Monday 27 February 2017

Be The Boss - Andrew Partridge



This week's "Boss" is Andrew Partridge whom we don't really know anything about - so we'll let him tell you himself! "I’m a 17 year old secondary school student from Stewarton Academy. I’ve been a season ticket holder at Rugby Park for just under ten years or so and I’m often seen depressed and tearing my hair out in the Frank Beattie Stand." There you have it then...now over to his team selection and tactics for Saturday's rearranged match...

This week we’re coming up against lacklustre Motherwell whose defence has been nothing short of hopeless lately, 17 goals against in the past four games? Eek. This needs exploited, pace on the flanks with deadeye Boyd in the middle will cause ‘Well a lot of trouble. After a good performance in Perth, the boys should be champing at the bit for this weekend.

 
FORMATION: 3-4-3

GOALKEEPER
Jamie MacDonald - Absolutely nothing against Woodman, I just feel MacDonald deserves a chance to show us what he’s got. He’ll be determined to have a good performance to show Lee how class a ‘keeper he is. And anyway, Motherwell don’t seem to be too much of a threat in recent weeks so we should be fine.

CENTRE BACK
Gary Dicker – Need an explanation? Team would fall apart without him.

CENTRE BACK
Kristoffer Ajer – Works very well next to Dicker. His height makes him effective in the air and his long stride and pace make him difficult to beat on the ball. Been excellent for us so far. Scary but exciting when he ventures forward.

CENTRE BACK
Scott Boyd – The last of my defensive trio. Going for experience with this one.

LEFT MIDFIELD
Rory McKenzie - I’m pretty quick to get on his back, especially after some of his woeful outside of the box shooting, but he has a very high work rate, is very quick and has started scoring more often. Should be able to supply the ball to Tyson or cut inside to have a pop at goal effectively.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Stevie Smith – Very capable when the opposition is going forward and will be key to stopping Motherwell getting to our back three through the middle. Will link up well with McKenzie going forward.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Sean Longstaff – In addition to being pretty fast, Sean has a high work rate and presses the opposition well, created the chance for McKenzie’s wonder goal against St Johnstone by pressing their keeper. He also seems very confident going forward, and should be able to create some chances for himself and Boyd.

RIGHT MIDFIELD
Jordan Jones – Now, I’m a big fan of JJ, it just hasn’t clicked completely for him yet I think. Reminds me slightly of Tope Obadeyi. Mainly there for pace and to take on his man. A lot of potential in my opinion.

LEFT FORWARD
Nathan Tyson – PACE!!! And he has to score eventually, right? He doesn’t seem great at holding up the ball, so hopefully this will force him to play facing the goal where he can utilise his quickness.

RIGHT FORWARD
Cal Roberts – Another fast one. Fantastic for taking on his man and whipping in crosses to an awaiting Kris Boyd, or alternatively cutting inside. So much potential.

CENTRE FORWARD
Kris Boyd – He shouldn’t have to work too hard in this formation. He’ll have to hold the ball up every so often and offload it to Tyson or Roberts, or play it back to the centre midfielders. This should allow him to get into his poaching positions and bag some goals.

Season Diary - Week 30



Lessons were learned from last week’s narrow defeat and we started the game with what looked to me to be our best XI (minus Kiltie) I have seen all season.

Some sublime vision from McKenzie and a great cross from Taylor feeding the Fish saw all three points come home to Ayrshire…but it was a real team performance and a well-deserved win.

This if course starts the call from some corners for Lee McCulloch to be named boss straight away, before someone else comes in and nabs him, and some saying the opposite, because of his associations with that new team from Glasgow.

I’m definitely sitting on the fence on this one!

I think he more than deserves the chance, but there should be caution on both sides as there is no need to rush an appointment.

Lee (and Peter) has already shown loyalty to the club, maybe he needs to have a long think about whether he wants his first full time managerial gig having that pariah Nancy as his boss!

Tuesday 21 February 2017

Be The Boss - Ewan Paton



This week's Boss is Ewan Paton (@naearmbands1) who is a multimedia journalism student at Glasgow Caledonian University. You can follow his blog HERE for a series of updates from the sporting world. The job at Rugby Park is still up for grabs...here is Ewan's team selection for St Johnstone away...


Formation 4-4-2

I've gone for hard working and determined players this weekend as we travel to one of the trickiest away grounds in the league. After the drama of last week with Lee Clark leaving and then collapsing to defeat against Aberdeen, this game matters that wee bit more and Lee McCulloch must get a performance out of the boys so that we don't come away empty handed.

GOALKEEPER
Freddie Woodman - I'm as big a Jamie MacDonald fan as the next Killie fan. However, having spoken to Lee Clark in person a few months back, I certainly trusted his judgement and I think it's clear to see that McCulloch feels the same way after starting him in his first game as caretaker manager. I feel that Woodman is quicker and has better distribution than MacDonald, as well as being a good shot stopper too so that's why he gets the nod from me.

RIGHT BACK
Luke Hendrie - This is an easy choice for me. Luke has been a consistent performer all season and I'm sure I'm not the only Killie fan who was happy to see him extend his loan until the end of the season.

CENTRE BACK
Gary Dicker- He should never have been moved back into Midfield going into the last 10 minutes against Aberdeen- it completely upset the rhythm of the team when Addison came on to allow him to go into the middle. He has the composure and positional awareness to be a top centre half for us for the remainder of the season.

CENTRE BACK
Kristoffer Ajer- Dicker and Ajer seemed to have formed a decent partnership at the back and as well as both being strong enough to physically compete with the opponents strikers, they are both comfortable with the ball at their feet. The 18 year old's mazy runs have also impressed me.

LEFT BACK
Greg Taylor - Another academy product who has become a first team regular. Greg has really sealed the left back position and although he's really going to have his work cut out against a good St Johnstone attack, he can still get forward to help on the counter attacks.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD
Steven Smith - A player who frustrates the life out of me but really has to be in the side. On his day he can be a real asset with his quick closing down and harassing style of play. Will need him to battle against a hardy St Johnstone midfield on Saturday.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD
Sean Longstaff - Of the trio we signed on loan from Newcastle, Longstaff has impressed me the most. He looks like a determined runner and has a bit of a creative spark. While we're still desperately missing Kiltie in this role, I think Sean can fulfil the void until he returns. He also has an eye for goal and his two so far should give him confidence to add a few more to his tally.

RIGHT WING
Rory McKenzie - Personally, I'm a big fan of McKenzie and I think a lot of his hard work goes unnoticed. He's always the first to get slated when the team are struggling because maybe he doesn't quite have the creativity going forward as say Kiltie does, but his running, tackling and all round determination means he will be doing his best to press high and track back all afternoon on Saturday. Rory also took his goal well against Aberdeen and caused them problems for most of the game.

LEFT WING
Nathan Tyson - I feel sorry for the veteran striker. When Boydie was out injured a couple of months ago, Nathan led the line well and his hard work, in particular against Inverness at Rugby Park, merited a goal. I think his physical presence, agility and good work ethic will suit the team in an away game where we won't have as much of the ball.

STRIKER
Conor Sammon - I was delighted to see The Fish return to the club in January on loan until the end of the season. He hasn't exactly set the place alight since returning in the 3 games he's featured in, but after watching him track back on the left wing for the majority of the first half on Sunday, my idea is that we start him up top but when tracking back if he needs to go with the full back, then Tyson can swap with him up front, so it's a fairly versatile option.

STRIKER
Kris Boyd - It's a no-brainer for me. He's in decent form at the moment and is still the best finisher in the team despite being in the twilight years of his playing career. If we get any chances inside the box, there's only one man I want to get them and that's Boomer.

Season Diary - Week 29



Another week, another manager! Farewell Lee Clark and good luck to Lee McCulloch who has taken the job in the interim.

It is easy to look back and say that substitutions on Sunday cost us the game, but on paper replacing your injured defensive midfielder with an even better one and bringing a solid centre back in to shore up the defence to close out the game didn’t seem that nuts.

The game of course is not played on paper and it turned out that the defender wasn’t so solid and changing the back four was a mistake, such is life, you take your punishment and move on.

Technically, given the thrashing they gave Motherwell only days previous, it wasn’t the hammering many predicted, but that didn’t dampen the rage at the end of the game.

Controversially I think that Woodman was partly to blame for their first goal, he should have moved to the ball and given a shout, that said, there was no shout so Addison should have blootered it out of the park immediately, sorry Tank, that one’s ultimately on you.

Sunday 19 February 2017

Queens hit for six as Ladies march on in the Cup.

Queens Park 0 - 6 Kilmarnock
Today marked the start of the competitive season for the seniors as they faced Queens Park in the SWPL 1 League Cup.
The match was played in perfect spring conditions on Lesser Hampden - a huge pitch and a good surface.
Kilmarnock started on the front foot and had several chances to open the scoring. Kirsten Rolph soon had the ball in the back of the net but she was deemed to be offside - a dubious decision.
Kilmarnock finally opened the scoring after Rhona Higgins flicked a header on to Linzi Taylor. Taylor then kept her composure before squaring it across goal for a tap in for Kirsty Munro.
Laura Lyttle got the away sides second of the game with a rocket from 20 yard out which left the keeper rooted to the spot.
Kilmarnock dominated most of the first half and kept Queens attacks to a minimum with a steady and solid performance from the back line.
Killie's third goal of the game came from young Chloe Ponton who found herself in space inside the Queens eighteen yard box. Ponton cleverly controlled the ball in the air before volleying across goal, past the keeper.
Half Time: Queens Part 0 - 3 Kilmarnock
There were no changes made at half time and Kilmarnock kept on the front foot for large spells of the game.
Midway through the half Abby Robinson and Nicole Telford came on to replace Chloe Ponton and Rhona Higgins.
After some more good play, a cross ball from Taylor found Robinson in the middle who excellently finished first time.
Not long after, Robinson got her second of the game when after some excellent build up play from Jillian Campbell she found Nicole Telford. The ball was squared across the goal to Robinson on the stretch to finish into an open net.
The sixth and final goal came from Lauren Steel, who capped off a fine performance with a goal. After some neat build up play working the ball from the back, a wonderful cross from Kirsty Munro found Lauren Steel free at the back post to side foot a volley into the bottom corner.
This was a fine performance performance all round from Kilmarnock Ladies who have secured a place in the next round of the cup.

Thursday 16 February 2017

Turn Your Back Protest Postponed

The Committee of KFCSA were shocked and surprised to learn of the sudden departure of Manager Lee Clark from the Club yesterday. We wish Lee well in his new post with Bury FC.

In order to avoid any possible off field distractions for Interim Manager Lee McCulloch's first game in charge on Sunday it has been decided to postpone the planned "Turn Your Back" protest in the 18th minute.

The Committee will consider when it would now be appropriate to hold such a protest.

We wish Lee McCulloch and the team every success and would ask fans for their continued support of the team in the weeks ahead.

Wednesday 15 February 2017

Be The Boss - Alistair Lyon


Well last week's "Boss" Adam Lyon nearly called it spot on, even the formation change with two up front, which is quite impressive. Not so impressed was his old man who spotted the article getting advertised online and bemoaned the fact that in over 30 years as a Killie fan, no one had ever asked his opinion on the team! Well they have now...and for the first time ever we get a father succeeding his son and taking over the KillieFC hot seat...over to Alistair...

Well it's been a decent few weeks that have seen us not quite burst, more slither, in to the top 6. Hopefully we can keep that going to see our highest place finish for a few years and I think I've got just the team to do that. For me it's all about a change in formation that can be either attack or defence minded so it's 3-5-2 or 5-3-2.


GOALKEEPER 
Jamie McDonald - I'm not party to what's going on behind the scenes but on the pitch Jamie's done nothing wrong. Nothing against young Woodman I just don't know why there has been a change.

RIGHT BACK 
Luke Hendrie - We were lucky last year with our loanee right back and I think we've been even luckier this year. Our most consistent performer and I just hope he's fit. If not one of the other twelve right back's will have to step in.

RIGHT CENTRE HALF
Iain Wilson - When he was dropped in at the deep end he was there to be counted. I don't know yet if he's a midfielder but he can play at the back.

SWEEPER 
Gary Dicker - The man people are talking about. I actually felt he was having a good year in midfield but at centre half he's been superb. My decision to go 3-5-2 is down to the fact we are continually overrun in midfield. Gary has shown amazing composure on the ball and I'm building the team around him.

LEFT CENTRE HALF 
Kristoffer Ajer - Because we have to play him but also because he has been superb. I think it was Adam who said last week that he runs out of defence like the legend that is Momo Sissoko. No bad thing.

LEFT BACK 
Greg Taylor - Reminds me of Hooky. He'll do

RIGHT MIDFIELD
Sean Longstaff - A good goal threat and hopefully a good future in the game for him.

CENTRE MIDFIELD 
Adam Frizzell - How can you go from a man-of-the-match performance against Celtic to getting no more game time? A pocket dynamo.

LEFT MIDFIELD
Dean Hawkshaw - This boy looks like he's got a good engine and isn't afraid to tackle. I think he suits this narrow midfield.

STRIKER
Kris Boyd - Past it? Lazy? No good? Rubbish! Club legend, two goals in three games. First part of the season absolutely no service. Get the ball in the correct area and he'll score. Just remember he single-handedly kept us up three seasons ago until he made the worst choice of his football career.

STRIKER
The Fish/Joshua Umerah - I've not seen either of them play yet a hard one to call. Hopefully the fish can recreate his last season but ultimately this position is Greg's as soon as he's fit.

So that's my team/formation. No wingers as they don't deliver consistently enough but they'll be on the bench ready to come on when we need to change the shape, push Ian Wilson in to midfield and go 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1.

'Mon the Killie!

Tuesday 14 February 2017

Season Diary - Week 28



In a change from the norm Clark started with two up front for the rescheduled fixture at Dens Park with Boyd and Sammon getting the nod.

Boomer was fastest out of the blocks again for us with a fortunate dink around the keeper and by all accounts we appeared to be the stronger team.

Sadly, an uncharacteristic mistake by our young loan goalie who wandered off his line, cost us a goal and two points as we replicated last week’s result away to Accies.

I didn’t actually make the game due to a prior engagement but I am not going to moan about it being moved as it is just your luck, and to be honest I think there is credit due to both clubs in moving the match to a Saturday; likewise for moving the upcoming Motherwell match from midweek to the weekend.

Monday 13 February 2017

KFCSA Season Ticket Survey

On 17th December 2016, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of KFCSA handed over a petition to Kilmarnock Football Club directors Billy Bowie and John Kiltie; the petition contained almost 3000 signatures from Killie fans seeking the removal of former Club Chairman Michael Johnston from the Club Board.

The Association has now received an acknowledgement of the petition and has been asked to supply some further details and information for consideration. The Committee will report on developments.

Following the SGM of the Association on 26th November the Committee have been investigating whether an Escrow account (into which fans could deposit season ticket money) would be feasible and manageable.

It was envisaged that fans could pay into such account to demonstrate to the Club their willingness to purchase a season ticket providing Michael Johnston was not on the Club Board.

The Committee's enquiries indicate that the operation of such an Escrow account would be extremely difficult for a number of financial compliance, legal and operational reasons. The Money Laundering regulations alone would create issues considering the anticipated numbers of people who would be paying and depositing funds.

Whilst checks, enquiries and considerations will continue the Committee feel that, given time constraints, other methods of progressing the matter should be pursued.

Accordingly, the Committee of KFCSA is now looking to clarify the likely number of:

A. Existing season ticket holders who would support a season ticket boycott if Mr. Johnston continues on the Board

B. Those non-season ticket holders who would purchase one if Mr. Johnston was no longer part of the Board.

PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SHORT ONLINE SURVEY.


Iain Sherry 
(Secretary)

Email: 1965ktid@gmail.com




Tuesday 7 February 2017

Be The Boss - Adam Lyon


Despite what was a disappointing draw at Hamilton last week, it seems that Lee Clark might finally be providing the team that he promised we could be proud of at the end of last season. Even though the football is not up to the highest standard that the team is capable of, the effort of that players cannot be faulted. We’ve had some mixed results against Dundee over the years, so hopefully we can take a big support up to Dens and get the three points we need to lift us up the table.


Formation is a basic 4-4-2

GOALKEEPER
Freddie Woodman - Although there have been some grumblings from the Killie support about the lack of game time for Jamie MacDonald, the young man from Newcastle has really impressed since his loan move in January. He has made some outstanding saves in the past couple of games, and so deserves his chance to shine in the second half of this season. And anyway, big Jamie deserves some rest after the marvellous few years he’s had at Rugby Park so far.

RIGHT BACK
Luke Hendrie - Possibly the most constant performer over the course of the season, Hendrie should always be the first name on the team sheet. You don’t see many full backs in Scotland who are equally as good in both defence and attack, but Hendrie is certainly one of that dying breed. Plus, if Jones is having a terrible game, we always know that Hendrie will be there to dig him out a hole.

CENTRE BACK
Gary Dicker - It seems to me that we’ve been playing Gary out of position the whole season. When he moved to centre back in the Ross County game, we looked as solid as we have all season. So whoever told Gary Dicker to play at centre mid when he was young, they’re an idiot! The chemistry between Dicker and Ajer in the past few games has looked as good as Ant and Deck, Laurel and Hardie, or even Jim Jeffries and Billy Brown…at a push.

CENTRE BACK
Kristoffer Ajer - The chalk to Gary Dicker’s cheese, ‘big Ajer’ has been a revelation at the back since joining on loan from Celtic. He is a prime example of a case where a player is far too good to play for a certain team. He has been touted to be the next Virgil Van Dyke, and it’s clear to see why. Defensively, he stands solid and imposing, a physical barrier for every striker in Scotland. Going forward, he reminds me of the great Momo Sissoko, striding forward on these mazy runs that can excite even the dullest of fans. It’ll be a sad time indeed when Kris leaves us for what is sure to be a very bright future indeed.

LEFT BACK
Greg Taylor - Just like his compatriot on the right flank, young Greg has been a star over the season so far, and there is better to come from the lad. Even though his performances have been so good over the course of the season, I wouldn’t care if he was shocking for the remainder. That tackle on Joey Barton has enamoured him to me forever and I won’t hear another bad word said about him, or else I’ll make Pasca look like a saint.

RIGHT WING
Sean Longstaff - Quickly becoming a fans favourite among the Killie faithful, Longstaff has scored some important goals so far, the winner against County and our only goal at the weekend. With his energetic running and an eye for goal, he is certainly looking like a good find by Lee Clark, but we’ll have to see how long his good spell can last!

CENTRE MID
Iain Wilson - A player that has come on leaps and bounds this year, he looks like a player with the experience of someone twice his age. Wilson will definitely be a key player next season, and so it is important that he gets as much game time as possible this season. His range of passing is phenomenal for someone who looks a bit ‘gangly’, which is the nicest way to describe him. They always say that you should look for experience over both but in this case, we seem to have both already.

CENTRE MID
Adam Frizzell - The wee man has really come on leaps and bounds this season, and should be starting every week. After his man of the match performance against Celtic, he should have been one of the first names on the team sheet. However, Lee Clark doesn’t seem to rate him, a huge mistake in my opinion. He can be used to fill that Kiltie-sized hole in our hearts at the moment.

LEFT WING
Jordan Jones - Possibly the most frustrating player in the entirety of the Scottish leagues, Jordan has one good game in every ten. He has been marginally better in recent weeks; however, we still need him to find that consistent form that we know he can provide. He can link up well with Greg Taylor at left back and could cause some serious problems for the Dundee defence.

STRIKER
Kris Boyd - Our main striker now, Boomer has been in good form recently and hopefully he can keep this going against Dundee. His effort in the past few games has been exemplary and a true example to the rest of the team. Although he won’t be scoring any overhead kicks against them like Souley did earlier in the season, I would still back Boydie to find the back of the net at Dens.

STRIKER
Conor Sammon - The fish is back, and ready to score goals. Big Conor is a perfect match for Boomer up front, as the fish can run while Boydie gets into the right positions to bang them in. Sammon could also be a huge asset at corners, if only Jordan Jones could actually get them past the first man. If the two front men could link up well, then I think our attack force could be lethal for this game and for the rest of the season as a whole.

Monday 6 February 2017

Season Diary - Week 27




While a substitution won us three points against Ross County, it may have cost us a couple at Hamilton.

We started off well with Lobby (as Longstaff has been named) scoring yet again to put us ahead and we controlled the game for over half an hour, but when Smith went off injured the tables were turned.

In my opinion the right move to make at that point was to bring on Scott Boyd and move Dicker back into midfield to give us more steel in there, but instead Clark opted for Hawkshaw as a direct replacement.

As much as I like the wee man I don’t think it was a good move as the midfield started to get overrun at that point and it was no surprise when the Accies equalised.

We could have nicked it in the end but a draw was probably a fair result and I’ll take a point away from home any day.

Decent 'debuts' by both Umerah and Sammon, although like Boomer they had to feed off scraps; unsure whether the Charlton boy was aware he was going to be playing wide right, or whether he cared.

Friday 3 February 2017

FC Kilmarnock Ladies Support Football v. Homophobia



This month is the international month of ‘Football v Homophobia’ (FvH) and FC Kilmarnock Ladies are proud to lend our support to the campaign. FvH is a campaign uniting fans, players, communities, grassroots teams, professional clubs and the Football Authorities in opposing homophobia and prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in football.

The FA, The Premier League and The Football League back their work and year round, FvH enables people to take action against prejudice and discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity in the sport, and to celebrate and welcome diversity in the game. This culminates in an international show of support in February to raise awareness of the issue and to showcase new and existing work. The campaign has been around since 2010 and manages to generate global attention.

Fans and teams around the world, from Croatia to Mexico have taken part and across the UK there has been a massive show of support.

FC Kilmarnock Ladies Chairman David Howie said:
"FC Kilmarnock Ladies prides itself on people who want to learn and play football regardless of sexual orientation. We fully support the Football v Homophobia campaign and together we can make a difference!"
Homophobia and LGBT discrimination has long been an issue in football. In 1990 the first professional football player in the UK to come out as gay, Justin Fashanu, had an intense struggle with his sexuality and how it was received in the game. More recently we have seen Robbie Rogers come out. Robbie retired briefly when he made the announcement about his sexuality. But now, following massive support from players and fans alike, he has returned to the game to play for LA Galaxy. Former Premier League player Thomas Hitzlsperger has also recently come out as gay. Both of these players have talked about the challenge of being gay and professional footballers, and the impact that anti-gay jokes and language can have on confidence and self-esteem.

Kilmarnock Fan Organisations Support Football v Homophobia


This month is the international month of ‘Football v Homophobia’ (FvH) and the fan organisations of Kilmarnock FC are proud to lend our support to the campaign. FvH is a campaign uniting fans, players, communities, grassroots teams, professional clubs and the Football Authorities in opposing homophobia and prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in all aspects of football.

The FA, Premier League and Football League back their work and year round, FvH enables people to take action against prejudice and discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity in the sport, and to celebrate and welcome diversity in the game. This culminates in an international show of support in February to raise awareness of the issue and to showcase new and existing work.

Killie Trust Chairman Jim Thomson said:
"Equality and inclusion are important in every aspect of life, not least at football matches where people come together to enjoy the catharsis (or lack of) of watching their team play football. Encouraging diversity is especially important in these uncertain political times and we are delighted to support the work of Football v. Homophobia in whatever way we can."
Homophobia and LGBT discrimination has long been an issue in football. In 1990 the first professional football player in the UK to come out as gay, Justin Fashanu, had an intense struggle with his sexuality and how it was received in the game. More recently we have seen Robbie Rogers come out. Robbie retired briefly when he made the announcement about his sexuality. But now, following massive support from players and fans alike, he has returned to the game to play for LA Galaxy. Former Premier League player Thomas Hitzlsperger has also recently come out as gay. Both of these players have talked about the challenge of being gay and professional footballers, and the impact that anti-gay jokes and language can have on confidence and self-esteem.

The comments of SFA Performance Director Malky Mackay, the head of the English FA and the alarming findings of a BBC survey that around 8% of football fans would stop supporting their team if they signed a gay player, it shows that the world of football still has a long way to go to embrace diversity. With that in mind, we are proud to support FvH and the work that they do in our game.

Wednesday 1 February 2017

Be The Boss - Claire Morrison




This week's "Boss" is daughter of the KFCSA boss man James Morrison...say hello to Claire! Claire of course has her own views on our team and tactics and she has some tough decisions to make given she's having to make decisions on the morning after deadline day...

First match at Rugby Park: May 1997 Scotland v Wales – Hartson scored the winner. Been an East Stand season ticket holder since the following season ‘97/98 and loved wee Pat Nevin! My favourite Killie game was on 18th March 2012 which had the longest 6 minutes of my life after DVT scored.

With the transfer window having "slammed shut" Lee Clark now has even more options through signing The Fish, a young Charlton starlet and completing the permanent signing of Scott Boyd. Having stumbled on a football team (as opposed to a hoofball side) last week I can only hope Lee Clark is not “Tinkerman” and sticks with the team which finished and won the match against Ross County.


Formation 4-2-3-1 which seems to be the LC’s fave:

GOALKEEPER

Freddie Woodman - Young Freddie has been impressive since his move from Newcastle and his distribution does appear better than MacDonald’s at times through opting to play from the back rather than ‘hoofing’ up the park. I do feel bad for MacDonald though and a player of his quality is far too good to be sitting on the bench every week.
 
RIGHT BACK

Luke Hendrie - Luke has been one of Clark’s best signings and most consistent (apart from his daft red card in the final minute against St Johnstone). He isn’t afraid to put the odd tackle in and he appears to be developing well as a player each week.

CENTRE BACK

Gary Dicker - Wow, what a difference moving Dicker to the back made against Ross County. Gary ‘Mr Cool’ held his own in defence last week and was so impressive. I reckon Clark may opt for Scott Boyd in this position this week though but given how brilliant Dicker was I’d go with him as first choice.

CENTRE BACK
 Kristoffer Ajer - What a talent we have in this young Norwegian. Our central defence has looked so much more solid since he came in and his mazy runs through the pitch have been impressive. At only 18 years old, I can’t wait to see what sort of player he becomes in a few years time. He’s also a pretty gorgeous piece of eye candy too for the female fans!

LEFT BACK
Greg Taylor - For me there’s no other option for this position. Greg has been quite the starlet since coming in and cruising through the Play Off Final against Falkirk in May. He reminds me a bit of Garry Hay with his runs up the flank and he’s done exceptionally well making the jump from the Development Squad.

HOLDING MIDFIELD
Iain Wilson - Putting Wilson on last week was the best substituting decision Clark has made all season and was the first time we had an actual midfield. At just 18 years old, he ran that midfield like a seasoned pro with excellent passes and distribution. I only hope Clark sees sense and keeps Wilson in the starting line up this week and doesn’t resort back to the ‘Killie Bingo’ we’ve been so used to suffering.

HOLDING MIDFIELD
Steven Smith - For me Smith can be a bit ‘hit or miss.’ But he does put in several good tackles and closed down Ross County last week. He also seems to have formed a good understanding and partnership with Greg Taylor.

WIDE RIGHT
Jordan Jones - ‘Arrghh’ is all I can say about the majority of Jones’s season so far (especially his corner kicks!) He is so enigmatic and reminds me so much of Dopey Topey. He did improve against County and had more of an end product though, hence why I’ve picked him for this week. I would like to see Frizzell given a chance in this position though too as he was really developing well last season when given game time.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD
Sean Longstaff - Sean took his winning goal very well last week and appears to be a positive addition to the squad. Working in partnership with Rory and Wilson I feel this may be a good formation and given time, Longstaff could do well with us.

WIDE LEFT
Rory McKenzie - Rory is one of these players who many fans love a good moan at, which reminds me of James Fowler – Rory is regularly pushed to different positions and does a lot of the ‘dirty work’ like Fowler did but rarely gets credit for such as tracking back and blocking tackles. When on form Rory is a real burst of energy and can be a nightmare for opposing teams.

STRIKER
Kris Boyd - I bet no footie fan ever thought that big Boydie could make it to the 18 yard box in 10.4 seconds last week for the fastest goal in SPFL history! Kris continues to break records and he will forever go down as a Scottish footballing legend. I hope with the departure of Coulibaly, Kris can find his shooting boots again and become the prolific goal scorer we all know and love.