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Jim Jefferies Comments 05-06

July
1st thru May 7th 2006
If
it came out of Killie boss Jim Jefferies mouth then you'll find it here
(if it was picked up by the press. Dates shown are dates reported)......
May 7th on the Hibs Post Match...
"We deserve it, we've been fifth for most of the season.
It was a great finish in front of our own supporters and I thought we
played some great stuff. The extra £70,000 helps the club as the
higher we finish, the more we get. The players can be well satisfied and
coming fifth speaks volumes for the squad. It has been hard ever since I
have been here, but we accept it and get on with it. We finished seventh
last season and fifth this year. It'll be hard to top that, but we'll
consolidate and try to do better." Match
Report
May 6th on Next Term's Needs..."One
of my problems is I have a few players who are going to be out injured
long-term and even though I know my strongest team one or two of them
are going to be out at the start of next season. It leaves us short at
the back so we'll need to try to bring in a couple of people over the
summer. I know what my back four is going to be next season but I don't
have anybody to come in if someone gets injured. There will be players
starting next season on the treatment table so it's a priority to make a
few signings even though we don't have a lot of money. We will try
and strengthen and bring in cover especially in defence. It's hard to
criticise my players when you consider what they've had to go through
over the last two or three years. But we haven't just scraped by, we
have been consistent while playing some great football.
The players have been a credit to the
club and themselves this year, only losing to Rangers, Celtic, Hibs and
Hearts. Nobody else has been beaten us which is a great
achievement for a club like ours given what we've had to do in the last
few years. I'm proud of that and I'm sure Billy Brown, the rest of the
coaching staff and the supporters are too."
About His Upcoming Break... "The pressure is not long in
coming round again. You know you're going to enjoy a little break, try
and forget about it, but, in this job, most managers will tell you the
phone goes when you're on holiday - and you have to pick up your
messages. Things happen all the time at the club. You're enquiring about
new players and you want to keep your finger on the pulse. You can
switch off from the day-to-day business when you are a player, but not
when you're a manager because the chairman still wants to get hold of
you, agents, the secretary and you have to deal with it. Three years
ago, we set this plan out, improved last season and have improved again.
That is the satisfying bit for me. The whole squad has been a joy to
train and they give everything. It was nice when
Tommy Burns told Billy
Brown we deserved the recognition we've received. It's been a fantastic
season for us. The pleasing thing has been the football we've played.
The Killie supporters get criticised for being hard to please, but a lot
of them understand what's happened over the past few years and
appreciate watching the team. We lost
Kris Boyd, our top goalscorer, to
Rangers, but we didn't fall away."
May 5th on the Hibs Pre Match...:
"Aberdeen lost at
Hearts last night so we must win at the weekend and hope that Celtic can
do us a favour. We have made fifth
position our own for most of the season and even if Celtic draw and we
win at the weekend I think we can take it. We've
a lot to play for and it means a lot that we've played against the top
teams in the country and got in amongst them. It was always going
to be hard to get points, but a win on Sunday would top off a really
good season. I hope the fans come out and get behind us and appreciate
what we've done this season. One more good effort and then we can enjoy
the summer."
On Next Term... "We have done it on a shoestring budget
but we feel we'll be in there to challenge for the top six again next
season. It's my job to make sure the players believe this wasn't a
fluke. They are good enough so why can't we do it again next year. It
will be harder next season because the other teams will try and improve
and will come strong again."
May
4th on the Celtic Post Match... ""It's
hard to criticise the team because they have been excellent this season,
In fact, they have been better than that - they've been different class.
We knew when we got into the top half that they would be tough
games and I've been really pleased with the way they have applied
themselves in the previous three games. But
against Celtic we had nothing to lose yet played nothing like as
consistently as we have this year. For some reason we looked to be in
some sort of shell. I think the fact it was a low-key affair and the
atmosphere was pretty quiet contributed, but if ever we had a chance to
go to Parkhead and win it was last night."
Match
Report
May 2nd on the Celtic Pre Match... "We
will go there and have a go. But we know we haven't won there in more
than 50 years, so obviously it won't be easy. We have performed well in
the three games after the split. We gave Hearts a good match at
Tynecastle and we could easily have won at Aberdeen but only got a
draw. Against Rangers at the weekend we were comfortable for a long
while when we were 1-0 up. Then a few little things went against us, not
least that they got a deflected goal before going on to win the game.
We've equipped ourselves very well in those games, and I feel that maybe
we've just not had that little rub of the green. If we play as well in
the next two games then I hope we will get a break. The players
certainly deserve it, because they have been magnificent this season."
Apr 29th on the Gers Post Match... "I
can't fault the players for effort, they gave everything today.
But Rangers showed more determination to win the ball in the air on
three occasions and that's what cost us. We have given a great account
of ourselves this season and hopefully we can keep that going in the
last two games."
Match
Report
Apr 28th on the Gers Pre Match...
"There is an expectation
among Rangers and Celtic fans for their side to win every game they play
in. And now Rangers have the added
incentive of the Champions League place to go for. They have also pegged
Hearts back to just four points. But we
are keen to do something we haven't managed this year - getting a point
off one of the Old Firm teams. We are at home and will be giving it our
best shot.We still have fourth place to
go for and wins against either Rangers or Celtic, as well as Hibs in our
last game, would give us a real chance. The club
gets more money the higher up the league it finishes. Finishing in fourth
would be worth at least another £50,000 to Kilmarnock.
As far as I'm concerned, that is another
two players for next season. When you only pay about £600 a week in wages,
it is worth a lot."
On
shackling former player Kris Boyd ..."We
can't just concentrate on Kris. We have to worry about Dado Prso and
Thomas Buffel, too."
On Danny Invincibile's
New Deal..."We've shaken
hands on it. The contract is in the hands of his advisors now. The only
players I still have to speak to are Gary McDonald and Stevie Murray,"
Apr
27th on Kris Boyd's Return to Rugby Park on Sat...."I'm
sure he'll get a good reception from the Killie
fans. The club tried their best to keep him but we couldn't turn it down.
He'll not get any stick because he did a great job for us and that's only
right. "Kris was due to get a percentage of the transfer and while the
figure we got was maybe not as much as we would have wanted Kris gave us
half to put into youth development. But we just hope he puts a few into
the stand and doesn't hurt us but that's easier said than done."
On the Club's Finances...“This time last
year, we were sitting here and I was worried that we were not going to
have a club at all, However, the chairman [Michael Johnson] put a business
plan into operation and now we no longer have to go to the bank with cap
in hand, saying we are struggling to exist. The chairman budgeted for us
finishing seventh. There was also the chance that we could have lost Kris
Boyd for nothing, if he had stayed on and left this summer as a free
agent. We also had a figure in the business plan if we sold Kris in
January and we managed to get a bit more money from Rangers. We have
calculated the gates we will get for the remaining games and the
best-and-worst scenario we are talking about is around £150,000 to
£200,000, However, then we have bonuses to pay out just for getting into
these positions. An extra £50,000 for finishing even one place higher
would get me two players, in terms of wages. So the higher up we finish,
the more chance I have of improving the budget to bring someone else in.
The highest we can finish — if results go our way — is fourth and,
although that might not be good enough for Europe, we still want to
achieve it. We know it will be a tough task. Our next two games are
against the Old Firm and we need something out of them, maybe, even win
one of them. We want to go into the last game against Hibernian with a
chance of being fourth at the end of the season. We have been very
entertaining to watch, We have won more games in the Premier Lague and
scored more goals than any other previous Kilmarnock side. People have
enjoyed it and word has got around. We could still do with a few more
people coming to watch us, but a small increase is better than nothing.”
On Frazer Wright... “Frazer’s success makes you feel
satisfied, I looked at him and thought he would never make a Premier
League player — even the other players were sceptical — but he has
surprised me. You have to take into consideration, this was someone who
spent seven years as a part-time player. I knew he was not ready for the
first team. He found that out the hard way. We played so well against
Celtic recently and we have just given him a new two-year contract. That
shows what can be achieved by players from that level, but also that we
can find players who are not on high wages who can do a job. I told
him not to throw away his tool box, “You never know when you will need it.
I have seen plenty of one-season wonders in this game.”
Apr 22nd on the Dons Post Match... "We
were really comfortable for most of the game. We
played
some good stuff in the first half, There weren't many clear-cut chances
in the game. Aberdeen had a good spell but we weathered it. To be fair
to both teams it was a difficult swirling wind that was causing
problems. Some of our play was good but we just didn't get the breaks
near the box - but I can't complain about the way we played. Probably in
the end it was a fair result. We're unbeaten against them and we've been
up here three times so I think it's a big point for us. We've been in
the top five all season and we're there on merit."
Match
Report
Apr 21st on the Dons Pre Match..."We
have had
a
draw and
a win
up there and we have
beaten them at home so we will go and try to beat them again. There has been a lot of pressure on Aberdeen to get into the top
six and they have come with a great run lately. So they will have some more confidence and belief after making
it (the top six). Our first target was to finish in the top six and
now we want to finish as high as possible, There is a great race on between Hibs, Aberdeen and ourselves
for fourth place. Hearts look like strong favourites to keep their second place
and qualify for the Champions League but you never know, they could
lose against Hibs at the weekend and Rangers could win against
Celtic and it's all to play for again. But even if we make fourth and there is still no European place
because of the way other things go, then it will still have been a
fantastic season for us."
Apr 20th On Next Term's Squad...
"I won't have any money at all in the summer to spend.
That's why I am trying to promote this Coca-Cola promotion along with
the girls in the office and some of the supporters. They are trying to
get people at the club, their aunts and uncles and everyone they know to
participate because the more texts and e-mails that go in, the more
chance there is of winning. The prize is £250,000 to buy a player and I
think we're eighth in the table at the moment in terms of fans who have
entered. Brighton won it last year so we need a push between now and the
closing date and, if we do win, then that's money which can go towards
bringing a player in. Gary Wales and James Fowler are putting pen to
paper today after a few weeks of negotiations. Danny Invincibile has
agreed verbally and we're sorting out one or two details with his agent
and that will be done shortly. Initial talks have taken place with
Gordon Greer. He's not had a chance to talk with his agent, but will get
back to me soon. The agents have been terrific to deal with, they know
the days of big agency fees are gone, certainly at our level. They
understand that and have been very co-operative. Because we got into the
top six this season, it doesn't mean we can go back to some of the wage
levels we've been at before and the players know that. We've increased
their money minimally as a little reward but what we have done is give
them some extra security with two-year contracts. And the players have
told their agents they want to stay here because they are happy. They
like the way (assistant boss) Billy Brown and I operate, they like the
way they play the game and the way they are looked after. The good thing
is everybody is happy, they get on well and want to stay together. It is
feather in our cap. When you build a side, you have to get the right
characters and the right balance and we've done that."
Apr 15th on the Hearts Post Match
on Invincible being through on goal ...
"The best person to ask is the referee. Danny is an honest lad and he
said that he got in behind the defender and his legs were clipped. The
problem was that if he had given the foul he would have to send the man
off because it was a clear goal-scoring opportunity. We didn't get the
break (Naisy's chalked off Tic goal) last week and it was probably
around the same time, 43 minutes. There must be something about the 43rd
minute so I won't be taking that number in the lottery." Match
Report
Apr 14th on Steven Naismith being named SPL Young Player of the Year..."Steven
Naismith got the young player of the year and that was fully deserved, I
would rather he got the award than
myself. He burst on the scene last
year and he looked a terrific prospect but we handled him quite well and
didn't play him in too many games. He was a young player just coming in
and that's all part and parcel of how to handle young players. You can
see it's benefited him because this year he has come onto the scene
stronger and with no confidence problems. He has done extremely well and
has played a major part in the club's success this year. I know there
were one or two who were worthy contenders but I think he was the
unanimous choice and he is a fantastic prospect."
Apr 14th on the Hearts Pre Match...
"Fourth place could be decided when we play Hibs in the last game of the
season but I'm sure Aberdeen will have something to say about that. Who
knows where the points are going to come from? We have to beat Hearts
for selfish reasons this weekend so that we can get the reward for
Kilmarnock and our players and hopefully get into fourth place. It won't
be easy because Hibs and Aberdeen are also involved and it's going to be
a great battle with some tough matches ahead. I don't think any
team goes to Tynecastle and gets it easy. Hearts are a hard team
to beat there and the place is jumping just now because of how well the
team is doing and they are playing some good stuff. We've had two tight
matches there so we can take some belief and confidence from the fact
that we've made it difficult for them. They're a good team so it won't
be easy but we will be up for it and if we play well it will be a tough
game for Hearts."
Apr 13th on Gordon Strachan being named SPL Manager of the Year..."When
you have been in the game as long as I have, you realise how hard every
manager has to work, Gordon is a worthy winner. He came to Scotland for
the first time as a manager and has changed Celtic's style of play. They
were very successful under Martin O'Neill, who is a legend at the club,
but the team were probably a bit more direct under him. Gordon has done
an excellent job."
Apr 9th on the Celtic Pre Match...
"The scoreline didn't reflect the effort we put in. We were never
completely out of the game because we had some really good chances and
had a perfectly good
goal chalked off. We also had a great chance at 1-0
when Naismith was right through and he toe poked it wide with the
goalkeeper out of his goal. He just didn't quite catch it. At 2-0 we had
a chance again to get back into the game which would have made it 2-1.
Then Celtic scored a couple of late goals which I thought was a wee bit
harsh. But if we are going to win games like this then we need to have
perfectly good goals stand and also take our chances. We were punished
for it but we would have taken a big lift from going in 1-1 at the
break. The replay proved Naismith was two yards onside so that should
have stood. We need the wee breaks chasing fourth spot but that could be
crucial."
Match
Report
Apr 7th on the Celtic Pre Match...“I
am flattered, If people think that I am worthy of consideration, (for
manager of the year) then that is great, but I would swap any award for
fourth place in the league [and a Uefa Cup place]. If it were up to me,
then every manager would get an award. It is a hard job. If Gordon gets
the manager of the year award, he will deserve it, The job he has done
at Celtic has been fantastic. People said he got off to a bad start. He
got a lot of stick. However, they have to remember it was not his team
that lost 5-0 in Bratislava, it was Martin O’Neill’s. You can’t argue
with Gordon’s record. He has won the title with six games to go, with a
20-point gap over one of the best Hearts teams in recent memory and a
bigger gap over a Rangers side that got to the last 16 of the Champions
League. I don’t think Celtic will take their foot off the pedal, Gordon
may have one or two injured players he was keeping in the side until
they got over the finishing line, but the Celtic supporters demand their
team wins every game. I expect a strong Celtic side. We have to learn
our lesson from that night I have told the players that it’s a new
ball game over the last five matches. So far, we have received the
plaudits for our good season and our exciting football but now we are
going into the top level with Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian and
whoever comes into the top six with ourselves. Getting to fourth place
was hard but staying there is even harder, as the Hibernian game showed.
We’ve not beaten the Old Firm this season. We lost narrowly here, 1-0 to
Celtic earlier in the season and 3-2 when Rangers came to Rugby Park.
However, it is not the be-all, end-all. Dunfermline have beaten Celtic
this season and drawn with Rangers and have been fighting against
relegation all season. I’d rather have the points, from whatever teams,
that get us into Europe."
Apr 5th on the Hibs Post Match... "I
thought that we might get a point out of the game but Hibs were sharper
and hungrier than us. Hibs upped the tempo and we went to pieces in the
last 10 minutes and conceded two goals which were avoidable. But I can't
have too many complaints because Hibs were probably better than us on
the night."
Match
Report
Apr 5th on the Hibs Pre Match...
"I don't go into work every morning worrying about being
manager of the year. It's nice to be linked with it but there are a
number of people who are worthy of it. Put it this way, I would
give it up if you could guarantee me fourth place and a place in Europe.
There is a real battle between Hibs and ourselves for fourth place. It's
going to be a tough run-in for all the teams but it's great to be
involved. People were tipping us for relegation but we got into the top
six and now we have a chance to get fourth place. When you face results
like Hibs did (Hearts Semi) that, the first thing you have to do is get
it out of your system. They have a game a few days later and they will
want to make amends for it. To be fair to (Hibs boss) Tony
Mowbray, it was not the strongest Hibs side so Hearts were always going
to be favourites. But Derek Riordan and Paul Dalglish will be
available again and Hibs are always a tough team. They will be stronger
and will want to make up for it so we are expecting nothing other than a
tough match. But, the way Kilmarnock have been playing, it's a tough
game for them too."
Apr 3rd on Having to Pull For Rangers (To Finish Ahead of Hearts)...
"I'm at Kilmarnock now so, for selfish reasons, I hope
Rangers finish above Hearts. I just wonder what will be said if we go to
the very last day of the season and we've clinched fourth, we play
Rangers, and Rangers win to finish second. But we won't think about that
just now. It's too far off. We will just concentrate on making sure we
compete very well for that fourth place spot. That's the target now and it
could be good enough but we just don't know how it' going to pan out. If
we finish fourth in the league but we haven't taken a point off Rangers
and Celtic, so what? It means we have handled everyone else very
consistently. You can only be in the position we're in if you have
performed consistently well. What we have done is run Rangers and Celtic a
lot closer than we have done in previous years. That's a massive
improvement."
Apr 1st on Fraser Wright's New 2 Year Deal...
"Fraser had a tough time
of it when he first came to Kilmarnock because he looked out of his
depth and this was affecting his belief.
But he knuckled down and showed a great determination and get what was
required of a Premier League player. Frazer got into the team in
October, he has progressed well and has been an ever-present ever since.
The biggest thing was making him believe he could play at this level
and, while he still has a bit to learn, he is doing exceptionally well.
That is why we have rewarded him with this contract, which will be
incentive-based over the next two years,"
Mar 25th on the Arabs Post Match...
"If somebody is standing two yards in front of goal in an offside position
then whether he touches the ball or not, he's definitely interfering with
my goalkeeper. We are a wee bit aggrieved about the scenario, but there's
nothing we can do about
it.I'm sure the officials will look at it afterwards - and maybe they will
see that, according to everybody, it should not have stood. It did - and
it came after losing a goal early in the second half when we had dominated
the first half and been very comfortable. We did say to the players that
they would probably get a bit of a going-over at half-time - and at 2-0
you've got to get through that 10 or 15 minutes and knock the stuffing out
of them a bit, because they will come at you. To lose a goal so early - we
gave Dundee United a massive lift - then to lose a goal like we did so
quickly after it, you then think this is going to be test. We could lie
down and feel sorry for ourselves, but we showed some character to come
back - because I thought we created three or four really good
opportunities in the second half. If any team was going to score at 2-2 it
would be Kilmarnock."
Match
Report
Mar 24th on the Arabs Pre Match...
"Maybe the pressure is off as far as reaching the top six is concerned but
we have got to make sure that we keep the good standards that we have set.
We have been very consistent and are still in the hunt for finishing
higher than just the top six. And every position in the league that we go
up means more money and more coverage for us. We also still have a chance
of getting a European spot with our league position and so will keep
going."
On SPL 4th Not Getting A UEFA Cup Spot... "If a club in the
lower divisions or in the lower end of the SPL wins the Scottish Cup I
think they should get into Europe as a reward. But it's a wee bit unfair
for them to get a European spot if they get to the final and get
beat. I think that a team that has battled into fourth place after 38
games at a higher level is more deserving than a team which has won five
games or so in the Scottish Cup. No disrespect to the two clubs but I do
not think Gretna or Dundee have met an SPL club in the competition yet.
Fair enough, that's the luck of the draw, you take what you get and you
have to win these matches. And I am not in any way decrying them, it's
great what they have done but if they get beat in the final then they have
not achieved anything other than reaching a final. A team that has
performed week-in, week-out at a higher level is more deserving."
On
Alan Johnson's Form... "Allan has been magnificent. We all knew he
was a class act but he struggled when he came here. He came through that
sticky spell and has been brilliant this season. A lot of our young boys
have been rightly praised but Allan has played as well as he ever has. He
had to take a big a big pay cut which tells you a lot about the man. There
is no doubt he was well looked after earlier in his career but he has come
to a stage where he is enjoying his football again. A lot of people
in his situation wouldn't have the hunger he does. It says everything
about his character. A lot of guys play out their time with a last
contract but not Allan. I wouldn't grudge the likes of Stilian
Petrov, Craig Gordon or Paul Hartley if they won the Player of the Year
award but for me Allan has to be considered. He hasn't just helped on the
park. He is keen to stay in the game and has done a bit of coaching".
On This Seasons Form... "At the end of End out last season I
thought we had come through the bad times and felt there was some light
ahead of us. We are only three points
behind Rangers and it's a fantastic achievement. The most pleasing thing
is we have done it by trying to entertain. We've shown we're a
decent side and have played some great football."
Mar 23rd on the Hearts Managerial Opening...
"I'm not interested in being linked with Hearts and I will
if I make a comment about it. I'm totally focused on Kilmarnock and
finishing as high up the league as possible. I've been consistent
throughout the years. I've been linked with a number of jobs in the past
and I've always said I have no comment to make. Sometimes, the club has
got a manager, sometimes, they haven't and to comment on any job would be
disrespectful. The only time you comment is when you are asked, then you
can say 'Yes, I'm interested' or not."
Mar 18th on the
Bairns Post Match... "It was
important we got a result from this game to secure
our place in the top
six and all credit to the players for achieving that. Maybe we don't
always get the credit we deserve, but we just quietly get on with our
work. People didn't take us seriously at the start of the season, so, to
be where we are right now, is very satisfying. To be in front of Hibs and
in fourth place at this stage speaks volumes for how hard the team has
worked. We have been consistently good and have shown that, when we have
to score goals, we can do so. We know now we will finish in the top half
of the league and our aim must now be to get as many points as we can from
the remaining games and take it from there. The pressure is off us now, so
there is nothing to prevent us having a real go for a UEFA Cup place."
Match
Report
Mar 11th on the
Gers Post Match... "The players
had nothing to lose today but they frustrated me after having a fine
season, We were poor for most of the game and looked frightened to play at
times. On The Penalty/Sending-off...."Alex
McLeish and I were in agreement at the time when it happened. I thought it
was a penalty - Combe caught Lovenkrands, there's no doubt about that. But
to send him off, it has to be a goalscoring opportunity and my defenders
have told me they were far nearer the ball than Lovenkrands. He wasn't
getting the ball. I've said to the referee that we will
appeal against it. Dougie (Referee Dougie McDonald agreed to view footage
of the incident again and Jefferies hopes the red card will be reduced to
a yellow.) has been fair and said he will have a look at it. If he thought
Lovenkrands was going to put the ball in the net, then he's not going to
change his decision and I understand that. If he looks at it and sees that
he wasn't going to get the ball, and it wasn't a goalscoring opportunity,
he might rescind the red card and make it a yellow. I'm not debating
the penalty at all but it was harsh to send him off." Match
Report
Mar 10th on the Gers Pre Match...
"Our players earn a
fraction of what any of their players earn. That's because Rangers are a
big club and they have got that wealth. That kind of thing is a fact of
life in Scottish football. But it does show you the magnitude of the task
clubs like ours have in competing with the Old Firm But there is a big
prize for us when we play them. If we can pull off a shock result our
reward will be to go third in the league and that would be phenomenal for
a club like us. We know that we are going into a tough game, let's
not kid ourselves. They still have quality players and are still
challenging for second place. They got to the last 16 of the Champions
League and Villarreal did not beat them in two games. But if we play as
well as we can then it will be a tough game for them."
On his former striker Kris Boyd.... "If you look after Kris
then you will let others in. It doesn't matter who plays for Rangers, we
will keep on doing what we have been doing this season."
Mar 9th on Boyd's Miss in the Champions League..."Unfortunately,
though, he did not get the connection he wanted. If it had gone in he
would have been a hero but it was just one of those things. Ally McCoist
was a great goalscorer for Rangers but he missed as well. Strikers are
only human. But Kris is a strong type of guy and there is no doubt he will
score more goals for Rangers. Hopefully, we will keep him quiet on
Saturday. It will be the first time he has faced Kilmarnock since leaving
us and the boys know all about his qualities which is a good thing for
Kilmarnock. They are well aware how dangerous he is. But at the same time
we won't be going to Ibrox just worrying about Kris. Rangers have a lot of
very good players as they showed on Tuesday night. But if we play as we
can we will give anyone a game."
On Steven Naismith's Maturity & Future..."Steven is very
level-headed and, even though he is a young boy, he has already invested
in some property. Some young players who are living on their own might go
off the rails, but not Steven. He still stays with his parents and sees it
as an investment, which is a good way to start when you are that young.
But there is something special about him. I've seen a lot of good young
boys come through the ranks - especially when I was at Hearts - and Steven
is up there with Gary Naysmith, Paul Ritchie, Gary Locke and Allan
Johnston. He has a fantastic attitude towards the game. He wants to get to
the top and he will get there. But Jefferies insists he will not stand in
Naismith's way if a bigger club decides to make a move in the future. It
was pretty easy to get him to sign again because he wanted to stay. He had
two years to go on his current deal and we tried to make it a bit longer
than four years, but, in the end, we negotiated a deal that suited both
parties. Steven enjoys his football here and, if he plays well, he knows
we might not have him that long anyway. If a huge club comes along, we
really cannot stand in his way. But we're delighted he sees his learning
process continuing at Kilmarnock and, hopefully, we will have him for a
couple of more years at least."
Mar 4th on the
Pars Post Match... "You
will get games at this stage of the season where the three points are more
important than any displays. We can take a lot of credit for the
performances this season. We were without Steven Naismith and Gary Wales
and had two lads - Gary Locke and Paul Di Giacomo - coming in for the
first time in a while. I thought we played some really good
football in the first half, but, at 1-0, the other team is always in it.
With us not scoring early in the second half, that clearance (Greg Shields
the ex-Killie defender cleared a Di Giacomo header off the line) changed
the game for Dunfermline. It was a fantastic clearance and, at that point,
the game would have been well and truly over. But it seemed to spark
Dunfermline into putting us under a bit of pressure. When it's only 1-0,
human nature takes over. We knew this was a really big game, because with
Aberdeen at Celtic and Motherwell and Inverness playing each other it was
a chance for us to make a giant step. I told the chairman beforehand I
would take a rubbish performance and a 1-0 win, but it wasn't a poor
performance. I thought we played well in the first half."
On having a nine-point lead over seventh-placed Aberdeen with just
five games left .... "You're asking them to win all their games
and us to lose ours and I don't see that happening. We just have to
concentrate on getting to the top six as quickly as possible. Hibernian
are only one point ahead of us and Rangers two ahead and we'll try to give
them a run for their money when we get into that top-six place."
Match
Report
Mar 3rd on the
Pars Pre Match... "They are a good
team. They have been a bit unlucky with injuries this year but they beat
ourselves and Hibernian to get to the CIS Insurance Cup final and you only
get there because you earn the right. If they had had their
strongest team on the park, they wouldn't be in this situation. I've
been in this game long enough to know there are no easy games. People
might think it's a formality after the way they got thrashed but I watched
them last week and they got their pride back. They fought well and got a
deserved point. Everybody will be thinking about the Celtic game and how
they put so many goals past them but it was a one-off for me. They came
back well last week, they are determined, they are fighting for their
lives and they will give it their all. We will have to play the way we
have been playing - if we drop our standards, it will be a difficult
match. But, if we play as well as we can play, then we know we are going
to give Dunfermline a very hard game."
"If we keep playing the way we have been, we can beat anyone, Whether it's
Dunfermline, or anyone else, they are going to get a hard game from
Kilmarnock just now. Even in defeat, we have been playing well and giving
teams a hard game. The target is to get another three points and we want
to ensure staying in the top six remains in our own hands. Everyone
thought we would fall away
when Boyd left but
we have scored more goals per game since he's left than when he was here.
I said at the time I didn't see it upsetting us because there isn't a lot
of change. It was just one player who left and everyone else had to make
up for that. We would love to have Kris but the rest of the lads had a
chance to show what they can do and they've done that well. This league
has been terrific this year. We have seen some great games and some really
tight situations. Even though Celtic are strong favourites to win the
league, there is a great fight on for the rest of the places."
Mar 2nd on Goals for this Term ..."Our
aim is to be in the top six but I know the players are looking above us.
They're saying 'we can catch Hibs and Rangers' so why not try to do that
between now and the end of the season? We have to keep winning games
because we know the teams above us are well capable of winning games. The
teams below us are also waiting to pounce if we slip up, We know we are
doing well but I don't know whether anybody actually believes we can
finish third our fourth. I don't think they'll take us seriously. But we
are in with a shout if we keep playing the way we have been playing and we
might just surprise a few people.Hearts and Hibs are having a great season
but there is hardly ever any mention of Kilmarnock and we are only one
point behind Hibs and two points behind Rangers, It just shows how well we
are doing and we are in a very good position. That's down to the belief
and confidence we have, as well as the way we have been playing, and we
need to continue that. I don't think we have had a lot of credit for the
way we've played football but, right now, it's all about getting the
wins."
Feb 21st on the Squads Euro Ambitions...
"The players have been speaking about getting into Europe.
We knew if we won on Saturday we'd make inroads into the teams above as
Rangers were playing Hibs. We've still work to do to clinch a top-six
place as Inverness had a great result and Aberdeen are on a good run. But
the players are looking ahead as they want to catch the teams above.
Qualifying for Europe would be fantastic considering we are in the third
year of a business plan and at the start of the season many people thought
we would struggle. Even to be talked about as being in contention for
Europe is an unbelievable achievement considering what we've gone
through."
Feb 18th on the
Livi Post Match... "The balance
of the side is excellent. I look at the boys we had in the stand today and
I think that is one of the reasons we've done so well this season. Alan
Combe, Gordon Greer and Rhian Dodds were all out injured and Gary McDonald
not stripped because we wanted to have wee Stevie (Murray) on the bench in
case it was a little bit flat and we needed a lift. We've only had to make
an odd change or two and when we have had to, the boys
that have come in have done an excellent job. Lindsay Wilson, for example,
has come in for David Lilley and doesn't look out of place. He's come in
and been a real find. He's not played in Scottish football before but he
was probably our best player at Inverness last week and it looks like he
and Danny (Invincibile) have played together all their lives. I thought we
started the game extremely well and with a wee break here and there could
have been 2-0 up before Livingston had got their goal. The goal was a
setback but it didn't upset us because this team has done it time and
again this season. We kept doing what we were doing well and our passing
and movement was killing them. We've scored some good goals this season
but the first was a good one and the second was just a topper - it was
passing and movement at its best. It's what we do all week in training and
to see it done on the pitch gives you a lot of satisfaction. We didn't let
them get back in the game and John's only been there a few days and it
will take time for him to get them playing as he wants."
Match
Report
Feb 17th on the
Livi Pre Match... "We know they'll
get a lift (new manager Robbo coming in) but hopefully we can handle it
better this time. It's a big game for Livingston but it's a massive game
for Kilmarnock. We have a chance to close the gap on the teams above us as
Rangers and Hibs are playing each other. But we certainly can't think
it'll be a formality, what's happened at Livi will actually help us
because we know they'll improve after the changes."
Feb 14th on Extending Naismith's Contract..."Steven
still has two years on his deal but there is a clause in his contract that
meant we'd renegotiate after he'd played a certain number of games. He's
not been on the same level of wages as the other boys but he will be
brought up to that now. We're looking to tie him up on a four or five-year
contract which will keep him at Kilmarnock until 2010. He's got a great
attitude to the game and is very level-headed off the field."
On Combe and Invincibile...."We're
speaking to them both and we're confident something will happen this
week."
Feb 11th on the Caley Post Match...
"Before the game, we were thinking, if it was a draw, then it wouldn't
have been a bad result. But, with the way we played,
we
have thrown two points away. One daft moment of indecision allowed
them to score their first, then we gave Dargo far too much space in our
area to put Inverness into the lead, before we conceded a needless corner
with five minutes remaining which allowed them to score again. I thought
our goals were well worked and we are always liable to score goals because
we are a team who creates a lot of chances. And Gary Wales and Colin Nish
are a good pair who have done well upfront since Kris Boyd left for
Rangers. However, if we can win our next two home matches, then we should
still make it into the top six."
Match
Report
Feb
9th on Gary Wales's Form...
"He has had to
be patient because Boyd was in there getting goals but I said when Boyd
left Gary would move up the pecking order and he is getting back to his
best. His two finishes were excellent. When you get to a place he is
comfortable with he can enjoy his football again."
Feb
8th on the Well Post Match... "Going
by Motherwell's comments about looking to close the gap, I felt it was
going to be very close, We kept patient, kept working and plugging away
and we got a reward with two great finishes. We gave them two free headers
at the end but got away with it."
Match
Report
On a Top 6 Finish..."If we can
get the points now and get them as quick as possible then the pressure is
off us. If it takes us a couple of points nearer Rangers too than that's
great.
On Skora's Debut...."I wanted to bring Eric on for a second
debut but Combe's injury scuppered that. There's plenty of time for him
but right now it's hard to get into the team."
Feb 6th on the Well Pre Match...
"We are at a stage now where there are eight games left
before the split after the match on Wednesday. If we can win a couple of
games quickly, then it is going to make it very difficult for the teams
below to catch us. We are in a good position and must take advantage of
playing at home and take a giant step towards being in the top six. Other
teams are battling to get in there and they are not going to make it easy,
so this will be a tough fixture. We are expecting a very difficult match.
Terry has said often this season that he doesn't know which Motherwell's
side is going to turn up for games. Last week, they turned up in the
semi-final and were very unlucky not to go through. Recently,
against both halves of the Old Firm, they have given a decent account of
themselves, but there have been one or two games where they have let
themselves down. But there is not a lot between the teams based on the way
they played in the semi last week and it should be a really cracking game.
We are focused on getting a win and taking another step towards a top-six
goal."
Feb 5th on
a Scotland "Call-Up" for Kris Boyd...
"What really amuses me is that people are suddenly realising he's
international class now he's changed the colour of his shirt. He was doing
it week in, week out for months at Killie."
Feb 3rd on His New
Players Fitting In... "We have been
doing very well recently, so no-one will find it easy to just walk into
the team. It will keep the players on their toes, though, now that there's
more competition. If a change is needed through injury, I'm confident they
will do well. All the new players are getting on fine. They all seem to be
slotting in fine and that's good news for us. Things have been going well
this season and we are still trying to achieve a place in the top six so
it's good that we have been able to add to the squad to help us do that."
Feb 1st on New Aussie Signing
Lindsay Wilson...
"I had a good look at Lindsay in training and saw
enough to see he's athletic and commanding. If he forces his way into the
side at Kilmarnock he could be a very powerful defender for us. I know
we've got a hungry player. He is keen to prove himself because he has not
played so much during his time at PSV. Like all Australian players
he's got the added incentive of a World Cup year. Lindsay has been
involved with the Australian set-up before and he will be looking to force
his way back into the squad. If he plays regularly for us and reaches the
level he is capable of, he will have a chance."
Jan 31st on Eric Skora's return..."We
had Eric on loan from Preston a couple of seasons ago and he was terrific
for us. He did a great job and the supporters thought he I was outstanding.
He was a popular player I and hopefully he can be the I same this time. If
he does well I we can talk about an extension for a couple of years. We've
kept tabs on him I and while Eric had offers from I clubs in England, he
wanted to come back to us. He picked up a knee injury which kept him out
for a while but he's had that scanned and it's OK. He had a setback with a
cartilage operation but he just needs to get fit again."
Jan
30th
on Life After Kris Boyd...
"Kris got a good portion of the goals for us, but the
others have started to share the goals among themselves.
Kris's transfer does not change the way we
play, it just means others have to finish off the chances."
Jan 29th more on the Dons Post Match... "Aberdeen
did well last year and Jimmy tried to take it forward and signed some good
players. They've been a wee bit inconsistent while we've been very
consistent. We've brought players through over the last couple of
years when we've had tough times. We wanted to blood the young boys while
bringing in one or two bargains along the way to help them and it's worked
tremendously well."
Jan 28th on the Dons Post Match... "It
was a great point and we have showed a few times this year that we have
the resilience to come back despite falling behind in games. This goes
back to a poor first half performance we had
at Dundee United last season when, during the break, I suggested we
just ask the referee to end the game to allow us to get back down the
road. We came back to earn a draw that day and we’ve done it half a dozen
times since then. Aberdeen got a break for their second goal and I feared
it was all over - but typical Killie this year we came back.
That was a better point for us than it was for Aberdeen. We
always go for a win, but we knew it wouldn't be a bad result to get a draw
in what was a massive game for Aberdeen as they looked to close the gap on
us.
On Lilley's Late Snafu...“I thought he should have hooked a
clearance with his left peg but he was woefully short with a header. I
think he was still in the clouds from getting the equaliser, but
fortunately Alan Combe got him out of jail with a terrific save from
Smith.”
Match
Report
/Skora%20Celeb%20SB.jpeg)
On the Skora Latest..."We are in talks with
Eric Skora
just now, who we had on loan before he went back to Preston. We plan to
give him a medical over the weekend and although it is not a done deal it
is very close to coming off. He is very keen to come to us and Billy Davis
was good enough to say that if he was to ever let him go then Kilmarnock
would be his favoured destination. Eric will keep a lot of players on
their toes if he signs and we know if we pick-up some injuries or anybody
loses some form then we will have a quality player to bring in".
Jan 27th on
"Magic's" Form...
"
Allan is enjoying his football and he
is a lot fitter. He is playing with an enthusiasm he has not had for a few
years because of injuries and not getting a game.
But he is a central figure for us. If you are asking me if he is
good enough for Scotland, the answer is yes!"
Jan 26th on Signing
Giorgos Fotakis, (right) 23, till the
end of the Season... "He's a wee bit away from the
first team and there are other people ahead of him, But I thought I would
give him a chance. He's not going to cost me a lot of money and if he does
get into the first team it will be a bonus."
And Australian 26 year old defender Lindsay
Wilson from PSV Eindhoven... The 26-year-old right-back has
spent the last four years in Holland but has not played a first-team game.
I will be chatting with him and his agent to find out what the scenario
is, Can I get him on loan? Can I get him until the end of the season? Is
he going to leave PSV and want a longer-term deal? "All these things
have still to be discussed."
Jan 21st on the Hearts Post Match...
"We heard
Graham Rix saying that if both teams play well then they will win easy and
we talked about that.
But if one team plays really well then the other team doesn't get a chance
to play well and I think that's what happened. We played so well we never
allowed Hearts to get on top of us, they created very little compared to
Kilmarnock who were very dangerous. It was the best performance of the
season and we thoroughly deserved to win. Hearts couldn't have complained
if it had been 3-0. Gary Wales missed a chance to give us a cushion and
then, as they were pushing forward to get an equaliser, Colin Nish got a
gift which he missed. But even though Wales and Nish missed sitters they
worked extremely hard for the team. We had some outstanding performances
and it was thoroughly deserved."
Match
Report
Jan 20th on Hearts New Signing Neil McCann....
"There is no doubt he can still cut it. What you have to be
aware of is he can appear to be out of the game and then suddenly burst
into life and do damage to the other team. He
is a good acquisition for Hearts, especially if they lose Rudi Skacel.
I don't know whether he will start the
game or not but I'm sure he will have some part to play and we will be
prepared for him."
Jan
19th On Pawel Buskiescw as Kris
Boyd's replacement... "Pawel's mobile
for such a big lad and has a good touch, We've had him in for a week and
could ask him to stay until the end of the transfer window before we make
a final decision on whether to sign him. But it could even be the big
lad's one for next season. My priority is really to sign defensive cover.
Jan 14th on the Celtic Post Match... "I
have never come here and had so many clear-cut chances. When we went 2-0
down normally we would concede four or five but we showed great
determination to keep going. But both defences were given a torrid time
with the forwards causing the defences all sorts of problems."
Match
Report
Jan 12th on his new contract....
"I've agreed a contract extension for less money than I was on this time
last year. It was well-documented that I took a cut at the start of the
season and I should get a wee bit of that back if we make the top six this
year but certainly not the cut I took. But I have it built in that, in the
extension part of my contract, if I can consolidate the club in the top
six, I will eventually get back to what I was on - but it's going to take
me three years to do that. Michael wanted any extension to have protection
for Kilmarnock if any other club took me away and he was quite right to do
that. There has been a figure agreed on that and that protects the club as
well. I would think it would be all tied up by Monday or Tuesday."
On the Arabs Job... "There was speculation I was the
number one choice but, even if I was approached, it wouldn't necessarily
mean I would have gone to Dundee United. I'm very comfortable at
Kilmarnock. We've worked hard over the last two years and come through a
lot of hassle to get to the level where we are enjoying it at the moment.
I think we have room to go on and consolidate and improve as a team.
Dundee United have a position available now and they have approached a
good man in Craig Brewster. He still has a bit of experience to find but
he might get it there and good luck to him."
On the Celtic Pre Match... "They are good pros and they will
be hurt by the result and the performance.All we can do is be prepared for
that and know they will come out and lift their game. As long as you
expect that, you can prepare for that. You have to concentrate harder,
work harder and have the belief. If other teams can make life difficult
for Celtic then we have a chance as well."
Jan 7th on the Hearts Post Match..."On
the balance of play I think we did enough to take them
back to Rugby Park for a replay. I had no complaints about the
performance, it was as good as it's been all season. We gave a good
account of ourselves in what was always going to be a tough
game. If you analyse a match like that then there could be a hundred fouls
that you miss. I would just say that over the 90 minutes I don't think
anybody could have grudged us taking them back to Rugby Park." On
Hearts First goal..." It doesn't matter, we had enough bodies in
the box and the ball was in the air for a long time. There was plenty of
time for our defenders to size it up and go and attack it.
Match
Report
Jan 5th on the Hearts Pre Match...
"Like any player (Gary Wales) who has spent time at a club and then goes
back, there is always a little edge to it. Gary has been very patient
because of Kris' performances and the fact he's had one or two niggling
injuries. He came on against Dundee United and popped up with the winner
then started against Hibs and come up with a very important goal in the
2-2 draw. Him and people like Allan Johnston will relish going back to put
one over on their old club.As long as they don't get caught up in the
occasion though, because I've seen players go back to their old clubs and,
in their efforts to try harder, they get caught up in the whole thing and
don't give their best. Gary did a good job there and has good memories of
his time at Hearts but he's now trying to help Killie get into the next
round of the cup. When the draw was made, Hearts away from home was one of
the hardest because of the season they've had. We've played them twice
this year and there has been very little in it. But this will be a tricky
tie for Hearts as we've been on a good run. But they are, quite rightly,
the favourites as they are going so well this season and have some
fantastic players. We know we'll have to play well to have a chance, but
it might be our day and we're capable of causing an upset."
Jan 2nd on the Hibs Post Match... "As
we said last week, we kept going to the end and we've just done it again.
We never give up and it would have been a real sickener to lose such a
good
game. To get four goals, a cracking game played in the right spirit and a
great atmosphere warranted moving the game to today. I'm getting to expect
these late goals although I'd rather they didn't leave it so late! But it
made for a very entertaining game and a draw was the right result. We
would have loved to still have Kris but he's gone and the likes of Gary
Wales, Colin Nish and Steven Naismith must share his quota of goals. We've
scored two goals in each of the two games without him and Wales has scored
in both games. He's been hard done to with niggly injuries and when he was
fit he had to be only on the bench because of Kris' form. Although he's
been around a while he's still got age on his side and his all-round game
today was terrific. He caused them problems all game. He was a constant
threat."
Match
Report
Jan 1st on the Hibs Pre Match...
"Catching Hibs is the next target, They have had a lot of
plaudits and, on their day, they can beat anybody. But there is a big
enough incentive knowing that we can go just a couple of points behind
them if we beat them on Monday. We have every chance of getting very close
and keeping in touch with them. Both teams have a lot of good young
players. They are good to watch on their day but we just have to get in
about them and stop them playing. We just have to play our own game
because we have players who can cause them a lot of problems and Tony
Mowbray knows that. Both sets of attackers have plenty of goals in them so
it should be an exciting game."
On the Team's Form... "We have been consistent this season,
which is what we were looking for, and I think the team is still young
enough to keep improving. The signs are good for us for the future. People
said at the start of the season that we would be one of the teams
struggling and fighting relegation. So that was another challenge for us
to prove people wrong and I think we have done that. The most pleasing
thing of all is that we haven't just done it with results, we have done it
with the way we play football."
Dec 29th on Giving Simon Ford
a New 18 Month Deal...
"Simon has gained
his just rewards for the tremendous amount of work he has done to make the
grade with us. He is getting better and
better all of the time and that is shown by the fact that he is commanding
a regular first-team place. He
first came to us as an amateur and his progress was being hampered by a
hernia problem. But he kept on playing through the pain barrier and was
keen to impress. I
had to tell him to take a break and have an operation to get him back to
full fitness. I gave him another six-month deal and the lad has come on
leaps and bounds."
On Giving Paul Di Giacomo a new contract...
"Paul has had it tough, but he has shown a great attitude
to get back to fitness and with the departure of Kris Boyd, he has moved
up the pecking order."
On Other Contract Discussions..."I
have started talks with a number of players and their agents to try to get
those who are out of contract at the end of the season tied up. You can't
do all these negotiations in 24 hours. We have had initial talks and, over
the next couple of weeks, we will see moves made to sign a number of
players before the end of the season. I am not looking at any new players.
We have Boydy's wage to play with, but there are other players to get
signed up first. We will see where we are and what money we have because
we have to stick strictly to the budget because we cannot go over that. If
there is anything left after the players are tied up for the next year or
two, then we will look and see if we need to improve the team in the
summer. Some people might not accept and some people might move on, so I
will see in the the summer what areas of the team I need to improve."
On the Team's Form... "We have played well this year.
We have created a lot of chances and scored a lot of goals. And the
strikers will be given the chance because we still have Colin Nish, Gary
Wales, Steven Naismith, Paul Di Giacomo and Danny Invincibile, who can
play through the middle. They will get the opportunity to fill the void
Boydy made. It is not asking somebody to score 12 or 15 goals, it is maybe
getting them all to share the quota Boydy might have got between now and
the end of the season among them."
On His Own Contract Situation...
"I have had a chat with Michael, who is going to put
something down in writing and I will look at all the fine print.
That may take a day or two, but, at the moment, we have only had a
discussion. When I get it in writing, I will have a look at it with my
advisers, and probably by the end of next week or the week after it will
be resolved."
Dec 26th on Boyd's
Parting gift of 20K to Killie's Youth Program..."There
was a clause in his contract but he forfeited that and made sure the money
went back to the club for youth development. He was entitled to a small
percentage of any future transfer fee but he let the club have it.
You've got to give Kris credit because most players wouldn't do
that."
Dec 26th on the Arabs Post Match...
"On outfield play I felt we had the best chances. Dundee
United were always going to be dangerous, they've got some good headers of
the ball in guys like David McCracken, Jim McIntyre and Lee Miller.
They deliver a good ball and in fact they got their equaliser from a
corner. It was a wee bit disappointing that we conceded from that - Alan
(Combe) feels he should have grabbed it. But to be fair, young (Steven)
Naismith has been outstanding and
was man of the match easily but he knows he should have put us 2-0 early
on and we should never have looked back from there. But these things
happen. We got a wee break for the first goal but I don't think anyone
could deny us being ahead at half-time. In the second half the goal rocked
us a wee bit because we'd actually started the half well. There were a
couple of melees that we couldn't quite get the final touch to, and then,
if Danny Invincibile had played the ball along the ground rather than in
the air, then Naismith would have scored. They got their equaliser and, as
we were pushing forward, I was a bit worried about being caught on the
break. But they never really tested the keeper too much and we were always
going to be dangerous, the way we play is positive and we always go to the
end. And, just like last week we came up with a late winner but this time
I think it was deserved because last week it was maybe a bit harsh on
Falkirk.
Boyd
has gone but the rest of the team hasn't changed. Other players have been
chipping in and if the other three strikers score five each between now
and the end of the season I'll be happy. Gary Wales has come in and looked
sharp and I think we've made one or two people who said we couldn't cope
without Boydy eat their words."
Match
Report
Dec 24th on Life After the Boyd... ``We
all knew Boyd was going to go so there was a figure put in the budget. We
have got a bit more, but you have to keep that for rainy days. We never
intended to spend the money on new players. What I have to do is what I
have done throughout my career - pick up a bargain and bring through
youngsters. I will be fair to the boys here (Colin Nish, Gary Wales,
Steven Naismith and Paul Di Giacomo) as we have options to cover for Boyd.
I might want to bring in a player before the deadline closes, but I hope I
don't need to and the boys can score the goals. If you are second-top
goalscorers in the SPL and your top scorer has 17, then it means that
everyone has been chipping in and we have others capable of cashing in
with one or two more.''
On His Own Contract Situation...
``I had a chat with the chairman a while back when
the speculation arose linking me with another club that still has a
manager. Michael has told me he would like to extend my contract. We have
spoken briefly and he has put something down in writing, but I have not
had a chance to look at it with my advisors. After the Christmas period, I
will sit down with my advisors and go over the contract. I've talked to
Michael so I know what the offer is. I've discussed the figures with him
and know it won't go back up to what it was, but, at least, we are working
towards that. Now I just have to go over the fine print and will discuss
it with the chairman after the game on Monday.''
Dec 21st on Killie Accepting an
Improved Offer From Rangers for Boyd...
""The power is with the player these days and we couldn't
have forced Kris to join another club if he'd made his mind up he was
going to Rangers. This way we have got a reasonable offer for him,
certainly far better than Rangers' first offer".
Dec 17th on Accepting an Offer for Boyd...
"We've had a very good offer from a Championship side, a
big offer and the offer was accepted, We've had a few teams phoning and
say they'll get back to us, but this team are really wanting to get it
done and dusted so they can have him on January the 1st . I've never had
an offer from Rangers. Maybe the chairman knows something I don't know,
but he keeps me up to date. But this offer is great, but it's not up to
us, it's up to Kris. We accepted an offer from Cardiff just before the
season got under way and he didn't go there and this is a bigger offer
than that. It will be a great offer for the club, but it has to suit
Kris Boyd, you can't force people to go."
Dec
17th on the Bairns Post Match... "You've
always got a chance when Kris Boyd is in your team. He had a fantastic
effort just after they equalised and their keeper had a great save. Kris
can be quiet but he is always a threat, he doesn't always have to be in
game or play well but he's the top scorer in Scotland."
Match
Report
Dec 12th On Rangers First Goal on Sunday... "Now
I've seen it again and I'll have to apologise to the linesman. It looked
offside and I said something in the heat of the moment but I'll take the
punishment for it.......Also, knowing football, I don't suppose I'll get a
phone call from John Underhill to apologise for the (non) penalty
decision."
Dec 11th on the Gers Post Match... "Credit
to the players for the way they went about their business in the second
half. It speaks volumes about their courage, commitment, effort and
work-rate. I thought they were excellent in the second half and made a
real game of it. That's what Kilmarnock have been like all season. I've
seen it on television and I still think it
was offside.
(Rangers 1st goal) But I'm not here to slag the officials for
giving an offside goal. I've done my piece and I
took the punishment and was sent to the stand. (right) That shouldn't detract from
the effort the players put in. They shouldn't be down about a game that
they deserved something from. (On Malcolm handling in the box) "I
don't think it was a good shout. I think it was a great shout. I am
annoyed because I knew there might be something controversial today when I
saw who the official was, Maybe the authorities should not give people
games if they've been involved with controversy with a certain club." Match
Report
Dec
9th on the Boyd Latest... "If any offer is
derisory because he is out of contract, we have agreed to keep him to help
finish higher in the league. There's been no contact from any other club,
Whether it is Rangers or anyone else, they will have to pay something that
we think is acceptable and something that we couldn't really turn down.
He's not just been scoring goals but has been playing very well, I've seen
an improvement even in the last five or six weeks."
Dec 8th on the Gers Pre Match...
"People will make a lot of what is happening there but we
have to concentrate on what we do. We have to work on the fact that,
although Rangers' league form has not been great, we can only assume they
will need to come out of that at some point. So we will be preparing on
the basis that Rangers are a big club and are going well. They had a great
result in midweek with the draw against Inter Milan and will take
confidence from that. For us to do well, we have got to continue doing
what we have been doing consistently this season - playing well and going
about our games in the right manner. If we do that, then we will cause
them problems as we have caused problems for other teams already this
season. If we don't, then we are only making it more difficult for
ourselves. So it does not matter what their situation is, it is of no
concern to us other than that we are going to concentrate fully on playing
our own game."
Dec 5th on His Scotland Future Boys...
"I'll be at the game as we have five players in the squad
and I want to see how they handle it. I think young Wright and Fowler also
deserve to be in the
squad
and if there are any call-offs I'd hope Walter might give them the nod.
We're greedy at Kilmarnock and feel we have every right to be. We're
fourth top of the SPL and only Celtic, Hearts, Hibs and Rangers have
beaten us all season. We've been consistent after 17games and have shown a
level of consistency over the rest. But I'll only get excited about where
we are after 33 matches. Everybody is being cynical and saying it's
because the Scotland Future match is at Rugby Park that Killie players are
in the squad to help boost the crowd numbers. There may be a wee bit in
that but these guys cannot be denied their chance. They have been called
up fully deserve the opportunity to show what they can do on the
international stage "
Dec
3rd on the Pars Post Match...
"We played a team who had a good performance last week but
we didn't really let them create any chances. Their only chances came from
corners really because it's hard to defend against Andy Tod and Greg
Shields, we defended that area fantastically well. I don't think Alan
Combe had many saves to make. I told the players
that I have invested in a new pair of glasses, We are so far up the table
right now that I need them to double-check. But no prizes are given out
after 17 games so we’ll keep going.”
Match
Report
On Boyd Speculation... "It will take an offer we can't turn
down in the transfer window. We will keep him if we receive any offer I
feel is derisory. The way he is playing means he will be attracting a lot
of attention so, if he does go, we will get what we deserve out of it."
Dec 2nd on the Pars Pre Match...
"They will be looking forward to playing us and we need to
make sure we play as well as we have been lately and we can make it a hard
game for them. I have not had too many disappointments this year. I had a
lot more disappointments last year after 16 games than I have had in 16 or
17 games this season. But I am sure there will be one or two disappointing
performances around the corner because everybody has them. Hopefully ours
are few and far between."
On the Boyd Latest... "I would imagine if he plays on
Tuesday there will be a few people up to have a look at him. And if Boyd
is going to leave us then the more interest in him, the better it is for
us. I know there will be one or two people watching. In fact, they will
probably be watching him week in week out now anyway because he is the
league's top scorer. But I have not had any enquiries apart from the one
we accepted at the start of the season."
Dec 1st on his Five "Called Up" Players..."I've
got five players going away with Scotland next week but my job is to make
sure they forget about that and concentrate on the Dunfermline game. That
is what they have got to look forward to first and foremost from my point
of view. They can think about Scotland at 5 o'clock on Saturday or on
Sunday if they want. But right now it is all about going to face a team
who picked up a coupon-busting win on Saturday. They will have taken a
massive lift from that just as anybody would have. It's a reward for the
consistency of the players and the game is at Kilmarnock so to have that
number of boys included is great for us. I'm sure Walter will try to
give as many people as he can a game or part of the game. It's their
chance to go and show what they can do and why they have been picked. If
any of them have aspirations at that level then it is a perfect
opportunity to bring it a step nearer."
On the Pars Beating Celtic Last Week ... "I think that if
you ask Dunfermline what they they thought of the result they would have
been astonished. But what they did do was get their game plan right.
They knew they were going to be under pressure and they knew Celtic would
get chances. It was not Celtic's day in front of goal from what I seen of
the highlights but you have to give Dunfermline credit for that. They
deserved it. They were well organised, competed well and got the breaks
needed."
Nov 30th on Kris Boyd...
"In the past some people might have said he is lazy, No way
is that the case – he trains as hard as anyone – but there were some
things he could improve.
We said that to him and pointed out the way the likes of Hartson and
Sutton use their physical attributes. They put defenders under pressure
all the time and link play by making themselves available. Kris has
everything you need to do that and recently he has shown signs of big
improvement in those areas. He had a couple of chances with the Under-21s
but was a young player then and has since
become a better player. In our last four or five matches, he has been
excellent. Not just in goalscoring but in his overall performances.
When we were at Tynecastle
a wee while back, Kris was really disappointed in his own performance. He
just never got going and we took him off. It looks as if he shook himself
down after that and since then he's been different class, with the goals
to show for it. After 16 games you would expect an Old Firm player, or
maybe one from Hibs or Hearts, to be top of the scoring list. For a club
like
Kilmarnock to have that
striker is great but Kris would be the first to say a lot of that is down
to how the team have been playing. It's my job to try and keep him focused
and make sure that doesn't happen, He looks to be like
the type who won't be bothered by it. While he's here, there is always the
chance of us keeping him. Otherwise, we hope he keeps scoring goals until
his last day and the club gets something decent out of it."
Nov
26th on the Livi Post Match...
"Kris is now the highest goalscorer in the SPL, which
is great for a club like Kilmarnock. He would be the first to admit that
his team-mates are laying on chances for him to score a lot of goals.
Whether he is right for a full international cap, I am not so sure. But
there is a Future game coming up at Rugby Park so what better chance than
to give him a try with
no pressure on him to see what he can do? I am sure Walter will be
thinking about giving him a try. There is a two-year contract on the
table and we're quite prepared to give him it. But it's only Kris who will
know what he wants to do. I'm sure more talk will inevitably come when the
transfer window reopens in January. It was a very good day at the
office - you enjoy these days. Livingston have been improving, but we got
off to a good start and played some great stuff. I don't think you'll see
a better goal than our second one in terms of passing and movement as well
as great finish at the end from Steven Naismith. In the end, we won
comfortably and could maybe have scored one or two more."
Match
Report
Nov 25th on the Livi Pre Match...
"There has been a steady improvement in their performances, there is no
doubt about that. They played Hibs a few weeks ago and were very unlucky
that day, then they beat Caley Thistle in the CIS Cup and got a crucial
win against Dunfermline. They are obviously buoyed up, and not just by the
results but because of the overall improvement in their form. It will be a
tough game. When you are working at our level, it is not easy to go in
there as Paul has done and expect things to happen overnight. He is going
to take time to get things done his way. Our record there is not too bad
and I have been happy with my team's performances consistently this
season. But, when you look at some of the results in the SPL, I would say
it is down to who wants it more on the day and that is how you have got to
look at it. We have got to make sure we are there on the day and play to
the best of our ability."
Nov 24th on the Clubs Financial Constraints... "We
are probably on a financial par with the teams around about the bottom
area of the table. We have certainly had to cut our budget down over the
past few seasons. And that has been hard especially trying to meet the
expectation levels. We don't have a financial backer there now after Jamie
Moffat left last year. But he made sure it was perfectly clear to everyone
that he was going. He didn't just walk away, he made it known a couple of
years before that he wanted out, but promised he would be there to help
see through the business plan. Nobody else came forward and he decided to
go last year, but he done everything right. So, when we went into this
year, we knew he had gone and Michael Johnston did not have the same kind
of wealth as the previous people and we have had to have a strict business
plan. The staff had to take cuts, other people went and the players had to
take another reduction. But they understood the situation at the club and
it did not detract from the fact they still have a desire to be
successful. I think Jim Leishman has made reference to the fact that, a
couple of years ago, when they were in the top part of the league and had
a cup run that they had people on more money at the club. But that is what
you have to do if you want to go and chase success. They got some success
through that cup run but there comes a time that, if it doesn't happen, it
can be a killer for you. And Jim has that problem trying to sort it out at
Dunfermline. But probably Inverness, Falkirk, Livingston and ourselves
would be around about the same mark in terms of wages."
Nov 19th on the Inverness Post
Match... "Nishy and Naisy are
battling it out over who scored it (Killie's 2nd goal) but it doesn't
matter who scored as far as I'm concerned! It should have been enough for
victory and I'm a bit frustrated about the goal we lost because we've let
one of the
smallest
strikers around stoop down to get a header. We've missed the cross and
that's frustrating because I knew it was going to be one of the hardest
games, and we could've won it. I said before the game that Inverness
worked hard and were stuffy and the last thing you want to do is go behind
like we did. That suits them fine - and they have a great away record. But
in the second half we changed our system and upped the tempo. We got a bit
of width, stretched them a bit more, had a defensive midfielder in there
in James Fowler and got everything sorted out. We had a great atmosphere
in the ground, were playing great football but, not through any
instructions from us, we took our foot off the pedal. We should have gone
and killed them off and got a third goal but we didn't defend a ball into
the box properly and it cost us. Maybe after being behind at half-time I
would have taken a draw but after being in a winning position it's a bit
disappointing."
Match
Report
Nov 18th on the Inverness
Pre-Match...."It will
be a very difficult game and one of our hardest games this season.
Normally teams do really well in the first year of going up but you always
find the second year a bit harder. So you have got to give them a lot of
credit for this season. They have beaten Hibs away, drawn at Ibrox and got
beaten by the odd goal at Parkhead. They were delighted to beat
Dunfermline at home because it was their first win up there all season so
they are definitely a better team away from home. Their away form's great
and that's because they make it tough for you to break them down. That's
why we as a team have got to be patient and the supporters have got to be
patient. We are going well and are higher up the league but it doesn't
always work out like that. I'd settle for 1-0 as three points are massive
for us. If you don't do the right thing they will hit you on the break
because they have some good players."
Nov 17th On the Arabs Managers Job...
"I've been long enough in the game now to concentrate on my
own job. Whenever a job comes up there is half a dozen managers
linked so I just treat these things with a pinch of salt. It's not right
to discuss things like that when they already have a manager, who is
preparing for Saturday. I am used to it now. I can only speak for myself
and it doesn't bother me.I am not reading about the Dundee United
situation. I am preparing Kilmarnock for the match on Saturday. I am not
thinking about anything other than Kilmarnock."
On the Boyd Speculation... "I don't know what he wants to
do. He has already stated there's a possibility he will move on if it
suits both parties and we get a reasonable fee. If it is a derisory offer
from anybody we would have to say it's better to keep him until the end of
the season. The only way he will go in January is if it's a good deal for
the club given the circumstances with his contract. That has to be
something worthwhile because the club need the money. But we would rather
keep Boydy. If we got something like £50,000 or £100,000, it would be more
worth us keeping him until the end of the season. The chairman has let us
know we will still qualify for compensation if he moves on at the end of
the season. If somebody wants him before that then they will have to pay
what is a reasonable price and what we can't turn down. Somebody might
come in and say, 'he's out of contract at the end of the season so we'll
give you £50,000', but we'd say, 'no chance'. It's worth far more to keep
him to finish high up the league and his goals could be the difference. If
he does go, we have to make sure there are other players at the club to
take his place and we believe there are. We will still create chances and
we have the likes of Naismith, Wales and Nish. We might have a bit to
bring somebody in but what money we get will go into the coffers."
Nov 5th On Boyd's Well Performance..."He
got two goals last week, two goals this week and
everybody
has been talking about him. The speculation has been going on for some
time, but, as long as it is not affecting him, then I am happy. I don't
have to make a decision about losing him at the moment because players
can't leave and, hopefully, I won't ever have to make that decision. If he
keeps doing well for Kilmarnock, then he will do well for himself. If he
does move on because of his form, then fine. There is a deal there
on the table and I want him to stay as long as he wants but I understand
he has ambitions to play for a bigger club. But he is not doing any
harm at the moment and, if we get a decent fee at the end, then the club
will obviously benefit. That is in the future, but you can't ask him for
any more."
Match
Report
Nov 3rd on the Rangers Boyd Speculation...
"There has been no contact with Rangers and I don't know if
there will be any contact with Rangers. If he goes there, though, we
will get a fee for him because, if they want him in the transfer window,
they'll need to pay for him. If they don't pay enough, they won't get him.
Maybe Rangers do want Boydy, I don't know, but if he keeps banging in the
goals, other clubs might come and he might get a better offer. A new
two-year deal has been on the table for months but Boyd's unwillingness to
put pen to paper suggests it is only a matter of time before he quits
Kilmarnock. If we get a derisory offer in the transfer window, we would
have to turn it down, because he will be a big factor in us trying to get
into the top six, there is no doubt about that. It will have to be
something we are happy with because I don't want to see us forced into a
situation where we lose him cheaply. There's nothing we can do to keep him
here, other than make him an offer, and we've made him a good offer. If he
moves on to a big club, we will wish him well, and we will hope that he
does well. We'll get on with life because we feel we have strikers here
who can step into his boots."
Oct
29th on the Dons Post Match... "Jimmy's
comments in the papers that he thinks he has better players than us helped
us. The best way to answer that is to go out and beat them. That's the
second time we've beaten them this season. It was a
spur and that always helps. It's perfectly alright for Jimmy to say those
things because he's trying to motivate his own players. There's nothing
wrong with it but it's helped me this time as a manager because we've gone
out to show we're not mugs ourselves and hopefully we can stay up there
for the rest of the season. We deserved a wee bit more against the top
teams that we've played in the last three weeks. Having played so well in
the last four matches and not got as many points as we deserved you could
not blame the players for sitting back. But justice was done because over
the 90 minutes I thought we were the better team."
On Boyd's Form..."As I've said, the
two-year extension offer is still on the table from us.
But if his goals right now get us a bigger fee when he goes, then fine.
Boydie was brilliant and his first goal was an instinctive finish and
that's what he's good at. He followed up his own shot for his second which
was another instinctive shot. He's at his best when he doesn't have time
to think." Match
Report
Oct 28th on the Dons Pre Match... "It
has been frustrating, but there is no need for the players to let their
heads drop. We have had three of the top four clubs away from home
recently - Rangers, Hibernian and Hearts. We have deserved a bit more than
we've had over the three games, but that's the way it goes. The
performances, though, have been better than many times when we've played
these teams last year so we've improved. We were a bit unfortunate that
the one home game we got among them was against Celtic rather than
somebody we had a good chance of taking some points from. There has been
no lack of effort, no lack of desire and, if we continue that, we will win
more than we lose. In fact, we have played better in the last four matches
than when we won a couple earlier in the season. But we know now we are
moving into a run of games in the next five or six weeks - starting with
Aberdeen - where we can target points, so we will have some on the board
for when the big boys come around again. Also, with Aberdeen winning in
midweek and going above us, we have the chance to take that place back
again with a win. Maybe we have just lacked that little cutting edge and
composure in and around the last third. And I feel we've maybe not made as
many clear-cut chances as we did earlier in the season. But we have still
got two young strikers in Kris Boyd and Steven Naismith, and they've come
up against better defenders recently, which makes it that bit harder. It
is like that against the bigger sides - you may only get a couple of
half-chances and you have to take them."
Oct 26th on the Hearts Post Match... "Sometimes,
you can't always play well and then you have to grind out results and
that's what they did against us. They probably missed Paul Hartley and, if
they get him back with Steven Pressley, then they have a chance - but not
on the evidence of this game. They will have to play better than they
played against us. They have been playing some good stuff and deserve to
be top of the League because nobody has beaten them yet. I thought we had
a strong case for a penalty. I would like to see it again, but I
would have to go with the reaction of my players and Kris Boyd and Rhian
Dodds said their player stopped it with his hand. I don't know whether he
did it intentionally or not, but we didn't get the break.
I thought Frazer did exceptionally
well. He has the opportunity now to make the grade as a full-time player."
Match
Report
Oct 25th on the Hearts Pre Match...
"My only concern now is winning again this week. We are playing another
very good team who are top of the league. We
have to produce another good standard of performance to give Hearts a
tough game like we did Celtic."
"We are a young side who are still learning and improving, but on our day
we can match anyone. We would like to be at our
strongest for games like this, that isn't the case and there is quite a
dent in our reserves for the game against Hearts.
It could be a case of waiting until just before kick-off to see who
can play and we might need to have a few of the under-18s on the bench for
us. But we are still looking for a performance."
Colin Nish's injury..."He
was involved in a block tackle and twisted his ankle.
It swelled up immediately, so he is struggling for midweek."
Oct
23rd on the Celtic Post Match... "Celtic
were very complimentary. Some of their players told ours: 'What a
difference you are to last year'. We have got
the balance right with the young players
along with guys such as Allan Johnston, who was a joy to watch today.
For the first 20 minutes we were excellent and should have taken
the lead. Gary McDonald tried to set himself up
too perfectly and you don't get that time against better quality players.
If you get chances, you have to take them. Celtic only had one
chance in the first half and took it - that was the difference.
We worked our socks off but just couldn't get a break. Credit to
Celtic, they have a good keeper and their defence made it difficult for
us. But I don't think anybody could deny we
deserved something
Buts
what happens when you have that bit of class Petrov is excellent and we
sent Gary Locke out to try and stop him from playing and putting the ball
about. To be fair to Gary he did his job well for most of the afternoon,
but Petrov just got half a yard on him when it came to the goal and before
you know it, it's in the back of the net. That
is the difference. We had a couple of decent chances and you would still
have to say if those sort of opportunities
had fallen to the Celtic players then the
chances are they would have put the ball in the back of the net. But
that is what happens when you have players in your team who have that
something extra." Match
Report
Oct 22nd on the
Kris Boyd Situation...
"I
didn't think the Cardiff deal falling through would affect Kris and it
hasn't so far. In fact the day after he came back up he had his best game
so far this
season
against Livingston when he laid on a couple of goals for Colin Nish. Kris
played extremely well and I was pleased because it's always a concern
something like that can affect a player. I was confident it wouldn't
because I work with him daily and he's not that type. He knows there's a
two-year deal still on the table and it will be there until he goes. It
will be his decision to move and that's his prerogative because he's at
the end of his contract. But like any player as it gets nearer January and
if his form suffers I'll have no option but to leave him out. Kris
wouldn't do it deliberately but I know the speculation will worsen as we
get nearer to the New Year. His mind might begin to wander, thinking about
what he'll do next. If you asked any player, Kris included, if speculation
affected them, they'd say 'no way. But it's my job as manager to see if it
is and try to find the reasons. Hopefully I won't need to leave him out. I
was surprised when Kris came back. I thought he would go and when he
stayed overnight to do the second part of a medical I thought it was a
formality. We're not big wage payers and I know what he was offered there
would have been hard for him to turn down. But maybe he believes it's not
all about money. He'd be the first footballer to think like that right
enough! If we receive a bid after New Year it won't be as big as
Cardiff's. But teams might not want to wait until the end of the season.
Leicester did that with
Peter Canero
- they didn't want to wait because they'd already lost Stephen Pearson to
Celtic by delaying."
Oct 20th on the season so far..."We've
won some games this year that we would have lost last year, but I thought
last week we let ourselves succumb to the quality of Hibs' play and didn't
really cope with it. That's the first time it has happened. We spoke to
the players and said 'let's not let it happen again.'
If you let it happen against good sides like Hearts, Hibs, Rangers
and Celtic, then they'll do you damage.
"If somebody had told me in 16 Premier league
games, the last six matches of last season
and 10 games this season, that we were
going to lose just three, to Rangers, Hearts and Hibs, and two of those
fixtures would have been away from home, I would have taken it,
There's nothing to get down about with our team."
Oct
15th on the Hibs Post Match...
"In other defeats this season we weren't outdone by desire.
They had a wee bit more desire today and I think that's the first
time it's happened this season. Hibs deservedly
went on and won the game."
Match
Report
Oct 14th on the Hibs Pre Match... "I've
had a connection with Hearts and they remember that.
When we go there, I tend to get a bit more stick than the other
managers because of that connection and so do some of the players who have
played for Hearts. It's banter and it's part and
parcel of the game. It doesn't bother me in the
slightest and the best way to keep them quiet is for my team to go there
and win the game."
Oct 14th on Kris Boyd..."He isn't
anywhere near ready for the full international team.
But he could be if he continues scoring and keeps improving his
game. He's young enough to do that. He's too old
for the Under-21s now and he has to start thinking about doing it for the
first team instead. He has seven goals from nine
games this season but he still has a lot to learn."
Oct 14th on Alan Combe (for Scotland)... "All
I can say is that, since he's been at the club, he has been one of my best
signings. Top goalkeepers always pull people out
of a hole and Alan is one of those goalkeepers.
In terms of Scotland, all Alan can do is keep performing like that.
He has been a bit unfortunate but he just has to hang in there and
hope for his chance."
Oct 13th more on the Arabs sideline happenings ... "Sometimes
people make rash judgements from pictures - it wasn't even linked to the
penalty. I was shouting an instruction to the
players and I was about six inches over the white line.
I wasn't shouting at the fourth official or the referee, I was
just
trying to shout to my players. I told him to
"Get out of my way!" But that's all it was. Quite simple. Nice and polite!
No-one reported me. The fourth official will tell you all I was
doing was shouting instructions to my players.
It did look as though I was kissing him, though!
You can't win in this game, If you show passion
to get things done, people will criticise you.
But, if you sit on your backside and do nothing, then you're not
motivating the players or doing your job right.
We saw a man whose team qualified for the World Cup and finished top of
their section and he was slaughtered. Jack
Charlton said he was too quiet so you can't win.
It's not in my make-up to be like that, though, even though people find it
hard to understand how someone who is quiet-spoken and well-mannered
becomes a raving lunatic between 3 and 5 o'clock.
Sometimes that's what football does to you."
Oct 1st on the Arabs Post Match... "It
was a stonewall penalty. Everyone in the ground knew it.
The referee could only give the penalty or book Boyd for diving,
but he was never going to do that. You could see
from Derek's reaction - he had his head in his hands as if to say 'What
have I done?' It was a hard-fought game, but it
was a match we would have lost last year, no doubt about that.
We are learning to grind out results like that and, if we had won,
it would have been a deserved victory. The
fourth official was outstanding today. We were all getting at him at
times. There was one time when we were
face-to-face and I said to him I was trying to shout to my players, but he
told me I was six inches onto the pitch. But he
knew it was a penalty and tried to calm us all down. He did his job
brilliantly."
Match
Report
Sep 29th on the Arabs Pre Match..."It's
déjà vu. Last year, we went up there after Ian McCall had a couple of
indifferent results and it was billed as a make-or-break game and they
came right out of the traps, scoring twice in the first half.
We know it will be similar on Saturday. They've had a bit of
criticism and lost last week at Dunfermline. But
they have some quality players, who, maybe, know themselves they are
underachieving a wee bit. We've seen it many
times, teams get criticised and it galvanises them to get a result.
I've got sympathy for every manager. They should all get MBEs
because it's a tough job and it gets tougher and tougher.
It is hard for a young man like Gordon, even though he has lots of
experience of being a number two and will now know it's different and
there's no manual to do it. You have just got to
learn from your mistakes, get your head down and believe what you're doing
is right. If United are nervy we'll cash in because I know we have
the players to cause them problems. I feel for him but my duty is to make
Gordon's life even more difficult than it is already. Some of his players
will probably know they've under achieved this season, but while they're
trying to rebuild confidence my job is to knock them back down again.
We have to punch above our weight while working on a shoestring
budget. I need to keep us in the top six because that means more money.
I look with envy at what some of my rival managers have to spend
while I'm supposed to keep pace with them, or go higher, with
significantly less resources. Other teams are
able to attract players to their club ahead of mine because they can pay
three times the wage I can offer. But I can't afford to let our standards
drop. If we lost any more money and I had to
shop at a lower end of the player market, we really would be fighting for
survival. I keep going and ignore the negative
stuff because I have the experience to handle it. Gordon's been an
assistant manager for a long time and now he's out there on his own.
The difference between us is we have started well and got early
points on the board. ow we go into every game
full of self-belief"
Sep 24th on the
Bairns Post Match...
"I thought we battered them in the last 25 minutes. We
showed good rhythm and tempo. We also got plenty of balls into the box,
but we just couldn't
finish, which is unusual for us this season. But, against Falkirk, we
didn't show the quality we have done in earlier games. We're obviously
disappointed to have dropped two points, but the other results on the day
haven't been too bad for us. They defended very well and their defenders
were excellent in blocking shots from our players and restricting clear
shots at goal. You have to give them the credit for that. On Allan
Johnston... "Allan is a joy to watch when he plays the way he did today.
He makes this team tick a bit and is showing us now what a good player he
is."
Match
Report
Sep 20th on the Pars (CIS) Post Match...
"This season there have been one or two games we haven't
started well, but, to go three down so early on,
proved too much to come back from on this occasion.
We played reasonably well against Rangers at Ibrox last Saturday
when we lost, but we
never played anything like that against Dunfermline.
Maybe one or two heads were in the clouds because of the start we
have had to the season, but they've been brought back down to earth
tonight. We were all over the place in the first
15 to 20 minutes and I had warned the players before the game started it
wouldn't be an easy match. You have to win
battles to win games and we didn't win any in that opening period.
Both James (Fowler) and Garry
(Hay) have played every game this season and their replacements
Gary McDonald and Peter Leven have played in these positions before and
there's no doubt the team looked strong on paper.
There was a lot of effort and commitment, but we just couldn't
manage to peg it back. Dunfermline earned their victory."
Match
Report
Sep 19th on the Pars (CIS) Pre Match...
"It will be a tough game and even though we beat them 3-2,
we scored at the very end of the game and it could have been different.
We played well and missed a lot of chance but when it was 2-2, they
had a chance to score a third and that could have been the winner for
them. In fact, it's maybe better that we didn't
win the game comfortably because we if we had done then the players might
have thought that all they needed to do was turn up.
But that wasn't the case and we have need to produce the form we
have been showing all season."
Sep 17th on the Rangers Post Match...
"We thought when they scored early they would
come at us and it would be one of those days. But there wasn't really
any storm for us to weather. I was
really pleased with them at half-time and we knew the longer it stayed at
1-0 they might get frustrated. Then, just as we were about to make the
change, Barry Ferguson scored. I was a wee bit disappointed to then lose
the third because it would have kept us above them in the league on goal
difference otherwise. It's not that we would have been happy to take a 2-0
defeat - we thought we had a real chance today - but that third goal means
we lose the psychological edge."
Match
Report
Sep 11th on Playing Rangers Next...
"Our passing and movement has been our
trademark, but when we lose possession of the ball, our desire and hunger
to get it back is very pleasing for me. It
gets our football going again. We have shown good appetite and application
and, hopefully, we can keep it going. If
we can keep winning games, we will remain confident and who would have
thought we would be going to Ibrox next week three points in front of
Rangers? But we will try and do the right
things and who knows what will happen?"
Sep 10th on the Pars Post Match... "If
you are going to score the winner then that's the time to
do
it because there's not time for them to come back.
They scored the first goal every early and
although you don't want to lose a goal it gives you've got a lot of time
to get it back but when you score when we did the there's not a lot of
time. But we dominated and their keeper
had terrific save to stop us going 3-1 up. It was probably like the Alamo
for them but they weathered it and broke up the park and equalised.
It would be harsh if we had lost the third. I though it was going
to be one of those days. But it's a great three points for us."
Match
Report
Sep 9th on the Pars Pre Match...
"We'll be favourites going
into the game, but you only have to look at the international results on
Wednesday night to see what that means. There's
not a lot between the teams so we know that we have to produce the form
we've shown this season.
Peter Leven picked up a knock in training last week," he
explained. "He went to stop a ball that was running out of the pitch and
twisted his ankle. It's been pretty swollen and bruised so he will
probably miss this weekend. It's
an old cliche but when you are going well you want to keep it going.
There's still a buzz, their confidence is up and they can't wait for the
game to come."
Sep 8th on signing Ryan O'Leary..."We
were alerted that Ryan was out of contract at Aberdeen and wanted to
return to a team nearer his home. He came to
train with us and I saw enough to want me to commit to a contract.
(three years!) He's a player for the future and, hopefully, he will
develop during the term of his contract."
Sep 4th on managing Killie...
"I'll be honest, I'm excited
about what's happening here now. We wouldn't have accepted the wage cut if
we weren't convinced that we are going somewhere with this squad and if we
weren't convinced by the new chairman. We have a great bunch of lads, we
have moved to these great training facilities at Glasgow Science Park and
the inconsistency which comes with young players and has maybe been a
problem for us in the past couple of years, seems to be sorting itself
out. It's satisfying for myself and Billy [Brown, his assistant] to see
them coming on as players and maturing into the kind of team that has the
same will and desire we have to get better and better."
"Yes, you do need to be thick
skinned to be a football manager but I didn't need a thick skin to deal
with that What I tend to do is analyse things
like that rather than react first and think later. I looked at who else
was in contention and as there were four new managers, the chances of them
going first were slim, then there was Terry [Butcher] who had done so
well, Jim [Duffy] who had steered Dundee through their tough time, Martin
O'Neill and Alex McLeish, who were probably safe for a while, Craig Levein
who seemed secure at Hearts and Robbo had got Inverness promotion. That
only left me and Ian McCall and as he had spent some money on established
players the chances were his team were going to improve. So when you
stopped and analysed it, I wasn't such a bad bet. Maybe I should have just
put a fortune on myself and then got myself fired," he jokes.
"But, I mean it, if negative
comments are based on fact then there's nothing I can do about them apart
from try to prove them wrong. That's what I did last season because I'm
still in a job. And, I don't mind if criticism is constructive, that's
okay. If it's completely untrue then I do tend to get angry as we saw
recently when I was accused of taking this club nowhere and not helping
young talent. People who look at my record know that's not true so
although I am a lot more mellow these days, that annoyed me. But the fact
I have mellowed means I just want to drop that subject now and get on with
it."
."That's the thing. That is what gives us some breathing space going into
the games against the likes of the Old Firm. The pressure comes when you
don't pick up points against teams you should be able to compete with.
Last year we only just missed out on the top six and if we were to make it
into the top six this season then that would be an achievement but I don't
want to just settle for that. I want us to push ourselves as a team."
"It takes a while to build a side and we had to do that at Hearts before
we had success. But you have to make it count when you have the chance
because as a selling club, bigger clubs will always want to buy up the
best of your players. Maybe clubs outwith the Old Firm only get one bite
of the cherry."
"That's the difference this year, we have a bit more strength and depth.
We have youngsters who can come in and do a job and those in the team know
that and it's keeping them on their toes. If Kris does eventually leave we
have a ready-made replacement in Colin Nish."
Aug 27th on the Livi Post Match...
"I'm delighted for Nishy. We know we've
got other strikers apart from Boydy, who I'm delighted to keep here.
But Nishy got his hat-trick, Steven Naismith has done well and
there's Gary Wales too - so we've got options.
It was great to get those three points going into the international break
and it keeps us up at the top end of the table.
I said last year that
we would improve. They're young players but we needed to find the
consistency and so far that's what we're doing.
They're a joy to watch, there's a hunger about the team, we are working
hard, there's good legs about the team and there's experience in the right
places. We've got the confidence a young team
needs and we've got a bit of momentum. We've got another home game in two
weeks and we need to make sure we don't switch off and keep the good
results going. People thought we would struggle
this year with the resources we have off the pitch but we were quietly
confident we would be okay. If you take the end
of last season which we finished really well and the start of this one
we've done well. If you take the last half dozen matches or so we're on a
good run. Even the game against Hearts when we
got beaten we played well until we gifted them a couple of goals."
Match
Report
JJ clarifies the
Boyd Latest... "Only two clubs have
showed interest in Kris and that's Cardiff and Aberdeen. I've not heard
anything about Rangers being interested. The one
from Aberdeen a few months back wasn't acceptable and then I got a call
last Monday from Dave Jones (Cardiff manager) to say the clubs had agreed
a fee. I told Boydy we wanted him to sign
a two-year extension. He turned our earlier offer down and we made an
improved one but he said it wasn't about the money - he wants to take up
another challenge, preferably in England. So
we told him about Cardiff and he went down there, agreed personal terms
and passed his medical - but for some reason he decided it wasn't for him.
The contract will stay on the table but there will come a time
when, if he doesn't sign it, we'll have to look at offers. But I don't
know of any offer from Rangers."
Aug 25th on the Boyd Latest...
"He is going back to Cardiff to discuss it with his family
and will give me a call later. As far as we are
concerned, the deal is still on. It is just a case of whether he wants to
make the move now."
Aug 24th on getting none of the Boyd Fee to work with...
"It's a tough job - we lose one of our top men and scorers
and the money goes to the bank to keep the club going.
We had to accept he would probably go at some time but the danger
was losing him for nothing. This is very
important money to us at Kilmarnock. In a short
time we would have got nothing for him so we had to do it
Aug 23rd on the
Stirling Post Match... "We had chance
after chance and the lads showed terrific spirit, because these sort of
games are never easy. We rested a few players
and this gave us the opportunity to give some of the lads, who haven't
played recently, a really good run-out. I was
well satisfied in the end, but all credit to Stirling who came here and
gave a good account of themselves." Match
Report
Aug 23rd on the
Stirling Pre Match... "We need the
fans to be patient. If we don't score early on, it doesn't matter, as long
as we get the right result.
We have been in this situation before -
Stirling have nothing to lose and we know they will raise their game
against us. It was a tight pitch at Brechin,
(2 seasons ago!) we missed a couple of early
chances and that gave them a sniff. We threw
everything at them and just couldn't find the back of the net that night.
But the team has changed a lot since the Brechin game. We have had
a good start to the season and improved so much over the last couple of
years."
On Naismith's Fitness... "The beauty
of this squad is that we have two or three boys who are good enough to go
into the team and are already knocking on the door.
We will leave it up to the physio to decide if Steven should play,
but we won't be taking any chances with any of our players.
We aren't prepared to risk him ahead of Saturday's game against
Livingston."
On Alan Combe's Fitness... "Alan is a
winner and he wants to play in every game. I
left it up to him to decide whether he could play or not - he is
experienced enough to know if he's fit and knows I wouldn't have been
happy if he had played when not fit. Thankfully
he was able to play because he looked comfortable when we were under
pressure. He will be okay to play tonight."
Aug
22nd on Boyd Moving to Cardiff..."I
had a long chat with Kris and his father over the bid and our increased
two-year offer. It became clear Kris wants a new
challenge and feels going to play in England will enhance his game and I
respect that. He is a great lad and has been a
good player for us and he goes with the club's best wishes.
We were keen to hold on to Kris and knocked back the bids from
Aberdeen, but being realistic, once an offer came in that met our
valuation there was very little chance that Kris would remain a Kilmarnock
player as he could have gone for nothing next summer."
Aug 20th on the Inverness Post
Match...
"I told the players in no uncertain terms that we were
very
lucky to only be a goal down at half time. We
showed great grit and determination to get back in the game. But things
went against us because we didn't perform in the first half. I altered the
formation and I felt the substitutions changed the game. I am very happy
with the point. Maybe the fact we'd taken a bit
of praise lately made us think it would just happen for us in the first
half. But we're not good enough for that. We
improved after the break after a change of formation and substitutions.
I'd have settled for a draw here beforehand to keep the run going.
It was down to tremendous grit and determination from my troops who
never gave up" Match
Report
Aug 19h JJ Reminds Walter Smith about
some of Killie's in-form players..."We
saw more of the real Kris Boyd on Saturday.Apart from his goals, he made a
great contribution for the team. He is still
eligible for the Under-21s. I think Rainer Bonhof watched him in the
Aberdeen game and perhaps felt he wasn't quite as sharp, although if he
had seen him on Saturday he would have picked him.
If he plays consistently to that level then he could be up there.
Kris has got to get in the Scotland Under-21s and do well there. That's
what Garry O'Connor and Derek Riordan did and they eventually got their
chance. Steven has been exceptional. He doesn't
look like an 18-year-old. He is very mature and has a real desire to do
well and work hard. Alan got called up by
Scotland a while ago when there weresome injuries but if he keeps
performing then Walter would have to look at him as someonewho could be a
keeper at that level I This is still a young
team and the great thing is it can only get better.
Gary Locke at 30 is about our oldest outfield player. I have always
had the confidence that they could go on to become a good team.
It's a pleasure to come to work every morning. I never have any
problems from them or need to tell them to do anything because everyone is
so keen to work."
On Alan Combe...:
"I've coached a few keepers in my time, Gilles Rousset at Hearts was one
and Gordon Marshall at Falkirk was another, who give a team an added edge.
Defenders
will always make mistakes. But sometimes, if you are lucky, you get a
keeper who can haul you out of tight spots by pulling off saves he has no
right to. Andy Goram was a classic
example when he was at Rangers. Celtic would pummel them and create
chances you thought they must bury, until Andy pulled off a wonder save.
Alan Combe is just like that. He's got
that winning instinct. He has been phenomenal since he joined last season.
He has been involved in the Scotland set-up before and deserves another
chance."
On the Inverness
Pre-Match...."It is great to get two wins, but there
is still a lot of work for the boys to do. We can get better."
Aug 18h on Signing Malky MacKay..."I
made an enquiry to West Ham and was told by one of the backroom staff they
weren't letting anyone go, but I have since heard they have released him.
However, he did mark my card saying there are one or two
Championship clubs down in England, where he is settled, who would
probably want him, so I don't think we are in the frame.
It would be terrific to get someone like him because he is
experienced and left-sided, but, if it doesn't happen, then we will get on
with what we have got. We are trying to do
things and will be working right up until the transfer deadline to bring
in some defensive cover because, if we get an injury or suspension, then
we could be in trouble."
Aug 13th on the Well Post Match.... "I
think the first 25 minutes was as good as I have seen here. We caused them
all sorts of problems with our passing and movement.
It is a great result
against a Motherwell side who had made a good start to the season and that
is now eight goals we have scored in the three games.
'But at 2-0 we gave them a lift by losing a sloppy goal and we know
how good Motherwell are at fighting back.'However, we sorted it out at
half-time and when it went 3-1 we could have scored with every attack.
And it is not just the result which pleased me - they are a
terrific young team to watch and they showed it today.
People say we are going backwards, but, on the evidence of the
three performances we have played, you wonder what they are on about.
Allan and Steven will get the praise because they were excellent,
as they were last week, but the pick of the bunch for me was the
performance in the middle of the park by Gary Locke. He was magnificent
.It
is time Walter Smith was here if they are looking for a midfield player.
He controlled the whole midfield, switched play brilliantly and won
tackles."
Match
Report
Aug 12th on the Attendance
Situation...
"Davie Sneddon
told us that, when they topped the league in
1965,
6,500 was the home gate, So I don't think the
fans have ever been there as we are close to Glasgow and many watch Celtic
and Rangers. Kilmarnock owe £10.5m to their bankers, while the family of
former chairman Jamie Moffat is owed almost £2m. An increase of more than
1,000 fans every home game would make a huge difference, Even though we have a very
loyal band of supporters, you have got to say that to talk about people
being driven away is nonsense, We can't do
anything about people travelling to watch Celtic and Rangers, but what we
will do is try to give them a good young team that is worth watching. We
are bringing through the young boys and are trying to play it the right
way."
On the Club's Plight....'Michael
Johnston wants to be open with everything and tell people what's ahead.
We need everybody in Kilmarnock pulling together.
I don't have any money to buy players and it's more important than
ever that I stick to the budget.In the past I could go slightly over
because Jamie Moffat was there but that won't happen now unless someone
out there is willing to come in with money.It would make a massive
difference if we could get another 1500 in. We have avery loyal support
but people who say that fans are being driven away are talking nonsense.'
Aug 7th on Agent Raymond Sparkes
Criticism of Him ....
"This criticism has come from a person who
hasn't got any standing in the game anyway.
Someone told me he was on the radio on Friday saying he's had 24 years in
the game. Well I've got an agent and advisors
and they are not part of the game, they just advise me. Being part of the
game is working with a football club every day, dealing with tight budgets
and losing players. I've had 18 consecutive
years experience of doing that. so I don't have to answer to Raymond
Sparkes. I'll let my record stand with anybody's in the present game. I
think his problem is we don't deal with him. But
if people are unprofessional we won't deal with them, that's why he's come
out and said what he has - it's sour grapes. To
be honest, I'm only going on what people have told me. I haven't even read
the article, and I'm not going to. I've been in the game too long to let
things get to me. But we'll just keep answering
criticism like that on the park."
More on the Dons Post Match....
"It was a great day. If you look at the start we had against
Hearts, with all their new signings, and then Pittodrie you'd have been
happy with two draws. That would only have
meant two points, though, and after losing last week and winning this
we've now got three. Pittodrie is one of the hardest places to visit and
especially given the fact it was their first
game at home and they had a good performance last week.
We had to withstand some pressure but I could have told you that
before the game. Allan Johnston was magnificent in the middle of the park
and Steven Naismith scored the winner despite taking a head knock.
We were unsure if he would go out for the second half because of
that but he was magnificent"
Aug 6th on the Dons Post Match....
"We showed a fantastic attitude and worked for each other
today. I think we are much stronger as a team this year in terms of
working together and knowing each other's game. I'm
just looking for a bit of consistency now.

On
Steven Naismith...
"He's an example for the rest of his players.
He is a fantastic player to work with. He does that day-in and
day-out. He has a fantastic desire to go on and be a success and that's
why he is in the team at 18."
Match
Report
July 30th on the Hearts Post Match...."We
were very pleased with attitude of the players and we did great to get in
front but didn't get a chance to enjoy it, The
old cliché about being vulnerable five minutes after scoring came true.
Well, I don't think it was even a minute. You've
got to keep your concentration and their two big guys up front were
causing us a problem, although we did deal with it generally well.
The goal which really annoyed me was the second. We said to watch
that kind of
thing and it was bad defensive marking. The
third goal we gave the ball away cheaply in the centre of the park and
paid dearly. For the fourth one of our defender's tried to be clever and
from that we gave away the penalty and the game was over and the pressure
was off them. We gifted them the game and that's
how I saw it. It was a battle today and Hearts were maybe better
physically on the day, although our effort and commitment was excellent.
Obviously it was a blow to be without David Lilley who is solid at
the back, even though the two centre-halves did well - we just took too
many chances and it cost us: "It's something that
the foreign players can bring. They go down easily at times and squeal a
bit before they're touched but they'll soon learn about Scottish football.
It comes not just with Hearts' foreign players but I'm not really
criticising because I think sometimes the referee gave a few strange
decisions in what was a tough game."
Match
Report
July 29th on the Hearts Pre Match...
"'It's a great first game for
us and because it's at home then we will try to take the initiative.
You just never know with first games. I remember we played Rangers
two or three years ago and
we drew 1-1 when people hadn't given us a chance.
Last year we had a tough
opener at Easter Road and we got through the first 20 minutes thanks
to Alan Combe, who saved us from going a couple down.
From there we went on to win the game, with Hibernian going on to
prove how good they were by finishing third."
July 28th on Kris Boyd's
Contract Offer.... "We are
still hanging on to the fact he might come to his senses and take up the
offer of a two-year extension. That proves we want him but after the next
transfer window closes we will get virtually nothing for him. He comes
into the bracket when he has his next birthday so there will be no
compensation at the end of the year. But clubs attempting to get him on
the cheap should think again, Jefferies warned as Aberdeen had already
found. We were made an offer by Aberdeen, who went back and increased it
but we turned that down too because it wasn't what we were looking for. It
was more important for us to keep him, although there will be a price,
like with every player, where we just couldn't turn it down, especially as
he is in the last year of his contract.
Peter Canero did
extremely well here and moved at a time when he was soon going to be out
of contract as well. Leicester had just been stung by Stephen Pearson
going to Celtic and didn't want to wait until the end of the season
because they might have lost him to someone else. But the grass is not
always greener on the other side. It didn't work out for Peter, although
I'm sure he will get fixed up elsewhere. The ball remains in the player's
court in the meantime therefore. Boydy said he wasn't against staying here
for another year. It will be on the table until he decides - and he would
probably be the highest-paid player at this club, working to a tight
budget. One of the things he said at that meeting was that it wasn't about
money, it was deciding to stay here or move to a big club. Money will come
anyway if he moves on but there is no guarantee of that. The only offer we
have had has been from a Scottish club and we turned it down twice."
July 23rd on Kris Boyd's (after his 4 Goals Vs A*r)..."I
only hope Kris has a change of heart or agent. There's still time for him
to sign a two-year contract he knows is on the table. The club have had
financial problems and are unwilling to break the bank to keep him, but
Jefferies added: "We have a price in mind but I still hope he comes to his
senses and signs an extension."
Match
Pics
July 23rd on Rhian Dodds... "He
has been away for a while (with the Canadian National Squad) and his
preparation hasn't been the same as the rest, but we won't push him, we'll
wait and see what he is like but it won't take him long, I don't think
he'll start the season but I would think that he'll put people under
pressure very quickly going on the two performances at the end of last
season."
July 22nd on Finances... "I'm
going into this year with the budget cut further than it was last year.
Last year, it was at £1.3million, this year it is at £1.1million. We might
have had to cut it down to £900,000, but we had a meeting with the
chairman about that. We said making those cuts was virtually impossible
and, if we did it, we might have struggled this year and it wouldn't have
been worth it. Mr Moffat did well for this club, but he has moved on and
we don't have any major investment coming into the club or someone with
plenty of money, who can support us at times, so we have to work even more
tightly to the strict budgets we have. It's terrific that the players who
were out of contract have all stayed together - the only one we lost was
Freddie Dindeleux,
who you can't blame for looking for some security. Michael Johnston and
the board members understood that and it was great that they took on board
what we said. We thought we would be struggling because some of the boys
could probably have moved on and got better than what we offered if we had
reduced the offers even lower. They kept the wage bill to the original
business plan and the staff had to come in and make the difference by
taking cuts and by letting goalkeeping coach Jim Stewart go. We have done
that to keep all the players together. The staff had no option, but we
understood it and we know things are hard at clubs these days. But that's
done and dusted now and we're concentrating on being successful."
Squad Updates... "There are no new signings on the
horizon, but I would like some cover because David Lilley is injured and I
don't know if he is going to be fit for the game against Ayr, although,
hopefully, he'll be alright for the first game of the season. Simon Ford
has eight or nine stitches in a head wound after playing against Cardiff
and Fraser Wright is not at the level we're looking for yet, although he
will be in time."
July 15th on the Saints Post Match...
"I had injuries to Stevie Murray, Alan Combe, Gary Wales
and David Lilley. Everybody would like to have new faces in for the start
of the season but we have no money. We have got a good squad and we hope
to get a break with injuries although most clubs will be saying that. The
squad showed at the end of last season that by keeping them together, we
could put a run together. We passed the ball well and showed a great
desire. We had some great movement and appetite and that is what you want
in a pre-season match. It was a blow to lose the second goal at the end
but they were a fresh side and they made a lot of changes at half-time. We
competed well and probably bossed the game."
Match
Report
June
28th on signing defender Fraser Wright... "Fraser
was a player we were recommended to watch, and did so on a couple of
occasions. David Mackinnon and myself went down to Stair Park to watch him
against Morton where both teams were competing for promotion and it also
gave us the opportunity to keep tabs on Sean Dillon. I feel Fraser has
shown to me that he has the hunger for this challenge and can play in a
number of defensive positions. It's now up to him to prove himself - all
we can do is give him the chance"
June 23rd on playing Hearts First...
"The boys are going to be well up for this game, more than
ever given the results against them last season."

Jim
Jefferies Comments for
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
Killie Manager History 1957-Present
Here

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