KILMARNOCK chairman Sir John Orr
talks about his first three years at the club.
In light of the near 2
million pound loss in fiscal 2002 the former Strathclyde chief
constable has had to wield the axe at Rugby
Park resulting in job losses and drastic wage cuts.
But despite these
massive cuts and an almost non-existent transfer budget for boss Jim
Jefferies, Orr feels
the Ayrshire club made significant progress last season.
Orr on Change Management.... "A
lot of people in Scottish football are just waking up to the state of
the game in this country but we identified two years ago there had to be
drastic changes.
"There were a lot of painful decisions to
make before a ball was even kicked but it's my role as chairman to make
hard and fast decisions which will benefit the long-term future of the
club.
"We started with a blank sheet of paper and
immediately started reducing admin costs and players' wages.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt by
some of the material I read in some websites
(is he referring to www.killiefc.com
?) fanzines as I've supported the club since the age of five and
I know how they feel.
On His Future..."There's also
been rumours about my departure but I've no intention of going anywhere
as I'm proud to be Kilmarnock chairman.
"I won't be here forever as I've got other
interests in my life but in the short term my future is here.
His opinions On Last Season & Jim Jefferies..."The
club has been through good and bad times recently but I'd like to think
we're going through good times at the moment under Jim Jefferies.
"Jim, Billy Brown and Ian Durrant have been
exceptional for this club.
"Under a tight budget they have proved an
extremely adept management team.
"Jim's transfer dealing have been a huge
success. Steve Fulton has been a revelation, Greg Shields is one of the
best players in his position in Scotland and Gary McSwegan has shown
tremendous character to get into double figures for the season.
"Last season we finished fourth, 11 points
clear of the fifth-place team and just behind Hearts so the aim next
season has to be third place and a spot in Europe."
On continuing development of their young
Scots..."They have been
maturing, getting better every game and they are not boys any more.
"Peter Canero, Kris Boyd, Paul di Giacomo
and Jamie Fowler have all been involved with the first team for a few
seasons now, but last year Sean Dillon and Gary MacDonald both burst
through.
"The two made a huge impact at the end of
the season and that is what this club is all about. There is now a great
a mixture of youngsters and senior pros at Rugby Park and it has created
a fantastic team morale.
"The spirit in the dressing room sticks out
like a beacon. Jim has got the players playing out of their skin.
"There are no cliques and, I'm not
suggesting this is the reason, but we only have one foreign player at
the club now and Freddie Dindeleux is almost Scots anyway."
