Kilmarnock players have no excuses now Angelo Alessio has gone, according to the club’s head of football operations James Fowler.
Killie shocked Alessio by sacking him on Tuesday with the club fifth in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Alex Dyer will take charge for the three games before the winter break but he refused to put his name forward for the job long-term, although would not rule out taking it if offered.
Alessio recovered from a disastrous start to life as Steve Clarke’s successor when Killie lost to Connah’s Quay Nomads in the Europa League, and was voted manager of the month for October.
However, the Italian lost his job after two consecutive defeats and four matches without a win.
Kris Boyd claimed this week his former team-mates had taken it upon themselves early in the season to revert to being hard to beat after Alessio had attempted to introduce a more expansive game.
Fowler said: “All managers will get monitored in terms of results on the pitch, performances, how they deal with the group as well. We’re in a decent position but the club just felt it was time for a change.
“There was nothing major, there was not one thing. The performances at the start of the season obviously got off to a sticky start, then had a good spell, then obviously recently I think it’s maybe one win in eight, which is obviously then a factor in where the club think they should be or want to be.
“Obviously sometimes you can get good performances without getting results but I think the combination of the two obviously highlights that. We’ve not scored in the last three games as well.
“It’s just making sure everyone’s pulling in the right direction.
“Sometimes, I’ve been there myself as a player, you can blame the manager. That takes any excuses away now that there’s been a change in that department and we’re looking hopefully for the players to react on Saturday in the right way.”
Dyer earned the players’ respect during his two years under Clarke before having less influence under Alessio.
But he is keeping his cards close to his chest ahead of Saturday’s visit of Motherwell.
“If the club turned round and said ‘do you want the job?’ then I will make a decision then but I will not be putting my name down and saying I want the job,” the former Charlton player said.
“Of course, I would love to be a number one at one point but at this present time I have this job, which I want to do well.
“The last manager I was under before Angelo was Clarkey and it went well and I learnt a lot, and I was still learning when Angelo came in. That’s what I am here for. I get respect from the boys and I get on well with them.
“I did training this morning which went well and we just want to act on that and get the club back to where it was.”
Fowler added: “Alex has always had the interests of the club at heart and, whether he wants the job or he doesn’t, he might find that within the next two or three weeks.
“It’s probably something you don’t know till you’ve actually tasted it and it’s been your head on the chopping block as they may say.
“But we’ve asked him to take the next three games and then we’ll monitor, we have close relationships with Alex and whatever happens after that will be.
“We don’t want to put Alex in a position where he feels that it’s a trial or that it’s necessarily how he does in these games.
“We’ve asked him to do the job in the short term and we’ll deal with that probably closer to January.”