Lee McCulloch insists he is ready to be the man to rebuild Kilmarnock after being unveiled as the club’s new permanent manager yesterday.

The sight of McCulloch standing in the home dug out at Rugby Park will be no strange sight to any Kilmarnock fan given it’s a temporary spot he has occupied on the back of Lee Clark leaving in February. Since then, the 39-year-old has flourished in the role, guiding the Ayrshire club to the safe haven of eighth place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

His appointment on a three-year deal will surely be welcomed by the Kilmarnock support, and the man himself is keen to begin piecing together a sustainable squad in his own image.

“We’ve got the youngest team in Britain so we need to try and bring in a little bit more experience. But along with that, some more young and hungry players,” he said. “Other teams are making signings and getting word out there that they want certain players.

“It’s definitely going to be a new club next year. There’s going to be a lot of changes from top to bottom. Even about the stadium there’s going to be changes; there’s changes in the team, there’s going to be a vast amount of changes.

“So it’s going to seem like a little bit of a different club. As long as we can get the right players on the pitch I’m hopeful there’ll be a flock of fans coming back.

“One thing I will say is that the team will be giving everything they’ve got every single week.”

McCulloch’s unveiling would have hardly come as a huge surprise yesterday. He was the obvious candidate from the outset and it was expected the appointment would be confirmed upon the completion of the SPFL season and once the fall out of Michael Johnston’s resignation as chairman settled.

“After speaking to the board for most of the summer and the fans and the fans’ groups, both parties thought the time was right to come and make it permanent to take the club forward, added McCulloch.

Billy Bowie, club director, added: “This is an excellent appointment for the club. Lee has gained the respect of everyone associated with Kilmarnock FC and we are delighted to be going forward with Lee as Manager.

“I would urge fans to get behind Lee and the team as we enter an exciting new season.”