Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and Kilmarnock’s Steve Clarke are both from the same intense coaching school, says Youssouf Mulumbu

YOUSSOUF MULUMBU insists Steve Clarke is the life and soul of the party at Kilmarnock – in comparison to his taciturn turn at West Brom.

Celtic’s trip to Rugby Park this afternoon will see the Congolese reunited with his old manager.

And with the suspended Olivier Ntcham set to hand him a rare start in the Hoops, Mulumbu is determined to do everything he can to ensure he is the one leaving with a smile on his face.

“To be fair, the manager opened up more at Kilmarnock, because when I was at West Brom he wasn’t talking at all,” he said.

“When I came to Rugby Park, the players were always asking me what he was thinking, because they never knew.

“I told them that as long as he doesn’t talk, that means he’s happy!

“But he’s a great coach and he deserves all the praise he is getting.

“He comes from the same school as Brendan Rodgers, my Celtic gaffer. They have the same style.

“I would say the only difference is that Steve Clarke will put more intensity into defence, while Brendan Rodgers puts more intensity on the offensive side.

“That’s the same school, the same training, the same intensity. They just focus on different details.

“Steve worked with Jose Mourinho, he worked with Liverpool, he worked with Zola, so there is no doubt this is why Kilmarnock finished in the top five last season.”

Indeed, Mulumbu believes, he could have the Killie boss to thank for his success in landing a two-year deal with Celtic.

“I signed for Kilmarnock because Steve Clarke was there,” he said.

“I’d had a couple of very poor seasons at Norwich, so I wanted to play football and enjoy it.

“I knew the confidence he could give me. I knew the way he was playing and I knew what his training was like, so it was easy for me to sign.

“I knew for sure that he would be honest with me, and when I wasn’t doing so good, he would tell me straight away.

“He would say: ‘You’re not thinking about football right now’, and I would have to get back to it.

“Then, when I was good, he was telling me to keep going and help the team.

“That was what I was looking for and maybe that’s what has brought me to Celtic.

“I think I just need to take this confidence now and put it out there on the pitch. You can see right now that we have such good players, but we are just missing a spark.

“We are needing to take on the risky pass, maybe, and hopefully I can provide that. This season is going to be brilliant for Celtic.”

It wasn’t all one-way traffic, with Mulumbu scoring against the Hoops at Rugby Park in February to hand Killie their first win over the champions since 2010.

“That is my best memory at Kilmarnock and, as I say, obviously this is going to be special for me,” said Mulumbu.

“But I am a challenger, I always want to win. When I go there, I won’t think of mercy. If I can score against Kilmarnock, sorry for my former team-mates, but I will.

“We are looking to get to the top of the table and, as the gaffer said before, the only person who can beat us is ourselves.

“We just need to be more confident, to stick to the game plan, to be patient because the opposition is going to be very deep. And be clinical in the box.

“For me, it is great to be at Celtic. I look at the stadium, the fans, the board and the staff and I’m just thankful for everything they are doing for me and I want to give it back on the pitch.”