Derek McInnes felt a key Walter Smith comment resonate after being nominated for PFA Scotland Manager of the Year. The Kilmarnock boss is delighted to be alongside his old assistant Tony Docherty and John McGlynn on the three-man list after pushing his side to the brink of Europe.
However, in successfully battling to beat relegation at Rugby Park 12 months ago, McInnes believes he might have done even better work.
Smith, his former manager at Rangers, secured an incredible haul of trophies and personal awards at Ibrox. But McInnes noted that even the ex-Scotland boss identified some of his best managerial efforts in tougher times south of the border.
He explained: “I remember Walter saying how he got recognised by so many awards when he won trophies, but he felt he did his best work a lot of the time when he was at Everton. “He was fire fighting, having to put teams out onto the pitch to compete with so many things going against you.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk