Kilmarnock: Agree bonuses in writing, urges Allan Johnston

Allan Johnston has praised his players for the professional way they have handled the dispute

Allan Johnston thinks clubs must agree their bonus structure before the start of the season to avoid disputes like the one that has struck Kilmarnock.

The Kilmarnock team manager thinks they should also be put in writing.

"It is not the case at any of the clubs and I see the PFA pushing for that as well and I'm sure the clubs will look at that," Johnston told BBC Scotland.

"Probably we should make sure it's standard at every club to have their bonus set in place before the season."

Talks over the current bonus row at Rugby Park are ongoing between the players, their union (PFA Scotland), and the Scottish Premiership club.

The issue has overshadowed Kilmarnock's preparations for Sunday's visit to Celtic.

However, the Ayrshire side are currently fourth in the table, three points ahead of the reigning champions, having won their last three matches.

"It is still ongoing and you have to pay a lot of credit to the players for the way they've handled the situation in a professional manner and the way they've played in games," said Johnston.

"The players have been fantastic and I don't think we could ask any more of them."

There had been newspaper reports suggesting that strike action had been considered.

Asked if that had been a possibility, midfielder Sammy Clingan said: "I don't think so.

"We are footballers and we just want to play football and hopefully this can get sorted out once and for all.

"It is in an internal matter and hopefully we get something sorted soon.

"We are training really hard and we're getting results, which is the main thing, and we've been putting in good performances as well.

"We just need to keep our morale up and start thinking about playing football again - and we have been."