
He has had and lost Youssouf Mulumbu. Had and lost Greg Stewart.
He has now played the rest of the top six sides 29 times – and lost only eight, four to Aberdeen.
Only three defeats in 12 games against either half of the Old Firm. And his work last week with Jordan Jones was exemplary man-management.
Sitting next to the Ibroxbound winger in a press conference, saying ‘You boo him, you boo me’ perfectly defused an incendiary situation with the Killie fans, set up by the player’s Twitter stupidity.
The subsequent celebration of the winning goal against Gers, where Jones made a bee-line for Clarke, his gratitude obvious and not even a hint of regret showing? You could only nod your head in appreciation at the culmination of a piece of work which had been magnificently executed.
A year ago, I said it’d be great to see a man of his calibre stay and prove that success doesn’t always have to be predicated on the size of your bankroll.
The only exception I’d now be prepared to make to that is to say that if Ian Maxwell isn’t looking covetously at him as Alex McLeish’s successor with the Scotland team, you’d have to ask why.