Cammy Kerr has been around the block a few times, so he knows exactly what it takes to create a Championship-winning team.
Those qualities include 100 per cent determination, not just on match days, but full commitment to training and in every game.
The 30-year-old defender and coach was therefore disappointed in the manner in which already-relegated Livingston were beaten in their final game in the William Hill Championship, a 4-1 home defeat by Kilmarnock.
Looking back at the 90-plus minutes at the Home of the Set Fare Arena, Kerr said: “Really disappointing, sadly, that is the worry when it comes to the end of the season and you have nothing to play for, but that should not be an excuse.
“That was not what you expect, and the standards should be.”
Looking at next season, Kerr stressed: “Everybody needs to be on the same page from day one. Togetherness is a massive thing. As soon as we come back from holiday we must stay focused. Hard work every day.”
Key issues for an ambitious Championship club, according to the former Peterhead and Dundee player, include having a group of people who want to challenge each other every day. One minute you go into a confirm zone and think it will be easy then that will kick you on the backside, he added.
Kerr added: “You have got to have a mixture of players who have been there and done it, and hungry young players who want to make a name for themselves, and you have got to have an attitude of never-say-die. You have got to be that way every day in training.”
Standards must be high, what you do away from the pitch, how you respect your team-mates, and he added: “If everybody buys into that from day one you have a much better chance. Be under no illusions that any league is easy. If you are favourites there is more target on your back. You must deal with the pressure.”
Kerr agreed that Livingston started well in their final game against Kilmarnock but he added: “That is symbolic of our season. We start really quick, come out of the traps quick, the energy is great, and I thought we played some good stuff.
“After we scored we stopped playing. The goals they scored were too easy. The manner of which we played the game needed to be better. It is about attitude. It is how you apply yourself in these games. It does not matter if this is the last game or the first game, you should apply yourself the same way.”
