Steve Clarke says West Brom sacking was 'unfair' as he aims to prove them wrong with new club Kilmarnock

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Steve Clarke insists he is lucky to have been given the Kilmarnock job despite fans hailing his appointment as a massive coup for the Ayrshire club.

The 54-year-old Scot has signed a two-and-a-half year deal at Rugby Park to become the club’s ninth full-time manager in seven years.

The move marks a return home for a player who left St Mirren to join Chelsea in 1987 and has spent the subsequent 30 years plying his trade as a player, coach and manager down south.

Steve Clarke is aiming for a top six finish in the Scottish Premiership with Kilmarnock

Jose Mourinho’s right-hand man during a trophy-laden spell at Chelsea, Clarke insists he gave up a job for life at Stamford Bridge in order to forge his own career in management.

He led West Brom to their highest league finish in 32 years, as well as taking Reading to an FA Cup semi-final, but the former Scotland full-back is determined to make Kilmarnock his most successful appointment to date.

‘It’s nice to work again because I was an out of work manager,’ said Clarke. ‘You spend all winter sitting in the house in the dark, watching games you don’t really have an interest in.

‘You can play a bit of golf, my handicap’s improved hell of a lot. But it was time to get back in.

‘It’s in our blood. Sometimes I think we’re a little bit crazy the way we keep throwing ourselves back into the lion’s den. But it was an opportunity.

‘There have been other conversations, but those conversations didn’t take me as far down the road as this one got.

‘There’s a select group of managers who’ll always be employed. Roy Hodgson, Tony Pulis, big Sam (Allardyce) – they’ll always get jobs.

‘But there are a hell of a lot of other managers who get one chance and never get another one. There are even more who get two chances and never get another one. So I feel quite fortunate to have a third.

The former West Brom boss says he does not get the credit he deserves for his work there

‘I took a big decision when I left Chelsea because I probably could have stayed there forever. But I've never been afraid of a challenge and trying to push myself and try something different. And this is something different.

‘I've got to say, I don't think I've been given the credit I deserve for the job I did at West Brom. I took them to their highest ever finish then the next year for reasons unbeknown to me they decided to make a quick change, which I didn't think was fair.

‘I also took Reading to their first FA Cup semi-final in a really long time while being part of a project where we were going to try and build something. But these days people lose patience very quickly.

‘So in terms of being a manager, I was ready when I left Chelsea in 2008. I've had two stabs at it and I think I've done all right. Now I aim to make this job the best one I've done so far.

‘I would put Kilmarnock among the top six clubs in Scotland. It might be a long road, but that’s where I want to establish the club and make it a regular thing.’

Clarke had been offered the Kilmarnock job in the past, adding: ‘There have been similar roundabout approaches. I don’t need direct approaches because I have friends and family in this area and somebody always knows somebody who’ll ask: “Would Stevie be interested in coming back up?”

The former Chelsea No 2 succeeds Lee McCulloch who departed the club earlier this month

‘It was always: “No, not at this particular time”. So this time was slightly different – it ticked a lot of boxes for me.’

Clarke’s new side claimed their first victory of the season courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Partick Thistle at the weekend.

His first game in charge will be against Rangers at Ibrox next Wednesday as he begins his bid to drag the club away from relegation trouble.

‘Rangers have spent a bit of money and improved,’ he added. ‘It will be a tough game and we’ll go there without a lot of expectation.

‘I can’t reinvent the wheel in the space of a week, but we will certainly go there with a gameplan and belief that we can cause an upset.’

Kilmarnock director Billy Bowie added: ‘It's always been my ambition to get a manger of Steve's calibre, but these things take time.

‘Now we've reached that point though and I'm really happy. It's a new exciting era for the club.

‘The financial safety of the club is always of paramount importance and this appointment does not jeopardise that. It is within our budget.’ 

Clarke hopes to make use of an extensive contact list to strengthen Kilmarnock's team