The Power of Kentucky Fried Chicken

League Cup Third Round

Home/Away to Queen of the South

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Line-Up:

GK: Murphy
RB: Fowler
CB: Fisher
CB: Angha
LB: Hay
RW: Dayton
CM: Stewart
CM: Shinnie
LW: Aluko
ST: Rhodes
ST: Gros

Subs:
GK: Bell
FB: McKeown
CM: Harkins
WM: Sliva
ST: Fierro

Result

Won 3-0

This should have been an easy victory if the tie against them last season was anything to go by. It didn't go quite to plan though as we struggled to get a foothold in the game for the first half hour. Once we finally got a chance however, we looked a completely different team and minutes before the end of the half Gary Fisher managed to get his head to the ball from a Silva corner to put us one ahead and to get his first ever goal for the club. The goal made the second half alot more open as both teams went all out. Our lead increased when Dayton recieved the ball just outside the box before running to the byline and cutting the ball back to Gros who slotted home our second. The game ender came when Aluko's ball across the net was parried to the feet of Rhodes who scored his first goal for the club.

League Cup 4th Round Draw

The 4th round draw has drawn us against the last reamining First Division team, Partick Thistle. The game will get played at Rugby Park on the last day of October. Hopfully we can play like we did against QotS and progress into the semi-finals.

Matchday 6

Home/Away to Dunfermline

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Line-Up:

GK: Murphy
RB: Pursehouse
CB: Fisher
CB: Kroca
LB: McKeown
RW: Silva
CM: Kelly
CM: Harkins
LW: Aluko
ST: Heffernan
ST: Gros

Subs:
GK: Bell
CB: Angha
FB: Hay
CM: Shinnie
RW: Dayton
LW: Brady
ST: Rhodes

Result

Lost 3-0

I don't know what happened. Its like we just never showed up at all in this game. We managed to just hold on in the first half but in the second everything fell apart. A bad defeat which drops us 2 places in the league which isn't bad since its only down to 4th but I really didn't think we'd be struck by complacency which is the only thing I can think of.

Monthly Update - September

This month saw the end to our unbeaton streak with a disappointing 2-1 loss to Motherwell followed b by a shocking 3-0 loss to Dunfermline. We did have a very good result against Celtic and a scoreless draw against Hearts which I am pleased with. We also advanced to the 4th round of the League Cup, an improvement on last year, with our 3-0 victory of Queen of the South.



Having only taken 4 points from 12 in the league we have dropped down to 5th in the league. This is only one place where I hope to end the season at worst so I hope we don't drop further than this.



Here is a look at what my ass man thinks of the training this month.

Sorry guys some of the posts will be getting cut down a little from now on as I have work for college to do, I will keep you as informed as I can on monthly reports as well as match reports but they may not come as often as they have done previously.

Matchday 7

Home/Away to St. Johnstone

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Line-Up:

GK: Bell
RB: Pursehouse
CB: Pascali
CB: Kroca
LB: McKeown
RW: Silva
CM: Kelly
CM: Harkins
LW: Aluko
ST: Heffernan
ST: Gros

Subs:
GK: Murphy
CB: Angha
FB: Hay
CM: Shinnie
RW: Dayton
LW: Gardyne
ST: Rhodes

Result

Draw 0-0

This match saw a return to the line-up for Pascali and Bell.

The first half was relavitely even with the possession roughly the same as well as shots on goal and on target. However neither team could take advantage and we went in 0-0 at half time. The second half was more of the same. Both teams created a fair amount of chances for the amount of possession each team had but thanks to some good goalkeeping and an inability to finish, the game ended 0-0

Matchday 8

Home/Away to Hibernian

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Line-Up:

GK: Bell
RB: Pursehouse
CB: Pascali
CB: Fisher
LB: McKeown
RW: Silva
CM: Kelly
CM: Harkins
LW: Aluko
ST: Rhodes
ST: Gros

Subs:
GK: Murphy
CB: Kroca
FB: Hay
CM: Shinnie
RW: Dayton
LW: Gardyne
ST: Heffernan

Result

Lost 1-0

League debut for Rhodes.

We were 1-0 down within 3 minutes as we never got out of the starting blocks...once again. Other than Hibernian having another goal disallowed for offside there was not much else of note in the first half. The second half was not much better than the first as neither team could really do much in the final third without disappointing their managers. The game ended 1-0 to hand us yet another defeat. Our third in four games.

Matchday 9

Home/Away to Rangers

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Line-Up:
GK: Bell
RB: Pursehouse
CB: Pascali
CB: Kroca
LB: McKeown
RW: Silva
CM: Kelly
CM: Harkins
LW: Aluko
ST: Heffernan
ST: Gros

Subs:
GK: Murphy
CB: Fisher
FB: Hay
CM: Shinnie
RW: Dayton
LW: Gardyne
ST: Rhodes

Result

Lost 2-0

The first half went as I expected, with Rangers controlling the game. Thanks to some fine defensive work and some brilliant goalkeeping though, we held on. Towards the end of the half we even managed to create a chance that just went the wrong side of the post. The second half started off with the game going back to normal, and Rangers controlling the play. They finally broke through after the hour mark to put us 1 down and take full control of the game. It was then over in minutes as Rangers went on to double their lead and our confidence looked to sink without a trace.

Matchday 10

Home/Away to Aberdeen

Formation: 4-5-1

Line-Up:

GK: Murphy
RB: Pursehouse
CB: Pascali
CB: Kroca
LB: McKeown
RW: Silva
CM: Kelly
CM: Harkins
LW: Gardyne
AM: Shinnie
ST: Gros

Subs:
GK: Antel
CB: Fisher
FB: Hay
CM: Stewart
RW: Dayton
LW: Aluko
ST: Heffernan

Result

Draw 1-1

This at the start of the season would have been a match that I would have thought the team could win, but dur to our recent bad run it was more a case of stopping them from winning. A change in tactics from 4-2-2-2 to 4-5-1 also took place to see if that would shake the team up a bit. The game itself wasn't the greatest as Aberdeen scored just before half time in a fairly uneventful half. The second half was more or less the same as we tried to keep them from extending the lead before finally getting the equaliser just before the hour mark.

League Cup 4th Round

Home/Away to Partick Thistle

Formation: 4-5-1

GK: Murphy
RB: Fowler
CB: Pascali
CB: Angha
LB: Hay
RW: Dayton
CM: Stewart
CM: Winchester
LW: Brady
AM: Lletget
ST: Fierro

Subs:
GK: Antel
CB: Fisher
CM: Kelly
WM: Gardyne
ST: Rhodes

Result

Won 2-0

I went on holiday for this game as I was slapped with a 1-match touchline ban for all Scottish Competitions after the Aberdeen match.

Monthly Update - October

October was just a very bad month for the club. We did not win a league game all month and struggled to even show up in the all of them. Our only saving grace was that we progressed in the League Cup to the Semi-Finals.



Our bad run of results has dropped us down to 8th which is the wrong end of the table that I would like to be at, and hopefully next month we can remedy that.



In training here is who impressed and failed to do so:



The draw for the Semi Final was also made this month and here is who we have been drawn against.

Matchday 12

Home/Away to Dundee United

Formation: 4-5-1

Line-Up:

GK: Murphy
RB: Pursehouse
CB: Pascali
CB: Angha
LB: McKeown
RW: Silva
CM: Kelly
CM: Harkins
LW: Gardyne
AM: Norwood
ST: Fierro

Subs:
GK: Antel
CB: Fisher
FB: Hay
CM: Stewart
RW: Dayton
LW: Aluko
ST: Rhodes

Result

Lost 2-1

Despite losing the game I was actually pleased. The team started to show signs of our previous form and that paid off when we took the lead. The equaliser was due to some very horrendous defending by us and the winner was an offside goal that the linesman never acknowledged.

Matchday 13

Home/Away to Falkirk

Formation: 4-5-1

Line-Up:

GK: Murphy
RB: Pursehouse
CB: Pascali
CB: Angha
LB: McKeown
RW: Silva
CM: Kelly
CM: Harkins
LW: Gardyne
AM: Norwood
ST: Fierro

Subs:
GK: Antel
CB: Fisher
FB: Hay
CM: Stewart
RW: Dayton
LW: Aluko
ST: Rhodes

Resu;t

Won 1-0

As a result of the performance I saw last week I decided not to change the sqaud at all to see if they would continue to regain previous form. The decision paid off. Yes it was against weaker opposition but the team really started to look like their old selves again and that will hopefully continue into the next games that we have.

Matchday 14

Home/Away to St. Mirren

Formation: 4-5-1

Line-Up:

GK: Murphy
RB: Fowler
CB: Pascali
CB: Angha
LB: Hay
RW: Dayton
CM: Kelly
CM: Harkins
LW: Gardyne
AM: Shinnie
ST: Fierro

Subs:
GK: Antel
CB: Fisher
FB: McKeown
CM: Stewart
RW: Brady
LW: Aluko
ST: Rhodes

Result

Won 3-1

This game was another pleasing one to watch as the team again showed quite a few glimpses of their previous form, and it showed as we controlled the game only losing a goal to a soft penalty. Fierro also ended his goal drought which might keep him in the side for the next squad if he is of course fit enough.

Future Transfer Update

Tom Barkhuizen and Oliver Norwood are all unhappy about the lack of first team football and both wish to leave at the end of the season. Barkhuizen I may let leave but I won't be looking to allow Norwood to leave as I want to keep him for the future so he and Shinnie will start battling out for the back-up playmaker spot for when Harkins is unavailable.

Also, James Dayton has announced he wishes to move to a bigger club in future so he may also be leaving at the end of the season. This is another player I would have wanted to keep for a few more seasons but I do have players to cover his departure whenever that may be.

At the end of the season I will also be looking to offload some of the dead or decaying wood in the squad as there are now half a dozen players that will be in their 30's come the end of the season. They will hopefully either retire, in the case of Garry Hay (35) and James Fowler (32) who have played for Kilmarnock all their lives, or leave for a small amount like Micheal Stewart (31), Paul Heffernan (30) and possibly Zdenek Kroca(32).

Hopefully with these possible departures and retirements our youth will get a chance to prove themselves next year and in following seasons.