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 .....

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,"

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