Press comments from the Killie boss Tommy Wright shall be here... 

March 8th 2022: Tommy Wright reflects on his Killie Sacking by the Rugby Park board in December for slipping five points behind Arbroath with a game in hand.   “What happened at Kilmarnock hasn’t put me off management.   It’s the first time in my career I’ve been sacked, but as people say that’s football - it happens to every manager at some point.  Looking back on it, it was a difficult job and from every experience you learn things.   I made a few mistakes but I still believe I built a squad that was going to be promoted. It was unfortunate I didn’t get the chance to see the job through.  I am not speaking out of turn, I told the board at the time it was too early to make a decision like that.  When you are asked to rebuild a whole club you need more than one transfer window to do that in.  A manager over the space of a couple of years wouldn’t get seventeen signings all spot on so when you’re doing it in one go, it was obvious you wouldn’t get everything right   The board had told me they wished they’d brought me in a month earlier at first and on the flip side of that, they should have given me at least another month.  My remit was to try and keep us up, but that was difficult because the squad wasn’t good enough and I didn’t have a chance to change it.  There were 17 or eighteen players out of contract, a lot of young loans in that as well.  I was aware of all that, but what I wasn’t aware of was Stuart Findlay being sold within a couple of weeks.  That was an area of the team we couldn’t afford to lose a good player from and in the end it was not keeping clean sheets that cost us because we were scoring enough goals.  They wanted me to keep them up then build what I’d done at St Johnstone.  But even after we went down it was always going to be a much tougher job because everything had to be done from scratch.  At St Johnstone there was a good base for Derek, Steve Lomas and myself to all work from.  That was a completely different club because in the bad times with Steve Brown you never ever felt your job was under threat because there’s a calmness there.  Kilmarnock isn’t like that, look at the amount of managers in the last decade or so - it’s clearly a bit more reactive to criticism from the fans.   There was good financial backing when we went down, but when I needed the board to be strong and give me the space to build it up, they weren’t.  That’s their prerogative, they run the club, but I still believe I would have won the next few games because we’d beaten the teams we had coming up already.  I’m sure things would have been different if they’d held firm, but we’ll never know now.  I think we would have been promoted just like I think Derek will take them up now.  I always felt that we were on course and that as the season progressed the other teams would drop points and really it’s only a Leicester City-style season from Arbroath that’s making it close now.” 

"It’s the first sacking I’ve had to deal with but I got over it pretty quickly.  You go away and reflect on it, and everyone else picks the bones of it to say how you did.  It’s not put me off, it’s the first real setback I’ve had in management. There’s things I would do differently coming back in but that’s a process every manager goes through.  I have taken a step back and am open to anything.   My confidence hasn’t taken a dent and hopefully my record at St Johnstone, the longevity and the results we had, still counts for something.  I’m still keen to be a manager but you also see people getting involved in the off-field roles these days, so you have to be ready to diversify if that’s the kind of thing that comes up.  

Dec 18th with Killie Sitting 5th in the Championship (after a Postponed Match Vs the Pars) Billie Bowie relieved Tommy of his Duties... “It is with regret that we have had to take this decision as I know how much Tommy wanted to bring success to Kilmarnock.  We thank him for his hard work and dedication during his time at Rugby Park and wish him all the best for the future. Everyone at the club is under no illusions that promotion back to the Premiership is the number one target for the season and with half of our league matches remaining as well as the upcoming January transfer window, our full focus is on appointing a new manager to achieve that goal.”

Dec 17th on the Pars Pre-Match: “We have to keep calm and not panic, there are a lot of games to go. We’re not in the position in the league that we’d like to be in but we’ve been here before. We were five points behind Inverness and we turned it around. We need to keep believing, doing the right things in training but more importantly taking that into games and implementing it which we haven’t done in recent weeks as much as we’d have liked. If the home form had been better then we’d be sitting in a healthier position in the league but we have to learn from what we’ve done so far as well as an understanding that the team is still in a good position with a good squad of players. There may be one or two changes in the January window, which is coming up and that’s just natural. We have to work hard, stay together as a group and if it has to mean grinding out results then that’s what we have to do but we need a few wins in this calendar year.”

“I hope all our supporters can stay safe, have a good Christmas and hopefully later next year, we can all celebrate and mix together.  On behalf of myself and all the players and staff, I want to wish all the Kilmarnock fans a very Merry Christmas and we want to get you three points this weekend and follow it up with a win on Boxing Day too. I’d also like to thank them for sticking by me and the club through the difficult times of relegation as well as this season. I know it might not be the Christmas that everyone imagined with the ongoing pandemic but hopefully we can help with some good results.”

Dec 3rd on the Caley Post-Match: "It wasn't good enough overall, How we started the game wasn't good enough to the point that we had to change our shape to gain a foothold in it.  We didn't win headers, didn't pick up second ball. They weren't bombarding our goal but they had too much control of the game.  The second half was pretty even and I thought we were just edging it before the goal but over the 90 minutes we haven't done enough. The players know that, they've let themselves down. They are better than that but they haven't showed it. I'm really, really disappointed with the overall performance.  Everybody who played tonight – there's not too many who can put their hat on for playing next week and there will be changes.  You get all the preparation they want but you've got to stand up and be counted at times and we weren't tonight, Very few of them could get pass marks tonight. It's on my watch and I will sort it. I'm looking for a reaction from the whole squad and it will be the whole squad because some who played tonight won't play next week."   - Match Recap -

Nov 20th on the Arbroath Post-Match:  "It's deja vu isn't it?, We've not done well at home again and we've only ourselves to blame. There are big moments in the game. There was a great opportunity for Oli [Shaw] when he was clean through and we had two or three opportunities in the second half.  We're not a big side so we're always under threat of conceding from a set-play but I do feel at half-time we were sitting pretty comfortably.  We started the second half slowly. Too many bad passes, not enough people wanting the ball, not enough people taking responsibility. We just seem to have this problem at home at times. We just don't want to be brave enough on the ball and are a little bit tentative. We play too safe. We don't seem to have that problem away from home. I thought the fans were good and got behind the team but we've got to do better. I know that and the players certainly know that because we're making life really difficult for ourselves. If we had had good home form, we could have daylight between ourselves and second place. But we don't have that.  Players will have to perform. It's that simple and I will have to find the right players to play at home. You could argue the biggest game we had at home with the biggest pressure was Ayr and they dealt with that fine [2-0 win on the opening day of the league season]. It's evident that our home form is costing us."  - Match Recap -

Nov 13th 2021 on the Ton Post-Match:  "When we lose games there can be a knee jerk reaction, it's a long season. I feel we're ahead of our points total in terms of what we need. This isn't an easy place to come to, and they put us under pressure with a lot of direct balls. The players should be pleased with their day's work.  In the summer we had to do a massive rebuild and I wanted two players for every position and I think I've got that. Players are missing out from even getting a strip on and some good younger are missing too".   - Match Recap -

Nov 6th 2021 on the Jags Post-Match:  "The home defeats are frustrating but the important thing for any team is once you lose a game you try and bounce back as quickly as possible. The good thing from our point of view is that we’ve still ended up top of the table and there are a lot of games. I have looked into the home form and the problem has been that we’ve gifted teams at home goals and that we’ve been done on the counter attack quite a bit. Even within that there have been individual errors, the first goal on Saturday, we give the ball away cheaply and are counter-attacked on. That’s something we’ve been able to highlight and hopefully we can rectify that at home. - Match Recap -

Oct 30th on the QotS Post-Match: : "We had to be patient and we had to move the ball quickly and we did that. Once we got the second goal, the game was over.  We were in total control of the game, as you would expect given how they were set up, but it was a really good performance.  Oli is a dream to work with, he is good in the box and works extremely hard in the game. You see his good movement for the first goal and his second was an opportunist's goal. I've been really pleased with him since he came in.  I'm pleased with our league position. It's another clean sheet and we've scored goals today. But the report will still say there is a long way to go and a lot of hard work to be done."  - Match Recap -

Oct 26th on the Ayr Post-Match:  "It's a huge result for us and keeps up our great form away from home with another clean sheet. "We stuck an extra man in midfield and it worked well for us as we were able to controlled the ball well and retain possession.  You always believe you can score a goal with the quality we've got and I was able to bring on Fraser Murray for young Danny [Armstrong] who's done excellently for us.
On Oli's Penalty: "Shooting into our fans in the last minute of a derby, there was a lot of pressure on him. But ultimately I've brought him here to score goals and I had every faith he was going to convert it.  - Match Recap -

Oct 23rd 2021 on the Accies Post-Match:  - Interview on YouTube in the Match Recap -

Oct 16th 2021 on the Pars Post-Match:  “It’s frustrating when you lose a late goal, we have been in that position before but scored the late goal. We need to make sure we move on, a draw was probably a fair result. We did enough in the 90 minutes in terms of creating loads of chances and getting into the right positions, but we didn’t work their goalkeeper enough. We were loose in possession, but when you go up 2-1 you should see it out. Listen, Euan Murray slipped and if he doesn’t slip they don’t score the goal. It’s another point towards where we want to be, we haven’t played well and got a point away from home. There are aspects of our game we are disappointed with, but the players showed character to create chances to get us ahead and then respond when it went 1-1. There are positives and we can play much better, we know that."  - Match Recap -

Oct 2nd 2021 on the Raith Post-Match: “We shot ourselves in the foot. A deep cross for the first goal, a punt down the field for the second and the third goal well, it is easy to say it is irrelevant, but it is the last kick of the ball when we were caught on the counter. We didn’t do enough in the first half with the possession that we had. In the second half we showed that we can be a good team when we are on the front foot and people want to get on the ball and we created enough chances. I don’t think Zach [Hemming] had a save to make and yet we end up losing 3-1 because we don’t start as a team. They got a bit of luck with their second. It bounces off the lad’s head and we should do better but our shape was wrong. At 1-1 it looked as if there was only going to be one winner.  Fans voiced their displeasure at full-time as groans echoed throughout the stadium. Fans can boo if they want. If they don’t recognise that we done enough to win the game then that isn’t anything that I can do something about. They have been good here. They realise the importance of them staying behind us but we didn’t give them enough in the first half. When you make mistakes – and they did get a great deal of luck with their second goal – then that is the danger."  - Match Recap -

Sept 29th on Adding Callum Hendry:  “Callum is someone I have a lot of faith in, having signed him as a young player.  During my time at St Johnstone, he proved he could score goals at the highest level and he had a decent loan at Aberdeen so even though he’s still quite young, he’s got experience of playing in the top flight.  He’s very good in the air, an excellent finisher and he’s someone I think will only get better and better with games.  He’s slightly different to the strikers we’ve got and will provide real competition and that’s what I wanted. I’ve not hiding anything from any of the strikers – I said I wanted a number of forwards here to make sure we can be a real force.” 

Sept 24th on the Arbroath Post-Match: Arbroath played well and made it difficult for us. It was a tough night but I was pleased with our attitude. I think it's a good point for us. Arbroath keep it simple and ask you constant questions. We can be better on the ball." - Match Recap -

Sept 18th on the Jags Post-Match:   “We got the job done, they started the game well and put us under pressure with balls in the box, but we defended well.   But I think we had the better chances in the first half, there was a few one-on-ones that we should have done better with.  Second half we started extremely well, we missed a penalty but the goal was a bit lucky after coming off their player, but if you get into the right areas and make good runs then you can get that little bit of luck.  I think we deserved to be ahead at that stage, and the second goal was a wonderful strike. I am so pleased for Oli getting his first goal.  He was still bubbly after the penalty miss, he has been like that in all of his games he just keeps going.  His movement is good, like all good strikers he just kept going. Him and Robbo [Scott Robinson] play really well together.  It was a top class goal, if you see that in the English Premier League they’d be raving about it because he’s under pressure and he fired it in the top corner.  It says a lot about his quality, I brought him here to score goals and he’s doing everything right even outside of scoring so far.  I have a target of how many clean sheets we need in my head, we can’t get out of this league without keeping them.  If you look at teams who well in leagues they do it at both ends of the pitch. It’s pleasing doing it on the road, Partick created chances. The whole team defended well and we are looking difficult to beat as well as having quality up front to score."  - Match Recap -

Sept 11th on the Ton Post-Match:  “Yeah I am delighted, that’s what we set out to do - get a win.  It wasn’t the prettiest of games, we could probably have played a lot better on the ball. I think there was periods we were flat, but we produced a real moment of quality and scored a good goal. We defended well all game and the goalkeeper made a good couple of saves. I am pleased with the result, but in terms of level of performance it wasn’t near how we’ve been this season." 
When asked if it's a A good sign that they won without playing at their best: “That would be the first game I could say that to be fair to the lads. Inverness I don’t think we played too bad but we didn’t get the result. We have went to different places like Queen of the South and Hamilton and played well, but against Morton maybe I expect too much at home in terms of tempo. It was a little bit off, it’s not a major concern, it’s just something to look at."  - Match Recap -

Sept 4th on the Bairns Post-Match: “Overall we were pleased to win the game, that’s the first objective. I was pleased with how we played for most of the game – we had some really good attacking football. I’m disappointed with the goal particularly after the start we had. We made a poor decision to play in that area and probably should do a bit more to stop the shot. We probably didn’t react for 15 minutes in the right way but the last 15 minutes of the first half we had a few opportunities. In the second half, they had a few counter attacks but we have totally controlled the game second half and really with the number of good opportunities we created we should have scored more than the three goals we got.  We said at half-time they had got into these good positions and it was not picking the right pass and we did that. The second goal was a great goal, a great ball from Blair [Alston] and your right full-back Naisy is up high which we encourage him to do. And the third goal is simple. Again, we talk about runners in behind and sometimes we have got to mix our play up a bit and go a bit longer and Oli [Shaw] does great for it. It’s simple football, some people call it route one football, but it’s simple and the goal is a really good goal in the end because it’s good movement and a great finish.” - Match Recap -

Sept 1st 2021 on Signing Oli Shaw; “It’s third time lucky for me in trying to sign Oli and that’s been the case with a few of the players we’ve recruited during this window. I’ve kept an eye on his progress and he’s another who has a good goal ratio when looking at his minutes on the pitch. He’s a good young striker who still has room to develop.”

Aug 28th on the Caley Post-Match:   “It was definitely a frustrating afternoon, it wasn’t the overall performance I wanted and it certainly wasn’t the result we wanted.  The goal was all too easy, we had an opportunity to clear it and we should have done better.  We gave the ball away cheaply, and that’s what we did all afternoon. The quality in our passing wasn’t as sharp as it should have been, we took too many touches and allowed Inverness to press us, so we only have ourselves to blame. It wasn’t to the standard we have been in recent weeks. I didn’t think we’d look like conceding a lot of goals, it was a goal from a counter attack which we gave away, and apart from that Zach [Hemming] didn’t have much to do".  - Match Recap -

Aug 21st on the Accies Post-Match: : “I know what Robbo can do. He’s got bags of experience, his movement is good.  He’s an excellent finisher. I was pleased for him. I think in the first couple of minutes he had half a chance as well.  He can be really pleased. We’ve had to be patient because of his injury to get him up to match speed.  He didn’t play a lot of football from the end of February and that’s why he broke down, probably doing a bit too much on his own in the summer.  It was a big loss early doors because he’s quality. He sets the tempo, he links it up well. Even though he’s not the biggest, he causes centre halves problems. He wins his fair share in the air and makes it awkward for them". - Match Recap -

Aug 15th on the Hibs (Lge Cup) Post-Match: " I am pleased [with the performance] but we can't be giving ourselves a pat on the back when we've ultimately not won the game. The reaction was good to going 1-0 down but the second goal is a poor goal. We've got to learn from it especially when you play a team with the quality of Hibs."  - Match Recap -

Aug 7th on the Queens Post-Match: "We had to be patient and keep going right to the end. Queens made it really difficult for us.  We've drilled into the players it's going to be like that away from home."  - Match Recap -

Aug 6th on the Queens Pre-Match: “There has been a feel good about the place, results like that gives you a lift.  Winning football matches obviously gives you a lift, but it’s not a huge improvement in terms of the mood was already really high, the squad has been buzzing since we came back from pre-season.  Everyone knows the job they need to do, they work extremely hard and get on well together.  I go back to the trip to Northern Ireland, it was vitally important we did that and the group has bonded brilliantly and they work together well.   It makes my job easier, wherever I’ve worked I have always tried to create an atmosphere where players want to come in and enjoy training but work hard.  We have got one aim and that’s to win as many games as possible. If you look at the games we’ve played during pre-season and the cup games, we played extremely well.  We controlled games and for the majority of them, including Monday night, we have dominated teams.  I think you would expect us to do that, but there has been a lot of fluency in our play.  There has been a lot of good partnerships developed all over the pitch, and I am happy with how it’s progressing.  I think it’ll be the same thing I’m saying every week, no one gives you anything in this league, you’ve got to earn it.  We need to go there and match their endeavour, match their work-rate and hope that our quality can shine through."

Aug 2nd on the Ayr Post-Match: "I thought we were relentless from the first whistle. It was a really good performance and a thoroughly deserved win. All we've done is get three points and get a good start. I know what Chris Burke can give me. He's a tremendous professional and I was so pleased when he re-signed." - Match Recap -

July 30th on the Ayr Pre-Match:  “I don’t look at media things or social media, but I can imagine what they’re saying talking about budgets and size of squads. I know that there has been teams with far bigger budgets and squads that haven’t got out of this league at the first attempt, so I am just focusing on the players and getting the best out of them. We don’t see ourselves as favourites, I think there’s five or six teams who have experience in this league who could be up there. We hope to be up there at the end of the season, but we are not going to get carried away with any favourite tags. I’m sure Rory and a couple of the others will be telling everyone how big this game is. First game of the season you always have a lot of anticipation, they are fully aware it’s a derby game.  We have to make sure on the pitch that we do the right things at the right time. We are looking forward to it, competitively we have had the Premier Sports Cup, but you always look forward to the first league game. Players, fans and staff alike have that anticipation ahead of the new season, and the fact it’s a derby game has added to it. The players have done magnificently so far, they won all their games on the pitch in the cup and we go into the game on a good run of form, hopefully we can start with a win. 
On Signing Rumaran Burrell:  “He’s a young striker and Paul Stephenson brought him to my attention. We’ve watched him and had good reports about him. He’s quick, strong and decent in front of goal and will stretch teams as well and he should be fine to be added to the squad for Monday’s game.” 
 
July 24th Paul Stephenson on the Stranraer Post-Match:  YouTube post match interview  - Here - 

July 20th on the Morton Post-Match: “We’ve a chance to go through and that’s all down to the character of the players.  A win won’t guarantee it for us against Stranraer. We might need to win by a number of goals. I think we got what we deserved. Kyle has an eye for goal and he took it well. I’m really pleased how Zach came up trumps.” - Match Recap -

July 17th on the Clyde Post-Match:  "The most important thing was getting the three points. I hought first-half we were outstanding, we should have scored at least another couple of goals.  Their goalkeeper made good saves and we missed a few chances, we played at a good tempo and had a fast start. The goal coming so quickly settles the nerves, but the second-half we didn’t play as well as we can." - Match Recap -

July 16th on the E Kilbride Forfeit:  "We take it on the chin as a club. We take it as a group, full responsibility, no individual. There are various ways it should have been flagged up and we move on. It’s happened. It’s disappointing because we got off to a good start based on what we’d done pre-season too. But it’s still a winning start for me on the pitch and we go into the Clyde game after a good result determined to win the three games we have to give us a chance of qualifying. The result has been taken off us through something that didn’t happen on the pitch. It’s our fault. I was pleased with how we played and how we’ve trained. If you look at the bench, we’ve had some injuries and niggles.  Everyone is starting to get back again so the squad will be stronger for the next three games and there’s nothing to say we can’t win those three games. Things happen. It’s one of those it happened in a competition last year. It’s not defending what the oversight was. But from a player’s point of view the majority wouldn’t have known they’d had two bookings in the group stages and they go onto the next season. Nothing had to be said to Dan. It’s not his fault. The fact he’s moved clubs obviously then the transition has probably affected how things went."

July 19th on the E Kilbride Post-Match:  “The first 15 minutes were a bit helter-skelter, the ball was popping about, but once we settled in and moved the ball, it was a good professional performance. These games can be really tricky, particularly with so many new players in the team. But we should control these games and we did that. “Zach Hemming had to make one really good save at 0-0 but he wasn’t really troubled the rest of the game.  We had to work hard for our goals and I’m pleased with the win. Naisy has done well since he came in, linking with Burkey on that side. He gets forward and I’ve always felt he’s a threat at set-plays. “Fraser will always get goals. He’s wonderful to work with - he’s two-footed, he can play through the middle and he’s a nightmare for defenders because he can go right or left. He scored six or seven goals last season and he’s someone I’m hoping can get a lot of goals this season because he’s a really good finisher.  Chris Burke is still looking great, that’s why we re-signed him. He’s going to be vital because we understand the Championship is going to be a tough league. For our two young wingers, there is nobody better in the game for them to learn from than Burkey.” - Match Recap -

July 6th 2021 on Signing Keeper Sam Walker:  “We’ve known we needed two players for this position and we’ve been looking since the end of the season.  Sam was on our list and we’ve eventually got him and I’m really pleased to do that because now I look at it and feel that I’ve got two number one goalkeepers. Sam obviously has more experience than Zach but both are top goalkeepers and I look forward to working with both of them. Hopefully Sam’s experience can help Zach and us for what will be a really tough season.”

July 3rd 2021 on the Larne Pre-Season Draw: "We should have seen the game out but it doesn't take away what a good week it's been for us."

July 1st 2021 on Naming Chris Stokes Captain:  “He’s been a captain before and has experience of winning promotions in England. People that I know told he was vocal and I’ve seen that as well on the pitch.  I’ve named three vice captains as well in Chris, Euan and Rory so they’ll likely form the players’ committee.”

June 30th on Re-Signing Chris Burke: “We spoke to Chris before the end of the season about things. We wanted to find out what he wanted to do.  We spoke about a player/coach role for him but he said he wanted to just continue playing right now.  We gave him some breathing space to think things over about what he wanted to do.  I know some other clubs spoke to him but he came back to us saying that he wanted to stay.  I have so much respect for Burkey and I think the fact he has stayed shows how much affection he has for Kilmarnock.  One thing he said was that he loves coming to work every day. The last 12 months have been tough but he still wanted to be here.  I am really pleased he is staying with us.  You look at what he can contribute on the park for us but we have two young wide players in Dan and Fraser (Fraser Murray and Dan Armstrong)  and there is no better player to learn from than Burkey.  People who know me know that I will always be honest with people and I think Burkey respected that. Sometimes people don’t like when you are honest with them but I think that’s the best way to be.  I think how this has been handled shows the respect I have for Burkey and he has for me.”

June 23rd 2021 on Signing Liam Polworth:  “He’s a good Premiership player who I know a lot about.  We’re trying to build a squad here that has competition for places all over the park and I think in midfield he’ll be a good attacking option. Liam’s a quality player with great delivery at set plays and I think with the ability he has, he can score more goals and I’ve already spoken with him about that. We’re still looking to add quality players because I don’t want anybody feeling that they are guaranteed a place. I want people in the building who are going to compete for a first team place and drive us forward to get us back to the Premiership.”

June 21st 2021 on Signing Zach Hemming: “Paul (Stephenson asst mnger) alerted me to him but I know Ian Bennett [Middlesbrough, goalkeeping coach] really well and I think Zach is someone who will come in and be a big hit with the fans. He’s a good size, technically a very good goalkeeper and he will improve by playing games.”

June 17th 2021on his Latest 3 Squad Additions:  “Fraser (Murray) is someone I’ve been aware of since he broke onto the scene at Hibs. He had other options but he made it clear that he wanted to come here. He’s a good age, has ability, is quick and goes past people. He’s got experience in this league so nothing will be new to him and is part of that blend of youth and experience that we’re building here.

“I’ve known Jason (Naismith) since I’ve been in Scotland and he’s an excellent player. As soon as we spoke to him and his agent, there were no qualms about having to step down a league and I think that’s really important. He’ll bring experience and a lot of quality.  I’m trying to build a squad with competition all over the pitch because 11 players alone won’t get us back to where we want to be. We’re going to need competition and defensively with the seven players that we have then I think that is pretty strong.

Brad Lyons: “He’s a strong player with plenty of energy and he’s another who is a good age. He had options but this was where he wanted to be so I’m glad to get Brad in. He’s a box-to-box midfielder and I do feel that one area that we can help him with is to get him back to what he did in the Irish League, which was score goals. He had a good scoring record with Coleraine, had a decent loan at St Mirren and did well at Morecambe last year.”

June 10th on Signing Chris Stokes: “Chris is someone I tried to sign a few years ago while he was at Coventry. He’s an experienced player, a leader and organizer on the field who will help the defence.  I believe he will be vocal on and off the field and be a great help to the younger players in the squad.  It’s not just about building a team but building a squad that can help this club grow again and we’re trying to get the right blend of players between ones who have tasted success and want more along with young players who are hungry to experience that.  Adding those players along with the youngsters already at the club will hopefully allow the fans to see we’re getting the right mix to compete for positions and get the club back to where we want to be.” 

June 7th on Signing Stephen McGinn: “As we continue to build our new team, we’ve brought in players in their early or mid 20s but experience is also important and Stephen knows what it is like to win the Championship.  I believe that experience will be invaluable and I really like the way Stephen plays the game. “All the players we’ve added so far have shown a great determination and enthusiasm for getting the club back to the Premiership and Stephen was really keen to join and be part of something here.”

June 3rd on Signing Blair Ralston: “I’ve obviously worked with the boss before, I know what he’s about and how he can get the best out of the boys. Hopefully we can put together a strong team and have a good season.  I’m really pleased to get Blair. He was someone who I really didn’t want to leave St. Johnstone. Blair will do extremely well in this league, he’s got a lot of quality. His attitude is excellent and he pops up with important goals. He’ll improve us a lot in that middle area and chip in with goals and assists.”

June 2nd on Signing Daniel Armstrong: “I’ve known Daniel for a long time and I tried to sign him on loan when he was a youngster with Wolves. He’s someone I’ve kept an eye on and he’s got more experience and did extremely well with Raith last season, scoring goals and registering a number of assists. He’s an exciting player who is a good age with experience of this league, which is important and I believe there’s scope for Daniel to improve even further at Kilmarnock”

June 1st on Signing Euan Marray: “Euan’s someone I’ve been aware of for a while. Firstly, he’s a very good player and it’s great he lives close by. When I first came in, I said I wanted players that have an identity and connection with the fans. It’s important that we have players that know what it means to the area.  He’s a leader, he’s aggressive in his defending, and he’s a handful in both boxes. I’m really pleased to get him on board.”

On Ross Millen Departing:  “We set Ross a deadline to get back to us about a contract extension, giving him time to think it over. The club didn’t get a response in time and we’ve now withdrawn our offer. It’s important that we have players here who want to play for the club.  I want to thank Ross for his time at Killie, and wish him well. 

Tommy Wrights Comments 2021- HERE

Alex Dyer Comments 2020-21 - HERE