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Peter Leven "we are hurting just as much as the supporters"


Scouser2

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Peter Leven insists he and manager Lee McCulloch are working all hours in an attempt to right the wrongs of Kilmarnock’s poor start to the season. The assistant boss admitted he completely understood fans’ anger after just one point from 15 in the league so far.

But he stressed that he and McCulloch are hurting just as much as the supporters as they try to come up with the formula to get the team firing. Saturday’s defeat to Motherwell was Killie’s fourth in five games, with just a 2-2 draw at home to Hamilton to show for their season thus far. Leven said: “We had a good set of meetings on Monday. We sat each player down and just said to them ‘What’s going on?’

“We got a lot out of those meetings and the players opened up and spoke to us. "Now we just have to work as hard as possible – that’s all we can do.”

Leven, along with McCulloch, was part of Gary Locke’s backroom team in the 2015/16 season when it took the Rugby Park side until September to get their first three points on the board.

Asked if they can take anything from that period, Leven replied: “We can take a bit of experience from it but we’re a completely different team this time around. “We feel we have brought in quality players and I think we have a better team than we did last season as well.

"In every game we have played this season – other than against Celtic – we could have taken something. “On Saturday, we could have scored a couple of goals in the first half and if you do that it’s a different game. But the second half wasn’t good enough and we were punished.”

Disgruntled fans aired their displeasure at Saturday’s performance on social media, with some already calling for the manager’s head. But Leven insists the coaching team are as frustrated and angry as the supporters. He said: “We’ve been in very early in the morning and working around the clock to try to get it right. We put pressure on ourselves to be successful. The manager is a winner, I’m a winner and it hurts when we are not picking up results. “I totally understand the supporters being annoyed — I’m a fan too, I’m angry and upset. We’ve just got to find a way to get the monkey off our back.

“There are a lot of very good young players in the team — I know we will start winning games eventually.”

Killie travel to Aberdeen this weekend, with Derek McInnes’ men unbeaten so far in the league. The Dons have won the past TWELVE meetings between the sides but Leven is adamant his side can spring an upset. He said: “They’re a good team but we can’t worry about them. “It’s important we look after ourselves and put the hard work in all week to make sure we’re ready to go there and carry out the game plan we have worked on. “Aberdeen have good players but so do we — it’s important we go there and try our best to get a result.”

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28 minutes ago, Scouser2 said:

 “We feel we have brought in quality players and I think we have a better team than we did last season as well.

Where are they hiding them? Several of the players I have seen so far are a yard slower than the ones they replaced. We lost Ayer and Dicker and replaced them with Greer and Broadfoot.

 

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1 minute ago, jamieboy said:

If you were Kilmarnock manager would you attend the development games? Makes me wonder if they've only been attending previous development games because first team players were involved. 

I would. Especially given the current run of poor form I'd be looking to see if there are players who could make the step up.

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1 minute ago, Prahakillie said:

I would. Especially given the current run of poor form I'd be looking to see if there are players who could make the step up.

Exactly and what impression does it give to the development players if their manager isn't there?! That he doesn't care! Can't see McCulloch and Leven lasting the month. 

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There's little to be said for hard work in this context. If anything I find the last couple of days to he a reflection of a management team who don't know how what to do and are clutching at straws.

If they need to ask the players what is wrpng it suggests that they cannot identify it themselves.

How about this for a suggestion as to what's gone wrong? We have only one top flight standard central midfielder and he's injured. Without his leadership in there we are sending young lads with reasonable potential such as Wilson and Frizzell to the slaughter. The media and support identified this, our management team did not. We have signed several players who are here for their last pay check. When you include Boyd already at that stage of his career it leaves us Burke, Boyd, Greer and Broadfoot who are at the tail end of their career. We have very few players in the peak performance age ranges. The majorityof our squad are young and learning their trade, the rest are pissing about on sky singing simply the best on a piano.

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Even management of the development team makes no sense. Bell hasn't played since he signed and surely Power should be playing in an attempt (probably vain) to get fit?

As it is the players in the first team squad but not playing aren't getting games anywhere so it's no wonder they're off the pace.

Also the manager taking an interest in the development team has to be good for morale overall?

Perhaps as it's unlikely Leven and McCulloch are likely to be around to see any of the current development squad break into the first team they're apparent lack of interest is explicable?

As for hard work during the week we were told about that before Motherwell game!!!!

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Maybe we can all cry together when we get relegated if they are hurting as much as the support.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda. Same pish different person spouting it. It's all well and good saying we could have taken something from games. The fact is we didn't. So far we've got what we deserved from every game. 

We are back at targeting mediocrity. To deem a late loss to St Johnstone(we were f**king rotten for a lot of that game) and a poor showing against Hearts as positive sends the wrong message. The attitude and expectation is all wrong. Yes they've started the season well but blowing a two goal lead to Accies is pathetic and should have been branded exactly that.

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2 hours ago, Scouser2 said:

"In every game we have played this season – other than against Celtic – we could have taken something. “On Saturday, we could have scored a couple of goals in the first half and if you do that it’s a different game. But the second half wasn’t good enough and we were punished.”

 

Hard work? Fine, the plays digging in more would help. But that paragraph is utter s**te. Both teams were atrocious in the first half at Motherwell and we somehow managed to be even worse second. Hearts missed a hatful of chances and the Hamilton capitulation was embarrassing.

Talk to them all you like. Maybe not playing a thirty odd year Burke who can't run as winger might be a better start? Or boy start Boyd up front? Or have more than one tactical idea? Or do something to change the team mid game? 

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6 minutes ago, mitch14 said:

The attitude and expectation is all wrong. Yes they've started the season well but blowing a two goal lead to Accies is pathetic and should have been branded exactly that.

Very true.  Say it wasn't good enough. Not we were unlucky

1 hour ago, jamieboy said:

If you were Kilmarnock manager would you attend the development games? Makes me wonder if they've only been attending previous development games because first team players were involved. 

Kenny certainly would have. And the under 18's and the under 17's and so on

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1 hour ago, Harrogate Peter said:

Even management of the development team makes no sense. Bell hasn't played since he signed and surely Power should be playing in an attempt (probably vain) to get fit?

As it is the players in the first team squad but not playing aren't getting games anywhere so it's no wonder they're off the pace.

Also the manager taking an interest in the development team has to be good for morale overall?

Perhaps as it's unlikely Leven and McCulloch are likely to be around to see any of the current development squad break into the first team they're apparent lack of interest is explicable?

As for hard work during the week we were told about that before Motherwell game!!!!

Spot on fella. I would be playing Power in the development team next to the lad Mouanda. To go towards justifying his wage and because I believe Mouanda has potential and needs to learn about positioning. I'd hope an experienced player like Power could maybe help bring Mouanda on. All this crap about Leven and McCulloch having one to one meetings is to make people believe they care about all the players. If they did then why hasn't Bell played in any games since he joined? Why weren't Mackay and Hawkshaw loaned out when they never feature for the first team? Will Graham is one of the best players in the development team on his day but is still short of first team quality and I'd argue he should have been loaned out too. 

 

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Find some parts of the article and what McCulloch said earlier this week very contradictory and confusing in parts.......and pointing to worries that they are really making it up as they go along .......seems very little sign of any consistent ideas 

LM was very critical of Clark's previous preseason planning during the summer but there is little evidence that this time round he got it right..... in terms of type and manner of recruitment that was done ....work on building up fitness levels and pre season should also see work done on the organisation part in setting up the team and how they are going to play etc..

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11 hours ago, jamieboy said:

Can't believe Leven and McCulloch weren't even at the development game last night yet Ray McKinnon made the journey through.

But but but.... "Peter Leven insists he and manager Lee McCulloch are working all hours..." o.O

"Work harder", "we're winners"... blah blah blah. Heard it all before, and it stank of pish the first time. Honestly though, just once I'd like one of these guys to come out and break down why we lost/failed to win in terms of tactics, transitional play, or something/anything that suggests a deeper understanding of the game than "we woz unlucky" and "we must work harder."

Edited by kevin1869
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