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 28th on His Squad Planning for 09-10 Season...  "It’s that time of the year when you have to hold these talks with players (Damien Rascle, Cameron Bell, Grant Murray, David Lilley and Allan Johnston) who are at the end of their contracts.  We’ll have a frank exchange of views and it might be that some of them will want to move on. I know where I stand budget-wise, so we’ll have a discussion and see what comes out at the end. Obviously I’m keen to extend Kevin’s (Kyle) stay, and that’s one thing that’s definitely on the agenda. Allan (Russell) should be there or thereabouts. He started well for us when he joined from Airdrie and got a few goals, and he was then unlucky to pick up a bad injury. “We got off to a great start and had a great record against some of the teams who finished above us. We took seven out of nine points from Dundee United and Hibs, both of whom finished in the top six. But we didn’t always do as well as we should have done against teams in the bottom half, and that was much the same pattern as the season before. In saying that however, I felt that we didn’t always get our fair share of the breaks along the way. But at the end of the day we improved on our placing on the previous season, ending eighth as against 11th, and we finished with four more points. I was delighted with the way we finished the season and we showed plenty of bottle, determination and spirit to get through it. We have a much stronger squad than we’ve had for sometime and with Kevin (Kyle)  having a full pre-season of training under his belt and Allan coming back we should have more of a threat up front. I think there’s no doubt that had we had Kevin earlier we would have finished in the top six.”

May 24th on the 2008-09 Season... "People said we did not have the bottle or the character or the type of player to get us through it if we got dragged into the relegation battle, Well, we have shut a few people up. We finished with three wins and that does not happen often in the Premier League. We have been better than our finishing position in the league this season."
On a longer contract for striker Kevin Kyle being one of his priorities... "I am seeing the chairman and the financial boy on Monday and that is on the agenda. One or two boys will be leaving because they are moving on or because of swaps, I want to do it as quick as possible and I don't want it to drag on."

May 23rd on the Well Post Match...  "I don't think you could finish the season with a better goal. Fernandez took three players out and to show that much composure and skill in the box was great.  Considering the changes before and during the game against a strong Motherwell side, it was a great away result. You don't often enjoy three wins on the trot.  Damien Rascle was supposed to be in goal but he got injured in training on Thursday, Because Alan Combe was still struggling, I gave Cammy Bell his debut, so it started before the game. Lilley was superb but I think he busted his wrist. We had to make a change but Ryan has just recovered, he has being going for tests for blurred vision for a knock he got recently."(Murray then had to go for stitches in a deep wound and Pascali suffered blurred vision after their early collision.) "I think Manuel was going to knock it back to the goalie and Bert (Murray) shouted but he's not good at Italian, They met in the middle and caused me more problems so thankfully there is no game next week."  Match Report

May 22nd on Looking at Keigan Parker...  "This is our last training session, so it's not easy to judge, but we'll have a look at him, It's not a case of whether you'd like to sign him. He's still under contract to Huddersfield and I don't know what the situation is there.  I don't know whether they'll let him go or what the personal terms would be and whether I can afford to bring him in,  But at least we get to meet the lad and he can get in amongst the players and get a wee feel for the club.  But it's far far too early to say whether we would be interested or could do something."
On Next Season's Squad... "We'd want to get a couple of players in, but the budgets have got to be right,  We have to work with very tight budgets here - as we have done over the past couple of years. The chairman's been dealing in the background with the agents of some of our players who are out of contract trying to get them signed up. But they may want to move on, so there's a lot to consider. Allan Russell may miss the start of the season, David Fernandez is a different type of striker, so we need another,  But to get one we may have to lose someone from the pool and not necessarily a striker."
On the Well Pre Match... "We'll give some of the younger and fringe players a chance,"

May 19th on Clancy & Lilley Contract Talks ...  "I'll be sitting down with players to discuss contracts fairly soon as I don't want it to drag on. We've got one or two that are out of contract that I'll need to have a chat with to see what they are thinking. David is out of contract, but he wants to stay. He has had a really good finish to the season. He had a few problems with injuries, but he's played in the last 13 matches and has done really well for us.  I've spoken with his agent and we've had a brief chat, so we'll meet up sometime next week.  Tim is also keen to stay and the chairman and his agent have spoken. Tim has done well recently. The injuries he's had have delayed his progress as it took him a while to come back. We had a wee chat and I stuck to my word by giving him his chance and he's taken it."

May 16th on the Caley Post Match...  "It wasn't a great game but it was a great result for us. This was always going to be a tough match. It's not often that five teams are involved in a relegation battle at this stage in the season.  There has been no bad team in the league. Kyle has come good at the right time. And I think he can be even better next season. He has not trained since Wednesday and he took an injection today. I said to the physio before the game, that he was like Charlton Heston in El Cid. Hamilton is the only team that can catch us (for 8th spot), but the goal difference is massive so it looks like we have secured eighth place - which brings some extra cash to the club. I heard lots of people suggesting we were going to go down, but we came good at the right time and proved them wrong."  Match Report

May 15th on the Caley Pre Match... "We're still cautious because we don't think we're out of it yet.  We know football is a game with twists and turns and we need another point. But we have to be positive and we'll go for the three points. We've got ourselves in eighth position now and if we can stay there then it's worth a lot more money than ninth of 10th.  So we know it's a point for safety but three is what we're after so we can finish higher up the league and that makes the budget a little bit easier.
On Kyle's Current Form...  "Kevin is now fitter. When we took him, it was a little bit of a gamble because he hadn't played for a few weeks after going back to Coventry following a loan spell at Hartlepool. So it took a few weeks to get him fit and we had to give him time to adjust, although he got off to a great start scoring against St Mirren. But we always felt it would take him a few games as he didn't know this league. Kevin has turned out to be terrific for us. We've got him for next season and we've got to make sure we'll be in the SPL because he has potential to get 20 goals-plus. But we've got to get a team round about him that create him opportunities to score goals. He's given everyone a lift because we know if we put it in the box, we've got a chance as the big man is a handful. We're all down there because we lacked a goalscorer but we just happened to get Kevin and his goals have been so important for us just now." Kilmarnock have lost their four previous meeting with Inverness in all competitions this season but Jefferies insists those results will count for nothing when the sides meet at Rugby Park.
On Caley Jinx (Going For A 5th Win Vs Killie)... "It's a different scenario now. We've had four games against Inverness this season and three of them have been up there.The one game we had against them at Rugby Park, we gave them two goals of a start but we battered them in the second half and missed a penalty in the last minute to get a draw. So we're due a turn against them. What's gone on in the past doesn't matter. It's what happens tomorrow that matters. We know it'll be a tough game because they're fighting for their lives, although a point would probably see them safe as well. So they won't be easy opponents."

May 13th on the Buddies Post Match... "St Mirren are experienced, resilient and hard to break down, so I knew it was a battle. I said that this would be a different type of game to last Saturday against Falkirk, and for 10 minutes I didn't think we were up for the battle as they started the better. After that we realised we were in a battle, stood up to and it got the goal, which was so important and gave us a huge lift. They put us under pressure at the end but we stood firm - thankfully I heard the whistle for the disallowed effort] but I've seen them given. I don't think anyone could deny us as we haven't had very many breaks this year. Kevin Kyle was a constant threat; when the ball comes in, we know he's going to be there, he has a good touch and brings people into play. He's scored six goals in three games and has done a terrific job, and like everybody else, he wants to stay in this league."   Match Report

May 12th on the Buddies Pre Match... "If you could give me that performance for the next three matches, I'd take your hand off,  You would be the unluckiest team alive to go down with that level of performance because we should have won on Saturday. Hopefully that will be good enough if we produce the same again.  St Mirren have changed, they were well organised and played a bit tight but they have played some good football this season,  I'm very surprised they are in it when you look at some of their results and the team they have got, but they will be saying the same about us and probably one or two other clubs. The bottom line is that all the clubs have something in common - they have played well, had some great moments in games, passed the ball well, but haven't stuck the ball in the net often enough. As they say, that's always the hardest part of the game."
On Kevin Kyle's Impact... "You can see the difference, I think it gives the other players confidence. They have a will about them to play at a good tempo because, when we are in and around the box, they have a chance of him finishing. He was unlucky not to get a hat-trick on Saturday. He is going to be key to us in these last games. But I don't want to resort to punting it up to Kevin all the time - that's not going to get us anywhere. We need to get it played out to wide areas; that's where the big man prefers it to come in from. We want to play, get it in the last third and get it wide."

May 9th on the Bairns Post Match...  "When you're in this position and things go against you, like going 1-0 behind when we should have been in front, I was asked the question whether the team have the bottle to come back. We deserved to get the equaliser and Kyle took the paintwork off the post with a header near the end that beat the keeper all ends up. If my players show that determination and get a wee break along the way in the next two games, we will be all right. We showed we have got enough about us to get out of it. It would have been worse if we lost the game because we would have been level with them. That could be a vital point at the end of the season. But the performance was better and I thought over the 90 minutes we were the better side."   Match Report

May 8th On Banning the Player From Talking To the Press...  "Sometimes they can say things leading up to a big game and sometimes they can get stitched up, Someone else can put a different slant on it and then it's good fodder for Falkirk to pin on their board and get fired up. So we'll alleviate all that.  We did it the last time and it worked so if it ain't broke, why fix it? We won 3-0 so it's not a bad ploy. We'll make sure we get safe and do our talking when we were safe. 
On the Bairns Pre Match... "It's the same scenario,  I'm surprised we're down there at all but that's the way this season is - there's not a lot between the teams. I say I'm surprised but I'm also realistic enough to know it could happen. I thought the team were good enough to get in the top six but you need the breaks to do that. There have been a lot of good performances where we have been unlucky not to get something or go on and win. That's been the frustrating part. I think we deserve a lot more than we've got. But it's all down to missed chances and not killing teams off when we've been on top. We've not had an out-and-out goalscorer. We brought Kevin Kyle in but he needed four or five weeks to get up to speed with his fitness, It was a gamble but one worth taking. As it proved against Falkirk, he was starting to find his best. It's just a pity we've not had him for the last two games."

May 5th Withdrawing Bryson From the Scotland "B" Squad .... "I spoke to Scotland manager George Burley but it's just the situation at the moment,  My priority is Kilmarnock. It's a huge game and, with us having one or two knocks, the lad understood. The last thing I need is to lose Craig Bryson,  I appreciate he could easily get injured in training but we're monitoring that and there's less chance of that happening than going into a game. It's disappointing for the lad. We like to see Kilmarnock players get the chance at international level, but he understands fully the club's situation and with the number of injuries that we have at the club we've had to withdraw him."
On Jamie Fowler's Fitness... "James will probably play for the reserves on Wednesday for an hour so we can see how he is, He's in contention for the weekend. We'll monitor how well he does and see how sharp he is. He's been out for along time. If he doesn't start he could be on the bench against Falkirk. But he's got a chance of starting especially with the injuries we have.  Manuel Pascali will also play in that reserve game as he's available for the weekend after suspension."

May 2nd on the Accies Post Match... "We probably had more possession over the 90 minutes but we didn't work their keeper hard enough. We were sloppy and hesitant. Simon Ford has been caught in two minds over clearing the ball and James McCarthy has done well to nip in and score.  We probably had more possession over the 90 minutes but we never really did anything with it or work their goalkeeper hard enough. They've had three shots on target and scored twice. It was the start of the game that disappointed me. Their second goal came against the run of play."
On Next Week's Bairns Clash... "I told the players that if they thought it was a massive game the last time we played Falkirk, they can multiply that by 100 this time. It's all down to that: if we win it, we're six points ahead with three games to go and another two home games. So this week we'll be concentrating on getting back in, and I can tell you now that Kevin Kyle will be the first name on the team sheet. We didn't start as well as we had in the past couple of matches and were very hesitant in that opening spell. Some of the players who have been doing very well recently were never at the races. Falkirk is going to be a huge game next week and it certainly won't be for the faint-hearted."  Match Report

May 1st on the Accies Pre Match... "It's a big game for both clubs because I think whoever wins this one will probably just be looking for another win or possibly a point if results go your way to be safe.  If we can get a win then with just four games left one more result would see us safe as we'd be asking teams to win every game after that. Apart from the Hearts game recently, we've been playing well and we've just not had the rub of the green. But against Falkirk we were fired up and got a great victory. Then we had a tough match at Tannadice and if we'd got the breaks that day, we'd have got the three points. It was nice to hear Dundee United say they didn't play well but that's because Kilmarnock didn't allow them to play. Our form is good going into this game and it's given us the boost of confidence and, if you have that, it's a big help. Any one of the five teams could go down, so it's going to be pretty tense stuff but it'll be passionate and we've got to make sure we play as well as we have in the last two games and I'll be happy."
On Craig Bryson has been called up for Scotland B's match  "It's great that Craig's been called up, although we've got a big game against Falkirk a couple of days later and I've spoken to George about that. But Craig will get good experience and I hope he keeps himself fresh for the Falkirk game. "I think Kevin Kyle will be disappointed because of the number of players George can't call upon but if he starts scoring regularly then he could get in."

Apr 18th on the Arabs Post Match... "Our midfield, particularly in the first half, were on top of everything. They never gave United time to settle.  Considering we had Kevin Kyle out and losing Simon Ford, we're pleased being the away team to at least get something out of the game. With St Mirren winning today, I think we're still above them on goal difference. That's always a psychological advantage. You don't want to have the situation where you need to win four of the last five games If the split fixtures are kind to us and we get three home games. We've had two consecutive clean sheets. Our players gave everything today and the supporters were fantastic."  Match Report

Apr 16th on Kyle Returning to the National Team... "I don't pick the team but if Kevin bangs in another few goals for us then I'm sure George Burley will come and have a look at him. Darren Jackson was at the game against Falkirk and told me it was the best performance he had seen from a centre-forward this season, so that's high praise. Pat Nevin was on the radio saying Kevin was outstanding; world class was the term he used and said he was definitely Scotland material. He gave Stephen McManus a tough time in the defeat against Celtic and Gordon Strachan admitted that after the game.  So if they are saying that then it's something Kevin should look at. What could inspire him is what Chris Iwelumo did in the lower divisions in England. He came through and bagged a few goals and caught the eye, so it's there for Kevin. I think he might have thought it wasn't so difficult playing in the SPL. But he has been unlucky after getting off to a good start against St Mirren on his debut. Scoring his first ever hat-trick shows you that the team provide him with the ammunition. But he led the line all day, we fed off him and his overall performance for the three goals was excellent and he deserved his goals."

Apr 11th on the Bairns Post Match...  "I said to them, 'do your talking on the pitch' and they did it today.  It gives everybody a massive lift. I said at half-time that Falkirk would come out and they had one or two chances, which we were a wee bit worried about.  But they didn't take them and we weathered the storm. Kevin Kyle worked hard today. He chased balls and flicked them on. He defended well. We have been playing well at home, and away - apart from last week at Tynecastle - but today was an absolutely terrific effort by all the lads. We had a tough time in the opening 15 minutes of the second half when Falkirk had a real go at us, but we stayed firm and got through it. Maybe we got the breaks today that have been missing over the past few weeks. But, despite all that has gone on, we refused to listen to anything negative. We went with Gavin Skelton with Craig Bryson instead of Pascali. I think it paid off, even though they maybe sat a wee bit too deep at times. But the lads dug deep and won more then their fair share of 50-50 balls.
On hat-trick hero Kyle... "He came up here having never played in Scottish football and has done terrifically well, even if he has had a bit of a tough time of it,  He should take a huge lift from today - as should all the players. But we are not out of the relegation battle yet - there are still some tough games to play." Match Report

Apr 10th More on the Bairns Pre Match... "It's a big game; I wouldn't say it's the biggest because nothing will be decided on Saturday.  What it will do is give us a massive psychological boost. Falkirk at best can get level with us, but if we get the win then the gap is six points and that's a massive advantage. It's a big game in that respect but I don't think even a win would put us out of it because the five clubs have all got to play each other after the split.  But winning this one would give us a boost going into the next game, because you know then another win would ease pressure and put it on other teams. You just keep stressing the positives we had in the last few weeks,  That's why we talked on Monday - how can we go out on Saturday and, for the first time, get something to hold on to?  Hearts played really well but we contributed by not playing well. Before that, we had three draws against good sides - Motherwell, Hibs and Aberdeen - and maybe deserved a wee bit more.  So we take the positives; if we're capable of doing that, we have got it in us. We need to do that now starting on Saturday. I said to the players, 'You can't do anything about the statistics now. What you can do is look towards the next game and put it right. We have had a chat this week and they know what's at stake. I think this is the first time in a while that it's been tight as this for relegation, That's down to the fact there is so little between the squads. The clubs who have not managed to string two or three wins together are the ones in this tight situation. The only team with momentum is Inverness. If you look at St Mirren, I think they have a better squad than they have ever had in this league. Gus (MacPherson) has been unlucky.  He has deservedly had two Manager of the Month awards and they only lost their first game at their new ground, against Rangers, on Wednesday night. But they are still second bottom - that proves how tight this league is. With every team playing each other, you are going to have tension, excitement, disappointment, elation, ups and downs, and you're going to have that between now and the end of the season."

Apr 10th on Banning His Players From Talking To The Press... "We have not talked about relegation, We know the consequences. Some players have made statements recently, and the chairman backed it up and was right in everything he said - so we're aware of that. The players had a wee chat themselves after they watched the video and said they do realise what's at stake and this is what needs to be done. We'll get a good week's training and get out against Falkirk and get a result. Everything will look that bit better, although it won't take us out of it.  It's a big, big game for both clubs - probably especially Falkirk because they can get level, We've got to be aware it is a big game for them, and if you're not up for it you don't deserve to beat them. If I was a footballer, that's what I would be thinking. I want to play in the Premier League; I don't want to go down and hurt my pride and see my team-mates struggle, as would happen at all clubs. All clubs would be cutting their cloth. This is the time for everyone to pull together. a manager, I've been there before, (with Falkirk in 1993) and you try to pass on your experience to try to get the best out of them, Once they cross the line, there is not a lot the manager or coaches or backroom staff can do - at any club. It's about the players, and the players have to realise it's time. That's why I stopped them talking to the press this week. Do your talking on the pitch."

Apr 9th on the Bairns Pre Match... 'Ive had great times with John (Hughes) but we're professional and know he's got to do his best for Falkirk and I've got to do my best for Kilmarnock. Falkirk played well against Rangers but they're finding it hard to get goals, just like everyone else down there  We're both competitive and want our teams to win but we'll shake hands afterwards and have a beer.  Billy Brown and I know John and Brian Rice very well. John is a great friend and I know he'll have his players fired up but mine will be too. Nothing will be decided by this game. Even if we win it won't take us out of trouble but it'll be a huge psychological boost. This is when the club, players and fans have to pull together.  The supporters have been fantastic to us, they've never got at the team and have been behind us.  They'll help as they know how big a game it is." Jefferies was furious with Killie's display in the 3-1 defeat to Hearts but the players were told that level of performance is not acceptable. "They certainly know what's required."

Apr 4th on the Hearts Post Match... "We were in a precarious position before the game. We have been for about three weeks and so have five other clubs. After the split there is going to be a few massive games. We got off to a terrific start against Hearts, it was a terrific ball and a great header but we gave them too much room. To get in front was a bonus but we never put them under pressure. I don't think you'll see a better chance all season with Ryan O'Leary but you have to put that ball in the net before you find out if you can put them under pressure." Match Report

Apr 3rd on the Hearts Pre Match... I would be worried if they weren't giving their all, They are a decent side and they are hurting like everyone else.  They feel they haven't had the rub of the green but they know what's required and they are prepared to do it. That's the plus for me. It's so tight this year. The team who just misses out on the top six might be okay in terms of points but, from Hamilton down, everybody is going to be involved in a struggle.  Before the split, we have three games and we have to get as many points as possible to give us a bit of breathing space and put the others under pressure going into the last five games.  They have been working hard, especially on the finishing side.  The front players have had two or three different routines to try and create situations where we can have more shots at goal.  There is nothing wrong with the team. We just need a break and we need to capitalise on the chances that we make. Apart from that, we have been doing reasonably well.  We have a decent record away from home and a decent record at Tynecastle so we should go there and show we are capable of getting the result. We won well at Tynecastle and then we should have had them dead and buried by half-time at Rugby Park.  But their first shot on goal was a tremendous strike and, as we pushed for an equaliser, they caught us late on for a second.  I felt there was a bit of injustice and that we deserved more than we got from the game.  But it's not Hearts' fault; if you don't take your chances when you're on top, then other teams will punish you."

Apr 1st on Ferguson & McGregor Letting Scotland Down... "They've let themselves, probably their families and the country down. If we lose they'll regret it more as they'll take some blame.  It was a stupid moment, it doesn't make them bad professionals, but they'll have to live with that. Nobody will regret it more than the two players, but hopefully they'll learn not to do that again, George has set the example for other players. Most managers would have done the same.   There's no point in having a manager if people don't toe the line.  You've got to show to the other players that there has to be discipline or else you lose respect.  Incidents like this happen - I've had to deal with things like that - and it doesn't become news.  But when you're preparing for a massive game in a major tournament it becomes big news.  Years ago it used to be 75 percent knowledge of the game, 25 percent managing players. But the game has changed, players have higher profiles and bigger salaries, and now that's swung round and it's 75 percent about managing people."

Mar 31st on Signing Steven Old .... "Having had Steven here on trial since January 22, it shows you how keen we were to get him. It's been a long process because there was so much information to gather and contracts to negotiate before going to the work permit appeal panel.  He has to fly back to New Zealand as soon as possible to get his passport stamped at the British Consulate in Wellington and then return to Scotland. Steven is short of match practice at the moment and will probably be looking at a fresh start with the rest of the squad in the pre-season, but never say never.  If any opportunities come up before the end of this season, we may put him in.  He is the right age with international experience and we've been looking for a while now to bring in a young centre-back as Ryan O'Leary is the only one we have at the moment.  The two have formed a good partnership in training."

Mar 21st on the Well Post Match... "You can't fault Kilmarnock for trying to win the game. We played some terrific stuff and dominated the first half. Nothing has fallen for us. As we were pushing forward I was always worried they might break away. There were a couple of times we got caught but fortunately they didn't take advantage. It would have been a travesty if we had lost. We probably deserved three points."  Match Report

Mar 20th on the Well Pre Match... "I have every faith in my players. We battered Hearts and we battered Aberdeen but we have not been taking the chances. We have been missing chances when we are on top of games, like last week in Inverness, and Terry Butcher was honest enough to say we deserved something. Every club in the bottom six is battling to avoid relegation and we are not in the worst position so we are being positive. I am quite confident from the performances lately that we can handle this."
On An SPL II Format... "I don't know why they are talking about the SPL2. The four times a season format isn't working for anyone. What should be debated is the format and set up. We need more in the Premier League rather than a second tier of SPL. I don't have the definitive answer, but we need to get back to one home and away fixture, perhaps with 16 or 18 teams. The supporters pick and choose their games at the moment, and I don't blame them. If you look at First Division clubs like Dunfermline, Dundee and Partick Thistle the present set up is killing these clubs. They need to be back in the SPL. I don't buy into the argument about there being meaningless games. Try telling that to a chairman if every position is worth money to the club. With the bigger league you could introduce younger players and get that bit of breathing space, breathing space that isn't in the game just now."

Mar 14th on the Caley Post Match... "We're in a battle with five or six clubs down there. You ask if the players are ready for such a battle, but you couldn't deny that against Inverness as there was no lack of effort. It's a game we should have won because it's the best we've played here this season. We should have maybe been latching on to the ball better when it came into the area, they always seemed first to the ball and that was the difference. Of our last three games up here, that's the best we have played, but when you get three golden opportunities to stick the ball in the net in the first 10 minutes and don't take them, you can be punished. The wind died down in the second half when we thought we would have more of an advantage, but Inverness had the wind in the first half and that assisted the free-kick which deceived Alan Combe. We put Inverness under so much pressure in the second half. Inverness were putting so many bodies behind the ball from throw-ins and corners that we were looking for a wee break to land for us but we never got that today. There was plenty of battling qualities and we fought hard. Our problem this season is that we haven't had that scoring instinct that we have had in previous seasons. We pushed hard in the second half to try and get something from the game, but Alan Combe didn't really have a save to make." Match Report

Mar 13th on the Caley Pre Match... "We are being positive, Everything is so tight that half a dozen clubs can be involved in relegation or top six. We feel that, with the wee gap we have got and with the games we have got coming up, if win on Saturday we are well capable of making a late push for a top-six place. If we don't then we know we are going to be involved, like other clubs, in a bit of a battle. We know it's a massive game for us.  St Mirren and Falkirk don't play and their games in hand are against the Old Firm so it's a chance to put pressure on them."
On Tim Clancy... "Tim came in last season and looked like he was going to be a right good player, He got a bad injury and we didn't help him because we put him at centre-half in the reserves when his best position is right-back. We had a wee heart-to-heart chat because I didn't think his attitude was helping him get back. He was maybe thinking he was out of things but I told him he was very much in my thoughts provided he showed the right application, and I would help him by playing him at right-back in the reserves. He has repaid me. He came in against two form wingers in (Aiden) McGeady and (Sone) Aluko and handled them great. I think he will turn out to be a good player for us."
On 23 Year Old New Zealand defender Steven Old ... "There is a lot to sort out with work permits and such like but he has impressed us."

Mar 4th on the Tic Post Match... "I thought we were terrific, but I was disappointed at their first goal because McDonald is their main striker and he was on his own. We had two great chances, from David Fernandez and Connor Sammon. David should have stuck it away, and Connor should have chested it down, but in the end it was a complete fresh-air header. But how could you fault our team tonight?  Normally we like to get the ball down and pass it, but I said to the players to knock it in behind them, and when we did that we always gave them problems. I can fault my players for the first goal, but the second was piece of magic from McDonald - it took a class goal like that to beat us tonight."  Match Report

Mar 3rd on the Tic Pre Match... "This is a tight league and everyone who's around six or seven points behind will still have a chance of getting in the top half. But if you lose games then you've got a chance of being dragged down the bottom.  We know we need to pick up points and, although this is a tough one, we have games coming up that'll be huge for us and ones we need to do well in.  If we can get something against Celtic, it'll give us a huge boost. We have the likes of Inverness, Motherwell and Falkirk after we play Celtic - they'll be huge games. If we perform well then we'll get a huge lift in confidence and every point is important at this stage of the season. The fact we've not won at home for a long time or won this year doesn't matter; if we even get a draw, it'll be a good result. But we won't play for a draw, we'll try to win the game."

Feb 28th on the Dons Post Match... "They told me he (Willie Gibson) threw his shirt away and you don't do that, The reason he was taken off was simple. We were under pressure with a lot of corners coming in so we sacrificed him to get Danny on. If he looks at that differently then that is his concern. My concern is for the team and the result. That's petulance from him and we will deal with that internally."
On the Bryson Penalty No Call..."I will reserve judgement on it until I see it again but I thought with the distance the referee was from the incident he couldn't have had much of a view of it. But Jimmy Calderwood thought it was a penalty because I saw him breathe a huge sigh of relief when it wasn't given. That is the breaks that go against you when things aren't going your way." Match Report

Feb 27th on the Dons Pre Match...  "We got ourselves in a fantastic position at Ibrox but it's happened too often this season that we've made errors and it's cost us. I was critical of that last weekend but not of the effort of the players because they were terrific in terms of that. But they didn't carry our proper instructions and when they crossed that line their lapses in concentration cost the team. We, along with the teams around us, are fighting to stay in this league. But every team in the league is fighting to be in the top six and we're nearer the top six than we are to the bottom. We have five points to make up there. Every team is looking above them but also looking over their shoulders, which makes it very cut and thrust.  So the only way we can look to challenge and get into the top six is if we start winning games, which we need to start doing fairly quickly.  We'll go there and know our best chance of winning is if we go at Aberdeen. We're capable of going there and getting a result but we won't sit back and invite Aberdeen onto us. There is pressure on them to win against us and we've always caused them problems. Our best form of defence is definitely attack. We're not capable of just sitting in defensively. It's nice to get Danny (Invincibile) back as he did well when he came on against St Mirren and scored twice against Hibs and that's really been the only times I've had him recently because of injuries. Fernandez has had a good season but we need to get quality into these boys so they can provide service for Kevin Kyle."

Feb 21st on the Rangers Post Match... "Where did it go wrong? Three individual errors is where it went wrong. We put ourselves in a great position and scored a great goal and we thought the fans might start to get on their backs. Then we had a crazy six minutes and suddenly we are 3-1 down. Those three individual errors are what have cost us the game. We gifted them it - it's as simple as that."   Match Report

Feb 20th on the Rangers Pre Match..."The Old Firm managers have said in the past, quite rightly so, that the games between Rangers and Celtic decide the league. Not any more.  I know Walter Smith has said that it's down to who is going to drop the fewer points against the rest of the teams because, on the evidence of the season so far, they are capable of dropping more points against the rest of the teams. So that gives us all hope that we can get a result. If you take that belief, it just gives you that little bit more confidence."
On Kevin Kyle... "It's a great stage (playing at Ibrox) He was involved in the Scotland thing a few years back and it didn't work out for him. A lot has happened to him since then but he has the chance now to put himself on the big stage. If you want to impress people, there is a chance to do it against the top teams and that's where you are judged if you have ambitions to get back into the Scotland set-up. You've got to be fair to him and give him time to adapt to Scottish football. He was out for four or five weeks before he played but he is getting sharper. In training today, I thought he looked quite a handful.  We know we have to play in the right way and get the ball into the box and we feel he will get on the end of a lot of them and get us goals that will give us a chance. We are not too far away from the top six but we have to start winning games."

Feb 14th on the Hibs Post Match... "I can't fault the performance. We took a wee bit time to settle but, once we got going, our players tried to do the right thing. We were a wee bit unlucky not be ahead in the first half and it was a double-whammy when they went up the park and scored with a lucky deflection. We were unlucky to go in 1-0 down, but I just asked the boys to give more of the same. You are always a wee bit worried when guys like Riordan and (Colin) Nish can hit you on the break but their keeper lived a bit of a charmed life. Conor Sammon and Manuel Pascali should have tested their keeper with headers and the one at the end was just incredible - I think Conor had a fresh air shot. He just needed to connect and go through the ball, but it wasn't to be. If any team deserved to win it, we did. It was a terrific performance and it stops the rot. Hopefully we can build on that."  Match Report

Feb 13th on the Hibs Pre Match... "We are getting down to the nitty-gritty for getting in the frame for a top-six place but the games are running out.  So this is a huge game for us and we are treating it like a cup final. If you get further behind then you make it difficult for yourself. So we have to go out there and give it our all."
On His Strikers Availability... "There was no point in appealing Kyle's sending-off.  I thought he was unlucky and if we were in England we would have appealed, but not here with the way in which appeals are dealt. But that means we have only one registered striker available for this game, Conor Sammon. Allan Russell doesn't look great, as you can see, with his knee injury which he picked up after just coming back from flu. I can't see Invincibile coming back in time, Fernandez is suspended as is Mehdi Taouil and on top of that, James Fowler is out for about six weeks with a broken foot. Donovan Simmonds has gone back to Coventry where he will have an operation and so that leaves us with only one striker for Saturday. I don't know what I will do yet. We can work with the back four and the midfield but we will have to address the attack but there is not a lot we can do about it other than play someone out of position. Conor (Sammon) might have been back in the frame anyway, not just because we are left with him as the only striker. He has settled down and has been doing better in training. It was a lot to ask from him at the beginning of the season when he was forced in early because of injuries. Things weren't going right for him so we took him out before he lost his confidence but he has caught our eye in training. He has shown a great attitude and you always get 100% from him and that is what is needed."

Feb 7th on the Caley Cup Post Match... "If we get the penalty before half-time it changes the game. I had a great view of the game because I was the one who was fouled and the referee pointed to the spot but changed his mind. It was unbelievable because the incident was four yards inside the box. However, the second half the decisions got worse. Kevin (Kyle) was sent off for protecting himself. He's a big man and was unlucky to get sent off. These things happen and we just have to get on with it, but we're disappointed to go out of the cup"  Match Report

Feb 6th on the Caley Cup Pre Match... "It was a tough draw when it was first made and I think it will be tougher now.  As long as we are aware of that and we are up for it. We will not get away with it if they're not, obviously because of the changes there. At any club, if a new manager comes in, they certainly make an impact for the first couple of weeks. Long term, only time will tell, but certainly in the early weeks. That showed last week when Terry got the maximum out of them and they played very well.  They all start from a clean slate trying to impress the new manager."

Jan 31st on the Buddies Post Match (by Billy Brown) ... "It was a reckless challenge (by Combe on Dargo) and an obvious penalty. We've had players sent off for nothing in the past. Maybe we escaped that one. He's a big physical presence, If we can get the right type of ball in the box, he is going to be a handful.  Apart from that, his general game was good, not just his aerial ability. I think he will be an asset to us. Bear in mind he is only 27, he has got a lot in front of him. He's got a will to do well up here. He wanted to come up here and I think he'll do very well. He's still very ambitious. I'm pleased with a point. It was difficult day to come here. Overall, I don't think we can complain. I don't think we played particularly well, I think we can pass the ball better. But that's another away point." Match Report

Jan 25th on the Accies Post Match... "The performance was as poor as we've had all season here. We've been saying that we played well against Aberdeen and Hearts and didn't get what we deserved, but we deserved nothing - Hamilton were the better side. The only defence I've got is that maybe Thursday just took a little bit more out of them, because they certainly didn't look as sharp as they've been recently. They played nothing like they can, and it wasn't just one man - it was quite a few out there and passing was poor, they weren't sharp to the ball and I don't think we won a header all day. It was a bad performance and we can have no complaints about the result." Match Report

Jan 24th More on the Ayr Post Match... "I think both clubs were grateful for the extra money, The replay wasn't something we had budgeted for. We got television money and there was also over 11,500 fans there. But the trip to Inverness is not a huge money-spinner for the club. I wanted to bring in players before we got through to the next round and I will still be looking but (in terms of money available) nothing will change. If we had been beaten by Ayr, the atmosphere would have been flat and it would have been hard to lift the players. But we gave them the win they wanted. The fans got right behind us and we want them behind us again for the Accies game.
On the Accies Pre Match... "It's a very important match for us. We have not been getting the breaks recently at home in the league but if we win this game, it keeps us in touch (with the top six). The teams around us have difficult games this weekend but we have to look after ourselves and go out and get the three points.  We have two or three players who can come in and freshen the side up. With all due respect, Ayr are in the Second Division, although they are good enough to be in the First. But this will be a different game, so we will freshen up and we have the players to do that.
On Ferdy's Red Card..."There's no excuses for him. He was getting fouled in the corner but he is experienced enough and now we have lost his services."

Jan 22nd on the Ayr Post Match...  "I've stayed down here for a few years and I've got to know what this game means to the supporters and it was one that the players were desperate to win for them.  After losing a very soft goal, Simon Ford showed great character to come back and get the first one and the third one.  Even when we went to ten men, we kept going at them. Everybody played their part tonight in getting through. It's a great result for us. I thought we outclassed them in all departments tonight."  Match Report

Jan 21st on the Ayr Pre Match... "All we lacked against Hearts at the weekend was a finishing touch but, if we keep playing like that, it won't happen all the time. We will stick the ball in the back of the net as we did at Hibs recently and, when it happens, we are going to get two or three goals. It might not happen against Ayr but somebody is going to get it and hopefully we take a few chances in this replay. That would be nice but we would settle for one, as long as we get in to the next round."

Jan 17th on the Hearts Post Match..."I can't believe we've lost the game, we totally dominated the first half and should have been a couple of goals ahead. It's a game where we've outplayed them and they've scored the goals and won the game. We keep missing the chances to put ourselves in front and make it easier but how can you be angry with the players? They've played well and worked their socks off but you've got to put the ball in the net, that's what wins games. When you are on top, you need to finish your chances. It's frustrating because there is not a lot wrong with the team."   Match Report

Jan 13th on the Dons Post Match... "I couldn't have asked for more in the first half,  We looked like we would go on and score a few goals but we didn't get the breaks. For them to go in at half-time at 1-1 was very unfortunate. But to concede from a set-piece and for him to score with the outside of his foot means we weren't sharp enough to the ball. The second half we didn't start anything like we had in the first and we ended up chasing a game we should never have been chasing."  Match Report

Jan 12th on the Dons Pre Match... "It's a very, very important game," Jefferies said. "If we win, we get into the top six. That is incentive enough. Our record at home needs to improve. We have played well in some of these home games. It's just when you play at home, with the respect we get, teams frustrate us. But Aberdeen are not that type of team, they will come at you and expect to win down here. So that always makes for an open game and that maybe suits us better. We had a fantastic game in the cup. It was a terrific night, a thrilling match and I think the 4-2 scoreline was unbelievable because it could easily have been 10-6 or something. It was great entertainment, both teams attacking each other. We played very well against them at Pittodrie too. Even though they beat us 1-0, we felt we deserved something.
On Mehdi Taouil..."We are hopeful he'll be fit, We didn't have Willie Gibson at the same time but he is back fit and he has shown lately that he can unlock things for us. We are a wee bit better personnel wise than we have been for the last few home games."
On Bring in an unnamed experienced striker... ( possibly Mark Burchill) ..."I think the problem is they might feel they need to get someone in before they can let him go, There is nothing imminent but hopefully before the window closes we will be able to get someone who can help in the striking department." On Martyn Corrigan Considering an offer from Ross County... "Martyn has had the opportunity to talk to them so it's Martyn's decision, Nobody is forcing him out, it's up to him. If he wants to go and play regularly, we would understand, he is an experienced player. He has been terrific here, a great pro and we keep him involved."

Jan 10th on the Ayr Post Match... "We got a stonewall penalty and should have gone 3-1 up and if we had got to that stage we would have gone on to win comfortably. Ayr got a massive lift and it fell for them, the boy hit it first time and they've got themselves a replay. But we are not out of the cup. We are disappointed we haven't gone through but we will get them back to Rugby Park and hopefully finish the job there. It won't be easy because they have nothing to lose and they have plenty of spirit. But I think we might just finish them off. They maybe had their chance here today. I don't think we are lucky to be in the next round - Ayr are the fortunate ones to still be in with a chance.They will be delighted because it's another game, But hopefully we will get better conditions because Rugby Park has a much better surface and it will suit us better to get the ball down and pass it. There is a lot of passion between both sets of fans for the bragging rights in Ayrshire. I enjoyed it, We have to wait another week or so for that and hopefully the advantage will swing to us." Match Report  

Jan 8th on the Ayr Pre Match... “It’s a great tie for the fans, and since the draw was made I’ve been made very much aware of how important it is to win this game. As well as the financial benefits of making it through to the next round, I’m very much aware of what the game means to Kilmarnock supporters. I can assure the fans that the players will be up for the game.”

Jan 3rd on the Bairns Post Match... "I thought our heads were in the clouds a little to start with, but having said that we had the best two chances in the first half (Gibson and Allan Russell opportunities). The one player who maintained the standard we reached last week (in a 4-2 win at Hibernian) was David Fernandez. He set up two great opportunities for us. Gibson should have scored and Allan's first touch gave the goalie an opportunity to close him but he should have slotted that away as well. Willie did well going on the left and they couldn't handle him, he was on the end of everything. He had something to prove and he changed the game for us. Once we equalised, we were the better team. Our tempo was different and there was only one team that looked like going on to win it and that was Kilmarnock. Their goal led a bit of a charmed life at times. We're a bit disappointed we didn't get three points. Fernandez was the best player on the park. He was terrific, so skilful and strong and he has a good football brain. I hope he keeps that form up between now and the end of the season. I just think the last two or three weeks is as good as he has ever played here."   Match Report

Jan 2nd on the Bairns Pre Match... "We have said to the players, when you look at some of the places we have gone and won, particularly last week when we were excellent with 10 men, that should give them a lot of belief and encouragement. It's the same for most teams, people sit in against you at home because they respect you as a decent side. It's hard to break down and you need to have something a little bit different. We've not had that in the last couple of games at home, with (Mehdi) Taouil and Willie Gibson being out. When you go away, it's a bit different because the onus is on the home team. Their fans will expect they should win and it gives you that bit more room and we have players who can hurt you on the break."
On Signing A New Forward..."I'll not be saying anything about any player because the one I've been after has hit a little snag, We will continue to try to get something done with a couple of targets we have got in mind.
On Armand One..."He is still training with us and I have still to make up my mind, If the couple of targets don't work out, I have always got Armand to fall back on. He has played two reserve games. The first he looked well out of sorts but that's because he hadn't played for a while, so that's understandable. The next one he improved greatly. He is certainly in the frame because he has been improving his fitness levels."
On Releasing Midfielder Rhian Dodds... "The numbers are up a wee bit and if we want to bring someone in, we have to make way, If we were to offer Rhian a contract it would be difficult to bring anyone else in, and our priority is to try and get a striker in. There are one or two others on the fringes and I'm expecting their agents to be in touch saying they would like to go out and play regularly, and I'll address that when it happens."

Dec 27th on the Hibs Post Match...  "We knew they were going to come at us after getting back to 2-2. But I said to them they will get chances to win the game. We were not getting beat so there was still a lot to play for. They took it on board. I sat them down after it and said, no disrespect to other teams and players but this is my seventh season and I don't think I've seen a finer performance. I was proud of every one of them and everyone at Kilmarnock should be. They should take great heart from that performance. I think it was a stonewall penalty , the second one, but it was never a sending off. The referee has confirmed to me that he didn't send him off because it was a goalscoring opportunity, he did it because it was a rash challenge. If he had been booked I would have accepted it but if he is putting it down as dangerous play we will appeal that."   Match Report

Dec 24th on Bringing In a New Striker...  "We have got somebody in mind who we have been working on behind the scenes but I'm not going to give any names, I just hope we can manage to get him; if not, we will have to look elsewhere. It has hit a little bit of a snag at the moment but we will wait and see what happens. There is still another week to go and we are hoping to get him in in January as soon as possible."
On Armand One ..."He is still on trial; he has had a couple of reserve games,  He will train with us next week and I'll make a decision next week."
On Playing Hibs...  "Hibs have slipped up a couple of times at Easter Road to clubs like ourselves, so you are always in with a chance. We are well capable of going there and causing them problems but we will have to be at our best. I think, if you look at us this year, that's probably where we have done better. We were always renowned for doing better at home but we have had a wee spell where that has changed. We seem to be well organised and that suits us maybe a wee bit better away from home. If we play as well as our last away game at Motherwell then we have a good chance."
On Playing Ayr in the Cup ... "It's a great game to look forward to for Ayrshire, The passion between the two clubs is phenomenal - it's my first competitive game in that derby. I think you will see an atmosphere that has been missing for a quite a number of years."

Dec 22nd on His Strikers....  "Donovan is quite happy to stay and Coventry are happy for him to remain here until the end of the season, But he needs the operation as it has been hampering him. It will be a three-week job, hopefully in January. The boy is only 19, but he gives us options, Allan Russell is an experienced striker but not at this level and we are looking at some possibilities."
On goalkeeper Alan Combe... "Alan has had discussions with the chairman and the club has made him a good offer, It is up to him what he wants to do - if he wants to take advantage of his good form to find a better deal or stay here where he enjoys his football and where he has been a regular in the first team."

Dec 20th on the Buddies Post Match...  "It was typical of the SPL matches this season with the teams all like each other. The one thing you've got to do against these teams is try to get your noses in front.  We started well enough and had a couple of decent chances and then we get hit by a goal that we talked about before the game that you've got to look out for with (Andy) Dorman's runs from the middle of the park. He wasn't picked up and gets a terrific finish. That gave them something to hang on to and to be fair they hung on to it very well because they were very tight, organised and competed very well." Match Report

Dec 16th on the Well Post Match...  "We competed for every single ball and I thought Frazer Wright was outstanding at the back. The whole team worked really hard for each other and we ground it out while looking very solid. Our goalkeeper Alan Combe was terrific and I felt that his experience at the back was vital for us. Damian Rascle did everything that was asked of him and he had no chance for the goal against Hamilton, But as I said before, Combe is our number one keeper and our decision to bring him back was justified. The save he had to put the ball on the bar was unbelievable, it was from a fantastic effort from Porter. He also made a couple of saves which were offside but he didn't know that at the time. But his future is in his hands. I just hope that he enjoys playing here. I have shown a lot of faith in him, I've stuck by him. He doesn't get any special treatment but he knows that I appreciate him and that's a lot to give up just because you think the grass is greener elsewhere. If somebody comes in with an offer he can't turn down then we have to understand that is what the Bosman ruling is all about. But we hope it doesn't come to that and he can stay here." Match Report

Dec 13th more on the Well Pre Match... "We have to make chances and take them - there isn't a lot wrong with the team but we have to get that area right. Sometimes we can play well and struggle a bit up front, and that's been the story of us over the past five or six weeks. We have a few injury problems and we're a wee bit inexperienced up front; we need somebody who's a natural goalscorer. In the past few years, we've lost three good ones and maybe we just need to get that back again, but I'm sure that will happen in January. How we set up will depend on who's available, but we always go out to win every game and as there's nothing between the teams, it should make for a cracking game. Kilmarnock and Motherwell always have a go at each other so hopefully it should be a good spectacle for the TV. We got a late winner in the last game, when Paul Quinn's sending-off changed the game as it gave us the initiative, and Motherwell had a late winner the time before, so that seems to be what happens with these two clubs! We've had a run where we've deserved better. We've played well in a lot of spells in games but we haven't created as many chances as we'd like and when we have done, we haven't been taking them, and the result has been losing a lot of games by the odd goal. I think I'd suffer a bit of a bad performance while getting the three points, because there are games we've played well and taken nothing, and I've been quite happy with the football we've been playing over the season. We deserved to get something in our last game, against Hamilton, and probably deserved to win, but we didn't and we have to put that right now. A couple of wins can jump you back up to the top half of the table, which everybody's contesting - we know the league positions mean nothing because the bottom team could easily finish in the top six as things are so tight. Motherwell will be eager and looking forward to the match, too, which should make for a good game."

Dec 12th on the Dons Match Being Cancelled... "You just have to get on with it, and hopefully the weather will be a bit kinder between now and Monday so the pitch will be okay and we can look forward to the game. Training has been difficult with these conditions; of course, we don't have undersoil heating at training grounds but we have a very good 'astro' pitch. It isn't ideal but it's a lot better than what a lot of people have and we're grateful for that; we've still had a good productive week in training and and hopefully we haven't lost out on too much. Motherwell will be eager and looking forward to the game for the same reason, and we know that league positions mean nothing because things are so tight; we have the incentive to go another three points in front of them and they have the incentive of getting above us"

Dec 5th on Combe Leaving... "If he decides to go at the end of the season, it might be that he has to go quicker because we have to do what's best for Kilmarnock,  He has done well for us and is maybe waiting to see what's on offer.  Of course it would be a blow to lose him," added Jefferies. "He is our number one goalkeeper and he's done great for us. I might need to bring another goalkeeper to the club to make up for the loss of Alan if he goes.
On Needing A New Striker.... "We need a bit of experience to come in and we've made moves but there is a long time to go between now and then and anything can happen, It looks like we'll have someone who is proven in the Premier League and we know he's got a goal or two in him.  Hopefully, we can get him if he wants to come. We just have to sit tight until we can get him in January."

Dec 2nd on Needing a New Striker... 'We're finding goals hard to come by just now, When we do create chances, we are not taking them. The rest of the team - defensively and the midfield - is fine but it's not happening for us up front at the moment, whereas it was earlier in the season. But we just need to keep working away. We were used to have the likes of Boyd, Naismith and Nish and they would have scored for us against Hamilton Academical on Saturday. So I'd like to bring a striker with a bit of experience that has played in the SPL next month."

Nov 29th on the Accies Post Match...  "If any team looked like scoring, it was us, and we had two glorious chances, but the opening 10 minutes [of the second half] weren't good enough and in that period that had their first shot on target. I don't think we've had as much of the game in an away match in a long time and not come out on top; Billy didn't think Hamilton played well, but that was because we didn't let them. You have to score when you get the chances - I don't think we deserved to lose as on the balance of play we were probably the better side, but we didn't take the chances. I couldn't see us losing the game but we couldn't get a grip of the ball at the start of the second half and the boy [Offiong] was angling for a shot. After that, we should still have got something from the game because we had enough of the ball to do something, but we had two glorious opportunities which we didn't take."  Match Report

Nov 28th on the Accies Pre Match... "Billy (Reid) has a job to do for Hamilton Accies, When you name the system as 3-6-1, people think it's negative, but they nearly beat Celtic and they nearly beat Dundee United. I've no gripes with how teams set up. It can be very difficult to break down teams who get players behind the ball. Inverness are very good at it, they play a 4-5-1 and scored two goals from it last week. But it's up to the other team to break it down. As for the time-wasting, we all do it. The only way to cure it is if referees add on the time. I know where Craig is coming from. Inverness did what we would have done last week, they took their time with everything in the second half - free-kicks, corners, throw-ins, goal-kicks. If the referee put up 10 minutes, they might think twice about doing it. It's up to the referee to be strong. There is nothing worse when you see two or three minutes go up when you know three or four substitutions have been made and the other team has wasted time. Referees for some reason are reluctant to do it.  Last week Caley controlled the game and passed it about better than us and had us on the back foot because we sat back and didn't get at them, We looked a far better side after the break when we got at them and got midfielders in the box more often than theirs. It's lessons learned. It's a lot easier to win a game at 0-0 from three o'clock than it is from four o'clock when you're two goals down. Hopefully, this Saturday we'll get started at three o'clock."

Nov 26th on Invincibile Returning From Injury... "He's likely to be back with us this week. However, I'm not sure if Saturday's game at Hamilton will come too early for him or not. It will all depend on how he gets on when he steps his training up. Danny's been out for a good few weeks now and we've missed him, so it will be terrific to have him back."

Nov 22nd on the Caley Post Match... "We weren't at the races in the first half. Inverness are a difficult team away from hoe; they get men behind the ball and it's difficult to find space and make things happen. We lost a bad second goal and had a mountain climb, but we pummelled them in the second half.  We could have won it on second-half chances. Our passing was better, the tempo was better. It was night and day from the first half. I was a bit surprised Mehdi tried to go for power on the penalty rather than what he's good at; placing the ball.  But penalties have been missed before and no-one will be more disappointed than Mehdi. We're all in it together, so we'll pick him up at get on with it."   Match Report

Nov 20th on Killie Player's Lacking International Recognition... "I'm just hopeful that George (Burley) knows the route down to Kilmarnock and watches the games. We've started the season well and we had a great result at the weekend. If we can finish the season in the top six, I'm sure there will be players in the team worth looking at. We have James Fowler, who has been very consistent for us. What should encourage him is seeing people like Scott Robertson. He was playing in the First Division, started out well with Dundee United this year and got into the Scotland squad and suddenly he's capped against Argentina. That must give every player in Scotland a boost."
On Losing Mehdi Taouil... "I've had it happen so often that I don't worry about losing players now, I know it's part and parcel of the game. I try to enjoy them while they're here. If we get into a situation where the club can't turn down an offer, I have to live with that. Hopefully it won't happen and he will be here for most of his three years and we can enjoy him while he's here. The only way he will get a big-money move is if he regularly performs the way he did last week and he will always get that opportunity here. He enjoys it here and I think it would have to be something exceptional for him to leave. He says he loves working with myself and Billy Brown and he gets on great with the boys. If you are in an environment where you love your football, sometimes that's worth a lot.It's been good for both parties. He's a terrific little talent and we are delighted to have him at the club."

Nov 16th More on the Arabs Post Match... "If we can get quite a few wins in these next seven games, especially the ones at home and can pick up points away, then at the turn of the year we'll be where we want to be, and that's contesting for the top six. Anything after that is a bonus."

Nov 15th on the Arabs Post Match... "Both teams were guilty of giving the ball away in a very flat first half hour. We scored right on half-time with a fantastic piece of skill from Taouil, who seemed to carry it on into the second half. Some of the football we played in the second half was excellent. Anyone playing on that right-hand side for United will be pretty dizzy tonight. The only way they could stop him was to foul him and that breaks the play up. The run we have been on and with players missing, you are always apprehensive about the confidence, You could see it come back in the second half. Simon Ford has only trained two days but we wanted to get the back four back in. It also gives us the balance in midfield and that's the difference. We took a gamble with Ford and he's very sore and very tight, so we hope it clears up."  Match Report

Nov 14th on Pacali's Booking Record...  "Sometimes people have it in for people and that (Celtic booking) was a disgrace. I seen it again on video and how the referee could even give a foul, never mind book him, is incredible. The referee was miles wrong. He didn't even touch him as far as I was concerned - it was a shocking booking. If anybody had made contact, it was Frazer Wright. He has been really unlucky. Three of the bookings that led to his suspension were a joke. At St Mirren, it was debatable whether it was a foul or not but a booking on top of it? And another time he got booked when he tried to split up a fight. He was lucky to stay on the park against Hibs on the opening day when he was over-zealous but it seems like he gets booked for the first foul he makes."
On His Team Selection Vs Celtic... "I didn't write any points off and there's no defeatist attitude in my camp, We were only 1-0 down with 75 minutes gone so we didn't throw in the towel. What we said was if there was anyone with any fitness doubts then I wouldn't risk them. Apart from David Fernandez, who is in his thirties, I didn't rest anybody. Fernandez was feeling tired after the Rangers match and Dundee United is a big game at home so we wanted to keep him fresh. I took Mehdi Taouil off because I wanted to give Allan Russell 30 minutes. I didn't take a chance with Jamie Hamill because he was 50-50 and if he had taken another knock, he would have been out for the weekend. It's very difficult for any team to go and get a result at Parkhead. I've been there with a full-strength side and played well and haven't won.
On the Arabs Pre Match... "What we are saying is that it is more realistic to look at the next run of games and although they are not easy, we are trying to give ourselves a chance to get the lions' share of the points. And if we can get a win against Dundee United, it will be a great victory for us."

Nov 12th on the Celtic Post Match...  "We had injuries and there were two or three players playing for the first time in a long time but they plugged away. Celtic had a lot of possession but until the second goal went in, I felt comfortable enough. We didn't do enough in terms of attacking them, but we were well organised and if Alan Combe had held the ball they wouldn't have scored their second goal. Alan was hard on himself after the game because he let the ball slip. But I said before the game, my priorities lie in the next seven games, four of which are at home."  Match Report

Nov 11th on the Celtic Pre Match... "Hopefully they've learned their lesson as they didn't do the right things in the second half and ended up getting done. Hopefully they've taken it on board. I want to see a reaction to it. Before you can get any result at Parkhead you have to compete very well, which we managed to last season when we drew 0-0. I was really annoyed on Sunday. Our first-half and second-half performance was night and day. When you face the Old Firm you've got to compete with them as they've got better players than us. Some people thought (2 weeks ago in the CIS cup) we over-competed but I don't think so. We were up against a very good team and didn't give them it all their own way. We came off happy with the level of application and that's what we need to do tomorrow. We got criticised for competing against them the last time but I take that as a compliment. If you don't compete against Celtic and let them run over you then you'll end up getting slaughtered. Gordon has a stronger squad than I have to deal with the injuries. Despite their injuries their team still looked pretty good to me on Saturday. If Nakamura's back then they're leaving another good player out to accommodate him. It doesn't bother me who they play as I know they're all good players."

Nov 9th on the Rangers Post Match...  "We ruined a great opening 45 mins especially after getting a break with the dubious penalty decision, I was'nt happy with the way we started the second half, we were'nt tight on them, we seemed hesitant. I have never seen 2 center-halfs play as bad that, and unfortunately their play seem to knock the stuffing out of the rest of the team. We will be looking for a response on Weds Vs Celtic, as they have been told they were bad today. If my player pool was healthier I would certainly be looking to make changes after that 2nd half performance today" Match Report

Nov 8th on the Rangers Pre Match... "Rangers will be a bit disappointed with dropping a couple of points at home against a good Dundee United performance,  They got criticised in their defence so that will make them determined to make sure it doesn't happen again. But they might feel a little bit nervy. We have got to cause them problems, we certainly have the players to do that. They are always favourites but we have nothing to lose and we will try to make it as uncomfortable as we can for them by trying to have a go at them. Results like the one against St Mirren always give you that little bit of encouragement that it can be done and hopefully we can do that on Sunday,"

Nov 6th Defending Celtic's Allegations of Rough Play... "We did nothing wrong in the Celtic (CIS) game, we weren't going about kicking lumps out of anybody, We competed well enough, we managed to let one or two people know they were in tackles. It was done fairly, no-one was sent off. I'm glad to hear the comments to be honest, because we said 'We can't sit off them or they will destroy us because they have better players than us. Our supporters like to see us get stuck in and we certainly did that day, but we did it fair."

Nov 1st on the Dons Post Match...  "I'm upset at the result but the performance was excellent. We definitely deserved to take something from the game. We started the game well considering we had a game midweek and we had a number of players out. A few weeks ago we lost at Inverness when we played poorly and I was a bit upset then but today I said to the players that we will play worse than that and win. You could see the anxiety in Aberdeen in the last 20 minutes when we got at them. You need a wee break and the one that came back off the bar was cruel. They never really caused us problems. Young (Jamie) Hamill will learn from the goal because he should have attacked the ball and not let it bounce. They got a break there because I think the ball took a deflection to go past (Alan) Combe."  Match Report

Oct 31st on the Dons Pre Match... "If you look at Aberdeen this season, it's incredible, They nearly beat Celtic at Parkhead and took a point off of Rangers at Pittodrie. That proves they have got it in them. The expectation levels are that when Hamilton go up there and Hibs, they should automatically win. But football is not like that. The Aberdeen crowd will expect them to beat Kilmarnock, but Kilmarnock are playing well this year and we have reminded the players that we are still third in the league. If we can play well and get our noses in front, we can put more pressure on them and that's what we'll aim to do. Anyone can have a bit of a bad run, With Jimmy's record up there, they should remember where they were before he took over. They were under a lot of pressure at Falkirk against a decent Falkirk side. I know they got the breaks in that game according to Jimmy, but they got the three points. That gives them a lift and then they go to Tynecastle and played well and deserved to get a draw. But their home form is not so good so hopefully we can extend that for another week.

Oct 29th on the Celtic CIS Post Match... "You will not beat Celtic if you gift them goals like we did. McDonald was the smallest player on the pitch and he almost got a second from the same situation. And Nakamura has done that to us and other teams before, although I didn't think it was a foul for the free-kick. But we kept plugging away and I can have no complaints about the effort and commitment."   Match Report

Oct 28th on the Celtic CIS Pre Match... "They didn't have Samaras on Saturday and they scored four goals against a very good Hibernian side,  They have players all over the park who can punish you. You can't just sit back and think we have a better chance because he's not playing. There are players who will come in desperate to make up for the loss of other players and they showed that on Saturday. We just have to make sure we look after ourselves and come up with a performance that takes us through."
 "The Scottish Cup (Feb 2nd, 2008 Celtic home match) was at a bad time for us,  We lost Nish on transfer deadline day and didn't have an opportunity to bring anybody in. We were a bit flat and Celtic came out of the traps and really won the game in the opening spell. It's difficult when they are on form because they have better players than anyone else apart from Rangers, where there is very little between the teams. It doesn't always guarantee victory so you just have to hope that your players are playing at the top of their form and Celtic aren't and you have a chance. We have run them close a few times at Rugby Park over the last few years and hopefully we can do that again. It will be a difficult game, they had a really good performance on Saturday,  But we are at home so maybe we will have more of a chance. We have nothing to lose. We just have to make it as difficult as possible for them and hopefully it goes our way.  Shocks can happen and that's what we have to try to do - cause a shock.
On Sat's Falkirk Match... "It was a difficult afternoon all around the country on Saturday but I thought we served up a decent match,  Falkirk played really well for the first half an hour and passed the ball well without really causing us too many problems. We started the second half well and we could have gone on to win it but the second goal came against the run of play and the video shows it wasn't a penalty. That gave them something to hang onto and they defended well but it was a game we could easily have won on another day."

Oct 25th on the Bairns Post Match...  "There's no doubt the goalkeeper made three fantastic saves at crucial times, We didn't start the game well, in difficult conditions for corners and free-kicks, but after the first goal we seemed to pick it up a wee bit and in the second half, dominated the game. We had possession and we did make chances; we don't know how David Fernandez missed as he had a chance with a flying header with nobody near him, so he just needed to put his head on it and it would have been 1-1. They gave themselves a mountain to climb with what they say is a very dubious penalty - the boy played for it and Jamie Hamill said he withdrew from the challenge, but Mr McCurry is always very quick to give them." Match Report

Oct 24th on the Bairns Pre Match...  "I don't think there is any cause for concern in terms of them being at the bottom of the league, This league is so tight and, when you look at the fixtures every week, you can never predict the results. They have to win matches to get out of it. People say Kilmarnock is a tough place to come to and the form has been good for us in terms of results so hopefully we can keep it going again. Let's be honest, it could happen to anyone down there. Falkirk know what they have to do, they have a good set-up and they're a good club. It's going to be a dogfight for a lot of clubs and that's why we shouldn't get carried away, even though we are third, because a couple of results can set you back. We have shown we are capable of challenging where we want to be in the top six and it's all about making sure our application is spot on every week. If not, you will struggle in this league because everybody is very similar and capable of beating each other. Last year, it was due to us losing players and having other key players out injured, I was calling on young players and players I had given a chance to but who had still to prove themselves in the league. This year, I'm getting the benefit of that because Jamie Hamill, Ryan O'Leary, Iain Flannigan and, particularly, Craig Bryson, are all first-team players now. That was the plus side. We got them into the squad and it has made us stronger this year. I couldn't believe when we got the win at Hearts that people were saying we had stopped a slide - the 'slide' was two games against the Old Firm and Inverness. Inverness was the only bad performance because Rangers and Celtic played really well against us. We nearly did it at Ibrox, the performance was great. And Celtic didn't allow us any space early in the game but we kept battling away. So they weren't bad performances, even though we lost both games. The only bad performance this season has been at Inverness but we bounced back brilliantly in the next two fixtures against Hearts and Motherwell. We got six points out of six and that speaks volumes about how well we bounced back."

Oct 22nd on former Lazio striker Fabio Vignaroli the chance to win a contract ... "Stefano is the source we got Manuel Pascali from, Fabio has good pedigree and good experience. We'll have a look at him in training this week. There's no point bringing in someone of his quality if he's not going to play every week and right now we have players in that position who are doing extremely well. So we'll see how he does and if there's a situation where he could do a job for us."
On Simon Ford's Injury... "Simon's got a grade two tear and will be out for six weeks,  It's a huge blow, especially on top of Ryan O'Leary being ruled out long term. Hopefully we don't get a spate of injuries now, although there are options we didn't have last year. The specialist was hopeful it wasn't torn on Saturday, but by Monday there was a lot of swelling."

Oct 18th on the Well Post Match...  "I thought there was very little in the first half, Motherwell showed why they were third in the league last year. I thought they passed the ball well. There is no doubt the game was affected by the sending-off. Motherwell had to make a change, taking a forward off, and became less of a threat. As long as we kept plodding away and passing the ball we hoped we would keep the pressure on. We came up with it through perseverance and people like Bryson are always capable of getting a goal, and fortunately it fell for us."  Match Report

Oct 17th on the Well Pre Match...  "Outwith the Old Firm, we have done well at home in the last year of so. We've made Rugby Park tough place to come to, as Aberdeen found out in our last match there. We've also beaten Hibs and Hamilton. We want to keep it going. Motherwell are still a tough side to beat as they're not too far away from us, then we've got Falkirk and that'll be tough as they're capable of winning away from home if you let them play. Being in third place is great when you look at it but let's be realistic. Aberdeen are only six points off third, so there's nothing in this league and everyone is capable of beating each other. There will be a lot of movement between the top six and bottom because it's so tight. Rangers and Celtic don't drop too many points but St Mirren showed you can pick up points against them. You look at the fixtures and you can't predict who'll win. People are just guessing as it's just on the day who takes their chances. As long as we're contesting and trying to make the top six, that'll be a massive improvement. That'll be a great platform to go on. But I think this team are quietly confident that they can challenge and they've got belief they can prove a few doubters wrong."

Oct 15th on New Deals for Invincibile & Fowler...  "Danny and James are happy to stay so it's just a case of the chairman sitting down with them and trying to sort something out, They have both been great for us. Danny sometimes doesn't get the praise he deserves but he works a great shift for the team. James is Mr Consistent. I moved him into the centre of midfield and he was great there but I've also been able to use him at full-back or wide right. He also works extremely hard and does a great job for the team. He may not catch a lot of people's eyes because we have the flamboyancy of Taouil or Fernandez but James is solid and he brings a great balance to the team."

Oct 14th on Alan Combe's Contract... "We've had a brief chat with Alan about a new deal and he'll think about it. His contract is up at the end of the season but we have the option of another year so we are just trying to get it all tied up. These things can drag on for a few meetings but we'd like to get it tied up quickly. Everyone appreciates the form Alan has been in. He's been unlucky not to get a shout from Scotland. There's not a keeper alive that doesn't lose daft goals because it's a hard job but Alan has pulled us out of holes more often than he has cost us. It speaks volumes about what I think of Alan that I put him in at the start of the season after he came back from injury. Damien Rascle had been outstanding during the pre-season games while Alan had been forced to sit on the sidelines. But when it came to the first game of the season when Alan had come through a week of training, I put him in because he's been there and done it. He wanted to prove I made the right decision and he has"

Oct 8th on Connor Sammon... "Connor has acres of room for improvement, and remember he's just turned 21, He has an extra gear and he can get away from defenders. But he is learning all the time and we know he's one for the longer term. You have to remember he was part-time not so long ago at University College Dublin and he didn't have long at Derry City. He has had to step up to the plate and he has done that. He has three goals under his belt and that will be good for him."

Oct 4th on the Hearts Post Match... "Bryson got stick last week because he was too busy making forward runs and you have to do your midfield job first and do your runs from there, He is better picking up and driving at people, that is what he's good at, and that's why he got goals for us last season. He hadn't got goals for us this year and now suddenly he's off the mark. It reminded me of what Colin Cameron used to do here when I had him at Hearts, coming in late into the box and having the composure to finish. It was a terrific finish. He still had the goalie to beat and managed to place it and did ever so well.
On Manuel Pascali being handing captain's armband... "There was a wee bit of psychological management, I gave him a hard time last week because he sat back and protected the back four and I didn't want him to do that. What I wanted was for him to be a midfield player. If you look at some of the early games of the season, he was having a pop at goal from 25 yards - he was then having to shoot from 85 yards he was that far back. I threw him the armband and I think that gave him the wee spur to go on because I could easily have gone for Frazer Wright or David Lilley, who both have the potential to be good captains. Today, he was winning tackles and setting the tone. He was outstanding for me."
"If we show the same application they have done this season - apart from the Inverness game - then we will contest the top six. That's what the players will try to do and that's what they have to do. There are players coming back from injury who are knocking on the door and, if we hadn't put in a good performance today, they would have been in the team for the next game."   Match Report  

Oct 2nd on the Hearts Pre Match...  "The Inverness game was the first time this season that I've been really disappointed by the performance.  I know we're not going to win every game. The important thing is how we respond,  Too many bad games and other people will come in and take your place.  I was angry, and I had every right to be angry, The players were performing really well this season and it was a timely reminder that if we drop our standards at all, we are not going to win games.  We're not good enough to drop standards. The only teams who can drop their standards and win are Rangers and Celtic. The rest of the teams are all much the same and we have to perform every week. You can play really well and still lose and I can accept that.  Our application has been first class in every single game we've played this season but on Saturday I didn't think our application was good enough. We are not going to win games playing like that. The reserves had a good performance against a strong Rangers team this week and one or two of them caught the eye. The players should now know that others are getting fitter and looking to come back."

Sept 27th on the Caley Post Match... "We aren't good enough to have to carry too many players. We played unbelievable football against Aberdeen on Wednesday night but we dropped our standards today. Maybe Celtic and Rangers can drop their standards and still win games but we aren't good enough to do that. We had only lost to the Old Firm before this and the players should have seen how big a game this was but they have let themselves down. There has been a lot said about the penalty in the dressing room and the players were saying that he wasn't touched. In fact a few of the Inverness players were even saying in the tunnel that there wasn't any contact. I will have to wait until I see it on TV myself." Match Report  

Sept 26th on Ferdy... "Fernandez must be a nightmare to play against. He is back to his best and I noticed the signs at the end of last season. I thought with a full pre-season he could continue it and that has proved to be the case. David would admit himself he is not the quickest but he has great awareness and tremendous skill. He is like players such as Dalglish in that he is so strong and when the ball is played up to him it sticks. It allows players to get forward and he is great at linking the play. He is not a prolific scorer but he will chip in with a few and he will have more assists than most.
On the CIS Cup Draw... "Any manager would have been lying if they said that they didn't want the Old Firm to meet each other. If that doesn't happen, then you wish to avoid them. If Celtic play to the top of their form then it will be difficult but if they are not at their best, and we play above ourselves, then you never know.  We are at home and hopefully we can learn from the last time we played them. But there is a lot of water to be flow under the bridge before we play them.  
On Jamie Hamill... "Hamill is an incredible player who can play in almost every position, We can used him all over the midfield and as a wing-back but we put him in at left-back against Celtic when Garry Hay was injured and he was man of the match against Aberdeen It was the first time he had started there for the first team but no matter where we play him, he puts in a performance for us."

Sept 24th on the Dons Lge Cup Post Match...  "It finally clicked for Conor Sammon; he's been desperate for his first goal and he took his two goals brilliantly.  He was a real handful. It's just a pity he took a knock - I think he could have had a few more.  Sometimes we were queuing up to score and just didn't put them away. We had plenty of chances. David Fernandez was outstanding and gave their defenders a torrid time." Match Report  

Sept 23rd on the Dons Lge Cup Pre Match... "Jimmy's getting a bit of stick so it could have an effect on their confidence or it might fire them up, But they have got a good record away from home this season, not having lost a goal on their travels. So that is the challenge to us and that can spur us on. We want to end that and take ourselves in to the next round of the cup. We usually play well against them even when we haven't managed to beat them and although we have had tough back-to-back games against the Old Firm, two defeats have not made a dent in our confidence. If they play well there's not a lot we can do, they are bigger and stronger. I thought we played well in the second half against Celtic on Sunday and one thing about our players, they kept battling. Now we can look ahead to playing teams that will be around us in the league. But first we take on Aberdeen and we will try to get ourselves going on a cup run."

Sept 21st on the Celtic Post Match... "Celtic played well in the first half and really got on top of us and when we got the ball we were so sloppy. I think because of the way things are going, the players think it will just happen for them. The second half was better, I thought they competed but then Samaras comes up with a goal. We've been told that television monitors showed that it definitely wasn't a penalty, (the 3rd goal) It was a difficult situation for Mike McCurry. If he had given a lot our way, that may have caused a stir. But I'm not looking for an excuse for my team. We deserved to lose the game." Match Report  

Sept 19th on the Celtic Pre Match...  "They've got some good players and they came out last week and showed what they are capable of doing against Motherwell. If you don't do the right things, they can blow you away. That's a warning to us that if we don't play as well as we have been doing then they're capable of causing us a lot of problems. If you're a little bit off or two or three players are off, you can get away with it against other teams, but you're not going to get away with it against Celtic. So we've got to have everybody who's been doing well recently playing as a team. We'll have a go - we have nothing to lose. Some people make the issue that after midweek European ties, there's always a wee response and a reaction, But they had no travelling to do, they've got an extra day until the game. So we know that's not going to give us any advantage. They've got a big enough squad and players who are used to that and can handle it. They showed last week at Ibrox how well that they've been playing and they did it front of a big stage against a good side - and they were a little bit despondent after the game that they didn't get something out of it. That's a great sign for me and we're going to try to show the other half of the Old Firm that we have been playing well."

Sept 13th on the Rangers Post Match... "I think scoring early worked against us a bit as they players had it in their minds to sit back. Combe has had two decent saves in the first half, but you expect that and we were probably better when we went 2-1 down. We showed today that we have the makings of a good side for a good season ahead. They have players on the park earning probably £40,000 per week while we have guys on £400 per week, but we made a game of it and didn't make it easy for Rangers. We knew Boydy would play today because, for all his deficiencies, he's a goalscorer, We've played against him often enough to know this game. He got a penalty when he didn't look like scoring and then a goal from a wicked deflection. He's won them the game with his goals. It's not my problem, it's up to Walter to get him to do things to stay in the team. Overall, we've come here and no-one at Kilmarnock can be anything other than proud. We showed everyone we are capable of having a good season."   Match Report

Sept 11th  on Winning the Aug Manager of the Month Award... "It's an individual award but if you win it, you know it's because everyone is pulling in the same direction, It's manager of the year you want to be in contention for, not for selfish reasons, but because to be in contention you must have a good season. So that's what the target is, to have a good season and try to get in that top half. We are on a good run and we have a chance to keep it going as long as possible and see how they react when things go against us. When you go to Ibrox after a couple of bad results and performances, you fear the worst but now everyone is buzzing. Rangers will be expected to win but we can go and show them that we are justifiably at the top of the league. Our aim is to go there and cause a shock."

Aug 30h on the Arabs Post Match... "It's a great win and there were some great performances but we won't get carried away", No disrespect to the teams we played but we thought getting seven out of nine points before this game was a good start but thought this would be our severest test. Dundee United had a lot of possession in the first half but we restricted them to few opportunities and we got a lift with the goal just before half-time. It was a hard-fought game in which we took our chances and we didn't have too many, just like them, but I don't think anybody can deny that we deserved that win. We said we could go into the international break either first or second in the league if we really believed it. We are there now, we will either be first or second after the Old Firm game and it's nice to be there"   Match Report

Aug 29th on Killie's Start to the Season... "We haven't been shouting about it, we quietly pinned it (Killie being relegation material) on the board and hopefully one or two people will be eating their words. The only way to make that happen is if we perform on the pitch. They are probably having second thoughts now having seen our start but only time will tell if they're right. The time to rub it in their faces is when we achieve what we want to achieve and make them look stupid. That's one of the targets and hopefully at the end of the season we can turn around and tell them how wrong they were.
Last year, Jamie Hamill, Craig Bryson, Ryan O'Leary, Willie Gibson and Iain Flannigan all came through a difficult period and it's made them first-team players now. We are starting to build again and we have started well. We have shown we are capable of doing it but it's early days. We just want to be back challenging in the top six again - whether we make it or not only time will tell. I'm quite happy with the balance of the side and the competition for places gives us a better chance of doing what we set out to achieve. In an ideal world, I would like to keep everyone. When you run into injuries and suspensions, or even dips in form, you need a decent squad. But the reality is sometimes you can't afford to carry too many and, if you are bringing in new players, something has to be offset against it. Sometimes it's made easier for you if you've got players who want to go out anyway so we will see what happens. When the window closes, if we've got what we've got, then we will be delighted and it means we will have a lot more options than we had last year."
On the Dundee United Match at Tannadice ..."Every game in the SPL is tough and we had another tough match in the cup up at Brechin on Wednesday. There are going to be a lot of tough matches and Tannadice is not an easy place to go to but we will be up for it and well prepared. We know it's a game where, if we can take something, we could be at the top of the league so that's a nice incentive. But it's far too early to get carried away."

Aug 27th on the Brechin Post Match...   "I wasn't happy with the way we played in the first half and I gave the boys a bit of stick at half-time. We didn't hold the ball up well at all and we put ourselves under a lot of pressure.  We gave the ball away far too often and that let Brechin come on to us. The change I made at the break allowed Medhi Taouil to go more into the middle and he's such a skilful player. That swung things in our favour and for the first 20 minutes of the second half we really had them pegged in. We then set the tempo and bossed the game from there on. So although I gave the players stick at half-time they got plenty of praise when they came in at the end. We're delighted to be in the next round."

Aug 23rd on the Accies Post Match...  "Billy (Reid) said it was a battle but we certainly didn't make out to make it a battle, We felt if it turned into a battle, it would suit Hamilton. We wanted to get it down and pass it. We wanted to give it to (Mehdi) Taouil because he can cause so much problems. To be fair to them, they have stuck to their task and didn't make it easy, but I think overall on chances and dangerous play we were just maybe that wee bit better. They have some big, strong lads and credit to Kilmarnock, we never let them play. They spent most of their time trying to stop us play. We played some good football so I don't agree there was no football played. Any football that was played was played by Kilmarnock. Taouil was outstanding and he is not designed to be physical and compete, he is designed to make things happen. I certainly think we tried to play, as we always do. We said that seven points out of nine would be a terrific start for us and it was in our hands to win and win well, If we had just got that second goal we might have gone on to win by more. We were outstanding in defence and that's where Frazer Wright was terrific in the second half. If you look at the players that are out injured for us today, it's keeping the players who are in the team on their toes. Maybe one bad performance you can accept, but not two, as they won't keep their place"   Match Report

Aug 22nd on the Accies Pre Match... "Accies' start to the season has not surprised me. They gave warning last year when they knocked us out of the CIS Cup. They went to Aberdeen and Dundee United and equipped themselves very well. They have started well, they have got six points out of six and you can't ask any more of them - so they will be favourites going in to Saturday's game. Accies are an unknown quantity for many and are determined to prove people wrong by not going right back down to the First Division. They have enthusiasm, good organisation, good spirit and the right work ethic. So they have the right to be here and they will be a tough nut to crack for any side. If you keep a clean sheet then you obviously have a better chance of winning or getting something out of a game. One of the things is that we have competition for places at the back, and also in other areas. We thought seven points out of nine in the first three games would be good so it's up to us. If we beat them on Saturday, we will get that. Before the season started, we would have targeted them for three points - just as they would have done with us - we want that victory and then we can start to take it forward."

Aug 16th on the Buddies Post Match...  "Pascali has shaved his head since he signed and he looks a fearsome character. Maybe that is what's wrong. But he is a good player with good positional sense and he competes well. I thought the booking was very harsh. What incensed us was that when Garry Brady was dispossessed by Craig Bryson, he took the feet from him and the referee had a quiet word with him. Then he books Pascali for a challenge. Okay, it was a foul but it was nothing worse than Brady's and if you are going to do it for one you should do it for the other. They were either both bookings or neither of them.
On Connor Sammon ... "I thought Conor was out of luck. He is getting close to his goal and he was a handful. He did everything right on a couple of occasions, he found the target a couple of times but the goalkeeper was equal to it. He's only young and you can see his willingness to run into corners. He's got a lot to learn but he is only going to get better." Match Report

Aug 14th on the Buddies Pre Match... "What I like about them is since they've come in, they've consolidated and every year they've tried to improve. Gus has brought some decent players in, maybe he's got a bit more resources from the sale of the ground. They're progressing and they are a club on the up. They'll be pleased with their performance and this is now their first home game, so we know it'll be a hard game. But every game is a hard game."
On Building on Last Week... "It's important to get off to a good start. Where you have to take stock of things is after 10 or 11 games, once you've played everyone. Then you'll get an idea of what you've got to do, if you're going to struggle or whether you'll challenge for a top-six place. The picture will become clearer after 10 games but if we can get off to a good start, it can give us a bit of momentum. There is very little between the teams. Rangers and Celtc will always be there at the end of the day but for the other clubs, it'll be a lot closer. So that's why it's important to get points in the bag and put someone else under pressure."

Aug 13th on Signing Donovan Simmonds on loan ..."Donovan is extremely quick and looks a real prospect, so we decided to get him in on loan. He gives me another attacking option,"

Aug 9th on the Hibs Post Match... "Wins and performances like that might shut a few people up about us and relegation. It was a great goal by Jamie, he is a versatile player and a handy man to have in the squad. I was pleased for him because it was a goal fit to win any game. Ryan's shoulder has popped out and we will see on Monday how long he will be out for and Simon has stitches. But Frazer Wright came on played well and this season we have more competition for places." Match Report

Aug 8th on the Hibs Pre Match... "It doesn't matter what your pre-season results are, it's totally different when it comes to the opening day. We didn't have a great pre-season last year yet we went to Parkhead, took on Celtic and got a deserved point out of the game. So I don't go overboard when we win our pre-season games or lose them. It's about getting match practice against teams who make you work. The business starts on Saturday. We are up for it and we know we have tough opponents - just as do they. We are confident of offering a much bigger challenge because the circumstances are different this season. Last summer, after two good years, we lost five or six players due to various reasons and then we had injuries. I didn't have very many options and sometimes I couldn't fill the bench. These are facts. More importantly many of my players didn't have any experience of playing in the SPL and shouldn't have been playing but we didn't have any other options. But we have got a good squad now, we have a far better competition for places so there is no reason why we shouldn't at least contest for a top six spot."

Aug 7th Pre Match Hibs Comments.... “Damien (Rascale) has been outstanding in the pre-season games he’s featured in, so I would have every confidence in putting him in, but we’re monitoring Alan Combe in training this week to see how he’s progressing. His problem is a small cracked bone in his back, and as a consequence of that he hasn’t been able to play in the three friendlies.”
On Sammon leading the Killie attack against Hibs....“Conor hasn’t played a lot at our level,“but in the games against QPR and Coventry he did really well, and he was a real handful in training this week, but I repeat what I said last week – he’s one for the future.”
Martyn Corrigan on suffering  a bad reaction after being bitten by an insect....“He took a bit of stick from the lads, looking like the one-eyed monster because of the swelling around his eyes.” 
On the possibility of adding to his attacking options .... “I’ve still got a couple of irons in the fire, and even if something doesn’t happen before the weekend we still have until the end of August to bring in new faces.”
Jefferies on his  hopes to get off to a flying start ....“We’ve brought in a few new faces to strengthen and freshen up the squad. Now we hope that we have a decent crowd along on Saturday to give the players plenty of support.”

Aug 5th on the Season Ahead... “We lost Naismith on one transfer deadline day last season and then Colin Nish to Hibernian on the other, We lost a lot of goal threat and I felt that was one area of the team we had to change. The chairman is not a rich man, but he does his best for Kilmarnock and he agreed to let me bring in two or three players to freshen things up. We got one forward, when I signed Allan Russell from Airdrie, but he was a free agent. Conor is very inexperienced at this level but I felt he was worth a gamble. Reading signed Kevin Doyle from Irish football and he became one of the best scorers in the English Premiership. Conor has pace and strength and I am sure the fans will take to him. It is a fact of life that players will move to get more money. That is a hazard of the job, when you get people like Boyd or Naismith. We have to keep working within our budget. it gets harder every season. I know five or six Premier League clubs, outside the Old Firm, that offer more money than we do. It is hard to keep building when you lose your best players. We had a couple of good seasons, getting into the top five, and reaching the CIS Insurance Cup final, but that simply brings bigger clubs to look at your best players. Ryan O’Leary, Jamie Hamill, Iain Flannigan and Craig Bryson all handled the pressure of playing in the Premier League and now I want them to push on even more. With the new faces we have, and securing Medhi Taouil on a new contract, I still want us to challenge for the top six. That would be a great achievement for us."

Aug 3rd on Donovan Simmonds...  "I spoke with (Coventry assistant manager) Steve Kean and he helped us out. Coventry are thinking of letting him go out on loan as they feel it would benefit him. We gave Donovan 45 minutes against QPR to see what he was like and he's certainly got pace to burn. We'll let him train with us and we'll see how he does."

Aug 1st on Manuel Pascali... "His fitness is way behind the rest of the lads, and that's why I only gave him half an hour against Wolves. He played again on Tuesday, and I'll probably look at him again on Saturday against Coventry. He's certainly looked impressive in training this week."

July 27th on Signing Conor Sammon... “I’m not going to put Conor under pressure by saying that he is going to be the answer to all our striking problems. He’s only 21 and has a lot of raw edges about him, but he’s big, strong and busy and you can see the potential is there. It’s not often you get the chance to sign someone his age, but I think he looks as if he could be a big acquisition for the club.”

July 26th on the Connor Sammon Situation... "We had permission from their chairman to play him (Vs Wolves) but that was withdrawn after Hamilton had a bid accepted for the player, However, he was stripped for action on the bench today because I was hoping to get a phone call in the dug-out telling us he could go on. We've agreed terms with the boy, he wants to come here and his agent has made that clear to Hamilton. I'm just hoping the deal is tied up as soon as possible."

July 17th on Allan Russell's Injury...   "It's important that we bring in a new striker after Allan's injury, We have made a few enquiries and now we are waiting to hear back and see what develops."

July 15th Provides Updates from Italy... "Both Allan (Russell) and Gavin (Skelton) have settled in well, and from what we’ve seen , they’ll be valuable additions. Joel (21-year-old French striker Joel Thomas) has also shaped up well in training, and we’ll have a close look at him before we return home on Thursday. However, it wasn’t possible for another French lad we had hoped to have with us to join us. It’s well documented that it’s in the forward area that I’m looking to strengthen, and even although the new season is coming up fast, I’ve still got a bit of time to bring someone in. We’ll probably give most of the lads a run-out in these games, I would expect by the time we get to the final match against Coventry on August 2, I would be looking to field a side close to the one I want to face Hibs on the opening day of the season. With the new players we have brought in and the younger lads coming through, we’ll have healthy competition for the season ahead.”

July 5th on Bidding for Linfield's peter Thompson..."I don't think they want to do business (with us) and want much more money than we could ever afford . So we have made our final bid and we are not prepared to go any higher."

July 4th on the Squad Latest... "I thought about bringing in Craig (Rocastle ex-Port Vale) on trial and had a chat with him, But I've decided against it as we are well covered in the middle of the park and our priority is another striker. We also inquired about (Peter) Thompson but Linfield wanted substantial money for him, more than we want to pay, so I don't think that will go much further. We've talked to some clubs about getting players in on loan and we are waiting for them to get back to us."

June 27th on Mehdi Taouil's Status...  "I'm in regular contact with Mehdi's agent and, now the player is back in France after his holiday break, I'm arranging to have a chat with him, hopefully by the end of this week. I think the signs that he'll be here next season are very good. The fact that it has taken so long isn't something that we're concerned about."

June 11th on  Di Giacomo, and Wales ... “Both players are available to move on, neither having met the criteria in relation to appearances to kick in another year’s contract. Paul had a loan spell at Partick Thistle, but didn’t play regularly. But we brought him back and he scored a couple of goals. He’s going to look at all his options and see what comes up, but I know that there are two or three clubs trying to get a hold of him.  I’m in touch with a couple of clubs in the English Premiership,and spoken to them about players who they don’t want to lose but who might benefit from regular football in the SPL. They’ve promised me when their players return for pre-season training they’ll have a look at the situation and then let us know.”
On Moroccan Midfielder Mehdi Taouil... “Things on that front are looking okay and I’ll be speaking to the player and his agent at the end of this week to make sure that they’re happy with everything. Then it will be a case of having Mehdi in sometime early next week to get things tied up.”
On the Uncertainty Over Abdul Osman’s Move to Killie ... “There’s no doubt we have hit a snag following the medical, The advice from the medical people is that the player’s back injury could recur, but we’ll have another chat with the surgeons. Things are still ongoing, but I would say that it’s unlikely to go ahead.”
On Rhian Dodds ... “Rhian has signed a new contract until the end of this year and we expect him to make a full recovery from his hernia problems. He came back too quickly after his initial operation and had to have it done again.”

June 6th on the Squad Latest... "Gavin (Skelton) had three or four offers but turned down a better deal to come to us.  But a niggling back injury has put the deal for Abdul (Osman from Gretna) on hold at the moment. Gavin has caught my eye over the last couple of years and his former managers - Davie Irons, Rowan Alexander and Mick Wadsworth - all spoke highly of him.  Things are shaping up well at the moment and we're very hopeful Mehdi Taouil will sign a new contract next week. We're also looking at the possibility of bringing in a couple of strikers on loan from England."

June 4th on Signing Gavin Skelton... "There were several other clubs interested in signing Gavin but he got back to me saying he'd like to join us,"

      Jim Jefferies Comments for 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06  2006-07 2007-08 2009-10

Killie Manager History 1957-Present Here