Having spoken to JJ for B&H last Saturday, a lot of what he had to
say was going over old ground, but it is best to repeat it so the whole
article is in the correct context...and not everyone will have read this
week's B&H yet as it is not online until Monday or Tuesday.
Jim started off by talking about making even more signings, he said: "We
are hoping to discuss a pre-contract agreement with a player I'm familiar
with this afternoon. I can't disclose any names at the moment because it
would not be fair to the player or to his club, but his club don't want to
lose him and there are three or four others waiting in the wings as well.
There is still 24 hours left until this transfer deadline and we've been
offered a fair few deals but not many of them are what we are looking
for."
One player that JJ had been looking for was Jags defender David Lilley,
Jim said: "I think we have done well to capture David Lilley as he
is a player I've long admired. We have been chasing him for a while and it
took all last week to conclude a deal. I've watched David from his time at
Queen of the South and his versatility will be a great asset to us. As
well as an excellent right back he can play well both in the centre and as
a wing back which, gives us scope when changing formations."
On tomorrow's game with Celtic he said: "I will be looking to
players who carry some kind of aerial prowess when selecting the team this
week. Celtic are very strong in the air and we have to be able to deal
with that threat if we are going to compete. We will have to be at our
best and hope that they are not if we are going to get a result. I think
it's around 52 years since we've won at Parkhead so we are looking to
break some records tomorrow!"
He went on: "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."
Craig Dargo is finally back from his long term injury and is
technically available for selection tomorrow. JJ said: "Dargo
played his first full ninety minutes for a year on Monday and did
exceptionally well scoring two goals. He is staring to look the part again
but you have to remember that we don't want to rush him into anything
having played only briefly for the reserves since his return to training.
We will give him another run out in the under 21's this week and if he
continues to impress then he will come into contention to be named in the
squad against Rangers."
We pressed JJ about the other names Killie have been linked with in the
media. He said: "While we were negotiating the Shields deal Jimmy
Calderwood offered us the chance to speak to Ruitenbeek, but at the time
our priority was signing a defender. We have indicated that we will
looking for an experienced keeper to replace Meldrum and may talk to him
again in the summer when his contract runs out, if he decides to stay in
Scotland. There is no major rush at the moment as Melly will now be
staying on until the end of the season."
He continued: "We have had no further contact with Nemsadze as
we simply can't afford him. He's a smashing player but the fact that no
other club in Scotland can afford him either speaks volumes. I think that
he has been offered a lucrative contract abroad and will probably take
that. We never spoke to Caballero at all as we were informed from several
other clubs the kind of money that he was looking for. Jim Duffy tried and
failed to get him to re-sign at a reduced rate and he wasn't wearing it so
it would have been a waste of time us offering him a contract."
The financial constraints JJ has to cope with are playing havoc with
his team building plans, but he is willing to put a brave face on it as
long as the fans can appreciate his predicament. He said: "We want
this club to survive and that is why we have had to let players go and
strive to keep within the budgets. I know it's frustrating for supporters,
especially when they see the team playing so inconsistently, but the
bottom line is we have to avoid at all costs ending up like Motherwell and
Dundee...we have to be realists."
He added: "We are going through a tough spell and it may be
like this for a wee while, but eventually we will turn things around and
it will all come good again. Other clubs seem to be doing okay in the
short term, but the further up the league you look the worse off
financially the teams are. We have to strike a balance and build the best
team we can within a sensible wage structure, and bring through as much
talent as we can."
"Building a team with little or no money is not an easy thing
to do, but rest assured if it wasn't me that was here doing it, someone
else would be charged with the same task. The money saved from the three
players that left have allowed me to dabble in the transfer market, but we
can no longer afford to look at the likes of Cocard and such players who
commanded huge wages. It's been even more difficult having to cope without
the guys who have been on the treatment table for so long, it will be a
major bonus to have them available again and like signing new
players."
JJ finished off by saying: "We are not the only club in this
position of course, the other clubs are also feeling the strain and
everyone will have to cut their cloth to suit from here on in. Partick
alone have their own agenda, avoiding that bottom spot, but everyone else
is in with a chance of the top six. If we had won last week we'd have been
right back up there, the league is that tight. To be honest the confidence
is really low right now but if we can at least have a few good
performances in the upcoming games and show some fighting spirit then it
could make all the difference."
