Right, let’s picture the scene. Steve Clarke has just held his first training session as Kilmarnock’s manager. He pops into his office. Perhaps he has a playful swivel on his new chair and nonchalantly jabs a couple of buttons on the phone on his desk and inadvertently rings Irene in the kitchen.

He may even crumple a bit of paper into a ball and head it towards the waste basket before giving a little pump of the fist as it hits the target. And then Kris Boyd comes clumping through the door.

“He came in to see me in all his gear, plonked himself down in the chair in front of me and said, ‘that’s it gaffer, I’m quitting’,” said Clarke as he recalled his initial exchange with the Kilmarnock talisman. “I said, ‘Kris I’ve just walked in the door, you can’t quit’.

“The first conversation we had was not a particularly good one and it was after my very first training session. My first sessions are usually pretty good and enjoyable so the guys think, ‘this guy is alright’.”

With Kilmarnock bottom of the league and the general atmosphere around Rugby Park about as upbeat as Theresa May going through her mail, Clarke breezed in and galvanised both the club and Boyd. It was the start of a relationship which would have mutual benefits.

“How resolute was he in that conversation that he wanted to leave?,” reflected Clarke. “He obviously wasn’t 100 per cent resolute because I managed to persuade him to give me time. I was confident I could get the best out of him.

“I think he was probably worried that I’d be coming here to chuck him out because everybody looks at Kris and thinks, ‘he’s not fit enough, he can’t do this and he can’t do that.’ But I was only looking at what Kris Boyd can do.

“The things you notice when you are not working is who scores all the goals and I’d seen Kris Boyd’s name popping up regularly on Jeff Stelling’s Soccer Saturday programme on Sky.

“Kris also probably felt a bit bad at the sacking of Lee McCulloch because Lee is a friend of his and maybe he didn’t see the team improving the way it did. And it’s only natural when you get to that age that you think about finishing up.

“I knew that if we could create chances for Kris then he would score goals. And that’s exactly how it turned out. He has been good for me on and off the park. He’s a senior player and he takes that role and responsibility seriously. Since I have been at Kilmarnock, Kris has been absolutely crucial for me.”

Boyd enjoyed such a renaissance under Clarke, they should have nicknamed him Da Vinci. He ended last season as the top flight’s leading goal scorer and, this weekend, his efforts for Kilmarnock over the course of three different spells with the Ayrshire club will be rewarded with a testimonial.

The 35-year-old has not been an ever-present in the starting XI in the current campaign but Clarke continues to appreciate the value of the weapon he has in his armoury.

“It’s been different this season because he’s found his way back onto the bench and out of the team,” added Clarke. “I can imagine Kris Boyd five years ago would not have been a very happy bunny sitting on the bench.

“I can imagine him going to the manager and saying he should be playing because of what he has done in his career. But he has been very respectful.

‘He’s worked ever so hard in training, probably the hardest he has ever worked. He knows his role has changed. He needs to be ready to come on for the last 15-20 minutes when we need that physical presence up front.

“I hope he feels proud about this testimonial. He’s done a lot for Kilmarnock over the years. His goal record is fantastic and he’s been here for three spells as a player, which suggests we can’t get rid of him. He just keeps coming back.”

Whether Boyd follows Clarke into management once the boots get hung up remains to be seen. With plenty of punditry work kicking about in the media, would Boys even fancy the anguish-laden cut-and-thrust on the touchline?

“I think he could do it,” said Clarke. “The media work is probably a little bit easier than managing and it will certainly keep him more sane.

“Kris is a media pundit and he likes to say things to wind people up. He gives me a few more grey hairs at times and a few more hairs fall out. But he says what he thinks. Sometimes that’s not a bad thing.”

Steve Clarke was speaking at a media event for the Kris Boyd Testimonial Game at Rugby Park on Saturday, November 17. Kick off 1pm with tickets priced between £5 and £10. Buy online at www.kilmarnockfc.co.uk or call 01563 545310.