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Steve Clarke Proved he is a Contender For the Rangers Job - TRO


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Steve Clarke proved he is a contender for Rangers job

March 19, 2018

By Ally Brown | Guest Contributor

In November I wrote an article for this sitesuggesting Derek McInnes was the best candidate for the vacant Rangers post. With hindsight that looks like a bad call, as Graeme Murty's Rangers team have beaten his Aberdeen team three times in the meantime.

Future events might also make this article look silly, but as of now, the prime candidate for the Rangers manager's job must be Steve Clarke. We can't outspend celtic, so we need a manager who gets the very best out of the players at his disposal in every match - that is exactly what Clarke does for Kilmarnock.

Every single mediocre Killie player is in the form of their lives right now - all at the same time. People now know who Gary Dicker and Alan Power are. Stephen O'Donnell is now being touted for a Scotland call-up. The stats guys on Twitter are raving about Eamonn Brophy, who was released by Hamilton Accies. Youssouf Mulumbu was without a club after barely kicking a ball for Norwich last season, but now looks like the best midfielder in the league.

Kris Boyd exemplifies the transformation at Kilmarnock. He looked finished after his 2014-15 season with us in the Championship when he scored a total of three league goals. Now at 34 he is the top goalscorer in the league with more goals than in the last two seasons combined.

How can a team starting with players like Boyd and Kirk Broadfoot beat us home and away, and beat celtic too? Because their manager trains them with a very clear game plan in mind, organises them into defined roles for that plan, and fills them with the confidence to carry it out. It's easier said than done. Clarke's results prove he is doing it. Clarke's Kilmarnock have 40 points from 21 matches. Murty also has 40 points for Rangers - from 22 matches.

His career before Killie is relevant too. Ruud Gullit, Jose Mourinho and Gianfranco Zola all wanted him to be their assistant manager. He was appointed first-team coach at Liverpool by Kenny Dalglish. He took West Brom to seventh in the English Premier League. So he has been headhunted by managers at the very top of the game, and has coached elite players. His ambitions are certainly higher than Kilmarnock and his talent will take him higher. 

Murty may yet improve his claim for the job. We have looked very good since January, though it's difficult to know how much of that is due to Murty's coaching, and how much is due to the players Mark Allen brought in. If we go on to beat celtic twice, and/or win the Scottish Cup, then this blog will look silly. Then, Murty will deserve it. But at the moment that is not looking likely. 

After five games Clarke is still unbeaten against us and celtic. He has a played three, won two, drawn one record against Rangers this season, both wins coming against Murty. He has a played two, won one, drawn one record against Brendan Rodgers' celtic.

He took over Killie when they were bottom of the league, with a squad of nobodies and has-beens. He could do a lot with a squad of somebodies and could-becomes.

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The biggest problem with Steve Clarke is his second season at WBA and his time at Reading, neither of which were very good. Other than this season, he's only had one successful season.

I'd be more comfortable with a longer track record of looking the part.

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3 minutes ago, K.A.I said:

We need to move away from this idea.

He's done a remarkable job and is probably the best manager in Scotland at this moment in time.

But he's publically said he'd never be joining us as manager.

I don't know if he was telling Kilmarnock what they wanted to hear or just playing to the gallery but to have the embarrassment after McInnes'  rejecting us of him saying that should mean he never get's properly offered it as it gives him the chance to embarras us again with another knock back .

Add to the fact he's a lifelong celtic fan ... I don't even like celtic fans playing for us let alone managing us. I don't trust them and I think they have inferior genetics most of them. They aren't good people. Avoid at all costs. 

Aye but he's a Killie fan cause a women's magazine from nineteen canteen said so. 

It's mostly the same clowns who wanted McInnes in that are now backing Clarke. 

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9 minutes ago, K.A.I said:

We need to move away from this idea.

He's done a remarkable job and is probably the best manager in Scotland at this moment in time.

But he's publically said he'd never be joining us as manager.

I don't know if he was telling Kilmarnock what they wanted to hear or just playing to the gallery but to have the embarrassment after McInnes'  rejecting us of him saying that should mean he never get's properly offered it as it gives him the chance to embarras us again with another knock back .

Add to the fact he's a lifelong celtic fan ... I don't even like celtic fans playing for us let alone managing us. I don't trust them and I think they have inferior genetics most of them. They aren't good people. Avoid at all costs. 

:lol:

 

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In fairness to Clarke, he said he had 'no intention of going to another Scottish club from Kilmarnock'. That's vague enough to give him some wriggle room.

But yeah, I suspect he wants to go back to England. 

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Kris Boyd has found form becuase he's used as he was with us in his first spell - stand up top and poach.

Killie play with a man down when he's on the park but their set up is all out defence and so far it's been working.

Do you want to go back to the days of park the bus football?

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3 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

Kris Boyd has found form becuase he's used as he was with us in his first spell - stand up top and poach.

Killie play with a man down when he's on the park but their set up is all out defence and so far it's been working.

Do you want to go back to the days of park the bus football?

If it means winning then sure

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4 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

Kris Boyd has found form becuase he's used as he was with us in his first spell - stand up top and poach.

Killie play with a man down when he's on the park but their set up is all out defence and so far it's been working.

Do you want to go back to the days of park the bus football?

If we win games aye

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6 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

Kris Boyd has found form becuase he's used as he was with us in his first spell - stand up top and poach.

Killie play with a man down when he's on the park but their set up is all out defence and so far it's been working.

Do you want to go back to the days of park the bus football?

I will always take winning footbball over silky football would be great to combine them both but for that we need real investment not loans and frees.

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1 minute ago, CoopsLaud said:

These guys dont show any insight or fresh ideas in these articles. They just parrot on about stuff we already know. I agree with the earlier posters who said they are getting boring now.

Generally bloggers especially Rangers or football ones in a nutshell, though.

They are too good to make a post on a normal forum like you or me, they want to say the same thing tarted up on a massive look-at-me stage like their opinion is more important than anycunt elses. I wish we'd stop sharing their articles.

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people were berating Walter for his tactics in his last season then Ally because he continued to play the same style in his first season.

yes we need to win, it's always the most important thing but there's no flair about killie it's just rigid disciplined football and a lot of our players do better with free reign on the pitch (windass)

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2 minutes ago, K.A.I said:

Generally bloggers especially Rangers or football ones in a nutshell, though.

They are too good to make a post on a normal forum like you or me, they want to say the same thing tarted up on a massive look-at-me stage like their opinion is more important than anycunt elses. I wish we'd stop sharing their articles.

Agree with this. The thing about any decent writer in any format surely is to at least put a new spin or fresh idea into it. Something origional or imaginative. These days too easy to call yourself a blogger or writer, far too many about all spouting the same pish. Then there are the proper guys like our own Dude who actually know how to write. 

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2 minutes ago, CoopsLaud said:

Agree with this. The thing about any decent writer in any format surely is to at least put a new spin or fresh idea into it. Something origional or imaginative. These days too easy to call yourself a blogger or writer, far too many about all spouting the same pish. Then there are the proper guys like our own Dude who actually know how to write. 

The bit that get's me (that I've just noticed) "Ally Browon - guest contributer" ... like it's Brian Laudrup joining Tom Miller on RTV to cover a match or something.

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Can we not just open the managers thread again so all these pointless threads can be in there. Until Murty is sacked/resigns he is here until the end of the season at least if not beyond that unless there are major changes.

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