It's a dream come true to get this job. When KillieFC.com got in touch and offered me the one game contract it was an offer I simply couldn't refuse.
It's the final game before the split, and I feel It's crucial for us to come away with the 3 points.
I've had some tough decisions to make, but that's what being the boss is all about. I'm trying to balance the team to be clinical in attack and miserly in defence. Defensively the team has been good in the last two games but we need to have more creativity and belief in our attacking play.
Formation 4-1-3-2
Goalkeeper: Jamie McDonald.
Having an excellent season in between the sticks. Calming influence for the boys in front of him.
Defence: Mark O'Hara, Miles Addison, Conrad Balatoni, Lee Hodson
This is the same back four from the Thistle game . Two full backs worked very hard to limit the crosses from the wide areas against Thistle. Hodson in particular had a bit more on his plate with the threat of the Thistle wide man David Amoo. I thought he got a hard time of it a couple times in the first half, but stuck to his task and got the better of Amoo as the game went on. The rest of the guys were solid and indeed Addison looks like he brings an attacking threat at set pieces for us. Let's see the full backs bombing forward when they get a chance.
Midfield: Julien Faubert, Rory McKenzie, Gary Dicker, Greg Kiltie
Firstly I must say it was tough to leave out Craig Slater, I'm a huge fan of his. If I had gone with a conventional three in the middle of the park then Craig would have started. As it is though I've put Julien Faubert at the bottom of midfield. I was impressed by him in the Celtic game. He looked to get on the ball and make things happen, albeit he wasn't great up at Thistle but he got another 90 mins in the tank, and hopefully when's he back on the hallowed (astro) turf at Rugby Park he can have a strong influence for us.
In front of him I would have McKenzie, Dicker, and Kiltie (right to left).
Dicker has done well since arriving, looks composed, has a presence and has the mobility to offer both defensive and attacking qualities to the team.
Rory's season has been blighted by niggly injuries but for me he's got loads to offer. A proper team player who will work his socks off. Can cause St Johnstone lots of problems with his positive runs with and without the ball. We need to see him linking up with O'Hara to get crosses into the box for the other forward players.
Greg has had a very good season, in my opinion he's been the outfield player of the year for us. Again, a real team player who has a great work ethic, allied to his technical ability and a understanding of the game that belies his age, this makes him a potential match winner for us.
Strikers: Josh Magennis & Kris Boyd
I've built the formation around getting these two guys up front together, we need goals and these boys are the answer.
Josh has got a decent scoring ratio for us this season mainly playing as the lone striker. I think he may prefer it as it allows him to make his runs without having to worry about what a potential strike partner might be doing. As I said he's chipped in with a good return of goals but I'd argue we need someone else up there to take the burden off Josh.
So finally that leaves us with big Boomer Boyd.
For as long as I've known Kris the one thing he always craved is scoring goals. Every day in training, whatever we done he wanted to be doing something that involved scoring goals. Sometimes the lads messed about in shooting drills, crossing and finishing drills etc, trying to lob the Goalie and stuff like that. Not Boydy, he was always looking to score properly, right foot, left foot, headers whatever it was and he would get really annoyed with himself if he missed. I used to wonder if he had a bonus in his contract that included training goals too!
He's an older, less follically challenged Kris Boyd than the one I played with at Killie, but you don't lose that hunger for goals that he has and at 32 has got plenty life in him yet. Like all players you want a run of games to show the gaffer what you can offer, St Johnstone will be his third start on the trot. Alongside Josh I'm sure they can score the goals we need to move to safety if we can get the supply into the right areas for them.
There is also strong potential for the subs to have a positive effect on the outcome for us. Depending on how the game transpires then players like Slater, Kallum Higginbotham, Adam Frizzell, Tope Obadeyi, Alex Henshall and Aaron Splaine could play a key part in securing victory for the mighty Killie.
Finally, as always, let's get right behind the team on Saturday. #KTID
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