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 

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."

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