Callum Hendry insists Derek McInnes is the perfect man to breathe fresh life into Kilmarnock’s title challenge - after claiming life at Rugby Park had gone stale under Tommy Wright.
Killie pulled off a coup by landing the former Aberdeen boss on an 18-month contract this week and Hendry admits his arrival brought the ‘wow’ factor to the dressing room.
The striker knows his new boss well having been taken on loan to Pittodrie from St Johnstone by McInnes a year ago.
And he can’t wait for the new era to start for real when Killie visit Queen of the South this afternoon.
Hendry said: “I think it is a big statement from Kilmarnock to bring the gaffer in.
“It brought the wow factor to the dressing room. All the boys came up to me straight away and said: ‘What’s he like?’
“I don’t think we quite expected it, but you can see from training that all the boys are at it.
“It’s been an eye-opener in training. A lot more intense than I’ve seen it.
“The gaffer has come in and spoken to all of us, we had a meeting on Thursday morning, and now everyone is ready to start picking up some results and getting up and running.
“I think it is the best thing for us really.
“We just became a bit stale. When Tommy brought me in I was excited and I looked forward to it, I have no respect lost for Tommy - I think he is a great man and a great manager.
“But I just think it went a bit stale and something needed to change.
“Everyone is on a high now, everyone is wanting to impress, everyone is wanting to do well again. Hopefully we can take that into Saturday and get a bit of form.”
McInnes has taken long standing sidekick Tony Docherty and former Pittodrie coach Paul Sheerin with him to Rugby Park.
And Hendry - who scored four goals on loan at the Dons last season and has five to his name from 13 appearances at Killie - reckons the trio’s demands on the training ground are the secret behind their success.
The 24-year-old said: “When I found out he got the job I knew he, Tony Doc and Peanut would all come in and want training intensity to be at 100 mph and for us to work our socks off.
“He made it clear that even if you are not in the team one week, he wants everyone at it every day. I knew he would come with his demands and it’s good for us.
“His man management is really good. He is really good at getting the best out of his players.
“If you are not in the team, you are the first to know about it. There are no secrets. I think everyone who plays for him feels comfortable to go and knock on his door, which is important for a manager.
“It’s just the way he is, the training tempo is the best it’s been for a while. He gets the best out of everyone at the same time and that’s why he has been successful.
McInnes was a young team mate of Hendry’s dad Colin at Rangers and the striker admits that connection helped ease him into life at Aberdeen.
He was only seven games in though when McInnes’ eight-year reign at Pittodrie was brought to an end.
Now he’s desperate to pick up from where he left off - with his own future up in the air too.
Killie sit fourth in the Championship table, five points off shock leaders Arbroath with a game in hand, and Hendry knows firing them to promotion would help his chances of landing a permanent deal.
He said: “When I went up to Aberdeen the first thing that I did was have a meeting with Derek in his office. The chat was more about family than about football.
“I think we spent five minutes talking about football and the rest was about how my old man was.
“I didn’t know how much they knew about each other. It’s nice to know there’s a connection there.
“Dad said it was an impressive appointment. He just said to me to make sure I do what I did at Aberdeen.
“I’m out of contract at St Johnstone at the end of the season so I’m open.
“First and foremost I need to keep myself in the team and keep scoring goals and keep playing well.
“As long as I work hard and keep doing that then it will take care of itself.”
