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 31st on the Squad Latest... "Gordon’s (Greer) new wife was up for the CIS Cup Final and met a few of the other players’ wives, but we still don’t know if the couple intend to live in Scotland or down south, where she is from. We haven’t put a time limit on when a decision has to be made so we’ll just have to wait and see what Gordon decides on. We made Peter (Leven) an offer but as well as looking for a bit more money he also indicated that he wanted to try and find a club in the south. I had a talk with Stevie (Murray) at the end of last season and this may be the time for him to decide that he wants to play regularly rather than getting the odd appearance as a sub. I think he’s at the stage of his career when he feels he needs to be playing week in, week out.”
On Craig Bryson, (whose contract is now up at Clyde), “I’m still interested in signing Craig, but at this stage I can say no more than that.”  
Steven Naismith....  “There’s plenty of speculation and there’s no doubt that there are a few clubs who would like to have him, but may not be able to afford him.”
On New Signings... “We’re always looking and trying to improve what we have here, but that’s all I’m prepared to say at the moment.”

May 24th on Naisy Celtic Speculation ..."It's pure speculation, but it's understandable because he has picked up a few awards, But nobody's made any enquiries as such, so I hope he's lining up for Kilmarnock next season. Everybody says that the summer is the silly season, but Steven is flavour of the month at the moment, He's had a great season, but then so have his team-mates and he's the first to acknowlege that. It's hard to put a price on someone's head, but if an offer is unacceptable we'll turn it down. If it is, we'll have to discuss it."
On Hearts Speculation... "The last time I spoke to Vladimir Romanov was at a BBC function more than two years ago, The links are flattering because of the connection, but again it's just speculation. I've heard stories that I have already had discussions with Mr Romanov, but I haven't. I'm getting on with the job at Kilmarnock where we have a great set of players and the supporters are starting to appreciate what's happening."

May 23rd on his name being mentioned for the open Hearts manager position..."It's news to me, I never usually comment on speculation but I can confirm I haven't held any talks with Hearts. Whether or not I'm on any shortlist they might have is a different question - you always get linked to other jobs when you've been doing well."

May 20th on the Hearts Post Match... "Hearts were out of the traps and we knew they would be because of what was at stake but Kilmarnock proved that we weren't there to lie down. It was a very physical and competitive game and we stood up to it. It certainly wasn't a dull end-of-season affair, there was a good competitive atmosphere and we're delighted to send the fans away happy. We've equalled the record number of wins for a season, we got our first win for seven years at Ibrox last week and we've been to a cup final. It's time to quit I think - only kidding!  We would be quite happy to start next year with the same targets - trying to get into the top six and another decent cup run."  Match Report

May 19h on the Hearts Pre Match... "It's a big game for Kilmarnock, We've beaten Hibs away 1-0, we've beaten Rangers away 1-0 and we had a very good performance here against Celtic when they were going for the title. If you ask anybody at Celtic, they know they were given a hard game that day. Nobody lay down to them and we won't be lying down to Hearts either. We want to get three wins on the trot. For us to get three wins from the five hardest fixtures would be phenomenal for our players. Then we can say it's been a really fantastic finish to another fantastic season.  We want to please our supporters on Sunday. If we give our best, we know we've got a great chance of winning. If it goes against us, we'll be delighted for Hearts and will congratulate them but they won't get it easy.''

May 18h on Stephen Naismith's Killie Future... "Steven has had a sensational second half of the season. There was a lot of competition for the young player award, so it's a real credit to the club that he's made such excellent progress. At the moment, all we've been hearing is speculation. We've had no enquiries yet, but bigger clubs will always have the resources and we would have to consider anything that may help Kilmarnock financially for the future. I would have to find a replacement for Steven Naismith as I normally have to do,  If we get an offer in that's acceptable and Steven wants to go, the money will go to the club. It helps our account, it helps bring our debt down and makes it a bit more manageable. We don't have the wealth behind us. Managers come and go and players come and go but the club will always be here for the supporters. We've had some hard times recently and we still have to work very prudently with tight budgets.  The success of the team in the last couple of years has made it easier for me to keep the same level of income we're at and maybe even a little bit more.  We don't have to make the major cuts that we have done and that has helped. We rate Steven very highly but we're never going to put a price on him. It's unfair to put a price on him.  Any club would have a figure in mind for a player but we're not going to alert anyone to what we would take. In Scott Brown's case there was a lot of competition and sometimes you have to go that little bit extra to get the man you want if you want him badly enough. I can see why Celtic did that because he's a terrific player and one of the best I've seen for a few years in Hibs' midfield. If Steven's got that number clubs after him, of course it helps our cause. But there have been no enquiries and everything we speak about at the moment is pure speculation. If I'm honest, I'll be very surprised if no-one does make an enquiry in the summer but there are no guarantees about that. If there aren't any enquiries, we'll be delighted. If there are, we'll deal with it."

May 13h on the Gers Post Match... "Rangers never like getting beaten and it was their last home game of the season, so it's a great win for us, The target was fifth-place and to do it with a win at Ibrox is terrific. We were well-organised and we had a lot of good performances. Steven Naismith scored a wonderful goal fit to win any game. We got into the top five last year and to do it again with a game to spare is even more satisfying. Hibs can't catch us now and that's also satisfying after what happened in the CIS Cup. Even though things went wrong for us in the cup final we still feel that we have progressed this year." Match Report
On Securing Fifth Place.... "We have had a lot of injuries so it's a great achievement."

May 5th on the Hibs Post Match... "We rode our luck because Alan Combe - who made a mistake last week, was just unbelievable today. You could see his quality. He took stick last week but we never gave him stick because he made two fantastic saves in that game. You can count on one hand in the three years he has been here how many mistakes he has made. We were well organised and for a team missing so many players we were just fantastic, we competed so well. We are delighted with the application of the players because last week we didn't get that. We rolled up our sleeves and got the points. I felt these boys were ready because they have been playing well in the reserves. I thought with no pressure on them we can put them out there in a real tough place so that next year when I need them we know they can cope. And they can put other players under pressure." Match Report

May 4th on Clyde midfielder Craig Bryson... "We don't know if Craig can do it at this level, We want to give him the opportunity and trying to build a fee based on how well he does for us that would reward Clyde as well."
Greer & Locke's Contracts..."The rest that were out of contract, the contracts are being drawn up just now and it's just a case of getting them in to sign them, Gordon Greer wants to stay here, but he is getting married and she comes from England and there's a chance she might want to move back and he might want to keep his options open by going south. If he stays here, I'm sure there will be no problem. Gary Locke's position will be discussed at the end of the season regarding his fitness and the coaching side and what he wants to do. The way he performed against Celtic and came on as a sub a few times, he has done well for us. If he can play just some part next season, we can build a contract around that. But, at the very least, I hope he will be part of the backroom staff for the next couple of seasons."
On David Fernadez's Progress..."David's worked hard but has been restricted as there's been a bit of pain.It was agreed what was required was to get it cleaned up. That's hopefully done the trick. It's set him back but certainly not to the stage where you can say he's finished. We were hoping he'd be ready for pre-season training but we're looking at about Christmas time now."

April 28th on the Dons Post Match... "The third goal was just a freak and it is hard for Alan because he made two great saves in the first half. Then he gave away a goal where in his efforts to get the ball out quickly, he obviously misjudged things. The third goal probably summed up the game for us, because at no time did we reach the heights of our previous performances. We were up for the game last week and put on a great show, so we should have been up for it this week, but that is what happens when you aren't. We have good players, but we still have to go out and make things happen and if we don't do that in the three remaining games, we will end up with the same results."  Match Report

April 27th on Re-Signing "Magic" Johnson... "It is great news that Allan has committed himself to the club. (2 year deal). His agent told us there had been interest from another couple of SPL clubs so we are delighted to get him tied up. Allan has done really well for us and has been a big part of our success over the last couple of seasons and will continue to be a big player for us."

April 22nd on the Celtic Post match... "Celtic stuttered a bit today because of a great performance by Kilmarnock and we lost from two set plays. We scored a great goal from great outfield play and I didn't have a bad player out there today. We were undone by a cruel blow right at the end. Congratulations to Celtic, they're deserved winners," Match Report

April 20th on the Celtic Pre Match..."We've got our own agenda, we're in fifth place, we know there are five tough games and everyone is playing each other. There's not going to be a lot of points that we are going to pick up but we are going to try to get as many as we can. It won't be easy but we're in the driving seat. We've got to try and stop them playing and all I can ask the boys to do is, if Celtic are going to win the title at our place, then we make it hard for them, A couple of years ago we were getting beat four or five-nothing, but it isn't happening now,  We lost a goal just on half-time the last time in January's 2-0 defeat at Parkhead and they got a late goal to make it two. We were 1-0 up through Colin Nish's goal after losing David Fernandez at Rugby Park in October, when Celtic won 2-1. We're contesting it better. We'll have our day and it might be on Sunday."
On Celtic's Fans Moaning... "I just find it incredible that they've won the championship, they've gone to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time, they're in the final of the Scottish Cup and the fans are complaining, It just shows you what it's like at a big club - you can be successful and still have to appease some fans. That's the game we're in,”
On Killie Not Selling Out To Celtic's Ticket Demands... "We have got supporters who have paid money to be in a certain end and you can only ask the question if they want to relocate their seat and let us fill the ground. They are the supporters who go every week and the club have made the decision. We don't have that many supporters and we have to keep them happy. The downside is that we are trying to work on a restricted budget and the money would come in handy. However, the fact that we've had a successful season in the top six and reached a cup final means maybe we can afford to do it on this occasion. I just hope they turn out as they have been doing. We've had 7500 at our last two home games."
On Squad Status For Next Term... "I've had talks with all the players ( including Gary Locke, Peter Leven and Allan Johnston. Simon Ford had already agreed a short-term contract until the end of the year to allow him to overcome a groin injury) and the agents all last week. Grant Murray is the only one whose agent has come back to me, he has accepted a contract of one year with a year's option. The other agents will follow. I've got one who deals with three or four players, so by the time he gets round everyone, he will come back to me at the start of the week. All the talks have been done and the offers have been made. It's now in their hands. Graeme Smith unfortunately for us has turned the offer down, and he maybe looks to try and get a better offer elsewhere. That's his prerogative and we hope he gets it and does well but we have to work within our budgets. Paul (Di Giacomo) is very close to signing a deal, Paul and I have had a chat about it, there will need to be one or two things tweaked about but no problems there."

April 7th on the Hearts Post Match... "We deserved something out the game considering the players we had out. Then Ryan O'Leary had to come on in the second half because Simon Ford was feeling his groin at half-time. We switched off at a vital moment because Hearts only looked like scoring from a corner or a free-kick. We shot ourselves in the foot, we were beaten by slackness and a lack of concentration." Match Report  

April 3rd on the Well Post Match... "It just shows you. On Saturday we didn't deserve to lose. Tonight a draw was probably the best we could have hoped for. We have not started the game well. Graeme Smith and Gordon Greer were outstanding in the first half, but we never got going. We spoke about it at half-time, there were a few choice words. It was the same players as Saturday apart from Simon Ford replacing David Lilley. All that changed was the application. It was magnificent on Saturday and we should have won. There wasn't much in it in the second half, we were more of a threat. And when it's 0-0 and you put a great ball in from a corner Nish is always liable to come up with something."   
On Willie Gibson's Performance ...it was always in my thoughts if things weren't going well to try and give him (Gibson) a bit of experience between now and the end of the season, so he knows what it's all about come the start of next season.  He did great again. I put him on the right because I thought Momo (Sylla) was getting attacked down the left a wee bit, but I don't think it suited him. Once I switched him to the left he looked comfortable. He can jink left or right, you don't know whether he is going to come inside because he can go outside on that left-hand side.  He was great at whipping the ball in, he put one great ball in along the deck that almost got us a goal, it was a difficult one for the goalkeeper to take. He has got a hunger and desire about him. But he has still got a bit to learn. There were a couple of balls he tried to bring down in the middle of the park, which when you are under pressure in our league you have got to play them on. He should hold it in the last third where he can use what he has got to better effect and not try to be too clever in the middle because you don't get the time here, especially on a tight pitch." Match Report  

April 2nd on the Well Pre Match... " They gave us a right going over at Fir Park the last time so we have a bit of making up to do for that result. They are a hard team to beat at home but we need to learn lessons from the last game there. They got a decent result at the weekend against Dunfermline so it's not going to be the easiest of games. But both teams like to get the ball down and play so it should be an entertaining game."

Mar 31st on the Dons Post Match... "We deserved something? Kilmarnock were mugged. We blew them away the whole game, not just in the first half. In all the time that I have been here I don't think we have dominated a game as much - I don't think our keeper Graeme Smith had a save to make .I couldn't have asked for any more of my players and I said to them they will never be as unlucky again this season. It was a great response after we lost to Hibs in the CIS Cup final. Sometimes when you get beaten you are annoyed but we got beaten the right way, we gave everything. But in fairness to Aberdeen, they took their opportunity."   Match Report

Mar 29th on the SPL Split Fixtures... "What we are not happy about as a club is the way the fixtures have panned out for us. Last season we had to go to Aberdeen three times and this season we have three away and two at home once again after the split.  You would think since we had that last season we would have three at home this time. It's just typical though. Looking at past fixtures it's Kilmarnock who seem to lose out.  You do get frustrated about it. I know they have a tough job trying to appease everyone but they should have a proper system in place because half the time it's guess work. They should look what has gone before. Last season Aberdeen had 20 home games and they have 20 at home again this season. Hearts have three trips to Ibrox this season. It just doesn't seem fair. If a club missed out the previous year they shouldn't miss out this season.  Since we didn't have a game the week after the Cup Final, I gave them a few days off but brought them back in on the Friday and the Saturday because there would be a flatness about them, which is natural.  But we saw a huge difference in training on Monday. Had I left it to the Monday it would have taken me a few more days to get them going.  They were disappointed with the defeat since we didn't do ourselves justice but they have nothing to be down about as they've been fantastic this season by making the top six."

Mar 20th JJ Thanks the Fans... "The players were very down after the game but sometimes you have to go through that sort of thing to progress as you never want to experience that sort of feeling again. But the fans were great, they are the ones who go every week and follow the team and it was great that so many of them turned up at the ground. They were so pleased when we won the semi as they knew it meant a day out at Hampden, something for them to look forward to. I know some of the fans headed off at the end but a lot stayed and applauded. The boys feel they let themselves and the club down but they have been magnificent to get to the Final and make the top six in the SPL. We need to try to get back to a final as soon as possible and we can use this defeat because we'll all remember how it felt. You certainly never want to feel like that again."  

Mar 18th on the CIS Post Match... "You need people like David Fernandez, Danny Invincibile and Momo Sylla when facing the better teams. My fear was that the occasion would be too much for some of them and the day passed us by big style. After I lost 5-1 with Hearts I said to the players to get back there as quickly as possible and try to put it right. It's the only thing you can do, although it will be harder for us because Hearts are a bigger club. It was a bad day and the players are hurting. But I've been there before. If we can get back to a final as quickly as possible then we have a chance to do something about it.  It wasn't a 5-1 game, although the scoreline will show that. Hibs deserved to win but I think 3-1 would have been a fairer result. We were annoyed that we gave the biggest man in the park (Jones) a free header for the first goal. We came out well in the second half but the second goal was important. Hibs had a great spell and got a third goal but when we got the goal it looked like it was more likely to go to 3-2 than 4-1. But that's what you get when you try to push forward to get back to 3-2. When the pressure was off them, they showed how good they can be. But the result shouldn't cloud the players' achievements, they have captured a top-six spot and got to a cup final." Match Report  

Mar 17th on CIS Pre Match... "It would be great to join managers of that calibre (Only Eddie Turnbull (Aberdeen, Hibs)   and Alex Smith (St Mirren, Aberdeen )have, in modern times, won silverware at two different Scottish non-Old Firm clubs) who've picked up two trophies at different clubs. It just doesn't happen too often because of the strength of the Old Firm. It's harder to win a trophy than it was 10 years ago. You could try to compare it with winning the Scottish Cup at Hearts, and ask what's the greater achievement. You can't separate the two in terms of the glory side of it. Hearts hadn't won the cup for 40 years and when we took over they were struggling a bit. The major difference is that we built a team there by spending money. It wasn't a lot - the whole team cost £750,000 - and compared with Rangers and Celtic it was peanuts. But here we won't have spent one penny on the XI who will start against Hibs, plus the substitutes. The sense of achievement in getting a team to a final is greater than it was with Hearts in 1998. If we win, there won't be any transfer money or increase in wages. But I won't have to make any more cuts like I've had to do in the past." More CIS Cup Final Build Up

Mar 10th on The Caley Post Match... "Nobody can deny us if we get into the top six because we have been there or thereabouts all season. It's terrific that we can go into the cup final with two back-to-back wins behind us and a top-six spot virtually secured. So we can look forward to enjoying the day next week. We knew this was going to be a difficult game but after losing an early goal the players did great to come back to be leading 3-1 at half time. I thought that if we got the fourth goal before they got the second we would run out comfortable winners but we lost one after a couple of minutes of the second half. We knew they had nothing to lose because they had to win the game but I don't think our keeper had much to do in the second half." Match Report
On his Squad for Next Sunday's CIS Cup Final..."Grant (Murray) missed last week with a hamstring injury and he felt it again late on. It's a problem and we will have to work on him early in the week to see if he has a chance. Our keeper Alan Combe missed the game with a calf strain and we didn't want to risk it but I think he will be okay.We have a reserve game on Monday in which one or two players have to play to see if they can get through and give us something to think about. Rhian Dodds will be out and Momo Sylla and Danny Invincibile won't play on Monday so their chances are slim."
On Naisy & Jacko's Form... "Steven was terrific, especially in the first half. He was a constant problem to them and he topped it off with a great overhead kick for his goal. He also had great volley from Garry Hay's cross at the back post and Di Giacomo reacted ever so well to score his second. Di Giacomo set up two goals last week but he didn't just score two against St Mirren, he worked that channel on the right hand side very well. But both have looked sharp in training for a couple of weeks now and the two wins in a row that we have had will help them. And if they can find their best form next week then we will have a chance."

Mar 8th on The Caley Pre Match... "It would be massive, the pressure would be off. Our target this season was the top six and a decent cup run. The cup run is in the bag, we can't go any further than the final. We have not made the top six yet so that is the key. We want to be in the top six. I would say the cup final will act as a spur, I don't want them to think about the cup final other than that they are playing for their place. If they play for their place hopefully the spin-off will be a good performance on Saturday. We are in the driving seat, we think we can take a massive step to make it very difficult for the rest if we win on Saturday. So it's two cup finals on the trot."

Mar 3rd on the Saints Post Match... "I stressed at half-time we needed to win this game. We expected St Mirren to compete and close us down. Last time they gave us a lot of trouble. It wasn't until 25 minutes we put our best move together. That showed if we got it down and passed it we could cause problems. The second half was a good performance, getting the first goal was important because St Mirren had to take a wee chance or two. We had one or two great moves before the second goal. Colin scored two great goals and set up a few other chances as well. His first was a good header and he did exceptionally well getting across the defender at the second.He can be frustrating but is difficult to play against and is always liable to come up with something special. His partner, Stevie Naismith, didn't score but he ran non-stop all game and I thought they did well together. We needed to win, not draw, and while it took us a while to get going we finished the first half well and then pushed on. After the break we produced a good performance and getting the first goal was always vital. The second was a great goal and we always looked like we could score again. If we can beat Inverness Caley Thistle next week, we can be in great shape when we go into the CIS Cup Final against Hibs the following weekend."  Match Report  

Mar 2nd on Clyde’s 20-year-old Craig Bryson... "We've not made any moves to sign him now but we'll watch him between now and the end of the season. There's a lot of things to weigh up. He's a young boy and he has good ability but you also need strength and power in the SPL. We will watch him for another few games to see if he's going to develop in that area."
On Willie Gibson...  "It's great for him to come in at this time because he will get to know what it's about, he'll get to settle in with the players and he'll get to know how we work. I think he could play a part between now and the end of the season. The plan is certainly to involve him. He's not played in the SPL yet but we think he's got the attributes and will be looking for him to challenge and compete for a place like everyone else."

Mar 1st On the Club's CIS Monies... "The money would allow us to do one or two things with the players we have here but I couldn't go out and buy a player. That would mean spending £50,000 or £60,000 on a player and I couldn't do that. For us, it's all about wage bills and giving us a bit more money to play with. I don't know the exact figures but getting to the semi-final might get you £150,000; getting to the final could get you £400,000. It's a big difference. Financially, the cup run means that, if we also make the top six, it has been a better season than last season when we didn't make a cup final.  Making the top six means a home game against one of the Old Firm, bigger gates and no chance of relegation. We would probably get more TV money as well. The higher up the league you are, the better the rewards.
On The Saints Pre Match... "And a lot of the financial rewards have to be generated on the pitch. We have St Mirren away and then Inverness Caley Thistle at home and we are all capable of taking points from each other.  We played a Dunfermline team at the bottom of the league, and fighting for their lives, in our last away game and saw how well they played.  St Mirren are a wee bit better off than Dunfermline but they are still fighting for their lives and it will be a difficult game."

Feb 27th on Killie's Injury Situation... "Garry's available for this week's game at St Mirren but Ryan (O'Leary) and David (Lilley) are both a couple of weeks away yet. We had eight players out a few weeks ago but the list is clearing."

Feb 17th on the Pars Post Match...  "I thought we started well with a great early strike and then I think the players just thought it was going to be a walk in the park because it was the team at the bottom of the league. I thought it was just a matter of time before they would equalise. But the way they did was just an unbelievable goal to lose. Simon came out with the ball and had plenty of opportunity to play it. We told them at half-time if we were going to continue to play like we had, it would be just a matter of time before Dunfermline won. We made it a lot more difficult for them in the second half and for all Dunfermline's crosses and balls in, they didn't really create clear-cut chances. Given the players we had out, the way we played and that we were down to 10 men in the second half, I'm delighted with a point away from home. Against a side fighting for their lives, we competed better with 10 men than we did 11." Match Report  

Feb 16th on the Pars Pre  Match...  "I never look at statistics, that is all in the past. It's what happens on Saturday that matters. When we played them last time at East End Park they hadn't had a win up until that point. That was our best performance of the season but we lost. We were up 1-0 and if it had scored the second, we would have won the game comfortably. And when it was 2-1 we had the opportunities to make it 3-1 but when there is only one goal in it you always have a chance and they got the goals that gave them a 3-2 win. We got them back when we beat the 5-1 at home but East End Park is a hard place to go as Rangers found out recently. That's why our players will be warned - Dunfermline are fighting for their lives. In saying that, I wouldn't want to be under the pressure that Dunfermline are under, trying to stay in the league. There is pressure in every game but we are going for a top-six spot and if we get a few more results then we can achieve that."

Feb 13th on CIS Final Ref Calling Him To Apologise... "The rules allow managers to speak to referees 15 minutes after the end of the match (Sunday 11/2 Rangers), so I had a word with the match delegate Craig Brown and then went to see Dougie. He told me he would watch the game again on video and if he had made a mistake with the penalty he would call me. He was as good as his word. He phoned me at night and told me that although it won't do us any good now he did get it wrong. What can I say? He didn't have the best of matches but we all make mistakes. At least he was big enough to own up to it. “ Jefferies insisted that his after-match comments, when he said Killie shouldn't bother turning up for the CIS Cup Final if McDonald has as bad a game again, were said in a light-hearted manner. "That was said as a throwaway line at the end of the press conference and people were laughing. Of course I was unhappy with some of the decisions but I didn't literally mean we shouldn't bother turning up. “
On Signing Aime Koudou ... "He looks like the kind of player who can do something different. It was not a huge lay-out for us, "So it's not a massive gamble. We'll see how he progresses."
On Eric Skora... (Left)...  "He's a long way from getting back but we have first hold on him, He took his first steps today but he needs to find his fitness and confidence."
Both men had featured in a reserve tie against St Mirren on Tuesday

Feb 11th on the Rangers Post Match...  "We tried to keep it tight and they are a difficult team to beat without being given things pretty easily. But these are hard enough games and the last thing you need is to give Rangers a gift (first penalty) and a lift so early in the game but, unfortunately, Mr McDonald did that. Stunned was the word when he gave the penalty.  So it was a bit harsh to say the least because it was outside the box for a start and Simon got the ball. The second one was an old-fashioned shoulder charge from James Fowler. Some are given some are not, it just so happens that it was given. Rangers got another gift because there was no-one near Boyd for his header,He's the last guy you want to leave in that position and I'm probably more peeved about that than the penalty. Stevie Naismith had been hurt winning our penalty and the rules state you cannot come back on the park until the ball has gone out of play again. We had to find another taker and Peter missed it. We ended up 3-0 down when it should have been 2-1, but the players deserve credit for never giving in. I just found out that he's the referee for the League Cup final so I hope he has a better day then than he did here. I don't want to say too much as I will get into trouble."  Match Report  

Feb 9th on Killie's Support... "I would settle for the supporters that turned at Fir Park in the semi. We had a great support there, they got behind us, they always do away from home. I said after the game there will be a clamour for tickets. Maybe a few of them should come along to Rugby Park because there's one thing you can't say about Kilmarnock is that we don't go out and play the right way. Don't just come along for cup finals but come along and support the team. There's a loyal bunch that do turn up that have a feelgood factor about them. If we put a good show on in the final I'm sure we will get a few more coming along. That will be a way the club can take a step forward. There's a lot of people in the area that go to Parkhead or Ibrox, they are just up the road. David Sneddon said when they won the league championship in 1965, if you took Rangers and Celtic crowds out that day the average was only 6,500. It's not just something that has happened over the last two or three seasons. I think when they had their little bad spell a few years ago when they dropped down the divisions, it seemed to rally the town, I think they took massive support to smaller clubs to get the club back up the divisions. Even if we get that support back it would help. There is nothing worse when there's too many empty seats. All you can do on the pitch is give them a team worth of coming along and seeing. There was the disappointment of losing to Morton in the Scottish Cup but I don't think we would have a big enough budget to buy cleaning materials for two trophies."
On Naismith & His Future..."I've been told Steven has been earmarked for the full squad and what he has to do is maintain his current level of performance. I think Steven handles life in the spotlight brilliantly so I know none of the speculation will faze him. Our next game is against Rangers on Sunday and I only have to think back to the last time they were at our ground to sum up Steven's outstanding temperament. Steven and I were booked on a flight to London the following day so that he could begin his trial period with Arsenal. We were awarded an injury-time penalty with the score 2-1 in Rangers' favour. Steven stayed totally focused and stuck the kick away to give us a draw - he's got a great temperament. It's not that he's laid back, more the case he manages to stay calm nomatter what he has to do. Steven completed his hat-trick against Falkirk in the Cup by scoring a penalty, even though he missed his last penalty in the league against Dundee United. Mind you, I don't think there was much chance of anybody getting the ball off him that night since he was on a hat-trick. There have been players like Andy McLaren (left) and Ian Durrant who have made international squads in the latter stages of their careers at Kilmarnock but that was after they'd made their names at other clubs. It would be fantastic to see someone who'd come through the Killie youth system reach those heights."

Feb 8th on the Rangers Pre Match... "I think everybody knew they were probably more vulnerable then than they are now. They are always tough to beat, even when Paul Le Guen was there, but I think people always had a belief they could get at them, certainly when they had the criticism of the central defence. Walter has moved quickly to solve that problem, with Davie Weir and Ugo Ehiogu, two experienced and strong players. And that's reflected in their clean sheets since then."  

Feb 6th on Hay's Availability For This Coming Sunday... "We were hoping Garry (Hay) would be fit for the Rangers game but we've had notification that he starts a two-game ban on the Saturday.  I didn't realise he was going to be suspended. He was sent off against Motherwell and the points you get for a dismissal can range from seven to 12.  The sending-off must have been a 12-pointer because he's only had three bookings so far this season.  That's taken him over the points threshold and although he's served a one match ban for the sending off it has a roll-on effect. So he starts a two-match ban this weekend."
On the fitness of Momo Sylla ….”Sylla has joined up with Guinea for the friendly against Ivory Coast in Paris The word I'm getting is he might not be fit for that but with internationals you have to report anyway. He'll be getting treatment. The early signs are that he's not going to be fit for the international and I'll be pleased if he doesn't take part as we want him to be available for the Rangers game."

Jan 30th on the Bairns CIS Post Match... "It's another £2million on his fee (Naismith's) after that performance. But I think if someone offered me £5million then he still wouldn't go. He would want to play in the final. I'm sure we've got him to the end of the season and it's great for the club. He was sensational and played at a different level. Just before he got his penalty I gave him a bit of a rollicking because he passed the ball back from the edge of the 18-yard box. I could tell he was on fire and I wanted him to take players on because he looked as if he had the beating of them. He was the match-winner in and old-fashioned cup tie."  Match Report  

Jan 29th on the Bairns CIS Pre Match...  "The day that Kilmarnock last won a trophy the scorer cost about £300,000 (Paul Wright in 1997) because they had people behind the scenes like Mr (Jamie) Moffat who backed the team by bringing in players. But like other clubs we have not got the resources now, football has changed. We have had to do it not just by cutting the playing side but the staff around this club generally to keep surviving. We have been very consistent over the last 18 months. The supporters have realised just how hard it is here and they have been pleased to see the team playing good football, entertaining and still doing reasonably well. It would be fantastic, an absolutely fantastic achievement if we could go all the way. If we could win a major trophy given what has had to happen over the last two or three years it would certainly be one of the biggest achievements I have had in 20 years of management. You have to gamble a wee bit at times and fortunately we have had people that we have taken a gamble on that have come off, and that is always helpful. Everyone at the club is doing extremely well to even attempt to get to the final or even think about getting in the top six because we are working like a lot of clubs in the bottom half on the same budget. People think with what we have got we should be fighting relegation never mind being in with the big boys but we're there. The people who come do like watching us, they are not as critical as they were before because they know what has had to be done here. They really get behind us and hopefully the support can get behind us tomorrow. But by winning the cup or going to the final we can always attract a few more along. And hopefully that can take us on a wee bit further."

Jan 27th on the Bairns Post Match... "I think we deserved our victory. We've maybe now come through a wee patch when we weren't at our best. We're now looking forward to Tuesday, but this result will have no bearing. It's a one-off, on the night, but if we play as well as we did today we'll have a good chance. Records are there to be broken so we don't pay too much attention to having a hold over them. We give them every respect because they are a good side, their results show that. They have lost Stokes who is a hard man to replace, and maybe a wee bit of the speculation might be affecting Alan Gow. He has given the ball away crazily in the middle of the park, but we still had a lot to do. It was a fantastically weighted pass from Naismith and Nish has stuck it away brilliantly. It was a mistake and we cashed in on it, but you have to give credit to the pair of them."  Match Report

Jan 25th on the Upcoming Bairns Matches... "If people ask which one of the games we would rather win, you are better sticking to the old cliche,  I want to win the two of them.  But for the team that loses on Saturday, there are still seven games to go (before the league splits into two).  If one of the teams was six points adrift of the other and needed to win then it might be different but you can make up the points. At training this morning, I asked which players had played in a cup final before and Garry Hay and Allan Johnston were the only two. It's a great occasion to look forward to if we win the semi, it's a major cup final and, let's be honest about it, some of them might never get a better chance.  How often are Rangers and Celtic out at this stage? Usually you have to play them somewhere along the line. Okay, Hibs will be favourites but remember they are only three points above ourselves and Falkirk in the league and you have seen what happened to them against Inverness at the weekend so nothing is guaranteed. So the players will never get a better chance and you've got to make them aware of that.  We have stressed to them not to let the semi-final pass them by. You've got to be up for it because it's usually about who wants it more on the night."

Jan 23rd on his injury crisis... "Grant had to come off against United with a hamstring strain. We caught it early but it could still be a week to 10 days. It's a concern as that's another defensive player with a knock. It will be a blow if he's out because he's been very steady for us. I brought him in to cover for us when we had injuries but he's shown good form and has played well. With the numbers we have out the last thing we need is another defender injured and hopefully it's something that will clear up quickly. The swelling on Simon Ford's head knock went down over the weekend and he's back in training. Gordon has been running with the physio, so he's now taken his recovery process from the treatment room to the training ground. He'll continue to work with the physio for another week or so. David Lilley is back in training but needs a couple of weeks and some reserve games. The pair of them are still a couple of weeks away but at least they're both making progress."

Jan 21st more on the Arabs Post Match... "Momo (Sylla) was massive for us on Saturday, He was the target for me right from the start and I'm glad we got him.  We had him playing up front, wide on the right and then right-back because I knew he could play there from his days at St Johnstone. He was a big player for us. Rocco Quinn was also out wide and back in the middle. So it's important to have players that can play in different positions. We have three central defenders out now but I am waiting on a phone call to see if I will be successful in bringing in some cover. People forget that we have been playing some good teams recently so that win over United should boost the players' confidence. After a disappointing first half, we were more like ourselves after the break and we might have been two or three goals ahead after ten minutes of the second half. The players never let their heads go down and it was a great goal that clinched the points for us. We showed a great deal of resilience throughout the match."

Jan 20th on the Arabs Post Match... ."After a disappointing first half we were more like ourselves after the break and we might have been two or three goals ahead after 10 minutes of the second half.  The players never let their heads go down and it was a great goal that clinched the point for us. We showed a great deal of resilience throughout the match. The win over United should boost the players' confidence, We have had a tough run of fixtures recently. It was a great win for us." Match Report

Jan 19th on Swapping Smith For Combe ... "Graham has done nothing wrong, He's a young goalie and he has done well. I always said Alan was my No.1, but I stuck with Graham to give Alan plenty of time to come back from his injury. I don't blame Graham at all for recent events. I blame the defenders more. I think Graham has made a lot of great saves, but I feel the way the defenders have been playing might end up affecting him. With some of the goals we've lost, I felt someone more experienced could maybe get to the back four a little more than a young keeper and Alan is very good at that. I felt this was the right time to change. It gives Graham a break after doing so well and he is going out of the team on a high."

Jan 18th on the Open National Team Manager's Vacancy..."We all pick up the newspapers and it's flattering to see yourself linked with a job like that, It means people must think you're doing a good job where you are just now. There's been no official approach from anyone so I will just treat it as newspaper talk. If there is no approach, I'll just get on with the day-to-day running of Kilmarnock. That's my priority at the moment. I've got enough to concentrate on with Kilmarnock. It's all hypothetical. If my chairman tells me that that SFA has been in touch, then I'll have to deal with it at that time. I'm not going to think about what people are saying until it's official. I'll let other people do the speculating.".
On Burns Resiging His Assistant Post  "He will be a big loss. In my opinion, Tommy would be an ideal candidate for the job. He has worked with the previous two managers and knows the set-up. It would have kept the continuity so he would have been an ideal choice. He's a great guy with plenty of experience and he will be a loss to the SFA."

Jan 15th on the Hibs Post Match..."The lads gave everything tonight. We are just one victory away from getting our confidence back. We had a chance with Gary Wales in the first-half but we hit the post and that's just the way things are going at the moment. We never got the breaks but there was no lack of effort."
On the Wales Red Card..."I've seen the incident again and so has the referee. He did lunge at the player but missed him by a mile. But the referee saw fit to book him. There were some strange decisions out there and maybe it wasn't one of his better games. It wasn't the reason we got beat but it didn't help the game." Match Report

Jan 13th on Jan Squad Changes...."I have been given the go-ahead that I can possibly get someone in on loan. My priority is bringing another defender. I will have someone at another game abroad - that's maybe for the future, next season possibly."
On Queen of the South winger Willie Gibson .."Willie is one I have watched and he trained a week with me. He is a player that when you go down a division is one we think has got a chance. We did it with Frazer and we took Grant Murray. Willie is a younger lad who has been doing well. When he trained with us he didn't look out of place. My priority was getting Momo and this defender and it depends on sorting something out with Queen of the South. It's not guaranteed but we are hopeful he can join us next week."
On Chairman Michael Johnston for giving him cash to strengthen his squad..."Next year looks after itself because you can adjust your budget in the summer to take on board that you have brought in someone. The wee bit of a problem is just now and of course getting to the final of the League Cup would be a big help, as would getting into the top six. But needs must with the injuries we have. You have to give yourself a chance and that is why we have added a couple of players without going over the top in spending. We couldn't do that because we would just end up in the same position that got us into trouble in the first place. The players have come in within our wage structure. We won't go down that road unless someone who is a major investor comes in and allows us to do that."

Jan 12th on the Open Scotland Managers Position... "The squad of players are like a club side and when they meet up it's all just about making sure they know what their jobs are, and making it a really good environment for them in preparation for a game they should be motivated for anyway. Tommy knows the whole thing. And if they don't pick Tommy, then he should still remain part of it, because I think he'd be a big help to whoever gets the job.  I think every Tom, Dick and Harry who is Scottish has been linked, It's flattering but I don't wake up in the morning and say: I hope I get the Scotland job.' I've got a job to do at Kilmarnock.  If 20 years of being in the Premierleague counts in consideration for the Scotland job, then there's people I have worked with, like Gary Naysmith, David Weir and Steven Pressley.  You can only go on facts, and the facts are that we went down the foreign route before and it didn't work out. I think Walter has already said that Berti Vogts should take some of the credit because he brought some of the lads in. But we went back to a Scottish manager and the whole thing changed. In terms of organisation and spirit in the camp, it's been fantastic and the results prove that. A Scottish manager seemed to galvanise the whole thing."

Jan 11th on Signing Momo Sylla from Leicester ..."We have been negotiating trying to get Momo to the club for the past week, There have been one or two other things in the background too. I'm looking for another couple of players and hopefully something will happen next week. I'm particularly targeting a defensive player because of the injuries we've had. He was released from Leicester City and his agent knows that I was always interested in him. So it has worked out fine, he came through his medical and has signed for two and a half years. Momo can play up front, he has played there before or he can play in the wide positions or midfield and get forward. The beauty for us is that he is very versatile. When you run a small squad and you pick up injuries it's important to have players that can play a number of positions. We have brought him to play and brought him to improve us and hopefully he will do that starting on Monday when he'll make his debut vs Hibs."

Jan 6th on the Morton Post Match... "We have given them an equaliser and given them a massive lift. Defending was shocking for all three goals. I think they believe the publicity a wee bit, they think they've cracked it.  It takes results like today to wake them up. They had better take it on board.  We don't have money to go out and make wholesale changes or I would.  We've got to make them realise the level of their playing in the last five or six weeks is not the level we have been playing at for the last year. We make it easy when we go and do stupid things and make it easier for the opposition. They are good enough and right now they are not showing they are good enough.We are talking about tight budgets. We don't budget for cup runs but when it comes to negotiating contracts with the players it's nice to be able to offer them two or three hundred pounds extra a week to make up for all the cuts over the last few years. That's where it hurts them. To make up for it they will need to go all the way in the League Cup. We had a great support and we let them down. We were working hard for a year up to the last five or six weeks and we need to get back to it or we will undo a lot of the good work,"  Match Report  

Jan 5th on the Morton Pre Match..."They are all (Simon Ford, Frazer Wright, Allan Johnston and Danny Invincible) serious doubts and we will have to leave it until the last minute. We have been fortunate with injuries over the past two seasons but we have a spate of them now and are struggling to cope. Hopefully all the boys will come through because there are a few games that could throw up shocks and ours is one of them."

Jan 2nd on the Celtic Post Match...  "I always say that when you come to Parkhead you have to take your chances. We found ourselves one goal down at the break when we should have been in the lead. I was sent to the stand for laughing - and I'm supposed to be a dour person! "I asked the referee if he was sending me to the stand for swearing and he said, 'no, for adopting a threatening attitude towards the linesman'. I'm 40 or 50 yards away from the linesman, how can I show threatening behaviour towards him?I had a laugh at him but that's not threatening behaviour. We were laughing at him because how he could not have given that when he gave a foul in the first-half that led to their goal? It was incredible because it was so obvious. Match Report

Dec 31st on Strengthen the Squad... "I've got plans for January but whether or not they come off is the proof of the pudding. I'll be making a couple of calls to assess a few situations to see if we can do something as early as Tuesday's game. But it's not easy to get players in at this time in the year, most managers will tell you that. At the end of the season managers know how their seasons have finished and make decisions on different players. They've got the summer to sort it out and decide what to do, but right now they are not in that situation, and if they can't get anyone in to replace the player they're letting go then it won't happen because they won't leave themselves short. We've all got the same problem and in our case it will come down to resources because the ones you want tend to be the ones you can't quite afford."
On James Fowler's Celtic speculation ...  "I was having a laugh with him before the game against Hearts and I just told him it was Farsley Celtic who were after him, not Celtic!  I don't know anything about that though and we'll just treat this link with a pinch of salt. It's just funny that our next game is against Celtic. But I'm not surprised if clubs are looking at James Fowler because although he doesn't get the plaudits he has been fantastic in the last couple of seasons since he went into midfield."

Dec 30th on the Hearts Post Match..."I thought they had one or two good chances out of mistakes that we made. Allan has created a couple of great chances, one being the one he set up for Naismith, who decided to take the ball onto his right foot rather than hit it with his left. In the last game against Aberdeen the result is gone (Aberdeen were leading 3-0) so he decides just to hit it with his left foot and he scores. Whereas today he thinks because it's 0-0 and it's crucial he takes more time with it and brings it onto his right. He made the wrong choice. When you see the team on paper it was okay but we knew one or two were under the weather so it is a good point. For Naismith's one that was bobbling around on the line we'd need to get the old video evidence out again! But even if it was over the line the referee didn't see it and it can't help us now." Match Report

Dec 30th on the Hearts Pre Match... "Because of the injury situation, we would be looking to do something during the window, But we don't have massive resources and we certainly can't afford to buy anyone.It's difficult to find anyone because it's a bad time of year and teams are reluctant to let their best players go. We have enquired about one or two players but they are out of our wage bracket. What we need is another player like David Fernandez - he came in and really changed things for us and it was just unfortunate he got injured I wouldn't even call it a bad run, It was a couple of defeats in back-to-back games, and we could have been better-off personnel-wise - especially at Aberdeen. This bunch of players has done fantastically well to get us into the top six this season. That's always the target, and I hope that's where we will still be at the end of the season. Teams better placed than us have been on longer runs without a win, so we are not too down about it."

Dec 26th on the Dons Post Match... "One of the reasons we have done well is that we have only suffered a few injuries and generally we have been able to cover them, Simon Ford and David Lilley have just come back from long injuries and Lilley hasn't even had a reserve game. The start of the match showed they weren't up to the pace of the game, because they were caught flat-footed. We were fortunate to only be 2-0 down at half-time, When you have Garry Hay suspended, Frazer Wright down with a groin strain, have lost Paul Di Giacomo (fractured cheekbone), in addition to losing Peter Leven with illness before the game, then it is always going to be tough."  Match Report

Dec 24th on Naisy Latest...  "I have no inkling of anyone coming in for Steven but if someone is sitting there waiting to make an offer then it has to be an offer that we couldn't turn down. It's as simple as that. I'm not going to put a price on his head. Hibs have had an offer and it's not good enough. If they feel they want more than that, then good luck to them. We have to get an offer first before we make that decision but Steven won't be unhappy because he loves it here. He knows that a move will inevitably happen if he keeps performing. It's different for Scott and Kevin, they know somebody is wanting them, Steven has not got any guarantees of that yet. If someone makes an offer and we turn it down then Steven might be unhappy but I know that's not in his nature. He knows Kilmarnock would let him go if it was the right club and the offer was too good to turn down."
On ScotSports SPL coverage of Killie..."They came down for a meeting and I didn't pull any punches, For example, we played Hibs at Easter Road in John Collins' first match in charge, the last fixture anyone would have wanted that weekend. As it happened, we got a 2-2 draw on the back of beating Hearts away and Aberdeen at home but on the following Monday's programme we didn't rate a mention: all the talk was about Hibs. They tried to tell me that they had to concentrate on the bigger issues but I just asked them why they were asking for my opinions when they clearly didn't care what I thought. Even the competitions they run are for games in Liverpool or Milan. Why not give away prizes for matches at Ibrox or Parkhead? We have a hard enough time attracting people to games without STV sending them off to another country. The only time we ever get discussed on Scotsport is if we lose 3-0 at Ibrox. Then we'll be the first item on the programme and everyone will say how bad we are. Every other week, though, our fans will need to sit up until half-past midnight to see the briefest highlights of our wins."

Dec 23rd on the Well Post Match...  "We shouldn't need to score three goals at home to win a game if we defend properly and that's what's making me more frustrated than anything. Those goals were avoidable and we shouldn't be two goals down like that. We had to score four goals last week to win and asking the team to score three and four goals to win a game is bad defending. We are capable of doing it and even at 2-1 I fancied us to win it but we've only got ourselves to blame for two goals which were the result of bad defending. It was just basic bad defending and to give a side who are struggling with two recent defeats a two-goal start like that just gave them a lift. We didn't start to play until we were two down but we got a great goal, the crowd got behind us and maybe half-time came at a bad time for us because we were piling on pressure with good corners and crosses."
On The Three Red Cards... "I think Paterson had already been booked and the referee was standing there waiting for him to take the throw-in. He was taking a long time to take it and so he was running that risk but maybe it would have been better to walk up to him and tell him that he's on a last warning. In fact it came at a bad time for us because they played just one up front and set up two banks of four, sat really deep and made it very difficult for us. I don't think Garry did anything wrong. It's a strange one and I'd have to have a look at the video because I couldn't see what he did wrong. No-one complained and I'll have to ask him what happened. Clarkson got sent off too and I didn't know what that was for. You'll have to ask the referee." Match Report

Dec 22nd on the Well Pre Match..."We know how big a game this is against Motherwell. Aberdeen and Rangers are playing each other on the same day and then we have got to go to Pittodrie.  If we can beat Motherwell, it could be that we go up to Aberdeen able to go level with them.  But that is easier said than done because Aberdeen have been going well. They have scored a lot of late goals and are up there on merit.  They have shown a consistency similar to ours and it is great that we are not that far behind them. But, first, we have to give ourselves a chance by beating Motherwell.  We are only thinking about finishing in the top half of the table. We have budgeted to finish in the top six and that would be a big thing for us financially. Getting into Europe would be even bigger but that is a long way off."

Dec 16th on the Caley Post Match... "It was great character to come back and I had no complaints at being down at half-time because they could have been three goals up inside twenty minutes. We were sloppy, waited for things to happen and were not sharp enough. I told the players at the break, if we want to challenge for the top half of the table, we had to come to places like this and get results. I told them to forget about the football side of things and to compete in order to win the match, which, thankfully, they did. "The game turned when the tactics changed and we started using the pace of Paul Di Giacomo and Steven Naismith, alongside the threat of Colin Nish in the air. Credit to the players for taking everything on board and playing with the type of determination we have consistently seen over the last couple of seasons." Match Report

Dec 15th on the Caley Pre Match... "Gary (Wales) has trained the last couple of days and seems to be fine, although the physio says he will be even better by next week. Paul di Giacomo has done well in his absence and scored again last week so he will probably retain his place with Gary on the bench. It should be a good game .We've drawn the last four against them up there but a couple of them have been 2-2 and 3-3, so they tend to be open, attacking football matches."
On Craig Brewster Joining Killie... "Craig has never ever carried any weight and he's kept himself extremely fit. He doesn't have to do a lot of running as he makes the ball stick and brings people into the game, he's an intelligent player. When you've got young legs round about him, buzzing about, he's got the ability to find them or they'll take players away and he can cash in. He gets his fair number of assists as well as goals and you can see why a fair number of clubs are interested in him. He was delighted when we spoke to him and couldn't thank us enough for thinking about him. To have SPL clubs after him is testament to him."
On Robbie Winters Training With Killie... "David Lilley knows Robbie and asked if it would be possible for him to come and train with us for a few days. I've not even spoken to Robbie yet, I don't know what his situation is. I've noticed that Sheffield ' Wednesday and Oldham are looking at him. I'll ask him what his position is, like you do with anyone you give training facilities to, but at this stage there is nothing happening."

Dec 9th on the Buddies Post Match... "It is two points dropped but not through the effort and performance of the players. We dominated the game against a very well-organised team who got behind the ball and made it very difficult. They got one chance in the game and they've taken it, via a deflection off Frazer Wright which has beaten our goalkeeper (Graeme Smith). St Mirren were well outplayed today and we worked ever so hard to break them down. And, if Steven Naismith's header goes in rather than hits the bar, the game's over at 2-0. So, we're frustrated that from a game we deserved to win we've only got a point - but that's what football does to you. But there's no way anyone can criticise any of our players because we were excellent. In fact, I thought we played better today than we did last week - we just came up against a more resilient team on the day. It was tight all day. We tried to switch it from wing to wing to try and get round them and it needed a quality ball from Allan Johnston to open them up for Paul's goal. They've got their 3-5-2 system but today I think it was more like 5-4-1 or even five strung across the midfield at some points. So when Allan produced that one ball to beat them, you hope you can then go on and get the second to kill the game." Match Report

Dec 8th on the Buddies Pre Match... "I think Gus knows that the start they got and some of the results they got were terrific and gives them a bit of a safety net. Any team that comes up are always favourites (for relegation) because they have played at a different level. People wonder whether they can hack it. But they have shown on many occasions this year that they can. I tipped them to stay in the league. You get that with teams who have worked hard to get there - they have the desire to stay there."
On Slovenian striker Jani Sturm... "If they were going to sell him in the transfer window, we wouldn't be in the equation because we are not going to pay for a player who is available for free in the summer.  He has a decent build, he has got good presence about him. Technically he is decent, with good touch and good movement.  He is a player we will watch two or three times before the end of his contract."

Dec 7th on Paul Di Giacomo... "He just got news at the weekend that his wife is expecting their first child, so I said to him he has more responsibility now. He has to make sure he is producing his best and contracts won't be a problem if he produces it consistently. We know what he is capable of - on his day, he can trouble any defender. He is quick, has good feet and makes good runs. He has to keep concentrating on doing these things. At times, he has to believe in himself more. He was exceptional last week against Dunfermline. If he plays like that every week, how can you leave him out? He started the season as the number-one choice because we couldn't keep him out pre-season, but he seemed to go back into not doing the things he is good at."

Dec 6th on Garry Hay's Form... "He has got a terrific left foot. Okay, sometimes he gets a bit of stick for shooting from 45 or 50 yards and they end up in row Z, when he could play the percentages. But against Falkirk he has come up to the edge of the box and he has had a terrific strike. If there is anything round about that area he is well capable of hitting one. He likes to be on the free-kicks and we are fortunate him and Peter Leven have got great delivery from set-plays. When Peter's not there he has taken them and I think we got three goals from him last week from set-plays.
On Hay Playing in the Scotland B Match in Kilmarnock in February Vs Finland..."That's up to Walter, He has already had a B international and did well. It's at Rugby Park so we might have one or two in there to have a look at. He has been very consistent this year, he was outstanding last week and he has been outstanding on a few occasions this year. Defensively he has been improving, they say you come into your best years at 28, 29 and 30. He can use that experience that he has gained and he is one of the most consistent full-backs in the league."
On Ryan O'Leary's Injury..."It looks as though he will require an operation, He could be out for as long as 10 weeks and that is a blow."

Dec 2nd on the Pars Post Match...  "You have to be delighted to win any game 5-1. We started the game well and, even though we lost the equaliser, we picked ourselves up. We had other opportunities but you would take that scoreline any day of the week. (On Killie’s First Goal) I think we will all have to wait to see it on the television. But I don't really care who is claiming it - I was just happy to see it go in. I was particularly happy to see Jacko make the most of his start. I also thought  Hooky and Alan Johnston were magnificent for us!” Match Report

Dec 1st on the Pars Pre Match... "Gary (Wales) has had a scan which showed a partial tear, but, although he could train and possibly play, there was the danger it could get worse. I can't afford to lose him with some of the games we have coming up. He is extremely doubtful for this weekend, but, as it is a partial tear, it should clear up in a couple of weeks. But we have Colin Nish back from suspension and he was doing well before he got suspended."

Nov 26th on the Gers Post Match... "I thought Rangers could have scored one or two more goals. There was only one change from the team which got great results at Hearts and Hibernian. But, when we lost that first goal, we seemed to let Rangers dominate. I have no complaints about the result and Rangers deserved to win."   Match Report

Nov 24th on Rangers Interest in Naismith... “"It is funny how these stories always come out before you play the Old Firm and someone gets mentioned. It adds a bit of spice to the game I suppose. Rangers will certainly have to pay a little bit more if they wanted Steven than they did for Kris. However, Steven still has a couple of years left on his contract and I hope he stays with us for as long as possible. One of these days, he will leave and he will go to the very top, I am sure of that. Steven admitted that all the coverage he got when he went down to Arsenal did affect him. I told him that would happen. When you get clubs like that interested in you, it can have an effect on a young player. John (Collins of Hibs) is on record in saying that Hibernian do not need the money,(for Thompson & Brown) Maybe they might be able to turn down an offer of the sort that we cannot, but I have said before that it will take a really good offer to prise Steven Naismith away from us. He is a terrific player and Ibrox is a great stage for him to show why he is so highly rated.”  Jefferies would prefer to sell Naismith to an English club so that he would not return to haunt Kilmarnock as Boyd has  (he has found the net in every one of the three games against Killie) That way, I would not have to worry about him. I cannot pick and choose what club Steven goes to but before that happens, I hope we get to work together for a couple of years. I want to keep him at Kilmarnock and achieve something here. We are in the CIS Insurance Cup semi-final and who knows, maybe we could bring a trophy to Rugby Park. However, I know that one day we will have to make a decision on Steven.”

Nov 23rd on the Gers Pre Match... "I have been involved with teams when they have come back from Europe and you never know how Rangers will do on Sunday after being away. They may freshen it up.  I want Rangers to do well in Europe just like Celtic. They have had back-to-back league victories and that will help their confidence. There is no point worrying about Rangers, you need to look after your own and we know we will have to be at our best to get a result. If we do not play well, then Rangers will not have to do so to beat us. If we get one or two chances, we must take them and put them under pressure. It is a massive step to try to get a result there. People keep rubbing it in our face about results against Rangers and Celtic, but I feel we're getting closer apart from the opening day defeat at Parkhead. At Rugby Park recently, we had a very close encounter against Celtic and gave them a run for their money. We then managed to get a point from Rangers at our place. That certainly helped our confidence, especially as we came from behind. But now we have to try and get a result at Ibrox and Celtic Park. We know we are capable of doing it but we know it will not be easy."

Nov 18th on the Bairns Post Match... "I don't think we deserved to be a goal down at the interval. Their goalkeeper had a couple of fantastic saves early on and, had we had a bit of luck, we could have been three-up after 10 minutes. There was nothing wrong with the way we played in the first half and I told the players at half-time to go out and do exactly what they had been doing in the first 45 minutes. We got back into the game with a great strike, after Garry had shown great control to get himself into a shooting position.
On their own goal..."When you put people in the box and have people challenging for the ball, then anything can happen. Fortunately, it was us that got the break on this occasion. It was a difficult match for us after losing to Dundee United last week, but we showed, not for the first time this season, we have the determination to bounce back. It's more important in this league to get the three points rather than put in a good performance, but we played well today as did Falkirk."   Match Report

Nov 17th on the Bairns Pre Match... "Falkirk were criticised last season when they couldn't win at home but their priority was to stay in the league and they achieved that. So John deserves a lot of credit. He's done a lot of work, travelling to games and he's picked up players like Cregg, Stokes, O'Donnell and Craig. He's built a team rather than just pick up experience players. He's picked up youngsters with mobility and their best years ahead of them. John and Brian deserve a great deal of credit as they've had little money. But they are a good club and I enjoyed my time there as the whole town gets behind the team when they're doing well. Whenever we've had a wee set-back we've been able to bounce back, we did it well last season and we've got a chance to do it against a Falkirk team who are playing well and full of confidence. The league is so tight just now. Inverness have just lost their first game in eight but they are only above us on goal difference. We're only three points off second place. Everyone is capable of beating each other, so it's so difficult to predict who'll win. Falkirk are playing well and there confidence is up.
On Playing Falkirk in the CIS Cup semi-final in January ...."There is a lot of water to go under the bridge before we play Falkirk in the CIS Cup semi-final, in fact the league game before we meet in the semi-final is against Falkirk at their place. So that'll have more affect on the semi-final. But with over two months away and a transfer window and suspensions kicking in the two sides could be completely different. We've just got to forget about it for now."

Nov 11th on the Arabs Post Match... "It wasn't a classic by any means - the first half was pretty dire. The back-four and James Fowler were outstanding and Colin Nish tried hard. And I'm not going to be too hard on Rhian Dodds on his first start of the season. But, in the SPL - when you have three or four players who did not perform - you run the risk of losing. They had 10 outfield players battling for it and we probably had six. They won more important balls than we did and we only really showed any urgency when we went 1-0 down."
On the  absence Allan Johnston, (groin strain)..."Johnston gets the ball down and gets us going. He has that bit of composure, but it was a chance for others." Match Report

Nov 10th on Le Guen's Early Struggles at Ibrox... "Paul Le Guen said he watched a lot of tapes of matches - but it's never the same. I can understand that he wouldn't have wanted to come to the games if Alex didn't know about his appointment - but I think the fact it was out in the open meant there would have been no problem.  I'm sure Dick Advocaat turned up at a few matches quietly when Walter Smith was still in charge, to understand the environment and scenario. Le Guen has been left with ground to make up,  It's maybe being thrown at Paul now that he underestimated Scottish football, It's completely different here, as you simply don't get time on the ball to play it about.  Even so, Jefferies will not be surprised if the Frenchman succeeds in the long term.  Everybody's different - and looking at his track record, he's been very successful,  You couldn't say he was a bad choice. But when you go to a different club, with a different culture, and you're scrutinised as much as he is at Ibrox it's tough.  Walter Smith used to say that when signing players for Rangers they had to have the right character - and that's the same with the managers, because of the sheer scale of expectation upon them.  I've always said, in the past, Rangers and Celtic could build a team more quickly because they had the money - but that's not so much the case now.  They don't spend the money they did in the past, so it's only natural that things are tighter in the league. Sure, they should still be the top two. But the gap is closing, and the table tells you that. I think teams no longer suffer from the fear factor against the Old Firm - and the pressure is all on them now, because it's no longer just one team they have to beat head-to-head."

Nov 8th on his CIS Expectations... "We had always targeted a semi-final place and viewed that as a good cup run, but now we have to think differently. You always surmise Celtic and Rangers are going to be there - or at least one of them.  But now that they are both out, the expectation level changes for all four clubs.  Although we are currently higher in the league, Hibs will be favourites to win the cup because they are the bigger club and, as a consequence, the expectation on them will be higher.  We have taken four points from six against them this season but that doesn't matter.  What is important is who wants it more and who gets the breaks because that is what cup-ties are about.  All four teams will be up for it because they now see a chance of winning it - even St Johnstone because they are top of the First Division and cannot be underestimated If a game can only attract 10,000, there is no point taking it to Hampden Park - put it in a smaller ground that will be full and can have an impact.  We want to make an occasion out of it, as players do not get this chance often, so we don't want a game at an empty Hampden.  Some players never get the opportunity to play in a major final and might not get a better chance than this. But the other three managers will be saying the same thing."

Nov 7th on the Well (CIS) Post Match... "I saw a couple of Motherwell players - and Keith Lasley in particular - screaming to put the ball out. (with Leven down) Our players switched off a bit. They haven't broken any rules. But some teams just do the honourable thing. I think Leven's was a head knock and maybe the referee should have stopped it. He certainly said it was a bang on the head. But they played on. I looked at Maurice and shook my head and said that was a bit unsporting, Suddenly he had a brainstorm and came rushing towards me. I thought he was going to banjo me. He certainly was very animated. I'll have a beer with him and sit down and have a chat with him, we will not fall out. I think the players were a little bit stung by it and they have gone on to play really well. They have got themselves back in front and showed the determination to keep them out. We had three really good chances near the end to kill the game off. Motherwell were always in the game up to the last minute. I don't think you can fault them, they played very well and so did Kilmarnock and that's why you got a cracking cup-tie. Jefferies also revealed Gary Wales had suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury.  Match Report

Nov 6th on the Well (CIS) Pre Match... ``I set two targets at the start of the season - to get back into the top six and consolidate what we did last year, and also to get a decent cup run,  Getting to a semi-final would constitute that and then you're only 90 minutes from the final itself.  But first and foremost we have to face Motherwell and although we have a great opportunity, particularly with the match being at Rugby Park, it won't be easy. Rangers and Celtic, Hibs and Hearts are all left in the competition so we'll maybe be the outsiders of the Premier League clubs, but who knows?  We've already surprised a few teams and if we get our best players on the park and play to our capabilities we're good enough. We've had some bad results as well as some tough draws in cup ties in the past few season, getting Hearts, Rangers and Celtic,  Over the past year and a half we've started to progress though and it would be nice to take that a wee bit further with a semi-final spot. Things have gone really well over the past wee while and it would be great if we could cap it all by getting to a semi-final first of all, then who knows, perhaps a final again.''

Nov 4th on the Hibs Post Match... "We played very well in the first half. I don't think our keeper has had a save to make. They are a difficult side and they've got the lift of a new manager. We had to stay strong and my players were terrific in the first half. We kept our shape well and if any team threatened in the first half it was us.  It's the old cliché - don't do anything stupid for the next five minutes. (after scoring to take the lead) We didn't even take that long - 40 seconds.  Frazer (Wright) has dived in and allowed himself to be turned. And they got a break and they took advantage. "We made them pay. (after a great Graeme Smith save to make it 3-1 Hib’s) I don't think there was much in it after that. It's a difficult place to come. As long as you have got the discipline right and the work-rate right you have got a chance It's a better point for me. We had two games in Edinburgh and have taken four points and this is with four or five players out who would have started."
On Ryan O'Leary, who stepped in for Garry Hay at left-back. "Ryan O'Leary had the pace and strength to match Ivan Sproule, he handled him really well, He has done a great job in a position we only worked on yesterday in training." Match Report

Nov 4th on the Naisy Latest... "Nothing has changed with Naismith. It is up to Arsene.  A lot of people thought he would automatically be signed when he went down in August for a few days. Whether Arsenal are interested in signing him, I could not tell you.  I am sure there will be more clubs interested but, if nobody comes in for him, then we will be delighted.  I don't think Steven himself will be that disappointed because he has said he would rather not go somewhere and be in the reserves, but he would rather stay at Kilmarnock and play here. If Arsene Wenger does not want to add to his squad, then that is good news for us. Arsenal do not have first refusal on Steven. If anyone comes in for him during the transfer window that we feel we cannot turn down, then we will have to look at it, but we hope nobody does. If there is, then we will deal with it at the time, but that does not restrict it to Arsenal.  One thing we will not be doing is phoning Arsenal to say what is on. They are like everyone else - if they really want him, then they will come for him. If not, then he is fair game for anyone, but we hope that is not the case and he stays with us."

Nov 3rd on the Hibs Pre Match... "I am sure the Hibs supporters will be happy with the appointment and it will give them and the players a lift. However, we have to go and tarnish his big day, although it will not be easy because Hibs are a very difficult team to beat at Easter Road. I know John and hope he does well in the job - starting on Monday though."

Oct 31st on David Fernandez's Injury... "The news on David is not very good, he's going to be out for the rest of the season with cruciate ligament damage. He'll have an operation very soon to repair the damage. The surgeon will let us know what has to be done as soon as possible. It's a massive blow for the club and for the player. David took a few weeks to settle in but in the last few games he has been outstanding. He was just beginning to enjoy his football again after a tough time at Tannadice so it doesn't seem fair. But we'll just have to get on with it."

Oct 29th on the Celtic Post Match... "It was a great game, but they got the break when Steven Naismith hit the bar. We were comfortable, played well and restricted them in the first half. We didn't let them settle.  It showed when Gordon (Strachan) was forced to make changes at half-time, but I can't fault the players for effort as they were great today."
On Caldwell's Challenge on Fernandez...  "David is on crutches and he will go for a scan tomorrow so I couldn't tell you how he is. But it's a bad challenge because the player got booked and David is on crutches. It's up to the referee to decide and he decided it wasn't bad enough to send him off, it was only bad enough to book him so you have to go along with that." Match Report

Oct 28th on Being A Manager In Professional Football...“When you come into management you know it is tough, but I don’t think anyone realises how tough a job it is until it’s too late, I have always said that every manager should get an award at the end of the season for the work we do, I have been in a similar situation to guys like Craig [Brewster] and Jim [Leishman]. A couple of bad results can put pressure on you and a bad run affects the club. However, that is the job we have taken and we all have to understand that when things go wrong, as they do for all of us at one time or another. There is undoubted pressure but you must not let it affect you. I know that no manager can win every game, but the way you react to losing a game makes a difference. We lost 5-0 to Motherwell a few weeks ago, but got back on track by beating Aberdeen and Hearts. You learn as you get older. The more experience you get of each situation helps. Criticism comes with the job and you have to handle it. It is harder now. The pressure on clubs, with finances, means that is transferred on to your shoulders. I know that people get trigger-happy in football now after a few bad results. Every place in the Premier league is worth money, so the pressure to finish as high as you can is intense. You have to shut yourself away from that sort of stuff. I leave the finances up to the chairmen. Of course, finances have to be squared up. That is what we have spent the last few years doing at Kilmarnock. We were one of the first to recognise the problem. Craig Brewster has put himself under pressure with what he said last week about the possibility of relegation, but he has to be given time to get it right. I have never been in the situation where I had to win on a Saturday to keep my job. I don’t know if that is a good situation. There has been speculation about Craig but everyone knows that it was not an easy job at United. You cannot blame the previous managers either, because they brought players in. That was the budget at the time and they used that. United had good players on paper and perhaps they have underachieved”

Oct 27th on the Celtic Pre Match... "There have been comments already that Celtic are going to run away with the title but, unless any team picks points off them, they will. We will be doing it for ourselves and, if we get anything from them on Sunday, it will cap a fantastic month for us. Celtic have been going well in the league and are doing well in the Champions League, but we are also going well.  We have proved the Motherwell result was a one-off. We have had an excellent response from the players not just in terms of results, but also performances since then. We will go into the game on a high and have to believe we can get a result. We know it'll be tough, but, if we play well, we have a chance. Whenever you play against either of the Old Firm, you have to have a bit of belief. At home, we have to take the initiative, get in about them and not sit off them. When you make chances, you have to take them. Dundee United were punished by Celtic two weeks ago when Barry Robson missed a chance to make it 2-0. You have to take your chances, but, to do that, you have to get at them and give them problems. In our last two games, we have done everything right because when we have not had the ball, we have been disciplined and had our shape right. Then, when we go forward, we will cause any team problems. Our last two games have given us a springboard and a belief we can get a result."

Oct 25th on Gary Wales Hamstring Injury... "It's a big blow to lose Gary as he has been looking good lately with two goals in the last two games. But we have others who can come in. Colin Nish and Paul Di Giacomo have been playing in the reserves and Steven Naismith can play through the middle."

Oct 21st on the Hearts Post Match... "I thought most of the football came from us and we carried out the plan to perfection. We said at half-time if we do what we practise in training then we will win this game. We worked hard, we kept possession when we had to and we didn't take any undue risks. It is a great way to bounce back after the Motherwell defeat with victories against Aberdeen and now at Tynecastle, which is a difficult place to come to. This win shows that heavy defeat (against Motherwell) was maybe a bit of a freak result and that if we do the right things we are a different side. I think Hearts were maybe a bit surprised at the quality we had and the way we were able to keep possession. We said 'if we've got the ball, they haven't' and that frustrated them. I had a few harsh words after the Motherwell game but today they have made us proud because every single player was magnificent and I have told them that in the dressing room. If they got all the criticism a couple of weeks ago then they deserve all the credit today. They are expected to beat us here but we knew if we could get through the first 20 minutes of the second half then we could frustrate them and get the fans a little bit edgy. They are still a good team and they still have good players so you have to work hard, but it was a great team effort from us with guys like David Fernandez and Frazer Wright outstanding. We have good players, and if they do their jobs, we are a hard team to beat".  Match Report

Oct 19th on Gary Wales Form...  "When we lost Kris Boyd last season, it was important the other strikers got in on the goals. It was not just about someone coming in and scoring 15 to 16 goals, it was about Gary Wales, Colin Nish, Steven Naismith and Danny Invincibile all chipping in. We did not stop scoring - we just spread them out. Gary got most of these, he had a really good spell and was on song. It is form I want to see. To be fair to him, after his good run, the season finished, but that was the form I know he is capable of. I thought he was starting to be very difficult to contain for our opponents. He has shown glimpses of that this season and was excellent at Dunfermline last month even though we lost. But, against Aberdeen, we did not have a single bad performance, but, for me, he was outstanding. It is that form he needs to find consistently. If he does that, then we will definitely benefit as he is very dangerous. What pleased me was not just the result, but also the performance. I could look at the team and say no-one played badly and they were all determined to make up for the Motherwell game. They wanted to prove they were better than that. We played really well."

Oct 14th on the Dons Post Match... "When I spoke to the players during the week, I told them it was all about how they responded - and every single one of them gave their all for the shirt. You could see there was determination in all of them and it was a fantastic result against a very good side. Gary caused Aberdeen constant problems, so it was fitting he scored the winning goal. And I also thought he was unlucky not to score in the first half. I also called in David Fernandez in for a chat on Friday and I think he thought he was going to be left out of the Aberdeen match. I told him he needed to stop playing for himself and, against Aberdeen, he did a lot of great things. His final ball was not always the best, but I think that was because he was desperate to do well. His work-rate was excellent and, along with Gary, he caused lots of problems for their defence." Match Report

Oct 12th on the Naisy Latest... "There were two other clubs who phoned me after the first day we were down there wanting me to go straight to their training ground, but that would have been the wrong thing to do. One of the clubs was in the London area and they were wanting Steven to have a look but I wouldn't have done that because Arsenal treated us great. Since then, those other clubs haven't been in touch but maybe it's because the transfer window is closed. Who knows, they might come in later or so might another club. With Arsenal, it was a case of Arsene taking the opportunity to see close up what he'd heard about him and run tests on him and I think he's definitely somebody they'll keep tabs on. I think Steven was always a bit concerned that if he got a move, it might not lead to a regular first-team place, It was something he was not too sure of about going to a big club, being stuck in the reserves, but he knows clubs will always be interested if he continues to perform well. I told Steven to go away and not report back until last Monday. He knows that over the past few weeks he's not been at his best and it's not his fault, it's the circumstances. So he had a couple of days away in Spain then took a trip down to London shopping with his girlfriend and we've definitely seen a difference in him since he's come back. He couldn't wait to get back into training on Monday and he's looking sharper and brighter so I think the rest has done him good. So he's really only had an hour of playing in the last three weeks. He's not really had a break because he was down at Arsenal and away with the Scotland Under-21s. So he's not really had the rest that some of the other players have and he's still a young boy - he's just turned 20 - so it was good to give him a break and we'll hopefully see the benefit against Aberdeen. The Arsenal stuff got on a top of him a wee bit. His adrenaline would have been flowing wondering what was happening and the type of player he is it was always a case of looking to give him a wee break. But now he's refreshed and ready to go again."

Sep 30th on the Well Post Match... "I know it's not how we wanted it to happen but it might end up being a good thing because we've had a lot of publicity that we are a good team and we do play good football. I think sometimes the players are caught up in that, think they can beat teams by playing them off the park and sometimes you can't do that. We got where we are because we're a consistently hard-working team who at the end of the day when we've won the battle, we end up playing some good football. We're going to still keep playing but you first and foremost have to earn the right to play and that's by competing. We were second best today."  Match Report

Sep 28th on the Well Pre Match... "A player of Steven's quality gives us something extra, but we also have Allan Johnston, Gary Wales, Danny Invincibile - guys who can make things happen in games. Steven was missing last week for the draw with Inverness and, even though we were not at our best, we still had options and created chances. It might begin to get a bit harder for Steven this season anyway, because he is not a surprise package and more people know how good he is. Teams will make plans to try and stop him and man-mark him, but, although they will be very aware of him now because he has done so well, he still has the quality to make things happen."

Sep 23rd on the Caley Post Match... "I have said before Inverness are a difficult team to play against. They sit in, play deep, try and hit you on the break and have got some big lads at set-pieces. They can be a frustrating team to play against - they have a terrific record away from home. I just felt we got caught up a bit in those frustrations, the crowd got a bit frustrated and we ended up just pumping the ball in and not doing the right things. I said we had to keep passing, stretching them and getting the ball wide and we did not do that." Maybe we weren't at our sharpest because of the midweek extra-time. We've not got a big squad. Gordon Greer was out, Steven Naismith was out, then you look at David Lilley who was fantastic. "He's (Lilley) not had a reserve game, he's been out for god knows how long, he's only been training for a few days. I didn't want to upset the centre of defence because they've been doing reasonably well."
On Dargo's goal... "sloppy goal" .... "Dargo was never going to go for the header. So we contest the headers but we make sure we pick him up, because he is bright and sharp. We let him go and that is what happens - we were punished."
On Wright going Close at the End...  "It wasn't just a great save - he actually pushed it out because we had people following up."  Match Report

Sep 22nd on the Caley Pre Match... "If you look at Caley's record over the past year or two, it is fantastic away from home - they have only lost two or three matches. They set up two solid banks of four players, invite you on to them, defend very well and then hurt you on the break. We need to keep a good tempo and move the ball around but we have to try and stretch them and be patient. If we start just lumping the ball in, it will suit them so we have to be patient and that's where we ask the supporters to get behind us. The last thing we want is to get frustrated because people start doing things they shouldn't and it plays right into the hands of the opposition, so that will be the key. We need the fans to stick with us. If it takes until the last 10 or 15 minutes for us to score, then so be it, it is not a game we are going to win in half-an-hour. If we can get an early goal, it might make them come out a bit more, but they are good at how they play and their track record tells you that. We are an attacking side and like to go at teams and create chances, while Inverness are a team who, if you are playing like that, can pick you off if you are not careful, They've managed to take a couple of goals off us in recent times and we had a cracking game up there last season when it finished 3-3. Even though they sit tight, they still create chances and can punish you if you are not concentrating and doing the right things. Barry Wilson has had a good start to the season and is dangerous and Craig Dargo has had a new lease of life up there and nicked a few for them last season"

Sep 19th on the Livi (CIS) Post Match... "I knew before the game it would be a hard shift. Livi have players who have played in the SPL and are top of the First Division. What we were missing from previous weeks was our passing. We did not play it short. I thought we played too many passes astray and did not get into our rhythm."    Match Report

Sep 18th on the Livi (CIS) Pre Match... "We'd thought about changing the side, we did it in the last round but we're needing a decent cup run. We've played really well in our last two games and I wouldn't imagine there would be too many changes. Livingston only went down last season and we know it won't be easy. We'll have to be at our best as they have started well and will be challenging for the First Division title. We want to keep the momentum going, so we'll be at our strongest. We know if we get through we're in the quarter-finals and if you look at our record over the past few years we're due a cup run. We've had some tough matches. Hearts and Dunfermline knocked us out the cups last season and got to the final, so we can use that. You never know in cup ties, it's all about getting through to the next round. That's the bottom line."

Sep 18th on Fraser Wright & Grant Murray...  "When I first watched Fraser playing for Stranraer I came back and I thought 'I don't know', I thought maybe full-time training would make a difference to him and you see him now, he's more of an athlete, he's sharper and he reads the game better and that's all because he's training every day.  We put him in at Tynecastle one night when we had nothing else and he was absolutely outstanding and he's not been out the side since. You like to see boys like that do well as he maybe thought his chance had passed him by. I've known Grant Murray for a long time and knew what he could do and that he would be good cover. I told him if he got in the team and did well then it would be the other lads' problem to get back in and he's done that. Those two players have been great for us."

Sep 16th on the Buddies Post Match... "We started the game really well, got behind them and forced the keeper into a couple of good saves. They were just busy trying to keep us out. After last week's win over Hearts this wasn't going to be an easy place to come and it was always going to be difficult to get a result. But unlike against Falkirk a couple of weeks ago when we did that but didn't play that well we blended playing well with getting the points. Grant has come in and done really well in place of David Lilley. He's great when he goes out there with a specific job to do while Gordon Greer is excellent on the ball. We saw that for the goal with Gordon getting down the right and putting a great ball in. Grant and Frazer have been terrific, especially given what they cost us. That's the market we have to work in and we have to get the best from it and hopefully we can get a few more like them in. I've got to give the referee a lot of credit because he made a fantastic decision leading up to the goal. He could have given a penalty for a foul on Gary Wales but he waved play on and we scored. If he stops it and gives a penalty - because Gary says it was a stonewall one and that the referee was going to give it - then we could miss it. The referees get a lot of stick at times but Callum had a good game. I thought there was a lot of niggly stuff that he dealt with well."  Match Report

Sep 14th on the Buddies Pre Match... "We got an insight into St Mirren last season when they won convincingly over Motherwell in a Scottish Cup tie. You could tell why they were top of the First Division. History tells you that most of the time the team that comes up from the First Division tends to do well in the first year. I experienced that with Falkirk, we survived because we'd worked hard to get there and we were not going to give it up easily. So you have the enthusiasm and also they can be an unknown quantity and they can surprise a few teams. I'm not surprised by St Mirren's start, not at all because track record tells you it can happen. Falkirk, St Johnstone, Livingston, Caley Thistle all enjoyed good first seasons in the top flight. The harder year can be the second year. St Mirren have good experienced players but they have young legs round about them that can help. Celtic and Rangers will always get a wee gap but it's not happened so far, you don't know yet if Hearts can muster the same challenge. Outside those three it'll be a whole lot tighter for top six, European places and relegation. Games are on the day and everyone is capable of beating each other, that's good for the game. You can't predict what results will be; who would have predicted St Mirren's win at Hearts?"

Sep 9th on the Pars Post Match..."We only have ourselves to blame because we went from scoring two goals away from home and looking like we would leave with all three points to eventually going away with nothing. We played some excellent football, particularly for our second goal, but the players threw it away by defending badly and it cost us. Goals win football matches and, if you give them away as easily as we did, then we are not going to win many games." Match Report  

Sep 7th on being named SPL Manager of the Month (for Aug)... "I know it's an individual award but you don't win these things unless everyone plays a part from the back-room staff, the players and everyone at the club. It's pleasing we've made a solid start and this award is recognition for everyone at the club. Jamie Moffat made an announcement we were going to have a three-year business plan and I knew we would face problems because to stick to that and get wages down we'd have to lose certain players. The path we had to go down was to concentrate on the youngsters and pick up bargains on lower wages such as replacing Greg Shields, who I didn't want to let go, with David Lilley on half the wages. But we had to make these decisions. I knew the first year would be difficult because the expectation level remains and the fans want success for their club. We got a bit of stick and I was tipped for the sack. I even said to the chairman I'd step aside if they could get anyone better who works to the same principles as me. But he knew to go down this path he would stick with me and gave me backing. We knew it would be tough year or two but as long as there was a light at the end of the tunnel, which there was when we won our last six games of the season two seasons ago, I knew we would do not too bad next year. We found consistency even though we were working under the same principles."

Aug 29th on the Naisy Latest... "His feet are on the ground and he knows he is still learning and has great potential. Everybody recognises that this boy is a talented player and he will only get better. He is going to have even more clubs coming in for him. Clubs are interested and would love to have him but can't afford him. But as time goes by he will have the chance to go somewhere big because he has the confidence and the belief that if he is doing well for Kilmarnock and playing every week that will help his cause. We are happy he is here and he is happy to remain so we will see what happens in the near future. People have been saying that he is now about to join Arsenal. They have had some discussions with us. They have had a lot of good reports about him but this is what they do. They invite young players to meet the manager and have a look around. That's their prerogative and we accepted the invitation and he wanted to go down. If the club like what they saw and are interested then we will have to wait and see what happens. He said if nothing comes of it then it would definitely be a good experience so I said I'd go down with him. We can't stop any club making an offer and if it's the right offer then we have to consider it. I hope it doesn't happen and Steven is still with us but who knows what might happen. If a big club make an offer we can't refuse and the boy wants to go then so be it. I am hoping it doesn't happen and he is still in the team for the next game (against Dunfermline on September 9). If a club he does go to decide to leave him here for a spell then that would be even better. I wouldn't have let him go down if I thought it would harm him, Steven wants to play football and he signed a four-year contract here and is very happy at Kilmarnock. He will take it in his stride. I spoke to his mum and dad and I said there was a lot of plusses and minuses going down but he is not going to have any reaction to it."

Aug 27th on the Rangers Post Match...   "I know Rangers had a lot of great chances in the first half and were the better side, We changed it with a couple of players in the second half. I think the penalty was overdue because we had a couple of shouts before that and were unlucky on the first two occasions."  Match Report  
Aug 27th on Naisy visiting Arsenal... "No-one is going overboard about it at Kilmarnock. There is nothing to panic about. There has been no fee agreed. An opportunity may arise but there are no guarantees from Arsenal that they are going to take him. They obviously have an interest in him, but it is just a couple of days to talk to them and have a look around. I am not panicking because I think he will still be here come the next game and up to the next transfer window - and even beyond that."

Aug 25th on the Rangers Pre Match... "I do not care if it is 14 games because it will happen some day. If someone had said last season we would finish fifth in the league and not take a point off the Old Firm, then I would have taken their hand off. And I would be satisfied with that again this season if we finish in the top half. We will always try to win the game against them whereas others might try to nullify the game. At Rugby Park, there was not a lot in it when we played Rangers or Celtic last season and the games could have gone either way. It will happen some day because we are a young side who are improving and it might be on Sunday. But we have been unbeaten by the other clubs for a year-and-a-half at Rugby Park. For your pride, you want to get a result against the Old Firm. It is not a burden and we will look forward to the day when we do get a result against them, but we know we will have to work hard to do it. We are desperate to do it and the players can use it as motivation. "

Aug 22nd on the QoS Post Match... "They should be proud of the way they played and they did everything Ian McCall expected of them, even when they were sitting deep. In the second half - and in extra-time - we played as well as we have played all season and we had to to beat them." Match Report

Aug 21st on the QoS Pre Match... "We are undecided as to whether he (David Fernandez) will start on the bench or not, He hasn't had a lot of pre-season and hasn't been involved in too many matches. But he's looked fit in training with the younger lads so we'll make a late decision. Queen of the South will be given every respect - no less than if we were playing an SPL side,You only get one chance in a cup game and we have to make sure that we're in the draw for the next round.The only way to do that is to be on our toes in this game."
On Keith Lasley Joining Motherwell... "We offered him the best we could, He was maybe looking for closer to what he was making down south and Motherwell came up with that deal. We can't blame the lad and he was good enough to phone me and let me know. We have no bad feelings towards him or Motherwell and we wish him all the best."

Aug 20th on Naisy Rumours... "We don't want to sell Steven but he has been in eyecatching form and there are rumours.As the weeks go in, if he keeps improving, I'm sure he's destined for big things and we'll make money. If it's an offer we can't turn down that would be sweeter as it would be a good fee. We hope that doesn't happen because we want to have him for at least a couple of years - but you always have that chance."
On needing a cup run... "A cup run would help the financial situation but we've been a bit unlucky with some of the draws. In the Scottish Cup last year we got Hearts away from home and lost 2-1. The CIS Cup has never been kind to us either."

Aug 19th on the Bairns Post Match... "Credit to Naismith, he said he never got a touch on it but I think his presence had a lot to do with putting the goalkeeper off.  We can play better but sometimes you've got to go away from home and grind out a result and we did that. We did it from 1-0 down again, like we did against Hibs two weeks ago, so that shows you the fantastic spirit that we've got at this club. We've got things to improve on but we've not been at our best and got the three points to maintain our solid start. We're delighted with the three points but it's hard on Falkirk because we seem to have done that twice to them in the last two visits here. Kris Boyd scored in the last minute last time." Match Report

Aug 15th on Keith Lasley Joining... "He (Lasley pictured left) wants to stay here and I think he'd be a very good addition to the squad. But we haven't talked money yet and we'll be speaking to his agent over the weekend about that. He realises that I am trying to build a squad, But, if we do have injuries and suspensions, we need players of quality who can come in. He'll have to be patient, but Keith is determined to prove himself worthy of a start and that's the kind of player we want."
On David Fernandez... "He's still under contract with Dundee United and, until that changes, we can't do anything, But he is a player that would interest us."
On Martin Brittain...  "He had a few weeks with us, but we have a few similar players in his position," added the Rugby Park manager. We could not guarantee him a first-team place, so he is looking elsewhere for that,"

Aug 12th on the Arabs Post Match... "It was a training game in the second half. It was defence against attack. And, in those circumstances, you have to be patient. They started the game with a system which worked well for them last week - with just one up front - and, when they went down to 10 men, they just kept two banks of four and made it difficult for us. They dug in and we just needed a break of the ball. Stevie Murray came on to try to get balls into the box, but they defended well and I cannot fault my players for effort. You just worry in a situation like that that someone goes up the park and sneaks a winner and that nearly happened when Noel Hunt went close with a bit of a scuffed shot across our keeper. They set out to gain a point and that is what they have done. And that just shows the respect we have now after what we did last season." Match Report

Aug 11th on Managing His Budget... "You look at my top earners and they are nowhere near what players were on a few years ago. Some players have gone others have taken big hits. Celtic will still have players on £20,000 and more. So it becomes hard as you're trying to improve your squad and at the same time you don't have the money to buy the players, you have a budget to work with. You start giving bigger wages it might stop you doing other things, it's not easy to balance out. It's not easy to improve the squad because to get better players they are still getting more than we'll pay, Aberdeen can pay more, Dundee United can pay more. But it doesn't always guarantee success and we'll work within our limits.Every £100 per week is worth a lot to me and I can use it somewhere else to swing a deal."

Aug 10th on Alan Combe Being Killie's No1... "Alan has done nothing wrong and has been a good number one. And I have had good back-up from Graham, because he has never let us down in the first team. Alan knows the Graham has done well, but he has contributed to that as he helps him because we could not keep a goalkeeping coach on. So he is passing on his secrets. Alan has been on coaching courses and wants to go into that side when he finishes playing, but that is a long way off. Graeme did well every time he went in last season. But I made it clear to him that Alan is the Number one goalkeeper, as he has been exceptional for us. When Alan came back, I made the decision to play him.  told Graham I would do the same for him if he ousted Alan on performances and was then out injured. That is the fairest way you can do it. Alan is out not because of bad form but because he got an injury. If you do it another way, you are just waiting for the lad to have a bad game to put your number one back in and that's not fair. Graeme accepted that. Alan has not played in any pre-season games, so Graeme is going to be in for the next few weeks as Alan is still feeling the effects of his injury as he tried to come back a bit too quickly from his operation. Once that clears up, I will have a dilemma but then you stick to your principles. When Alan comes back, Graeme will probably have played about seven matches so it will be a nice problem to have."
On the David Fernandez Latest... "Fernandez is still a United player and, until he has negotiated his release, there is nothing we can do. I've intimated an interest in speaking to him once he has sorted out his problems with United and by all accounts he is very keen to do that."
Latest on Keith Lasley... I"l be speaking to him about the football side. I'll tell him where I see him fitting in, he may have other options, so these are things I need to speak to him about."

Aug 5th on Nish's Hibee Performance..."The big boy Jones was a handful, but I thought Colin won everything in the air. Tactics and personnel don't mean anything if you don't have heart and we showed that heart in the second half."

Aug 4th the Hibs Post Match...  "Steven can go and trouble people and after I had a go at him I think he was scared to turn back so he went at the left-back and caused them all sorts of problems. He got the wee break and finished it well. We could have had no complaints if the game had been beyond us at the interval but we were much better in the second half." Match Report

Aug 3rd on Jamie Adams... "Jamie will take confidence from the Under-19 trip but he has a great temperament and takes things in his stride. He has a few raw edges but has all the attributes to play in the Premier League. He can play at the back but he is a ball-winning midfielder who puts in challenges and is very good in the air. He will be on the bench a fair bit this season and will probably get a chance as the months progress."

July 29th on the Celtic Post Match..."I don't think the 4-1 is a true reflection on the balance of play. Where it came from was sloppy play and losing possession in areas that Celtic punished us. After 25 minutes I felt very comfortable and I thought if we could get a result here then it might be today. When (Steven) Naismith was right through on the goalkeeper if he puts it to the other side of him we go one-up. And (Paul) Di Giacomo burst onto the edge of the box and if he had seen Allan Johnston he could have played him in. But he took an extra touch and the chance was gone because if you want someone one on one with the keeper there's no-one better than Johnston. If we'd taken our chances then we could have sprung a surprise. " Match Report

July 28th on the Celtic Pre Match... "We know we're going to probably the toughest place of the lot on the first day - against the champions, Pre-season, for every club, throws up some daft results and you look at them and think the team won't do well. But that is a load of nonsense. They have done a lot of travelling and much has been made of it, but our management, staff and players do not pay any notice to that.  I think more has been made of it because a few players have left, they have done a bit of travelling and with some of the results they have been getting. But you get nothing for winning a pre-season friendly comfortably and they have also been playing some good teams, so that will have done their fitness no harm. We tell our players to forget all that. You can respect them, but you should not be overawed because they will run over the top of you. We know Celtic will be well prepared and ready. We will have to concentrate and do the right things because the last thing you want to do is go out there without the belief."

July 22nd on Paul Di Giacomo After His Wonder Goal Vs Preston NE... "Don't give up on just him, He's young, and he's got something about him. This is going to be a big season for him. Preston were a decent side and they squeezed the game well, At this stage it’s not about winning.  am just happy with the sharpness and fitness levels before the big kick-off. We will be well up for Celtic on opening day, we’d have to be to stand any chance.”  Match Report

July 20th on the WBA Post Match..."I thought James Fowler and Allan Johnston were terrific right from the start of the game and Steven Naismith grew stronger as the game wore on, But this performance gives us heart going into the start of the new season and we'll compete quite well. Colin cannot remember his goal but it was a fantastic strike. We had to take him off after his knock because he was suffering from mild concussion. I could not fault any of my players against a team West Brom manager Bryan Robson told me was his strongest" Match Report

July 17th on the Ross Co Post Match..."The result matters because you want to win. But the bottom line is it is pre-season and I have trialists and others to play, plus injured players missing from what might be our strongest side. Take nothing away from Ross County - we knew they would be tough. I'd rather we make these, mistakes now than when the season starts for real."

July 16th on losing 18 year old Rory Loy (to Rangers) ... "It's incredible that clubs like ourselves, who rely on developing players, work hard with someone like Rory then lose him for peanuts, He was entitled to go but we'll only get about £25,000."

July 15th on the Elgin Post Match... “I thought Trent came on and did reasonably well after Peter Leven’s early injury. I’ve said to him I’ll judge him after this weekend. Barrowman is up from Birmingham and scored but also missed a couple – though one was a great save. I’ve told him and Keith Lasley they will know by next week but Keith’s chances of playing tomorrow rest on how bad his injury is. We won’t risk him unnecessarily.” Match Report

July 12th on Signing Grant Murray..."He had the opportunity to stay at Partick and I told him he should take it because he would be guaranteed regular first-team football there, But it shows you the ambition and determination he has that he is willing to battle for a place in the team. That is the type of player we want here. He knows he is coming here as a squad player, but he also knows, if he does enough to break into the first team, he will stay there. And the one thing you're guaranteed with Grant is that he will always give you 100%."

June 27th on Next Term... 'We said to the players they did great last year but it's past.  They've been rewarded for that, had their plaudits, but it all starts again.  Everyone knows we're a decent side and they'll be lifting their game, but we'll just try and consolidate and do what we did last year and we'll be happy."
On Opening Vs Celtic Away... "It's just the first game so if we go there and give a good account of ourselves and make sure we're well prepared for the season ahead then who knows?  If it's our day and we take our chances if we create any you just never know especially when it's  the opening games of the season."

June 19th on Gary McDonald Moving On... "I offered Gary a two-year extension but he wanted to wait until the end of the season so I had the feeling he wanted to move on. He's a terrific boy, a good professional and we are disappointed to have lost him. But I can understand where Gary is coming from and that he feels the need for a change. It's a fresh start for him. Playing against teams four or five teams isn't ideal but until someone comes up with a better solution then we just have to get on with it. The SPL is not good in terms of keeping things fresh but you just have to prepare for each game and take it as it comes."
On Adding to his Squad... "We don't have any money to buy players but we will have Gary's wages available now. There are various players we have targeted and we are looking to bring somebody in on Tuesday and take him to Italy with us on Wednesday."

   Jim Jefferies Comments for 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

Killie Manager History 1957-Present Here