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Next manager of Kilmarnock job


Craigieboy

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6 minutes ago, stewarty66 said:

Actually mentioned this about investment earlier this evening in a discussion about the sacking. 

Is it possible that potential investors have someone lined up or they just don't fancy Angelo? 

Or is it just fanciful thinking on our part? 

I think a major new investor would have been wary of stepping in with the rumours ( which they would have investigated) that existed of unsettled squad. So it would align in that regard. It’s possible.

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Kilmarnock caught the Scottish football world completely off-guard on Tuesday when they sacked manager Angelo Alessio after less than six months in charge.

The Italian endured a rocky start at Rugby Park, crashing out of the Europa League in a baptism of fire against Connah's Quay.

They recovered, however, and sitting fifth in the Premiership table as they approached the halfway point, few expected them to part company with the man who replaced Steve Clarke.

Yet football is a funny old sport, and following a run of four games without a win, Alessio finds himself out of work.

Alex Dyer will take the reins in the interim and the Scotland number two may fancy his chances of landing the job full-time.

But there are other names in the frame at this early stage, and Record Sport have taken a closer look at the possible contenders.

Gary Holt

The Livingston boss is showing some serious promise since succeeding David Hopkin ahead of the club's first season back in the top flight.

After luring him back to Scotland from Norwich (eh?), the Lions couldn't have been more comfortable in avoiding the drop last season, with only a late dip in form thwarting their ambitions of a top six finish.

They haven't quite set the world alight in the same way this season, but continue to punch well above their weight and once again look in no danger of the drop.

The combative style of football he has Livingston playing, meanwhile, would suit the strengths of the current Rugby Park squad.

His connections with Kilmarnock are obvious, having spent six years there as a player and lifted the Scottish Cup, and he'd likely be a hugely popular appointment with the Killie faithful.

Alex Dyer

It's easy to see why the Kilmarnock board have trusted Dyer with first team duties in the interim.

The 54-year-old served as assistant under Steve Clarke, and remained an important link to that era when he continued that role under Alessio.

He knows the players well and is clearly a talented coach, having continued under Clarke in the Scotland set-up - so his credentials there need no introduction.

A good coach doesn't always translate into a good manager as we know, but Dyer will have the reins this weekend when Killie host Motherwell, and possibly again when they face Rangers five days later.

If he can use the opportunity to prove his worth as head coach then he has every reason to expect a fair crack at the whip - at least until the end of the season.

Steven Pressley

The former Falkirk manager isn't exactly the most inspiring name in the picture after his most recent stint with Carlisle saw him dismissed within a year.

But he did a reasonable job at the Bairns, and showed some great early promise after he was headhunted by Coventry City in 2013.

The circumstances at Coventry were dire, but he was able to help them overcome a ten-point deduction to keep them in League One in is first full season.

Things have all gone a bit pear-shaped from there for the former Rangers, Hearts and Celtic player. Underwhelming spells with Fleetwood and Pafos in Cyprus preceded a poor ten months with Carlisle, and he's now seeking a job to revive his reputation.

He doesn't seem overly likely to be brought in by Killie with other, more high-profile candidates leading the way, but if he can earn himself an interview and impress, then far stranger things have happened.

Nathan Jones 

A disastrous year with Stoke City has seen Jones' stock as a coach take a serious hit, but he remains a highly-rated young manager, and the fact he is currently out of work means he is likely to be considered by Kilmarnock.

He was in the picture for both the Hearts and Hibs jobs before each Edinburgh club decided to go another way, but one man's loss is another man's gain.

Within three years at Luton the 46-year-old Welshman had taken a team of League Two relegation strugglers and had them on track for promotion to the Championship, before that ill-fated move to Stoke came calling in January.

In hindsight, taking over the Potters was a serious misstep for Jones, but it represents just one bad year in an otherwise stellar coaching career so far.

His appointment would represent a real coup for Killie, who have shown real ambition in their managerial recruitment in recent years, and won't shy away from competition for his signature.

Ally McCoist

A controversial inclusion, McCoist has been out of work since leaving Rangers in 2014, and the circumstances in which he left Ibrox hardly aid his prospects as a prospective manager.

Yet he was very seriously linked with the Kilmarnock post after confirming his interest prior to the appointment of Alessio, and has links to the club after spending three years there as a player.

His time in charge at Rangers is often used as a stick to beat him with, but for a manager in his first job, the circumstances were remarkably tough.

He's worked in the media since so would likely be a tad rusty on the coaching side of things, but it's fairly clear he is keen on a route back into management for the right job.

Not the most ambitious, but perhaps worth a shot in the short-term, while other candidates are assessed in the background ahead of the summer.

Paul Clement

If Kilmarnock look within the same blueprint that brought both Clarke and Alessio to the club, then it seems likely Clement will find himself in the running once again.

Each of their former managers has come in as an immensely highly-rated coach with plenty to prove as a manager.

Clement may have had more managerial experience than either, having taken the reins at Derby, Swansea and Reading to minimal success.

But he is best-revered for his time as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and that pedigree is what may hold appeal for Rugby Park chiefs.

He has been out of regular work since his sacking from Reading around this time last year.

Roberto Di Matteo

The most ambitious appointment on the list by a distance but when has that stopped Kilmarnock in recent years?

Both Clarke and Alessio were real eyebrow-raisers at the time, and if you'd touted either for the job before they became realistic contenders then you would likely have been laughed out the building.

The same will likely be said of Di Matteo, who holds the distinction of being a former Chelsea manager and that alone makes this one seem far-fetched.

Yet since his successful interim spell at Stamford Bridge, his managerial career has come off the rails. Since leaving Stamford Bridge in November 2012, he has been in a job for a combined total of just 12 months, in ill-fated spells with Schalke and Aston Villa.

That may even mean that Killie would have reservations over bringing him in, but if he is willing and keen to relaunch his managerial career then it would be a discussion well-worth having for both parties.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/kilmarnock-candidates-replace-angelo-alessio-21114399

 
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Clarke took Dyer to be his assistant when he took over the Scotland gig.

Surely it's only fair that Stevie returns the favour?

Fair's fair Stevie boy. The next Scotland game isn't until March or something. A bit of extra cash in your pocket, nice timing with Xmas coming up and the grandkids Santa lists getting longer and longer....

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1 hour ago, Chardee MacDennis said:

The same board that were totally unprepared for Clarke leaving, footballs worst kept secret and had no-one in mind apparently... Nothing would surprise me

Surely they would have learned something from that, maybe not though. Worrying that the person they are going to look for advice from doesn't have experience in his role as Head of Football. 

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