WHAT CRISIS?
Burke glad to see patience paying off at Kilmarnock
THERE was an air of panic created around pointless Kilmarnock by the second week in August. Back-toback league defeats followed the embarrassing Europa League exit to Connah’s Quay Nomads. Advice was rife that long-time No 2 Angelo Alessio was a disastrous appointment as manager and that swift admission of error would allow time to salvage the first season of the post-Steve Clarke era.
Ridiculously early judgments were passed down after a 2-0 loss at Hamilton two months ago.
Incredibly, that second Accies goal, scored by George Oakley in the 49th minute on Saturday, August 10, was the last Killie have conceded to a team other than Celtic.
They’ve played eight games in the Premiership and Betfred Cup since and kept clean sheets in seven of them, the only ‘blip’ coming in a 3-1 defeat to the champions at Celtic Park.
All while star left-back Greg Taylor left for the champions and Kirk Broadfoot savaged the manager’s methods after he had manoeuvred a return to St Mirren.
For a supposedly sinking ship, those statistics show there’s been some remarkably steady steering done by a new Italian coaching staff in transitional times.
Last Saturday’s 1-0 win at Hearts, thanks to veteran winger Chris Burke’s first goal of the season, edged Killie into the top six.
While they were overtaken on goal difference by Sunday’s shockers Livingston beating Celtic, recent form under Alessio has taken Kilmarnock clear of strugglers St Mirren and St Johnstone and the under-achieving Edinburgh clubs.
Burke believes patience was always going to be required to allow Alessio to put his stamp on a squad so accustomed to Scotland manager Clarke’s methods.
Some strict self-policing from the likes of Burke was also important to ensure that the alarm bells did not permeate a dressing room also dealing with the loss of key men Kris and Scott Boyd, plus Jordan Jones.
‘That’s what happens. The longer the manager works with the players, the more we know what’s expected of us and what he’s looking for us to do,’ said Burke.
‘Every day in training we demand off each other anyway. And I think that shows in how we play as a team. I can’t speak highly enough of these players, a good group, where not one steps out of line. If any do, they get told within the group.
‘The young players learn from that and you can see that from the way we play. Over the last two seasons we’ve shown that we’re a difficult team to break down, we always look as though we can create things going forward.
‘Five clean sheets in a run of six league games is magnificent — and long may it continue.
‘People say it might be a bad time to have the international break but I don’t have any qualms with this group that we will continue to do well in the games coming up.’
In Clarke’s only full season in charge last term, Kilmarnock beat off Aberdeen to finish third and frequently claimed wins and draws from their fixtures against the Old Firm.
Motherwell’s surge apart, no obvious contender has put their hand up to stake a claim for a run at being best of the rest in the division this season, with the abject efforts of Hibernian and Hearts leaving the race wide open.
When asked if third or fourth was up for grabs despite all the Rugby Park upheaval, Burke said: ‘It’s hard to say at the moment. We’ll quietly go about our business.
‘It’s disrespectful to say we’re going to finish third when we’re not yet in the top six.
‘We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. There’s good teams in this league and there’ll be a few upsets still.
‘For example, Hearts are in a sticky situation but they’re a hard team to play and they will pick up results. They want to be higher than they are because they’re a big club.
‘We’re the same as always — we want to individually and collectively be better than we were last season. And whether or not that happens is another matter.
‘All you can do is make sure the standards are high every day and you’ll get results.’
Stuart Findlay’s role in the miserly defensive efforts earned the centreback a call-up for Scotland from his former Kilmarnock boss and he could be in line to make his debut against San Marino today, with Burke tipping his team-mate to benefit greatly from the step up.
‘You trust the manager who’s there to push Stuart to the max — just as they did with Stephen (O’Donnell),’ said Burke. ‘Being involved with Scotland will help him a lot.
‘He knows the manager and he deserves his call-up. He’s got all the attributes to play international football He’s still learning his trade but he certainly has something to offer the national side.’