A fortnight ago he had two defenders and no keepers to work with.
That tells you the size of the Kilmarnock revamp Derek McInnes has embarked on. But gradually he’s getting there as he builds a new-look squad with HIS stamp all over it. He at least has a back-four and a goalie in place now. But with budgets tight at Rugby Park, it’s not easy to assemble a pool of players capable of finishing in the Premiership’s top six.
That’s the aim this season for McInnes after guiding a team he inherited to safety last term following their promotion from the second tier. Ultimately, it’s about convincing players that Scotland is the next logical step in their careers. And a face-to-face meeting with the manager can often be pivotal. He believes our top flight can be the ideal platform for players to flourish and better themselves.
In his own playing career the only time McInnes never spoke to a gaffer before signing for a club was at Toulouse in France. And he regretted it. Especially when it was left to former Celtic cult hero Bobo Balde to break the news that head coach Alain Giresse didn’t want him. That’s why McInnes likes to speak to all of his Killie signings before they arrive in Ayrshire.
He said: “Sometimes that manager-to-player contact can win the fight for them. There has to be that connection. It’s about the player’s mindset and what they’re willing to put into it.
“Scottish football can catch a lot of players out. There is a harshness to it. There’s an aggression, a brutality and a certain pace to it. But there’s also so much that’s good about it. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves it’s a really good product. Speaking to the manager was normally just the final piece of the jigsaw for me as a player. The only time I never spoke to one was at Toulouse.
“And I wish I had because he never actually wanted to sign me – it was the director of football. I found that out two or three weeks later. He wanted a different player. When I turned up, he was absolutely fuming albeit he was nice enough to me.
“I remember sitting in the sauna after training one day with my team-mate, big Bobo. At the time I thought everything was going great. Then big Bobo said to me: ‘Del, you know the manager didn’t want you?’ Giresse never really spoke English. He was a nice guy and a good coach but the reality was he didn’t want to sign me.
“We eventually won promotion, the manager got the player he wanted in the first place and I left to join West Brom. But I always think having a connection with your gaffer is vital.
“Players will sign for clubs for loads of reasons. Whether it’s financial, ambition, location – whatever. But I believe playing for your manager and respecting him should underpin everything. I always felt like I needed to feel that bond with managers I signed for.”
McInnes believes he has that with the five new recruits he has already managed to get through the door this summer.
After a raft of changes at the club, he added Will Dennis, Corrie Ndaba, Robbie Deas, Matty Kennedy and Kyle Magennis to his ranks. But he still wants at least four more before the campaign kicks off.
Invariably, he’s scouring the English loan market and McInnes believes the top flight in Scotland offers players everything their parent club would want. He said: “When players do well in this league, people are normally aware of that pretty quickly because there’s exposure here.
“If we can have a better season than last then we’ll become a bit more credible. There will be evidence to say: ‘We’re top six and going for Europe’.
“At the moment we’re not at that stage but we can certainly give players an opportunity. Top-flight English clubs need to be careful where they pitch the loan players.
“Luke Chambers, whom we had from Liverpool last season, is an example. We were the right step for Luke at that stage in his career. You want the loan to have been good for both parties. You want it to be a wrench when someone leaves. Ideally every loan would be like that.
“The Premiership gives players a broad spectrum of all the leagues in England. That’s how we sell it. When they come here, they’re up against Rangers and Celtic who’d be Premier League in England.
“You’ve got Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen, who’d be Championship, then it’s a mixture of League One and Two clubs. So they get a lot of different experiences.
“They play at Celtic Park and Ibrox and hopefully get to Hampden as we did last year. In England’s League One or Two they wouldn’t get that all-round experience.
“Clubs respect Scottish football a lot more now and see it as a proper place to give their young players a good grounding. I think you’ll see a lot more of it this season.”
McInnes has a proven track record of developing and improving talented young players. A quick look at the current Scotland squad is testament to his ability.
He wants to do the same at Killie and push them further up the table this term. He said: “I want to work with players who don’t see Kilmarnock as the best club they’re ever going to play for.
“But while they’re here, they try to achieve something. We want to make a good fist of it this season. Can we get into the top six? Can we win a cup? Push for Europe?
“We can offer that to players. And if we can build a strong enough squad, I think we can achieve so much at Kilmarnock. I look at the Scotland squad. There’s Scott McKenna, Lewis Ferguson, Ryan Christie, Kenny McLean, Ryan Jack.
“I had all of them at Aberdeen and they had a clear plan mapped out in their heads of where they wanted to be. They were ambitious, great professionals with a work ethic. Ultimately, it’s the players who drive that ambition to go and play at the highest level possible.”
