A Killiefc.com recap what happened with the departure of Bobby Williamson & the arrival of Jim Jefferies between Feb 22nd & Mar 1st 2002......

Feb 22nd 2002

Relegation threatened Hibs fire Franck Sauzee (after 69 days in charge) & ask Killie for permission to talk to Killie about Bobby Williamson.

Sir John Orr (Killie Chairman) ......"I received a telephone call on the Thursday evening from Malcolm MacPherson (the Hibs chairman) very properly asking me for permission to speak to Bobby, I don't think you should ever be churlish on these occasions. You've got the be statesmanlike in what you do. I'm not suggesting it in this case, but if you don't give them permission they'll end up talking in some other place. That's the reality....and it was a matter of some surprise to me that the resignations came in when they did."

Feb 24th 2002

Williamson and his assistants Gerry McCabe and then Jim Clark (some 24 hours later) put their resignations on  Saturday after compensation discussions between Hibs & Killie broke down. It was then rumored that Killie made an improved offer was then made to Bobby Williamson by Killie. However Williamson's mind was made up to join Hibs.

Sir John Orr......."I won't be drawn on the details of private discussions ....suffice to say we didn't want him to leave".

Feb 25th 2002

Williamson accepts the job as Hibernian manager and talks about his feeling in leaving Killie. More

Bobby Williamson......"It has been the hardest decision of my football life. There is no way you can question that. but I made my mind up on Friday when I spoke to Hibs. I knew then that I had to try this. I simply feel the time is right for a new challenge. I feel deep down I have done the right thing - time will tell."

Former team manager Williamson asks for the clubs to come settlement over his departure

Feb 26th 2002

Williamson is unveiled as the Hibs Boss Hibs Hire Ex-Killie Boss. The Kilmarnock board had, now had to  draw up a shortlist to fill Williamson's place. . Jim Jefferies, Sandy Clark & Tommy Burns was the third.

Feb 27th 2002

Baz Reflects Here

Celtic were contacted but, there was no favourite ahead of interviews and Burns was certainly not offered the job, which is a point that Kilmarnock Football Club want stressed to their support!

Feb 28th 2002

Jefferies and Clark were invited for interview, but the former Hearts manager most closely fitted the strategy that the chairman and chief executive David Heath had outlined prior to Williamson's departure. The Jim Jefferies contract talks went long into the night but the parties got it done !.... and the next day ....

Mar 1st 2002

Jim Jefferies, Billy Brown & Ian Durrant were then named as new Killie management team

 

JJ Welcomed to KFC

Billy Brown......."I do nearly all the training and tactical stuff and Jim's the one who sorts things out,' says Brown, smiling 'so I suppose we do work a bit like that'. But their 14-year bond isn't without its rough patches. They bicker constantly, reveals the junior partner. 'I don't think any relationship can work unless you have differences of opinion, but obviously Jim's the manager, and so what he says goes. But if it didn't work I'd never say 'I told you so'.' Sometimes it feels a bit like being an old married couple"

Ian Durrant .... A new  appointed as a coach,  (by Jim Jefferies) at least until the end of the season, perhaps because he is pessimistic about playing again. 'I'll give it three weeks (for a first team return) from here ...but I'm looking in another direction now'. 

Jim Jefferies on his arrival..... "The infrastructure's here and there's not a lot that needs tampering with. Obviously we'll develop it as it goes on, but there's no major overhaul needed."

"There's been a lot said about clubs being bigger than others. But that's a source of motivation for us to say, 'Right, if you look at it on the park, some of these clubs that are supposed to be bigger than Killie haven't been bigger on the park'. Because Kilmarnock have been doing better than them over the last five or six years consistently. One of our board members said it must just be a case of them having a bigger following by four or five thousand that makes them the bigger club, because it's certainly not performances and achievements."

"We've all got the same aim, we're not all on different wave-lengths, we're all sharing the same cause and that's to get Kilmarnock up there challenging, making them a big club. And I'm just going to be part of that."