Goalkeeping Position... "We know
Roddy's (McKenzie) out of contract and he's available and we're looking
for a goalkeeper. But I could take 10 names who are out of contract but I
must make sure financially that they are right. We have options and
players are available and we will look at everyone who is out of
contract." Jefferies admitted he would be interested in Dunfermline
number one Derek Stillie, Dundee United's Paul Gallacher and Livingston's
Roddy McKenzie but there are a number of foreign goalkeepers that he is
also weighing up.
May 5th on Releasing McLaughlin &
Hardie..."Barry is a terrific pro and
done well for us. He has intimated he is thinking about going
part-time next year. I have had a chat to Martin Hardie, who
has had a lot of injuries and he is another who - due to a
tight budget - we have to let go."
May 1st on the Livi Post
Match... "As bad as they
were in the first-half, we were excellent in the second. We're
not good enough to swan about like that and allowed Livingston
to dominate the game and could have been even further behind.
In the first-half,
/Nish%202nd%20Goal%20FP.jpg)
we
were nothing like the team which had played well against
Celtic and beaten Hibs but, to be fair, the second-half was
good and we just showed what we can do. I've told the lads
it's easier to win a game from 0-0 but, having said that, 2-0
is a funny score - they think the game is won but, once we got
the first goal and the fans got behind us, it made them edgy.
I took Kris Boyd off at half-time because he looked tired even
though he's our top scorer. I thought Colin made all the
difference, not just with his two goals, but with his
all-round play." JJ did confirm his half-time team-talk had
been "unrepeatable".
Match Report
Apr 30th on the remainder of the Season..."We've
got a good, honest bunch and we have to try and improve that
during the summer. We want to get this season over but we've
still got to try a few things and give a few boys games before
the end. We will be looking to strengthen some departments and
I'm sure that we will surprise people next year and we will
make up for the disappointment of this year. We want to finish
as high as possible and we will carry on. The highest we can
finish is seventh and there's no reason why we can't do that."
Apr 30th on Killie's
goalkeeping situation..."We
haven't renewed Francois Dubourdeau's contract and we still
have to have a chat with Colin Meldrum so it looks likely that
we will be looking for an experienced goalkeeper. That depends
first of all on who we can afford and then who is available.
There are one or two situations which interest us at the
moment but we don't know yet who will be available to us so we
will have to wait until the end of the season. All we have
done at this stage is made a list and done our homework."
Apr 24th on the Hibs Post
Match... "We played them a couple of weeks
ago and I thought the 3-0 flattered them a bit but we got something back
today. The scoreline today was great but we should have been three up at
half-time and got a couple of gifts before the break. They struggled to
create anything but we couldn't kill them off. Overall it could have been
four or five nil and the performance would have been worthy of that."
Match Report
Apr 23rd on Bobby
Williamson's move down south..."With
his ability, he has the chance to use Plymouth as a
stepping-stone. If he does, I think another Premiership club
will come looking, and I wish him the very best of luck. He
was unlucky there because just after he took over the TV deal
collapsed and he had to get rid of a lot of the big earners
.... we all did. But now he is at a club where they have run
things well over the past few years and I'm sure he will do
well. It's a tough league. Most of the teams go for strength
and power above all else. There are a lot of hard matches and
you need a strong squad. But Bobby will get help from the
fans. They just seem more relaxed and forgiving — Bobby will
notice that."
Apr 18th on the Celtic Post
Match... "Celtic
are worthy champions. They were by far the best team. We said
to the players before the game that if Celtic were going to
win it today to make sure they deserved it and/Boyd%20Lambert%20FP.jpg)
not to come off the pitch having been steam-rollered. We knew
they would be fired up to win it at the first time of asking
and my players were tremendous. On another day we would have
got the rub of the green. I'm sure Celtic would admit they
have had a very difficult match. Credit to the boys for making
a game of it."
On Boyd's "goal"... "I have seen
it on the monitor and it is going to be a difficult task for
the referee to explain why it was not a goal. I think Boydy
was trying to find Skora. Eric has done well to put the boy
under pressure and it looks like he has forced the defender
into mis-kicking and Boydy has followed it up. We should have
been 1-0 up. The team was playing well and we had been getting
in behind them. If we had gone 1-0 up the players would have
got an added lift and who knows?"
Match Report
Apr 17th on the Celtic Pre
Match..."Celtic are going to win
the championship whether it's on Sunday or not but we have to
make sure we'll be well up for it. We've nothing to lose and
nobody gives us a chance, but our last four home games we've
taken 10 points from 12. Nobody has managed to beat them in
the league this year but who knows? Somebody might just have
their day, so hopefully it could be us on. In a one-off
situation it can always happen and we've got to take heart
from the fact for 45 minutes at Celtic we were 0-0."
Apr 16th on Melly and
Doubs..."The only thing
we've done so far is inform Francois and Colin of our plans.
I've explained to them that I am looking to bring in an
experienced keeper for next year and I also want to try and
make some money available for some defenders. We also have
young keepers Graeme Smith and Craig Samson at the club."
More
Apr 10th on the Hibs Post
Match..."We didn't deserve to be
2-0 down at half-time, anyone who saw the game
/Boyd%20Hibs%20FP.jpg)
would agree
with that. Their two free-kicks were really wonder-strikes and
not many teams would have been able to cope with that. It was
a penalty. We have no complaints, Gordon Greer did well to
close him down, but he shouldn't have jumped into the
challenge because he had [Garry] O'Connor going away from
goal. We've not been getting the breaks lately and I really
felt sorry for the players at half-time because their outfield
play didn't deserve that scoreline. Three-nil looks like we
got a going-over, but we didn't and I think Bobby agrees that
the scoreline flattered them."
Match Report
Apr 9th on
Next Season..."I am happy
here and I am looking forward to next year, I am confident we
will have a better season next time. It cannot possibly be as
bad as this year with the players out. Through the players we
have, those we don't have through injury and with new players
we can improve this situation. From now until the end of the
season we will be wondering what our budget will be for next
year. There's a lot about the team that
is right. There's a lot of optimism and I want to see it
through. I'm confident it'll be better next season. With the
players we have, those we don't have through injury and with
new players we can improve things. We must try to improve and
keep players who are out of contract, although we don't know
if they will accept deals. It's a case of finishing as high as
possible because the higher we finish the more money we will
have to spend."
Apr 9th on
Williamson's Situation at Hibs..."I
don't think Bobby has any regrets. It was like me at Hearts, there comes a
stage when it's time to move. Bobby was just unfortunate that the TV deal
collapsed and revenue was tighter. He's had to stick with the kids so he's
not going to get consistency but, if they're still all there, they'll see
the benefits next time and get better."
Apr 9th on Ground
Sharing..."Whether
it's Clyde or anybody else, no matter what I think about it,
the club has to bring in revenue. They
will be looking at TV deals and other things to keep the club
going. It's viable to take
Clyde and if we can accommodate them, we should."
Apr 9th on Dargo's
Fitness...
"Next
season will be the top target to get into full flow but Craig
looks sharper ever day."
Apr 8th on Invicible's
injury..."I don't know how bad
it is at the moment and there is always a fear that he could
be out for some time. We won't know until Friday. It's a blow
because he has done great and has scored a couple of goals. We
had to take Danny off at half-time because he had a knock on
his ankle. It stiffened up so we had to take the weight off it
so he went out on crutches. It might need a bit of rest but I
imagine he will be extremely doubtful for Saturday."
Apr 7th on the Livi Post
Match...(On the disallowed goal) ..."When
the ball comes in and the linesman puts his flag up before
Nish heads it then fair enough - but he didn't do that. Nish
headed it past the keeper/Hay%20Livi%20A%20FP.jpg)
and it was him who put it in so he couldn't possibly be
offside. You can only say that the referee and the linesman
have made a major mistake. I am not having a go at the
referee, I'm just talking about an incident at the end where
there was a legitimate goal scored and we didn't get it. How
can anyone be in an offside position when the ball hits the
post and comes back out - its an impossibility. Our players
are livid and I think the Livingston players were surprised
that it was ruled offside. Only the referee knows why he
chopped the goal off but I think he knows he's got it wrong
and that's why he wont explain it. The referee's supervisor
asked me not to go in and see him so I didn't go in. I think
he was being diplomatic and he was struggling to find a reason
why the ref gave that decision." Match Report
Apr 6th on the Livi Pre
Match... "Our performance
against Dunfermline was good, we took the lead and we could
have been further ahead by half-time. Then we gifted them a
goal and let them back into it before gifting them a second
goal. It was defensive errors which cost us again and
hopefully those mistakes won't happen again this time.
Livingston have played some good football recently despite
having such a hectic programme to contend with. They have had
a hell of a run of games and it was fantastic that they won
the cup. They have another big game on Sunday and have had a
terrific season and by all accounts they played well at the
weekend despite the result."
/Greer%20Pars%20FP.jpg)
Apr 3rd on
the Pars Post
Match... "I think Dunfermline
felt aggrieved we got three points here last time but
we certainly felt aggrieved we didn't take anything from this
one, However, the goals have been what has happened to us all
season. We are the fourth highest scorers in the league but
when you give away goals like we did today then you can't
expect anything else. Still, I didn't think we deserved to
lose." Match Report
Apr 2nd on the Pars Pre
Match..."While any target
is still possible mathematically then that is what we need to
aim for. It was nice to get the (3-1) victory over Aberdeen
and move above three clubs Eighth is a lot better
psychologically than being second bottom," he said. "But if we
want to stay above these teams then we need to keep winning.
If we had lost last week then it would have been virtually
impossible to make the top six but we have a chance. Apart
from Celtic, Rangers and Hearts, no team has scored more
league goals than us (37) — our problem is inconsistency at
the back. What we are looking for is a good defensive
performance on Saturday because we know we are always capable
of scoring goals. We should be encouraged by last week's game.
We are away from home and we know it won't be easy but we
showed last week that we are capable of playing well."
Mar 27th on the Dons Post
Match.... "That was an excellent
performance. We made a lot of chances and could have scored
more than three. David Preece (Aberdeen goalkeeper)
made a lot of good saves but some of them I don't think he
knew much about - I think they just hit him. I've just said to
the players that, just as we/Dargs%20Celeb%20FP.jpg)
slaughtered them last week, we can praise them this Saturday.
Last weekend was rubbish, we can enjoy this one a lot more! I
was in two minds whether to play Gary (McSwegan) or Craig
instead of Danny. But Gary missed a couple of days' training
at the start of this week due to a virus, so I went with
Craig. He's been out for a while and isn't as sharp as he will
be in a few weeks, but he did well and took his goal well. I
hoped I could get an hour out of him and I got more than that
so I'm happy with the lad. That is what we want from Kris.
He's a powerful lad and he needs to put himself about up
there. Look at John Hartson and Chris Sutton - they don't mess
about, they throw their weight about and use their size. He
took his goals well and held the ball up well so he's had an
excellent game today. I thought Eric caused problems whenever
he got on the ball. Sometimes, he tries a bit too much but you
need someone prepared to create and that's what he does. I'm
not sure what will happen with Eric at the end of the season.
Craig Brown was good enough to let him come here this season
but he's still on contract with Preston so who knows. We'll
just have to wait and see in the summer, but he's certainly a
good player."
Match Report
Mar
26th Recaps the Arabs match..."It
was a bad first half. We played poorly and United played
exceptionally well. We're looking for a reaction from the
players to bounce back this weekend and try and make up for it
a bit to our supporters, The positions in the league don't
mean that much. We're second bottom but still have a chance of
finishing in the top half, Results have to go for us but we
have to do our own work and we need to win on Saturday (v
Aberdeen). We have to put last week's nightmare behind us."
On Craig Dargo's Fitness...
"Craig's been out for about a year nearly. There's no point
rushing him back," said Jefferies. It's 90 minute games in the
reserves he needs. He's still not sharp and has to keep
training and playing to benefit him. I'm not putting too much
pressure on him but he's in Saturday's squad.
On this Season..."It's been a
frustrating season. We had a record number of points last year
and out of that we've had to do without eight of the players.
Six have moved on for financial reasons while Stevie Fulton
and Alan Mahood have been injured, Stevie eventually had to go
in for an operation and is out for the season."
/04%20BB%20&%20JJ%20SB.jpg)
Mar
20th on the Arabs
Post Match..."It was the worst
performance I have seen from any team I have been
involved with. We got an early warning when they had a shot in
the first minute and you would expect after that your
defenders would get together talk about it and get organised.
But they didn't do that and we were never at the races. I
turned the air all shades of blue when I got them in at
half-time, because performances like that are not acceptable
and I wanted them to know it. I told them it could have been
about seven if Colin Meldrum had not made a few saves and
really pulled us out of trouble at times. I took off
McLaughlin and Hay, but, to be honest, I could have taken any
of them off at various points because we made so many
mistakes."
Match Report
Mar 19th on the Arabs
Pre Match..."We picked up a few
injuries in the draw against Hearts a fortnight ago and, if we
had had a game last weekend, they wouldn't have been fit. They
have worked hard to recover this week and the break worked in
our favour. We'd rather have played but it gave us a chance to
sort out injuries. If you get a couple of results you want to
keep playing but there is another side of the coin for helping
with injuries. But we should now be keener to get out there at
Tannadice although it won't be easy there. At least we are
going into the game with a bit of a buzz about us because we
played well against Dundee and Hearts in our last two games.
United have picked up a lot this season and got a good win
against Rangers. But we have a good record against them and,
hopefully, we can carry that on. We are looking for a good run
between now and the split and aim to be in the hunt for a
top-six place. The SPL has become a very tight league. We
didn't play last week but the rest of the games were all
draws."
Mar 14th on
Di Giacomo (who needs
surgery)... 'We'll
support Paul in every way we can to ensure he makes a full recovery from
this major blow. He could be out for as much as nine months and we want to
do the right thing by the boy. Yes, money is tight but this is a different
case entirely. Paul will be with us next season, it's as simple as that.'
Mar 7th on the Hearts
Post Match..."We gifted them a
goal but all credit to the lads, they battled back and got the
goal they deserved. Danny Invincibile missed a great chance at
0-0. I thought we dominated the second
half. It would have
been a travesty if we hadn't got anything out of the game." Match Report
Mar 6th on the Hearts Pre
Match..."A win on Sunday gives
us the chance to jump a few places in the table so it's all
about winning and keeping things going. It would definitely
give us a big lift to move up the table even though we know
that the other teams aren't playing. Aberdeen are below us and
even they are talking about finishing in the top six, Partick
are bottom and their priority is to avoid relegation but I
think all the other teams are looking to finish in the top
half of the table and we're no different."
"They played very well against us in the first game at Rugby
Park. We were 2-0 down at half-time and were lucky to lose 2-0
after stemming things in the second half. But I thought we
were unlucky in our last game against them - we just didn't
take the chances we created. The performance last week lifted
everyone and if we could get a result
against Hearts then that would be an even bigger
confidence-booster. It was great to get the goals because in
other games we had been on top without taking our chances and
had lost the games. We took half the chances we created last
week and we could have scored seven or eight, I expect it to
be different against Hearts because they are a very solid team
and aren't easy to break down. But it's important we take the
chances we create now."
JJ on the Boyd-Invincibile Partnership...“Every
time he (Danny Boy) was
/Boyd%20Danny%20Celeb.jpg)
up
in that last third, he was a threat, He looked like the player
that we signed and who played so well in the first couple of
games before his injury. He needs to keep it going between now
and the end of the season. The goals last Saturday are bound to have done his confidence the
power of good. Getting two, and having a big hand in our penalty, he was a
big plus for us, and he linked well with Boyd. Sometimes when you throw a
partnership together it takes a few games to work, but it looked like they
could trouble people. I thought it was Boyd’s best game for a while because he won
everything in the air, and he’ll have to do that at the weekend because
Hearts are very strong in the air at the back.”
Mar 2nd More on the Dee
Post Match..."I
have been under pressure before as a manager and I have got
out of it. I have a lot of experience at that sort of thing.
Pretty much any team can
finish in the top six. It would be foolish to count us out of
it."
Feb 28th on the Dee Post Match..."Nobody
can say that we haven't got a chance because the results have
closed the league up again. If we can win the next game
against Hearts, then we'll be closer still and, if we play
like we did against Dundee today, then no-one can rule us out.
Of the team which finished fourth last year - and we probably
over-achieved doing that - we've lost seven of those players.
Two of them are out of the side with long-term injuries and
the other five are away for financial reasons because, if we
had kept them, there might not have been a Kilmarnock next
year. And that was as important as getting into the top half
of the league. The players I've brought in have been very
unfortunate. Danny Invincibile was outstanding against Dundee,
but he played 20 minutes against Partick at the beginning of
the season and got crocked (by David Lilley) and Martin Hardie
has hardly had a run because of a groin problem. The rest of
the players we brought in have taken time to settle and that
is why we've been inconsistent. In a lot of games, we've been
on top but we've missed chances and have been punished for it.
So I never felt under pressure. You just have to ignore
everything and do what you think is right." Match Report
Feb 27th on the Dee Pre Match..."We
have enjoyed some good results against Dundee this season. Jim
Duffy has lost a few players from his squad this season after
administration but they are still a difficult proposition. We
let ourselves down at Motherwell and have to try and make up
for that."
On Injuries..."We thought we were seeing
light at the end of the tunnel five weeks ago with a couple
returning. Gordon Greer and Martin Hardie are very doubtful
and, though David Lilley has trained a bit, we will have to
wait and see how he is on Saturday. Rhian Dodds has a bad
blister on his heel. It is the story of our season. We've not
managed to get consistency going with so many injuries,"
Feb 21st on the
Motherwell Post Match..."Motherwell
have a lot of good young players who
/GreerWell%20FP.jpg)
like
to get the ball down and pass it about, and we're the same.
But there wasn't a lot of that going on today. That had a lot
to do with a very bad pitch, and a lot
of bobbles and bumps made it difficult to get any flowing
football going. I don't think either side had a decent chance
on goal, and neither goalkeeper had a save to make. But we
gifted them a free header, and they held on for the win. A
fairer result would have been 0-0 - that is all it was worth." Match Report
Feb 20th on the
Motherwell Pre Match..."It
was a good result last week but we need to keep that going
this week to make it an even better result. There
isn't much between the teams outside the Old Firm and everyone
is capable of beating each other. Even Aberdeen, who are
second bottom of the table, think they still have a chance of
getting into the top six and rightly so. We can't get carried
away or switch off after one good result - we need to keep
going next week, the week after that and the week after
that."
Feb 20th on Erik Skora's
future..."I'm pleased Craig
Brown did us a favour and let Eric come here until the end of the season -
he is still young and he's a good player. He
was finding it hard to get into the first team at Preston so it was better
for him to play at this level than the reserves and we are grateful for
him coming here. But he signed a three-year deal at Preston and I can see
why Craig would want to keep him.As far as we are concerned, Eric will
return to Preston at the end of the season and I'm sure Craig will be the
first to tell us if he becomes available."
Feb 16th More on the
Partick Post Match..
"We
deserved the win. The players have put a lot of effort i/Lilley%20Celeb%20FP.jpg)
nto
the three Old Firm games with no reward and I think the crowd
responded
to their effort today. Now we
are three points from the top six and with the players we have
here, we are well capable of making that. We always thought we
were too good a team to be down there but the results meant we
were, so we need to get a run going now and get back up the
league. We never spoke about
the possibility of relegation - we always looked on the bright
side."
Feb 14th on the Partick
Post Match...About Skora..."Craig
Brown wanted him to go out and play games and
/Lilley%20FP.jpg)
luckily
he chose to come to us. He's a good player and has been
playing for the last couple of games with a poisoned toe but
he looked more comfortable today now that it has cleared up.
He's only here until the end of the season but you never know,
he might like it here and we might be able to do something for
him to stay."
About Kris Boyd...
"Things haven't been going for Boydy and he
needed the rest but we decided to bring him back into things
today and he could easily have had a hat-trick. Hopefully he
has found his goal-scoring form again and I think he played
better in that 45 minutes than he has for a while. He'll find
his feet again and he's only 20 so we can't be too hard on
him."
Match Report
Feb 13th
on the Partick Pre Match..."There is
usually a bit of an edge to the games and a wee bit of rivalry
and Partick always bring a noisy support. Our
supporters have been good to us, but they haven't had a lot to shout about
recently and we could do with their backing on Saturday. We need to
compete with Partick on the pitch, but we also need our supporters to
compete with their supporters off it. We need a lift to get us back to
winning ways.
Partick have had two great wins and have scored 10 goals,
but maybe they got Livingston at the right time when their minds were
elsewhere. Livingston are a quality team, who don't usually lose five
goals, but all credit to Partick for taking full advantage of that. I just
hope they have had their full quota of goals for the season now! People
keep talking about us being dragged into the relegation zone, but we are
nine points ahead of Partick and only six points from being in the top
half of the table. So it works both ways. Partick will try to close the
gap, but we are aspiring for a place in the top six instead. Three points
from Partick isn't just about moving away from them, it's also about
starting a good run that's going to take us into the top half of the
table."
Feb 12th after 3 Old Firm
Matches on the Trot..."We play
Thistle on Saturday and obviously they are a team that has got
a lift from a couple of good results and are playing well at
the moment. But we have had three tough matches against the
Old Firm, we have worked our socks off in every one of those
games and we won't be playing that sort of quality in
the next two or three matches. We need to make sure we put in
the same effort and application in that we have done in these
games."
Feb 11th on the Rangers
Post Match..."The only thing we
were guilty of was a bit of sloppiness when we had good
situations that could have been developed in the last third.
We weren't one-down to Rangers out-playing
/Danny%20Huns%20FP.jpg)
us, because I don't
think they created a chance from open play in the first-half.
Even in the second period, there weren't many created. On the
last couple of occasions, we have come here and been torn
apart but we were never tonight. It has been typical. (On Hay
hitting the crossbar) We could have got a wee break there. It
was certainly a good effort." Match Report
Feb 10th on the Rangers
Pre Match..."The
major problem is that fans had a lot of grievances about Rangers and
Celtic's allocation in the past. We gave an opportunity to the fans to try
and solve the problems but they failed to take advantage of that. It
wasn't easy enough for some supporters to get tickets and the gates
weren't open to pay at so the club lost out. The fans have been great to
us, especially at home, but it would have been nice to see a few more
there on Sunday. The best way to get them back is to get a couple of good
results and give them something to shout about. We've lost games when
we've been on top and that's because we're not taking our chances. But
there is still a good spirit and everyone is determined to get back on
track. We did well for an hour against Celtic and I thought the scoreline
was very unjust and it was only Rangers' little bit extra quality in
taking their chances that set them apart from us. Overall I am happy with
the commitment and application the players have shown."
Feb 8th on the Rangers
Post Match...
"I can't fault the players. They
gave tremendous effort. It just wasn't our day in front of
goals." Match Report
Feb 7th on the Rangers
Pre Match...''In games like this
you have to go out and make it your day. Look at Hibs on
Thursday. They got in about Rangers, harried and harassed them
and made sure that it was their night. I will say to the
players to believe in themselves. We won't go on about what we
will do to Rangers but I looked at them this week and could
tell they were up for this. This is the best chance to beat
the Old Firm. In the league they have 38 games to make up for
one bad result but this is a one-off. We had a good break in
Spain and should be refreshed and able to show every ounce of
commitment on that park. We haven't budgeted for a cup run but
the further we go the better - I'd have more money to keep
players. If it goes the other way, I might have to cut my
squad again and that could be bad news for some of the
players, so it is up to them."
Feb 6th on the Spain
Trip..."The image in the papers
of beaches, sangria and sun could not have been more wide of
the mark, We did double sessions every day and one on the way
back to the airport. The players worked really hard and
hopefully we will see the benefits of it against Rangers on
Sunday. The boys were together all the time and it gave the
new lads a chance to get to know everyone better and get a bit
of spirit going,It was great of the chairman and the board to
let us go. We have been on a bad run and we have been working
hard to try and get things into line."
Feb 6th on Skora's toe..."Eric
had a bit of a damaged toe and it was stood on. He was feeling
a bit of pain from it on the last day in Spain so he had it
cleaned up."
Jan 31st on The Celtic
Post Match..."It's the best
Kilmarnock have played here in my time, certainly in the first
half, They didn't really cause us any problems in the first
half, Pearson's effort was the chance they made./Skora%20Tic%20FP.jpg)
We had the best two chances in the first half and I'm sitting
there thinking we maybe could cause a shock and get something.
But, as happens often, we lost a goal and then we lose more.
Celtic had four or five chances and scored every time. They
scored with every chance they made. Apart from the goals they
didn't create many more chances. We gifted Celtic some of
their goals but I can take a lot from today's game, apart from
the disastrous last half hour.'' Match Report
Jan 30th on The Celtic
Pre Match..."We have nothing to
lose as no one expects us to get a result but if our players
are really up for it and challenging for every ball then you
never know what may happen. In the final game of last season
they had to have a real go at us to try and win the league on
goal difference, maybe being eleven points clear in the league
already will affect their game this time, but we are leaving
nothing to chance. Just because on paper they have better
players than us does not mean that just have to turn up to
win, if we battle for ninety minutes then we will be in with a
chance."
More
Jan
28th on Darg's Comeback...
"Craig has had two or three week's training and
has had a couple of games, so he is very close. I think he'll
will be knocking on the door for a place against Rangers in
the cup tie."
Jan 24th on
the Hibs Post
Match... "It's been the story of
our season so far at home. We couldn't get better chances than
we did in the first-half and it's a different game if you
stick them away. But, too often, we've come in at half-time
having not taken our chances and gone out in the second-half
and lost a quick goal. This time we lost two quick goals. But
I was disappointed that, having gone 2-0 down, there was still
half-an-hour to go and plenty time to get back into the game.
I don't think we did enough and we just accepted 2-0 and
played out time. The fans were right to feel disappointed with
our performance."
Match Report
Jan 23rd on the Hibs Pre
Match...''We
played well against Dunfermline last week and I am looking for more of the
same, although I would like us to take more of the chances we are
creating.''
On Shields Leaving...''Dunfermline
have been keen on him for a while and the lad lives through there so it
suits him to go. We got him on a free from Charlton so he was one of our
higher earners and now he's gone it could allow me the chance to either
extend the contracts of one of two current players or bring someone else
in.''
On Freeing Colin Meldrum...''Col
in has been here a longtime now and maybe he needs a fresh challenge. I
have been up front with him and told him his contract won't be renewed in
the summer. I've told him if he can find a club during the window he can
go but I don't have a problem if he wants to see out his contract. 'It
might be easier for him to find a club now rather than be involved in a
scramble in the summer. As for Ruitenbeek, he is an experienced
goalkeeper and he is one we are looking at. It's got nothing to do
with the Greg Shields deal that's a completely different situation."
On Nemsadze ... ''I have spoken
to Giorgi and while he would like to stay in Scotland, he has a very good
offer
on the
table from a club back home in Georgia. To be honest, I think his wage
demands could only be met by Celtic or Rangers in Scotland but it was
worth speaking to him to see if he would be interested in joining us. He
would have been but he is looking for more money than we can afford.''
On Signing Eric Skora..."We
have lost Shields and Peter Canero, but we feel we have got a good player
in Skora who will help us until the end of the season. I don't think
Preston were that keen to lose him. I believe Aberdeen and ourselves
were chasing Eric's signature and we're very pleased he has decided to
come here. We will just have to battle on and I'm sure people will
appreciate we are trying to be successful while making sure the club do
not get into the same difficulties experienced by others recently,"
Jan 17th on the Pars Post
Match... "I spoke to the
linesman after the game and he said Crawford wasn't offside. I
can't tell from my angle but, when you see a player standing
alone in the six-yard box, you usually think he's offside. So
it will be interesting to see the replay. But Dunfermline are
fourth in the league and we have been struggling in the last
few games at home. We won the first-half but, in the second,
we sat back a little and there wasn't a lot between the teams.
But we created the better chances. Gary McDonald had a couple
of good opportunities to get the winner but he's only a young
boy so we can't be too hard on him." Match Report
Jan 16th on the Pars Pre
Match... That is in the past and
has no bearing on what happens tomorrow. (Pars record at Rugby
Park). It doesn't matter how long the run is - some day it
will be broken. You can't sit back on records. There have been
places where we haven't lost for a while and we have then been
beaten. Records mean nothing. It was hard work, Jefferies
contends, which did the job for his team at Raith. It was
understandable that people were expecting a shock after the
defeat at Brechin and the previous SPL games, But the players
rolled up their sleeves and caused Raith to panic at the back
a bit to cash in on it. It was all about getting into the next
round, and we are comfortably there - which should give us a
lift for a difficult game against Dunfermline."
Jan 16h on Adding the
Squad After Canero's departure..."I
have got two or three in mind - but we still have to do a bit
of work. Even without the transfer window, we look at a lot of
players. But some are unavailable and some we can't afford,
because they are not going to come for less money than they
are on. We just have to keep working away and try to get
somebody we can afford and can do a job for us. But it doesn't
just happen like that. Sometimes, you just need a break. We
couldn't move for anyone until the deal for Canero had gone
through."
Jan 10th on the Cup Draw
after the Raith
Victory... "We'd be as well
getting them (Rangers) in the next/Raith%20Celeb%20FP.jpg)
round rather than the final because they are very difficult to
beat in the final. We could have got a lower league
team and go out like we did against Brechin in the CIS
Insurance Cup and make no money, so we'll have a go at getting
a big crowd and making it a money-spinner for the club. We
gave Rangers a tough game in the league and they only scored
the winner in the last minute so it's a game we're looking
forward to." Match Report
Jan 9th on the Raith Pre Match..."We
have not had a good record since we won it. We have had a chat
with the boys about how many people will be tipping Raith to
win it because of our recent run in the SPL and in
cups. So we need to show people what we can do and prove we
are quite happy for everyone to tip Raith. We can see why they
are saying it with our recent run but the players have taken
it on board. They should just look to getting through. It
doesn't matter how well you play, it is about being in the hat
for the next round. This is one of those occasions when we
will have to roll up our sleeves and grind out a result
because Raith will be up for it. On paper, they may be
underdogs but they will believe they have a chance. But we are
still the SPL club and we have a lot of good players. We have
been well warned in the past though.''
Jan 6th on Defensive
Changes..."We have to face facts
we have the worst defensive record in the league and if you
don't stop giving away goals you won't win matches. That was
nine games in a row the back lot was unchanged. They can't
complain, they've had plenty of chances."
Jan 3rd on the Dons Post Match...
"If you tell players before the
game who to mark and who to look out for and they don't do it,
there's very little you can do. I spent all week telling them
who to pick up and then we gave/04%20Nish%20Dons%20FP.jpg)
away a free header after only seven minutes, so they obviously
paid no notice. We had the opportunity to pull level with the
penalty and didn't take it and that set the tone for the rest
of the game. We need to show more aggression and roll up our
sleeves like Aberdeen did because I don't think there's too
much difference in quality between the teams, they were just
hungrier. We didn't protect the young goalkeeper well enough.
As a schoolboy, you learn that, if you want to be a striker,
then you have to follow the ball in when someone shoots and,
if you are a defender, you have to be first to that ball.
No-one from our team followed in with Leigh Hinds and the more
experienced players should've known better."
Match Report
Jan 2nd on the Dons Pre Match...'If
everyone is fit, we may look at one or two experienced
players. We have not had that to fall back on recently because
a lot of them have been injured. Locke and Invincibile are in
my thoughts. One or two of the young lads have done well but
need a rest. After having three good wins on the trot, we
thought we had a good chance to get into third or fourth
place. Our target is always to be in there challenging, with
the first aim of the top six before the split. We just threw
our chance away in the last few games but there is still a
good opportunity for us to get right in among the top teams.
We have to try to make up for it now and we have been far more
dangerous away from home this season. We did really well at
Tynecastle in our last game and should have won. We have not
been playing that badly, we just need to turn the good form
into results. But Aberdeen have proved you can have a win or
two and pull away from the bottom. You have to take your
chances and get in front first. We have lost the first goal in
recent games and then had to chase the game."On
our Keeper crisis..."We
will give Francois every chance of improving because Colin
Meldrum has gone down with flu. Craig Samson has played a bit
more than Graeme Smith and is ready but we will wait and see
how Francois is before kick-off."
Jan 2nd on Canero's contract
offer..."There is no deadline on it. We
have made an offer and it is up to them to decide. We have offered a
three-year contract and a substantial increase in salary which shows we
are keen. Peter is only 21 and has a bright future. He still has a lot to
learn. But he is ambitious and I'd imagine there will be people interested
in him but that is out of our hands. All we can do is offer him a contract
and that is what we have done.'We
have done our bit. Now it is up to Peter to sit down with his
agent and have a think about what he wants to do, which is his
prerogative. The club have made an offer in writing and we
can't do more. 'In the present climate, it is a very good
offer based on what we can afford. It will be up to Peter
now.''
Dec 30th on the Squad's
Injuries improving...''Craig
Dargo was back training after his injury on Monday and Shaun
(Dillon) was back after his operation as well, which leaves
Alan Mahood the only player out.''
Dec 27th on the Arabs Post Match...
"I think anybody who was at the game could see
that we deserved a point. The scoreline certainly flattered
Dundee United because in the second half I think the penalty
was the/Dodds%20Fulton%20FP.jpg)
only time they were in our box. We had some good half
chances and the boy made a fantastic save. Just at the moment
it is not falling for us and the penalty decision sums that
up. I think everybody in the ground saw Stevie got the ball.
I'm not having a go at the referee but I asked him what he saw
and he said Stevie Fulton came through the man. I asked that
if he did then why wasn't he booked or sent off? I just
couldn't understand the answer because he said he didn't think
it was a genuine goalscoring opportunity. I'm glad because
Stevie stayed on the park and I've got him for another week
but I think he genuinely made a mistake blowing for a penalty
in the first place."
Match Report
Dec 26th on the Arabs Pre Match..."Sometimes,
players need a jolt. I have certainly said my piece. But the
result itself and the second-half display may act as the kick
up the backside. They will, I hope, realise now that if they
don't keep up the things they do well that is what can happen.
If you lose your patience and discipline and start getting
frustrated things go against you. That is part and parcel of
football, but we had four players under 21 and another three
who are only 22.' It can happen to any team which fields young
players such as Motherwell, Aberdeen and Hibernian — but it is
a learning process, We weren't happy with the second-half
performance. But they have to bounce back, and the Dundee
United game will be the test for them.''
Dec 24th on squad changes
when the transfer window reopens ..."As
long as I am under budget, I can do as I please in some ways.
But, right now, we are at the limit with the budget so we have
to wait and see what happens."
More
Dec 22nd More on the Livi
Post Match... ''Up until the
second half on Saturday we played really well. But we had
seven players under the age of 22 and I think a wee bit of
inexperience crept in. Still, these guys will have to learn
these things and that is what we pointed out. 'It is
important they stick to the things they do best and not let
frustrations get the better of them. Motherwell have had it,
Aberdeen have had it and Bobby Williamson is having something
similar at Hibs. 'It is part and parcel of playing a lot of
younger players.''
Dec 20th on the Livi
Post Match... "We have been
playing well for the past four games and, maybe, some of
the players thought they had arrived and could afford to
switch off. I hope this will be a big boot up the backside for
them. I said we had two big games coming up and all they've
succeeded in doing is turning next week's game against Dundee
United into a massive one. I'm looking for a major response.
We need to undo some of the damage we did today and I can't
wait for next week now."
Match Report
Dec 19th on the Livi Pre Match..."Four
weeks ago, we had a programme where we had the chance to get
back-to-back wins and we won four in a row. The holiday period
will lead us up to a position for another two
home games on
the run after the trip to Aberdeen. Our confidence is high at
the moment despite the loss last week. We have four wins from
our last five and that is good form to be in heading into
Christmas. But we need to be in good form because there really
isn't a lot between most of the teams in this league. Fair
play to the players who have come in, they have done very
well. We played very well at Hearts last week and didn't get
anything but the visit of Livingston is the first of two home
games for us. Livingston have been going well so we will have
to be at our best."
Dec 19th on resigning
Colin Nish..."Colin came in
for a short period and could easily have had a longer term
deal with another club. But he wanted the chance to stay in
the SPL and we told him we would be fair to him and offer an
extension if he impressed. Sure enough, he has earned that and
we were delighted because he has been doing well for us."
Dec 18th on a possible
British Cup..."Those games
were a real boost for the fans if you didn't have European football. The
supporters loved them and I'm sure they would now. There could be a lot of
brilliant games just as there were back then." (In the Texaco Cup
Days).
Dec 13th on the Hearts
Post Match... "It was a
frustrating result because we played quite well today. We've
been getting better every week but today it was all about
missing the chances. Hearts had one and a half chances and
scored two goals. I thought we deserved, if not three, a point
and we were delighted with the
performance. We had two great chances with Boyd's in the
first-half and Peter Canero's after half-time and they should
have scored but they know that. We are going back down the
road knowing we deserved something from the game."
Match Report
Dec 12th on the Hearts
Pre Match..."Hearts are too good
a side to go on a long unbeaten run, so this is a tough game
for us. What you find with Hearts is that, even though they're
not playing well, they are a hard side to beat because they
have a great work ethic. They're well organised and they've
got Mark de Vries, who has been a bit more fitter and mobile
than when he first came. They may also have Steven Pressley
back who has been a loss for them. Since he's been away
they've not had success which shows you what a key player he
is. But, all round, they are a very difficult team to play
against and, even though they've lost four games, they haven't
been playing that badly. It's swings and roundabouts. They'll
probably have a wee run where they score goals in the last
minute like they did last season but now they're not getting
the breaks. After beating Motherwell and Partick Thistle, we
knew we had two tough places to go to at Dundee and Hearts.
People said if we got a draw at each it wouldn't be that bad
but it would have been only two points. But now we've got
three because we had a good win at Dundee so we can go to
Tynecastle and have a go."
Dec 10th at the clubs AGM..."We
see our youth policy as the way ahead and we were very
disappointed when our Sport Scotland bid failed last term"
More
Dec 10th on providing a
warning to Killie's 12 out of contract players...''At
the end of the season we'll make the players an offer. If they
don't take it, I'll go out and get someone who will. It's as
simple as that.''
More
Dec 6th on the Dee Post Match... "It's
a terrific
/Dee%20Celeb%20A%20FP.jpg)
three
points because Dundee is a very difficult place to go to at
the moment. But I thought we were excellent in the first half
and made some great chances and we should have been three up
at the interval. Dundee had the pressure but they never made
the clear-cut chances we did. We sat back in the second half
and maybe we were guilty of hanging on to our lead but
sometimes you have to dig in and we did that. We showed
resilience and strength because earlier in the season we would
have lost that game." Match Report
Dec 5th on the Dee
Pre Match..."You have got to give
Jim credit for that because, with the Dundee situation, he
could easily have left for more job security. He was linked
with the Partick job but he has decided to stay and that is
good news for Dundee. If anyone watched them in the CIS Cup in
midweek, they would have seen a tremendous amount of effort
from Dundee. Adversity sometimes pulls you together and they
put in a really good shift in to deserve the win over Hearts.
Jim has lost a lot of strength in depth but his starting
line-up is just as strong as it has been recently."On Gary McDonald's thigh strain..."Gary
has settled over the last few games but we will give him every
chance, although he has to be rated doubtful at the moment. He
has done very well for us recently but, if he is not fit, he
is not fit. That takes us up to seven players unavailable if
he doesn't make it"
Dec 4th on Killie's
Scotland "Call-Up's"..."Berti
was at our game last week (Well) where Gordon Greer played
very well and Greg probably had his best game of the season,
The two have done very well this year. Berti may not have
known much about them before the game but I said afterwards he
would have been impressed."
Nov 29th on the Well
Post Match..."It was an
attractive game to come and see with the number of Scottish
players from both sides playing. "He (Vogts) would have been
watching Stephen Pearson from Motherwell, who has been playing
well this season but I thought Greg Shields did great against
him. And he knows about Canero and what he can do. But one or
two players that he didn't know or didn't think about before
he came here, like Gordon Greer and young Gary McDonald, also
played well. So he'll certainly go up the road knowing about
them now, especially after the way they played in those
difficult conditions." Match Report
Nov 28th on the Well
Pre Match..."We have had injury
problems all season so we are getting used to it now. But the
bulk of the squad that won last week is still intact and the
last couple of games have seen some much-improved
performances. I'm happy with the way we have been playing. We should be
confident as we are on a good run at the moment. Both ourselves and
Motherwell are playing well and it should be a cracker. 'Last season we
beat them at Rugby Park with a penalty and then they
did it to us in the Scottish Cup, so there's never much between us.''
Nov 28th on the Dundee (&
Well) Situation/s...."I don't
think we will see Dundee go spinning down the table.
When there is adversity it tends to bond people stronger.
There will be a lot of uncertainty at Dundee at the moment and
the situation is hardly ideal for Jim Duffy. But some people
will be feeling fortunate to have managed to keep their jobs
and will be playing for their futures. Two years ago,
Motherwell were struggling at the bottom but now they are
getting their reward for the work they have put in after
getting a wee break by staying up."
On Signing Former Dee Players... "I think
many managers would like some of the quality players they have
let go but in our case all our resources have been used up and
we will have to get on with what we have got.''
Nov 24th on Stevie
Murray..."Stevie was a
victim of the 3-5-2 system we played last season but it
stopped working for us this season and we've gone back to one
that suits him more, He has been showing more consistency and
was excellent against Thistle."
More
On Colin
Nish ... ''Colin has a football brain and a
great touch for such a big guy. He got two great goals for us
last week and he will get better in the long term. 'I had
liked him for a while before he came to us and while Colin has
a lot to learn, you can see that he has improved in every
game.''
Nov 22nd on the Partick
Post Match... "Partick are
scratching for their first win and are fighting for their
lives but I thought we matched them. They worked hard and made
a game of it but our quality
/Nish%20Jags%20Celeb%20SB.jpg)
came
through in the end. I thought the performance today was just
as pleasing as the result and, if we keep playing like that,
then we'll soon be moving up the table." Match Report
On
Colin Nish..."Colin is a player
who will keep on getting better and better and I think there
were one or two people who were surprised when Dunfermline let
him go. He was at Dunfermline for a long time but everyone has
their own opinion but we told him that this was a chance for a
fresh start and to prove a few people wrong. We had him
watched for a long time and he has a good footballing brain
and is a dangerous player. He still has a lot to learn and the
only way he will do that is to play games, so we decided to
give him a run. If he keeps playing like that he will hold
onto his place in the team."
Nov 21st on the Partick
Pre Match..."Partick are
going to win a game sometime and, like everyone else, we hope
it isn`t against us. Hopefully it will be another week away
and we won`t be the club who are defeated. That`s an extra
motivation for us but, even if they had won three or four by
now, we`d still be determined to get the three points."
Nov 21st on financial
planning ...We put a business
plan forward and we`re trying to adhere to that. Last year, we
had to cut the wage bill by £300,000. We
know we have to bring things into line and it`s difficult for
a manager to do that and live up to the expectation levels on
the park because the fans want to see the team doing well. The
transfer window hasn`t helped either - sometimes you want to
change one or two things and show the fans that you are trying
to do something different. But the transfer window doesn`t
allow for the to happen anymore. No-one wants to see clubs
going into administration and other clubs are struggling too.
It's happened to Motherwell, it`s happening to Dundee and, if
you listen to the grapevine, then it could happen to one or
two others as well. It's a time to cut our cloth accordingly
and to manage within our means.e
Nov 21st on squad planning ...
"The transfer window is coming up but to bring anyone in would depend
on one or two players moving on because we are at our limit at the moment.
We have 12 players out of contract at the end of the season. No-one has
been told to start looking for new clubs yet but some could go for
financial reasons and some could go because we feel we could bring in
someone better. Others may choose to leave."
Nov 12th on what's
next...."The top six is our
first target but we have to earn the right to be there. I felt
it was the first time the players showed passion. We matched
the Rangers talent with effort and commitment on Sunday, but
there is no point in doing that in one game, We need that over
the next nine games because this is a very important quarter
of the season for us,"/Hazy%20Boyd%20FP.jpg)
Nov 9th on the Rangers
Post Match..."Nobody should be
scoring from a header a yard out. You are either looking for
your defenders to be out there or you are looking for your
goalkeeper to come and take it. I was pretty angry that we
lost a goal from a header in the six yard box. The goalie made
a couple of good saves today but I felt if he had come for
that we would have got a point out of the game."
Match Report
Nov 8th on the Rangers
Pre Match... "The main emphasis
all week has been on what was the point in sitting back
against Celtic. We worked hard enough but we
didn't cause Celtic any problems and, once the second goal
went in, we lost our way a bit. If you lose by having a
go at them, it is more acceptable and although I was pleased
with the effort, they didn't have the belief. We've told
them this week to make a game of it and stop worrying about
whether we get beat or not. Nobody expects us to win against
the Old Firm so we should be making an effort, particularly at
home. You never know, you may be surprised and get a result.
On Squad Injuries... "Last week, we had seven
out but, although there are still some out, we are starting to
get them back slowly. We still want to get Alan Mahood, Gary
Locke and Craig Dargo back from injury. Craig is still a bit
short but it is slowly clearing for us. They have all been in
training this week and it will take a game or two before they
are match-fit. With the way we have been playing and a number
of below-par performances, returning players have to get back
into their stride quickly. It is not just a case of one or two
disappointing displays, we have been poor over the whole
season.''
Nov 1st on the Celtic
Post Match... 
"It was never a
5-0 - we were still in it at 1-0 with 20 minutes left on the
/Sun%20Mail%20Stan%20Diver.jpg)
clock. There were a few iffy penalties. The first one was
certainly soft but the referee has seen it different. We
should have had a penalty when Jackie McNamara fouled (Colin)
Nish but I don't want to blame him. Sometimes they go for you
and sometimes they don't. But we reacted badly at 2-0 down and
5-0 is hard to take."
On Hugh Dallas's Performance..."He
was a disgrace. He is meant to be Scotland's number one
referee but not on that performance. Match Report
Oct 31st on the Celtic
Pre Match... "Just a few weeks ago, we got one or two
players back and thought that offered us a little light at the
end of the tunnel. But, a week later, we went back to the
average of six players out per game this season. It's
not the way you want it but you just have to accept it and
hope it clears up soon. We
have one or two off the treatment table but to throw them back
into a game against Celtic would be wrong unless we were
struggling to field a team. We can't bring anyone in but it is
an opportunity for the other players to stake a claim. The
challenge is still for them and, if they don't take it, they
have nobody to blame but themselves. A couple of young players
have come in. We gave Shaun a chance again and Gary, after he
didn't start the season too well. Gary
came on last week at Hibs and did very well in the second half
after having a few matches last year. We took him out of it
after the start of the season but he's done well since and is
in our thoughts for the Celtic game. We have always had a
feeling Gary has what it takes and now it is up to him to take
the chance. Celtic are unbeaten this season and we have got to
put in a good display. The challenge for us is to make it as
difficult as we can for them. Better teams than ourselves have
found it difficult. We really competed well against them on
the second-to-last time they came here and took a couple of
points off them. They had a lot to play for last time in May
and played very well. The best chance for us to take points is
always going to be at home and we have got to raise our game
and work extremely hard."
Oct 25th on the Hibs Post Match..."We
won at Dunfermline last week but we played 20 times better
against Hibs. We started the game well but lost a goal from
their first corner and then a defensive mistake meant we were
2-0 down. But, after that, we got better and there was good
build-up work but our final ball was missing. However, we
totally dominated the second half and, if we had scored in the
first five minutes, we would have gone on and won the game. We
certainly deserved to take something from the match." Match Report
Oct 24th on the Hibs Pre Match... "There's
times when we've not defended as well as we should have done,
That's made the game more difficult. Last week we lost two
goals and ended up winning the game 3-2, but even though it's
an entertaining spectacle for the fans it would be nice to get
a couple of clean sheets for once. I don't know whether we've
had any this season. We could go out and defend, but we're not
good enough to do that. But if the defenders are on their toes
then we can keep a clean sheet and if we do that we've got a
chance of winning games because we've got the forwards to hurt
sides. We have been better on our travels this season than we
have at home. Most teams now over the past couple of seasons
have all done quite well away from home. At home there's
pressure on you to take the initiative and when you do that
teams can soak it up and hit you on the break. Aberdeen
haven't done well at home and have a few good results on their
travels so all the sides have been doing well away. We were
good away from home last year, but were also very good at home
so we need to find the consistency. We want to do well at home
and we need to get that right, but maybe some teams come and
make it hard and frustrate you. You get caught on the break
and that's how we have been doing it away. Maybe teams take
the initiative and we have the flair and the players that are
comfortable hitting teams on the break."
Oct 20h more on the Pars Post Match..."If
we have not been firing on all cylinders that is because of
injuries. We are just three
points behind third place and we haven't even started yet.
When we do get going then look out. We
had seven outfield players out of action against Dunfermline
and utilised a back three that had not played together before.
But even when we went 2-1
behind we were still battling away. We are always capable of
scoring goals."
Oct 18h on the Pars Post Match..."Dunfermline
had a lot of pressure and a few chances but our boys adapted
well to the surface. We were very positive about it. We came
here and said there is no point moaning about it. In both
teams, there are players who are more comfortable with it. But
we told the players there was no point
being negative about
it. We've got to come back here again and, if you are
negative, you are beaten before you come. We could have
defended better but we had seven players out injured today and
a back three who were playing together for the first time.
We're not happy with the goals we lost but the spirit was good
and we never let the heads go down when it would have been
easy to do that. In the last two games we've let ourselves
down. But we were never out of it today and it continues a
good run here."
On Gary McSwegan..."Gary has not started the
season that well for us. But we watched him this week and
thought he was ready to get a couple of goals. We brought him
back today and he has scored two good goals for us." Match Report
Oct 17th on the Pars Pre Match... "I
thought that our injuries had cleared up and were behind us
but it seems they are back to trouble us. We let ourselves
down in the last game against Aberdeen and we were keen to be
injury-free for a very tough away game in the hope that we
would bounce back. It's something we have to deal with and we
have been through it before. It just means another chance for
the other lads to come in and show what they can do. The boys
have been great and are looking forward to the next game to
bounce back. We played in a friendly match against Ayr United
last week but we are now back to the games that matter in
terms of points. We have trained on Dunfermline's plastic
pitch this week and that went well, so we will go into the
game hoping for a result."
Oct 11th on the Ayr
Post Match..."We controlled
the game and I think 1-0 flattered them. We hit the post and
one of our boys thought another one crossed the line. But we
won and it was a chance to give a few of the lads a run out.
Now the match is to be an annual event."
Match Report
Oct 4th on the Dons
Post Match... "We had a
decent performance last week at Tannadice but followed that up
with a bad performance today, Losing two goals in the first 15
minutes gave us a mountain to climb and Aberdeen couldn't have
asked for a better start. We hoped to get an early goal
in the second half but we really faced an uphill task after
they scored their third goal. Our defending left a lot to be
desired after two great performances away from home in our
previous SPL matches." Match
Report
Sep 27th on the Arabs
Post Match... "That was
the best team performance this season and we looked more
like our old selves. The first half was poor but in the
second half we came out and played and we had two or three
great chances to score but we couldn't get the break. We
deserved the goal but it was the old adage of defending for
the next five minutes after scoring but we couldn't do that
and their goal perked them up a bit. 
But I think we can build on that. We've had four points out of
our last six on our travels and that is acceptable. We've got
Gary Locke and Danny Invincibile back fit so we're getting our
squad back together now. But we took Gary off before he got
sent off. The referee had booked him for fouling Charlie
Miller and had warned him that one more foul and he
was off. Stevie Fulton heard this and tipped us the wink so
that's why we took him off."Their keeper made a couple of
great stops, we missed a couple of headers at the back post,
Peter Canero got a couple on target and was unlucky not to get
a wee break. I thought
it was a travesty that United took anything out of the game
because we dominated the second half and should have scored
more. We now go into our next game, against Aberdeen, with
confidence because of the way we are playing."
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May 15th the Jags Post Match... "I
thought we controlled the game in the second half and when we
went 2-1 up I couldn't really see Thistle coming back unless
it was from a mistake - which it was. We switched off and
allowed the boy too much time in the box and paid the penalty.
It was a game we really should have won because we were in
total control in the second half. We had plenty of chances. It
would have been nice to have signed off with a win but these
things happen."
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May
9th Billy Brown on the Dee Post Match...
"Jim is away looking at players (In Portugal) and the problem
isn't hard to identify and that's where we're looking to try
and strengthen. In terms of overall play, we've played as well
as we did last season but certainly we've defended as poorly
as any team has and our goals against column has shown that.
We're the fourth highest scorers in the league and we've given
away the most goals so therein lies the problem.
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