Is The Manager In?

WE know it maybe feels like a lifetime but this week sees the first anniversary of the B&H column. Our aim at the start was to inform, report and amuse with all things Killie and hopefully we've managed that to some degree. We thought we'd try and do something high profile to mark the occasion so we arranged to meet team boss Jim Jefferies for an update on all the latest happenings. We met up in the Park Hotel at midday prior to the Hibs game. The interview may have been livelier had we arranged it for after the game! All the sudden transfer activity was the talk of the Killie fans last week, so we quizzed the gaffer on all the recent events.

Why was defender Greg Shields allowed to leave for no fee?

Greg was signed by us around two weeks after the TV revenue streams collapsed, and was offered really good terms to come from Charlton. Dunfermline approached us last summer about Greg but we didn't really want to lose him. They approached us again during this transfer window and although no fee was offered again, they were willing to honour his contract. As one of our highest earners I was aware that letting Greg go would allow me to free up a bit of the wage budget, which has been reduced by 300k over the last two seasons.

We simply asked Greg to make his choice and he wanted to go so perhaps if was in everyone's best interest to let him move. There is no money in the game at all levels and deals of this sort will be commonplace in the months and years ahead. I can't see any clubs out with the old firm paying transfer fees any longer. The other side of that is that three will be a lot of players available in the summer but we have to be prudent and ensure the deals we are doing are right for the club.

What was the story with Sean Hessey leaving?
Sean had expressed a wish to return to England and we told him we would release him right away if he could find another club. We wouldn't have offered him a new contract in the summer so it was a case of moving now or just seeing the season out.

With three defenders gone, any plans to strengthen the defence?
We asked about David Lilley at Partick Thistle but the deal failed as they were looking for a transfer fee or a player swap and we were not willing to do either. I rate him as a decent defender, as good as Greg Shields at a fraction of the price, and he can play at right back or centre half as well. He had a tough time with injuries when he went to Aberdeen and things didn't work out for him there but he's doing really well at Partick and I think he could do a job for us. He is out of contract at the end of the season so we'll monitor the situation closely.

Freddy has probably been one of our best players this season and we brought in Greer who looks great at times, but he still has a lot to learn defensively and has cost us a few goals. We were looking at a few players down at Colchester and one young centre half, called Chilvers, stuck out a mile, but he was on loan from Arsenal

What about Colin Meldrum?
Colin is a nice lad and a good professional but we feel it's in his best interest to kick start his career elsewhere, he's not too old to do that as a 'keeper. Queen of the South were interested at one stage but unfortunately Colin picked up an injury. The deal fell through as their own first choice goalie was back from injury before Colin. He is more than welcome to see out the season with us if he doesn't find another club by the end of the transfer window. It was better for him for us to give him the chance to leave now rather than wait until his contract ran out.

Our remaining goalkeepers are a bit on the young side. Francois is only 22, Smith is just back from injury and we've not seen much of him and young Samson is a good keeper but perhaps needs farmed out to gain a bit more experience. We'll be looking to bring an experienced goalie before next season and have made an enquiry about Ruitenbeek from Dunfermline. The problem currently is that he's still to decide if he's staying in Scotland or returning to Holland when his contract runs out in the summer.

How close were we to signing the ex-Dundee midfielder Nemsadze?
Midfield is an area we're looking to strengthen and Nemsadze is a player we rate highly. He was down in the hotel during the week for talks but basically we couldn't match his personal terms. His translator was Shota Arveladze who is used to talking much bigger figures than we are! He was on good money at Dundee, which to be fair to him we can't make public, and has also been offered a good deal back home in Georgia.

How do you think the midfield will shape up now? Danny is looking a lot sharper now and is improving on a weekly basis after his injury. I think Skora will give us a few new options and will be a big asset to the team after the settles in. I see him playing as part of the three in midfield rather than as a winger. We've not made any plans beyond the loan period but you never know what might happen.

What was the thinking behind moving Stevie Fulton to left wing back?
It's difficult to leave Stevie out of the team, as he is without a doubt the best passer of the ball that we have. Against Dunfermline we were aware they were a busy team in midfield and we wanted to match them in that area. We also thought that they would play a big man such as Bullen against Garry Hay to try and take advantage of his lack of height. We felt Fulton would be better equipped to deal with the physical battle as he has played in that position several times for me earlier in his career to great effect. To be fair he probably didn't get up and down the park as well as we'd hoped.

What's the news on the players who are out of contract this season? - We've told the players that if they get us in the top six we'll be in a better position to offer them new contracts. There's a big difference financially (around £1.5M we're led to believe) if we finish in the top half and once I know what budget I'm working with then we'll start looking at contracts. It's amazing how much a player's game can improve when he's playing for a contract!

Why move from 442 to 352?
We've been losing too many goals this season and although I prefer a 442 it appears our personnel are better suited to the 352 formation. We have extra insurance at the back under the 3-5-2 system although injuries have also played a large part in our thinking. We've had to play some youngsters more than we wanted to as I feel they benefit from playing first team football and then going back to the reserves for a while - it makes them hungry to get back in the team and protects them a little as well. Unfortunately we've been forced to keep them in the team longer than we wanted and that won't benefit anyone in the long term.

What about your own contract?
I'm contracted for another 18 months and have spoken to Jamie Moffat but nothing has been signed yet. I'd like to have a look at the youth structure as it appears that promising youngsters come through at Kilmarnock but don't progress any further. I remember guys like Burke, Bagan, Roberts and Hamilton were all touted as the next best thing when I was at Hearts, but where are they now? How many of them have went to stronger leagues of made it at international level? Canero is the first for a while who has gone onto bigger things and we need to have a set-up in place that gives youngsters good experience in developing mental toughness and becoming good professionals. We need to have long term plans in place so that we can rear our own talent who won't fall by the wayside.

Finally what is your view on the administration issue at other clubs?
The whole system is wrong and personally I feel clubs in this position should not be allowed to sign players. Perhaps if they improve their financial position they could be allowed to re-sign some of the players they have released. I feel sorry for the fans, management and players as they suffer for a situation that the directors have allowed to happen.

We had spent around 45 minutes and JJ had to head off to sort out his team and find new loan signing Eric Skora who had mysteriously disappeared. Let us know if there is anyone in particular you would like us to interview next…please say Kylie!

Tickets for the Cup Game

There has been a little confusion in the past week concerning the ticket prices for the Scottish Cup tie against Rangers. The season ticket offer did not include any Scottish Cup ties however there was an incentive for privilege seat holders. It was agreed they should get the first Scottish cup home tie at £5 a ticket so remember to mention this when purchasing your ticket. All season ticket holders need to buy their ticket by this Friday 30 January if they want to guarantee their own seat - after this date seats are sold on a first come first served basis, let's try and get those home ends filled.

Read the B&H column in the Kilmarnock Standard every week